TV.com

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 Episode 10

The Dauphin

Favorite

Watched It I've Watched This 6

Next
Episode Previous
Episode

6.3

User Rating

208 votes

Your Rating: 10
Your Rating: 9.5
Your Rating: 9
Your Rating: 8.5
Your Rating: 8
Your Rating: 7.5
Your Rating: 7
Your Rating: 6.5
Your Rating: 6
Your Rating: 5.5
Your Rating: 5
Your Rating: 4.5
Your Rating: 4
Your Rating: 3.5
Your Rating: 3
Your Rating: 2.5
Your Rating: 2
Your Rating: 1.5
Your Rating: 1

Rate Now

EPISODE REVIEWS
By TV.com Users

Write A Review

Episode Summary

EDIT

Free Trial / Subscription

VUDU

Buy

AIRED: 2/20/89

Stardate: 42568.8 Wesley falls in love with a passenger the Enterprise is escorting, an alien female who has the secret ability to shape-shift.

Watch Full Episode

Fan Episode Reviews (9)

Redeemed only by its unintentional humor.

3.5

By burglah, Dec 10, 2011

Wow, what a step back. I'm a newcomer to the Trek universe and slogged through the mire that was season 1. While there was a handful of solid episodes it was a struggle to make it this far to season 2. After the previous s2 episode, "The Measure Of A Man," I figured that the excellence that everyone talked about for TNG was finally going to happen.

Nope, this episode was just...wow. The effects, the annoying old woman oh god. I can't even...this was pathetic. I hope as I continue watching TNG there will be some consistency with the episodes.

Will Wheaton is a terrible actor.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
4 1

Flag
Share Hide
Wesley falls in love with the new leader of a war-torn planet.

6.0

By Celedorian, May 29, 2011

This is a Wesley episode that misses. The idea here is a mini "monster movie" on a budget, but the effects are somewhat laughable, and while Wheaton does his best with the material he's given, Wesley continues to be handled by the writers as if he's a five year old genius. Fortunately, the guest stars, Jamie Hubbard as "the Dauphin" (which translates to "heir to the throne) and the late Paddi Edwards as her guardian, are great. And all guys can identify with the idea of finding a beautiful woman, only to discover that she can turn into a hideous, snarling beast. But the episode features too much talking and too little content to be all that interesting, with the exception of a Guinan/Riker scene, and the episode is the very definition of filler.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide
Wesley falls in love with a girl he can never have.

9.0

By plasm980, May 28, 2011

It's hard to do meaningful character development in a single episode, but I thought this was a very good attempt. The "love at first sight" plot device was a little cheesy, but understandable given the time constraints. More importantly, I felt the emotions portrayed by Wesley and Salia were very realistic (at least, they would have been had they been stretched out over a longer period of time... again, not the writer's fault). On the other hand, too much time was wasted on the guardian: it was an unnecessary and boring subplot IMHO. Fortunately, the humor and emotional appeal of the rest of the episode more than made up for that.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
3 1

Flag
Share Hide
A sweet but vapid love affair for Wesley Crusher (a notion that surely sends many Wesley-hating fans scampering for their vomit bags)

5.5

By Amoyaan, May 28, 2011

Quite against expectation or reason, I must say this is a strangely endearing episode. The plot is nothing special and doesnt really go anywhere (I kept waiting for some kind of twist, other than the fact Salia was a shapeshifter, something we'd probably all guessed far in advance of the revelation), but the romance between Wesley and Salia is sweet and quite touching in its earnest innocence.

I have to say the way Wesley is characterised in the second season (as a fairly normal kind of teenager - well, *fairly*) is infinitely preferable to his portrayal as a freaky superbrained nerd in the first season. This episode aids his rehabiliation a little bit more.

On the minus side, there are some fairly dumb, cringe-worthy moments - notably the men in the furry animal suits, which are perhaps the most unconvincing aliens ever seen on TNG. I'm certain I've seen more convincing, menacing Fraggles. Also, Salia's protector Anya was just a pain in the butt and her supposed rivalry with Worf (and his grudging respect of her as an opponent) fell utterly flat on its face.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
3 2

Flag
Share Hide
A mediocre episode but not without its charms. A beneficial re-characterization of the Wesley character.

