The crux of
this episode is that the kind of life the Alphans will encounter may be
somewhat different to their expectations. It’s a timely and well mounted
escapade that also shows us something of the dynamics of command. When a
mission to a potentially habitable planet (which incidentally looks like a
cocktail) returns with a third person on board that’s strange enough. The fact
that he appears to be Helena’s late husband who went missing presumed dead
during a mission near Jupiter five years previously is just bizarre. It
certainly gives Victor several chances to look puzzled and engage in tests; my
favourite one is the scan of Russell which suggests he is dead.
Victor’s scientific knowledge seems boundless yet for Koenig, eager it seems to
please the crew, even this oddity must not stand in the way of evacuation.
