Star Trek The Next Generation s03e03 The Survivors Thanks for clicking, thanks for watching, hope you got what you came for. Buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/tjwparso Outro Music: • STAR TREK - THE NEXT G...
Incredible delivery of the line. "No, no no, you don't understand the scope of my crime. I didn't kill just one Husnock, or a hundred or a thousand. I killed them all. *All* Husnock. _Everywhere"_
Picard's sort of "oh, sh!t....." look as he quietly leans back in horror at what Kevin's done and it registers.... and then he and the enterprise just carefully beam him back down to the planet and fly as far away as possible. this dude is NOT to be trifled with. jeez.
He had the power to obliterate an entire race in an instant...and yet didn't have the power to eliminate the ship's weapons and prevent them from harming anyone. Go figure that one out.
@@ginobee3585 - I understand that. But what I'm saying is that any being that has the power to obliterate billions of lives with a thought certainly has the power to prevent those same lives from making war. Deactivate their weapons or destroy them entirely. Hide the entire planet from view. Cast the their ship sectors away. There were many things he could've done that did not involve fighting or killing.
@Steve P genocide is a crime commuted by groups over time in a planned and thought out manner. This was a instant subcuming to rage, done without concious planning or will. It was as he said a temporary insanity. We have no crime that covers willing an entire species to death in an instant. Plus he is immortal. You can't kill him. He is non corporeal and can not be rehabilatated against extreme prococation. Imprisonment? How? Where? How long? Presumably he'll outlive the federation. Plus they have no jurisdiction. He is not a federation citizen, the Husnoc not a member species. To whom would punishment belong but his own kind. Wherever they may be. Punsishing more powerful and advanced lifeforms beyond their pervue. If the Q wanted to step in they would. They haven't. Life alone on the colony with his illusions will be his sentence. Now who knows what happens when the star goes nova. If he lets it.
always made me wonder if he would show Q more respect if Q was serious and not playful and constantly joking around. Because Q can do basically what this guy can do.
@@natman2939 Moreso than that, even. The Q continuum, if i recall right, was around eons longer than him, so their power is far more vast and reaching and impactful. They have the power to jump back and forward through time with the snap of a finger, to the beginning of the universe all the way to the end and everything in between, and thats just one example. If Q wanted it, he could snap his fingers and not only kill every last human in the universe, but he could remove their entire footprint from everything, so that they never even existed.
@@tylerchurch1152 the q require numbers, and have a hierarchy. They are a group mind whereas this particular doude is an isolationist. Much like the planet visited by the original series crew and Klingons fighting over what they perceived as primitive culture
Its really the only thing he COULD do. Humans did not have the power to punish him, let alone contain him even if they Wanted to judge him. His punishment would be entirely on the "honor" system and his willingness to BE punished.
@@tylerchurch1152 shoot Q pulled an episode where he took Picard back in time to some thermal swamp pool in an early version of Earth to show exactly the "very moment" of when creation began, meaning cell like organisms evolved. He could have crapped on that pool and humanity would have never arose and the universe wouldn't have even noticed.
“I’m not certain if he should be praised or condemned, only that he should be left alone.” That line always gave me chills. This is definitely one of the most powerful species ever encountered in the Star Trek universe. It’s honestly terrifying yet amazing knowing he destroyed an entire race with one single thought. Remarkable.
@@VotePaineJefferson Kevin gave the impression that he was prepared to accept whatever judgment Federation authorities handed down, as penance for his crime. I believe if Picard said he was taking him for trial, Kevin would have gone. Besides, Picard theoretically could have continued harassing him as he'd been doing.
@@danieldickson8591 Kevin was essentially an immortal GOD similar to the Q. He COULDN'T have been punished in any meaningful way by the Federation. Do you honestly think Kevin would have voluntarily spent decades in incarceration if Picard had the hutzpah to take him back to the Federation to stand trial? It's a preposterous idea. But of course, this is the attitude of the Federation. The ego. Believing in their own moral superiority. They claim to have a mandate as "explorers" yet routinely disregard the laws, borders and customs of other species. After all, even Starfleet Admirals routinely break their OWN rules, treating their subordinates like canon fodder, so why WOULD they care about the rules of OTHER societies?
@@VotePaineJefferson Honestly, he probably would have. He demonstrated, for the sake of his wife, he was prepared to live for decades on human terms and within human society. I find it highly plausible that he would have been willing to accept punishment for the sake of his guilt on the same terms.
@@Robert-hz9bj Let's assume for arguments sake that you're right - Kevin is willing to sit incarcerated for decades, perhaps even centuries, with Star Fleets finest. My original point is that Star Fleet can't FORCE him to do this because his power is beyond anything THEY can control. Therefor, Kevin becomes his own jailer and Star Fleets presence is merely incidental.
I've thought something like this, with multiple instances, several times. It's not just this being. Every time they encountered some ship that "is comparable to our own" or some other superbeing, (Transfigurations, etc.) I stored that away in my memory.
@Norman I think that's actually part of the prime directive. Regardless of the aliens power, the federation would chose not to interfere with their development.
@@sithonsithon1012 I think that is reserved primarily for more primitive societies or for other cultures. How do you "interfere with the development" of beings so superior to you that they might be considered gods?
@@alaron5698 One could argue that asking for and receiving help from such a superior species would, in effect, interfere with your own species' development.
Death of any sort is saddening to both the dying and to those close. But when it comes to old age, it’s sad but unavoidable. But if they were killed, it’s tragic. And if they were murdered, it warrants wraith
@@ellmc95 Not necessarily. We don't know all the details about his kind, but they are a LOT more limited than, say, the Q. He can't turn back time, or bring back dead people (the Q can do both, because they have near absolute control over both space AND time). He is only shown destroying, and creating "lifelike" illusions. None of his powers shown imply that he could de-age a human, or make one immortal. If he could have made her immortal, it's likely he would have.
@@StormsparkPegasus He also made no mention of how he killed them all in an instant. Q could literally do anything including just sending them all back home. He could not do this even though it would be a pacifist thing to do. His power seems to be in manipulating perception, perhaps in an instant he made themselves all believe they were dying.
@@StormsparkPegasus imo Q was essentially a 5th dimensional being who existed outside of our spacetime..this guy is immortal but exist within this spacetime... meaning you're right he wasn't anywhere near a Q
@@adamschizo I think they're referring to Jesus, who according to biblical texts was by definition a 'cosmic being' that took mortal human form, and not only was prepared for the human condition, but mastered it.
Personally, I half expected (half wanted) his speech to go all "Q" at that point, "Oh what an arrogant, primitive species you are. Thinking I felt guilty simply because I didn't kill for YOUR kind." I DID like that he sort of gave Crusher a verbal slap down / threat when she expressed shock at him not killing the aggressors against the humans & he said, "I refused to, for the same reason I didn't STOP the Enterprise! I. Will. Not. Kill."
I've never forgotten his reading of that line "I will not. Kill." It had a gravity and a finality that said under no circumstances did this guy doubt his commitment to his principle. It was stirring then and it's just as powerful now.
Even those of us that guide our lives on high ideals or principles, lose ourselves in emotion and in a tragic moment, commit acts that injure our very soul.
Like Picard had a choice? The guy just admitted to Thanos snapping an entire species in a fraction of a second! Picard is just acknowledging the obvious.
That’s the real sentence. Life with his crime. Either way they couldn’t have punished him in a way that would be worse than what has already happened, and he clearly felt bad
You could see the guilt in the Douwd's eyes-the pain and guilt of what it had done, which was against its nature; it was eating him up inside. A being of that longevity and level of morality would have willingly submitted themselves to whatever legal judgment humans deemed appropriate (short of death). However, as Picard so rightly pointed out, humanity had no laws to cover the crime of the genocide of an entire alien species. So when Picard let Douwd go, it was the same as a pardon. The Douwd's smile as it left meant it would at least live in peace and happiness, free of guilt.
@@kxmode Not sure. I think the Douwd's acceptance of Picard's declaration he can be released is out of severe remorse and realisation that even a lowly mortal being is now morally superior to him. At this point, the Douwd is ridden with guilt at his lapse of judgement, especially as he was so deeply moral prior to his crime, and held 'I will not kill' as his ultimate law that cannot be broken. By breaking it, the Douwd is now worse than the worst, worse than even the Husnock, as a result. He will not live in peace and happiness, he will carry the guilt for the remainder of his existence.
Just imagine all the other civilizations being attacked or oppressed by the Husnock and all of a sudden one day they all just do a phantom menace and die on the spot. I wonder if a legend sprang up about them finally inciting the wrath of the Gods or something. I wonder how many civilizations celebrated or even continue to celebrate that day of sudden, unexpected liberation from tyranny. One man's unforgivable crime is a precious gift to countless others.
@@Henpitts I think the conversation should have gone more like: "We are not qualified to judge your... actions... But uh, just exactly how many civilizations were the Husnock attacking and oppressing, did you say? Perhaps we could discuss this more thoroughly over some Earl Grey."
@@TheBadGuy235 Wow I hadn't thought of that. All their ships, their cities, whole entire worlds captured by the Husnock and suddenly left empty, free for the pillaging. There's some really good material there for like 7 books or 8 movies.
@@tjwparso Imagine making a scene based on your own loss...the pain. Making the scene so real the audience can feel it...Oh God! I just lost my younger brother Robert to Epilepsy...he was 21 years old. Way too young to have died. 😞
@@claytonwade3570 You're right. He lost his wife of 43 years just a few months before this was filmed. He almost turned down the role, but ended up accepting it because it helped him come to terms with her death. But when he says "I wish I could've died with her" that was the actor speaking just as much as the character.
I caught a random rerun of this episode about 15 years ago and it stuck with me ever since, especially that last line "I'm not sure if he should be praised or condemned, only that he should be left alone." THATS powerful writing.
No effects, no CGI, no explosions every 30 seconds to keep people 'interested'. Just acting and reacting on a scale that reminds me why I loved the Next Generation so much
Well, didn't mean to imply NO special effects at all. Just that they weren't at all the basis of the episode. It was a plot/character/acting driven one.
@@gedias1 Measure of a Man was rather pure in that way, might have been something, but don't recall. But as I said wasn't the point of the episode either.
@@blastermasterguy Indeed, in fact even without this event immortality would probably drive anyone insane. Think about all the friends and lovers that you would see come and go over the years and you can only watch it over and over again. Not to mention the vastness of the knowledge that would be acquired over that time, it would be impossible to handle. One thought occours though....if he had the power to wipe out 50 billion with a single thought why wouldn't he be able to restore her life and not just an illusion?
