Episode #71: Sarek
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Episode #71: Sarek
SAREK - episode #23 of 3rd season / Air Date: 5/14/90
written by Peter S. Beagle; Directed by Les Landau
As mentioned at the start of the first season (The Naked Now), the Trekmakers were consciously avoiding using elements from TOS, but here they obviously placed such considerations aside. Besides the one scene of McCoy in the pilot, this was the first appearance of a character from TOS. Sarek, Spock's father, also appeared in a couple of Trek films prior to this. Sarek (Mark Lenard) is 202 years old here and it's 100 years after his appearance in Journey to Babel. Strangely, there was talk of his retirement in the old episode; I guess he decided to wait another hundred years (Vulcans live about twice as long as humans).
In this episode, Sarek is a now-legendary diplomat who has helped shape the Federation; the latest planned meeting with a mysterious race will be his crowning achievement. But, he suffers from a Vulcan version of Alzheimer's - this makes him lose control of his emotions. He's in denial about this and his wife (Joanna Miles) and aides are covering from him. Even more, his condition makes him project violent impulses throughout the ship's crew and, pretty soon, fights are breaking out. La Forge & Wesley have words; O'Brien starts a bar fight; Riker gets his head handed to him again - for real this time. We even get to see Dr. Crusher slap her son, Wesley. Picard eventually confronts Sarek and they soon have to come up with an unconventional, temporary solution - it's mind meld time!
TNG Trivia: It's mentioned that Picard, as a young Lt., attended the marriage ceremony of Sarek's son, though Spock is not mentioned by name; Sarek's wife, Perrin, is his 2nd or 3rd wife - Amanda (from Journey to Babel and Star Trek IV:The Voyage Home) obviously passed away some time in the past 80 years. Sarek (Mark Lenard) would return once more in the first part of the 2-part episode Unification in the 4th season and his passing would be stated in the 2nd part.
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