Current Events > Star Trek watchthrough 3. Ongoing spoilers from TNG season 5.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Damn thing purged on me. Should've bumped it. Got a holiday in a couple of weeks, so, ill catch up then. Back to back assignments and a suddenly expanded social life don't leave me with much time.

Episode 11: Hero Worship

Helping someone heal. No complaints with that sort of story.

Picard receives the damage reports with all due severity. The little pause and swallow before agreeing that Timothy's dad was probably sucked into space is brilliant. Handles Timothy as delicately as he can whilst still trying to get shit done.

Riker finds the cluster beautiful and he's not wrong. Quite like him listening to Data's plan without argument.

La Forge almost gets smacked by a beam. Has a brilliant moment when opening up about the fire story. The way he smiles, it's like he finds it slightly ridiculous.

Crusher is gently reassuring to Timothy. Seems to have a trace of her old distractedness when he goes into android mode.

Troi handles him with slightly more professional detachment. I'm not convinced that him building a sculpture in lieu of reading mythology quite merits that reaction, even with his "it's not finished" obviously flagging up as a result of trauma. Mind you, I behaved quite similarly in school and I didn't have the excuse of trauma. Reading Sirtis' facial expressions when she's processing Timothy's androidness is a treat. Starts with amusement, then concern, then the gears start turning as she thinks of a way to use this to help him heal. And I absolutely love her for championing this behaviour.

Data has to think for a second before remembering that reassuring a child in need of rescue is a good idea. Even with Spiner's blank looks, the attachment Timothy has to him is quite sweet. It's actually great that he goes to La Forge for advice. Seeing him twitch as he tries to process what Timothy needs in a given moment is amazing. Aside from being wonderful enough to engage in activities with him, it's brilliant that he takes time to ask questions and try to move the healing process along. Slyly manipulative with the "androids do not lie". Can't praise Spiner enough for his work in this one.

Timothy is a fine character. Pretty great child actor, too. Having him imitate Data is adorable and there's a few little touches like how he worms his way into still getting desert that are absolutely brilliant. His breakdown over the misplaced guilt is powerful and, all in all, he's probably the best kid we've had on this show.

The music has stepped up again. All epic and bombastic. Love a good ruined vessel. The brief shot of Timothy alone in a very wide corridor after Data leaves is pretty good. The montage of the two bonding is brilliant. I especially like how, after doing his hair, the shot of their reflection resembles a family portrait. Hamners home that he's basically a surrogate son. The reflected phasers is a cool shot.

Part of the reason I've down on a few Data focus stories is that, all too often, fealty to his unemotional nature gets in the way of the episode having a proper emotional hook. As a man who's proudly and openly a complete bleeding heart of an individual, communicating emotions is one of the primary things I go to art for, so, any time I feel that a sense of catharsis is inhibited, I immediately feel unsatisfied with whatever I've watched. The thing about Data is that, like Spock before him, it should be incredibly easy to create emotional hooks in his focus stories, yet far too many writers seem to get them slightly wrong. Let an unemotional man feel something and you've basically got half of the episode already written. It's entirely possible, of course, that my objection to, say, how Lal was treated at the end or Data's attempt at having a girlfriend, boils down to a different aesthetic taste than what those episodes were going for.

But seeing stuff like this makes me feel quite a bit more justified in my opinions because this is truly excellent. Aside from treating children like humans and having an obvious, but intelligent theme of healing from trauma, it allows Data to clearly demonstrate that he does have emotions of a sort, without betraying his android nature. I mentioned it in his own paragraph, but taking the time to process Timothy's current state and showing a slightly detached interest, but an interest nonetheless, gives him a type of empathy all his own that allows him to make a halfway decent therapist himself. The long view he takes of interpersonal connection lends itself to a much needed message of how attempting to seriously consider what someone needs in a given moment is a worthwhile goal in itself.

Cutting this slightly shorter than I would like due to time, but it truly is a fantastic Data story.

Gonna be some Violations tomorrow.

I was actually gonna check and bump it since I hadn't seen it in a far bit but I guess I was too late lol.