@@digitaldigdug7811 Creating new (true) life may be beyond even his power. Or it may not be allowed by his moral code. I suspect that his code would state that even if he did create a new Roshawn, that new person is an independent being who MUST be allowed to live their life on their own terms.
Perfect scene. Kevin's confession is chilling, and so well delivered, as is Picard's response. But Crusher's physical performance is what nails it for me. The sheer terror behind the watery eyes, the subtle way she pulls backward, as if her fight or flight is kicking in...all as she realizes what she's standing in a room with. Flawless performance.
agreed, it's very well acted by everyone involved. I believe the actor who played Kevin the douwd had recently lost his wife also when this was recorded.
My highest viewed video so far is over 116k views in just 10 days! th-cam.com/video/m-cQIzze1xI/w-d-xo.html So good to know so many people love TNG as much, if not more than I do! :)
It's funny when Picard is being a holier-than-thou dumbass, he judges people like Kevin who tried to be reasonable and then when they were pushed to the brink, when being reasonable is not an option anymore, they made sure the Husnock would fuck around and find out.
@@shadekerensky3691 Piccard was testing kevin, to see when/if kevin would get pissed off and argue back at him, but kevin took all the bullshit, wich showed piccard that even if kevin is too powerfull and beyhond the federation capability to hold him accountable, he is self contained in his guilt and isolation, thereby leaving him alone.
That final line "...only that he should be left... alone" carries a lot of meaning. To be alone with his grief and remorse to find a way through it but also... he can destroy your species if you piss him off. Best not to.
Yeah, you have Section 31 quietly remove that world from the star charts and replace it with some kind of anomaly that even the most foolhardy would not get within sensor range of it. You don't want anyone to disturb him. Probably reach out to some like minds in the other secret services too who realize that a being like that isn't to be trifled with and that they should give him a wide berth as well.
I can imagine a alarm going off in the Q Continuum and Q going, "Oh no, what did Picard do now....oh....no, he didn't do anything this time.....the Husnack? You can't be serious...wait...they're all dead?"
Q: We need to introduce this Doud to Darth Vader. Q(1): Wait, what? Darth Vader? That's an entirely different reality! Q: Is it really, Q? But the fact remains that this Doud needs to put his actions into perspective. He and Vader both slaughtered whole groups of people in fits of rage. Husnock, Tusken Raiders, it doesn't matter -- genocide is genocide, Q. The Doud needs to understand the full extent of his crimes.
@@Robert_Douglass Except that what the Doud was far worse. By the time of SW Episode 4, Tusken Raiders were still a thing, though we don't know how much the population had recovered. So Vader only wiped them out in one region of Tatooine. The Doud killed ALL Husnack (approximately 50 billion of them according the Doud), everywhere, presumably on multiple planets in multiple star systems.
From what I have gathered the Douwd have 'almost' equal power to the Q but while the Douwd can't revive the dead they try to be pacifists and try to value life.
The most powerful scenes in Star Trek have always been the ones without Action & Effects but the one with dialogs. THIS is what Star Trek is about and always was amazing at. Outstanding actors performances that not only touches the audiences hearts but also their minds.
"Outstanding actors performances " -- working from GREAT scripts. Poor actors can ruin great scripts but even the best actor can not make a bad script into a good story. (better yes, good, no) Star Trek used to be about amazing writing. Then the dark times came.
@@robjohnson8522 Totally true. Back then people who wrote for Star Trek understood it. Not only their own craft but also they understood Star Trek and what it was about. Now you have people writing for it who not only don't understand it, they actually hate Star Trek.
True for another one of my favorite scenes: "You will assist us to assimilate this vessel." "I will not." "What did you say??" "I will not assist you." "But you are Borg..." "No... I am Hugh."
"We're not qualified to be your judges. We have no law that fits your crime." [Q pops into existence] Come now, Jean-Luc! Everyone commits a little genocide every once in awhile, even you humans! "DAMMIT, Q!!!" Nice work on the Husnock by the way. Pitiful, treacherous creatures, weren't they? Have you ever considered becoming part of the continuum? Its loads of fun.
Having just watched the episode, I feel like Kevin was made to be the inverse of Q. Instead of doing stunts like Q, all Kevin wanted was to live in peace as an old man with his wife of several decades.
But you can't say he was justified in killing the ENTIRE species. Their military, oppressive government, sure. The entire species? Every last man, women and child? Billions of innocent people just trying to live a life, many of whom may have even lived amongst other species away from their homeworld? It's like deciding to kill the human race just because Hitler existed.
@@ProjectT The thing is is that there's not enough information on the Husnock to indicate that the Husnock's government was oppressing them - they could very well be an even more extreme version of Klingons, a species that only understands violence and war and that even the infants will instinctively attack non-Husnocks. Now this of course isn't the only possibility, but it would make the entire race 'enemy combatants'.
@@williaml840 But even that is an assumption. I mean, even some klingons aren't all warrior-like, such as that one chef on Deep Space Nine who just wanted to cook and sing for people to brighten their days. We just see the warriors most often because they're the ones on the starships. All we know is he killed 50 billion. To say every single individual among those 50 billion was a monster would be... well, probably incorrect. Generalisations of free thinking races are not strictly advised, especially in Star Trek, which actively shoots down that sort of thinking. And the being knows that, which is why he's so horrified and guilt-ridden.
One of the best pieces of writing a Star Trek episode has ever done. Amazing episode. Amazingly written. Amazingly well acted. Props to the writers props to the actors no better episode have I ever seen.
I grew up watching TNG and this scene has always stuck in my mind as particularly powerful. Ever after watching this episode I can hear him saying “I killed not one Husnok, or a hundred, or a thousand…. I killed them all.”
@Mark Martinez So did Anakin. The difference is that this entity's hatred subsided and he was left only with the guilt of what he did, but Anakin's hatred festered and stuck with him.
@@toreadum8ass Maybe the difference is that Kevin knew he killed them all, so there was no-one left to rage against. Anakin's obsession with finding every Jedi, especially his mentor, was what kept his rage unquenshed.
In the entity's case, it was like an ant bit your child and your smashed it. But you still feel bad for the ant. Anakin is not that powerful and he kept on with his rage.
This has always been one of my favorite episodes. So smart and thoughtful. So well acted. This old Gen X-er is going to sound like an old Gen-Xer and say that I truly miss this kind of Trek.
John Anderson .... one of the best character actors ever ! Has more than 245 television and film credits under his belt ... I remember him fondly in a few episodes of "The Twilight Zone", "Perry Mason" "Gunsmoke" and "The Rifleman" 😊
Also appeared as a very similar character here in Little House of the Prairie - a hurtful grieving widower who suffers in mental pain and uses a music box to reminisce the memories. In fact, back in the day when this aired, some even cross-linked the two shows where it was in fact Kevin Uxbridge living in the 1800s amongst humans. So when his wife died again tragically in the 24th century, his anger exploded into incredible proportions.
If you look carefully you'll find him in Hitchcock's "Psycho", early on. Anderson was an amazing actor, Stewart not so much, although he upped his game to stand alongside John in that scene.
Imagine finding out the man you have been pestering the whole episode literally has a gun to the head of every man, woman, and child in the human race. In an instant he could wipe the entire federation from the galaxy with apparently little effort. The only thing preventing him from. Doing so is a moral code. The look on Dr. Crusher's face makes me think she realizes that the engine of extinction for all that humanity is and was is sitting before her.
@@sonofizzy Q could have. The powers of the Continuum are well-established in the show, and with everything we've seen Q do thus far, I think preventing another non-corporeal entity from committing genocide, or at least reversing the act after its already been committed, is well within his reach.
Any modern head of state has the power to start a nuclear cataclysm that would sterilize all the landmasses of this planet. Trump, Obama, Putin, Modi, Johnson, Macron, Jiping, etc. could have done it "in an instant" like you say, with the push of a button. Other leaders would need more effort, but nukes aren't technically challenging for modern scientists and secrecy is easy in most regimes. You describe Kevin like some horrifying hypothetical, but he's the world we live in.
@@toreadum8ass As Quinn said once, the Q are not infallible, they are forgetful and aren't entirely omniscient. That is one of their greatest weaknesses.
Picard's final assessment is pretty spot on. "There are moral questions of right and wrong, and were he a weaker species we may attempt to tackle this in a meaningful manner. As it is however, the best course of action is to avoid pissing him off. Let's just back away, smile politely, and get the hell out of here before he commits another reflexive genocide."
The Survivors is one of my favorite STNG episodes. It's very well written and is what good science fiction should be - a thought provoking commentary on the human condition. Kudos to John Anderson who played Kevin Uxbridge, for that extremely powerful final scene. Anderson's wife died on February 18, 1989. This episode first aired on October 9, 1989, so that probably explains his powerful portrayal of a life's love lost. They were married for 43 years and she was his only wife. Three years later, Anderson suffered a fatal heart attack at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, at the age of 69.
I think only John Anderson could have portrayed this character. Simultaneously you feel his grief and abhor his actions. He was great in many Westerns. I also remember him playing a General on MASH where his son had been wounded and died.
Word has it (can't confirm) that his actual wife had passed shortly before this episode was made. I can't help but think in certain moments he wasn't acting, but genuinely grieving.😭
A powerful, emotional moment from a show that finally, after two years of struggle, found it's feet and became a legend. It's moments like this that makes great science fiction. it makes us think, makes us feel and contemplate what we would do in that situation.
John Anderson's wife passed away not long before this episode. I wonder if his performance is seasoned with his own loss which made the character's grief more genuine.
Imagine Picards conversation with SF command: Admiral: "Wow he’s that powerful, we should talk to him.” Picard, “Absolutely not, stay as far away from this guy as we can.” Admiral: “But imagine what we could learn.” Picard, “Did you not hear me, stay away.” Admiral: “But the opportunity...” Picard: “He wiped out 50billion people with a thought. One thought.” Admiral: “...... I’m suddenly thinking we should stay far away.” Picard: “I thought you might.”
Imagine all the zany reports Star Trek Captains have had to file with Starfleet Command. Makes you wonder what kind of form document they would need to fill out. Check box 1 for impending doom from a hostile alien. Check box 2 for a time traveling paradox. Check box 3 for a one-time alien species that gives us a lesson in humanity. Check box 4 for Q being a troll. Check box 5 for a holodeck episode.
Somewhere deep in the bowels of Starfleet Command there's an archive and an intelligence taskforce specifically tasked with cataloguing encounters with ascended and immortal beings. BTW part of me wonders if Trelaine is a Da'oud.
