After five twenty-plus-episode seasons, Star Trek: The Next Generation was able to keep the hits coming, impressively. TNG season 6 gave us the iconic (and brutal) "Chain of Command" two-parter, the compelling "Face of the Enemy," and the genuinely unsettling "Frame of Mind." TNG season 6 also delivered the incredibly fun "Rascals," which finds Captain Picard and three of his crew transformed into children while Ferengi take over the Enterprise. This doesn't sound like a particularly great premise, but "Rascals" somehow makes it work.
Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “Rascals” Worked Better Than It Had Any Right To
TNG Season 6, Episode 7 "Rascals" Has Many Fun Moments
"Rascals" centers on Picard, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg), Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), and Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao) after a transporter accident turns them into children. The plotline also involves a group of Ferengi taking over the Enterprise. Captain Picard (David Tristan Birkin) struggles to command authority as a 12-year-old, prompting Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) to take command. One of the episode's most iconic moments comes when Picard slips up in front of the Ferengi and refers to Riker as Number One. Picard quickly corrects himself, clarifying that Riker is his "number one Dad."
Meanwhile, Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meany) isn't quite sure how to react to his wife Keiko's (Caroline Junko King) transformation, and their daughter, Molly (Hana Hatae), doesn't even recognize her own mother. Guinan (Isis Carmen Jones) embraces her temporary adolescence and encourages Ro (Megan Parlen) to experience a childhood she never had. All four child actors deliver solid performances, and the episode combines humor and heart to offer some surprising insight into its characters. Ferengi themselves are not very bright, but "Rascals" mostly works despite its ridiculous premise.
Young Picard & Guinan Have Other Star Trek Connections
In Different Ways, Young Picard & Young Guinan Appeared In Other Trek Episodes
Actor David Tristan Birkin, who portrayed the young Jean-Luc, had previously appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 2, "Family," as Picard's nephew, René. With a small role, Birkin did not make much of an impression in "Family," but he's great as a young Picard. He nicely channels his inner Patrick Stewart and does a good job portraying Picard's frustration at not being taken seriously. It's not hard to imagine Birkin really is a young version of the Enterprise-D captain, and this holds true for the other child actors as well.
The young Guinan, Isis Carmen Jones, had previously played a young Whoopi Goldberg in 1992's Sister Act, and she does great work here as a particularly playful Guinan. A young adult version of Guinan (portrayed by Ito Aghayere) appeared in Star Trek: Picard season 2, offering insight into Guinan's life in the 21st century. She was considering leaving Earth and humanity behind for good but ultimately decided to stick around after meeting Jean-Luc Picard. With its fascinating combination of characters, Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Rascals" took a ridiculous premise and pulled it off surprisingly well.
