Manhunt

*** (3 stars out of 5)

The Antedeans are Federation member hopefuls that few humans have seen. Their fish-like ambassadors self-induce a catatonic state because space travel scares them rigid.

No offence, but how did Antede III develop warp travel? That's a requirement for membership, isn't it?

'Can we join your club? Where do you hold your meetings? SPACE!?! Oh, no, it's too dark out there! Zzzzzzz....'

Anyway, everybody's welcome, so Betazed sends its new Ambassador: Lwaxana Troi.

Mrs. Troi still employs Mr. Homn as her valet "despite the outlandishly lustful thoughts he spews in my direction."

She makes Riker carry her luggage. "She knows what's on your mind and she lets you know what's

on hers."

Lwaxana is "in the phase". Not fading in and out like the Traveller, but horny as all the hells. The Betazoid woman in midlife quadruples her sex drive (or more). And it doesn't even require Cat DNA. She tricks Jean-Luc into a romantic dinner. The Captain manages an escape call to Data: "His anecdotes are the stuff of legend aboard this ship."

Mrs. Troi seems to not agree while Data rattles on about brown dwarf stars. "Deanna, darling, thank the Four Deities you're here."

Lwaxana is an advanced telepath, but her senses are clouded by her Husband Hunt with Picard as the quarry. He flees to 1941 to avoid her, in his Dixon Hill holoprogram.

Picard can't find the right goon to relax to the threats of. Neither Slade Bender, quick with a tommy gun, nor the pop-eyed Irishman who'd fit in on the throne of the Klingons, is to his taste today. He invites his holo-secretary Madeline to Rex's Bar instead. Rex testified against Jimmy Cuzzo and wants Dix to protect him. And if Madeline is on a husband hunt, 'Dix' isn't complaining.

Lwaxana announces to the bridge crew that she will marry Riker on Pacifica instead.

Suddenly 1941 looks like fun to 'Nails' from Chicago. 'Carlos' joins him. Ambassador Troi tracks them down and Rex the holographic bartender starts hitting on her the instant he hears she has 'big bucks'. She is aroused when she cannot read Rex's thoughts.

At the literal last minute, Ambassador Troi casually reveals the Antedeans are assassins, who've lined their robes with the nearly undetectable explosive ultritium. Nice try, Mick Fleetwood!

"Manhunt" is cute. Nothing to write Betazed about, but fun anyway. Majel Barrett can almost certainly do no wrong.