"The Inner Light" remains one of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) greatest Star Trek: The Next Generation stories. From "The Best of Both Worlds" to "Lower Decks," several iconic TNG episodes continue to reverberate throughout the Star Trek timeline. Not only do these episodes contain plot elements that remain relevant in the franchise today, but they also affect the USS Enterprise-D's main characters in often profound ways. "The Inner Light," for example, tells an unconventional Star Trek story in which Captain Picard lives an entire life in a matter of minutes.
In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 25, "The Inner Light," an energy beam from an alien probe renders Captain Picard unconscious. While the crew of the USS Enterprise-D tries to figure out how to wake their Captain, Picard experiences a lifetime of 40 years living on an alien planet as a man named Kamin. The Enterprise crew eventually learns that the civilization that launched the probe was destroyed 1,000 years ago when their sun went nova. Prior to their destruction, this society incorporated their memories into the probe to prevent their civilization from being lost to history.
Captain Picard Lived A Different Life In Star Trek: TNG’s “The Inner Light”
"The Inner Light" Gave Picard The Chance To Have A Family
As captain of the Starship Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard had devoted his life to Starfleet and had little time or desire to settle down and start a family. "The Inner Light" allowed Picard to experience life as a family man without physically leaving the Enterprise. Picard is initially disoriented upon waking up as Kamin, but his wife, Eline (Margot Rose), and his best friend, Batai (Richard Riehle), help him settle into his new life. As Kamin, Picard raises children with Eline, learns to play the flute, and spends time observing the stars through his telescope.
Kamin notices that the sun above his planet is causing a severe drought and will eventually destroy all life on the planet, but his people do not have the technology to stop it. Kamin eventually outlives his wife and best friend, and gets to know his grandchildren. One day, his adult children show him the launch of the rocket containing the probe that will eventually find Picard. Soon after this, Picard wakes up back on the Enterprise to find that only 25 minutes have passed. Inside the probe, he finds Kamin's flute, which he now knows how to play.
Why “The Inner Light” Is An All-Time Great Star Trek Episode
Nearly Every Star Trek Best-Of List Includes "The Inner Light"
"The Inner Light" opens like any other episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation — while exploring the galaxy, the crew encounters a strange alien probe that causes a problem they have to solve. But "The Inner Light" takes the story in a different direction, shifting the focus to an entirely new planet and cast of characters. With Picard as the viewers' anchor, "The Inner Light" tells a beautiful, fully realized story in a short amount of time. It's a simple and quiet story, and that is part of the reason why it works so well.
"The Inner Light" won a Hugo Award in 1993 for Best Dramatic Presentation, the first television episode to do so since Star Trek: The Original Series' "The City on the Edge of Forever."
Patrick Stewart delivers an incredible and nuanced performance, truly selling the realism of Picard's life as Kamin. It may have only felt like 25 minutes for the rest of the crew, but it was a very real lifetime for Picard. In the closing scene of the episode, Picard stands alone in his dark quarters, playing a melody on the Ressikan flute, and the Enterprise captain has never seemed so lonely. With its beautifully bittersweet story, "The Inner Light" remains one of Star Trek's greatest accomplishments and a solid episode of television all around.
“The Inner Light” Still Affects Jean-Luc In Star Trek: Picard
The Ressikan Flute Even Makes An Appearance Among Jean-Luc's Mementos
The episodic nature of Star Trek: The Next Generation did not allow the show to fully explore the ways the events of "The Inner Light" affected Picard. By the following episode, Picard and the Enterprise crew had moved on to their next adventure. Star Trek: Picard, however, took the time to revisit some of Jean-Luc's more impactful experiences, including his assimilation by the Borg in "The Best of Both Worlds" and his probe life from "The Inner Light."
Although Star Trek: Picard did not directly reflect on the events of "The Inner Light," all three seasons deal with Picard's feelings regarding family. Throughout TNG, Picard often appeared uncomfortable around children, and he kept his crew members at arm's length. By the time of Star Trek: Picard, Jean-Luc has not only become more open to the idea of having a family, but he has also become more comfortable interacting with children.
Lt. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) references Picard's "probe life" in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 7, "Fully Dilated," when she and her crewmates get stuck on a primitive planet for several months.
Jean-Luc befriends and mentors a young Romulan orphan named Elnor (Ian Nunney) in Star Trek: Picard season 1 and directly confronts his childhood trauma in season 2. In Picard season 3, Jean-Luc learns that he has an adult son with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), and he finally seems ready to be a father to his son, Jack (Ed Speleers). Star Trek: The Next Generation did not take the time to explore the aftereffects of "The Inner Light," but the experience had a profound effect on Picard that reverberated throughout the rest of his life.
