One of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s worst episodes introduced the planet Angel One, which would go on to become a tourist destination by the time of Star Trek: Lower Decks. TNG got off to a rough start with its rocky first season, and a couple of episodes stand out as particularly infamous. While many of the stars of TNG cite “Code of Honor” as their least favorite episode, TNG season 1, episode 14, “Angel One” could also compete for that dubious honor.
While looking for survivors from a missing freighter, the USS Enterprise-D visits the planet Angel One, which has a matriarchal society led by Beata (Karen Montgomery). Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) leads an away team down to the planet where they discover that the survivors, all men, have been declared fugitives. According to Beata, the men introduced harmful ideas to their society and sowed the seeds of revolution. Although “Angel One” tries to critique gender roles, it devolves into an unsubtle commentary full of bad Star Trek cliches. When the Enterprise leaves the planet, Beata seems to have taken a small step toward change, but the planet is not referenced again until Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4.
TNG’s Angel One Became a Tourist Destination
In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 5, “Empathological Fallacies,” the USS Cerritos transports three Betazoid diplomats from Angel One to the planet Risa. When the Betazoids arrive on the USS Cerritos, they all have giant souvenir cups bearing an Angel One logo. This suggests that sometime after the crew of the USS Enterprise-D visited Angel One, the planet became a tourist destination. In TNG’s “Angel One,” Beata and the planet’s other leaders seemed reluctant to allow visitors to their planet, but this has apparently changed by the time of Lower Decks.
In “Angel One,” Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) remarks that the culture of Angel One sounds similar to that of her home planet of Betazed. Since the three diplomats in Star Trek: Lower Decks are Betazoid women, they would likely have been welcomed on Angel One. Still, the existence of tacky souvenir cups suggests that Angel One has not only become more welcoming to visitors but also has bars or other venues to entertain tourists. In TNG, it was mentioned that Angel One might one day join the Federation, but it’s never established whether they do or not.
The Problems With TNG’s Angel One Episode
Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 is widely regarded as the show’s weakest season, and “Angel One” as one of its worst episodes. TNG season 1, episode 14 contains many of the worst clichés from Star Trek: The Original Series and early TNG. There is a relatively primitive civilization used to provide heavy-handed commentary on society, a romantic dalliance between a woman on the planet and the ladies’ man of the ship (in this case Riker), and a death sentence that is halted at the last minute by an inspiring speech. Star Trek works best when it turns these tropes on its head, but “Angel One” uses them all without any nuance or real surprises.
Despite being intended as a call for equality, the reversal of gender norms has the opposite effect, and is undermined by Beata’s romance with Riker and the Enterprise First Officer’s later speech. There are some good ideas and concepts in “Angel One,” but the execution ultimately flounders. Putting Riker in a revealing and ridiculous costume does not have the desired effect when he still gets to be the one to save the day. Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek in general, would go on to produce some excellent episodes with strong social commentary, but “Angel One” is not one of them.
