For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky (HD Video; Memory Alpha) is an awesome name, and a nearly awesome episode.
It starts out, as is the show’s wont, in the middle of a crisis, with chemical missiles hurtling toward the Enterprise. Phasers make quick work of them, and they are traced back to a generation ship built inside of a massive asteroid, aboard which the last remnant of a long-dead race is blissfully unaware of their heritage.
The setup is nice, the pacing is good, the natives are interesting (if hilariously badly dressed).
But to tie the crew into the action the writers decided to give Bones Xenopolycythemia (which my latin translates to the actually sensible “alien multi-blood-cell-condition”), which will kill him in a year. In response, he decides to stay on the generation ship and live out his last year the happy husband of the high priestess. That’s… that’s just silly. Bones wouldn’t settle down to die quietly: Bones would be out looking for a cure (and, it should be noted, he comes around to this by the end).
The setup also lacks for a villain, what with the high priestess fulfilling her primary role as love interest, so we once again have to rely on a malfunctioning computer. Computers in Star Trek never work right, which is kind of a shame for such a forward-thinking, pro-progress show. But even if it’s well-trod territory, it’s not the focus of the episode, so it’s a minor weakness.
Even given those two drawbacks, this was a good episode in a season that’s been pretty bad. It’s no classic, but it’s more than worth watching.
Grade
B+
