“Manhunt”
Written by Terry Devereaux
Directed by Rob Bowman
Season 2, Episode 19
Original air date: June 19, 1989
Star date: 42859.2
Mission summary
In the transporter room, Captain Picard greets a couple of fishy Antedean dignitaries destined for a conference on Pacifica—but they’re in a self-induced catatonic state, so he probably could have skipped the dress uniform. Yet his sacrifice is not for naught, because Enterprise has another distinguished, albeit unexpected guest: Lwaxana Troi, daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed. And she is very appreciative of Picard’s legs. She happens to be going to Pacifica too, so she hitches a ride, to everyone’s inexpressible delight.
This time, the Captain defers the honor of carrying her luggage to Commander Riker, who also draws Lwaxana’s wandering, lustful attention. She’s incorrigible! But she mostly has eyes for Picard, whom she invites to a “Betazoid dinner of greeting”—purely business, she assures him. He diplomatically accepts. While the elder Troi doles out demeaning relationship advice to her daughter, Counselor Troi, Riker, Wesley, and Data yuk it up on the Bridge at Lwaxana and Picard’s expense, prompting a chastising remark from the captain.
There’s no change with the Antedeans, who won’t be woken until they reach Pacificain a few days, so Picard gets back into his dress uniform for the ambassadorial dinner, which no one else seems to be attending. Once he arrives, he quickly realizes that Lwaxana has tricked him into a romantic dinner for two. (Her ever-present valet Mr. Homn doesn’t count.) Normally an accomplished fencer and conversationalist, Picard is unprepared for her directed verbal assault.
LWAXANA: A toast to Earthmen, who, despite their faults, have that unique ability to charm women of all races, in all corners of the galaxy.
PICARD: Speaking on behalf of men of Earth, which is indeed an awesome responsibility, I thank you.
LWAXANA: I know what you’re thinking, Captain.
PICARD: You do?
LWAXANA: You’re wondering whether I’m seeing any other man. On a serious basis.
PICARD: Well, actually, I wasn’t.
LWAXANA: I wouldn’t worry about it, Jean-Luc. Competition seems to bring out the best in the human male.
PICARD: The fact is, I wasn’t expecting this setting. I had assumed that my senior Bridge officers would be attending.
LWAXANA: You never assume anything where Lwaxana Troi is concerned. Betazoid women are full of surprises. Strange, I’m not really very hungry tonight. I wonder what’s made me lose my appetite? Any ideas?
Trapped on an awkward date but unwilling to offend his guest, Picard asks Lwaxana a tough trivia question then contacts Data to answer it, in great detail—the equivalent of pulling up Wikipedia on a smart phone. Feigning ignorance of Lwaxana’s amorous intent, he invites the android to join them for dessert, which proves to be the perfect diversion. Counselor Troi arrives to rescue him, but rescues her mother instead—and Picard seizes the opportunity to escape Lwaxana’s advances.
It turns out that Lwaxana is undergoing the Betazoid “phase,” a mid-life period of heightened sexual urges.
RIKER: Yes, it’s something Troi warned me about when we first started to see each other. A Betazoid woman, when she goes through this phase, quadruples her sex drive.
TROI: Or more.
RIKER: Or more? You never told me that.
TROI: I didn’t want to frighten you. She has opted for the only dignified option open to her.
RIKER: Isolation?
TROI: She has decided to focus all of her sexual energy on one male, who will, of course, eventually become her husband. It seems, Captain, that you are the early favorite.
To avoid deeply offending Lwaxana, Picard opts for the only dignified option open to him: isolation. He dresses up again, this time in overcoat and fedora, and flees to the warm embrace of the holodeck. But the available Dixon Hill programs are not as relaxing as he’d hoped for, because thugs keep trying to kill him.
With Picard tied up with “official ship business,” Lwaxana assesses the other male specimens at hand—even, briefly, Wesley and Worf. She finally settles on Riker, announces their engagement, and follows him to the holodeck, where she meets Rex, a holographic bartender in the Dixon Hill program who she falls for. Riker’s off the hook!
The Antedean dignitaries wake up, consume a barrelful of food, and assemble in the transporter room to beam down to Pacifica. Lwaxana arrives as well, miffed that she has lavished her attentions on a virtual man.
LWAXANA: Why are they still here?
