Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Lessons (1993) User Reviews

One of the better Trek romances

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 9 December 2021]

Captain Picard begins a romance with a new member of the crew.

This is a pretty good episode that looks at the issues associated with being involved with a subordinate and provides much needed continuity to one of the greatest Star Trek episodes of all time.

As a romance it works mainly because Patrick Stewart and Wendy Hughes play the relationship convincingly. Stewart in particular seems not just enamoured with her, but portrays Picard as a private person who is outside his comfort zone. The inclusion of their shared love of music and the scenes with the Ressikan flute are great ideas.

'Lessons' tackles the issues of a leader being in a relationship with someone in their command structure in a sensible and plausible way. Things start off well, then get slightly awkward for other characters, but naturally Picard handles it perfectly. When the story gets to the main event of the firestorms and the command decisions Picard has to make, that's when it really shows how the situation between Picard and Daren is problematic. What happens is predictable, but the performances of Stewart and Hughes make it interesting. Gates McFadden and Jonathan Frakes also make good contributions.

Thankfully this episode finally provides continuity to 'The Inner Light' which is very much needed given the episodic narrative of the show. It's only right that what was depicted as such a momentous experience in a character's life is given some recognition in Picard's overall character arc.

For me it's a 7.5/10 but I round upwards.

Picard's dream girl

[thevacinstaller · 8/10 · 28 April 2021]

I always felt like Commander Daren was the best fit in terms of compatibility with Picard. Daren is fierce when it comes to her job, cultured, intelligent and as an added bonus she even has a great body. I enjoyed the chemistry between her and Picard and how she slowly moves Picard out of his solitary bubble.

I'm not a musician but I found the scenes of them performing together to be quite intimate and certainly the most intimate scene the show has done with Picard. The writing captures that sense of exploration and joy of the unknown that is often present when discovering a new love ----- Stewart does a great job of putting that into his performance.

Daren's performance and chemistry with Picard was so good that my only major complaint is that we do not have more of this. This could have been stretched out or expanded upon in future episodes.

A few reviewers have commented on the title not making sense? Well, you could interpret it many ways --- here's my take ---- The lesson is about taking a chance to share something deeply personal with another and/or the consequences that love has on objectivity.

A great episode ---- Jean Luc is a madman for letting that beauty go.

Picard is in love...so you KNOW it is doomed!!!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 29 November 2014]

A new officer has been stationed on the Enterprise, Lt. Commander Daren. The Captain becomes infatuated with her when she begins giving him music lessons and he discloses to her how he learned the flute in the episode "The Inner Light". It's kind of cute to see these folks together and everything is happy and good...so you KNOW that something bad must happen to this relationship. My daughter kept rooting for Daren to be evil and I assumed she'd be dead by the end of the show. After all, the lonely and stoic Captain CANNOT be happy--this is just one of those unwritten rules.

The best thing about this episode is its continuity with "The Inner Light". I really appreciate the references to this earlier (and fantastic) episode and it made Picard's playing for Daren a lot more special. All in all, a touching and well made show...but one that is also sadly predictable, as you KNOW the writers won't let the relationship work in the end.

Delicate Episode

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 29 September 2014]

Patrick Stewart is a great actor in any sense of the word. Here, his Jean-Luc Picard is smitten with an attractive woman who is multi-talented, both in her vocation and her avocation. She is a masterful musician, a pianist of great skill. One of Picard's few opportunities for artistic fulfillment, comes from a flute he was given in the episode where he lives an entire lifetime on a doomed planet. He plays along with computer generated music all by himself. He is immediately attracted to this woman and the loneliness of his position becomes a force with which he must deal. He is her superior on the Enterprise and there are understandings. Just because her role is research doesn't mean she may be required to perform a dangerous mission given the right circumstances. This episode is so beautifully done, with so much hurt and heart, that it really grabs us. Eventually, of course, those decisions are going to be made, and the role of Captain must be recognized. It's sad and poignant.

Love is Brutal.

