This is one episode I have changed my mind about a number of times . The premise is interesting enough a group of people from earth want to find a place more utopian than the earth a place of peace .It's an understandable idea but of course the place they choose turns out to have no night ,a double sun and none of the more beautiful places on earth.
Beenteen is the leader he is paterlistic and it goes a bit far but is also helpful in it's way. He tells stories about the beauty of earth while they wait for the day they will be taken back to earth. That day comes and they are all excited at first. Beenteen sees his power slipping away especially when he learns the group will go their own ways and spread across the earth returing to families and such. He predictably reverses course and claims the earth isn't so wonderful .The captain who has come with his crew to rescue the people is patient with Benteen but also makes it clear he will be left behind as no one is being forced to go and indeed he is only to realize too late he really wanted to go.
It's one of those twist that does stick with you for sure. The hour format however could have been better utilized a more interesting turn of events would have been to only spend half the time on the barren atroid and have the story continue when they return to earth. Beenteen would have been in much demand and then see his popularity decline after a while .They could have shown the group finding their way back on earth too. Spending so much of the first part of the episode before the rescue team arrived could have been shortened .The hour format could have done more with the adjustments made back on earth and the excitent of returning for all of them including Beenteen. Instead they made it almost too much about Beenteen. James Whitmore does a wonderful job and seeing Beenteen losing his grip is not totally unexpected but it's hard to believe he wouldn't go back and take advantage of the interest people would have in him and the rest of them and what he does when it starts to go away.
Beenteen is the leader he is paterlistic and it goes a bit far but is also helpful in it's way. He tells stories about the beauty of earth while they wait for the day they will be taken back to earth. That day comes and they are all excited at first. Beenteen sees his power slipping away especially when he learns the group will go their own ways and spread across the earth returing to families and such. He predictably reverses course and claims the earth isn't so wonderful .The captain who has come with his crew to rescue the people is patient with Benteen but also makes it clear he will be left behind as no one is being forced to go and indeed he is only to realize too late he really wanted to go.
It's one of those twist that does stick with you for sure. The hour format however could have been better utilized a more interesting turn of events would have been to only spend half the time on the barren atroid and have the story continue when they return to earth. Beenteen would have been in much demand and then see his popularity decline after a while .They could have shown the group finding their way back on earth too. Spending so much of the first part of the episode before the rescue team arrived could have been shortened .The hour format could have done more with the adjustments made back on earth and the excitent of returning for all of them including Beenteen. Instead they made it almost too much about Beenteen. James Whitmore does a wonderful job and seeing Beenteen losing his grip is not totally unexpected but it's hard to believe he wouldn't go back and take advantage of the interest people would have in him and the rest of them and what he does when it starts to go away.