RIKER: We thought that since you’re going to the same conference, you might like to beam down with the other delegates.
LWAXANA: They’re not delegates. Those two are assassins.
ANTEDEAN: That is an outrage! Lies! We demand you transport at once!
LWAXANA: Don’t bother to deny it. Your minds are so unsophisticated I can read your thoughts in my sleep. Their robes are lined with ultritium, highly explosive, virtually undetectable by your transporter.
DATA: She is correct, sir. I am detecting large amounts of ultritium.
LWAXANA: Well of course you are. They were planning on blowing up the entire conference.
PICARD: Mister Worf, take them to level five. Disarm them. Hold them for questioning.
WORF: Aye, sir.
LWAXANA: Ah well, I didn’t find a mate, but I did save the conference, as well as your reputations. All in a day’s work, I suppose.
PICARD: Goodbye Mrs. Troi, and thank you. Energize, Chief O’Brien.
LWAXANA: Jean-Luc. Shame on you for thinking such a thing.
Analysis
Depending on your opinion of Lwaxana Troi, you either love or hate this episode. I happen to like Lwaxana more often than not, so I’ve always found this one enjoyable, but I also didn’t have any memory of what “Manhunt” is about—especially with that somewhat misleading title, which promises more action than anyone gets—until I started re-watching it. “Oh yeah, the fish people!” I exclaimed when I saw the teaser, though I was surprised that it was a Lwaxana episode. The reason I drew a blank on this one is because there is almost nothing of substance to it—it really is all about Lwaxana visiting the ship and being horny and pushy, as usual. A flimsy premise if ever I saw one.
As such, I found it entertaining with many laugh-out-loud moments, but it also had its fair share of wince-inducing elements. There were some weak and heavy-handed attempts at inserting some meaning into the script, most notably Wesley’s apparent prejudice against non-human races, with his criticism of the Antedean delegates and even Worf, who he insists is “handsome, for a Klingon.” “Judging a being by its physical appearance is the last major human prejudice, Wesley,” Data chides. Ugh. Lwaxana is similarly disgusted by their appearance. And although it fits her character, I was put off by this casual exchange as she sizes up Riker:
LWAXANA: He has nice legs too, Little One. Is he still yours?
TROI: Humans no longer own each other that way, Mother.
LWAXANA: Really? That’s a custom we may have to introduce again.
No no no no no… Then there’s the little paradox of a woman in power like Lwaxana, who could be admired for her willingness to speak her mind and be open about what she wants, placing such a premium on getting a man and—again—the importance of appearances.
LWAXANA: He’s a fine man. Solid, reliable. He’s a little on the stuffy side, but, all in all, he’s not that bad.
TROI: I can’t believe you, Mother. You sound like you’re sizing up a commodity.
LWAXANA: But that’s exactly what men are, darling. Especially human men. Was your father ever unhappy with me?
TROI: No. He worshipped you. But I don’t think I’ll ever learn to see men the way you do.
LWAXANA: You will as you mature, darling. And the men in your life are going to bless you for it. You’re so beautiful.
Gee, thanks, mom.
But with all these possible themes to explore, particularly the significance of outward appearances—the episode either dismisses them entirely or merely pays lip service. It’s fine to have a fun, diverting episode now and again, but even comedic Star Trek episodes like “The Trouble with Tribbles” had more plot going on, and many were about something. Similar to “Tribbles,” there’s a hidden terrorist that is only revealed by one of the guests; this kind of an awesome way to end the episode, but it’s also frustrating because it’s conflict that is resolved the instant we know about it. It also highlights all sorts of things that we probably weren’t meant to think about: Enterprise doesn’t routinely scan for weapons or anomalies like ultritium? Even if the transporter doesn’t pick them up, Data manages to confirm Lwaxana’s claim instantly. It might have been good to know that not all the Antedeans supported entry into the Federation. Why have fish aliens on board if they’re just going to be on ice for the whole episode? And if they’re so easy to read, why didn’t Counselor Troi pick up anything from them?
Lwaxana’s telepathic abilities have supposedly been out of whack because of her condition the whole episode, but I figure she probably hasn’t been able to read the Antedeans before now because they were unconscious, and she had other things on her mind. But I can’t help wondering if her abilities were compromised at all. Her manipulation of Picard into joining her for dinner was clearly premeditated, and all her jokes about Picard’s lustful thoughts about her have to be made up—presumably because it amuses her to shake his proper demeanor. (Admittedly, Patrick Stewart is terrific at playing uncomfortable.) But I have to imagine that she knows exactly what he and everyone else thinks of her, and that’s just kind of sad. And the only reason she gets away with any of this is because she’s a diplomat and no one wants to offend her.