Also, androids CAN and do lie. Remember the end of "The Most Toys"...

Bumping for those unaware the other topic is gone.

Episode 12: Violations

Was not expecting this show to tackle serial rapists.

Picard is sheepish about his memories. Always diplomatic as he can be. Nothing but gentle to Troi. Not too thrilled with speech about violence, since most normal people would never even come close to rape on their worst day.

I imagine Riker has more deeply private memories than most. Can sense there's something vaguely off about Jev almost immediately. Visibly fighting to pretend to be cheerful when talking to Troi. Quickly begins to break down. His reaction when his hallucinations start suggests that he himself believes that he's merely stressed. Has one hell of a thousand yard stare when the madness really starts.

La Forge is apparently a cat person. I wonder if Data picked it up from him? Has a very frustrating day at work.

Worf doesn't like having his brain picked at, either. Doesn't need Picard to say anything to know to go get Riker. Wouldn't have minded if he were more brutal with Jev.

Crusher's getting hit on by everyone these days. Tries to goad Picard into memory retrieval. Precisely as sweet as you'd expect to Riker. Her reaction to the hallucinations suggests utter despondency.

Troi doesn't need super empathy to tell when a conversation has become uncomfortable. Good on her for changing the subject. Decent to Jev, though she probably shouldn't have been. Still badmouthing her mother. She seemed more furious than anything at a few points during that weird rape scene. Glad she fought back, but I don't think raping her twice in one episode is the grandest idea the writers have had.

Data learns a bit about human memory. His tone of voice when La Forge hits on the idea to check explained comas indicates that he thinks he's an idiot.

Keiko's elation at recalling a childhood memory is adorable.

Tarmin seems like hed be fun at parties. Jev is a disgusting little freak. The other Ullian may as well not exist.

The blurriness of the memory scenes help support their apparent vividness. The rape scene has a similar effect, accompanied by off angle panning shots, with the sudden closeup of Jev making a very disgusting man seem all the more hideous: all details on his face highlighted far beyond good taste. Jev makes sure to give a long look at the camera so we know not to trust him. Some of the filters and effects in Riker's hallucination were a bit distracting, but the barrage of cuts kept the whole thing effective. I imagine it's just treatment for the incident that killed Jack, but memory Picard's little plate really does remind me of Locutus.

Rape is bad. And I'm glad the episode had enough balls to explicitly call what Jev is doing rape and that it, however briefly, demonstrated that the real drive for rapists is a desire for absolute control over someone. I dont actually know if this was bold for the 90s, but im going to assume it is. Removing the specifics of a memory, but leaving the emotional trauma is kind of the ideal for those disgusting monsters, so, props for taking this to its logical endpoint. But does Troi really need another two rape scenes? Having her (and Crusher) being primarily defined as victims, to the point that Troi's fight scene is more accurately described as impotent flailing, feels like the writers aren't quite getting the point they're trying to convey. Even if this is bold for the 90s, it's still a bit too simplistic a treatment for my taste. The brief mentions of rape culture are too brief to say much beyond the obvious. And I utterly detest the final suggestion that the seed of sexual violence exists in everyone. Because it flatly doesn't. It may be difficult to see if you spend too much time around uber nerds (how many posters on this very board are a big yikes?) but most people were raised with a basic standard of empathy.

Production wise, it's average and that, along with slightly dropping the ball on its subject matter and still being noticebly sexist at times, means its probably going on the bottom of the pile at the end.

Off to The Masterpiece Society tomorrow.

tc, am i mixing you up with someone else who was doing this? you were watching the entire franchise in release order, right? because i think you might have skipped The Undiscovered Country.

Medussa posted...

tc, am i mixing you up with someone else who was doing this? you were watching the entire franchise in release order, right? because i think you might have skipped The Undiscovered Country.

That was the original plan, but I'm saving it for when I've finished this season. I'm aware that Unification was something of a teaser for it, but it feels weird to drop out briefly and then jump back in, especially when we're reuniting with an entirely different cast. Plus, if I'm going to continue end of season rankings, I'd like the episodes to be as fresh as possible.

