The Icarus Factor

TNG Season 2 Episode 14
Air Date: April 24th, 1989

Plot

Commander William Riker is given an opportunity for his first command. He is being offered a promotion to captain the USS Aries on a deep space exploration mission. Riker is unsure if he will take the position but was willing to learn about what it will entail. The Federation contractor that was sent to brief him on his new assignment is his father, whom he is estranged from.

Over the course of the episode Riker tries to keep things professional, not wanting to let emotion get in the way. But he can't help but learn things like how Riker's father and Doctor Pulaski were once involved. In the end, they get their anger out in a ambo-jistu match where Riker learns his father cheats to win. They get into a big argument but in the end, Riker realizes that everything his father has done was because he loves his son and they have a moment.

Commentary

A side plot of the episode was Wesley noticing that Worf was acting odd. He does some digging and finds out that it is Worf's ten year anniversary of his right of ascension where he is supposed to perform a ceremony with other Klingons. Wesley and other crew members use the holodeck to surprise Worf with a ceremony where Worf gets attacked with pain sticks which he has to endure.

Quotes

"You choose your enemies; you choose your friends. But family - that's in the stars." - O'Brien

"With all due respect, BEGONE, sir." - Worf

"I came here to bury the hatchet with my son, only to find out that the ground was frozen solid." - Riker's father

"Respect is earned, not bestowed." - Troi

"In spite of human evolution, there are still some traits that are endemic to gender." - Troi
"You think that they're going to knock each other's brains out because they're men?" - Doctor Pulaski

"Those are Klingon painsticks. I once saw one of them used against a two-ton Rectyne monopod. Poor creature jumped five meters at the slightest touch. Finally died from excessive cephalic pressures." - O'Brien
"You mean?" - Wesley
"That's right. The animal's head exploded like" - O'Brien
"I think that's enough, Chief O'Brien." - Doctor Pulaski