[marks1356 · 10/10 · 27 May 2021]

Picard, a disciplined and private person is human after all and falls hopelessly in love, in spite of his reserved nature. With true love nobody is immune. And if Wendy Hughes is around I don't know how anybody could resist her in a great role and beautifully written episode. Of course our Captain can't just walk off in the sunset and the connection with his other "life" from "The Inner Light" episode is another reminder that the Captain of the Enterprise is a lonely place to be and Picard had to sacrifice a more normal existence long ago.

Picard's new love interest.

[russem31 · 30 April 2006]

ST:TNG:145 - "Lessons" (Stardate: 46693.1) - this is the 19th episode of the 6th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

While on a late night visit, Picard accidentally interrupts a Stellar Cartography experiment newly headed by Lt. Commander Daren, whom he immediately becomes infatuated is. It turns out the attraction is mutual and they soon become romantically entangled.

Picard soon contemplates whether he should pursue a romance with someone under his command, and this comes to a test when she is part of an Away Team on Bersallis III that may threaten her existence.

Trivia note: we see the flute from "The Inner Light" again (when Picard and Daren play together - she is on her portable piano). And EXCELLENT use of music when Picard and Daren are playing together (especially of the theme from "The Inner Light". We also see another concert that Data is part of, playing the violin again.

Lessons? What lessons?

[sascha-17 · 6/10 · 29 November 2012]

Summary: Picard learns the hard way that business and romance don't mix.

Jean-Luc Picard is "a very private man". We don't see him connect to other people on a personal level very often. So it's a welcome change to have the captain meet and fall for a woman for once.

As an added bonus, his love-interest (Cmd. Daren) is written pretty well and we can buy him falling in love with her: She's brilliant, cultured, witty, outspoken and physically attractive enough. Plus Picard and her actually have common interests besides working on a starship - something Hollywood frequently ignores when matching up characters. The actual "falling in love"-moment is done very well, with Picard talking about his experience during "The Inner Light". Both the writing and acting are good and help to sell that scene.

When they get together, it's TNG's format which instantly raises alarm-bells with the audience: We know that the laws of a weekly TV-show won't allow Picard to fall for a guest-star character and stay with her. So right from their first kiss, we wonder how the writers will break up the newly formed relationship. And it's here where the plot falls apart.

After a false lead involving Picard's awkward treatment of her in public, the story goes for the obvious choice: Placing Picard in a position where he has to put his love-interest in a dangerous situation. It's done in such a rushed way that you can almost feel the writer's desperation to have everything "back to normal" by the end of the episode.

And it just doesn't ring true. Picard has put his senior officers into countless life-threatening situations before. Including Dr. Crusher who he clearly has feelings for. He never asked her or anyone else to apply for a transfer. Plus: How realistic is it for the head of stellar cartography to be part of a dangerous away mission like the one in the show (or in fact any dangerous away mission)? She struck me more as the brainy type, someone who'd run experiments in a laboratory. Not someone who'd routinely run around on dangerous planets or who'd get sent into a firefight.

To me, it would've been much more interesting if the writers had actually dared to keep Daren on the show for a couple of episodes. It would've broken the "reset everything for the next show"-routine and would have been a nice opportunity to explore the Picard-character as a private man.

As it is, the title of the show doesn't have any real meaning: What lesson did Picard learn? It's pretty standard knowledge that mixing business and romance can be tricky (although other characters like Riker don't seem to have a problem with it at all). And the way they both agree to end their relationship isn't earth-shattering either: Nobody really gets hurt and come next episode, the Daren-character is completely forgotten. So there are no real lessons or consequences here.

6/10

If you like Picard, you'll like this episode

[chadmsmith-08573 · 10/10 · 7 May 2021]

Such a complicated personality. This gives more depth in his character. I was teary-eyed at the end. We all hope for the life and happiness at the end of our life.

Picard falls in love with a scientist, strikes out.

[snarky-trek-reviews · 7/10 · 31 July 2017]

Picard gets romantically involved with commander Darren, a science officer. Personal feelings conflict with professional responsibilities. Picard grows as a character. It is not the most exciting episode but it respects its characters and the audience. The last act is disappointing as commander Darren is saved from certain death by technobabble only to be written off the show.

Commander Darren is easy to like and well acted.

Watchable.

Picard should have married her...

