It's been ages since I've seen the episode, and this was a fun reminder. Fairly superficial as adaptations go, and it irks me slightly at the end that Picard (and Starfleet) are willing to keep working with what are essentially torturers, but I can't blame Gerrold for that, he's merely working off the script. Still it's nice to read about Troi and remember when her empathic powers were new and excitingly valuable rather than pretty much useless statements of obvious, as they so often became. Also, I do enjoy Picard and his grumpiness, especially regarding children. (You have the right idea about Wesley, mate, and I'm certain there's one happy timeline when you did indeed keep that brat off the bridge.) The best part of this, though, are the giant jellyfish who loved each other - the story ends with the accompanying sense of wonder that's so much a part of the Star Trek franchise, and I appreciate that.