@@hagamapama I've seen interviews with John de Lancie, its thought that Trelane might have been the prototype or the 'mould' that Q was later built upon. Then again, it could be that the Dauwd aint that far off the Q either.
As in Monty Python and the Holy Grail: "Run away! Run away!" All after a fond and obsequious but expeditious farewell. Jeez, this being could fall asleep on the ship, have a bad dream about humanity, lash out in his dream, fart, roll over, and wake up the next morning to find out he had killed us all.
Well, he felt extremely guilty for what he did, it's likely he would've gone with Picard if he had told him to, just because he felt he deserved to be punished. Picard basically said, we can't try you because we don't have any law that fits your crime.
Kevin was craving condemnation - he wanted to be punished, to be enchained, he didn't want to be responsible for his powers anymore, he wanted to be freed from his sins. Picard refused to give that salvation to him, so off Kevin went, to a prison of his own delusions and dreams, where he can't be hurt or hurt anyone ever again. The guilt will remain in the back of his mind, forever chaining him to his past and eat him alive slowly. If Picard had demanded Kevin to surrender to him, and be kept in the brig, I've no doubt Kevin would have accepted. It would've been the other shoe dropping for him, both horrible but also in a way, relieving - he no longer has to live in apprehensions anymore, his sins have been unearthed and revealed to the world, and he can begin to repent rather than live in false self-comfort. He could properly face reality. Remember, Kevin has lived on Earth itself for much of his married life, and is quite used to living under Federation rules, regulations, and authority. He would no doubt accept the rulings of the Federation's authority figures and judges, though how they can punish an immortal and god-like being is another question altogether - no prison could hold him, he will outlive the galaxy itself, and he can destroy them all on a whim. I personally found Picard leaving him behind to be rather cruel, rather than say, gently asking the old man if he wanted to come with the Enterprise and try to move forward with his life, perhaps search for ways to repent or make amends. It's terribly lonely down there, with just him and his illusions of a life.
For Picard to make such a choice would, practically speaking, be Man passing judgement on God. He isn't qualified to determine what would be fair and fitting, what would be the most positive course to take with a being so far beyond his understanding. All that's clear is that Kevin is less dangerous to everyone left where he is.
I remember seeing this episode and hearing "I killed the Hushnak" and going so you avenged a colony by killing a ship , then he goes "i killed all Hushnak" and i go holy shit ... this scene will make history
Thing is that, in his grief, he realized that the Husnock would not stop at this one colony and that they would continue till the Federation was wiped out and so went about doing what needed to be done.
@@shadekerensky3691 : No thought at all. Unfocused rage. A million watt laser with no targeting system. He wanted revenge on the Husnock and took it - and then couldn't quite live as he did with what he had done.
@@stephcraneI think he just willed them all out of existence like he's shown doing to the recreation of his wife. I somehow doubt he left 50B burnt corpses as evidence laying around throughout the universe.
I love that it was an instant too. He didn't go on a quest of revenge hunting them out, he lashes out in unbearable grief with godlike power and then only after does he see the scope of his action. What would we do? if we had that level of power in our darkest moments? what horrors might we comit with a thought.
One of my favorite episodes. At the time I was in college and thought it would be great to have that kind of power. Now, in my 50’s, I’m glad no one does.
As I was watching this episode I realized the whole "thanos-finger-snap" story has been done before and much better in TNG. Such a heartfelt story shows how painfully overwhelming grief can be, specially if it's someone you loved all your life. Kinda like the recent Wandavision series, where in a moment of anguish Wanda ends up creating Vision all over again.
Thanos is very different from both those examples. Yes, grief was the seed for it, but his "snap" was the culmination of a long, deliberate, methodical campaign, with a (flawed) rational purpose behind it.
Just because both stories contain wiping out billions of people at once doesn't mean they are comparable. This episode's story is a mystery, and we only find out at the very end that there was some off-screen snap we had no idea about. Thanos' snap stories (both the movie and comic book version---which are very different by the way) are entirely about the snap. It is something that happens on screen/page and the entire focus is around it. For the movie, the story is a quest to make the snap happen and ends with it happening. For the comic book, the story starts with it happening and the universes best come together to see if there's anyway to undo it or stop it from getting worse (because instead of just 1 snap, Thanos basically becomes an actual all-powerful god and he could snap as much as he wanted without any drawbacks) so if this TNG episode is a mystery, and infinity war is a quest/adventure, then Infinity Gauntlet is a adventure/action i suppose
3:20 That moment when Picard realizes he bit off far more than he can chew and he is powerless to do anything. Of course "Kevin" is free to go. Picard has no way of stopping him.
I'm not sure, though. Remember on the bridge? Kevin said, "I am deeply sorry about the woman. I will help her. But I must know what you intend do with me afterwards." I think he was, on some level, willing to submit to Picard's judgement. I honestly think he was.
Legendary scene.. a peaceful creature's tale that led to an emotional revenge to kill ALL Husnok Everywhere, the genuine shock, the response of Picard that there's no law that fit's his crime.. It sure does make you think.. Which Star Trek is all about.
John Anderson's performance in this scene was superb. I also can't help but think if they even tried to do something like this in nutrek there would be an obnoxiously loud soundtrack playing over the entire thing to tell you how to feel. Picard and Beverley would of course also have to burst into tears.
@@paladinboyd1228 hed never say that he hates Q quite a bit, he never forgave him for his first encounter that cost 17 lives of his own crew, and any event after has been a lot of trouble for picard while this man has a very strict code of no killing and is able to remorse over his own actions id say picard even if repulsed by 50 billion deaths would take this being over Q
@@breadtoast1036 and to think Q could have easily brought back all of this deceased crew at a snap of his fingers, guess he just didn't want to and chose to leave an impression instead.
I remember when I watched this back then, this was an episode that was creepy and mysterious to begin with, but when he delivered that line, the goosebumps wouldn't go away. At the time as a kid, I just saw him as some super powerful alien that Picard was afraid of, I didn't really put much thought behind Picard's words. It's only now that I understood Picard's reply, us mortals are unfit to judge it not just because it is too powerful, but because it is something totally out of our understanding. They discovered a God, but one with human shortcomings(which makes it even scarier)
John Anderson....what a great actor. In so many TV shows, movies, and the stage. He was an "actor's actor" before the term was coined. I loved him whether he played a good guy or a bad guy. When he was a bad guy, in so many Westerns, you just wanted to give to his character what he did to others, but when he was a good guy, you were brought to tears for how he suffered, you cried right along with him. This was one of those roles. The Doud was not evil and sadistic, but his grief made him do what he abhorred so much. John Anderson brought that out so well.
The power needed to achieve this is unthinkable for mortals, only the Q continuum could do more as in travel back in time to when the Husnuck were only a single cell organism in a mud puddle and take a piss in it to stop if from growing, shoot maybe they did and that's where Romulans originate from? lol
Imagine if control of the world's nukes was by some cosmic accident linked into your brain. What do you even do with someone like that? What options are there? Self imposed exile does sound like it's the best choice.
@@fingerboxes Especially considering that he can't be killed or imprisoned due to his nature even if he feels that death or incarceration are what he deserves. Plus he doesn't want to take the chance that he could repeat this mistake with another species, so he's decided the best course of action is to never again interact with the outside world.
I appreciate this channel showing clips from excellent TNG episodes. It shows why the TNG series presented some of the best tv ever written. I tried to get into STD and "Picard", but neither come close to quality of narrative in 80s and 90s Star Trek.
After watching this episode again, I can't help but have this little quote pop into my mind after he said the genocide part: "I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead, every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women and the children, too. They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals."
Except that was stated in anger. Here, it was said with a degree of remorse that we cannot hope to truly fathom. And he can't escape into that good night. He can only hope, at some point, he will eventually forget and can be lost in his own illusions. A tragic character worthy of Shakespeare.
@@Al1701 It was temporary insanity, he would've been able to plea crime of passion under normal circumstances. Only problem is, with great power comes great responsibility, and in this instance, his great power enabled his crime of passion to take over 50 billion lives in an instant, before he can even stop himself - he murdered at the speed of thought, and committed total extermination of an entire people without really meaning it. How often have we said something in anger that we immediately regretted just moments later? But imagine your words in anger can kill with ease - such was the Douwd. He will not kill, because he can't afford to make mistakes, and once he did make a mistake, it was on such a scale that he could not mentally accept, and instead he hid in his own delusions. Imagine thinking "I wish they were all dead!" and they were...
The great character actor John Anderson. This was the last performance I saw from him and it was one of the most memorable. The species he plays here is certainly a match for the Q, the Organians or any other of the "god-like" aliens in Star Trek.
I think less than Q, probably very much so. He couldn't bring his wife back. Q could resurrect or move you into another branch of your timeline so you can be with people who otherwise would have died.
One of the episodes that made me admire this series. the acting, writing and special effects were beyond its time. you feel the pain in the old man's voice and face, you understand Pickard's thirst for the truth and knowledge, Beverly's care for a patient is clear. On a side note, I wonder if that character had any relation to the Q.
No...while his species was powerful, the Q are on another level entirely. The Douwd don't have absolute control over space and time the way the Q do. The Q are essentially 5th dimensional beings that don't even exist in our universe, they just manifest "avatars" here. Kevin could create powerfully "real" illusions that can actually blow things up, but there is no evidence that he can turn back time or even travel in time. If he could have, he would have brought Rishon back instead of just making an illusion of her.
This is an amazing scene. What an imagination! The very idea of this much power on a whim is mind boggling. This is one of my favorite episodes for this scene and what it brings to mind. No action, no special effects... just dialog. Amazing! Thanks for sharing this.
I can remember as a kid watching this and thinking what it must be like to be a wonderful being such as this, with so much power, compassion, and a conscience that serves so much regret and pain.
Patrick Stewart was an "A" list Shakespearean powerhouse on a "B" list show. When the writers put him front & center and allowed him to use all his skills, this is the kind of gut-wrenching drama we got. I still get a knot in my stomach from this scene.
Nah, the Q have shown themselves not to be amoral troublemakers and general pains in the arse that John De Lancie Q *pretends* to be towards humanity. Omnipotent or not, this would freak them out too.
I would think one of the Q's would've have stopped by after the genocide. Probably had a long talk w/ Kevin. Something along the lines of, "Yea we get it, you took that race out. They were pretty nasty anyway. How about this. Stay here, don't bother anyone and have your life and we won't get in your way. Thanks, bye."
