You know that feeling when you're rewatching a classic show and an episode comes on that just feels... off? That's the vibe with Star Trek TNG The Price. It’s the eighth episode of the third season, a point where The Next Generation was finally finding its footing, yet this specific hour remains one of the most polarizing bits of 1980s sci-fi. It’s got everything: oily negotiators, a wormhole that isn't actually a wormhole, and Counselor Troi having a very intense, very sweaty romance with a guy who basically manipulates everyone he meets.
Honestly, it’s a weird one.
The plot centers on the Barzan Wormhole. The Barzans are a species that can’t even breathe "standard" air without a high-tech apparatus, and they’ve discovered what they think is the only stable wormhole in existence. Naturally, everyone wants a piece of it. The Federation, the Romulans, the Caldonians, and even the Ferengi show up at the bargaining table. But the real story isn't about the physics of the wormhole; it's about Devinoni Ral. He’s the negotiator representing the Chrysalians, and he is, quite frankly, a piece of work.
The Problem With Devinoni Ral and the Barzan Negotiation
Most people remember Star Trek TNG The Price because of the romance between Deanna Troi and Devinoni Ral. It’s... a lot. Ral is part Betazoid, just like Troi, but he keeps it a secret so he can use his empathic abilities to cheat during negotiations. He basically "reads" the room to figure out exactly how to manipulate his opponents. It’s unethical. It’s slimy. And for some reason, Troi falls for him almost instantly.
The pacing of their relationship is jarring. One minute they’re meeting in a corridor, and the next, they’re in her quarters having a very physical, very "80s television" encounter. Matt McCoy, who played Ral, brings this slick, almost predatory energy to the role that makes the whole thing feel a bit uncomfortable by modern standards. He’s the quintessential "bad boy" of the week, but unlike later nuanced villains like Gul Dukat, Ral just feels like a guy who would try to sell you a lemon at a used car lot.
But here is the thing: the episode tries to make a point about the ethics of empathy. Is it "cheating" to use your natural-born senses to win a business deal? Ral argues it’s no different than being smarter or faster than someone else. Troi, however, is horrified. This conflict is actually the strongest part of the script, written by Hannah Louise Shearer. It asks if having an advantage makes you a monster if you choose to use it.
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Why the Ferengi Save the Episode
If it weren’t for the Ferengi, this episode might have been a total wash. This was back when the Ferengi were still being played as legitimate threats (sort of) but were transitioning into the comedic relief we’d eventually love in Deep Space Nine.
The Ferengi in Star Trek TNG The Price are Arridor and Goss. They are desperate. They are willing to do anything to get the rights to that wormhole. There’s a great scene where they try to poison the Caldonian negotiator just to get him out of the way. It’s classic, low-stakes villainy. What’s truly hilarious, and also kind of tragic, is how the episode ends for them. They end up stranded in the Gamma Quadrant because they were too greedy to listen to the science.
The science, by the way, is a mess.
Data and Geordi spend most of the episode in a shuttlecraft realizing that the wormhole is "unstable." It’s basically a cosmic dead end. The Barzans sold a bridge to nowhere. The irony is delicious: Ral wins the contract through deception and manipulation, only to find out he’s won a useless piece of space.
A Different Side of Counselor Troi
We have to talk about Marina Sirtis here. For much of the early seasons, Troi was relegated to saying things like, "I sense great fear, Captain," while sitting next to Picard. Star Trek TNG The Price gave her something to do. Was it the best thing? Maybe not. But it was a rare look at her personal life and her own internal struggles with her heritage.
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She’s genuinely torn. She finds someone who understands the "burden" of being an empath in a galaxy of "mutes" (as Ral calls non-telepaths). That connection is real, even if the guy is a creep. When she eventually calls him out in front of the entire negotiation committee, it’s a massive moment for her character. She chooses her ethics over her heart. She chooses the Federation over a man who actually "gets" her.
Production Weirdness and Fun Facts
- The Ferengi Shuttle: The ship the Ferengi use in this episode is a redress of the Federation shuttlecraft. If you look closely, the geometry is suspiciously familiar.
- The Gamma Quadrant: This episode marks the first mention of the Gamma Quadrant in Star Trek history. Years later, this would become the primary setting for Deep Space Nine.
- Mick Fleetwood: Yes, Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac is in this episode. He’s the high-ranking Antedean dignitary at the beginning. You can’t recognize him because he’s under a mountain of fish-like prosthetics. He reportedly wanted to be on the show so badly he agreed to be unrecognizable.
- The Costume: Ral’s outfit is... very of its time. The high-waisted pants and the draped fabrics scream 1989.
Why This Episode Is Better (And Worse) Than You Remember
Looking back, Star Trek TNG The Price is a fascinating failure. It tries to be a high-stakes political thriller and a steamy romance at the same time, and it doesn't quite nail either. The "negotiation" scenes are mostly people sitting in a dark room looking annoyed at each other. The romance feels rushed.
However, it succeeds in world-building. It shows us that the Federation isn't the only player in the woods. It shows us that even "good" people like the Barzans can be desperate enough to sell a faulty product. And it gives us a precursor to the Ferengi we’d eventually grow to love.
The episode also highlights the technical limitations of the time. The wormhole effect is a practical light show that looks okay, but it lacks the scale of what we’d see later in the series. Yet, there’s a charm to it. It’s tactile.
What You Can Learn from The Price
If you’re a writer or a storyteller, this episode is a masterclass in "character stakes vs. plot stakes." The plot stake is the wormhole. The character stake is Troi’s integrity. Usually, in Star Trek, the plot wins. In this episode, the plot is literally a vacuum—the wormhole is worthless. That leaves us only with the character growth.
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It’s a reminder that even in a show about spaceships and aliens, the most interesting thing is usually the person standing on the bridge.
If you're planning to revisit this one, don't go in expecting The Best of Both Worlds. Go in expecting a weird, 80s-tinted exploration of 24th-century dating and mid-tier diplomacy. It’s clunky, sure. But it’s also undeniably Star Trek.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Rewatch:
- Watch the Ferengi's expressions: Arridor and Goss are doing some heavy lifting with their facial acting. They are way more fun than the "serious" negotiators.
- Listen to the score: The music in this episode is particularly melodramatic, especially during the Troi/Ral scenes. It’s a great example of how the show used audio to signal "this is a romance episode."
- Count the fish: Try to spot Mick Fleetwood. It’s almost impossible without a guide, but knowing he’s there makes the Antedean scenes much more entertaining.
- Analyze the "Consent" of Empathy: Think about Ral’s argument. In a world where some people are born with the ability to read minds, how do you actually regulate that? It's a question the show returns to several times in later seasons.
The Barzan wormhole might have been a bust, but the episode itself is a goldmine for fans who want to see the growing pains of a legendary series. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely not boring.