By Johnny Veitch on Sunday, February 28, 1999 - 01:30 pm:

The statdate for this episode is actually 41509.1 - 41512.9, not 41509.1 - 41512.4, as Phil gives it in both the NextGen and NextGenII guides.
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By Anonymous on Saturday, April 10, 1999 - 06:12 pm:

Why were all the children they took human?
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By Freddy Krueger on Monday, April 12, 1999 - 11:01 pm:

Why not?
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By Anonymous on Wednesday, April 14, 1999 - 05:54 pm:

Maybe they want to be sure that they will be able to reproduce with each other. So they don't want to risk intermixing species.
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By Keith Alan Morgan on Monday, April 19, 1999 - 07:28 am:

Aldea's yellow atmosphere looks more like what you would find on a gas giant, not an M Class planet. Of course on the planet, the sky looks purple, so for a while I thought maybe the Aldean shield reflected yellow light and only let purple light in, but at the end of the episode, after the shield was turned off, the atmosphere was still yellow.

The Aldeans on the ship complained about the bright light, but the lights in their homes seemed to be the same brightness as the ships.

It is stated that the scanning beam comes from Aldea, but the angle of the light is all wrong. The beam appears to come from the front of the Bridge, as if some man with a spotlight were controlling it, (but that can't be true since we all know that this is a ship in outer space.) The light should come from the port side of the ship and sweep through instead of pivoting just off camera.

Picard and Dr. Crusher are standing in front of the viewer, which one would think should act as a light source, but the shadows go off to the upper left instead of straight back.

What exactly is the purpose of the Aldean shield? We know that it hinders Federation transporters, although I don't believe anything was said about scanners or phasers. The dialogue implies that the shield destroys the ozone layer and lets in dangerous solar radiation, but the sky on the planet is darker and the Aldeans complained about the bright light. I suppose it could have been designed to block solid objects like asteroids and alien ships, but nothing confirms or denies this. If the 'progenitors' were smart enough to design this technology, one would assume they would notice the danger of the ozone destruction and increased radiation. So either the ozone destruction took millennia to occur or the shield generators malfunctioned after the Aldeans took it for granted that it would always work properly.

For some reason, Deep Throat is alive and well in this century, and posing as an Aldean. Hmm...is this the end result of Colonization?

Or maybe Mark Twain got lost going down the Mississippi and ended up on Aldea...

OK, the planet is cloaked. What's stopping starships from flying into it?

It may sound like a silly question, although I can't come up with an answer.

Maybe the Aldeans have an automated warning system that feeds information to starship computers, making it look as though there is a subspace instability ahead and forcing them to make a course correction.
Either that, or the Aldeans give approaching ships a minor jolt with the repulser beam to knock them out of the way.

Alexandra has a peculiar toy. Just before she is kidnapped, she appears to be playing with the top of the Ferengi mind control machine from The Battle.

Phil Farrand, from the NextGen Guide vol. II: Plot Oversight #1: After the kidnapping of the children, Picard tells Troi to get the children’s parents together for a meeting. This meeting features Picard, Troi, five single parents, and one couple. Since seven children were taken, two of them must have been siblings. That does not explain why five of the six families represented are single-parent families. Is the creators’ view of the future?
My God, Phil must be related to Dan Quayle! The second set of parents could have died in the line of duty, or be on other assignments for all we know.
Phil Farrand, from the NextGen Guide vol. II: Plot Oversight #4: Radue has a sudden change of heart once he sees the massive generator that powers Aldea. Moments before, he grouses around—calling Picard and his people liars. Then after walking into the huge chamber that houses the generator with the away team, he starts lamenting about how their technology has harmed them.
Radue was in denial about their planet’s technology, and he could deny it no more when they entered the generator, and Data noted the energy output from his tricorder reading. Denial is a perfectly normal part of humanoid behavior, and when faced with overwhelming truth to the contrary, it sometimes crumbles.
Phil Farrand, from the NextGen Guide vol. II: Equipment Oddities #2: As Beverly and Wesley covertly scan Radue’s wife on Aldea, the hand sensor she uses doesn’t emit its normal warble while Wesley waves it back and forth.
Crusher probably had the hand sensor modified for that reason.
Phil Farrand, from the NextGen Guide vol. II: Continuity and Production Problems #3: When Radue’s wife introduces Wesley to the Aldean main computer—called the Companion…
It was called the Custodian, not the Companion. The Companion was the cloud-like lifeform that cared for Zefram Cochrane in Metamorphosis(TOS).

