“Half a Life” is written by: Peter Allan Fields, from
a story by: Ted Roberts and Peter Allan Fields, and is directed by: Les Landau. It was produced under production code 196,
was the 22nd episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4,
the 96th episode overall, and was broadcast on May 6, 1991.
In September 1990, Gene Roddenberry suffered a stroke. This was a clear turning point in the decline
of his health. He had already stepped
away from being the showrunner of Star Trek: The Next Generation before
the end of the first season, appointing Maurice Hurley to replace him in the
second season, who would in turn be replaced by, in succession, Michael Wagner
and Michael Piller. Roddenberry would pass
away October 24, 1991, partway through production of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s
fifth season. “Half a Life” was produced
and broadcast five months before the passing of Roddenberry, but the future
specter of his decline hangs over every scene, and it is better for it. The premise of the episode involves the Enterprise
hosting an experiment for Dr. Timicin of Kaelon II, played by David Ogden
Stiers. Kaelon II orbits a star that is
close to collapse, the planet having perhaps half a century left before it will
be consumed. The people of Kaelon II are
bound by ritual and tradition. Once they
reach the age of 60, they undergo the Resolution, state-enforced euthanasia
surrounded by loved ones as to not become a burden on their loved ones and society
at large. Euthanasia has always been a
difficult issue to tackle. It is a
societal issue that my own personal views are complicated and are not entirely
relevant to this episode. “Half a Life” actually
takes a rather nuanced view on the practice, while it comes firmly on the side
of the Resolution being wrong despite its roots in an old civilization’s
traditions, it does not exclude the possibility of euthanasia as an option for
the individual to take. Instead, this is
an episode uses Timicin’s Resolution to explore two themes: how society treats
the elderly and coming to terms with one’s own death.
In the metatext of “Half a Life” this is Majel Barrett’s
chance to come to terms with the love of her life being on death’s door. While writer Peter Allan Fields may not have
intended it this way, using the character of Lwaxana Troi, visiting the Enterprise
as a convenient way to travel, as Timicin’s romantic interest creates the idea
that this is on some level about the impending death of Gene Roddenberry. Timicin does die at the end of the episode,
despite Lwaxana Troi’s arguments and persuasions to buck tradition and avoid
the Resolution, he cannot find himself becoming a revolutionary and try to change
the planet. When faced with exile and
ostracization, plus the threats posed to the Enterprise by Kaelon II’s leadership,
he decides to go through with his death.
Barrett’s performance is incredibly layered. In her previous appearances, Lwaxana Troi
represents a female character type that was uncommon on television at the time. She is a powerful woman who is confident in
her sexuality despite being of an advanced age, Barrett being in her late 50s,
in a series that portrays that sexuality as normal. Female sexuality in media has a tendency to
be reserved or demonized if it is portrayed, and Lwaxana goes against the many
stereotypes. “Half a Life” is as romance
for the character that Star Trek: The Next Generation treats with the
most possible gravity. Lwaxana is given
several passionate monologues demanding somebody do something about these barbaric
traditions and begging the man she loves to live, if not for her but for the
rest of his people. While it is impossible
to know how much of Barrett’s performance is coming from deep within herself as
she is losing the man she loves, there is a clear passion here and the material
serves her well. After the first act of
the episode, Lwaxana’s comedic tendencies are downplayed, or outright gone from
the character. Her final act of being
with Timicin when he goes through with the ritual is a beautiful final line for
the episode as well, again not condoning the practice, but accepting that death
is inevitable and it is better to be able to share in those final moments, to
face grief head on instead of hiding it away.
What brings Lwaxana to this decision is a beautiful scene shared with
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, Sirtis getting some of her best material in a
script that has both women understanding one another’s shared grief.
David Ogden Stiers as Timicin is an equally layered
performance. Several reviews of mine have
discussed how Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation often
drop the ball when it comes to the discussion of aging, but Timicin as a
character is treated with dignity. He is
a scientist and a gentleman, Stiers playing him as gradually falling in love
with Lwaxana Troi after knowing her only a couple of days, but that is
enough. He is a character in his
twilight years of life, presented as in good physical health despite the
impending death and tirelessly working as one member of a society to save the
world. There is a nobility in the work
that he is doing which is given an added angle of humility as he is already
building upon the work of people who have already lived their 60 years and the
work will be continued beyond his.
Lwaxana uses that work as an argument against going through the Resolution. The passionate claim that the Resolution is as
if no work is being done to save the planet because why bother living if every
individual is given a predetermined death date.
Timicin does not see the nihilism baked into his people’s beliefs and
traditions until this moment and it is ultimately the bargain to save more
lives that makes him seek asylum on the Enterprise. “Half a Life” is also special because in Timicin
committing to the Resolution, the statement it is making becomes a tolerance of
a situation and the sad truth of the late 1980s and early 1990s that societal
change takes time. One man may get the
ball rolling, even with their own stumbles and changes, but progress is not
linear. Timicin’s life’s work still
needs to be completed by somebody else in the end.
Overall, “Half a Life” is only elevated by what Majel Barrett
and David Ogden Spiers bring to their respective roles. The commentary on euthanasia and the choice
on when to die is given the nuanced take it deserves and for once the decision
to leave questions unanswered as to how to proceed in the situation is a bonus to
the episode. It is elevated to one of
the strongest episodes of this season because of the metatextual element
Barrett brings with Gene Roddenberry’s declining health and coming to terms
with a death that Barrett clearly knew was going to happen. Lwaxana Troi is one of the best recurring
characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation and this episode is
definitive as to why. 9/10.
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