The holodeck is even more superfluous than usual, but at least it seemed to function the way it should this time around, almost obtuse in its inability to deliver the experience Picard wanted, simply because he wasn’t phrasing his command correctly. Perhaps after that little incident with Moriarty, they dumbed the holodeck AI down a little. It was also funny, on a meta level, that the computer has Majel Barrett’s voice, both when Picard is trying to hide from her other character, and when Lwaxana is essentially talking to herself.
All in all, this episode is fluff, a throwaway installment that at least does no harm, as opposed to some of the episodes preceding it. It pretty much only works on one level, and not consistently at that. But for the meager laughs it provides, I’ll give it a Warp 2.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
Eugene’s Rating: Warp 2 (on a scale of 1-6)
Thread Alert: For a while, I thought I’d have to talk about the Starfleet dress uniforms here, but they actually aren’t that bad. I like them from the waist up, anyway; they remind me a little of the Starfleet red jacket uniforms from STII through VI, though they would probably be better with pants. And it’s pretty clear that Lwaxana’s outfits are much more outlandish. Deanna must get her fashion sense from her mother, is what I’m saying. It’s really up to you, take your pick of any of her ensembles. I think this one is the worst, though.
Best Line: WORF: “What a handsome race.”
Trivia/Other Notes: When Dixon Hill’s secretary, Madeline (played by Rhonda Aldritch), sees Picard, she says, “You’re too much, Dix. You make it sound like you ain’t seen me in a year.” Cute, since it has been about a year since he saw her in “The Big Goodbye.”
Terry Devereaux is a pseudonym for Tracy Tormé, who used it in protest over revisions to the script—particularly the Dixon Hill segments. This was his last episode before leaving the series at the end of the season.
One of the Antedean dignitaries was played by drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac.
Scarface was played by Robert O’Reilly, who is best known for his recurring role of Gowron, Chancellor of the Klingon High Council later in TNG and DS9.
Previous episode: Season 2, Episode 18 – “Up the Long Ladder.”
Next episode: Season 2, Episode 20 – “The Emissary.”
Blech. I tend to dislike Lwaxana episodes anyway, and this one is worse than most. It’s trying way too hard to be funny and failing miserably. About the only bit that works for me is Riker’s reaction when Deanna says she was underselling the increase in sexual drive. I suppose part of the problem for me is that I don’t react well to watching other people in uncomfortable situations (fremdschämen as they say in German), especially when it’s being done for humor.
Would you believe that they actually hyped Mick Fleetwood in the week before this aired for the first time. It was a BIG DEAL. And yet there’s absolutely no way of knowing which of the aliens he is (I assume the non-speaking one) or even if he really is there under the mask. He really wanted to be on the show, even going so far as to shave off his rather iconic beard. And he got a silent role that could have been played by any fairly tall bum pulled in off the street. In a B plot that consisted of the teaser and one scene right at the end.
It’s slightly better than Warp 1, but Warp 2 feels rather generous.
hmm forgot to watch last night as I was too traumatized from watching Mockingbirld Lane (the Munsters reboto) with my wife because we’re Eddie Izzard fans. (Short answer — TNG would have been more entertaining.)
From what I rmember of this episode, I’m glad I didnlt watch it again. It’s a long tough slog to decent next gen episodes and that might be a prime reason why I never became a big next gen fan…
The person who comes off the worst in this episode is Deanna, who’s shown up by her mother doing her job for her.
@3 S. Hutson Blount
No kidding!
Feeling bludgeoned by the sheer awfulness of these episodes.
I’m with DemetriosX in being a fan neither of Troi’s mother or the pulling down Picard’s trousers to point and laugh at his red-faced discomfort.
Not what I signed aboard with the crew of an interstellar spaceship to do. I think that’s what the writers of these episodes fundamentally do not understand. It is why the series to date has been more or less a failure.
Unlike Demetrios and Lemnoc, I’m generally a fan of Lwaxana Troi. I even had a fond recollection of this episode! WHAT WAS I THINKING.
