Darmok (Episode Guide)
Star Trek: The Next Generation, Episode 102
Original airdate: September 30, 1991
Stardate 45047.2
Directed by Winrich Kolbe
Story by Philip Lazebnik and Joe Menosky
Teleplay by Joe Menosky
Rating: (9 out of 10)
Synopsis:
A signal has been received from a ship belonging to the mysterious race known
as the Children of Tama. The Enterprise is dispatched to the uninhabited
planet of El Adril, where the Tamarian ship is waiting with hopes of opening
communications. The Tamarians and the Federation have encountered one another
a number of times before, but communication has always proven impossible due
to the unusual nature of the Tamarian language. (They were called "incomprehensible"
by one Starfleet captain.)
Once the Enterprise reaches El Adril, Picard and the Tamarian captain, Dathon, attempt to communicate. When this fails, the Tamarians beam them both down to the planet where they come under attack by some type of energy creature. Apparently this was planned by Dathon in the hope that shared hardship would bring them together.
Sure enough, in the end Picard and Dathon reach one another; but not before Dathon is mortally wounded. Picard is rescued from the energy creature by the Enterprise crew just before he too is killed. The knowledge of the Tamarians he gained on the planet helps him stop a brewing battle that would certainly have left the Enterprise in pieces. It also leaves him in admiration of Dathon, who gave his life in the hope of communication with those different from him.
The Society Angle:
Most Star Trek episodes deliver a social message, and "Darmok" delivers
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