I haven't checked the release dates of individual episodes, but when DS9 starts, I'm probably going to a full season of each show, then move on to the other, instead of flitting about or alternating episodes. Unless there's an Arrowverse thing going on where that's necessary for the story to make chronological sense.

there are a handfull of times weaving will be better, but watching season by season shouldn't be too disruptive.

Episode 13: The Masterpiece Society

More perfection.

Picard's getting better at keeping his patience with idiots and lunatics, though he does start slightly sneering at the start. Share his distaste for engineered people. Good of him to offer passage to any who want it. Love that he sees right through Connor's cowardice.

Riker was unusually coy about why the planet is suddenly a big deal. Quickly gets fed up with paradise and Troi's decision to linger doesn't exactly improve his mood. Agree with his views on the prime directive.

La Forge also seems to want to beg questions rather than just outright explain. Has the perfect reaction to comments about his blindness. Nice to see him behave perfectly normally around a woman. Quite rightly resents the idea that someone could decide whether he gets to exist. Don't blame him for gloating when he hits upon the visor idea. Think it should've dawned on him a little earlier why Bates was lying.

Love how passionate Worf is about granting passage.

McFadden just about earns her paycheck.

Troi is far more fascinated with their society than i would be. Frankly, i share Riker's opinion. Dont really feel the chemistry between her and Connor, so, the light flirting is a bit dry. I had a brief spark of hope that she would turn down Connor's advances, but perhaps I should've learned my lesson by now. And what the fuck is she doing blaming herself? Don't get the nonsense of her claiming she could fall in love with him, either. Aggressively advocating for the society is a tremendously shit look for her. And then we have that awful scene in the lift. Even with the captaincy, I don't think it's Picard's business.

Data provides helpful information.

Connor is initially decent, but, and i almost laughed when he himself bought it up, he is a bit dull. Not much to him, at first. Briefly hits on an interesting point about the darkness in children's works. Bit too pushy with Troi. Gets a bit more interesting when his reaction to all the uncertainty is to basically be at war between his curiosity and his cowardice. Naturally, the cowardice wins out.

Sometimes you encounter a face and you scarcely need to scour your thesaurus for the perfect descriptor. It just pops into your head. Martin is the very personification of glum. Bit rich to cast judgement on La Forge when he's such a myopic idiot.

Bates does alright. Sort of cute that she and La Forge finish each other's technobabble. Can't applaud her enough for wanting more out of life than a sterile bubble.

The core fragment is a beauty, as is the biosphere out in a lifeless desert. Paradise has all the right set design to look the part, without ever being too interesting. The piano scene manages to be a truly miserable and almost morbid affair, though part of that might be me finding the idea of child prodigies sickening.

Fair amount to unpack here. Firstly, Picard and La Forge's objections to Genome are absolutely correct. Eugenics, preprogrammed societies and other associated rubbish are all flatly evil. But I think the episode is trying too hard to craft nuance where there is none. Connor's arguments about maintaining the society are given a bit too much sympathy for what amounts to a failed experiment that only served to hold them back for two centuries. And while Picard acting more reasonable than hed probably like to in the name of diplomacy is nothing new, privately confiding to Riker about how destructive their prescence was seems to suggest that Genome was a workable paradise spoilt by outside influence. When the reality is that it was a horrifically decadent nightmare that deserved to be dismantled. There's no tragedy to comment on, this was a straight up happy ending.

Troi is, typically, the worst of this bizarre eugenicist defence force and, of course, her only real reason for putting forth arguments is that she has somehow fallen in love with yet another shitty bloke. A plank of wood would be a more respectable partner and probably more spontaneous in the bedroom than a charismaless, proudly programmed bore. I'm astonished that almost every single one of her prospective boyfriends manages to be the anti sex drive. The breakdown over her mistake reeks once more of the endless barrage of sexism this show can't seem to shake and the heavy handed attempt to wed it to the episode's themes manages to insult the character further. Wanting to keep her distance is a genuinely wise move, but the episode treats her like a sulking child. I don't understand why the writers seem to hate her so much.

