History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E7Rascals

** Worf gets easily beaten in a phaser fight with a Ferengi, who nimbly dodges Worf's fire and then zaps him dead-center in the chest.

* ReedRichardsIsUseless: The crew accidentally discovers a means of turning adults back into children. They seem to have a firm grasp on how it happened, as well as how to reverse it, and the 'children' retain all of their knowledge and personalities. One would think such a discover would have tremendous ramifications for society, with the elderly given the option to start their lives over again while retaining all the knowledge and wisdom they've gathered. Naturally, [[StatusQuoIsGod no one thinks of this and the incident is never discussed again.]]

Meanwhile, the children on the ship has all been herded into the ship's classroom, including our four adults kids. They try to get access to the computer, but the children's terminal in the classroom is insufficient. Picard masquerades as Riker's bratty son and delivers a coded message to him to give computer access to the classroom. Riker agrees to hand over control of the computer to the Ferengi, and Dunn stipulates that he must also instruct one of his men on its use. As a computer terminal, Riker feeds the Ferengi a stream of beguiling TechnoBabble while he surreptitiously grants Picard's request.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: "RVN" doesn't exist. It was invented to provide some excuse to de-age the characters.

* DullSurprise: (Young) Keiko's actress for the majority of the episode.

But as the investigation continues, the ''Enterprise'' is suddenly ambushed by two Klingon Birds of Prey. The ship fights back, but its shields get depleted, and a Ferrengi boarding party assumes control of the ship under the leadership of Daimon Lunn. Lunn claims to be a rogue from the Ferengi alliance and simply wants to sell the ''Enterprise'' to the Romulans. He has the crew beamed down to the surface of a nearby planet to use as slave labor for an additional mining enterprise. Riker has locked out control of the ship, but Lunn tells him that the crew's lives are in danger should he not return the controls to his men.

-->'''Ro''': "(indicating a plant in a basket Keiko is holding) Is that a Draebidium Froctus?"
-->'''Keiko''': "Draebidium Calimus actually. You can tell by the shape of the leaves.(beat) I didn't know you were interested in plant biology."
-->'''Ro''': " [[BlatantLies I... took a class at the Academy. I just remember a few things.]]"

* TheCaptain: As always. But crossed with a bit of NarmCharm when he needs to act like a little kid to get on the bridge (and much younger than his perceived age, but the Ferengi don't know that!)

** When Miles O'Brien gets creeped out by her affections and starts equivocating when she points out she's still his wife, young Keiko asks him point blank whether her being a little girl now [[OldManMarryingAChild means the end of their marriage]]; [[FridgeHorror which is an awfully good question, come to think of it]]. Thankfully, the transporter's being able to reverse the effect at the end means he never has to give her a straight answer.

* DiggingYourselfDeeper: When Keiko asks Miles whether her teenaged state means their marriage is over, he starts by saying "Technically...", which naturally incenses her.

* ForgotAboutHisPowers: The crew somehow forget that they greatly outnumber the pirates; they're explicitly stated to number more than a thousand while no more than a dozen Ferengi even appear on-screen at all. (There might have been another dozen or so off-screen, depending on how many they needed to crew those surplus Klingon ships.)
** They did greatly outnumber the pirates, but there were the two surplus Klingon ships ready to blow up the disabled Enterprise if the crew gave the Ferengi any trouble. (Though this goes into the Ferengi [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse forgetting that they had two warships outside the Enterprise (which don't appear again in the episode)]], unless they were stupid enough to not have them manned by a skeleton crew, possibly because the Enterprise was so big and needed everyone the Ferengi had to guard the captured starship and the crew members sent to the planet to perform slave labor)

* TeensAreShort: Averted, interestingly. Though he's a bit thinner than usual (so his uniform hangs rather loosely from him), the younger Picard as played by then-fifteen-year-old David Birkin still towers over Counselor Troi in his scene with her about as much as the older version played by Patrick Stewart ever did.

* TheWorfEffect : {{Exaggerated}} since not only does Worf promptly get shot, but Riker along with about 1,000 other crew manages to lose shields and ''suffer casualties'' on the Federation's flagship, taking on no more than two dozen onscreen Ferengi pirates in two refurbished old Klingon birds-of-prey before losing the ship itself to their tiny boarding party. Odo would later troll Worf about this incident (among others) when he complained about the seeming laxity of station security on Deep Space Nine as compared to that of the ''Enterprise''.

** And not just tics. David Birkin flawlessly showcases all of Picard's mannerisms as a younger Picard to the point that it's almost creepy.
* ContrivedCoincidence:
** It's not explained how or where this temporal anomaly that stripped out vital parts of the four's DNA came from, only that ''happened'' to be in the right place at the right time to bring about the episode's events.
** For that matter, the fact that it's those four characters [[YouAllMeetInAnInn who happened to be on the shuttle together]]. Picard's interest in archaeology and Keiko's being a botanist are justified by the planet they went to having both ancient ruins and lots of exotic plant life; Ro is there by dint of being one of the ''Enterprise'''s helmsmen to pilot the shuttle (although we know Picard can do this perfectly well); and Guinan is there because the planet makes for an excellent tourist/recreational destination in its own right. But when you add it all together, it makes for a rather random assortment, particularly when Picard only has established connections with two of them (his long history with Guinan and the respect he and Ro gained for each other in her introductory episode), and Ro herself only has a friendship of her own with Guinan; Keiko doesn't really have a strong relationship with any of them. It rather seems as if the characters were selected more for the dramatic and comedic potential of their being youthened than anything else.

