Changes: The Icarus Factor (episode)

Revision as of 17:44, 26 July 2006

Riker's estranged father visits the Enterprise.

Summary

"The Icarus Factor" consists of two separate stories: Starfleet's offer of promotion to Riker, and Worf's tenth anniversary of the Age of Ascension.

Commander Riker is offered a promotion to captain of the USS Aries, whose present captain is retiring. Upon arriving at Starbase Montgomery, a civilian attachee comes aboard the Enterprise to brief Riker about the Aries and its current mission. Unbeknownst to Commander Riker, the attache' is his father, Kyle Riker, whom he has not seen in 15 years.

Meanwhile, Worf is feeling lonely and socially alienated on the tenth anniversary of his Age of Ascension ceremony. On this day, Klingons are supposed to reenact the ceremony in the presence of friends and family. However, as he is stationed on the Enterprise, Worf cannot celebrate these traditions. However, his friends (intially Wesley Crusher) notice Worf's odd mood and organize a holodeck re-creation of the event which fulfills Worf's traditional obligations, and Worf is grateful for the opportunity.

Commander Riker and his father do not have a good relationship and argue the entire time his father is on board the Enterprise. Finally, the two challenge each other to a Anbo-jytsu match, a traditional Japanese martial art form of combat.

Background information

John Tesh, famed television sports reporter and devoted Star Trek fan appears in a cameo role as one of the Klingon ceremonials during Worf's pain stick ritual. As a homage to him, the Star Trek Collectible Card Game identifies his character as K'Tesh.
The Klingons in the holodeck ritual had to wear old Planet of the Apes gorilla boots, since all Klingon costumes were being used in the shooting of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
For the episode's first United Kingdom screening, the pain-stick ritual was heavily edited. This was due to the series 'family viewing' 6pm timeslot. Subsequent screenings have included the complete episode.

Links and references

Guest stars

References

Alaska; Flaherty; Giamon; Nasreldine; Tholian; USS Aries; Anbo-jytsu; Stroyerian; Gymnasium; Starbase Montgomery; painstik; Japanese language; Romulan; Vega-Omicron sector; Beta Kupsic; Tryptophan-lysine; Fuurinkazan battle strategies; Paracelsian computations; Earth; Age of Ascension; Ten-Forward; Rectyne Monopod

Previous episode:
Time Squared

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 2

Next episode:
Pen Pals

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 "The Icarus Factor" consists of two separate stories: [[Starfleet]]'s offer of promotion to [[William T. Riker|Riker]], and [[Worf]]'s tenth anniversary of the [[Age of Ascension]].
-[[Commander]] Riker is offered a promotion to [[captain]] of the [[USS Aries|USS ''Aries'']], whose present captain is retiring.  Upon arriving at [[Starbase Montgomery]], a civilian attachee comes aboard the ''Enterprise'' to brief Riker about the ''Aries'' and its current mission.  Unbeknownst to Commander Riker, the attachee is his father, [[Kyle Riker]], whom he has not seen in 15 years.
+[[Commander]] Riker is offered a promotion to [[captain]] of the [[USS Aries|USS ''Aries'']], whose present captain is retiring.  Upon arriving at [[Starbase Montgomery]], a civilian attachee comes aboard the ''Enterprise'' to brief Riker about the ''Aries'' and its current mission.  Unbeknownst to Commander Riker, the attache' is his father, [[Kyle Riker]], whom he has not seen in 15 years.
 Meanwhile, Worf is feeling lonely and socially alienated on the tenth anniversary of his Age of Ascension ceremony.  On this day, [[Klingon]]s are supposed to reenact the ceremony in the presence of friends and family.  However, as he is stationed on the ''Enterprise'', Worf cannot celebrate these traditions.  However, his friends (intially [[Wesley Crusher]]) notice Worf's odd mood and organize a [[holodeck]] re-creation of the event which fulfills Worf's traditional obligations, and Worf is grateful for the opportunity.