S7 E12: Lineage

Torres is pregnant, and she and Paris start adjusting to the idea of being parents. They aren't helped by every crew member harassing them non-stop, but the really aren't helped when the Doctor makes a holographic representation of what their child will look like based on her DNA. Torres is troubled to learn that the forehead ridges will be passed on and works out a way to remove those genes, but Paris and the Doctor are troubled by her efforts. The Doctor abruptly changes his tune, but Paris discovers that Torres has altered his program just in time to stop her from undergoing the procedure. She breaks down and tells him about the events in her childhood that caused her to believe that her klingonness is what made her parents divorce, and he reassures her that if he hasn't left yet he isn't going to.

Here's the bad news: once again, since it is a Torres and Paris story, they both fight all the time in the exact same "they don't tell each other their problems so they stew until they explode" way, even though they made up last time. And once again, because it is a Torres story, she is uncomfortable with her Klingon side, even though she learns to embrace it all those other times. I genuinely think that this is an interesting story, but boy I wish some of that prior character growth would stick. Even just a little bit. Torres' insecurity is dialed up to eleven here, when I think maybe they could have done with a seven. The number, not the character. Up until the final sickbay scene, because her actions seem like a huge step backwards for her, they feel like a gross overreaction to her child's appearance.

However, that last scene does a lot to fix those problems. Her scene camping with her father, the overheard conversation, and her outburst, asking why he doesn't just leave them (only to have him leave them less than two weeks later), add a realistic emotional motive for her behavior. It casts her choices in a light that shows her to be carrying baggage from her childhood; baggage from a time when she didn't have the emotional maturity that she has developed throughout the series. Her insecurities sound more like things I've heard from actual parents and parents to be in my career as a nurse.

I do like that the question of genetic alteration is approached honestly here, rather than the "it is bad because it is illegal" way that it is in other Trek episodes. The congenital spine curvature is the perfect lead-in, since the way to cure that is genetic resequencing; I think it would be hard for anyone to argue that that treatment is something that should be outlawed. It helps blur the line, which I really appreciate. The other characters are uncomfortable with Torres' plan, but no one goes so far as to say it is criminal. The Doctor certainly makes it clear that he thinks she's being short sighted, but even Janeway doesn't outright rule against the procedure.

Watchability: 4/5

Bottom Line: The last ten minutes are fantastic, but I can't really ignore that the first thirty-five were annoying. Still, this is the kind of story I want from Trek, the kind of story that can only happen in a sci-fi setting, but still incorporates elements common to humanity as a whole.