TEARS!!! Only one more TNG video left before I get to the movies!!! This episode was one of the best episodes of TV I have seen in a long time and I have been listening to that flute song all day everyday since watching this episode. Thanks for watching! Have a great day! :)
"Imagine if they did this twist, where all of TNG is a dream!" Well, Star Trek DS9 actually flirted with that theme. If you get through its first 5 seasons, Season 6 has its own fan favorite, "Far Beyond the Stars." But I won't tell you what it's about, or where it lands on the Dream/Reality scale.
Yeah, this episode is VERY, incredibly bittersweet, very dignified. Believe it or not, Seth MacFarlane- the creator of 'Family Guy' even CREATED 'The Orville' BASED CLOSELY off TNG in most ways. MacFarlane EVEN wrote a scene in one of the very early episodes of 'Family Guy' THAT included a detail FROM the episode 'The Inner Light'- Peter literally says "Picard's flute." as a NOD to this really good, very philosophical episode that I'm certain made even ME break down a little sometimes. Those human-like aliens NEVER saw the asteroid coming! To had your WHOLE or nearly 100% of your OWN SPECIES GONE due to something NOBODY saw coming!? It makes my eyes well up the least bit typing this DOWN. lol. Also, come to think of it- well, at least I FINALLY get to repeat my thoughts ONLINE further here- that civilization that Picard was largely innocently, momentarily sucked into- the episode reveals that the people MADE the thing that sucked in Picard did NOT suck him in to harm him- ...but as a MEANS of a MEMORIAL of their civilization. ...its an incredibly WRITTEN episode! NOT all aliens (if hopefully other than us humans exist in the entire galaxy,) would in probability would want our destruction! ...its heartwarming to consider that- they JUST want to be REMEMBERED! 🥲
And this was before the Hugo for Drama was divided into short-form (TV) and long-form (features, etc). It beat out Aladdin, Coppola's Dracula, Batman Returns, and Alien 3. The fans loved this one.
So this was Patrick Stewart's favourite episode. Both for the story and the fact he got to work with his real son who played the grown up version of Kamen's son, Batai.
I was a mess after this episode, even the next day at school(hs sophomore) kids who i didnt even know were TNG fans were talking about it. Relationships formed, a couple continue to this day.
One thing I love about the ending that no one ever mentions is how he clutches the flute to his chest. It's the most precious thing in the world to him because of the life it represents.
Generations had forgotten this episode. Especially when Picard went into the Nexus. The wife and family should have been Eleen, Meribor and Batai, along with Rene of course.
The inner light I think to a casual Trekie is important to show the change in Picard he starts as a cold man prim and proper but he comes to find he should have not blocked himself off and why friends and family is so important. The inner light hits this home in a way few other episodes do
Well thats why Seasom 3 of Picard was so much better than the two before. If you havent watched it. Watch. Its not awesome Trek like this. Butits good Trek.
I’m so stoked to see Roly watch this episode. It’s absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking, and one of my favourite episodes from the series - especially knowing how Picard wanted kids but never had them. I’ll second The Offspring too, Daniel. That’s also incredible and broke me at the end too.
Definitely my favorite episode of the series. Was lucky enough to be old enough to catch it when it first aired and it has stuck with me now for 30+ years.
if you want more of picard's greatest performance. check these: S5 E2, Darmok S6 E10 , 11. Chain of Command Pt 1, and 2 S2 E9, Measure of a man S6 E15 , Tapestry
Yes, VERY MUCH tapestry A close friend of mine was in a VERY bleak and dark place in their mind and emotions, lamenting the issues he has to live with as a result of the traumas his mother inflicting on him as a young child, claiming profusely that he’d be so much better off if he’d never met her Short version - I got him to watch that episode, he was in tears and thanked me with a big hug…he’s not a hugger… He’s a lot happier in life now
I am so glad you chose to cover this episode. It is my favorite of all TNG episodes and I am one of many who suggested it to you. I really connect with Picard on this one. It was after seeing this episode that I bought a small recorder (flute) to carry around on family hikes and outings. My children grew up in a home filled with music and my son even followed in my footsteps becoming a musician.
"Imagine if all of TNG was just a dream" *Laughs in Benny Russell I wouldn't say The Inner Light has nothing to do with the movies... I would say it does add to Picard's state of mind in one moment in Generations, as well as most of Insurrection.
