Star Trek: TNG Classic Episode Killed By One Bad Decision
There is no better episode of Star Trek than The Next Generation two-parter “The Best of Both Worlds;” in fact, we previously declared the tense cliffhanger that ends Part One as the best TV moment in broadcast history. We’re major fans of this ep, and that’s why we’re so sad that it has an insanely creepy moment in it that can easily ruin your enjoyment on a rewatch. That moment occurs when Captain Picard and Admiral Hanson casually discuss the idea of having sex with Commander Shelby, a subordinate officer.
The Best Of Intentions
The unexpectedly creepy Star Trek moment occurs, somewhat ironically, in a scene that is otherwise meant to hype Shelby up as a character. After Shelby leaves the room, Hanson instructs Picard to “keep an eye on her” because “she’s one very impressive lady.” Moments later, he also praises her for her ability to cut through the noise of competing ideas and “put us on track” with “this Borg business.”
An Old Man’s Fantasy
Many fans don’t clock the creepiness in this Star Trek episode because it is nestled between all the praise Hanson has for Shelby. As Hanson is describing her, Captain Picard observes that the admiral seems “rather taken with her.” To this, the admiral dryly responds, “just an old man’s fantasies” before going back to praising Shelby and even recommending her as a replacement First Officer if Riker should finally take the latest promotion he has been offered.
A Small Blemish On A Great Episode
On a sliding scale, this Star Trek moment may not be as creepy as some of the nastier television moments (or, for that matter, countless women’s real-life clashes with creeps). But it’s still pretty ugly on the face of it to see two much older men casually discuss who they do or don’t have the hots for as soon as the woman leaves the room. It’s arguably even sketchier than Admiral Hanson is pushing Shelby for career advancement because we have no way of knowing how much the recommendation is due to her awesome career accomplishments and how much is due to his romantic feelings.
Starfleet Romance Is All Over The Ship
Speaking of feelings, we already have some in-universe evidence for how weird this is. In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Lessons,” we see Captain Picard stress out over the romantic feelings he has for a subordinate officer (Nella Daren). Picard is rightfully worried he won’t be able to stay objective about her due to his feelings, and the episode ends with her agreeing to transfer off the ship to avoid future conflicts of interest.
Picard Follows The Romance Protocol
In other words, Captain Picard and Lieutenant Commander Daren would later model the Starfleet-approved way for commanding officers to deal with falling in love with their subordinates, but it looks like Admiral Hanson never got that memo. He is perfectly fine alternating between lusting after Shelby and trying to advance her career. He doesn’t mind admitting he has sexual fantasies about her to anyone who is willing to listen.
