Television Review: A Matter of Time (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S5X09, 1991)

A Matter of Time (S05E09)

Airdate: 18 November 1991

Written by: Rick Berman
Directed by: Paul Lynch

Running Time: 46 minutes

In the aftermath of the grand, lore-defining two-parter Unification, which explored the complex relationship between the Fderration, Vulcans and Romulans, Star Trek: The Next Generation ostensibly needed a breather in Season 5. Ideally, the series would have delivered a lighter, less ambitious episode such as A Matter of Time, intended to serve as a narrative pause button. However, while such an episode was not necessarily destined to be remembered as a major classic, it did not quite achieve the status of a forgotten footnote either. Perhaps somewhat ironically, because Unification itself was perceived by some critics as being less than fully successful in its execution, A Matter of Time did not look quite as bad in comparison. It is seen as a modest entry in the canon, largely because the episode ultimately focuses more on the guest character than the crisis itself, which diminishes the stakes for the viewer ^1^.

The plot unfolds as the USS Enterprise-D travels to the colony world of Penthara IV, a planet that has recently suffered a catastrophic asteroid impact. This collision has resulted in a thick dust cloud in the atmosphere that is rapidly reducing the temperature, making the environment uninhabitable for its twenty million colonists who are already in dire straits . The Enterprise is tasked with assisting Dr. Moseley (Stefan Gierasch), and his team of scientists in finding a way to reverse the process and save the colony from what threatens to become a nuclear winter scenario. This premise sets the stage for a high-stakes mission, although the urgency of the planetary doom is somewhat undercut by the knowledge that the planet will not actually be destroyed, as is standard for the series.

During its transit, the Enterprise crew detects a space-time distortion, from which a small shuttlecraft suddenly materialises. Its occupant, played by Matt Frewer, demands to be brought aboard to see Captain Picard. The character claims to be a time traveller from the 26th Century named Rasmussen, who has come to study history. While a few crew members are sceptical of his fantastic story, Rasmussen appears genuinely fascinated by the Enterprise and its crew, gradually intriguing Picard into believing his tale might be related to the Penthara IV situation. This historical event seems significant enough to warrant intervention, or at least observation, according to Rasmussen.

When confronted, the time traveller insists he cannot divulge the future because doing so would alter history and cause paradoxes. Picard, conversely, maintains that he and his crew are not overly concerned with time paradoxes, citing his own previous breaches of the Prime Directive in earlier episodes. In the end, Rasmussen has no real impact on the mission's outcome; Geordi LaForge and Data manage to find the solution without his assistance, leaving the time traveller's knowledge effectively useless for the immediate crisis.

Once the planet is saved, Rasmussen is about to depart the Enterprise to return to his own time. However, his departure is stopped by Worf after several crew members report missing belongings. This confrontation reveals that Rasmussen is not who he claims to be; he is actually a distressed inventor from the 22nd Century who stole the time-travelling pod from a real traveller to become rich. His plan fails when the time travel mechanism disappears, leaving him stranded in the 24th Century where he will become an object of historical curiosity himself.

Written by Rick Berman, the executive producer often viewed as Gene Roddenberry's successor, A Matter of Time attempts to give a fresh spin on the time travel trope by having a traveller who admits his identity immediately, only to reveal a much darker agenda at the end. While this is an intriguing concept, the execution falters significantly, and the story feels incredibly weak. The theft is revealed before the actual twist regarding his origins, meaning that even less perceptive viewers could easily conclude that the time traveller is not what he claims to be. This lack of subtlety makes the mystery feel manufactured rather than organic.

The impression is, to a degree, saved by Matt Frewer, the Canadian actor known for roles in Max Headroom and Eureka, who plays the semi-villain comically and effectively. Robin Williams was originally intended for the role but was unavailable, yet Frewer proves to be an adequate and often amusing replacement.

Yet, even his presence alone cannot compensate for the thinness of the plot. Like many Star Trek episodes, "A Matter of Time" compensates with a secondary storyline that puts millions of people in peril, resolved in a perfunctory and expected manner. The episode won an Emmy Award for Best Special Effects, acknowledging the technical achievements despite the narrative flaws.. Director Paul Lynch stated that the episode felt more like a comedy than a drama at the time, yet later he admitted it was his least favourite Star Trek: The Next Generation episode of the five he had directed. Ultimately, it is a flawed but visually accomplished entry that sits somewhere between a comedy and a dramatic rescue mission.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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