On the one hand, it's against ableism. On the other, it's sexist, a little dull in both direction and in guest stars and it handles quasi nazi beliefs with more nuance and dignity than they will ever deserve. Not the best.

Got ourselves a Conundrum next.

Episode 14: Conundrum

Could be one to remember.

Picard seems to be getting a bit more casual. It's the almost resigned, shrugging way he says to raise shields. Stewart sells the stoic confusion brilliantly. Retreats into diplomacy mode when uncertain about everything. Retakes his captaincy with a slight note of regret. Too good a man to just blindly obey orders. Starts fidgeting when wondering about morality.

Riker still barely tolerates Ro, but makes a token effort to be reasonable. Of course, their disagreements are considerably more civil when there's no bias in the way. Sort of see that Riker's command persona is precisely that and that his true self is an incredibly friendly soul. Even with amnesia, sex remains his favourite topic.

La Forge barely changes at all, which probably fits with the most chill member of the group.

Worf returns to his old characterisation, now that familiarity with his friends is gone. Paranoid, standoffish and focusing on military strategies. Even his praise is stilted. Im not sure how i feel about him gravitating towards captaincy, even if it does fit with Klingon culture, but the image of captain Worf is fun enough for me to tolerate it. Disappointed and guilty when he discovers his real job. Bit more bloodthirsty. Too honourable to go against his captain.

Crusher's getting sarcastic with her repeat patients. Keeps being analytical.

Troi is smug when she beats Data. Using the word "intuition" set off alarm bells. Too many dodgy stories involving it. Cute that she can still sense the special bond with Riker. Also cute that they sort of start to reignite their relationship.

Data keeps his word. Do I detect a note of spite in his voice when he finishes the drink? Kind of funny that it's assumed he's the bartender. Has a good scene with La Forge about identity.

Ro is still a delightful maverick. Taken slightly off guard when Riker doesn't give the response she expects. Friendlier and calmer without the biases. The flirting is a bit too expected, but still a treat. The look she gives Troi suggests a bit of jealousy and possessiveness. Never would've shipped her and Riker, but after that scene in his room, I'm all aboard. Sees right through their bullshit, but takes it in her stride.

Torchwood was infinitely more obvious about it (though they dont really try to disguise it much here, either), but still, I've seen too many episodes like Adam for MacDuff to have not been blatantly wrong from his first appearance, even before he really spoke. Blatant self insert starring in his own fanfic.

Sensible to have a brief show of daily life before the amnesia sets in, if the aim of the exercise is to be a character study. Quite a cool trick to have only slightly off angles showing reactions to what is apparently nothing when the audience is unaware as to exactly what happened. Then, we have unusual and unique camera angles to highlight how unfamiliar a room we see every episode has suddenly become. It's a joy to see everyone is the wrong position. Picard and Worf are the most surreal. Casually mentioning the suddenly important Lysians in an otherwise routine lore dump is a fairly graceful hint. The angle of the VFX shot really does make the Enterprise look like a bully or even a monster compared to the Lysian ship. Troi getting bumped off to the side chair to make room for MacDuff is funnier than it probably should be. Getting rid of MacDuff was a bit anticlimactic, even if the effect was neat.

I've no objection to fan fiction on principle. Copyright be damned, I believe we all have collective ownership over all stories. However, even if you get past the many lazy efforts with a lack of decent spelling, grammar ect and all the often weird erotica, you still have people who are fans of a given franchise, but don't seem to comprehend what it's about. Doctor Who has it where, despite camp being a part of the show since the 60s, many fans sneer at anything remotely comedic or cheesy and long for it to become a bit darker and edgier. To an extent, this isn't necessarily a problem, since there's no reason you can't apply a different tone to a fictional universe for it's own sake (hell, spinoff and sequel shows basically do just that), but, when taken to certain extremes, it does occasionally make you wonder what they're even seeing in the show they claim to love. I don't know enough about Trek fandom or the more recent shows, so, it might be a bit rich for me to bring this up, but there's been some criticism that Star Trek has gotten too woke (at the very least, that's the most common criticism I've seen. Its entirely possible that the shows arent good, but thats a different issue altogether) which seems a ridiculous accusation when, for all that it often got it a bit wrong, TOS was very much on board with having a diverse cast and trying to capture some of the left wing counter culture going around. In other words, it's always tried to be woke.