6.5

By pharoahsdance, May 28, 2011

While I don't agree with the "I hate Wesley Crusher" brigade, the character was nearly unbearable for much of the first season.

In season 2, it's noteworthy that the writers had largely abandoned "Wesley Crusher as Young Supergenius" and moved onto "Wesley, teenager onboard the Enterprise". Even if the end result is still mediocre, it's a huge improvement. And as far as Wesley plotlines, this one is a great improvement over "When the Bough Breaks" or "Coming of Age".

This episode has two really worthwhile parts. The first is Wesley's conversation with Riker and Guinan in Ten Forward; as usual, Whoopi Goldberg brings magic and charisma to every scene in which she participates. The second is a horribly acted but hilarious scene in the infirmary featuring Dr Pulaski, Anya, Worf and Captain Picard. Try not to burst into laughter as Worf prepares to attack an old lady. I am not a Dr Pulaski hater, but wow - Diana Muldaur is just awful here.

The rest of the episode is unremarkable. Wesley's love story is somewhat affecting, but in the end doesn't amount to very much. The animal costumes are flat out awful but funny at the same time.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
4 1

Flag
Share Hide

See All Fan Reviews

Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

Michael Dorn	Lt./Lt. Cmdr. Worf
LeVar Burton	Lt. Cmdr. Geordi LaForge
Jonathan Frakes	Cmdr. William T. Riker
Diana Muldaur	Dr. Katherine Pulaski (Season 2)
Marina Sirtis	Counsellor/Lt. Cmdr. Deanna Troi
Gates McFadden	Dr. Beverly Crusher

See All Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

EDIT

Paddi Edwards	Anya	Guest Star
Cindy Sorenson	Animal Anya	Guest Star
Jennifer Barlow	Ensign Gibson	Guest Star
Colm Meaney	Miles O'Brien	Recurring Role
Whoopi Goldberg	Guinan	Recurring Role

See All Cast & Crew

Watch Online

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

FILTER BY TYPE

TRIVIA (4)
ADD TRIVIA
- After the Enterprise broke orbit of Klavdia III en route to Daled IV and Picard was talking to Salia on the viewscreen, the stars behind her were stationary.
  EDIT SHARE
- The mirror in Salia's quarters plays some very strange tricks; when Anya changes to attack Wesley, Salia changes, and there is a cut, and you see both monsters from a side view. The Salia-monster stands in front of the mirror, but you don't see a mirror image. Then they both change back to the human forms and you still cannot see the mirror images. At this time there is a cut again, but you see a similar view of the room and now you can see the mirror image of Salia in the mirror.
  EDIT SHARE
- When Selia is preparing to beam down to Daled IV, it is mentioned that the communication message to the Enterprise from there is being transmitted by a terrawatt generator, much greater than the ship's power, as Riker states, in order to penetrate the planet's atmosphere. The Enterprise has no way of responding due to the atmosphere/lack of that kind of power, but they can send a transporter beam through it?
  EDIT SHARE
- When Wesley is talking to Salia and asking her if it was fun playing human, he says "That's why you wanted to know what species we are." How would he know that they had asked that, since when Anya asked Picard that question, Wesley was already off the bridge, going to get the magnet for Geordi?
  EDIT SHARE
QUOTES (3)
ADD QUOTES
- Data: It should be that simple, Wesley. Judging by her appearance, it is likely you and Salia are biologically compatible. Of course, there could be a difference in the histocompatibility complex in the cell membrane, but...
  Wesley: Data, I want to meet her, not dissect her.
  EDIT SHARE
- Geordi: I suppose it had to happen to you, it usually does at about this age.
  Wesley: What usually does?
  Geordi: Glands, erupting with hormones. Happens to all of us.
  EDIT SHARE
- Worf: Men do not roar - women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects and claw at you.
  EDIT SHARE
NOTES (1)
ADD NOTES
- The prop of a super conducting magnet Wesley retrieves is later re-used as Sikerian trajector matrix on the Star Trek: Voyager Season 1 episode "Prime Factors".
  EDIT SHARE
ALLUSIONS (0)
ADD ALLUSIONS
- ADD ALLUSIONS from this episode.