Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 117: The Outcast

Commander Riker ends up working closely with Soren (Melinda Culea), a skilled J'naii pilot. Soren is very curious about species with gender, and asks Riker and others about the differences between their genders.

Geordi has to retrofit the exterior of one of the Enterprise's shuttles so that it will not lose power in null space while on their rescue mission. Riker and Soren work on adjustments on the inside of the shuttle when Soren drops a bombshell. She finds Riker attractive. Riker has felt there was something but had dismissed it. Soren shares that once in a while, a member of her species is born as a "throw-back" to when they once had gender - she is one of them, in this case, female.

Soren explains that in her culture, those with gender are perceived as less evolved and the concept of gender is even reviled. When one of them is "found out," they are forced to go through psycho-tectic "treatments" to remove all remnants of gender and to change their minds about their feelings

Riker falls for her - which reveals a new aspect to Riker's character. Everyone that Riker has had relationships with has been buxom and attractive. Soren is plain, flat-chested and has a chili-bowl haircut. Riker falls for her mind and her heart.

Soren, who has kept her secret hidden her entire life, makes an incredibly stupid error -she shares an intimate kiss with him on her own planet and is discovered by a suspicious J'naii who has been watching the two of them.

The story tries to get a little preachy during Soren's speech to the court that is deciding her fate, so it briefly loses its way as it tries to hard to push the point, as though the even most casual observer could not detect the underlying story.

In the end, however, this is a very memorable episode. We see Riker truly fall in love (not in lust) with someone who doesn't look like a jazz lounge singer or a cocktail bunny, and we see his heart get crushed and broken in two.

Male to Female transsexuality is probably the closest analogy to what took place in this episode, in which Soren, a person from a gender-neutral planet, discovers that she is female.

And considering how many today are beginning to think that gender is a cultural concept and that traditional male-female roles are too black-and-white, this episode was ahead of its time, by having a gender-neutral race portrayed.

Finally, the issue of involuntary psychiatric committment for one's "lifestyle" is portrayed, when Soren is "treated" for being female and Riker tries to protect her from authorities. There are some on Earth today who still think transgenderism, homosexuality, etc. are mental illnesses.

The Star Trek universe rarely touches on the idea of sex in the future, but when it does try to deal with the issue it certainly does so in a provocative way. In "The Host" (Episode 97), Dr. Crusher fell in love with a Trill, not knowing that the object of her affection was a parasite that could start off in a male body and end up as a female by the end of the episode. In "The Outcast," Riker proves himself admirably more open minded in dealing with Soren, whose race is apparently structurally and functionally both male and female. Underlying their relationship is a standard Star Trek dilemma, that of respecting the cultural integrity of other beings whose views we do not want to accept in the present let along in the future. Given the current political subtext of the acceptance of homosexuals in American society, this is a remarkably even-handed episode that gives both sides their say. This is also one of those episodes that makes me realize how much I like the character of Riker, even though in many ways he is the least interesting character of the show since he is only the second in command, not an android, not telepathic, not Klingon, not a kid and not blind. Even with all these handicaps Will Riker is a fully fleshed out character.