@@Booyaka9000 this might concern the Q but honestly there is a theory that as powerful as the Q are the borg did at one point concern the Q and infact there is a theory that the Q introduced the borg to species 8472 because they maybe were getting kind of close to finding a way to entering the Continuum. also it could be that Q wanted to start a proxey war with the federation and borg too.
i always head canon that he was a Q, at staying where she died and where he committed the crime was his punishment, because it worst punishment he could receive, to be reminded of his quilt and loss every day for eternity
@@thewewguy8t88 I can't see how the Borg could ever concern the Q. The Borg are powerful by human standards, but then we can't snap our fingers and make starships vanish. Nor can we take away someone's life and then give it back with ease. Heck, the Q concocted a plan that would have erased humanity from ever having existed, just for a trial. If the Borg bothered them, they would simply travel back in time and stop them from ever existing.
It is writing and acting like this that truly placed TNG in its place as the true successor to the original Star Trek series. And over time, TNG became my favorite.
My favorite Start Trek line ever. "I killed them all, all Husnock everywhere." ... ... ... "We have no law to fit your crime." ... "...to be left alone." ... till then end of time.
Thank you for posting this fragment. This episode has stayed with me ever since I watched it originally on TV, in 1989. And it has stayed with me precisely for this: the subtle, yet powerful demonstration of the limitations of ethics and morality. We, humans, are only apt to morally judge ourselves. I’m not trying to state a legal principle, I believe this to be a law of nature. We do not have the capacity to apply our own moral absolutes to other species. We can only judge what we know. We only experience life through our own lense, that of human beings. What another species, supposing that species even has a sense of right and wrong, considers to be “right” and “wrong”, is not up to us to decide. Additionally, a being such as this one, the Douwd, (however it’s supposed to be spelled), is so beyond our own comprehension, magnitude and perspective, that it’d be like an ant presuming to judge a moral yet fallible human. There is no point to it. The ant would do well to know its place in the scheme of things, and not only out of fear and self-preservation. Out of a sense of understanding reality. The ants may well possess morality, laws, principles. They might very well be aware of us humans, and they might even be outraged by our conduct sometimes. But they aren’t apt to judge us by their standards. Only we are, and only by our own standards.
They can't write this kind of story anymore. I remember the first time I saw this episode and was blown away. I wish the Dowd would come back and wish away Star Trek...say...from 2008 onward. It would be a kindness.
That moment where he said "I killed them all. All Husnock, everywhere..." is punctuated by about 5-7 seconds of almost total silence (no dialog, no music, not even background noise). I don't know if this was a deliberate choice by the director, but if so it was brilliant. For a moment, we are all in the room with Picard and Beverly, feeling the full weight and consequences of what he did and the realization of what precisely he is capable of.
I love how mad picard is at the end. The genocide of an entire species lit the fire behind his eyes, he was ready to fist fight an immortal being but held his temper. Like he said "there are no laws for a crime of that magnitude"
I'm not sure if anger was in his eyes.. they flitted a bit, like a man whose mind is reeling from incredulity, dumbfounded at what he has just heard. When he turns his head away from the Doud, some might read that as contempt, but I think in Picard's case he is trying to look objectively at what has happened without judgement, trying to distance himself with a typical captains reserve, but is not entirely successful.
@@mrblack888 Agreed, the Husnok are basically the Star Trek's Daleks. At least as Kevin explains them. Remember that Kevin isn't a perfectly reliable narrator, all he knows of the Husnok are the ones that came to attack him. But if he's right, it's really hard to make peace with a group like that. It's like making peace with Hitler, you just can't trust it even if you really want to.
"I will not kill." This is probably one of my favorite episodes. Imagine you were suddenly given immortality and unlimited power. You could do anything. Win any fight. Nothing could possibly stand against you. No prison could ever hold you. It would be so easy for a human to loose any sense of right and wrong because all fear of consequence would be lost. You would have to hold yourself to a higher standard if you wanted to retain any sense of humanity. My one and only rule might be to never take a life because it would be far too easy to become a monster. It's like he was determined not to become Q.
Q uses other beings for his own amusement, this guy set aside his powers when he fell in love with an earth woman that is something Q would never do voluntarilly he did that's what seperates him from the Q
this man has beans for a channel theme
Thinking bout dem beans.
Beans also became the official food of colossalcon so I'm not surprised.
@The Jerma985 HEY i see ur comments everywhere now
@The Jerma985 a man of culture
@The Jerma985 oh my god! it's The Jerma985!
Beans and Cornbread had a fight
Beans knocked Cornbread out of sight
Cornbread said, "Now that's alright,
Meet me on the corner tomorrow night"
Incredible delivery of the line.
"No, no no, you don't understand the scope of my crime. I didn't kill just one Husnock, or a hundred or a thousand. I killed them all.
*All* Husnock.
_Everywhere"_
Picard's sort of "oh, sh!t....." look as he quietly leans back in horror at what Kevin's done and it registers.... and then he and the enterprise just carefully beam him back down to the planet and fly as far away as possible.
this dude is NOT to be trifled with. jeez.
He had the power to obliterate an entire race in an instant...and yet didn't have the power to eliminate the ship's weapons and prevent them from harming anyone. Go figure that one out.
@@dhunter1133 He was a pacifist, and didn't want to fight - Until it was too late. 😞
@@ginobee3585 - I understand that. But what I'm saying is that any being that has the power to obliterate billions of lives with a thought certainly has the power to prevent those same lives from making war. Deactivate their weapons or destroy them entirely. Hide the entire planet from view. Cast the their ship sectors away. There were many things he could've done that did not involve fighting or killing.
@@dhunter1133 GREAT point! I've asked myself the same question for YEARS!!
Picard's line always gets me: "We're not qualified to be your judges. We have no law that fits your crime."
@Steve P genocide is a crime commuted by groups over time in a planned and thought out manner. This was a instant subcuming to rage, done without concious planning or will. It was as he said a temporary insanity. We have no crime that covers willing an entire species to death in an instant. Plus he is immortal. You can't kill him. He is non corporeal and can not be rehabilatated against extreme prococation. Imprisonment? How? Where? How long? Presumably he'll outlive the federation. Plus they have no jurisdiction. He is not a federation citizen, the Husnoc not a member species. To whom would punishment belong but his own kind. Wherever they may be. Punsishing more powerful and advanced lifeforms beyond their pervue. If the Q wanted to step in they would. They haven't. Life alone on the colony with his illusions will be his sentence. Now who knows what happens when the star goes nova. If he lets it.
I bet he caused the great warp destruction in the STD startrek show but failed to end that horrible show 😂 .
Epic response
@Steve P Go ahead, see what happens if you put a being on trial that can commit genocide with a thought. See how that works out for you, lol.
@Steve P But is the guy that killed Hitler there? I want to buy that guy a beer.
Genuinely one of my favorite episodes. A godlike being living in both grief and guilt, Picard knew it was best to just leave him alone
always made me wonder if he would show Q more respect if Q was serious and not playful and constantly joking around. Because Q can do basically what this guy can do.
@@natman2939 Moreso than that, even. The Q continuum, if i recall right, was around eons longer than him, so their power is far more vast and reaching and impactful. They have the power to jump back and forward through time with the snap of a finger, to the beginning of the universe all the way to the end and everything in between, and thats just one example. If Q wanted it, he could snap his fingers and not only kill every last human in the universe, but he could remove their entire footprint from everything, so that they never even existed.
@@tylerchurch1152 the q require numbers, and have a hierarchy. They are a group mind whereas this particular doude is an isolationist. Much like the planet visited by the original series crew and Klingons fighting over what they perceived as primitive culture
Its really the only thing he COULD do. Humans did not have the power to punish him, let alone contain him even if they Wanted to judge him. His punishment would be entirely on the "honor" system and his willingness to BE punished.
@@tylerchurch1152 shoot Q pulled an episode where he took Picard back in time to some thermal swamp pool in an early version of Earth to show exactly the "very moment" of when creation began, meaning cell like organisms evolved. He could have crapped on that pool and humanity would have never arose and the universe wouldn't have even noticed.
“I’m not certain if he should be praised or condemned, only that he should be left alone.”
That line always gave me chills. This is definitely one of the most powerful species ever encountered in the Star Trek universe. It’s honestly terrifying yet amazing knowing he destroyed an entire race with one single thought. Remarkable.
"You're free to return to the planet."
Yeah, okay Picard. Like you could actually stop him.
@@VotePaineJefferson Kevin gave the impression that he was prepared to accept whatever judgment Federation authorities handed down, as penance for his crime. I believe if Picard said he was taking him for trial, Kevin would have gone. Besides, Picard theoretically could have continued harassing him as he'd been doing.
@@danieldickson8591
Kevin was essentially an immortal GOD similar to the Q. He COULDN'T have been punished in any meaningful way by the Federation.
Do you honestly think Kevin would have voluntarily spent decades in incarceration if Picard had the hutzpah to take him back to the Federation to stand trial? It's a preposterous idea. But of course, this is the attitude of the Federation. The ego. Believing in their own moral superiority. They claim to have a mandate as "explorers" yet routinely disregard the laws, borders and customs of other species. After all, even Starfleet Admirals routinely break their OWN rules, treating their subordinates like canon fodder, so why WOULD they care about the rules of OTHER societies?
@@VotePaineJefferson Honestly, he probably would have. He demonstrated, for the sake of his wife, he was prepared to live for decades on human terms and within human society. I find it highly plausible that he would have been willing to accept punishment for the sake of his guilt on the same terms.
@@Robert-hz9bj Let's assume for arguments sake that you're right - Kevin is willing to sit incarcerated for decades, perhaps even centuries, with Star Fleets finest. My original point is that Star Fleet can't FORCE him to do this because his power is beyond anything THEY can control. Therefor, Kevin becomes his own jailer and Star Fleets presence is merely incidental.
* Borg approaches Earth *
* Will frantically flipping through his rolodex *
Lmfao bro 🤣
I've thought something like this, with multiple instances, several times. It's not just this being. Every time they encountered some ship that "is comparable to our own" or some other superbeing, (Transfigurations, etc.) I stored that away in my memory.
@Norman I think that's actually part of the prime directive. Regardless of the aliens power, the federation would chose not to interfere with their development.
@@sithonsithon1012 I think that is reserved primarily for more primitive societies or for other cultures. How do you "interfere with the development" of beings so superior to you that they might be considered gods?
@@alaron5698
One could argue that asking for and receiving help from such a superior species would, in effect, interfere with your own species' development.
She couldn’t stay young with him. So he chose to grow old with her. That’s true love.
