NEWS              GENERAL    TOS    TAS    TNG    DS9    VOY    ENT    DSC    PIC    LOW    PRO    SNW    ACADEMY    MOVIES    GAMING    
Mar 16, 2025 - [HOME] WeeklyTrek: STRANGE NEW WORLDS Starts Season 4 Filming
Mar 15, 2025 - [TOS] TOS Season 1 Screencaps: Remastered Visual Effects
Mar 14, 2025 - [TOS] Master Replicas Recreates Original STAR TREK Coffee Cup
Mar 14, 2025 - [HOME] Fundraiser Success - Thanks to You!
Mar 14, 2025 - [DS9] "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" Episode Trailers — Season 7
Mar 13, 2025 - [PRO] PRODIGY 213 Blu-ray Screencaps: "Cracked Mirror"
Mar 13, 2025 - [PRO] PRODIGY 212 Blu-ray Screencaps: "A Tribble Called Quest"
Mar 11, 2025 - [DS9] CherryTree Debuts DS9-Inspired Raktajino Mug Replica
Mar 09, 2025 - [HOME] REVIEW: Fanhome's Stargazer and Farragut Models, Plus: Subscriptions Reopen March 10!
Mar 08, 2025 - [LOW] LOWER DECKS S4 Screencaps: "Caves"
Mar 08, 2025 - [DSC] DISCOVERY Season 5 Screencaps: "Labryinths"
Mar 07, 2025 - [DS9] "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" Episode Trailers — 'Final Chapter'
Mar 06, 2025 - [SNW] STRANGE NEW WORLDS Season 3 Character Portraits Arrive!
Mar 05, 2025 - [HOME] INTERVIEW: Brian Volk-Weiss on Nacelle's New TREK Action Figures
Mar 04, 2025 - [HOME] Nacelle Launches Preorders for New STAR TREK Action Figures
Mar 04, 2025 - [HOME] 2025 TrekCore Fundraiser Begins
Mar 03, 2025 - [SNW] STRANGE NEW WORLDS Begins Production on Season 4
Mar 03, 2025 - [MOV] STAR TREK: SECTION 31 Arrives on 4K and Blu-ray This April
Mar 03, 2025 - [DS9] "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" Episode Trailers — Season 6
Mar 01, 2025 - [HOME] The KHAN Audio Drama Lives, Plus: New TREK Ship Models & Books
Feb 26, 2025 - [HOME] Fanhome Reveals Next TREK Starships, Including USS Dauntless
Feb 25, 2025 - [PRO] PRODIGY S2 Screencaps: "The Last Flight of the Protostar, Part 1"
Feb 25, 2025 - [PRO] PRODIGY S2 Screencaps: "The Last Flight of the Protostar, Part 2"
Feb 22, 2025 - [DS9] "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" Episode Trailers — Season 5
Feb 22, 2025 - [HOME] WeeklyTrek: STARFLEET ACADEMY Wraps Season 1 Production
Feb 17, 2025 - [LOW] LOWER DECKS S4 Screencaps: "A Few Badgeys More"
Feb 17, 2025 - [DSC] DISCOVERY Season 5 Screencaps: "Erigah"
Feb 16, 2025 - [HOME] Interview: Ben Robinson on Master Replica's New TREK Figures
Feb 14, 2025 - [PRO] PRODIGY Season 2 Screencaps: "The Devourer of All Things, Part 1"
Feb 14, 2025 - [PRO] PRODIGY Season 2 Screencaps: "The Devourer of All Things, Part 2"
Episode Synopsis

  TNG NEWS
  TNG EPISODE GUIDE



  BLU-RAY
  S1 SCREENCAPS
  S2 SCREENCAPS
  S3 SCREENCAPS
  S4 SCREENCAPS
  S5 SCREENCAPS
  S6 SCREENCAPS
  S7 SCREENCAPS
  BONUS FEATURES
  OPENING CREDITS

  OTHER CONTENT
  BEHIND THE SCENES
  PRESS KITS
  PUBLICITY PHOTOS
  MAGAZINES
  VHS COVER ARCHIVE

TREKCORE > TNG > EPISODES > THE BONDING > Synopsis

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS from StarTrek.com

An Away Team led by Worf, investigates a barren planet once inhabited by the Koinonians, a race which destroyed themselves in a lengthy war. While exploring an underground tunnel, archeologist Marla Aster is killed by a bomb buried years earlier beneath the surface. Worf, though injured in the blast himself, feels he is to blame for the tragedy, despite Picard's assurances that it was an accident.

Lt. Aster is survived by a son, 12-year-old Jeremy. Together with Troi, Picard informs the child of his mother's tragic death. Knowing that Jeremy's father is also deceased, Troi is concerned by the child's stoic reaction to the news. Worf, himself an orphan, feels a special kinship with Jeremy and tells Troi of his wish to perform a Klingon ceremony, the R'uustai (or Bonding), with the boy.

A short time later, Troi detects an alien presence on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. In his quarters, Jeremy senses a movement and turns to see what appears to be his late mother, telling him that they are both going to leave the starship and live on the planet. When Worf discovers Lt. Aster's impostor, she vanishes. She later reappears and transforms Jeremy's room into the Aster home on Earth, as the confused boy rushes to the warmth of his "mother's" arms.

Determining that an energy beam from the planet is powering the image of Aster, Picard orders the crew to sever it. Undaunted, the energy field then gathers into a glowing mass, enters the ship and tries to gain control of the transporter room, while Jeremy and his mother hurry toward it to make their escape.

When the alien Aster is trapped in the Enterprise's forcefield, she confesses that she is part of a lifeform that survived the Koinonian Wars. In an effort to prevent further suffering from that conflict, the being recreated Jeremy's mother and home to comfort him.

Wesley Crusher, who suffered the loss of his own father, joins Picard in explaining to Jeremy that it is part of being human to mourn and feel pain, as well as joy. At first torn between his "mother" and reality, Jeremy soon decides to stay on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. After the lifeform leaves the ship, Worf performs the R'uustai with Jeremy, making them brothers forever.


BACK TO EPISODES HOME, BACK TO THE BONDING INDEX, Quick Section Links: Behind the Scenes, Credits, Deleted Scenes, Guest Characters, Quotes, Screencaps, Script, Synopsis, Trivia, Visual Effects

 
TrekCore.com is not endorsed, sponsored or affiliated with Paramount, CBS Studios, Paramount Pictures, or the Star Trek franchise.
All STAR TREK images, trademarks and logos are owned by CBS Studios Inc. and/or Paramount Pictures.
All original TrekCore.com content (c) 2025 Trapezoid Media, LLC. - Terms & Conditions