That moment at the end, where Picard takes the flute and clutches it to his heart like it's the most precious thing in the whole universe, just gets me every time... then he plays that haunting, sad piece... and the episode ends on that. SO powerful, and such a brilliant performance by Stewart.
It’s great that you’re doing these limited number of reactions but I really recommend that you watch the whole TNG series on your own time. You seem to appreciate these stories, and there are so many more that you will love.
I seen every episode, movies many times. Since 1966. Like your reviews. To see a young person evaluate what is highly meaningful to my life for decades.
This has always been my favorite TNG episode. Amazing concept for a story. Imagine being torn away from a very fulfilling life to be forced to except living such a different type of existence, and doing it all in the span of twenty minutes. Incredible. ✌🏼😎
I’ve been waiting to witness your reaction about this episode. I came here for the emotions and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m happy you enjoyed this episode, one of the best in any TV shows ever. The way Picard clings to the flute, the music in the end with only the background noise of the Enterprise's engines… Patrick Stewart should have won an Emmy for his interpretation. I’m glad this story touched you heart and soul. How does it feel to be human ?
Except for a last season nomination for best series, TNG received, and won, only technical awards. None of the actors were ever nominated, and when you consider how good Stewart is in this and so many other episodes, plus great performances by other cast members, it's pretty clear evidence of the snobbery against science fiction.
Wow Oliver! You just took me back 30 years to when I first saw this episode. I cried as you did and was moved so deeply by the story, acting, and music. Thanks for triggering a walk down melancholy lane. Great review!!
It didn't happen for me for this episode... but I can generally SO relate to crying to a long-time re-watch; for me, that was "The Land Before Time" about 20 years after I had watched it bunches of times as a child. As an adult, having been so long since I'd last seen it AND still remembering pretty much everything (and of course it's an extremely sad movie)... it just hit MUCH more strongly upon my recent re-watch.
To me the thing that always made the flute at the end so brilliant is that him having it and knowing how to play it at the end proves that it was all real and worthwhile, such a satisfying resolve for the viewer after all the questions during the episode about what was real and if any of this would matter.
I've always been someone who has had their mind on the future. When I was a kid, I was thinking about adulthood. When I was in High School I was planning for College. When I was in College I was thinking about graduating and finding a job, etc. Planning ahead isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but I realized one day that I was doing it at the expense of enjoying the here and now. I realized I was always chasing a horizon, and ignoring the wonderful things around me. One of the reasons for coming to this self-realization was catching this episode on TV one random day. I truly credit this episode for helping me to learn to take in life a little bit more than I used to. So whenever I feel myself slipping back into old habits; becoming completely wrapped up in the destinations and forgetting to enjoy the journeys, I think back to this line: "Seize the day. Live for now. Make now ... always the most precious. Now will never come again."
Thanks for showing your true emotional reaction and vulnerability. I think you know we’re crying along with you. The mind-blowing gut-punches are overwhelming. I cried the most when Batay comes back, followed by his wife. It’s a one-two hit that makes the tears pour out. It’s a masterpiece of sci-fi.
Fun fact, in the leadup to the series finale of Star Trek the Next Generation, they made a whole day of it. Like, a ten hour block of stuff. Encounter at Farpoint 1 and 2, a special called Journey's End, the Saga of Star Trek, commercials for various Star Trek merch ( a communicator pin from Generations, which was just announced, a transporter pen, the Conversational Klingon learning set, and the Star Trek Encyclopedia) as well as teasers for the newly announced Star Trek: Voyager show...then they followed up with the 5 biggest fan favorite episodes, which were, I believe in this order: Relics, Yesterday's Enterprise, The Inner Light, and then both parts of The Best of Both Worlds...which was then followed by All Good Things. And that is how TNG ended. And it was amazing. Jonathon Frakes hosted the whole day.
For five years, I did not partake in TNG. People tried telling me to watch. I was not interested. I was bored on night and flipped the channel and this episode has just started. I said WTH. Boy howdy was I taken by surprise. By midway, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Not knowing anything about the show, I fell right in step with the flow and dynamics of the characters. The idea behind this, a Time Capsule Implant that shows Picard the life and death of an extinct civilization, was executed with finesse. Simply great story telling. From this point on, I started watching re-runs and backtracking my opinions about TNG. I later found out, The Inner Light is listed in Top 5 Best Ranked episode list's for TNG and won SciFi awards. Kudos to your review.
I guarantee you the person who experiences it doesn't forget it, do they? Yeah, the show makes it very clear that Picard did NOT forget what happened in this episode. The flute comes back several times after this.
