Frame of Mind (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

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"Frame of Mind"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 21
Directed byJames L. Conway
Written byBrannon Braga
Featured musicJay Chattaway
Production code247
Original air dateMay 3, 1993 (1993-05-03)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Chase" 		Next →
"Suspicions"
Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6
List of episodes

"Frame of Mind" is the 147th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 21st episode of the sixth season. Written by Brannon Braga and directed by James L. Conway, it first aired on May 3, 1993 and focuses on First Officer Riker as he grapples with conflicting realities.[1][2] The episode incorporates elements of the Tom Stoppard play Every Good Boy Deserves Favour which had recently been performed by members of the cast.[3][4]

Plot[edit]

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. During a dry run for a covert mission, Riker is accidentally injured by Lt. Worf, and while Dr. Crusher heals the head wound, some pain persists. He then performs in "Frame of Mind", a play in which his character is confined to a mental asylum, and delivers a soliloquy regarding the nature of being sane. At the play's conclusion, one officer frowns, ignoring the ovation the audience delivers. As Riker straightens from a bow, he is alone, trapped in a cell similar to the set. As he is locked in the cell, Riker hears an alien humanoid doctor state deliver a line from the play.

In the asylum cafeteria, Riker becomes agitated when he is reminded that he killed a man, prompting doctors to sedate him. Awakening on the Enterprise, Riker flees from an alien doctor only to find himself back in the asylum cell, where medics use holographic projections of the Enterprise to convince him that the asylum is the true reality. This succeeds in convincing Riker to ignore what he believes is a hallucination of Dr. Crusher, who tries to alert him to an impending rescue attempt, which succeeds in returning him to the Enterprise - which Riker remains convinced is an hallucination. To prove this, he fires a phaser at himself, revealing that he remains in the asylum cell. In a bid to destroy the cell he sets the weapon to overload, and after it detonates, finds finds himself back on the theatre stage taking an ovation. Refusing to accept this as real, Riker pounds on the wall of the set, shattering that reality.

Finally coming to on an operating table, with a device inserted into his head where he has been experiencing pain, Riker struggles free and uses his communication badge to request an immediate beam-out. Back aboard the Enterprise, Dr. Crusher tends to his wounds, and Riker learns that he had been taken prisoner on the covert mission. The strange experiences had been prompted by his resistance to efforts to scan his brain to discover strategic information about the Federation. Riker returns to the set of the play one last time to dismantle it.

Production[edit]

The story was written by Brannon Braga and directed by James L. Conway, and it is focused on some experiences of First Officer Riker.[2] Braga's initial idea for the story was: "What if Riker wakes up in an insane asylum?"[5] Conway had previously directed TNG episodes "Justice" and "The Neutral Zone" in season one.[2]

The show guest stars Susanna Thompson as Jaya, her second appearance on The Next Generation. Thompson would later return in the Deep Space Nine episode "Rejoined", and as the Borg Queen in several episodes of Star Trek: Voyager.[5] David Selburg, Andrew Prine and Gary Werntz also guest star.[5]

Cultural references[edit]

The website Women at Warp compares the "none of this is real" theme with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Normal Again." "One of the series' most controversial episodes, "Normal Again" finds Buffy shifting between two worlds: one where her friends and monsters she's battled are real, and one where doctors in a mental health facility try to convince her that those same friends and monsters are actually figments of her imagination. It's a powerful episode, and it's also a plot we've seen before on TNG, when Riker is held captive during a reconnaissance mission, and his captors act as doctors to make him believe that his experiences aboard The Enterprise were all in his mind."[6]

Reception[edit]

In 2001, The A.V. Club rated this episode an "A−" and said it was actor Jonathan Frakes' best performance so far in the series.[1]

In 2012, Keith DeCandido of Tor.com gave the episode a rating of nine out of ten.[7]

In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter rated "Frame of Mind" the 68th best episode of all Star Trek episodes[8] and the 16th best episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation,[9] and again in May 2019 they ranked it as one of the top 25 episodes of this show, describing it as a "dark and ambitious" episode with a script that played with the audience's sense of reality.[10]