Eugene tackles the ridiculous “humans are still racist!” crap, so I won’t repeat that, but what really bothered me this time around is the way they make female sexuality–particularly a middle-aged woman’s sexuality–a big joke for everyone to get a laugh in on. Why is this so amusing or silly? What the hell’s wrong with a widowed, foxy older lady wanting a vibrant sex life? But they won’t even go that far, because of course Lwaxana wants more than just some wild nights–she wants a husband. Because there’s no way that a horny middle-ager with a distinguished, independent life and career could possibly just want sex. The horror! Let’s be honest–there’s got to be SOMEONE on the Enterprise who would tap that. There’d probably be a queue. She’s still got it, and she’s rich and powerful! So why’s everyone so disgusted by her?
But everyone on the crew goes out of their way to humiliate and demean her. Picard in particular is a righteous asshole, countering an admittedly manipulated date with flat-out dickery. I guess it’s supposed to be funny that he calls in his wingman to bore the hell out of her, but it’s just petty. If he doesn’t want it to be a date, how about acting like an adult and saying “I’m just not that into you”? Why be such a jerk? Then he doesn’t want to face her so he goes to play video games. The whole Dixon Hill sequence is entirely pointless. (There was one little touch I liked: that when he complains to the other Majel about these violent stories, the computer basically asks what the hell he wants–Dixon Hill has violence and you want Dixon Hill so shut your trap or pick a new program. Damn straight!)
Let’s not forget that Deanna practically calls a MEETING to tell everyone about her mom’s libido, too. Talk about respecting personal boundaries. And do you like how Deanna cooks up this story about how rejecting her mom would be catastrophic, when by the end Lwaxana tells Riker she knew he didn’t care about her and that’s totally fine? Because rejecting her would be utterly humiliating, but allowing her to go on flirting with a holographic character, that’s just fine.
But then she hit on WESLEY. Everything about this episode is so awful and wrong.
As for the fish people–why are they even there? It’s a neat little ending that Lwaxana effortlessly shows up her repressed colleagues and proves her value and talent, but it’s too little and too late.
Warp 1, and only because I love Mr. Hohm getting wasted in every scene he’s in. Oh, and for her outfits, which are still awesome and I hope I can completely rock something that ugly when I’m her age.
Feeling bludgeoned by the sheer awfulness of these episodes.
Les mots justes.
Rawr, grumble, *shakes cane*.
@6 Torie
Well, Picard does seem to have some intimacy issues. We’ve seen and will see him struggling when relating to women on a sexual level. He will improve over time (unfortunately with Vash), but even after 6 seasons and a bunch of movies he never manages to pull the trigger with Beverly. He also may have some control issues (seen mostly in his difficulty relating to children) and Lwaxana is a force of nature even when her hormones aren’t running wild.
Wasn’t it established that she was looking for a husband as a way of channeling this whole thing? Without taking this approach it would be orgies on the holodeck 24/7 or something. Also, although it’s not really established here, over the years I got the impression that she’s rather lonely since Deanna’s father died and wants some actual companionship as well as a damn good rogering. She also seems to be fairly conservative by Betazed standards.
I can’t believe I’ve been defending this crapfest. At least the next two episodes are decent.
@ 8 DemetriosX
He can have intimacy issues. He’s also a diplomat, and knows how to politely extricate himself from awkward situations. I guess it’s supposed to be funny in an Office-type way, but I hate that style of discomfort humor so maybe it’s just not meant for me. I think Beverly is a great counter-example. They’re both interested, they both have baggage, but they both operate just fine on a professional and personal (tea time!) level without being jerks or even really weird to each other.
Re: the husband bit, that’s precisely my point. Of course the show would have her try to “channel” it into marriage. That makes no sense to me. Deanna already told us it’s a biological “phase” of increased sex drive, uncontrollable and irrepressible. And she has all these obnoxious speeches about “owning” tons of men and that’s what women like har har–so why would she want to marry one guy? Because deep down we all want a ring on it? You know they would never do anything like that if it were a man.
Speaking of–it did occur to me that maybe they think they’re being really clever and recasting the cliche lecherous, skirt-chasing diplomat as a woman. If so, it didn’t work.
But yes, the next two are pretty good. And then… oh and then…. shades of awful.