Patty Hearst’s kids?
Trivia Question: Who plays the young hostages Mason and Tara?
I hear it’s a bigger seller on Aldea than Girls Gone Wild
When shows Wesley the Custodian, Wes asks the computer to show him the other children, and the computer shows him live visuals of the other children with their new "parents." You mean citizens have access to camera footage of other citizens in their homes? Ick!
And that sound effect you hear in the scene is Michelangelo rolling over in his grave
Accolan and Leda, the couple that take custody of Harry Bernard, give him a wand-like sculpting tool that he uses in Act 4 to carve a block of wood. The way it works is that simply he passes the wand over the wood, and a laser or phaser-like beam gently peels away the wood, leaving a curved shape (which we later see in Act 4 that he fashions into a dolphin). When Harry asks Accolan if he really made the shape himself, Accolan says yes, that the talent was always within him, and that the tool simply helps him develop it. Yeah, right. What did the tool do, read his mind? Harry simply passed the wand over the wood block with one swipe. He didn’t carve chunks out of it bit by bit, nor did he even expose different sides of the block to the wand.
It was an awkward moment Curam Arie of Aldea would always remember: All his friends were so enthusiastic when announcing their chosen majors at the beginning of their first year of college. "We’re majoring in cloaking technoloy!", enthused Curam’s friends Jaycla Rakmaxl and Ufim Stevpytor. "I’m going for genetics and reproductive science!" exclaimed Curam’s friend Masja Ohnsa. "I’m going to study repulsor and other weapons technology!" confided Curam’s buddy Gouldo Gordopheim. Curam so longed to be a part of the crowd that he blurted out, "I’m going to study radiology, and how ozone affects it!" And then it happened. The entire room went silent. And it was then that the young, socially naïve Curam Arie learned to his horror that radiology simply wasn’t considered a cool occupation on Aldea. It would be an entire semester before the taunts of the other students forced him to change his major, but it would be a lesson he’d never forget for the rest of his days.
The Aldeans have cloak, shield and repulsor technology superior to the Enterprise, have determined that thier sterility is a genetic condition, and Radue claims that they even have scientists, but they can’t figure out that radiation has sterilized their entire race?
They built one of those repulsor beams, and accidentally test fired it at the space station holding all the computers with the technical specs on it
Speaking of which, you’d think that after the Enterprise crew helped the Aldeans, that the Aldeans would’ve given the crew the secrets to that technology, but nothing seems to indicate that this occured, or that if it did, that Starfleet used any of it, if later episodes are any indication. Just think what that repulsor beam or the cloak would’ve done to the Borg, or the Dominion! The Aldeans even initially offered to give them advanced knowledge in exchange for the children, so what happened?

Trivia Answer: Wil Wheaton’s younger siblings Jeremy and Amy.

That does not explain why five of the six families represented are single-parent families. Is the creators’ view of the future?

I once e-mailed him with something similer to what you said. I pointed out that the parents could be on other assignments, making it not unlike today's millitary (where people can be away from their familys for months at a time) he responded that he thinks that both parents should be arround to raise a child whenever possible.

I agree with him on that.

But me and Luigi's point was that their parents could be on other ships, it doesn't mean that they were divorced or never married. Just like today's Navy when guys can be at sea for months on end and the mother has the kids at home for all that time.

I agree with Brian that families in the services are often separated. This is not supposed to be an ideal. It just happens.

Also, we shouldn't project our ideas of ideal family life too literally onto the future.

Not that long ago, it was normal practice for the elite (and Starfleet arguably are the elite) to send their kids off to boarding school, or have them raised at home by domestic staff. In either case the kids had very little contact with either parent. This probably still happens in some sectors. This was not considered immoral - it was considered normal behaviour for the elite.

I'm not expressing an opinion about that system, just pointing out that methods of childcare change over time.

At the present time a lot of people are worried about 'the decline of family values'. Legitimate concern at this point in time. But let's hope that by the time of TNG, the debate will have moved on somewhat. Possibly additional responsibility is shared with councellors and teachers.

It Takes a Starship by Hillar E. Klin'Ton of Novinius III

c.2378 Broht & Forrester Publishing;
20. FSC (suggested retail price)

On sale now at all starbases and Dabo bars near you.

>Not that long ago, it was normal practice for the elite (and Starfleet arguably are the elite) to send their kids off to boarding school, or have them raised at home by domestic staff<

I think even now in some countries (Japan keeps coming to mind), some parents send their children off to boarding school as young as 3 or 4 years old. We may think it's strange, but to them it's normal.

Why wasn't the kidnapping declared an act of war?

Picard missed the opportunity to at least make the threat of such.

