SciFi Diner Podcast 348 – Star Trek: Insurrection (Amish in Space)

Tonight’s Menu: On this rewind, our discussion of Star Trek: Insurrection takes us into the psychological look of relocating people for resources, Asimov’s laws of robotics and governing AI, and much more.

SciFi Diner Podcast 348 – Star Trek: Insurrection (Amish in Space)

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Star Trek: Insurrection

Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) is temporarily transferred to an undercover mission observing the peaceful Ba’ku people. While on their planet, he malfunctions and reveals the presence of the joint Federation–Son’a task force observing the Ba’ku. Admiral Matthew Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe) contacts the USS Enterprise-E to obtain Data’s schematics but adamantly states the presence of the Enterprise is not needed. Captain Picard decides to ignore these orders and takes the Enterprise to capture Data. After stopping Data, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) becomes suspicious of Dougherty’s insistence that the Enterprise is no longer needed. His crew investigates the cause of Data’s malfunction. They discover that the Ba’ku have advanced technology, but have rejected its use to live simpler lives. Due to unique radiation or “metaphasic particles” emanating from their planet’s rings, they are effectively immortal. Dougherty’s allies, the Son’a, are a decrepit race who use medical techniques to prevent death; their excessive use of cosmetic surgery gives them a mummified appearance. The Enterprise crew also begin to experience the rejuvenation effects of the planet: Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge(LeVar Burton) finds his eyes have regenerated and he no longer requires ocular implants; Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) rekindle their long-abandoned relationship; and Picard develops a romantic relationship with the Ba’ku woman Anij (Donna Murphy).

Data and Picard discover a submerged and cloaked Federation ship containing a gigantic holodeck set up to recreate the Ba’ku village. Data’s malfunction stems from a Son’a attack, received when he discovered the vessel. Picard confronts Dougherty and learns that top Federation officers and the Son’a secretly planned to deceptively move the Ba’ku to the ship and forcibly relocate them to another planet,