The relevance of this rant to the actual episode comes from the fact that MacDuff isn't merely just another self insert (which, again, aren't necessarily problematic in themselves), he's someone who's trying to goad the crew, and the show itself, into being far more militant than it actually is. Worse, he's trying to turn the Enterprise into a bullying power fantasy. Erasing the crew's identities is, in effect, erasing their history and leaving them as blank slates for him to rewrite his preferred version. But the characters bristle in their new roles and quickly sort themselves out, with Riker and Ro indulging in a bit of shipping for fun, and, ultimately, reject the ethically bankrupt version of the show.

Genuinely just a really fun episode.

Bit of a Power Play tomorrow.

Episode 15: Power Play

Possession is always a treat for the actors.

Can see that a Daedelas class ship flags up in Picard's historian brain. Not thrilled with risking O'Brien. Sweet of him to praise the man. Liked the little hand wave to silence Riker and correctly pointing out that he's a hostage no matter what. I'm not sure I get his disbelief, since he encounters weird shit all the time. Sure, Shumar's a captain, but, as Worf points out, two centuries is a long time. I mean, he's obviously right, but I'm not sure his logic is all that sound.

Riker seemed to almosy enjoy the bumpy road in the shuttle at first. Gets beaten up a lot. Quite liked that he called O'Brien "Miles". Transferring control and back again is kind of funny.

La Forge isnt optimistic. One of the prime problem solvers. Fine pairing with Ro considering their mutual cynicism.

Worf leads the most inept security team imaginable. Tries to dispense tactical information. His reaction is about what I'd expect.

Crusher is the other prime problem solver.

Troi really didnt enjoy the shuttle ride. Sirtis affects some proper annoyed expressions when not quite Shumar keeps getting shot. More offended than anything. One of those sneering types. Looks gaunt as fuck when he returns to her body.

Data continues to be helpful. Irritable as sin when Riker refuses to listen to Mullen. Spiner plays constant anger brilliantly. Straight up belligerent and racist.

Havent seen O'Brien is a while, so, i like that hes given a meaty role. Mad respect for the complete lack of hesitation in risking himself. Casual as hell when in dangerous situations. Everyone's voice changes somewhat when possessed, but Meaney has a fantastic way of snarling every word. Kelly is most terrifying of the bunch, i think, especially when he starts using O'Brien's memories and getting a bit rapey.

Bless Keiko for not being an idiot and figuring out quickly that Miles isnt here right now.

Ro really is just another member of the family now. Pretty much competence porn. Fucks up a bit, though.

Really liked Troi slowly making her way to the front from the background whilst everyone's chatting. The shuttle flying through the clouds is a neat couple of shots. Moon manages to be a bleak blasted heath. The weird shimmer effect in the storm does make it a bit more terrifying than expected. I'm not sure why, but the shot of everyone leaving sickbay and piling into the lift whilst discussing their next move is really enjoyable. A lot of action movie style camera angles, with some choices inherited from thrillers, too. Most of them focus on Troi, from the way it zooms in on her eye before screaming awake to the many shots of her shooting folk. Really, though, once La Forge and Ro were sneaking about in the tubes, it became even more clear that this is the action movie episode. Just following the standard structure.

Which leaves me with little more to talk about because its basically a very good, very fun romp through a few standard tropes. I will say that allowing Sirtis and Spiner an excuse to exercise their acting chops is always a wise idea, and it's nice to see what Meaney can really do when his character bothers to show up.

Fun romps seem to be a theme this season and this is another one.

Studying Ethics next.

Man that sucks the other one was purged.

Tag

So, I slightly lied. But the last of my assignments is done a while, so, this topic shouldn't be any danger of purging before it's time.

Episode 16: Ethics

Forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back.

Picard's attitude to euthanasia is about right. Pretty much agree with him on using the risky treatment, too.

