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| "Rascals" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: The Next Generation episode | |
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Rascals_TNG.jpg) Twelve-year-old versions of Keiko, Picard, Guinan and Ro on the transporter pad | |
| Episode no. | Season 6 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Adam Nimoy |
| Story by | Ward Botsford Diana Dru Botsford Michael Piller |
| Teleplay by | Alison Hock |
| Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
| Production code | 233 |
| Original air date | October 30, 1992 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Rascals" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 133rd overall. It was originally released on October 30, 1992, in broadcast syndication. "Rascals" was credited to Alison Hock from a story by Ward Botsford, Diana Dru Botsford, Michael Piller, although the script was revised by several writers with Ronald D. Moore conducting the final draft. It marked the directorial debut of Adam Nimoy.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode, the bodies of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and three other crewmembers are reduced to those of 12-year-old children in a transporter accident. When a group of Ferengi pirates boards the Enterprise, the "children" must work with Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) to take back the ship while coming to terms with their newly found youth.
"Rascals" was not a popular episode with the staff, with scientific advisor Naren Shankar deriding the science proposed for the script. Several of the guest cast had appeared in other roles within the series before; David Tristan Birkin, Mike Gomez, Tracey Walter and Michael Snyder. The episode also marked the final appearance on The Next Generation of Rosalind Chao as Keiko O'Brien, and the series’s only appearance of Hana Hatae as Molly O'Brien, as the characters were to be transferred, along with Colm Meaney’s Miles O'Brien, to the spinoff series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The episode received a Nielsen Rating of 13.5 percent, and received a mixed response from critics. Birkin's performance as Picard and the scene with Keiko and Miles O'Brien were praised, while the Ferengi were seen in both positive and negative lights.