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 9 June 2022]

In "Generations", instead of David Carson's wife Kim Braden...

In fact for a second in Generations, I thought that actually was Wendy Hughes when they first show "Picard's wife"... but it was in fact Braden (Carson had directed Generations...), who we originally saw in "The Loss"... when she was able to lie to Troi during a time when Troi had lost her empathic powers because of 2D Creatures...

I adore this episode mostly because of the music. I don't know if that is actually a Chopin piece played by Hughes, Spiner and the Cellist, but it was a very powerful, memorable piece of music.

And it is great that Picard comes up afterward to complement her on a change in an arpeggio... even though the musical language he used was technically wrong.

I just thought that Wendy Hughes was the perfect woman for Stewart. They had quite a lot in common. Not just as characters, but as actors.

Maybe that could be a problem though, maybe they were too much alike. But for whatever reason, they never brought the character back even though they should have. She was much more interesting than Vash... and Vash did just fine on her own on deep space nine without Picard even being around...

This is another episode where Picard inadvertently treats his girlfriend rudely... The first time was in Q-Pid, but I don't think that was particularly his fault. Vash was being Nosy, asking everybody that she met if Picard had even mentioned her, which he would not have. Because of his own standards where he cannot let any crewmember see any kind of weakness or humanity, let alone any kind of romantic connection at all.

Darren was much better for Picard.

We get to see stellar cartography here, but it is not the huge set that they made for generations. In fact we see the globe that Darren is using to map the future constellations all the way back in first season episodes, it was just a prop that was floating around the Paramount lot since The Original Series possibly.

Darren inadvertently talks Riker into letting her lead a dangerous mission and it's too much for her to chew on... "Never eat anything bigger than your head".

There is one point where Picard believes the worst has happened, he is never going to play his Rissican flute again. The music that is playing at that point is very similar to a piece that was used in 2001: A Space Odyssey and also at the very beginning of Aliens when Ripleys escape craft is being salvaged.

It is not quite the same music, but somebody describes this piece in the trivia section and they are spot on.

REVIEW 2022

[iamirwar · 6/10 · 28 September 2022]

Is it late evening or early morning? Data's been on watch during the 'night' but as he doesn't need any sleep. It only makes sense that he would cover the graveyard shift.

The captain wants to communicate with Landris II but a black-out at the request of the stellar cartographers means that Professor Mowray will have to wait. Another 3 hours 22 minutes and maybe we can patch you through. It seems that all the personal amenities are off-line.

Lieutenant Commander Daren isn't happy with the captain's interruption of her important cartographical work, everyone should be asleep at 3am in the morning. She's even mothering our captain over his choice of teas.

I would have thought there would have been an entire shift of staff up-and-awake at that time. A starship must need a crew at all times of day or night. Aliens don't work off the humanoid chromatic time system and might creep up on you at anytime.

Just for a change, wouldn't it be nice if the entertainment in 10-forward would include a sample of rock-music, especially considering the captain has an interest in archaeology and so could be regarded as something of a rock-hound.

Sadly, as far as the story is concerned, we've crept into a dark-romantic corner of the ship with the captain and the Lieutenant Commander. I do, very much like her mobile piano, and have something that looks like it but unfortunately, on mine you have to really depress the keys for it to make any sound, which removes any chance of playing sweeping, continuous melody. I thought Daren had gone to the captain's cabin in an effort to try and over-ride Riker's refusal to allow the stellar cartographers to use a sensor array, but she seems to have forgotten all about that. Maybe it's his green dressing gown. Now she's got him crawling through the ships Jeffries tubes in order to find a great resonance chamber. I can see why he would like her, but it could never work.

The captain needs to remember that he must continue to perform his duties in a professional manner and that any inter-action between him and the Lieutenant Commander should follow all operational procedures and protocols when the two of them are on duty. Any romance should be kept in abeyance until their working day is done. Having worked with a close-and personal acquaintance, I know that maintaining professional boundaries isn't always easy.

This ones a bit slow and needs something to happen, although it isn't a particularly bad presentation.

I guess Professor Mowray's call will have to wait.