Riker tries to uplift the mood, but quickly gives up when he realises the severity. Angry about being asked to kill his friend. Clearly an onset of grief. Unbearably cruel towards him when discussing the ritual. He's right that the whole thing is only really about Worf's self image, but he's such an atrociously unlikeable bastard about it.

La Forge trolls Worf over the possibility of cheating.

Worf tries vainly to justify a poker loss. One hell of a nervous swallow when told his spine is broken. Not that I want to see him die, but I firmly believe suicide is his right. Sort of sweet that he asks Riker to do it. His objection to being disabled is very much based in how people see him and might judge him. Barking at Alexander to leave once he falls is a pretty clear example of this.

Appreciate Crusher bluntly, but compassionately telling Worf what's going on. Dont blame her refusing the experimental treatment. 37% isnt great. Visibly switches to stressed as fuck when she hears about the colonists. Obviously, tries to lead him towards accepting treatment. Absolutely right that Russel isn't here for the right reasons. Also completely right to not let it interfere with her lending a hand. Proper tranquil fury in the triage centre. Another thing she's right about is kicking Russel out once she proves to be a mad scientist. Gets obnoxiously tropey when she rants about having permanent guards to stop Worf's suicide. Her final dressing down of Russel is absolutely correct.

Troi has an unenviable task. Gets a bit guilt trippy with Worf, not that shes wrong. Immediately empathic, as you'd expect, when he falls. Seems to be sharing a fair few scenes with him recently.

Data briefly does his job.

Alexander was particularly annoying this time. Not my favourite character, it has to be said.

Russel is alright for a slight lunatic. Far more optimistic about her work than i would be. Remorselessly goes above Crusher's head. In answer to her hypothetical, yes, if the standard treatment would've worked perfectly fine, I would condemn her for needlessly killing a man, no matter how many future lives the experiment saved. Absolutely useless lemon when the treatment had its inevitable difficulties.

Decent zoom out to the problematic container. Good transition to Worf waking up in sickbay. Nice continuous shot showing work in the triage centre. Brilliant mini scene of Picard and Riker discussing their work whilst stressed about Worf. Still not thrilled with the surgical clothes. I half expected Alexander's love for his father to bring him back, so, the answer instead being a callback to the discussion of Klingon anatomy is a mildly welcome surprise, but much of the final sequence is still a bit paint by numbers.

I don't really find the discussion around whether Worf should commit suicide as interesting as the episode wants me to. As far as I'm concerned, it's a solved issue: if Worf is of sound mind and wants to die, then his friends should be supportive of his wishes. Instead, the central arguments, apart from the possibility of learning to accept a disabled life, boil down to emotional blackmail and generic mutterings about the sanctity of life. Its just not an interesting debate. Even though Worf should have the right, the way the episode frames his decision making process puts him as a bit of a narcissist obsessed with how he's perceived which is a bit of a nasty turn for his character. Of course, Riker gets the worst of that. For all that these later seasons have been trending up in quality, they do seem to cast the main characters as unpleasant individuals a bit too often.

A bit more interesting is the question of medical ethics, though that's less because of any arguments put forward and more because its gratifying to delve into Crusher's moral principles and see who she really is. Seriously, though, the "debate" the episode wants to have just falls into the same rote pattern that almost every show (especially the infinite number of crime procedurals) does whenever they make an explicit effort to tackle a complex or controversial issue. The main cast take up the most common perspectives, occasionally breaking their characters in the process and repeat the same shallow points ad infinitum. Which, due to status quo being god, usually results in a lot of noncommittal waffling. Even if its conclusion was something i didn't agree with, id still probably respect it more. Crusher's insane plan to have guards orbit Worf's bed for decades on end was the point when it became even clearer to me just how standard this was going to be. The surgery scene and its inevitable dramas was when my goodwill expired. Theres no better description than paint by numbers. I imagine this is a favourite to many, but I've seem this story far too many times elsewhere to be enthused about a Sci-fi retread that ultimately says nothing.

Far less interesting than it believes, in both production and themes, and makes some characters more unpleasant than they ever should be.

Checking out The Outcast tomorrow (for realsies).

Episode 17: The Outcast

Another very special episode.