@9 Torie
I said in my first post that I really dislike comfort humor myself. (There were episodes of Seinfeld where I literally had to leave the room until a scene was over.) And that is a large part of what they were going for here. Still, while Picard is a diplomat, when he plays that role he is in a situation where the other sides accords him a certain amount of respect and latitude, he has some control. Lwaxana accords him none of that and simply overwhelms him. She’s his kryptonite and all he feels he can do is run away. Not that any of that makes this funny.
Tracy Tormé insisted they take his name off of this because of the rewrites and he was so frustrated by what had been done to his scripts over the last 2 years, he left the show. I wonder what the original story looked like. His scripts on other shows are usually pretty good.
I think the thing most bothersome about Lwaxana episodes is they are invariably set up like some kind of extended mother-in-law joke. Not my cup of Earl Grey.
OK, that should be DIScomfort humor there in the first sentence of my last post.
@11 Lemnoc
Very true. And along with the mother-in-law joke they’ve thrown in Jewish mother jokes and a hefty dose of Nanny Ogg (I can’t really think of a joke classification for an oversexed older woman, but it’s really in conflict with both mother-in-law and Jewish mother jokes.)
So this episode might not have been my kettle of fish. So many cliches crammed in like sardines (I mean, Lwaxana is hooked on human males, trawling for a mate but tossing one after another back when they can’t measure up to the one who keeps getting away). I do think the “my psychic powers are out of whack” thing is pretty clearly a fish story, though, since she knows & accepts that Riker won’t take the bait (although let’s face it, getting him to bang her would be like shooting fish in a barrel), and she spots the delegates’ fishy plan right off the boat. Maybe she’s toying with Picard, and maybe she’s angling for him sincerely — he’s such a cold fish it wouldn’t be surprising if he really were just awkwardly repressing sincere desire for her, and maybe Lwaxana thinks that dangling herself in front of him is the best way to spawn a relationship. I think he’s just swimming against the current, floundering about trying to repress his very real sexual feelings when he doesn’t want a commitment to her. He’s not one of those slippery-eel types who’ll cast his line in every stream you know. (Well, excepting Vash, my god. Ick. Theology.) But it is shameful to see him be such a spineless jellyfish toward her.
The point is the crew buys what she says hook, line, and sinker, and that’s never a good plan with Lwaxana — nor does it make for interesting stories. But where this episode really goes belly-up by my scales is the plotting: there’s never any real tension, it’s just stuffed to the gills with barely related awkward encounters that never really amount to anything, and in the final analysis I can’t call it anything but superficial.
A few episodes back, some were commenting about the essential cruelty of Pulaski refusing to call Data by his correct name and gender, refusing to recognize him as an entity despite clear evidence that he is considered one. Cruel, because she knows better.
I see the same kind of cruelty in Troi’s mother being able to read secret, private thoughts and then blithely spouting out what’s she’s read: It’s either true or not true, but in any case it is cruel. Trashing and tarnishing Picard in front of his crew for her personal yuks is just something only an asshole would do.
These folks just can’t write mature women with dignity.
@13 DeepThought
[squintingFry.jpg]
@13 If only the writing in this epsidoe were as clever as your post!
@ 10 DemetriosX
I thought Tracy Torme asked for his name off this one because of the Dixon Hill scenes? Not the Lwaxana stuff. I didn’t even remember this episode had any Dixon Hill.
And yeah, I’m surprised she doesn’t give Picard a copy of Nanny Ogg’s cookbook.
@ 14 Lemnoc
It seems obvious that none of it is true (I mean Mr. Hohm has a two-drink minimum for every scene, and Picard?!), but you’re right, it’s ridiculous that it keeps coming up as a gag. It may have been funny to do it once, teasingly. But again and again? Just stop.
The highlight package for this episode would consist of the scenes with Mr. Hohm.
The A plot seems influenced by the bad sit-coms (Seinfeld included) and the B plot seems to exist only to give the A plot its starting and ending points. I see Lwaxana as someone playing a comic act in a desperate measure to not be the lounge singer singing “Is That All There Is?” but coming off as a sad clown. There is more to her but it takes a while to see that. We will see what is probably the true Lwaxana in scenes in Half A Life and Cost Of Living, but here we see the sad clown trying to provide laughs in a series that at this point was more in need of better stories than cheap laughs.