This Episodes Clue: Piano Sonata No. 14

(Answer's to all episode clues will appear in the reviews of season seven, episode 25: All Good Things, Part One.)

It's like people weren't paying attention when watching

[critic-97-417657 · 9/10 · 19 January 2023]

This episode isn't really about a love story or romance. It's called "Lessons" for a reason.

It's about a conflict of interest - having to choose between opposing loyalties. The love interest is simply one of the two loyalties. The other, we are well aware of - his role as a star-fleet captain. The concept is explored repeatedly with Picard's conversation with Troy, then Riker, then Nalla, culminating in the realization that his position will inevitably require him to put someone he loves in danger.

The "Lesson" is that, sometimes, life makes us choose between two opposing needs and we can't always have it all.

Life requires choices and those choices have consequences. THAT, is the whole point of this episode.

On a different note, has anyone ever explained why they chose an actress who resembled Gates McFadden? Was it because it made it more powerful and believable that Picard would be attracted to her?

Promotions very slow

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 8 July 2019]

This episode gives Captain Jean-Luc Picard a little romance in his life. Wendy Hughes is the new head of stellar cartography a most important position since the Enterprise is first and foremost a ship of exploration. She likes classical music and she and Patrick Stewart find they have a lot in common.

Perhaps Hughes and Stewart hit it off too good. She's not the most disciplined of people. She kind of reminded me of Douglas MacArthur who could never quite grasp that whatever theater of operations he wa in was not the whole show. Hughes and Jonathan Frakes have a small blowup about that.

More important her knowledge is invaluable on an away mission to rescue colonists from solar storms. But will personal involvement impair Captain Picard's judgment.

Nice as always to see romance not reserved for just the young.

Cheap episode and do they even consult musicians?

[herbie-17 · 3/10 · 8 January 2019]

Look, I have no problem with Picard falling in love with a crew member but do it well! This was not done well

Not only was this episode cheaply produced (they used a Jeffrey's Tube drop right in front of the camera in the worst way possible), but it seems with all the talent around TNG, they can't seem to find a musician!!?? "I noticed you chose to use a D diminished chord in the second arpeggio." What??? It's Chopin piano trio. He wrote it, there no improv involved, no cadenzas. Any classical musician could have told the writers this. When Picard's love interest unrolls her "magical piano" it only has 4 octaves...and yet when she plays it, it seems to have at least 7. Ugh.

the acting feels stilted on the cheeseball scale it ranks Hallmark Channel 10!! One of the weakest episodes in the 6th season.

We'll always have Stellar Cartography...

[GusF · 10/10 · 25 November 2022]

This is a really wonderful episode. I absolutely adore it. My fifth favourite TNG episode.

One of Star Trek's best romances, it is a beautifully written story which is phenomenally well acted by Patrick Stewart and the late Wendy Hughes, who sadly died in 2014. The scene in which Picard tells Nella about his life as Kamin is probably my favourite as it is such a moving scene and it shows how close they have become in a short period of time.

In spite of their short time together, I was entirely convinced when Picard said that he loved Nella towards the end of the episode. Conversely, I was entirely unconvinced when Worf said that he loved Ba'el in "Birthright, Part II", only two episodes earlier. It seemed to me more like Worf and Ba'el kind of fancied each other as opposed to being in love.

With the sole exception of Edith Keeler from the TOS classic "The City on the Edge of Forever", I found Nella more memorable than any other one episode love interest in the entire franchise. Had things been different, I have no doubt that Picard and Nella would have liked happily ever after.

A love for Picard

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 18 August 2015]

When Picard gets up at three in the morning he is somewhat annoyed that several systems are down at the request of the Stellar Cartography department; unable to do what he planned or even have a cup of Earl Grey he goes to see what can be so important that key systems must be taken off line. Here he meets department head Lt. Commander Nella Daren. He finds himself attracted to her and after discovering that they share a love of music they start spending more time together. He plays the Ressikan flute that he got in the episode 'The Inner Light' and tells her about the events of that episode. As their relationship develops it makes things a bit awkward for Riker as Daren asks him for the allocation of resources and personnel; routine requests that any section head might request but made awkward because she is seeing Riker's boss. Then the Enterprise is called in when a dangerous firestorm approaches a Federation outpost and her skills mean she is called on to take part in the evacuation. The storm is worse than expected and it looks as if a couple of the away teams may have been lost; including Daren's. Back on the Enterprise Picard feels helpless and unable to function properly.