Picard does his job and is as sympathetic to Riker as said job allows.

Riker wastes no time and continues to be refreshingly broadminded. Answering with a nursery rhyme doesn't quite seem right for a man who otherwise couldn't be more certain and confident in his sexual identity. Absolutely love how he answers the question of how the two sexes experience emotion. The rest of the discussion veers into lightly sexist at points, particularly on how the main characteristics distinguishing women is the ability to be pregnant and the fact that they apparently don't lead while dancing (English nightclubs would blow his mind), but it's not as awful as some other lowlights from this franchise.

Even with the suddenness of the question, Riker being sheepish about genitals doesn't seem quite right for him either. Actually uncomfortable about discussing how sex works, which, well, I'm repeating myself a fair bit already. Gets his groove back before too long. Nothing but respectful and compassionate when Soren opens up. Rightly angry about conversion therapy.

La Forge is growing the beard.

Worf is suddenly a specist and a sexist for no reason at all. Loyalty to his friend wins back some brownie points.

Crusher's not as much help to Soren as she thinks she is.

Troi is perfectly fine with the J'Naii. Nothing but encouraging to Riker. Quite like that brief look into what is presumably a recent hobby.

Data is, in fact, asking a good question.

I dont blame Soren for being confused. The episode has far less a grasp on the subject matter than it believes. Perfectly sound character, though. I especially like her defense of how genderless procreation can be just as enjoyable as more familiar sex, though in light of her secretly being female, how much of that is just a lie to save face? Actually a little cute with how awkward her attempt at asking Riker out is.

Krite is an obnoxious busybody. Noor (i think that's the judge) is thoroughly evil.

That cold open was a bit of nothing. The J'Naii are a little problematic. For all that they ostensibly androgynous, I find, and this might be a fault with me, that, as a collective, they're far closer to female than male. Being exclusively played by women from what i can tell probably doesn't help. We have the return of poker night, though Worf could stand to behave himself more. The shuttle scene, transparent as it is, does thankfully take all the time it needs to fully hammer home it's point. The null space might just be a white void, but it's effective. The courtroom speech is pretty alright. Soren already being "cured"/lobotomised was a bit obvious.

I get the point. Try to showcase the evils of homophobia and transphobia through applying the same attitudes to so called "normal" identities. And maybe I'm being more than a bit unfair, since this was the 90s, but there's a lot of confusion in how they get to the message, notably around expected roles for males and females and the sudden discomfort that Riker feels when talking about what is usually his favourite topic of conversation. I think it's accidental, and at any rate, i am definitely being unfair to even bring it up considering the time this episode was made, but they do also tacitly imply that androgyny and by extension a range of trans and queer identities as somehow unnatural. We've also got a similar problem to what I highlighted in the last episode, where every viewpoint needs a main character spokesperson, so, Worf draws the short straw and gets to be a needlessly bigoted ghoul for a scene. I will give it props for not shying away from how sickeningly foul and evil conversion camps and anyone who even lightly supports them are. It's kind of what I felt was missing in the last episode. I'll take a firm commitment to a ethical standpoint, even if I disagree (though im obviously fully onboard with this one), over a waffling debate that goes nowhere.

Hearts in the right place and it's not a bad episode by any stretch, but it bungles the thematic execution a bit too much for me to call it a highlight.

Cause and Effect next.

splodeymissile posted...

For all that they ostensibly androgynous, I find, and this might be a fault with me, that, as a collective, they're far closer to female than male. Being exclusively played by women from what i can tell probably doesn't help.

Frakes himself criticized this. He wanted Soren to have more male features or just be played by one.

But Rick Berman, apparently the reason none of the 90s Trek had real gay characters, thought it would be "unpalatable" to have Riker kiss a dude.

being trans, that one is pretty much impossible for me to ever watch again. it's such a great allegory that the ending just too visceral. the best part, though? the writer apparently never even considered trans people when writing it. it was entirely by accident.

Yeah, it was meant to just be a homosexual allegory.

Episode 18: Cause and Effect

Never gonna say no to time shenanigans.

