The Inner Light (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
It was partly inspired by the Beatles' song "The Inner Light", written by George Harrison and based on verses in the Tao Te Ching.
On stardate 45944.1, the Enterprise-D finishes a magnetic wave survey of the Parvenium system and finds an unknown probe.
The device rapidly scans the ship and directs an energy beam at Captain Picard, who wakes up to find himself on Kataan, a non-Federation planet.
Picard begins living his life as Kamin in his village, Ressik, having children with Eline and learning to play the flute.
The official gravely points out to Kamin that they have only recently launched artificial satellites using primitive rockets: their race simply does not possess the technology to evacuate people before their planet is rendered uninhabitable.
Morgan Gendel named the episode after "The Inner Light", a song written by George Harrison and released by the Beatles as the B-side of their 1968 single "Lady Madonna".
Therefore the sages got their knowledge without travelling; gave their (right) names to things without seeing them; and accomplished their ends without any purpose of doing so.According to Gendel, the song "captured the theme of the show: that Picard experienced a lifetime of memories all in his head.
It plays a role in the episode "Lessons" where Picard develops a romantic relationship with a stellar cartographer assigned to the Enterprise, Nella Daren, an accomplished pianist who encourages his musical side and with whom he performs a duet version of the "Inner Light" theme.
It later appears in a deleted scene from Star Trek Nemesis; Lieutenant Commander Data picks it up and examines it while discussing human life with Picard.
A simple recurring theme that Picard plays on the flute was later developed into a full orchestral suite for the 30th anniversary of Star Trek.
[5] From October 5–7, 2006, the Ressikan flute, in the simple storage box seen in the episode, was one of the items up for bid at Christie's official studio auction of Star Trek memorabilia.
Including the additional 20% fee Christie's collected on all items from the winning bidder, the total price for the flute was $48,000 (equivalent to $72,547 in 2023).
[14] In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter noted this episode's presentation of Picard remembering his probe-life and quietly playing the Ressikan flute in his cabin, ranking it as the fifth "most stunning" moment of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
[33] "The Inner Light" was the first television program to be so honored since the Star Trek original series episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" won in 1968.
The episode was nominated at the 45th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series, but lost to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Captive Pursuit".
