- Directed by Les Landau
- Story by Maurice Hurley and Robert Lewin
- Teleplay by Richard Manning and Hans Beimler
- April 11, 1988
- Based on Star Trek Created by Gene Roddenberry
- First Run Syndication
Episode Cast
- Capt. Jean-Luc Picard-Patrick Stewart
- Commander William Thomas ‘Will’ Riker-Jonathan Frakes
- Lt. Geordi La Forge-LeVar Burton
- Lt. Natasha ‘Tasha’ Yar-Denise Crosby
- Lt. Worf-Michael Dorn
- Dr. Beverly Crusher-Gates McFadden
- Counselor Deanna Troi-Marina Sirtis
- Lt. Commander Data-Brent Spiner
- The Peddler-Vincent Schiavelli
- Capt. Paul Rice-Marco Rodríguez
- Chief Engineer Logan-Vyto Ruginis
- Ensign Lian T’Su-Julia Nickson
- Lt. Orfil Solis-George De La Peña
The Enterprise-D arrives at a planet to investigate why it has gone silent and instead of finding a thriving world instead come across a dangerous weapon.
I have a soft spot for the older episodes of TNG. For me they felt like a modern effort in the mold of Star Trek TOS. Very much in that spirit with their message-oriented stories that get weird in a way that makes strange sense. Their use of questionable sets to portray otherworldly environments really connected with me.
Being the 80s, nuclear war and the Arms Race was very much on the minds of the public. The Arsenal of Freedom is essentially about that and how pursuing ever efficient ways of wiping out the other side can backfire. A big deal was made early on not only in the media but on the show that Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) would not beam down to any planet on a weekly basis. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) as a character insisted he do it. This is one of the earliest instances I can readily recall where Picard goes planetside but it is after Riker goes.
In the story the planet Minos was well known and because of their fame well connected but never an SOS or anything indicating what happened occurred at, er, warp speed straining credibility of the setup of the plot. In hindsight it is a logic oversight. They do a poor job of covering how the devastation was so swift and completely undiscovered.
We get a smidgeon of biographical data on Riker. Nothing too Earth shattering, but we do learn that he passed up command of the USS Drake for second command of the Enterprise which is something that would play out or get mentioned throughout the series. This is mentioned not only on the bridge in the opener but on the planet when Riker encounters what looks like his friend and current Drake captain Paul Rice (Marco Rodríguez) but is actually an information gathering device.
This engaged in the sin of letting the audience know something was hinky right away. Rodríguez-as-Rice acted stiffer than 2×4. For something that’s designed to get information this weapon does a very poor job of it. An incredibly advanced weapons system performing so poorly built by a society that made their name on such things makes no sense. But it does keep the story moving.
To this day I’m still not 100% sure if that drone the away team encounters on the surface is really bad early CGI or some kind of prop. We see it a few times and it appears like something that was either given a quick spray paint job or a cheap graphic.
There is also the bio drop of Beverly’s (Gates McFadden) grandmother which if I recall never got mentioned again until that poorly received Gothic romance episode. Picard and the good doctor get trapped in a big hole that coincidentally is the right spot everybody needs to be. While there we learn how she came to know something of herbal medicine because of mom-mom’s tragic experiences on some colony world when medical supplies ran out. That strayed too much into Captain Kirk territory for me. I saw parallels between his and her colony experiences like the writers decided to copy and paste.
There is a B story in this involving Geordi (LeVar Burton) getting command of the bridge while Picard has runoff to the surface of Minos. Geordi must contend with the whining of Chief Engineer Logan (Vyto Ruginis) and the general nervousness of those under his temporary command while dealing with a cloaked drone threat of their own. This felt very much like an afterthought on the part of the writer’s not only because even though the threat is ended on the surface Geordi and pals must still deal with their issue but the acting and peptalk was so much weaker than the central story. They were obviously short on time and needed to add a few minutes which should have been used to plug holes and not create another one which I will get to here.
I give praise to those behind this for Geordi’s solution to dealing with the cloak. It was genuinely unique so far as I can recall never having been tried onscreen before or since in Star Trek. While in the battle section (separating quickly went away in TNG) of the ship he forces the drone to follow that section into the atmosphere of Minos making it an easy target. Why did the drone not shut down though? This was all happening after those on the surface convinced The Peddler () program they were making a purchase and it shut everything down.
That too was an intelligent and simple solution. In the end it looks obvious but even until executed (which came after Picard conveniently found the consol) and they were dealing with The Peddler you are thinking a shoot-‘em-up of phasers and photon torpedoes is the only answer.
Then there is the landing party of Riker, Data (Brent Spiner) and Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) staying in the open when dealing with a hovering drone when finding a space that it might have difficulty maneuvering in could be a little better. I am thinking something with more trees. At the minimum they should seek cover rather than crouching behind very low rocks. Now that I think about it, whatever happened to phaser overload? Those things are as much a gun as a WMD!
The highlight of this entire episode is Vincent Schiavelli. One of the great character actors of the time if not among the top 10 of all time. His delivery in this episode stays the same yet depending on the moment it’s either cheesy salesman or unintentionally sinister. Never does it strike a tone or stance that indicates he (the character) is aware on any level of what is actually going on. Perfect performance for the character.
The Arsenal of Freedom is a flawed but fun episode. It was still early in the days of TNG so the show was still figuring itself out. The message could’ve been delivered better but the performances and general execution have their moments.
