When the Bough Breaks (Star Trek: The Next Generation) Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) attempts to negotiate for their release, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) organizes a passive resistance among the children. The episode features Jerry Hardin in his first "Star Trek" role, and Brenda Strong. Mackenzie Westmore, the daughter of make-up supervisor Michael Westmore, along with Jeremy and Amy Wheaton, the younger brother and sister of Wil Wheaton, appear as uncredited children. 10.2 million viewers watched the episode, which was higher than the number of viewers watching the following episode. "When the Bough Breaks" received a mixed reception from critics who praised the performances of Stewart and Wheaton, but
Lessons (Star Trek: The Next Generation) of the stellar cartography on board the "Enterprise", but the set would be completely replaced for its reappearance in the movie "Star Trek Generations". James Van Hise and Hal Schuster wrote in their 1995 book, "The Complete Next Generation", that they thought the relationship between Picard and Daren was believable, and that the story itself was very effective. They thought that the loneliness Picard feels at the end of the episode was part of an ongoing story which would culminate in the subplot about Picard's loneliness in "Star Trek Generations". Several reviewers re-watched "Star Trek: The Next Generation" after the