Product Details

• Actors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden
• Directors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Gabrielle Beaumont, Robert Becker, Cliff Bole
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: May 31, 1995
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303200966
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #408,941 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Enterprise visits a solar system that is being torn apart by unknown geological forces. Riker, eager to forward Wesley's training as an officer, puts him in charge of the geological survey team of Drema Four. Wesley is eager for the work, but worries about giving orders to older and more experienced crew members. Meanwhile, Data picks up a call from Drema Four's surface, and begins what he thinks is a harmless exchange with a child named Sarjenka. (Look carefully under Sarjenka's makeup and you might recognize a very young Nikki Cox.) When it becomes clear that Drema Four is doomed to the same fate as the other planets in the system, Data reveals his friendship to the crew. You guessed it--it just might be time to violate the Prime Directive. For those who always found it a cop-out, this episode contains one of the more extensive discussions of the Prime Directive, and goes a long way towards explaining why it's so important. --Ali Davis

From the Back Cover

Data (Brent Spiner) has found a pen pal - a girl named Sarjenka (Nikki Cox) who lives on the planet Drema Four. When Data tells Picard (Patrick Stewart) about Sarjenka, he learns that there have been severe geological disturbances beneath Drema Four's surface.

Riker (Jonathan Frakes) puts Wesley (Wil Wheaton) in charge of the team to research the planet's geological makeup. Wesley soon discovers that the older crew members under his command are opinionated and willful, and he fears he may lack the confidence to be a good leader.

When Data loses contact with Sarjenka, Picard agrees to let Data beam down to Drema Four to try to locate her before the planet self-destructs. As the danger escalates, Wesley holds the only hope of saving Drema Four, Sarjenka and Data.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Is Anybody Out There?", February 20, 2000

By 

Kayla Rigney "To save one life is to save the... (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 41: Pen Pals [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Data breaks Starfleet first contact protocol, talks to scarey orange child; Wesley saves planet. Picard rides a horse. Enterprise rides off into sunset.

Okay; so it's not THAT bad. I find this episode of TNG charming because it explores the fact that sometimes, Data's ethical programming is a lot more "ethical" than Starfleet's Prime Directive. I mean, when Data is faced with the prospect of watching his friend Sarjenka's planet die, he acts. Do any of the PEOPLE act? Not until the android forces the issue.

I found myself wondering what would happen if the humanoid Starfleet officers were faced with a Final Solution type problem? Would they sit around and analyse it and endlessly babble about the Prime Directive while millions died? Data would size up the situation, decide This Is Wrong and take action. Says a lot about "humanity." And that's the whole POINT.

Not as good or as well-written as Measure of a Man or Data's Day-- but worth owning just for the scene where Sarjenka takes one look at Troi, moves behind Data for protection and calmly says "Leave me alone." We're talking this is one smart scarey orange child. She knows where HER bread is buttered!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Data goes beyond his programming, January 21, 2004

By 

Shelley Gammon "Geek" (Kaufman, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 41: Pen Pals [VHS] (VHS Tape)

While scanning broad radio spectrum, Data hears a young female voice say, "Is anybody out there?" Data replies and he and his unseen friend, Sarjenka, become pen pals via the radio broadcasts. Sarjenka (Nikki Cox) tells Data of geological disturbances on her planet. Through the weeks of communication, Data has learned that his young friend lives on Drema Four (so many planets, so few names!), a pre-space travel world that limits what Data can share with her.

Data brings the matter to the attention of the senior staff who seem more than mildly shocked that the Leiutenant Commander could behave in such a reckless manner, possibly exposing a pre-warp civilization to the knowledge of alien beings beyond their world. Data asks that the Enterprise help to save his friend's planet, but Picard is bound and gagged by the Prime Directive. He is angry at Data for having exposed their hearts to a child they must leave to her fate.

Picard orders Data to terminate communications with Sarjenka, and he wryly does so slowly, as Sarjenka's pleas of "Data, why aren't you answering me?" penetrate the room. Picard finds a way out of the dilemma as Data begins to terminate his radio downlink - Sarjenka asks for help.

The other minor plot involves Wesley, who Riker has put in charge of the geological survey team that will attempt to save Sarjenka's planet. Wes is put in a position where he must order and supervise a team that is older, more experienced and has higher rank than he does and goes through a Baptism by fire experience in his first command of sorts.

Data makes a final gesture to Sarjenka that gives a peek into the heart of this heartless android, a subtle, easy-to-miss scene that speaks volumes as Sarjenka's planet is saved and she returns home. A true treasure of an episode.

4.0 out of 5 stars Prime Directive vs. Planet, Child, and Reality, September 16, 2006

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Critical Thinker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 41: Pen Pals [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Plot: The Enterprise is exploring a solar system whose planets go through terrible geologic activity to the point of tearing the planet apart. Wesley Crusher is given command of finding out (and possibly stopping) this solar systematic crisis. Meanwhile, Data picking up signals from one of the planets and suddenly recieves these words. "Is anybody out there?" Data, naturally replies, "Yes." (Not like he would have said "no".) Well, that pretty much blows apart following the Prime Directive in this case, so our heroes sit down and debate what to do next. It's either: (1) Follow the Prime Directive, break contact with the species, and watch them go extinct or (2), forget the Prime Directive and save the planet (and also keep fans from destroying their TV's after seeing the episode).

As far as the whole Prime Directive thing goes, you have to ask the obvious, "How can a man-made law be absolute since man is evolving?" (according to Star Trek). Since Star Trek tends to act as if God is irrelevent (or non-existant), then there is no basis for absolute truth. Hence the reason for the dilemma that our heroes face in this episode.

Great points are though that they do save the day, the brief friendship of Data and Sarjenka, and watching Picard ride an Arabian horse.