Those who might have read my previous reviews would know my thoughts on how the relationship between Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) is fraught with inconsistency. This story takes that inconsistency to a whole new level in an episode that allows Troi to have it both ways - almost! When an away team from the Enterprise investigates a Federation research station on Nervala IV that was evacuated eight years earlier, they encounter Lieutenant William Riker, an exact duplicate of the Commander, who was somehow 'created' during a transporter anomaly that occurred during the evacuation. With Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) confirming that both are the same person, the Lieutenant version wants to rekindle his former relationship with Troi, and she appears only too willing after he makes a move. Actually, she made an even bigger move when Dr. Crusher left them both to pursue their martial art forms. I thought it odd that the resolution of this story wouldn't somehow negate the existence of the Lieutenant, not so much because his being there was so preposterous, but well, yeah, it was preposterous. For Counselor Troi, it was somewhat a bittersweet ending, even knowing that she had moved on from their relationship years earlier. Along with the contradiction of the same person existing in two different bodies, I was also struck by the sudden appearance of poker chips at an empty seat when Lieutenant Riker joined the Commander, Data and Worf in a poker game.
Review of Second Chances