Wired ranked "Frame of Mind" as one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation in a 2012 review, and quoted writer Ronald D. Moore: "I thought it was interesting how 'Frame of Mind' used a play as a bridge to drive Riker between reality and madness," Moore said.[11]

In 2017, Heroes & Icons listed this episode as one of 18 Star Trek episodes featuring scary or eerie content.[12]

In 2017, Den of Geek ranked this episode as one of the top 25 "must watch" episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.[13]

In 2018, The Gamer ranked this as the 20th creepiest episode of all Star Trek, noting how the audience is not sure what is real and calling it "uncomfortable".[14]

In 2019, The Hollywood Reporter listed this among the 25 best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.[15]

In 2020, Den of Geek ranked "Frame of Mind" as the fourth most scary episode of all Star Trek franchise television episodes.[16]

In 2021, Screen Rant ranked it the second scariest episode of all Star Trek franchise episodes. They praised actor Jonathan Frakes performance and a high-quality story.[17]

Releases[edit]

The episode was released as part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation season six DVD box set in the United States on December 3, 2002.[18] A remastered HD version was released on Blu-ray on June 24, 2014.[19][20]

On November 3, 1999, this was released on LaserDisc in the United States, paired with "Suspicions".[21] The two episodes together had a runtime of 93 minutes, and it had a Dolby Surround audio track.[21]

See also[edit]

TNG
Voyager
  • Projections (September 11, 1995), this Voyager episode also plays with the character's sense of reality
Other

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Zack Handlen (2011). "Star Trek: The Next Generation: "The Chase"/"Frame Of Mind"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  2. ^ a b c "Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch: "Frame of Mind"". Tor.com. 30 November 2012.
  3. ^ Wilcox, Rhonda V (2010). "The Star Trek franchise". In David Lavery (ed.). The Essential Cult TV Reader. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 244–259. ISBN 978-0-8131-2568-8.
  4. ^ P., Ken (July 27, 2004). "An In-Depth Interview with Jonathan Frakes". IGN.com (Interview). Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  5. ^ a b c "6 Things to Know About "Frame of Mind"". StarTrek.com. May 2, 2018.
  6. ^ Eley, Candice Renee (16 March 2020). "10 Times Buffy the Vampire Slayer Mirrored Star Trek: The Next Generation". Women at Warp. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  7. ^ DeCandido, Keith (2012-11-30). "Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch: "Frame of Mind"". Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  8. ^ Hollywood Reporter 'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes
  9. ^ "'Star Trek: The Next Generation' — The 25 Greatest Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. 21 September 2016.
  10. ^ "'Star Trek: The Next Generation' - The 25 Best Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  11. ^ Scott Thill (2012). "The Best and Worst of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Sci-Fi Optimism". WIRED. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  12. ^ "18 eerie, disturbing and downright scary Star Trek episodes". H&I. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  13. ^ Sven Harvey (18 October 2017). "Star Trek: The Next Generation's 25 must-watch episodes". Den of Geek.
  14. ^ "25 Creepy Star Trek Scenes That Set Phasers To Stun". TheGamer. 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  15. ^ "'Star Trek: The Next Generation' - The 25 Best Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  16. ^ "The Scariest Star Trek Episodes". Den of Geek. 2020-10-12. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  17. ^ "10 Scariest Episodes Of Star Trek, Ranked". ScreenRant. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  18. ^ Ordway, Holly E. (December 6, 2002). "Star Trek the Next Generation – Season 4". DVD Talk. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  19. ^ Marnell, Blair (June 20, 2014). "Exclusive Video: Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Gag Reel". Crave Online. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  20. ^ Lipp, Chaz (February 28, 2015). "Blu-ray Review: Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Six". The Morton Report. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  21. ^ a b "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Next Generation #147/148: Frame of Mind/Suspicions [LV 40270-247]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-24.

External links[edit]

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