Death of any sort is saddening to both the dying and to those close. But when it comes to old age, it’s sad but unavoidable. But if they were killed, it’s tragic. And if they were murdered, it warrants wraith
He could have made her immortal like him but he didn't want her to know that about him.
@@ellmc95 Not necessarily. We don't know all the details about his kind, but they are a LOT more limited than, say, the Q. He can't turn back time, or bring back dead people (the Q can do both, because they have near absolute control over both space AND time). He is only shown destroying, and creating "lifelike" illusions. None of his powers shown imply that he could de-age a human, or make one immortal. If he could have made her immortal, it's likely he would have.
@@StormsparkPegasus He also made no mention of how he killed them all in an instant. Q could literally do anything including just sending them all back home. He could not do this even though it would be a pacifist thing to do. His power seems to be in manipulating perception, perhaps in an instant he made themselves all believe they were dying.
@@StormsparkPegasus imo Q was essentially a 5th dimensional being who existed outside of our spacetime..this guy is immortal but exist within this spacetime... meaning you're right he wasn't anywhere near a Q
"Okay - new standing order: everyone be really, really nice to this guy."
Picard: by the way the Borg...
This is an underrated episode. I remember seeing it as a young kid and being blown away by his revelation regarding what he did to the Husnock.
This is the episode I introduced a friend to Star Trek with. I think I made a good choice.
When a cosmic entity takes a mortal human form . They are never prepared for the human condition.
It is the experience we seek .
It is worthwhile.!
You don’t have to be a cosmic entity to be unprepared for the human condition.
Tell that to the believers in Christianity.
@@rattywoof5259 and what is that suppose to mean?
@@adamschizo I think they're referring to Jesus, who according to biblical texts was by definition a 'cosmic being' that took mortal human form, and not only was prepared for the human condition, but mastered it.
Doctor, "You had the power to help them but you didn't. You let them die."
People at home, "Hello, The Prime Directive. You do that twice a season."
Beverly always objects to Picard’s invocation of the PD too
Its different...if a warp capable civilization is attacking primitives then the Federation is allowed to assist.
The prime directive forbids interference in inner species conflicts, not inter species conflicts.
Personally, I half expected (half wanted) his speech to go all "Q" at that point, "Oh what an arrogant, primitive species you are. Thinking I felt guilty simply because I didn't kill for YOUR kind."
I DID like that he sort of gave Crusher a verbal slap down / threat when she expressed shock at him not killing the aggressors against the humans & he said, "I refused to, for the same reason I didn't STOP the Enterprise! I. Will. Not. Kill."
That's different.
I've never forgotten his reading of that line "I will not. Kill." It had a gravity and a finality that said under no circumstances did this guy doubt his commitment to his principle. It was stirring then and it's just as powerful now.
Even those of us that guide our lives on high ideals or principles, lose ourselves in emotion and in a tragic moment, commit acts that injure our very soul.
"You're free to return to the planet."
The balls on this mortal!
Like Picard had a choice? The guy just admitted to Thanos snapping an entire species in a fraction of a second! Picard is just acknowledging the obvious.
That’s the real sentence. Life with his crime. Either way they couldn’t have punished him in a way that would be worse than what has already happened, and he clearly felt bad
@@bimbodhisattva weird that they don't have a law against genocide in the Federation. probably fine
You could see the guilt in the Douwd's eyes-the pain and guilt of what it had done, which was against its nature; it was eating him up inside. A being of that longevity and level of morality would have willingly submitted themselves to whatever legal judgment humans deemed appropriate (short of death). However, as Picard so rightly pointed out, humanity had no laws to cover the crime of the genocide of an entire alien species. So when Picard let Douwd go, it was the same as a pardon. The Douwd's smile as it left meant it would at least live in peace and happiness, free of guilt.
@@kxmode Not sure. I think the Douwd's acceptance of Picard's declaration he can be released is out of severe remorse and realisation that even a lowly mortal being is now morally superior to him. At this point, the Douwd is ridden with guilt at his lapse of judgement, especially as he was so deeply moral prior to his crime, and held 'I will not kill' as his ultimate law that cannot be broken. By breaking it, the Douwd is now worse than the worst, worse than even the Husnock, as a result. He will not live in peace and happiness, he will carry the guilt for the remainder of his existence.
Just imagine all the other civilizations being attacked or oppressed by the Husnock and all of a sudden one day they all just do a phantom menace and die on the spot. I wonder if a legend sprang up about them finally inciting the wrath of the Gods or something. I wonder how many civilizations celebrated or even continue to celebrate that day of sudden, unexpected liberation from tyranny. One man's unforgivable crime is a precious gift to countless others.
That would be an amazing reference in a post-TNG tng-like trek show. To have an alien tell a story how their god "saved them" from the evil husnock.
It always bugged the hell out of me how righteous Picard would be. They needed to be destroyed. Things got even worse with 'Voyager'
And the power vacuum. Imagine if their tech is lying around...though I guess maybe that was destroyed too. It's worth revisiting.
@@Henpitts I think the conversation should have gone more like:
"We are not qualified to judge your... actions... But uh, just exactly how many civilizations were the Husnock attacking and oppressing, did you say? Perhaps we could discuss this more thoroughly over some Earl Grey."
@@TheBadGuy235 Wow I hadn't thought of that. All their ships, their cities, whole entire worlds captured by the Husnock and suddenly left empty, free for the pillaging. There's some really good material there for like 7 books or 8 movies.
Interestingly, this actor's real wife had passed away shortly before this episode was filmed.
If that's true, it explains the performance, I feel for the guy.
@@tjwparso Imagine making a scene based on your own loss...the pain. Making the scene so real the audience can feel it...Oh God! I just lost my younger brother Robert to Epilepsy...he was 21 years old. Way too young to have died. 😞
@@xaviercarr4718 Sorry for your loss.
Well that would explain the power behind many of his words when he spoke of his "wife".
@Bobbie Charles Season 3? Or was it season 4?
Incredible job of acting and storytelling by the late John Anderson. Very moving and convincing scene.
I think some of it was unscripted I think he was actually crying 😢
@@claytonwade3570 You're right. He lost his wife of 43 years just a few months before this was filmed. He almost turned down the role, but ended up accepting it because it helped him come to terms with her death. But when he says "I wish I could've died with her" that was the actor speaking just as much as the character.
I caught a random rerun of this episode about 15 years ago and it stuck with me ever since, especially that last line "I'm not sure if he should be praised or condemned, only that he should be left alone." THATS powerful writing.
No effects, no CGI, no explosions every 30 seconds to keep people 'interested'. Just acting and reacting on a scale that reminds me why I loved the Next Generation so much
Yep a brilliant episode and well acted. No fireworks, no special effects, nothing "happens" except Picard's sense that something is wrong.
@@515aleon Well, there were special effects with that ship, looking a lot meaner the second time.
Well, didn't mean to imply NO special effects at all. Just that they weren't at all the basis of the episode. It was a plot/character/acting driven one.
@@515aleon I think TNG had only one such episode with zero effects, and that was The Drumhead, and it was all of what you described.
@@gedias1 Measure of a Man was rather pure in that way, might have been something, but don't recall. But as I said wasn't the point of the episode either.
A man with unlimited power and nothing at all. I feel sadness and pity for him.
Yup. His line, "How I wish I could have died with HER" was pretty much spot on the mark. Immortality is a curse!
Well said.
Yes. Infinitely powerful, but left utterly alone with only a ghost and bitter memories.
@@blastermasterguy Indeed, in fact even without this event immortality would probably drive anyone insane. Think about all the friends and lovers that you would see come and go over the years and you can only watch it over and over again. Not to mention the vastness of the knowledge that would be acquired over that time, it would be impossible to handle.
One thought occours though....if he had the power to wipe out 50 billion with a single thought why wouldn't he be able to restore her life and not just an illusion?
@@digitaldigdug7811 Creating new (true) life may be beyond even his power. Or it may not be allowed by his moral code. I suspect that his code would state that even if he did create a new Roshawn, that new person is an independent being who MUST be allowed to live their life on their own terms.
He died of a heart attack shortly after filming this. RIP
RIP
It was close to 3 years. But yes RIP to a great actor.
:(
A good man... The fans remember him!
Perfect scene. Kevin's confession is chilling, and so well delivered, as is Picard's response. But Crusher's physical performance is what nails it for me. The sheer terror behind the watery eyes, the subtle way she pulls backward, as if her fight or flight is kicking in...all as she realizes what she's standing in a room with. Flawless performance.
agreed, it's very well acted by everyone involved. I believe the actor who played Kevin the douwd had recently lost his wife also when this was recorded.
Shows how good TNG is- this episode is pushing 32 years old and even though this clip was just posted yesterday it has nearly 10,000 views.
My highest viewed video so far is over 116k views in just 10 days! th-cam.com/video/m-cQIzze1xI/w-d-xo.html
So good to know so many people love TNG as much, if not more than I do! :)
@@tjwparso TNG is simply the best
This is one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the series. Not surprised it is as popular :)
It’s a very powerful moment with 2 outstanding guest actors
Its more like 33 pushing 34
This is what a good character actor brings to the story. He is not a "star" but he leaves his mark in every episode he is in.
Indeed. He was also great and memorable in MacGyver (the original) as well.
@@szr8 And all of those Twilight Zones.
@@Laceykat66 Yes those too.
@@szr8 and many times in the Rifleman series.
The actor lost his wife about a year before filming this episode, he’s not acting here, he knows the grief Kevin felt.
I love how Picard accuses the immortal being of not doing enough. Only to realize his real mistake was doing to much when his wife died.
It's funny when Picard is being a holier-than-thou dumbass, he judges people like Kevin who tried to be reasonable and then when they were pushed to the brink, when being reasonable is not an option anymore, they made sure the Husnock would fuck around and find out.
@@shadekerensky3691 Piccard was testing kevin, to see when/if kevin would get pissed off and argue back at him, but kevin took all the bullshit, wich showed piccard that even if kevin is too powerfull and beyhond the federation capability to hold him accountable, he is self contained in his guilt and isolation, thereby leaving him alone.
That final line "...only that he should be left... alone" carries a lot of meaning. To be alone with his grief and remorse to find a way through it but also... he can destroy your species if you piss him off. Best not to.
Yeah, you have Section 31 quietly remove that world from the star charts and replace it with some kind of anomaly that even the most foolhardy would not get within sensor range of it. You don't want anyone to disturb him. Probably reach out to some like minds in the other secret services too who realize that a being like that isn't to be trifled with and that they should give him a wide berth as well.
