It has plenty of flaws, but “Half a Life” is remarkable for making Lwaxana Troi relatable and “human” (yes, I know, she’s actually Betazoid, but whatever) for the first time. Even here, she’s a character whom I don’t really like very much—but for the first time ever, I don’t loathe her in this episode, and that’s quite an achievement. My reactions to the rest of the episode are about the same: I don’t love it, but neither is it terrible (and it does have some bits that I find genuinely moving).
We’re presented here with a Lwaxana who is still self-absorbed, socially oblivious, and pushy (so, in short, the same character whom the show has given us thrice before), yet who stops short of being a one-note caricature for a change. It helps that we are mostly spared the same old gags revolving around her overbearing interest in the captain, but even more importantly, she has an actual arc here, and even shows some humility and genuine growth by the end of the episode. Also, to the extent that this is an “issue” episode, she represents a point of view with which (presumably) almost any viewer will agree, which goes a long way toward rendering her palatable. She remains an annoying person, and having a character in her position who saw things in a less black and white way and could react with more sensitivity and reflection would have made the story more compelling, but even so, I do actually empathize with her this time. The episode does a pretty good job of suggesting that her motives for pushing Timicin to rebel are complex: one part wanting him to live so she can have a relationship with him, one part her own fears related to aging and decreasing relevance, one part moral outrage and indignance, and…maybe one part genuine concern for his well-being? That last motive is the one that I’m the least convinced of, but to the episode’s (and Lwaxana’s) credit, she herself expresses doubts on this point. (I won’t dwell too much on the relatively unconvincing nature of the Lwaxana-Timicin romance. It develops awfully fast, and it’s not amazingly clear what really attracts either of them to the other, but it’s no worse than usual for TNG—a show that rarely manages to portray romance compellingly.)
In common with most episodes that revolve around a planet of the week and try to use it to explore a social issue, “Half a Life” loses points for largely dispensing with nuance and realism in order to present the issue as starkly as possible. This planet’s “resolution” custom involving mandatory suicide at age 60 is pretty out there, yet we’re seemingly asked to believe that everyone has always accepted it without a flicker of doubt…until now. The episode tries gamely to make this believable by giving Timicin a connection to Lwaxana, who urges him to rebel, and then layering the urgency of his work on top of that…but it’s not remotely enough to convince me. If people from this world can be pushed to rebel against “the resolution” this easily, then it ought be happening all the time! Yet both the “science minister” character and Timicin’s own daughter react as though it’s shocking and unheard of (and both of them also come across as disappointingly one-dimensional characters). Also, the resort to threats of violence should the Enterprise extend asylum to Timicin feels dramatically unnecessary (and, of course, goes nowhere). None of these flaws is fatal, but they add up to a story that leaves something to be desired. (That said, I do appreciate the fact that even though the mandatory suicide thing is pretty ludicrous, the episode manages to avoid presenting “our heroes” as morally superior interlopers smugly passing judgement on a backward culture. We have come a long way since season one!)
For an episode that seems to want to explore a “big idea,” there is less substance to dig into than one might expect. However, I will at least say this: While I certainly agree with Lwaxana that a society has a responsibility to care for its elderly, I differ with her, and agree with Timicin, when the latter says that “no parent should expect to be paid back for the love they have given their children.” These are two entirely different issues, and while there is definitely room for complexity in my views on the latter (and maybe also a need to acknowledge my bias, as a non-parent), I think the distinction is an important one.
In the end, “Half a Life” is saved from becoming merely a simplistic “issue episode” by its focus on how Lwaxana struggles to come to terms with Timicin’s way of life and his ultimate decision to go through with the “resolution”…but in the process, it becomes an episode that is about Lwaxana instead of being about any of the regular characters. I mean, sure, she’s a recurring character, and I suppose there are viewers who are actually invested in her. Better that the story revolve around her than, say, around Timicin. And making her, rather than one of the regulars, the driving force pushing Timicin to rebel is, after all, part of how the episode avoids becoming smug and preachy. Still, I don’t like her, and I’m always going to prefer stories that are about characters whom I do like and care about.