Plot summary
The Enterprise-D is docked at Earth Station McKinley, undergoing repairs and refitting following its battle with the Borg. The episode follows the interactions of three members of the crew with their family members.
Lt. Worf 's (Michael Dorn) adoptive human parents, Sergey (Theodore Bikel) and Helena Rozhenko (Georgia Brown) visit the Enterprise, having only just learned about his discommendation. Worf, wishing to bear his shame alone, at first is embarrassed by their presence and their “human” feelings of love and support but in the end appreciates their concern.
Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) retrieves a chest, kept in storage on Earth, containing her late husband Jack's mementos, including a holographic recording he made for Wesley (Wil Wheaton) when their child was only 10 weeks old. Beverly, though worried that the two of them have only recently truly come to terms with Jack's death, eventually gives the recording to Wesley. Wesley runs the recording and is uplifted by the message.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), recovering from his Borg assimilation, visits his family's vineyard in La Barre, France, which is run by his elder brother Robert (Jeremy Kemp) along with his wife Marie (Samantha Eggar) and son René (David Birkin). Jean-Luc is considering a position on Earth with an underwater research project called Atlantis that his friend Louis (Dennis Creaghan), a supervisor of the project, recommended to him. Robert has always been jealous of his brother's success and is concerned that Jean-Luc's presence will drive René to also join Starfleet.
The two have a bitter argument that escalates into a physical fight and finally culminates in an emotional reunion, with Jean-Luc breaking down and admitting his feelings of powerlessness and guilt at the things he did under the control of the Borg. Robert states that Jean-Luc will have to learn to live with what he did, regardless of where he goes. Jean-Luc decides to go back to the Enterprise. The two spend the night getting drunk as they resolve their differences. After Jean-Luc leaves, Robert decides to let René follow his dream to join Starfleet as René sits under a tree and looks up at the stars.
Credits
Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Family (Star Trek: The Next Generation). Paragraphs and formatting adjusted; illustrations, reference markers, block quotations and non-story material omitted.