* MagicPants: Averted. When Picard and the team come through the transporter, the sleeves of their clothes all hang below their hands and Picard and Ro's slacks are quite baggy. When they use the transporters at the end to reverse the effect, young Picard is wearing an oversize uniform when he steps into the chamber.
** ([[FridgeHorror Fortunately]]) Picard's artificial heart doesn't seem to have been too constricted by his sudden slimming-down...

* StatusQuoIsGod: Of course, but there's no hurry, as Guinan points out to Ensign Ro near the end.

A NegativeSpaceWedgie transforms four of the crew into children, just as their current mission brings them into contact with the Ferengi...

This episode features Creator/ColmMeaney's last appearance as Miles O'Brien on TNG before ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'''s premiere.

* CringeComedy: Miles O'Brien getting (understandably) creeped out by a young teenage girl cuddling up to him, made all the worse by the fact that he's married to her.

** For that matter, the fact that it's those four characters [[YouAllMeetInAnInn who happened to be on the shuttle together]]. Picard's interest in archaeology and Keiko's being a botanist are justified by the planet they went to having both ancient ruins and lots of exotic plant life; Ro is there to pilot the shuttle as a helmsman (although we know Picard can do this perfectly well); and Guinan is there because the planet makes for an excellent tourist/recreational destination in its own right. But when you add it all together, it makes for a rather random assortment, particularly when Picard only has established connections with two of them (his long history with Guinan and the respect he and Ro gained for each other in her introductory episode), and Ro herself only has a friendship of her own with Guinan; Keiko doesn't really have a strong relationship with any of them. It rather seems as if the characters were selected more for the dramatic and comedic potential of their being youthened than anything else.

** For that matter, the fact that it's those four characters [[YouAllMeetInAnInn who happened to be on the shuttle together]]. Picard's interest in archaeology and Keiko's being a botanist are justified by the planet they went to having both ancient ruins and lots of exotic plant life; Ro is there to pilot the shuttle (although we know Picard can do this perfectly well); and Guinan is there because the planet makes for an excellent tourist/recreational destination in its own right. But when you add it all together, it makes for a rather random assortment, particularly when Picard only has established connections with two of them (his long history with Guinan and the respect he and Ro gained for each other in her introductory episode), and Ro herself only has a friendship of her own with Guinan; Keiko doesn't really have a strong relationship with any of them. It rather seems as if the characters were selected more for the dramatic and comedic potential of their being youthened than anything else.

** Interestingly, when Crusher approaches young Picard and asks to speak in his ready room, there's plenty of uncomfortable, awkward subtext in the scene considering the [[ShipTease hints at romance]] between the two characters [[WillTheyOrWontThey ever since the show started]]...but instead Beverly simply brings up the fact that they don't know the cause of his condition or if it could worsen (i.e. give him the mind and emotional state of a teenager, not just the body of one), and so he should temporarily allow Riker to assume command. The fact many will have issues taking an orders from an apparent 15-year-old captain also isn't addressed until his talk with Troi.

* ContrivedCoincidence: It's not explained how or where this temporal anomaly that stripped out vital parts of the four's DNA came from, only that ''happened'' to be in the right place at the right time to bring about the episode's events.

* DebateAndSwitch: When Miles O'Brien gets creeped out by her affections and starts equivocating when she points out she's still his wife, young Keiko asks him point blank whether her being a little girl now [[OldManMarryingAChild means the end of their marriage]]; [[FridgeHorror which is an awfully good question, come to think of it]]. Thankfully, the transporter's being able to reverse the effect at the end means he never has to give her a straight answer.

* DullSurprise: (Young) Keiko's actress for the majority of the episodes.

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Though not very much as she is still his wife [[{{Narm}} as she points out]]. The paedophilia implications of Keiko's transformation are still rather disturbing to Miles.
* AdultsAreUseless: PlayedWith. The Enterprise and its crew are saved by the same old Picard trapped in a kid’s body. He’s helped by his three other rejuvenated comrades, Riker and Alexander. Yes, Alexander proves more useful than [[TheWorfEffect his father]] and hundreds of other adults.

** And not just tics. David Birkin flawlessly showcases all of Picard's mannerisms as a younger Picard to the point that it is almost creepy.

* {{Emo}}: How 12-year-old Ro chooses to take her transformation, until a little coaching from Guinan.

* TheWorfEffect : {{Exaggerated}} since not only does Worf promptly get shot, but Riker along with about 1,000 other crew manages to lose shields and ''suffer casualties'' on the Federation's flagship taking on no more than two dozen Ferengi pirates in two refurbished old Klingon birds of prey before losing the ship itself to their tiny boarding party. Odo would later justly troll Worf about this incident (among others) when he complained about the seeming laxity of station security on Deep Space Nine as compared to that of the ''Enterprise''.

* VillainHasAPoint: Luton points out that it's cruel to put children in danger by putting them on a starship. A comaint shared by a lot of the show's fans.

** They did greatly outnumber the pirates, but there were the two surplus Klingon ships ready to blow up the disabled Enterprise if the crew gave the Ferengi any trouble. (Though this goes into the Ferengi [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse forgetting that they had two warships outside the Enterprise]] unless they were stupid enough to not have them manned by a skeleton crew, possibly because the Enterprise was so big and needed everyone the Ferengi had to guard the captured starship)

* CursedWithAwesome: How Troi tries to get teen Picard to look at his situation in the event that his condition can't be reversed. "You've been given a gift: a second childhood... without the pain of having to grow up again."
* DebateAndSwitch: When Miles O'Brien gets creeped out by her affections and starts equivocating when she points out she's still his wife, young Keiko asks him point blank whether her being a little girl now [[OldManMarryingAChild means the end of their marriage]]; [[FridgeHorror which is an awfully good question, come to think of it]]. Mercifully, the transporter's being able to reverse the effect at the end means he never has to give her a straight answer.