This is one of those episodes that is more about the emotions and relationships of the crew rather than about the action. The action that we do see is there to serve the emotional side of the story. It was nice to see Capt. Picard forming a relationship that went beyond friendship especially when it managed to link to 'The Inner Light'; one of the series best emotional episodes. This episode does have one major weakness; the nature of the series meant we know from the start his relationship would be over before the episode was. It would have been nice if the relationship could have been allowed to last a few episodes so its end wasn't so obvious… at least they avoided the cliché of having her killed and dealt with the difficulties Picard would have sending her of further away missions. Guest star Wendy Hughes did a fine job as Daren; the relationship between her and Patrick Stewart's Picard was believable and touching; I especially liked their playing music in the Jeffrey's tubes. Overall a good emotional episode.

Zen in Space.

[davidegede_744 · 8/10 · 28 August 2007]

I Like this episode. Thou it is on the romantic stuff. But I love everything with Piccard. And the fact that this a semi sequel makes it even better. (to The Inner Light). I see it as an ongoing story, it is a sort a story a captain should have plenty of. That is what makes him who he is. And that is challenged in this episode. Identity is the question in the face of love. Again make note of the use of music. It is refined, maybe strong words for what it is, but is it not just that. Also all the small stuff, the familiar stuff. The tea, the night watch, the different parts of the ship. 10 Forwards. The fact that they have a grand piano. Datas observations. Then the crises, things are in motion, and a resolution. Rhythm is key. And much Zen to produce this. Not always success, but from time to time something like this(I don't know this, pure speculation). Modern CGI would do a difference here and there, but where would we be then? 8 out of 10 yes. Again I cry, not for the loss of his love, but for the memory that is inside Piccard. The pain of the "unknown" loss, the spring of the music they played and he to her, gone. If that was to come pass the strength found in playing the flute becomes poison to him. Never again, But then the story unfolds and the loss is not that big. But The Captain found the way, and the way was to part. D.

The loneliness of command

[robert3750 · 8/10 · 2 October 2020]

From time to time, we see how lonely Picard is, despite his fulfilling career. That loneliness severely tests his command when he falls in love with a brilliant stellar cartographer who is also an accomplished pianist. He opens his heart to her about his experiences in The Inner Light episode, something he has never done before. He has to learn to overcome his initial awkwardness at being seen with her. But the ultimate difficulty he faces is the possibility of having to put her life in jeopardy when his duties as Captain might demand it. When he realizes how much she means to him, he is forced to make a decision.....I was quite moved and touched by the closing scene.

How about a long distance relationship?

[amusinghandle · 9/10 · 24 April 2024]

Why not a long distance relationship?

Darren is in my mind the best love interest that Picard has had (it's not even close) and it saddens me that this love was just tossed into the wind to die.

The shared passion for music, love of tasteless bland hot water, a strong will ---- it's just perfect! But NO, they cannot continue the relationship and instead Picard gets to experience the friend zone sexual frustration long game with Crusher.

To the episodes credit it does provide a strong argument against them continuing a relationship onboard the enterprise ---- Picard's fear that he will never enjoy music again if something should happen to here.

The chemistry really works for me here in this episode and it feels real.

It my star trek alternate universe they are together and exploring ancient ruins and making out with one another after playing classic music in historical sites.

I really like this episode.

Even Hallmark is better than this

[zombiemockingbird · 1/10 · 15 April 2023]

I am not a fan of romance in my Sci-Fi, especially when it is this cheesy, boring and completely un-romantic. The first scene where Picard and Daren play duets is like watching children taking music lessons, which is pretty un-interesting. The dialog was juvenile and monotonous; the whole story was like watching paint dry. I actually love music, but this was just tedious. When they're in the air ducts playing, she says she's never heard him play with such feeling before, like she's known him for years, but she's only heard him play once before. I kept waiting for something to actually happen, but the story just kept droning on endlessly, doing nothing. Even when Daren was supposedly in 'mortal danger' it just came off as fake and cheesy, then Picard is going on about how he loves her, when he's only known her for half a second. A purely pointless episode.

