7x11 Parallels

[8.2/10] I never really saw Worf and Troi as a couple. They seem too different in personality and temperament to be partners in life, even if they work as good friends. But if you step back from the particulars, you can see it. They both lost parents at a young age. They both have parents who embarrass them a bit when they come aboard the Enterprise. And they both love Alexander, working together as father and surrogate mother to see that he’s brought up well. There’s plenty to connect them.

Despite the closeness there, I might never have considered even the possibility of them as an item without “Parallels”. Even if it’s not my preferred coupling, there’s a validity to them, a sense in which Deanna brings out the best in Worf, that’s worth exploring, if only a little. And it would never have happened, in-universe and out, were it not for Worf tripping through alternate dimensions.

As I mentioned in my write-up of “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and other timeline-fuzzing episodes from the Trek canon, the “What If?” element to these stories is always a blast. There’s only so much you can change about the status quo in 1990s episodic T.V. series. But the science fiction conceits of an astronomical phenomenon that transports you to different quantum realms gives The Next Generation the opportunity to tease us with glimpses of other outcomes, and the ripple effects different choices might have had.

What if Captain Picard had died during the events of “The Best of Both Worlds”? (I guess Commander Shelby wouldn’t have stuck around as first officer?) What if the Borg had won? What if Wesley became an officer aboard the Enterprise? What if Geordi lost his life in one of those myriad malfunctions in Engineering? What if the Bajorans had overtaken the Cardassians and become aggressors? What if Worf and Troi had fallen in love?

It’s a thrill to see little tastes of these alternate outcomes. But it’s the last one that’s the throughline. As compelling as the twists in major events from TNG’s past we see are, “Parallels” chooses to focus on a personal one, namely the idea that Worf, for all his gruffness and devotion to duty, could not only love again after K’Ehleyr, but that he and Troi could become a family.

It’s the marriage of the personal and the fantastical that marks great Star Trek writing. Credit to Brannon Braga, far from my favorite scribe in the franchise, for not only finding a way to anchor this out there story in something human, but for building and pacing the dimension-hops so well.

This starts out as another “Is our protagonist crazy or is there something science fiction-y going on here?” The answer is almost always the latter in Star Trek, but “Parallels” still sells Worf’s disorientation and confusion wonderfully as the changes to his world start to accumulate and accelerate. There’s a plausible excuse for him misremembering or misperceiving things -- a supposed concussion at his bat’leth tournament.

More to the point, there’s also little things amiss, like a cake changing flavors, a person changing places with another, a conversation that no one else remembers, which convey how subtly destabilizing it would be to have your memories and experiences shuffled around like that before the fireworks are truly unveiled. Eventually, though, the episode confirms that Worf isn’t losing his mind, but is actually leaping through various parallel realities. The leaps start to have bigger and bigger changes, and make Worf more and more taken aback at how far he’s drifted from the life and existence he’s known.

Once again, that’s a strong choice from a psychological standpoint. Worf is known for his steadiness aboard the Enterprise, so it’s especially jarring for him to see things change so radically. But it’s also a wonderful opportunity for the production team to have tremendous fun with the idea.

We see just about every costume and hairstyle Troi’s ever worn brought back. We see characters in unfamiliar uniforms with different combages. The design of the ship itself changes, with new red panels and instrument readings. They bring back (I think?) the translucent divider from “Yesterday’s Enterprise” for one scene. There’s a harried Riker with a wild bushy beard. There’s a new look ready room with his trombone behind the desk. There’s Doctor Ogawa and, not for nothing, there’s Wesley Crusher, back for the first time since season 4’s “Final Mission” to sell how different these universes are.

“Parallels” shows remarkable restraint in not making a big deal of these changes. Wesley arrives on the scene with little fanfare, which is the right approach despite a major character returning to the series. Each time Worf hops to a new universe, it’s their normal. The normality of it for everyone else helps convey the alienness of it for Worf, the unmooring sense that everyone treats this as typical and right except you.

It’s also just fun. Seeing the prop department bust out every piece of meaningful bric-a-brac or costuming the show’s accumulated over six and a half seasons is a treat for longtime fans. Having Worf turn around and suddenly find himself in a different colored uniform, or running into an old colleague is exciting. Seeing Commander Riker as captain of the Enterprise, or grown-up Wesley at tactical is a thrill. Alternate timelines are a chance for the show to cut loose with continuity a bit, and “Parallels’ takes advantage of the setup without going too far afield, a tricky balance.

There’s even a certain logic to how the problem’s solved. The science of Star Trek has always been more of a coating than a core. But there’s an intuitive sort of sci-fi logic to “Worf started all of this when he traveled through an anomaly, so he has to go back through it with the right MacGuffin sauce.” This is a wild situation to begin with, but Braga and company do a stellar job of situating in Worf’s experience, and grounding it in just enough technobabble to sound plausible.

So when a problem with the Argus Array turns into a problem with the multiverse, there’s a good sense of escalation and personal stakes to make it feel valid. Seeing a screen full of alternate Enterprises, each sending their own hails and demands, is the sort of mashup thrill only these type of wild story can muster. There’s resonance in an alternate Riker telling Picard Prime that it’s good to see him again, or another one desperate not to return to his Borg-ridden timeline. And the stakes could hardly be higher.

But in the end, Worf, of course, makes it back to his home timeline. He missed this place, not just because it’s what he knows, but because it’s a return to security and stability. For all his son’s conspicuous absence from the series, Worf winced when an alternate Troi told him that Alexander didn’t exist in her timeline. This is the world that lines up with what Worf can rely on it, that aligns with who and what he is, and he’s happy not just to be free from the disorienting dimension jumps, but to return home.

Only, something’s changed. There’s no surprise party for his birthday this time, because Troi knew he wouldn’t like it and waved Riker off. She’s only there because Alexander asked her to feed his pet while he’s away. She’s such a good friend, even a good partner to Worf, something this episode dramatizes in ways big and small.

I’m still not sure about the show attempting the pairing, even in hindsight. But it’s a novel use of the alternate dimension construct. When Worf travels to these different quantum realms, he doesn’t just see the plot-heavy alternate paths of a Borg victory or beloved character dying too soon. He sees the possibilities of romance and partnership from a place he never expected.

I laughed out loud to hear him say he never considered a romantic relationship with Troi but is “not opposed to it.” Yet, the way he welcomes Troi to stay and celebrate with him, is a sign of growth and insight. So often, these types of stories just tantalize us with different visions of what might have been. Instead “Parallels” enlightens Worf, with a small but attainable glimpse of what could still be.

(Side note: I think Discovery picks up on the RNA quantum resonance idea presented here, which is not a connection I picked up on when I watched that episode. Cool use of the continuity!)