Didn't Wesley have a few friends like Asian one? I don't know the name of ep. They were in Holodeck when the snowall hit Picard. Where is he?
Isn't age specify? Babies is No-no. Wesley is only teenager there.
I know Asian guy's parents are Civilians is possible.

As the Enterprise re-enters orbit of Aldea after being flung three days journey away, you can see that the image has been flipped. The ship's registry (NCC-1701D) on the underside of the saucer section is reversed.

Of course, since by the 21st century one half of all married couples are divorced, heaven knows what the stastics will be like 300 years in the future...odds could be more like 80% or so of all marriages ending in divorce! So...yeah Phil, this is the vision of the future!

and Luigi, in my Guest Cast info, I answered your trivia question. Do I win a prize?

Well, I kinda answered myself at the end of that post, Sparrow, but sure, you get a prize. The check is in the mail. Honest.

Naturally, I saw the answer after I posted. But who's daughter plays Roe?

So many thoughts.
Here is a weird connection I made watching this episode. Tonight, I watched this on TNN, then watched Moonraker. In that movie, there is a reference to the idea that the Mayans loved orchids, whose scent is said to contain a toxic substance that makes a person sterile. Apparently, they loved orchids and did not realize that they were killing off their culture. It sounds like what was happening to the Aldeans in this episode. I doubt the episode and the movie were shown the same night on purpose.
Someone asked at one point if we are expected to accept that the item Harry used to carve the dolphin read his thoughts and cut away the wood to form the dolphin based on them? I say, why not? The warp drive is pretty fantastic, but we accept it. Also, this is a very advanced people who made it. They seem to use technology like that to make art, since one girl uses a device working on a similar concept to play music. They may not be telepathic, but the Aldeans could conceivably know a lot about the mind, and have the equipment and training to use their thoughts to direct their tools without using their hands a lot.
I assume the people we see are the elite, and got the first pick of the kids. Also, assuming there is an entire planetary population on Aldea, is the reproductive problem caused by the shield universal, or does it only effect this small group who, being in charge, have the means to do something about it? Nothing indicates Crusher scanned anyone else there, to see how widesprea the problem was, which is not very scientific if you ask me. Perhaps there are billions of normal Aldeans who work conventional jobs and have children, ruled by a small, effete, possibly inbred, aristocracy susceptible to the UV's coming in. They do claim the problem is genetic in nature, and that theory may have been partly right. It's also possible that only this bunch was vulnerable to the radiation, and willing to die out if they could leave someone to take their places? Why not adopt kids from their world? None may meet their standards, but the kids on the Enterprise do fit the bill.
Had the problem of the Aldeans' inability to reproduce not have been correctable, might Picard have arranged for a group of orphans from the Federation to live with the Aldeans and become part of their culture, in exchange for getting back Wesley and the rest. I can't believe the idea of living in a world like what they offer will no appeal to some of them.
I find it sad the Federation didn't learn from the Aldeans. Their technology is remarkable, and I amnd sure they could send the Federation some scientific tracts, some simpler items and people willing to provide the mental training to operate them. Imagine what Starfleet could do with the ability to operate equipment by thought. It would have meshed with that other lost opportunity, Kironide.

Had the problem of the Aldeans' inability to reproduce not have been correctable, might Picard have arranged for a group of orphans from the Federation to live with the Aldeans and become part of their culture, in exchange for getting back Wesley and the rest. I can't believe the idea of living in a world like what they offer will no appeal to some of them.

But when someone kidnapps your children you don't bribe or ransom to get them back. Perhaps they could set up some kind of program for Federation orphans (I know a girl's aunt who adopted a kid from kazackstan (sp) but the point is you don't trade other kids to get your kids back.

When someone kidnaps your children, they don't turn invisible or punch you so hard you land in another state. That is what the Enterprise was up against. They can't attack the planet,beam people down or beam the kids off. If they were Klingons, they would have attacked and been destroyed. The whole of Starfleet probably couldn't take that planet. I am just saying it's a possible solution that was never even considered and dropped.

McKenzie Westmore is (I believe) the daughter of makeup man Michael Westmore. She is an actress in her own right now, playing Sheridan Crane-Lopez Fitzgerald on "Passions."

Brenda Strong (Rashella) has been around Hollywood for ages. In fact, she is the nurse to plastic surgeon Dr. Schlotkin in "Spaceballs." While playing orbs of recurring roles in shows like "Party of Five," "7th Heaven," and "Everwood," I remember her role as "O Henry" heiress Sue Ellen Mishchke on "Seinfeld" the best.

Oh yea? Well Jerry Hardin would go on to play Samual Clemmems in "Times Arrow Parts 1 and 2" (TNG), as well as Deep Throat in several episodes of "The X Files".