@@SBaby most poignantly I feel in a future episode where he begins to form a romantic relationship with a female officer from stellar cartography, and tells her the story of these events, explaining to her why his music is so INTENSELY personal and important to him
What this episode does for me that no one talks about; this Galaxy, the Milky Way that we live in, bar and empty and mysterious. One planet, Kataan, reaches out to Picard to adopt him and share their story, and the whole Milky Way opens up to us and becomes beloved and intimate. And then the past of the story that everyone talks about, that Kataan teaches him human life and community that he didn't learn on earth. But it's tied into the nurturing warmth of the whole galaxy.
Great reaction, one of those heartbreaking episodes. But what an amazing concept. If you knew everything was destined to be wiped out. They shared the memory of who they were. 😢
I love your reaction to this one. It’s probably the best episode of TNG. I’ll never forget watching this with my mom (who decided to entertain her son by watching an episode of Trek with her son) and even she said at the end “that was really good!” This episode just hits everywhere. We see the flute again throughout the rest of the series. Your comments about the audio in the final scene are spot on. By the way, my new favorite phrase is now “what the chicken nuggets?!” Im stealing that one. 😁
For my Mom and I it was episodes of TOS in the mid-80's, and then of course TNG as well. One of the more subversive things my Mother did exposing a kid to the Star Trek perspective during those formative years. But yeah, this one has always stuck with me.
Just a note about the musical instrument Picard plays - the prop flute is based on the tin whistle, also called a penny whistle or an Irish whistle. Patrick Stewart wasn't actually playing it, but learned how to move his fingers to simulate how a tin whistle would be played. The instrument you hear is a tin whistle being played by a musician.
Definitely check out the full orchestral arrangement of this episode’s song. The one he plays in his flute. It is titled The Inner Light Orchestral Suite.
Amazing heartfelt reaction. If you're one day up for a similar - but lesser - episode, I recommend "Lessons" (Season 6, episode 19). The Ressikan flute makes a comeback. More I can not tell, but you might find some emotion taking hold of you again.
Yes, I mentioned this episode in another comment but I couldn't remember the episode title. I really like that one, and the flute and story connection is so good!
I was lucky enough to catch this episode on a re-run. Almost randomly, I stumbled across this episode while channel surfing. Having been a Trekkie since adolescence, but having only seen a handful of TNG, I decided to stick around and watch the episode. Suffice it to say, I was deeply moved by the experience. _The Inner Light_ is a profound work of science fiction and a definitive episode of the greater Star Trek canon. I have a particular soft spot for strong uses of musical motifs. Needless to say, this one carries one of the most potent. That which can move grown men to tears.
Outstanding, and definitely in my top 5 TNG episodes. The relationship between Arlene and Kamen is beautiful. Patrick Stewart acts his socks off, as always.
I know I'm late to the party, but Thank you for this episode!! My husband and I met between episodes of " The Best of Both Worlds " and found out we were both Trekies. I walked down the aisle at our wedding to Picard's flute solo. And played that song again 17 years later at my husband's funeral. You think you cried!? 😭😭😭
Oh Val, thanks for sharing that poignant story. As if I’m not crying enough thinking about this episode, it brings more tears to my eyes thinking you played this song at your husband‘s funeral. Sending love and best wishes to you.
The two best eps of the series by far. The Inner Light always makes the lists of best Trek, but I feel like it's taken 30 years for people to really appreciate just how brilliant Measure of a Man really is. The only courtroom drama that I can think of that's actually better is 12 Angry Men, and that's saying something.
It was wonderful to watch a young person experience this episode for the first time, just as I did so long ago! I enjoyed your heartfelt and honest reactions. BTW, "Holy chicken nuggets" may be my new favorite line!
Best episode in the Star Trek Universe. I cry every time Picard holds the flute to his chest and then plays it perfectly for the first time as the ship drifts away.
Honestly if you started crying in class and it drew attention, you can literally tell the truth and say you just watched the episode of star trek with the flute and you're bound to have a decent amount of people immediately understanding. Even people who only know it from the Family Guy episode where they went on Family Feud and that's an answer Peter gives and his long-winded answer is correct word for word ("I was part of the survey") would be able to acknowledge it as a well known "this'll fuck you up in a good way" episode of television history. And then if someone still is goofy about it, you can just challenge them to watch it.
