Haven by: Tracy Torme, from a story by: Tracy Torme and Lan O'Kun, and directed by: Richard Compton

 

“Haven” is written by: Tracy Torme, from a story by: Tracy Torme and Lan O’Kun, and is directed by: Richard Compton.  It was produced under production code 105, was the 11^th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and was broadcast on November 30, 1987.

 

“Haven” is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation marked specifically by how competent it is.  This is an episode that hits just about every necessary beat to propel the plot forward from inciting incident, to rising action, to climax, to falling action, to resolution.  In any other series, it would likely be an unremarkable, perhaps even mediocre episode, but here among the early days of Star Trek: The Next Generation it is actually almost a breath of fresh air.  It is just so nice to have an episode that at the very least accomplishes telling a story from beginning to end, following the television structure of an A plot and a B plot that tie into each other, wrap up loose ends at the end, and end up being quite enjoyable.  Now, the actual plot is generally basic: the A plot concerns an arranged marriage set to take place between Counsellor Deanna Troi, played by Marina Sirtis, and Dr. Wyatt Miller, a friend of her parents played by Robert Knepper, in the orbit of the planet Haven while the B plot involves a vessel from a long dead species drifting towards the planet that the Enterprise must investigate.  The plots combine in the end: the ship is actually carrying the last members of the Tarellians who were wiped out by a plague, they have been communicating to Wyatt through his dreams and one of them has fallen in love with them meaning he cannot go through the marriage with Troi.  The A plot’s conflict is between the couple’s parents having several arguments while the B plot has the conflict of defending Haven from the unknown, even if that unknown is far less dangerous.  Richard Compton’s direction goes through the motions of setting up perfectly serviceable shots that flow perfectly fine.  Again, this is an episode that is almost entirely mediocre by definition, though it does open with the message of the arranged marriage arriving with this messenger of a silver box with a face on the side which gleefully announces it.

 

Majel Barrett is what elevates “Haven” from an episode of complete mediocrity, to an episode that at the very least is enjoyable in places with a completely camp performance.  Lwaxana Troi is the complete opposite of the very little that we have established of Deanna Troi: she is outgoing, over-the-top, and entirely comfortable with her sexuality.  She doesn’t love that this marriage is happening, but it was promised in the past and she can at the very least make the wedding go her way.  She hates the Millers as Nan Martin as Victoria Miller is the straight woman fed up with Lwaxana’s antics and overt flirtation.  She immediately takes command of Picard and puts him off guard with her own attraction to him, meaning that Patrick Stewart also has to loosen up in terms of his performance.  She is an argumentative woman which gets slightly grating, but it is also certainly fun as Barrett is chewing all of the scenery.  Barrett also gets one or two softer moments, mainly one on one with Deanna about her life choices which Barrett plays well.  The moments that work particularly well are when Barrett is allowed to show how much she actually cares for her daughter despite her camp exterior.  Marina Sirtis also finally gets some particularly good scenes, even if Deanna Troi as a character even in this episode isn’t particularly strong in terms of characterization.  Troi’s desires are simplified to clearly wishing to get with Riker, who gets to be a little jealous, but having a strong duty to her family’s vows, but isn’t quite grateful enough when everything is resolved.  Sirtis and Knepper actually have some screen chemistry, there are moments in the first two acts of the episode that setup the possibility they could end up together and make the arranged marriage work.  Weirdly this episode doesn’t have much to actually say about the concept of arranged marriage, more concerned with exploring duty to family above all else.  It could be because writer Tracy Torme was brought in to salvage Lan O'Kun's original idea and he had his own ideas of what to include, or it could just be because the episode is thin and only just barely making it above mediocrity.

 

Overall, despite it being enjoyable and making it to become an above average episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Haven” is an episode that really only rises above because Majel Barrett keeps making utterly ridiculous choices that translate well to a character with stronger personality and screen presence than much of the main cast.  Lwaxana Troi is a character allowed to create conflict and her introduction essentially makes her work as a character immediately, but it does prove this show can do something written to follow a plot properly and be enjoyable.  It’s Star Trek by numbers, but somehow above average exclusively because of Barrett and the fact that it's the second attempt for the show to do a straight character piece after "The Battle".  It's close to getting on what makes Star Trek and by extension Star Trek: The Next Generation work.  6/10.