@CaitieCat
You have me seeing Slappy Squirrel (Animaniacs) when I read your comments.
Now I guess I’d better back away and take cover.
Seriously, the comments are what make these terrible episodes worth rewatching.
I love Slappy Squirrel, and find this to be an apt and hilarious comparison.
I’m physically disabled, so I use a cane all the time – not an umbrella, but close! – and I’m completely grey-haired, as well as being a grandmother. and recently, an aunt for the first time – my younger sister gave birth to her first and only child (she’s 43, so no more are expected).
So I’m perfectly happy to be compared to the great and hilarious Slappy, thanks. :D
Also, DeepThought? Frakking HIGH-larious. Bravo, sir, bravo. :)
Actually, I should say, I’m completely grey-haired, except when my hair is dyed some fun colour, which is most of the time. Purple was very popular. Currently, I’m at teal, on my way down the rainbow from blue last spring. Green’s up next. :D
@13 DeepThought
You’re hired! Your first re-watch post will be “Shades of Gray.”
To echo a bunch of you, I also dislike discomfort humor, so I wonder why this episode (and Lwaxana in general) hasn’t bothered me more. I hadn’t considered some of the points Torie made about her being malicious before… I have to imagine that if she can truly read other people’s thoughts–or at least their feelings–about her, even passively, that she must lead a very sad life. Like many people, she uses humor as a defensive measure, and cultivates this persona to make herself less vulnerable. If they’re reacting to the act she’s putting on, they can’t hurt her as much as if she were being “herself” and they still didn’t like her. I was initially baffled by her gag at the beginning of the episode in which she’s facing the wrong direction on the transporter pad and kneeling. She must have set that up carefully to make a certain kind of impression.
And the thing is, no one ever really attempts to see the real her. They’re essentially playing along with the whole performance, and in some ways, her shallowness is revealing everyone else’s. Whatever her motivations, I think having someone shake up your routine, even if it exposes some of your own flaws (like Picard’s stuffiness), can serve a valuable purpose. And I wish we could see her in a full ambassadorial mode. I think perhaps she is very experienced at getting people to reveal their true selves, and of course manipulating people or forcing them to look at situations differently. It’s possible that Lwaxana even waits until the last moment to reveal the Antedeans’ plot to give the Enterprise crew a chance to discover it on their own, since it is rather embarrassing for them, and especially Deanna.
There’s an anime series I like a lot called The Irresponsible Captain Tylor. Tylor is a buffoon who seemingly becomes captain quite by accident and saves the day over and over again despite his laziness and ambivalence. But at some point, his crew begins to wonder: is he really a lucky idiot, or is he simply playing the fool? I might be reading too much into her, at least this early in the series, but I think Lwaxana is probably both revealing and hiding her real personality behind the caricature she presents to everyone.
@18 Ludon
I would add the DS9 episode “The Forsaken” to your list,
@ 19 Toryx
They’re the only reason we keep writing…
@ 20 Cait
I love putting faces to names! Great hair. Hair-dyeing (anything but blonde or red, that is) is weirdly not mainstream in the US. I remember in Europe everyone dyed their hair wacky colors–it was multigenerational and no big thing at all.
@ 22 Eugene
You’re being so generous… In any case, I think you’re ascribing a lot of character moments that happen in DS9 which just aren’t present here. They did a good job there of fleshing out her loneliness and the complexity of her public/private life.
@23 – thanks, Torie, I do actually love my grey hair, because it takes the dye like a sponge, and holds it forever. I started going grey at 20, was about a third there by 30, and by 35 was pretty much all the way grey.
I’m working on a full rainbow, of course; eventually, I’ll have a set of pictures which I can line up next to one another for a very, very long-term art project I’m working on. :D
@17 Torie
As I understand it, Tormé wanted his name off the script for everything they did to it. Although Roddenberry was starting to step back from day-to-day involvement in the show, either he was continuing his knack for hamfisted rewrites or the people he put in charge were maintaining the tradition. He left the series at this point citing ongoing conflicts with the production team. (Of course, that’s also why he left Sliders, so the problem may be at least partly on his side.)
It occurs to me that at least for early Lwaxana, say up to the episode with David Ogden Stiers, and especially here she shouldn’t be played by Majel Roddenberry, but by Phyllis Diller. Wasn’t overbearing, oversexed, and over the hill pretty much her schtick?