I love the episode where he plays the flute again and falls in love. Don't know how the episode is called in the original, in german its "the firestorm" I think
Yeah. That episode really hits hard. I remember recording it on a VHS video tape and replaying the flute music at the end over and over. It would give me chills!
The flute an the weight of this episode get HEAVILY referenced in a future episode, (sadly forget the title), where Picard begins to form a romantic relationship with a female officer on board, and she helps crack even more of his shell, jointly participating in p,aging of music, Picard sits her down and details the story for her about the events of this episode, explaining why his music is so personal to him and why it was difficult to open himself up like that to ANYONE.
I don’t know if it was covered in the nearly 200 comments yet, but the song he plays on the flute at the end of the episode is used in part as theme for Star Trek: Picard.
Before moving on to the movies, which are very heavy Data and Picard centered, I think you should watch some Data stories, even if you don't review them for a reaction video (or videos) on the channel. I know I stated this in the last Star Trek video that you posted, but I believe it is Paramount (sorry) to state it again. Here are the stories I would suggest: Season 1 - "Datalore" Season 2 - "The Measure of a Man" Season 3 - "The Offspring" Season 4 - "Brothers" Season 6/7 - "Descent, Part I" and "Descent, Part II" (plus Season 5 - "I, Borg") "Datalore", "Brothers", and "Descent" are all a continuing storyline which ultimately pays off in a major part of the first TNG movie (and resonates throughout all four TNG films). And with the name "Datalore", you know it has to be lore about Data (plus more). The "Descent" two-parter also ties into Picard's story in the movies as well. And to get true context for that story, you should also probably view Season 5's "I, Borg," which is a setup for part of the "Descent" story. "The Offspring" will probably make you cry, maybe about as much as "The Inner Light" did. "The Offspring" and "The Measure of a Man" are maybe the most detached from the other 5 episodes ongoing storyline that I have mentioned; but, are too good to not see.
This episode always touched me as a kid. From the ages of 12-19 I was pretty isolated; alone in a room playing online games. I always felt like I lived through many lives through the games I played, compared to my classmates who did not seem to play games and as such did not live separate online lives. I felt the loss of aerith (maybe exacerbated because I had leveled her so much and had equipment on her when she did but still..) and when I had played through 20 years of harvest moon.. thousands of hours.. and had a child, and accomplished all I could.. I felt as though I had truly lived that life. (obliviously because I didn't know any better.. but if you don't know any better, does it really feel any different?) So I could really empathize with this episode. It felt like.. if anyone of my friends who did not read long books, or play thousands of hours of games.. were to watch this episode they could relate to how I feel about certain games and worlds. How can they relate to me, when I feel like I have experienced 5 lifetimes spent in different worlds? Perhaps if they view this episode, they can get a glimpse.. I have few friends, but the ones I do have do not have the same concept of time that I do. Every hour is excrutiating unless I am concentrated. Every minute is 60 seconds, and every hour is 3600 seconds. My friends are content to see each other once every few days.. or even a week, as they have grown older and have kids.. but if I can go a week without talking to someone... I don't even know you anymore. Are we even friends anymore? Do you know how many hours that is?? How many lives I could live vicariously in that time?? If I don't see you in a week, I feel like I've read 2 books, and played an entire universe of a game in that time. From my perspective, we are immortal vampires and haven't seen each other for 200 years. We gotta get to know each other again.
Yeah, this episode is VERY, incredibly bittersweet, very dignified. Believe it or not, Seth MacFarlane- the creator of 'Family Guy' even CREATED 'The Orville' BASED CLOSELY off TNG in most ways. MacFarlane EVEN wrote a scene in one of the very early episodes of 'Family Guy' THAT included a detail FROM the episode 'The Inner Light'- Peter literally says "Picard's flute." as a NOD to this really good, very philosophical episode that I'm certain made even ME break down a little sometimes. Those human-like aliens NEVER saw the asteroid coming! To had your WHOLE or nearly 100% of your OWN SPECIES GONE due to something NOBODY saw coming!? It makes my eyes well up the least bit typing this DOWN. lol.
I get people liked the Orville. But when it was announced Brannon Braga was producing to bring back that Voyager flavor I said no thank you. He was what killed Trek in the first place.
It has been such a joy to watch you watching my favorites...it's so good! The next best thing to what I wish for: the ability to rewatch as if it were the first tine. thank you!
