Product Details

• Actors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden
• Directors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Gabrielle Beaumont, Robert Becker, Cliff Bole
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792147391
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #500,253 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Dr. Crusher has never been the most compelling character in the Star Trek universe, and this mundane murder mystery doesn't do much to remedy the situation. Playing the scientific diplomat, Crusher gathers scientists from a number of races to test an unorthodox but revolutionary development in shield technology masterminded by a Ferengi scientist. It's bad enough that the test flight fails and kills the pilot, but when the Ferengi is found dead of an apparent suicide, Crusher suspects a conspiracy. She makes a clumsy detective and a poor judge of alien psychology (check out her interrogation technique on a hot-headed Klingon scientist), convincing only when she's back to medical investigator like a space-age Quincy. Whoopi Goldberg makes a guest appearance as Guinan, playing her usual mix of bartender therapist and smart-talking friend when Crusher collapses in self-doubt and frustration, but it's not enough to bring the cleverly plotted but flatly realized episode to life. --Sean Axmaker

From the Back Cover

Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) invites a group of distinguished experts to witness a demonstration by Dr. Reyga (Peter Slutsker), a Ferengi scientist who has developed a new metaphysic shield technology. When the pilot is killed during the initial test flight, the future of the technology is put in question, along with Reyga's career.

After Reyga mysteriously dies, the evidence points to suicide, but Beverly believes he was murdered. In violation of Ferengi custom and Federation law, she performs an autopsy, which unfortunately proves fruitless. Picard (Patrick Stewart) is forced to relieve her of her duty and she is scheduled to return to Earth to face a formal inquiry. Now, in order to save her career, she must prove her suspicions and find the saboteur!

Special guest star Whoopi Goldberg, as "Guinan".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Crusher Does Something Interesting!, July 8, 2000

By 

Joe White (Layton, Utah United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 148: Suspicions [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The Next Generation's women are weak. I don't know if this is because the actresses, Gates McFadden as Dr. Crusher, Marina Sirtis as Counslor Troi and (ugh) Denise Crosby as Lt. Yar, were incompetent or the writers/creators of TNG just did not know how to write women (I suspect the latter though Crosby is a poor actress regardless) but they just did not do much on TNG (especially early on) and have, in my opinion, been fairly weak characters (though both Troi and Crusher grew stronger as characters later in TNG's run). I'm not anti-woman here, just anti-bad characters/bad writers. I sometimes wonder if our TNG trio of women was hired for their appearance rather than their acting ability.

"Suspicions" is not a great episode but at least Dr. Crusher is interesting here as she attempts to solve the murder of a Ferengi scientist. The mystery is secondary to me because I'm more interested with Dr. Crusher's rebellion in this episode. She defies Starfleet regulations, Federation protocol, Captain Picard's orders and Ferengi tradition all in the name of justice. Go Doctor go! I don't mean to put down the mystery (it's actually fairly clever) but I appreciated a strong and well-rounded Dr. Crusher more than the particulars of a "whodunnit".

Good episode, I could've given it four stars instead of three but what the heck.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Crusher and the Mystery of the Metaphysic Shield, March 31, 2001

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 148: Suspicions [VHS] (VHS Tape)

At a scientific conference, Dr. Crusher meets Reyga, a Ferengi scientist who claims to have invented a metaphysic shield that would protect a ship as it flies through the corona of a star. Crusher invites Reyga and a group of scientists back to the Enterprise to test the Ferengi's theory. The new shielding is installed on an Enterprise shuttle, which will be flown by one of the other scientists, a T'Karian named Jobril. At first the experiment is successful as Jobril flies the shuttle into the corona safely, but then he reports having difficulty breathing. Jobril returns to the Enterprise but then dies. Shortly after that, Reyga also dies, an apparent suicide. However, Dr. Crusher is very suspicious. She thinks someone sabotaged the metaphysic-shielding device and killed Reyga. Now, all she has to do is prove it.

"Suspicion" is another one of those "I Love a Mystery" episode in the series, the twist being that it is Crusher who gets to play the detective this time around (and if she has to perform an autopsy on Reyga despite the fact his family forbids it and Captain Picard gives her a direct order not to, then Beverley will do it because, well, that's the way the episode was written!). What it interesting is how much she is alone on this one. I love the idea that there is a brilliant Ferengi scientist, a far cry from their first appearance on STNG as almost feral beings. The vistiing scientists constitute the group of usual suspects and there are plenty of red herrings to discount. This is an average episode of the series, which stands out only in regards to giving Dr. Crusher something to do that does not involve Wesley.

5.0 out of 5 stars Swell Beverly storyline!!!!, September 4, 2008

By 

CNJ "eebooks" (Northeast US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 148: Suspicions [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Swell episode!!! Captures the true Beverly...sensitive, perceptive, strong-headed, very quiet, and dignified.

In this episode, Beverly is the first to realize that the visiting scientist Jobrill's "accident" with Reyga's experiment was no "accident"; sharp Bev can tell intuitively that there was sabotage involved.

But no one believes her, especially since Reyga, the Ferengi scientist, is not taken seriously by most others. Beverly is going though her own stressful time in this season, but still manages to reach out and help Reyga.

Beverly is ordered to drop the matter and sweep it under the rug and pretend along with the others that it was all an "accident."

But sensitive Beverly just can't and so risks defying orders and her position in Starfleet to expose the truth.

All this adds to Beverly's tension and misery, even when Deanna tries to soothe her, Deanna needs Guinan for backup.

There are lots of good Guinan/Beverly scenes, especially after Guinan goes to see Beverly under the pretext of having "tennis elbow." Touching how intuitive Guinan figures out that poor Beverly is down in the puddle and that her self-esteem could use a boost, so she tells Beverly that she's particular about her doctors and will not just see "any" doctor, but will only see Beverly since she knows Beverly's the best.

This does ease Beverly's pain and stress a tad and she does open up to Guinan.

Guinan is also valuable in mobilizing a depressed, discouraged Beverly to press on with her questioning in the face of opposition and even being threatened and shoved roughly.

I suspect both Guinan and Deanna sensed that Beverly was really going through a hard time this season and was a near mess by this point. Those two as well as Beverly, knew that despite it being the 24th century, there was still some sexism that had not been completely eradicated and they knew how important it was for them to stick together and stand by one another. It was beautiful to see Deanna and Guinan stand by Beverly, especially in this latest ordeal.

I also suspect that's why Beverly went to bat so strongly for Reyga; Ferengis also were discriminated against and thought "dumb" and were assumed to be bad scientists in a very similar fashion that some people of the 20th century mistakenly thought that women made "bad" scientists...Beverly had felt the sting of sexism in the same way.

Very interesting episode with a surprise twist at the end. I also like that Beverly rescues herself in the end from the clutches of the real villain (watch it to see who it is) and in an unexpected way, does make and contribution to the field of science in both her own and Reyga's names.

It's a shame that some people mistakenly think Beverly is "boring" because she's so quiet and reserved; I think just the opposite...she's the most interesting member of the senior crew, despite being the quietest one.