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Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 52: Who Watches The Watchers? [VHS]

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This episode is about the Star Trek crew trying to save a small group of "observers" of a "somewhat advanced primative culture". The observatory on the hill cliff is experiencing a power failure, which exposes the watchers to the local people. This culture has long ago given up their superstitions about religion existing. But when one of their own is electrocuted during the power failure, taken about the Star Trek vessel, revived and returned to the planet, he just about convinces everyone that a "god" does truely exist ... and his name is Picard! His daughter, too, witnesses his disapperance and reappearance from the space ship. Of course, the Prime Directive of never interferring with another culture has already been violated, but Picard and his staff do not want to turn this culture back to their superstitions. See how this resolve this incident and "keep the peace" and culture intact.

This episode clearly explains the beliefs of the Raelian movement which started about 1974 in France and currently has some 40,000 followers world-wide.

"Who Watches the Watchers" is a translation of the latin phrase "Quis cusotdiet ipsos custodes," from Juvenal's "Satires" that was quoted as the epigram of the Tower Commission Report in 1987. This Next Generation episode strikes to the heart of the problematic Prime Directive that Starfleet personnel are sworn to uphold. Whether you think of this as a choice between the lesser of two evils or as how many wrongs make a right, this is a most provocative episode.

An anthropological studies group on Mintaka III has been observing the inhabitants, a proto-Vulcan race in their planet's Bronze Age. The anthropologists are hidden in their observation post behind a holograph screen, but their reactor is malfunctioning and the Enterprise is on its way to affect repairs. However, right before help arrives their is an explosion, injuring the scientists and bringing down the screen. A Mintakan sees the post, the wounded scientists, and the away team that beams down from the Enterprise. But when he is discovered, the Mintakan falls off a ledge and is injured. Dr. Crusher has no choice but to beam him to sickbay. When the Mintakan sees Picard, he believes the Captain to be an Overseer, one of the gods of his people. Dr. Crusher's attempt to erase the Mintakan's short-term memory fails and when he returns to his people he starts to tell them about "The Picard."

There are several fascinating things going on in "Who Watches the Watchers." First, you have the Mintakan's attempt to extrapolate a belief system based upon what he has witnessed. Second, you have the head of the anthropologists wanting Picard to beam down from on high and give the Mintakans a set of rules, or what lesser beings would call a religion. Third, you have Picard caught in the middle, because he cannot put things back the way they are, he cannot let the Mintakan continue to tell his wonderous stories, and he cannot fully assume the mantle of "The Picard" with all the rights and privileges therein. There is no perfect solution to this mess and to fault the resolution of the plot for not being perfect does not detract from the overall strengths of this episode. In the final analysis you have to think that these sorts of situations must happen a lot more often in the Star Trek universe.

The basic plot device of this episode is reused in the feature film "Nemesis." A team of observers has been placed on a primitive planet and hidden behind holographic camouflage. The device malfunctions and two members of the native population observe the anthropologists. When one of them receives a severe electric shock, Dr. Crusher beams him to the Enterprise and saves his life. He awakens, sees Captain Picard and when he is returned to the planet, he rekindles their old beliefs in a powerful overseer.
With one of the anthropologists still missing, Riker and Troi have their appearance altered and beam down to the planet. They manage to rescue the missing researcher but Troi is captured and considered a potential sacrifice to "The Picard." Through all of this, Picard is furious at the breaking of the Prime Directive and in a questionable attempt at solution, he beams the leader of the native village up to the Enterprise and gives her a tour. However, it is only when someone dies that the leader truly believes that he is just a man. Even this is not enough, so Picard beams down to the planet and is shot by an arrow. When he bleeds, all of the natives are convinced and a complete explanation of the Enterprise is given to the entire village.
While the premise of the problems of observing a native population is an interesting one, the situation where Picard is first willing to let Federation members and natives die in order to conform to the Prime Directive and then tells them everything is absurd. If the Prime Directive is taken as seriously as he claims at the start, then the safety of the entire Enterprise crew is secondary to their being exposed as space travelers. Yet, Picard's actions demonstrate that when it is inconvenient, the Prime Directive is nothing more than "the Prime Suggestion." Nevertheless, Picard's willingness to take an arrow in order to prove that he is not a god does a great deal to rescue the episode.

I saw half of this on Sci-Fi and wanted to see the whole episode. Amazon had it i ordered it and all was great
not to mention it came on time!

The "Next Generation" series was never shy about tackling deep subjects, and "Who Watches the Watchers" is no exception. The story begins with a Starfleet anthropological team studying a village on Mintaka, a proto-Vulcanoid world. Thanks to a damaged reactor, the team briefly becomes visible to one of the native inhabitants. To make matters worse, the Mintakan, badly injured and brought aboard ship for treatment, mistakenly believes Captain Picard to be "the Overseer" -- the Mintakan version of God. The rest of the episode deals with Picard's attempts to undo the damage and restore Mintakan society to something resembling its normal development.

While some may fault this episode for its depiction of religion as just another superstition which 24th-century Earth has moved beyond, it's far more than just an anti-religious rant. "Who Watches the Watchers" is a thoughtful examination of the show's "Prime Directive" and how much damage can be caused when that law is broken, however unintentionally. This one definitely belongs on any TNG fan's top ten list.