Star Trek: The Next Generation 4.22

Half a Life

Lwaxana Troi, Counselor Deanna Troi's mother, is aboard the Enterprise when Timicin, a scientist from Kaelon II boards the starship. She immediately attaches herself to him and a bond develops between them. Timicin conducts tests while aboard the Enterprise in the hope that they will result in a viable way to save the star around which Kaelon II orbits. The tests prove unsuccessful.

Timicin is approaching 60 years of age. He is duty bound to return home and experience Resolution, ritual death. All people on Kaelon II regardless of their condition at age 60 are compelled to experience Resolution. Timicin accepts the practice but Lwaxana does not. She argues valiantly against his intent to return home to experience Resolution.

Something Lwaxana says finally says gets through to Timicin and he briefly decides to request asylum aboard the Enterprise. His people apply different kinds of pressure and eventually Timicin decides that he will return home for Resolution.

Thoughts

All of the regular members of the crew are in this episode but this episode focuses primarily on Lwaxana and Timicin.

I found this episode to be very moving. I don't think I said that about the other episodes I've watched in which Lwaxana appeared. There is a little bit of her bombast but for the most part this is a fairly serious episode, especially after Timicin reveals why he needs to return home.

I don't think this episode is about euthanasia although it does seem to be about a ritual suicide or murder.

Notes

This is the fourth of six episodes of this show in which Majel Barrett played Lwaxana Troi. She is also the voice of the Enterprise computer and played Lwaxana Troi in three episodes of Deep Space Nine. She last appeared in 3.24 Ménage à Troi.

David Ogden Stiers played the part of Timicin. This is his only appearance in this show. He was the voice of Solovar in a two-part-er from the first season of Justice League (1.07 The Brave and the Bold) and in an episode of Justice League Unlimited (3.06 Dead Reckoning).

Michelle Forbes has a small part as Timicin's daughter. Forbes returned the following season to play Ensign Ro Laren in several episodes, starting with 5.03 Ensign Ro. Her final appearance as Ro Laren was in an episode of Picard, a series which I have not watched. I know her best from her time on Homicide: Life on the Streets but I also recall seeing her in a few episodes of Battlestar Galactica (2004). 

Peter Allan Fields wrote the story and the teleplay. This is the first of several episodes that he had a hand in writing. He also had a hand in writing episodes of Deep Space Nine and The Six Million Dollar Man.

This is one of 22 episodes of this show that Les Landau directed, including 6.15 Tapestry. He also directed episodes of Deep Space Nine (including 2.14 Whispers), Voyager, and Enterprise.