Television Review: Legacy (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S4X06, 1990)

Legacy (S04E06)

Airdate: October 29th 1990

Written by: Joe Menonsky
Directed by: Robert Scheerer

Running Time: 45 minutes

Star Trek: The Next Generation reached a notable production milestone with its 80th instalment, Legacy. In doing so, it officially surpassed the total episode count of the original series, a symbolic passing of the torch underlined by a subtle nod to that earlier era. The episode’s mention of Camus II—the setting of the 79th and final original series episode, The Turnabout Intruder—functions as a quiet homage. More significantly, Legacy engages indirectly with another franchise landmark from TNG’s own first season: the seminal death of Security Chief Tasha Yar in Skin of Evil. It is this narrative inheritance, the revisiting of Yar’s tragic and pioneering demise, that forms the episode’s core conceit, albeit with decidedly mixed results.

The plot itself is relatively straightforward. The USS Enterprise-D responds to a distress call from the freighter Arcos. Despite arriving too late to prevent the vessel’s destruction, the crew detects escape pods that have landed on the nearby planet Turkana IV. This world is already known to them as the former home and tragic birthplace of the late Tasha Yar. However, Turkana IV presents a severe complication. It is a failed Federation colony, long since descended into a state of permanent, violent anarchy, ruled by warring gangs. The two dominant factions are the Turkan Coalition and the Turkan Alliance. The Arcos survivors, it transpires, are being held by the Alliance. Hayne (Don Mirault), the Coalition leader, proposes a joint rescue operation and sends as his liaison Ishara Yar, played by Beth Toussaint—the younger sister of Tasha.

Ishara’s arrival on the Enterprise stirs considerable interest, particularly from Data, for whom Tasha’s memory holds unique significance. Many crew members are taken aback, however, by Ishara’s initial contempt for her sister, whom she views as a coward for abandoning their homeworld. In a series of poignant scenes, Yar’s former colleagues, including Data and Counsellor Troi, strive to correct this perception, arguing that Tasha’s bravery and integrity were defining qualities. Ishara appears gradually to warm to life aboard the Federation starship and even participates in a dangerous mission to scan Alliance positions, an essential step for locating and beaming the hostages to safety.

A second, successful attempt sees the hostages rescued. Yet this triumph instantly sours as Ishara reveals her true agenda. The rescue operation was merely a pretext to disable the Alliance’s sensor grid, enabling the Coalition to launch a major assault. In a moment of sharp betrayal, she turns her phaser on Data and Commander Riker before being subdued. Captain Picard’s subsequent handling of the situation is notably, and arguably problematically, lenient. Rather than charging her with assault on Starfleet officers, he simply returns her to Hayne on Turkana IV. In the episode’s coda, Riker and Data reflect on the incident. Riker posits that trust, despite its inherent risk of betrayal, remains a necessary hazard in the pursuit of genuine connection—a philosophical grace note that feels somewhat unearned by the preceding events.

Legacy holds a minor place in franchise history as the first televised script from Joe Menosky, a writer who would later deliver some of the most nuanced and ambitious work for Deep Space Nine and Voyager. The episode also fits within the broader familial themes that characterised the early part of TNG’s fourth season, a period concerned with exploring the roots and relatives of its central crew. The core idea—mining the lore of Tasha Yar, the first major character ever killed off in the franchise—is, on paper, a classic piece of television “high concept”. Meanwhile, Beth Toussaint, bearing a striking resemblance to Linda Hamilton that initially confused some viewers, delivers a competent performance within the constraints of a rather thinly written role.

However, the episode’s more intriguing potential is largely squandered. The foundational premise of a failed Federation colony degenerating into a gang-ruled hellscape is a rich one, but it is never properly explored. The depiction of the two rival gangs, allegedly inspired by contemporary anxieties about US inner cities, feels generic and undercooked, serving as little more than a backdrop for the hostage plot. Furthermore, Picard’s decision to intervene directly in the planet’s conflict, thereby radically altering the local balance of power, represents yet another example of the Enterprise crew adopting a cavalier attitude towards the Prime Directive, with little narrative scrutiny of the consequences.

The episode is not without merit. Its strongest elements are performance-based, chiefly Brent Spiner’s excellent work as Data. He subtly portrays the android’s struggle to process the complex, faintly perceived emotions surrounding Ishara’s betrayal and the memory of Tasha, a struggle all the more poignant for his inherent lack of feeling. The direction by Robert Scheerer is also solid, particularly during the taut action sequences on Turkana IV.

Ultimately, the general impression left by Legacy is one of profound middleness. It is the very definition of a watchable but ultimately disposable “filler” episode. Competently executed on a technical level and of passing interest for its historical footnote status, it nonetheless lacks the narrative depth, thematic ambition, or emotional weight to resonate strongly. It is an episode that few, even among dedicated Trekkies, would rank highly or revisit with any particular enthusiasm—a perfectly adequate, yet ultimately forgettable, hour of television.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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