Star Trek TNG - Skin Of Evil (1988)
After receiving a distress call from Deana Trio & other crew aboard a mysteriously crashed shuttle The Enterprise go to investigate only to discover that the planet Vagra II is prison to an alien life-form known as Armus that caused the crash & toys with members that beam down, including killing Tasha Yar. Picard with the help of mainly Worf, manages to save the rest & confronts Armus, before beaming back to the Enterprise. Leaving the tormented creature to rot, for eternity in it's purgatory.
I hadn't expected to blog about why this one is so fab. But halfway through watching this, I felt compelled. My 2nd Trek blog in as many weeks & not the one that I even thought about, until I watched it, last night. But with the new Picard series on the horizon, this seems somewhat apt. We're embraced (sometimes a bit literally for one) by Armus. a creature so alone for perhaps millennia & abandoned by a mysterious, ancient race, that we cannot comprehend his hurt & bitterness. This is one, seriously engaging episode.
He takes his torment out, first by killing Tasha Yar, then bragging about it to Deana Troi who already sensed the fact! Yet, he gets no joy from killing her simply because she didn't suffer beforehand! What I dig about this one is that they waste no time in killing a main character albeit, as short-lived as she was. This isn't your usual "red-shirt" beams down with the TOS crew & whilst they survive, red shirts get killed. Yes, Bones was killed on that fantasy planet & Chekov also, at a 'holo-deck' recreation of the OK Corral, but they survived, not here!
The 'Freudian duel' between Troi & this twisted monster is so classic. She gives Armus her all. Armus genuinely thinks he's the ultimate evil & gets off on the fact. In fact, you may say..yeah, I think you know who (?) I adore his failed attempts to mind-f@@k with the rest of the crew. Dr Crusher is happy to sacrifice her life, as are the others to his annoyance. Though we see Riker getting absorbed in this poor, tragic, creatures attempt to simply wind them up, to no avail for you, Armus. Poor Riker ends up being absorbed by Armus, an oil bath.
I find it interesting that Worf refuses to beam down to the planet. This confused me as a brat. The great, Klingon warrior? He would've really been unable to control his anger against Armus' mind-games. I assume he wanted to stay aboard The Enterprise to strategically find Armus' weakness which he does. Every time Deana or the others confront Armus his force-field goes down & he is at his weakest when he's being verbally insulted it would seem, sticks & stones eat my heart's out!
Picard uses this advantage to defeat Armus. Armus wanted off of his prison planet?! All had to do was ask. None of this Freudian crap, though I think we're all better off as he's obviously too bitter to say the least? Picard's bravery against such a monster is demonstrated, here. I wouldn't want to go up against Armus, I'll get to this part later. Being "pitied" is offensive to him. Obviously, we're treated to Tasha's eulogy. I have to confess to finding this silly, at first. Why would anyone go out of their way to record such a thing? You could last another 20 years aboard another starship? But having watched Chief O' Brien's constant messages he's been recording on DS9 to poor Keiko, every time they go against The Dominion, or any other mission pretty much speaks volumes to this Trekkie.
The torment of Armus can easily apply to any of us. I guess it's how we react & behave that truly counts & believe me, I'm no master at this anymore than Picard with his hatred of The Borg! Can we truly judge Armus or are we hypocrites for doing so, given his Immortal. infinity of Hell?
Is there not an "Armus" within us all?
Borgduck alias Stewart,