I can imagine a alarm going off in the Q Continuum and Q going, "Oh no, what did Picard do now....oh....no, he didn't do anything this time.....the Husnack? You can't be serious...wait...they're all dead?"
Q: We need to introduce this Doud to Darth Vader.
Q(1): Wait, what? Darth Vader? That's an entirely different reality!
Q: Is it really, Q? But the fact remains that this Doud needs to put his actions into perspective. He and Vader both slaughtered whole groups of people in fits of rage. Husnock, Tusken Raiders, it doesn't matter -- genocide is genocide, Q. The Doud needs to understand the full extent of his crimes.
@@Robert_Douglass Except that what the Doud was far worse. By the time of SW Episode 4, Tusken Raiders were still a thing, though we don't know how much the population had recovered. So Vader only wiped them out in one region of Tatooine. The Doud killed ALL Husnack (approximately 50 billion of them according the Doud), everywhere, presumably on multiple planets in multiple star systems.
@@hhale across their empire. They were essentially boiled alive. According to the sequel novel anyway
I hate to be a spelling cop but it's _Douwd_ and _Husnock,_ courtesy of the _Star Trek Encyclopedia._ . .
From what I have gathered the Douwd have 'almost' equal power to the Q but while the Douwd can't revive the dead they try to be pacifists and try to value life.
The most powerful scenes in Star Trek have always been the ones without Action & Effects but the one with dialogs. THIS is what Star Trek is about and always was amazing at. Outstanding actors performances that not only touches the audiences hearts but also their minds.
"Outstanding actors performances " -- working from GREAT scripts. Poor actors can ruin great scripts but even the best actor can not make a bad script into a good story. (better yes, good, no) Star Trek used to be about amazing writing. Then the dark times came.
@@robjohnson8522 Totally true. Back then people who wrote for Star Trek understood it. Not only their own craft but also they understood Star Trek and what it was about. Now you have people writing for it who not only don't understand it, they actually hate Star Trek.
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 "Not only their own craft but also they understood Star Trek "
Amen brother, amen.
"You see... my people ones lived in caves"
True for another one of my favorite scenes:
"You will assist us to assimilate this vessel."
"I will not."
"What did you say??"
"I will not assist you."
"But you are Borg..."
"No... I am Hugh."
I love it when Picard says "You are free to return to the planet." As if he had any power to say or do otherwise.
Kevin would have done whatever Picard decided
"We're not qualified to be your judges. We have no law that fits your crime."
[Q pops into existence]
Come now, Jean-Luc! Everyone commits a little genocide every once in awhile, even you humans!
"DAMMIT, Q!!!"
Nice work on the Husnock by the way. Pitiful, treacherous creatures, weren't they? Have you ever considered becoming part of the continuum? Its loads of fun.
K.U." No Q, I will not join your continuum, I will return to Rana IV and serve my sentence.
I read this in Qs voice. Love it
@@DivinePearl So did I and I think I had almost as much fun as John DeLancie 🤣
Having just watched the episode, I feel like Kevin was made to be the inverse of Q. Instead of doing stunts like Q, all Kevin wanted was to live in peace as an old man with his wife of several decades.
@@rockwellrhodes7703 that's taking the premise he can travel back in time
He actually did the Federation a favor, it was known later that the Husnock were mass building fleets to go after the Federation.
Word? What media?
But you can't say he was justified in killing the ENTIRE species. Their military, oppressive government, sure. The entire species? Every last man, women and child? Billions of innocent people just trying to live a life, many of whom may have even lived amongst other species away from their homeworld?
It's like deciding to kill the human race just because Hitler existed.
@@ProjectT The thing is is that there's not enough information on the Husnock to indicate that the Husnock's government was oppressing them - they could very well be an even more extreme version of Klingons, a species that only understands violence and war and that even the infants will instinctively attack non-Husnocks. Now this of course isn't the only possibility, but it would make the entire race 'enemy combatants'.
@@williaml840 But even that is an assumption. I mean, even some klingons aren't all warrior-like, such as that one chef on Deep Space Nine who just wanted to cook and sing for people to brighten their days. We just see the warriors most often because they're the ones on the starships. All we know is he killed 50 billion. To say every single individual among those 50 billion was a monster would be... well, probably incorrect. Generalisations of free thinking races are not strictly advised, especially in Star Trek, which actively shoots down that sort of thinking.
And the being knows that, which is why he's so horrified and guilt-ridden.
can you imagine if the borg killed her lol
Picard: Leave that guy alone. Don't risk getting him mad again.
Captain Picard, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
“Impulse number one, screw that, warp 9.6 now!”
YUP! The entity wiped out a species of highly advanced conquerors 50 BILLION STRONG in an instant!
That's probably part of it. But alot of it is that Picard sees that he punishes himself. And leaves him to it
You think?! I would also want to get the heck out there like Picard!
So glad they pulled a Twilight Zone alumnus for this role. RIP John Anderson!
One of the best pieces of writing a Star Trek episode has ever done. Amazing episode. Amazingly written. Amazingly well acted. Props to the writers props to the actors no better episode have I ever seen.
There was an ST novel where the opening chapter described the Husnock and they made the Klingons look like the very models of civility.
Might you remember the name of it? I would like to read it.
@@benjamindeh873 It's in the ST:Titan love Fortune of War ( memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Fortune_of_War ).
And now the Husnock are very peaceful.
@@sonofizzy Yes, the peace of the desert.
@@nicholasmaude6906 The peace of the grave.
One whole Episode of a old man saying "Get off my LAWN!"
"...you little bastards!"
"...or I'll wipe out your entire Federation!"
Seems like he missed some of those Husnock bastards.
Except that statement is a threat. Kevin never threatened anyone.
@@danieldickson8591 I am pretty sure conjuring a illusion of a starship that opens fire counts as a violent act. And a threat of further violence.
I grew up watching TNG and this scene has always stuck in my mind as particularly powerful. Ever after watching this episode I can hear him saying “I killed not one Husnok, or a hundred, or a thousand…. I killed them all.”
John Anderson, the man for the moment - great script and great acting. One of the best Star Trek TNG episodes.
Badly summarize TNG: Neutral Good Thanos gets pushed too far.
3:14 " *And not just the men, but the women and the children too. They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals* !!"
That was the first thought that came into my head as well.
@Mark Martinez So did Anakin. The difference is that this entity's hatred subsided and he was left only with the guilt of what he did, but Anakin's hatred festered and stuck with him.
@@toreadum8ass Maybe the difference is that Kevin knew he killed them all, so there was no-one left to rage against. Anakin's obsession with finding every Jedi, especially his mentor, was what kept his rage unquenshed.
In the entity's case, it was like an ant bit your child and your smashed it. But you still feel bad for the ant. Anakin is not that powerful and he kept on with his rage.
Agreed…wholeheartedly
This has always been one of my favorite episodes. So smart and thoughtful. So well acted.
This old Gen X-er is going to sound like an old Gen-Xer and say that I truly miss this kind of Trek.
You’re not the only one. The new crap has horrible ratings so NO ONE likes it other than us Xers.
I don't understand people saying things like "I miss X" in this context.
You can watch it any time you want. There's nothing to miss.
This man could lead the Imperium to a glorious future.
John Anderson .... one of the best character actors ever ! Has more than 245 television and film credits under his belt ... I remember him fondly in a few episodes of "The Twilight Zone", "Perry Mason" "Gunsmoke" and "The Rifleman" 😊
Oh, and McGyvers grandpa.
M*A*S*H, too.
@@mementomori7825 Yeah I loved him as Mac's grand father. Harry Jackson was a great character, him and RDA interacted really well.
Also appeared as a very similar character here in Little House of the Prairie - a hurtful grieving widower who suffers in mental pain and uses a music box to reminisce the memories. In fact, back in the day when this aired, some even cross-linked the two shows where it was in fact Kevin Uxbridge living in the 1800s amongst humans. So when his wife died again tragically in the 24th century, his anger exploded into incredible proportions.
If you look carefully you'll find him in Hitchcock's "Psycho", early on. Anderson was an amazing actor, Stewart not so much, although he upped his game to stand alongside John in that scene.
Imagine finding out the man you have been pestering the whole episode literally has a gun to the head of every man, woman, and child in the human race. In an instant he could wipe the entire federation from the galaxy with apparently little effort. The only thing preventing him from. Doing so is a moral code. The look on Dr. Crusher's face makes me think she realizes that the engine of extinction for all that humanity is and was is sitting before her.
Nah. Q would have stopped him. Q has too much fun tormenting Picard, Janeway, etc.
@@JLee-rt6ve You presume that Q could have done so. You presume much.
@@sonofizzy Q could have. The powers of the Continuum are well-established in the show, and with everything we've seen Q do thus far, I think preventing another non-corporeal entity from committing genocide, or at least reversing the act after its already been committed, is well within his reach.
Any modern head of state has the power to start a nuclear cataclysm that would sterilize all the landmasses of this planet. Trump, Obama, Putin, Modi, Johnson, Macron, Jiping, etc. could have done it "in an instant" like you say, with the push of a button. Other leaders would need more effort, but nukes aren't technically challenging for modern scientists and secrecy is easy in most regimes.
You describe Kevin like some horrifying hypothetical, but he's the world we live in.
@@toreadum8ass As Quinn said once, the Q are not infallible, they are forgetful and aren't entirely omniscient. That is one of their greatest weaknesses.
Picard's final assessment is pretty spot on.
"There are moral questions of right and wrong, and were he a weaker species we may attempt to tackle this in a meaningful manner. As it is however, the best course of action is to avoid pissing him off. Let's just back away, smile politely, and get the hell out of here before he commits another reflexive genocide."
The Survivors is one of my favorite STNG episodes. It's very well written and is what good science fiction should be - a thought provoking commentary on the human condition. Kudos to John Anderson who played Kevin Uxbridge, for that extremely powerful final scene. Anderson's wife died on February 18, 1989. This episode first aired on October 9, 1989, so that probably explains his powerful portrayal of a life's love lost. They were married for 43 years and she was his only wife. Three years later, Anderson suffered a fatal heart attack at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, at the age of 69.
I think only John Anderson could have portrayed this character. Simultaneously you feel his grief and abhor his actions.
He was great in many Westerns. I also remember him playing a General on MASH where his son had been wounded and died.
Word has it (can't confirm) that his actual wife had passed shortly before this episode was made.
I can't help but think in certain moments he wasn't acting, but genuinely grieving.😭
Let's do a reshoot of the entire episode with Paul Reubens.