Excellent episode

[PWNYCNY · 25 August 2011]

Captain Picard demonstrates poor judgment and personal weakness as he permits himself to be influenced by an attractive and assertive female science officer. The captain's effectiveness as a commander starts to erode as he permits his personal feelings to cloud his decision making. The problem is not the female officer, it is the captain, who should have known better than to allow himself to become personally involved with a subordinate. And to make matters worse, in a discussion with his chief adviser, the captain questions whether he is violating rules of ethical conduct but is told that his conduct is understandable and therefore appropriate. After all, the captain has feelings too. This episode shows what happens when people mix business with pleasure. The results can be embarrassing, frustrating and devastating. Excellent episode.

"Maybe you should start expecting the unexpected."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 28 March 2024]

I enjoy it when an episode refers to prior events in a series by demonstrating continuity for the characters involved. In this one, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) makes mention of the prior season's ''The Inner Light' in which he lived an entire lifetime on a doomed planet, one of the most poignant ones Next Generation had to offer. In this story he sees a relationship forming with newly assigned Lieutenant Commander Nella Daren (Wendy Hughes), the Enterprise's head of stellar services. Besides their commitment to service, they also share a passion for music, prompting the captain to join Daren in impromptu sessions, he with the Ressikan flute from Kataan, and she with a musical keyboard. After sharing their first kiss, Picard seeks advice from Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis), who basically tells him to go for it, while assuring Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) that the burgeoning relationship should not influence the commander in his operational duties if they require Daren's involvement. Picard's commitment is tested when a dangerous firestorm threatens the planet Bersallis III, and Riker finds it necessary to assign Commander Daren to an evacuation team. Troubled by the dichotomy between his sense of duty and his newfound love, the Captain is greatly relieved when Daren's team manages to return to the Enterprise safely. However, their prospective romance is mutually dissolved when both realize that their commitment to their careers comes first and a relationship would necessarily interfere. The tug at the heartstrings for this episode is palpable, but logic says that they each made the right decision.

Picard gets music lessons

[skiop · 3/10 · 20 April 2016]

"Lessons" should be called "Music Lessons". In this episode, Picard meets the obsessive Commander Daren and the two begin a relationship, mostly consisting of them playing music (Picard the flute he got in "The Inner Light", and Daren a little keyboard pad). This is all dull and when the manufactured dilemma (which shouldn't have been a dilemma at all) comes around, are we supposed to care? This episode came right after the tense "Starship Mine" and the two episodes couldn't be further apart. A tense thriller followed by an uninteresting romance; the former is definitely much more memorable.

The German title of this episode is "Der Feuersturm", which might give you even higher expectations than "Lessons". "Lessons" implies that there's perhaps actually a point to make, which there isn't. "Der Feuersturm" gives an impression of danger, which doesn't exist for an instant.

Another Flawed Attempt at Romance for TNG

[Samuel-Shovel · 5/10 · 24 July 2020]

In "Lessons" Picard's romantic relationship with a new crew member becomes a conflict of interest when he's forced to put her on a dangerous mission that might get her killed.

I think I enjoy the romance episodes of TNG less than your normal Trekkie. I much prefer watching the captain and Vash off on some adventure over seeing Picard blow away on his flute in a jam sesh. The ending seems a bit rushed and expected.

There's nothing awful here but there's nothing to sink your teeth into either.

Cheesy, dull, pointless

[a-gordon-2374 · 1/10 · 21 June 2022]

Can't stand this episode. It's painfully bad.

I don't know why anyone likes it, I'm assuming because of Picard's character development? But there are much better Picard episodes than this. The story is corny and childish, and I'm not at all a fan of "fall in love in a few days" stories. I do not like Nella Darren at all, awful character and Wendy Hughes's acting here was terrible (maybe not because of her but because of the writing). Just go to 10 minutes and 30 seconds in and see how forced and terrible it is. Looks like a high school play. Thankfully she's only in this show for one episode.