 " Sarek " is the 23rd episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek : The Next Generation , and the 71st episode overall . It was originally released on May 14 , 1990 , in broadcast syndication . The story for the episode was created by Marc Cushman and Jake Jacobs , with the teleplay written by Peter S. Beagle . " Sarek " was directed by Les Landau . Set in the 24th century , the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Federation starship Enterprise . In this episode , Sarek ( Mark Lenard ) , the father of Spock and a highly regarded but elderly ambassador , is ferried by the Enterprise on his final mission for the Federation . While he is aboard the ship , the crew experiences an outbreak of irrational anger amongst themselves . It is revealed that Sarek has Bendaii syndrome , which is telepathically causing the problems among the crew . It is only resolved after the Vulcan mind melds with Captain Jean @-@ Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) . 