Why didn't Picard fire some "warning shots" over the planet surface after the kids were kidnapped?

Why are the kids so "open-minded" to their "new home"? They sure don't put up much of a fight after first being abducted. Only Wesley does.

After making contact, Troi WARNS Picard that the people below "want something very valuable and important to us" (or something like that) THEN...
the children are scanned by a mysterious beam. NOBODY figures out that the people below wish to kidnap them until its too late.

Why no warning shots? because they are the federation and the good guys and they do not do that.

Why no warning shots? because they are the federation and the good guys and they do not do that.

Good guys don't always shoot to kill; sometimes they give warnings to avoid having to kill anyone.

Captain Picard (and, by extension, the Federation) certainly does fire warning shots---in fact, it's the first thing he did earlier in the season when someone from the Enterprise was kidnapped (in "Code of Honor").

And if you watch Passions, you know that Alastair sending his daughter 400 years into the future while a young child is entirely plausable as a plot. You know, to get revenge.

No, actually, Rose must have been a reincarnation of Sheridan, searching for Luis. You see, Luis and Sheridan are soulmates, and meet up every lifetime, only to end in one of them having an untimely death. So they keep reincarnating, despite every one else on the show being very Catholic.

The aldeans really don't know anything about genetics if they imagine so few children would be enough for a stable genetic base.
And about not seeing Wesley's friend and other older kids, apparently wesley is the only "special" teenager around. They only took special kids. (BTW, they should have let them keep Wesley as punishment for kidnapping)
BTW, the aldeans could have solved their problems easily if they had asked if there were any kids they could adopt. Starfleet was always finding orphans and I am sure some of those kids don't have extended families. I can think of 3 off the top of my head from TNG and about a dozen from TOS. think about it, they set up a thing, where if a child is orphaned and doesn't have aunts/uncles etc, then then the child is asked if they would like to move to a planet where they will be spoiled rotten or live in whatever passes for an orphanage/foster home in the 24th century.

Adoption wasn't an option for these people because they wanted to solve their problem right now, and felt the only way to do that was to kidnap children from the Enterprise.

Plus, if they had went that route, it would have been a very short, and very boring episode.

What happened to the offer of the Aldeans technology i know the shield damamges the ozone layer but only after thousands of years and the Enterpirse was able to undo the damage in a few minutes surely the shield tech could be modified to make it safe or it could be used on starships that had other methods to block radiation.

Considering how Starfleet works it wouldn't be that unlikely that if both parents were in starfleet they would be on different ships so the chilf would swap betwent he two but anyone else consider it unlikely that no one there had a civilian wife or husband that would have been aboard. Also if the other parents were elsewhere surely that would be a safer place for the children to be afterall the Enterprise is the flagship, first in last out gets all the dangerous assignments.

Perhaps why there's only one parent each is that it seems to be a requirement for every starfleet officer to have one or both parents dead when they sign up. (Seriously other than Harry and Geordie before season 6 everyone has some family issue).

Of course the real reason for the lack of parents is A they didn't want to hire too many actors and B the observation lounge doesn't have enough seats but we don't deal in reality.

Riker says that according to the myths, Aldea possessed "Incredible technical sophistication providing the daily needs for all the citizens, so that they could turn themselves over to art and culture." He seems to think that such a society is an amazing thing. But how is that different from what life in the Federation is supposed to be like, according to Picard in "The Neutral Zone"?

A whole world devoted to art and culture... Soooooo... lots of poems nobody listens to, lots of novels few, if any, people actually read, artwork very few people bother to look at... ;-)

Chris Thomas on Wednesday, March 15, 2000 - 7:29 am: OK, the planet is cloaked. What's stopping starships from flying into it? Mark Swinton on Thursday, March 16, 2000 - 11:49 am: Maybe the Aldeans have an automated warning system that feeds information to starship computers, making it look as though there is a subspace instability ahead and forcing them to make a course correction. Either that, or the Aldeans give approaching ships a minor jolt with the repulser beam to knock them out of the way.
Using the repulser beam would be too risky - the deflected ship would most likely stop, in order to conduct more intensive scans of the area.

LUIGI NOVI on Thursday, January 03, 2002 - 7:29 am: Phil Farrand, from the NextGen Guide vol. II: Equipment Oddities #2: As Beverly and Wesley covertly scan Radue’s wife on Aldea, the hand sensor she uses doesn’t emit its normal warble while Wesley waves it back and forth. Crusher probably had the hand sensor modified for that reason.
Either that ot the warble actually comes from the tricorder, not the wand.