By Chris Snellgrove
| Revealed
Captain Picard made many loopy choices all through Star Trek: The Subsequent Era which ranged from refusing to wipe out the Borg to letting a precocious teenager fly the Enterprise. Arguably, although, his wildest alternative was standing by and doing nothing whereas Riker vaporized a comparatively innocent murderer. Followers have spent years making an attempt to determine why Picard didn’t say or do something within the climax of “The Vengeance Issue,” however it seems the actual cause he stood so nonetheless whereas Riker killed a lady is that Patrick Stewart couldn’t transfer or say something lest he mess up the optical particular impact of Riker’s deadly phaser blast.
On this episode, our intrepid crew discovers {that a} seemingly youthful girl named Yuta is definitely an murderer…one of many final of her variety, she is totally devoted to wiping out the whole thing of the clan that killed her individuals. She advances in direction of her goal whereas Riker alternates warning her and taking pictures her with ever stronger phaser blasters, ultimately vaporizing her whereas the captain silently. Picard’s lack of response on the finish of “The Vengeance Issue” could be very unusual, however episode director Timothy Bond later defined that he wished the captain within the shot the place Yuta is killed however that the optical impact required him to not transfer.
As recorded in Captains’ Logs: The Unauthorized Full Trek Voyages, Bond was decided to have Picard in probably the most stunning scene of “The Vengeance Issue:” the second that Riker vaporizes the murderer. He thought the captain’s presence “could be actually neat,” however pulling all the pieces off “meant placing a number of layers of components into the shot, and to ensure that it to work correctly, Picard needed to keep nonetheless.” The director belatedly admitted that there was “not a superb cause” for Picard to take a seat by and do nothing and that “after I noticed it, I really regretted the choice.”
Curiously, Picard actor Patrick Stewart was as confused because the followers at his character’s inaction on this climactic second of “The Vengeance Issue.” In keeping with Bond, the actor was very incredulous and requested “I’m simply supposed to take a seat right here and do nothing?” Whereas the episode director belatedly realized what a foul name this was, he initially felt this was the very best plan of action as a result of “we knew Riker needed to kill the lady and we didn’t wish to get Picard shot by the phaser.”
Now, if you happen to’re a fan of Picard who has spent many years asking why he did nothing in “The Vengeance Issue,” this rationalization is probably going unsatisfying. Like, it made sense from a particular results standpoint, however it’s downright bizarre watching Picard sit there doing and saying nothing whereas Riker speaks with and finally kills Yuta over the course of 4 minutes. It seems that Timothy Bond agrees, noting that “what I ought to have performed is what you normally do–don’t have him within the shot” as a result of “then the viewers doesn’t assume ‘Why doesn’t Picard react?’”
What makes all of this even crazier is that Riker arguably didn’t must homicide Yuta…like, whereas we see that she will’t be shocked by the decrease setting, the primary officer solely fires at her twice earlier than maxing his phaser out. Perhaps there was a setting between “stun” and “vaporize” that would have knocked her out? Plus, he had a laser gun and he or she solely had a glass, making the case that she was a transparent and current risk who couldn’t be captured very fuzzy at greatest.
The ethical murkiness of Riker’s huge second makes Picard’s silence and inaction in “The Vengeance Issue” that a lot weirder. Now we all know, although, that this weird second was attributable to the necessity for the captain to face completely nonetheless throughout an optical impact. Sadly, this impact did greater than kill Yuta…within the eyes of many followers, it additionally killed Picard’s character, making him appear indecisive and downright passive within the face of his first officer murdering somebody proper in entrance of him.
