“Cost of Living” is episode twenty of season five of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Enterprise is destroying an asteroid heading towards a planet. The core proves resistant, but is still destroyed in time. As the ship leaves the area, a cloud of sparkling dust enters it from the remains of the asteroid.
Worf and Alexander are having a counselling session with Troi. She can sense a touch of hostility. She doesn’t need to be an empath for that. As a way of sorting out their differences, Troi suggests writing a contract that defines the duties of each family member, where both agree their responsibilities. Not a bribe; an equitable system with the rules spelled out for child and parent. Alexander doesn’t want his father to yell. Worf starts to, well, yell, that he doesn’t, before noticing and moderating his tone. Troi suggests they go to their quarters and talk it over and reassures Alexander that eventually most children come to appreciate their parents. After they leave, Commander Riker contacts Troi. Her mother is coming onboard. Troi’s face drops. As regards to appreciating, there’s always the other hand.
Lwaxana Troi beams aboard. She’s getting married. In Ten Forward, she tells Troi that the room would make a nice wedding hall. Troi would like to know who the man is and where they met. These are not unusual questions. The man is Third Minister Campio. And they haven’t met in person yet; just exchanged profiles.
Worf and Alexander join them; they’re having difficulties drawing up the contract. Alexander is being unreasonable. Lwaxana says of course he is, he’s a child. And what contract? She thinks this is ghastly. She seems to be making a good impression on Alexander; Troi looks horrified.
Commander Riker is filling in Captain Picard. The captain is annoyed doesn’t want Lwaxana using his ship for her convenience just because her daughter is an officer. Riker explains there’s another reason; Lwaxana wants the captain to give her away. Permission for the wedding granted; nothing would please the captain more than to give away Mrs Troi. Sparkles can be seen near the ceiling.
Lwaxana finds Alexander waiting for a counselling session. He came early. Lwaxana convinces him to give the reason why; he wanted to leave before his father got back. Alexander hates him. He wishes his mother was here, but she died. All Worf cares about is rules; Alexander is supposed to do everything right all the time. Lwaxana doesn’t care about rules either.
They leave for the holodeck, for a mud bath on Parallax Colony (Majel Barrett talks to the ship’s computer – in other words, herself) and enter the program. Which contains what Lwaxana describes as a colony of free thinkers.
Worf is tidying his room when Troi arrives looking for Alexander. Worf discovers Alexander is on the holodeck. And Troi discovers he’s with her mother. Both head there.
Troi is unhappy with her mother. She’s not helping and sending Alexander mixed messages. Lwaxana says she exposed to daughter to all kinds of mixed messages at that age and she still turned out deadly dull. Troi asks why her mother isn’t handling wedding plans. Mr Homn is doing it. Truthfully, there’s nothing to do. Mr Homn is altering Campio’s mother’s wedding gown. Troi is horrified – or acts it – that her mother isn’t following Betazoid custom. Which is to wear nothing. Apparently Campio would have problems with Betazoid customs. Troi can’t believe she’s hearing this.
Third Minister Campio and Lwaxana Troi were paired up by what sounds like a dating service. And even in the future, it seems such can make mistakes (and new aspects of Lwaxana’s personality are revealed). Meanwhile, the sparkles from the asteroid are causing problems on the ship.