Only? Come on. Plenty of actors would have done the job well, no doubt.
Picard's last words: Aight well imma head out, try not to think about genocide while I'm gone
I wish we had Star Trek like this being made these days.
The first time I watched this episode it left such an impression on me that It stuck with me for weeks. Another top notch episode.
A powerful, emotional moment from a show that finally, after two years of struggle, found it's feet and became a legend.
It's moments like this that makes great science fiction. it makes us think, makes us feel and contemplate what we would do in that situation.
Exactly. It does not tell us WHAT to think, just gets us to think and ponder..
A wonderful final performance by John Anderson. He played many characters on The Rifleman.
John Anderson's wife passed away not long before this episode. I wonder if his performance is seasoned with his own loss which made the character's grief more genuine.
Wow
I did not know that, but life experience most definitely had influence, especially if recent.
Imagine Picards conversation with SF command:
Admiral: "Wow he’s that powerful, we should talk to him.”
Picard, “Absolutely not, stay as far away from this guy as we can.”
Admiral: “But imagine what we could learn.”
Picard, “Did you not hear me, stay away.”
Admiral: “But the opportunity...”
Picard: “He wiped out 50billion people with a thought. One thought.”
Admiral: “...... I’m suddenly thinking we should stay far away.”
Picard: “I thought you might.”
Imagine all the zany reports Star Trek Captains have had to file with Starfleet Command. Makes you wonder what kind of form document they would need to fill out.
Check box 1 for impending doom from a hostile alien.
Check box 2 for a time traveling paradox.
Check box 3 for a one-time alien species that gives us a lesson in humanity.
Check box 4 for Q being a troll.
Check box 5 for a holodeck episode.
Somewhere deep in the bowels of Starfleet Command there's an archive and an intelligence taskforce specifically tasked with cataloguing encounters with ascended and immortal beings.
BTW part of me wonders if Trelaine is a Da'oud.
@@hagamapama I've seen interviews with John de Lancie, its thought that Trelane might have been the prototype or the 'mould' that Q was later built upon. Then again, it could be that the Dauwd aint that far off the Q either.
@@jasonyoung7705 there is a Star trek book called Q Squared that's based on that Trelain theory.
Except when the Borg come calling. Then go look up this guy to help you with them.
"You're free to return to the planet" - Oh thank you hUman said the godlike being 😀
As in Monty Python and the Holy Grail: "Run away! Run away!" All after a fond and obsequious but expeditious farewell. Jeez, this being could fall asleep on the ship, have a bad dream about humanity, lash out in his dream, fart, roll over, and wake up the next morning to find out he had killed us all.
Well, he felt extremely guilty for what he did, it's likely he would've gone with Picard if he had told him to, just because he felt he deserved to be punished. Picard basically said, we can't try you because we don't have any law that fits your crime.
Kevin was craving condemnation - he wanted to be punished, to be enchained, he didn't want to be responsible for his powers anymore, he wanted to be freed from his sins. Picard refused to give that salvation to him, so off Kevin went, to a prison of his own delusions and dreams, where he can't be hurt or hurt anyone ever again. The guilt will remain in the back of his mind, forever chaining him to his past and eat him alive slowly.
If Picard had demanded Kevin to surrender to him, and be kept in the brig, I've no doubt Kevin would have accepted. It would've been the other shoe dropping for him, both horrible but also in a way, relieving - he no longer has to live in apprehensions anymore, his sins have been unearthed and revealed to the world, and he can begin to repent rather than live in false self-comfort. He could properly face reality.
Remember, Kevin has lived on Earth itself for much of his married life, and is quite used to living under Federation rules, regulations, and authority. He would no doubt accept the rulings of the Federation's authority figures and judges, though how they can punish an immortal and god-like being is another question altogether - no prison could hold him, he will outlive the galaxy itself, and he can destroy them all on a whim.
I personally found Picard leaving him behind to be rather cruel, rather than say, gently asking the old man if he wanted to come with the Enterprise and try to move forward with his life, perhaps search for ways to repent or make amends. It's terribly lonely down there, with just him and his illusions of a life.
For Picard to make such a choice would, practically speaking, be Man passing judgement on God. He isn't qualified to determine what would be fair and fitting, what would be the most positive course to take with a being so far beyond his understanding. All that's clear is that Kevin is less dangerous to everyone left where he is.
@@matasa7463 for a crime so large though, is it even picards job to make him atone or let him?
I remember seeing this episode and hearing "I killed the Hushnak" and going so you avenged a colony by killing a ship , then he goes "i killed all Hushnak" and i go holy shit ... this scene will make history
Thing is that, in his grief, he realized that the Husnock would not stop at this one colony and that they would continue till the Federation was wiped out and so went about doing what needed to be done.
@@shadekerensky3691 : No thought at all. Unfocused rage. A million watt laser with no targeting system. He wanted revenge on the Husnock and took it - and then couldn't quite live as he did with what he had done.
@@stephcraneI think he just willed them all out of existence like he's shown doing to the recreation of his wife. I somehow doubt he left 50B burnt corpses as evidence laying around throughout the universe.
@@qbanlink25 : I was using a metaphor, man. Knowing his powers, he likely performed his own version of the Thanos Snap on them.
I love that it was an instant too. He didn't go on a quest of revenge hunting them out, he lashes out in unbearable grief with godlike power and then only after does he see the scope of his action. What would we do? if we had that level of power in our darkest moments? what horrors might we comit with a thought.
John Anderson was such a great character actor. I remember seeing him in movies and especially TV for decades
When I say I killed the Husnock, I mean I killed the Husnock.
Yup. The Husnock didn't even have time to realize their huge error: "In this Universe, there's ALWAYS a BIGGER FISH in the Sea!"
@@blastermasterguy In this case, the sea itself was made to swallow them such that naught but the sea remained.
Hey... any job worth doing is worth doing 100%. He definitely did it with gusto.
@@Synthmilk *In Willem Dafoe voice* And now, the Husnock are _themselves_ the stars!
"Stop. I worry that what you just heard was 'I killed a lot of Husnock.' What I said was 'I killed the Husnock.'"
One of my favorite episodes. At the time I was in college and thought it would be great to have that kind of power. Now, in my 50’s, I’m glad no one does.
It's fortunate for the universe that such power is in the hands of a being of such conscience.
As I was watching this episode I realized the whole "thanos-finger-snap" story has been done before and much better in TNG. Such a heartfelt story shows how painfully overwhelming grief can be, specially if it's someone you loved all your life. Kinda like the recent Wandavision series, where in a moment of anguish Wanda ends up creating Vision all over again.
The Mad Titan's motives in the source mat'l differ from the cinematic adaptation.
Thanos is very different from both those examples. Yes, grief was the seed for it, but his "snap" was the culmination of a long, deliberate, methodical campaign, with a (flawed) rational purpose behind it.
Just because both stories contain wiping out billions of people at once doesn't mean they are comparable. This episode's story is a mystery, and we only find out at the very end that there was some off-screen snap we had no idea about.
Thanos' snap stories (both the movie and comic book version---which are very different by the way) are entirely about the snap. It is something that happens on screen/page and the entire focus is around it. For the movie, the story is a quest to make the snap happen and ends with it happening.
For the comic book, the story starts with it happening and the universes best come together to see if there's anyway to undo it or stop it from getting worse (because instead of just 1 snap, Thanos basically becomes an actual all-powerful god and he could snap as much as he wanted without any drawbacks)
so if this TNG episode is a mystery, and infinity war is a quest/adventure, then Infinity Gauntlet is a adventure/action i suppose
@@danieldickson8591 trying to get into death’s pants?
"Much better" They were two very different scenarios. It's an apples to oranges comparison, what do you mean?
Thank you for the way you share these videos because I always end up going to the whole show and deeply digging what it is
3:20 That moment when Picard realizes he bit off far more than he can chew and he is powerless to do anything. Of course "Kevin" is free to go. Picard has no way of stopping him.
This is like when the army arrested superman. lol
I'm not sure, though. Remember on the bridge? Kevin said, "I am deeply sorry about the woman. I will help her. But I must know what you intend do with me afterwards." I think he was, on some level, willing to submit to Picard's judgement. I honestly think he was.
Picard certainly does not. However, Janeway would've been able to conquer his entire species all by herself.
Legendary scene.. a peaceful creature's tale that led to an emotional revenge to kill ALL Husnok Everywhere, the genuine shock, the response of Picard that there's no law that fit's his crime..
It sure does make you think.. Which Star Trek is all about.
John Anderson's performance in this scene was superb. I also can't help but think if they even tried to do something like this in nutrek there would be an obnoxiously loud soundtrack playing over the entire thing to tell you how to feel. Picard and Beverley would of course also have to burst into tears.
Beverly.
Nutrek is really just worfs vision of hell. Deformed klingons and crying humans everywhere.
Imagine if he HADN'T wiped out the Husnock. They could very well have declared war on the Federation, and their tech is MUCH more advanced!
After Kevin leaves, Picard double times to the bridge: "Helm, get us the fuck out of here, maximum warp!! Quarantine this system!"
Picard: Q I take it all back you are not so bad!
@@paladinboyd1228 hed never say that he hates Q quite a bit, he never forgave him for his first encounter that cost 17 lives of his own crew, and any event after has been a lot of trouble for picard while this man has a very strict code of no killing and is able to remorse over his own actions id say picard even if repulsed by 50 billion deaths would take this being over Q
@@breadtoast1036 and to think Q could have easily brought back all of this deceased crew at a snap of his fingers, guess he just didn't want to and chose to leave an impression instead.
@@qbanlink25 Q has bragged about being able to do it, but I don't believe it's ever been actually demonstrated in show or book.
I remember when I watched this back then, this was an episode that was creepy and mysterious to begin with, but when he delivered that line, the goosebumps wouldn't go away.
At the time as a kid, I just saw him as some super powerful alien that Picard was afraid of, I didn't really put much thought behind Picard's words. It's only now that I understood Picard's reply, us mortals are unfit to judge it not just because it is too powerful, but because it is something totally out of our understanding. They discovered a God, but one with human shortcomings(which makes it even scarier)
John Anderson....what a great actor. In so many TV shows, movies, and the stage. He was an "actor's actor" before the term was coined. I loved him whether he played a good guy or a bad guy.
When he was a bad guy, in so many Westerns, you just wanted to give to his character what he did to others, but when he was a good guy, you were brought to tears for how he suffered, you cried right along with him. This was one of those roles. The Doud was not evil and sadistic, but his grief made him do what he abhorred so much. John Anderson brought that out so well.
