The Survivors
Season 3 Episode 3
Original airdate: October 7, 1989
Netflix Synopsis
The Enterprise responds to a distress call from Rana IV, a Federation colony that is under attack from an unknown alien ship.
My Brief Review
At last, a genuinely good episode. The story in this one has some of the TOS spirit in it, and it kept me genuinely in suspense until an “ah-ha” moment I won’t spoil here.
I realized, in retrospect, that the initial setup of the episode doesn’t make sense… unless the distress call has been in automated transmission for many years, because the attack clearly did not just recently happen. But once the Enterprise arrives at Rana IV, things get interesting, and it’s easy to forget that detail.
How did one house and an elderly couple survive the destruction of an entire planet? Why is Deanna Troi possessed by the music from a music box they own, even though she wasn’t part of the away team? This one is worth watching to find out the answers.
Memorable Moment
Picard shines in this episode, figuring things out several steps ahead of his dimwitted first officer and the rest of the bridge crew. The moment when Picard reveals exactly what he has finally figured out is going on gave me chills.
Crew Rando
Not sure who it was, but some rando on the bridge nearly did a backflip when the Enterprise was hit with a blast from the enemy ship.
Distance Rating: 6K
IMDb score: 7.7/10