AllMovie

On November 26, 1988, Star Trek: The Next Generation launched its second season with this compelling dramatic episode. While most of the reviewers were preoccupied with the addition to the cast of Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan, the Enterprise crew went about their usual business, conducting a search for samples of a deadly virus for research purposes. During this mission, the starship is visited by a mysterious energy source, whereupon Counselor Deanna Troi suddenly announces that she's pregnant! Giving birth less than two days later, the already astonishing Troi is further amazed to watch her baby mature into a 4-year-old right before her eyes. Quickly advancing several more years, the child (R.J. Williams) begins making enigmatic statements, suggesting that his accelerated growth is somehow tied in with the aforementioned virus samples. Written by Jaron Summers, Jon Povill, and Maurice Hurley, "The Child" was originally intended as the pilot episode for an attempted 1978 revival of the original Star Trek.