Still disappointed they never Encountered another Douwd in any of the other episodes/shows. Such an amazing character
Maybe they did. They just didn't know.
This is one of my favorite scenes in all of ST. “…I didn’t just kill one Husnock, or a hundred, or a thousand: I killed ALL the Husnock, EVERYWHERE!”
The power needed to achieve this is unthinkable for mortals, only the Q continuum could do more as in travel back in time to when the Husnuck were only a single cell organism in a mud puddle and take a piss in it to stop if from growing, shoot maybe they did and that's where Romulans originate from? lol
‘A genocide of passion’
No you really can’t even begin to judge that...
The only beings who could (that I know of) would be his own race and the Q.
Imagine if control of the world's nukes was by some cosmic accident linked into your brain. What do you even do with someone like that? What options are there? Self imposed exile does sound like it's the best choice.
@@fingerboxes
Especially considering that he can't be killed or imprisoned due to his nature even if he feels that death or incarceration are what he deserves. Plus he doesn't want to take the chance that he could repeat this mistake with another species, so he's decided the best course of action is to never again interact with the outside world.
One does wonder if he did the Federation a favor by eliminating a potential future enemy.
I appreciate this channel showing clips from excellent TNG episodes. It shows why the TNG series presented some of the best tv ever written. I tried to get into STD and "Picard", but neither come close to quality of narrative in 80s and 90s Star Trek.
After watching this episode again, I can't help but have this little quote pop into my mind after he said the genocide part: "I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead, every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women and the children, too. They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals."
Nothing like throwing a little Star Wars in for good measure. 😏
@@williamsquires3070 i wonder if this is where george guy his idea for episode 2
Except that was stated in anger. Here, it was said with a degree of remorse that we cannot hope to truly fathom.
And he can't escape into that good night. He can only hope, at some point, he will eventually forget and can be lost in his own illusions. A tragic character worthy of Shakespeare.
@@Al1701 It was temporary insanity, he would've been able to plea crime of passion under normal circumstances. Only problem is, with great power comes great responsibility, and in this instance, his great power enabled his crime of passion to take over 50 billion lives in an instant, before he can even stop himself - he murdered at the speed of thought, and committed total extermination of an entire people without really meaning it. How often have we said something in anger that we immediately regretted just moments later? But imagine your words in anger can kill with ease - such was the Douwd. He will not kill, because he can't afford to make mistakes, and once he did make a mistake, it was on such a scale that he could not mentally accept, and instead he hid in his own delusions.
Imagine thinking "I wish they were all dead!" and they were...
Sounds trashy. Where's that from. Fan fiction?
Imagine this guy, in his prime, with these great writers, portraying Kirk...
I remember getting chills when I first watched this episode.
The great character actor John Anderson. This was the last performance I saw from him and it was one of the most memorable. The species he plays here is certainly a match for the Q, the Organians or any other of the "god-like" aliens in Star Trek.
Nope. Q would just rewrite the code and stop it from happening. Of course thats not mortal q with no powers from abortion trek.
I think less than Q, probably very much so. He couldn't bring his wife back. Q could resurrect or move you into another branch of your timeline so you can be with people who otherwise would have died.
This guy getting pissed would have been a better reason for The Burn.
ooh now you're talkin'
One of the episodes that made me admire this series. the acting, writing and special effects were beyond its time. you feel the pain in the old man's voice and face, you understand Pickard's thirst for the truth and knowledge, Beverly's care for a patient is clear.
On a side note, I wonder if that character had any relation to the Q.
Nah, Q's would have found him and brought him.IMO, they considered him dangerous and knew to leave him alone, just like picard.
No...while his species was powerful, the Q are on another level entirely. The Douwd don't have absolute control over space and time the way the Q do. The Q are essentially 5th dimensional beings that don't even exist in our universe, they just manifest "avatars" here. Kevin could create powerfully "real" illusions that can actually blow things up, but there is no evidence that he can turn back time or even travel in time. If he could have, he would have brought Rishon back instead of just making an illusion of her.
This was a special episode for me. Unexpectedly powerful and sad.
"We are not qualified to be your judges. We have no law to fit your crime."
So much depth in those 2 short sentences.
This is an amazing scene. What an imagination! The very idea of this much power on a whim is mind boggling. This is one of my favorite episodes for this scene and what it brings to mind. No action, no special effects... just dialog. Amazing! Thanks for sharing this.
Definitely, one of the best scenes in all of Star Trek!... you're welcome :) Check out the channel, sub if you like, I'm putting more up all the time.
I can remember as a kid watching this and thinking what it must be like to be a wonderful being such as this, with so much power, compassion, and a conscience that serves so much regret and pain.
this was one of the best TNG episodes, one of the best star trek episodes ever...
Patrick Stewart was an "A" list Shakespearean powerhouse on a "B" list show. When the writers put him front & center and allowed him to use all his skills, this is the kind of gut-wrenching drama we got. I still get a knot in my stomach from this scene.
I once had this weird mandela effect moment when I could’ve sworn he also said: “And not just the men . . . but the _women,_ and the _children.”_
I remember this
Q would probably give this guy a high five!
Nah, the Q have shown themselves not to be amoral troublemakers and general pains in the arse that John De Lancie Q *pretends* to be towards humanity. Omnipotent or not, this would freak them out too.
I would think one of the Q's would've have stopped by after the genocide. Probably had a long talk w/ Kevin. Something along the lines of, "Yea we get it, you took that race out. They were pretty nasty anyway. How about this. Stay here, don't bother anyone and have your life and we won't get in your way. Thanks, bye."
@@Booyaka9000 this might concern the Q but honestly there is a theory that as powerful as the Q are the borg did at one point concern the Q and infact there is a theory that the Q introduced the borg to species 8472 because they maybe were getting kind of close to finding a way to entering the Continuum. also it could be that Q wanted to start a proxey war with the federation and borg too.
i always head canon that he was a Q, at staying where she died and where he committed the crime was his punishment, because it worst punishment he could receive, to be reminded of his quilt and loss every day for eternity
@@thewewguy8t88 I can't see how the Borg could ever concern the Q. The Borg are powerful by human standards, but then we can't snap our fingers and make starships vanish. Nor can we take away someone's life and then give it back with ease.
Heck, the Q concocted a plan that would have erased humanity from ever having existed, just for a trial. If the Borg bothered them, they would simply travel back in time and stop them from ever existing.
It is writing and acting like this that truly placed TNG in its place as the true successor to the original Star Trek series. And over time, TNG became my favorite.
My favorite Start Trek line ever. "I killed them all, all Husnock everywhere." ... ... ... "We have no law to fit your crime." ... "...to be left alone." ... till then end of time.
When I first saw this episode my reaction was "Hey! That's McGuyver's Grandpa".
Thank you for posting this fragment.
This episode has stayed with me ever since I watched it originally on TV, in 1989. And it has stayed with me precisely for this: the subtle, yet powerful demonstration of the limitations of ethics and morality.
We, humans, are only apt to morally judge ourselves. I’m not trying to state a legal principle, I believe this to be a law of nature. We do not have the capacity to apply our own moral absolutes to other species. We can only judge what we know. We only experience life through our own lense, that of human beings.
What another species, supposing that species even has a sense of right and wrong, considers to be “right” and “wrong”, is not up to us to decide.
Additionally, a being such as this one, the Douwd, (however it’s supposed to be spelled), is so beyond our own comprehension, magnitude and perspective, that it’d be like an ant presuming to judge a moral yet fallible human. There is no point to it. The ant would do well to know its place in the scheme of things, and not only out of fear and self-preservation. Out of a sense of understanding reality. The ants may well possess morality, laws, principles. They might very well be aware of us humans, and they might even be outraged by our conduct sometimes. But they aren’t apt to judge us by their standards.
Only we are, and only by our own standards.
how great is the writing and acting in this episode. started watching these with my son and it's one of his favorites
So many great stories, so many wonderful characters. TNG was magnificent, and it will still be popular many years from now.
Damn the acting in this clip is stellar, no pun intended
They can't write this kind of story anymore. I remember the first time I saw this episode and was blown away. I wish the Dowd would come back and wish away Star Trek...say...from 2008 onward. It would be a kindness.
That moment where he said "I killed them all. All Husnock, everywhere..." is punctuated by about 5-7 seconds of almost total silence (no dialog, no music, not even background noise). I don't know if this was a deliberate choice by the director, but if so it was brilliant. For a moment, we are all in the room with Picard and Beverly, feeling the full weight and consequences of what he did and the realization of what precisely he is capable of.
Actor John Anderson had been around since the original Twilight Zone (he was in two episodes).
I love how mad picard is at the end. The genocide of an entire species lit the fire behind his eyes, he was ready to fist fight an immortal being but held his temper. Like he said "there are no laws for a crime of that magnitude"
And yet, he was right to kill them. In a contest between species where only brute force prevails, his was the easiest and best solution.
I'm not sure if anger was in his eyes.. they flitted a bit, like a man whose mind is reeling from incredulity, dumbfounded at what he has just heard. When he turns his head away from the Doud, some might read that as contempt, but I think in Picard's case he is trying to look objectively at what has happened without judgement, trying to distance himself with a typical captains reserve, but is not entirely successful.
@@mrblack888 Swing and a miss. Easiest, yes. Best, not remotely. Not even close.
@@Booyaka9000 OK, so you tell me the moral good of endless war with a species that exterminates all others it comes into contact with.
@@mrblack888 Agreed, the Husnok are basically the Star Trek's Daleks. At least as Kevin explains them. Remember that Kevin isn't a perfectly reliable narrator, all he knows of the Husnok are the ones that came to attack him. But if he's right, it's really hard to make peace with a group like that. It's like making peace with Hitler, you just can't trust it even if you really want to.
Very moving episode all these years later ,I've never forgotten it since I first saw
"I will not kill." This is probably one of my favorite episodes. Imagine you were suddenly given immortality and unlimited power. You could do anything. Win any fight. Nothing could possibly stand against you. No prison could ever hold you. It would be so easy for a human to loose any sense of right and wrong because all fear of consequence would be lost. You would have to hold yourself to a higher standard if you wanted to retain any sense of humanity. My one and only rule might be to never take a life because it would be far too easy to become a monster. It's like he was determined not to become Q.
Q uses other beings for his own amusement, this guy set aside his powers when he fell in love with an earth woman that is something Q would never do voluntarilly he did that's what seperates him from the Q
This is my single best episode of STTNG, ahead of the first Borg stuff... and anything with Q in it.