“Skin of Evil” is written by: Joseph Stefano and
Hannah Louise Shearer, from a story by: Joseph Stefano, and is directed by: Joseph
L. Scanlan. It was produced under
production code 122, was the 23nd episode of Star Trek: The Next
Generation, and was broadcast on April 25, 1988.
I knew this was coming. When I started watching Star Trek: The Next
Generation, I had mentioned to my father since he had watched the series on
original broadcast growing up. The first
words out of his mouth were “Has Tasha Yar died yet?”. The episode I had just watched was “Encounter
at Farpoint”. So, obviously, not. Knowing this little fact essentially going
into Star Trek: The Next Generation and the fact that it is something
that is happening at some point during the first season made me feel that each episode
could be her last. “Skin of Evil” is
when it happens, very early in the episode where she is killed, almost
unceremoniously by an oil-like creature that had been holding hostage counselor
Troi. The death of Tasha Yar is
particularly odd in this episode because it then becomes the most interesting aspect
of the plot. It becomes the distraction
and stakes the crew have to fight against, the potential that other members of
the crew are going to die. The crowning achievement
of the episode, however, is actually the memorial service held for Yar at the
end of the episode. It has some of the best
material Star Trek: The Next Generation has had to offer, mainly because
it is completely focused on character.
Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, and Patrick Stewart are particularly
effective in remembering the Enterprise security chief who has been
defined by a traumatic past that the writers never really wished to earnestly
explore. Crosby somehow gets her best material
in getting to say goodbye via prerecorded hologram, it isn’t entirely perfect
because a lot of the relationships between Yar and the crew were generally ignored.
The characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation
haven’t actually established their interpersonal relationships outside of the
barest of bare bones, mainly hinting at relationships between Picard and
Crusher and Riker and Troi. There’s also
a friendly mentor/mentee relationship between Wesley and Geordi. “Skin of Evil” actually opens with a dialogue
between Worf and Yar, clearly making an attempt for the audience to connect
with her before her death but it’s also some of the deepest characterization Star
Trek: The Next Generation has had to offer.
It actually is a major step in indicating these characters have lives
outside of their jobs: Yar is participating in a martial arts tournament on the
ship and Worf is betting that she is going to win. It’s simple but effective at actually selling
that these people are more than just reluctant coworkers. The shame is that it’s her last episode,
though again this isn’t to blame Crosby: her decision to leave was clearly
leaving a very troubled production that clearly didn’t deserve her.
The rest of “Skin of Evil” is about an alien that is
written as a petulant child, killing Yar to try feeling something for its
actions. The design of Armus is particularly
effective despite being a rather cheap effect.
You can tell it’s a black plastic costume (one that behind the scenes clearly
struggled with repairing through production), but the way that Joseph L.
Scanlan shoots it in camera with actual oil really sells it. There are camera tricks used to trick the
audience to see Armus rising from the oil without actually using any optical
effects. Armus himself is also left alive
at the end of the episode, the crew generally not taking revenge for the death
of Yar. Marina Sirtis as Troi who is
stuck in the position of damsel gets the more interesting performance in the
immediate aftermath of Yar’s death, she doesn’t see it happen but emotionally
feels it, selling exactly who she is to the audience quite well. “Skin of Evil” does struggle slightly, there
actually isn’t a whole lot of plot and without Yar’s death there really wouldn’t
be particularly interesting. It doesn’t
actually have a whole lot to say and just is a fairly standard episode elevated
into something because of the killing of a main cast member.
Overall, “Skin of Evil” in many ways feels like a
turning point for Star Trek: The Next Generation. The way Yar dies is very quick and played
partially for shock value, but the episode then dedicates plenty of time to
actually show the aftermath of her death, subsequently giving the character
more characterization than any other appearance. The plot itself still has a lot of the
problems other episodes of the show has: an underdeveloped plot and when not
dealing with Yar’s death the characters don’t really work. It’s actually one of the stronger episodes of
the show and one I could easily see myself rewatching just for the actors
clicking so well with the material. 7/10.
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