Love your great channel Ollie, watcher since the beginning, I'm so glad you've seen this amazing episode of TV, I saw it when it aired in the 80s and it was the first time a show had ever made me cry. Have fun with more star trek
Great commentary with the connections of meanings with the film Coco. I hadn’t made that connection, but it’s a superb example of similar meanings for both! Now rewatching this episode I realize that it does help understand Picard’s mindset going into the films and so while the major plots of the films don’t relate to this episode, this episode could be viewed as important to just a basic understanding of Picard’s character. Glad folks recommended it to you to watch even if it’s not generally considered important for watching the TNG films. Sometimes I think fans can focus so much on just the major plot points of the films that we forget there were episodes that helped define the TNG characters for us in ways the films don’t because the films assumed fans were the ones watching and so would already know these things about the characters. Great reaction! I cry also every time I rewatch this episode. It’s sooo good!
Technically, he WASN'T "sent back in time", he was experiencing the "downloaded" lifetime of memories of Kaleb who lived 1,000 years ago on Katan. So yeah, it was closer to a "simulation", not time travel. It's ironic how the ENTIRE "Star Trek" / Sci-Fi thing is nothing more than background "window dressing" that has very little to do with the episode. But it doesn't take away ANYTHING from it! Such a wonderful tear-jerker of an episode. I'd say about 90%+ of Star Trek fans have this one in their personal "Top 10" lists. (including me)
Except of course that the genius of Roddenberry's original Star Trek pitch is that the Star Trek format allows you to tell _any_ story you can think up ("all the advantages of an anthology series, with none of its limitations"). I think this episode and other 'thinky' low-action episodes like Measure of a Man demonstrate how true this is.
At the end of the episode, there’s always a grand orchestral piece playing over the “outro”. But it was decided that Picard should be playing the flute (a brass Ressikan flute) with only the hum of the ship.
With regards to the idea that you die twice: most of everyone who has ever lived has already been forgotten, but I don't think they've reached their 'second deaths' yet. Not one of them. Because we're here. Even without knowing them, even with no memory OF them, the record is still clear: we couldn't be here if they hadn't existed before us. Everyone who ever lived has had an indelible impact on the shape of our human world. We ARE their living memory. But, heck, let's go full Carl Sagan on this one! It's not just humans - it's not just LIFE. Every atom that has ever been on, or interacted with Earth carries a small piece of the proof of our existence - whether random, OR predetermined, it really doesn't matter: History is the chain of cause and effect stretching back to that indistinct point in spacetime where things like 'cause' and 'effect' stop having any real meaning. Ultimately, We Are. They Were. Nothing is truly lost, nothing truly forgotten - except mmmmaaaaybe by black holes, but we don't know that one way or the other, yet. Once Upon a Time, on a tiny dust mote, suspended in a sunbeam, an episode of a television show called Star Trek: The Next Generation aired. It was named "The Inner Light", and it fundamentally changed who the captain of the Enterprise was, as a person. In ways that the writers didn't understand, at the time. It's real. It happened. And that'll be true, even when no one remembers it.
Glad you watched it. It is so enduring. And I think it does help to see this prior to the movies because Picard and his feelings are touched on a lot during the movies and this helps you know him. It gets harder for me the older I get as well. With my children getting older, branching out away from the home more and soon to most likely move out and live their own lives. Funny how I could not wait to be on my own when I was younger, and as a father, it hurts my very soul to have my kids do the same.
Your reaction was my reaction when I rewatched this episode in 1999 as a 14 year old ha when it aired in 1990 or so ? I was too young to cry about it but it was always good !
You kind of combined two episodes of Rick and Morty...The Vat of Acid episode where he did have the save/reset button thing (but he only got up to finding the love of his life and being with her) and Mortynight Run where he played that game Roy for the first time at Blitz and Chitz and was Roy all the way up to being an old man having a lifetime and a family and everything. This episode, the probe was a lot like the Roy game. Glad you liked it/felt it as much as you did. It is an amazing episode. Still wish you'd watch "Brothers" before the Next Gen movies just so you'd get a little more caught up with Data's storyline, but I understand your time constraints and I'm happy with whatever you are able to react to! Best Regards!
There's a funny addendum to the mythos of the episode that occurred in the aughts. A huge auction of Trek related items, costumes, props, ships, etc went down around the 50th anniversary and there was a special made about it. When the Flute came up, they showed a bunch of the people at the auction openly coveting it. It went for a *ridiculous* price, and they cut to Patrick Stewart who is very very bemused. He collects himself, and says "it doesn't even play. Never did."
