While responding to an oddly giddy distress signal, only to find
everyone on board now dead, the crew of the Enterprise must find a cure
for a rampant virus that makes its victims reckless intoxicated.
I was really taken by the how the crew interacted with the victims of
the Tsiolkovsky virus in this episode. As people abandon their duty and
pursue their own lusts, the sober crew members simply try to carry on
as best they can. I know if I was in that situation I'd get distracted
and discouraged by all the people that are not doing their job. It's so
easy to worry about what everyone else is doing instead of worrying
about how I'm doing my job. Even if I could be gracious to someone out
of control, like my children, when they calm down, I'm still upset. BUT
no one on the Enterprise is, even after young Crusher takes over the
ship and nearly kills everyone. Once the problem is solved, everyone is
friends again. Incredible!
What causes them to be able to forgive like that? Good judgement I
guess. Everyone knew they were just as helpless when the virus took away
their inhibitions.
That brings up a good point about freedom. Troi notices that all the
minds on the ship are free. She kind of marvels at this like it's a
beautiful thing. But it's not beautiful. It's what just killed 80 people
on the ship they came to rescue, and it's about to do the same thing to
the crew of the Enterprise.
This freedom, this total abandon to the desires of your heart, equal death! Normal life, governed by our best thinking, is a self-destruct sequence.
It is the restrictions of duty that free the crew of the Enterprise to
live another day. Dr. Crusher saves everyone's life by re-installing
those personal restrictions. In our lives, this work is done by the Holy
Spirit. A lot of people think they're free outside of the Body of
Christ, but they're not. They're like the crew, free to indulge is
anything that tickles their heart, but doomed to die in a collision with
a projectile chunk of super nova. Freedom comes from denying yourself
and practicing discipline.
Self control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We get that from Him,
thank God! So get in on that. It's like Picard says at the end of this
episode, "We shall be a fine crew if we avoid temptation."
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality,
impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy,
outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying,
drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you,
just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will
not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. - Gal 5:19-25 NASB
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