Picard is as sweet as can be when comforting Crusher. Probably has the right attitude to decision making in the wake of a loop. Anxiously bending your brain into a pretzel helps nobody. The confusion when reading is quite funny.

Riker gets a little triggered by Crusher at the poker game. Spooked by his own deja vu.

La Forge gets a bit dizzy. Pretty good plan to get out of the loop.

Worf has been getting salty as fuck over poker lately. Beginning to wonder if Data is conspiring against him. Dorn's voice makes the card prediction that much more disturbing.

Crusher's joy over winning is adorable. Enjoys teasing Riker. First to properly experience deja vu. Little resigned to the fact that La Forge is unlikely to take time off. Brilliant facial acting from McFadden each time a new realisation strikes her. Not gonna lie moving the glass to a far table and then breaking it anyway is the sort of shit I'd do.

Troi isnt too much help, but i do love how everyone implicitly believes Crusher and tries to help.

Data's getting one hell of a sarcastic streak to him. Almost seems to enjoy tormenting Worf. Has enough initiative to send the message at the last second.

Ro's changed her hair. Looks nice.

Wasting no time. We just get into it from the jump. Blowing up the Enterprise is probably one of the most effective cold opens we've ever had. The cacophony is suitably unnerving, as is its accompanying zoom out. The other ship appearing from the distortion is beautiful. Repeating the same sequence from different angles is fun. Quite clever to end each act on the destruction of the Enterprise. Including the opening log makes it damn near farcical, which is actually a good thing. Some deliberately uncomfortable closeups when Riker and Crusher both "predict" the end of the game. Some of the new angles get a bit artsy, like lingering on Crusher's bedside table. It's remarkable what repetition and a light shaky cam can do to make mundane tasks seem horrific. We have all sorts, like dolly zooms and overhead shots. Director's dream, this one. Frakes is brilliant. Even the music is repetitive, though it takes on more sinister overtones on each loop. I was a little disappointed that not every cliffhanger involved the ship blowing up. It's obviously part of the message, but the sudden appearance of 3s is surprisingly foreboding. Linking it to Riker's pips is a bit of a stretch, though. Quite liked seeing TOS film era uniforms again.

There isn't anything much else to say. It's a proper directing masterpiece with a fantastic plot. Part of the joy of time travel stories is that unusual chronologies allow for a lot of potential experimentation in how stories are told and Frakes has truly risen to the challenge here.

I'd watch it again and again.

My next review is The First Duty

Oh, The First Duty is a fun one. One of the best quotes in the show in there.

Episode 19: The First Duty

Seeing the boy wonder for what he really is.

Picard's definitely acting more casual around his staff. Continues to hint at being a rebel in his younger years. Sympathetic and patient with Wesley. Chokes on his gratitude with Boothby, which is a rare moment of hesitancy from him. Doesn't take him long to smell a rat. Enters absolute fury when Wesley gets uppity with him. Simply walking up to him damn near intimidated me. His speech about truth is spot on. There's an attempt through dialogue callbacks to link Picard's nebulous school days to Wesley's situation, but I cannot see even young Picard as someone who's fuck up would be remotely close in severity.

Riker's school life sounds fairly interesting, too.

La Forge has enough loyalty to do his own investigation.

Worf does his job.

Crusher's naturally stunned to hear about Wesley and can't fully think straight. I'm still not sure I buy their relationship. Never had much love for parents who blindly think their kids are innocent. Needs to accept her boy for the lying sack of shit he is.

Troi is there.

Data and La Forge are practically joined at the hip. They even finish each other's sentences.

I'm not thrilled to see Wesley again, though this is fortunately one of his more harmless appearances. Being guiltily near silent in most scenes helps. Honesty may be a virtue, but coming from his meager resistance to Locarno, it doesn't seem like it. Such an utterly terrible liar that it becomes offensive. Even he can't believe his mum trying to defend him. How the fuck does he find the temerity to get snotty with Picard?

Brand's voice has a few moments of cracking when giving the speech. Has a knack for effortlessly sniffing out bullshit. Her Vulcan colleage is intimidating, sinister and seems to completely revel in it. Absolutely love him.

Locarno does everything he can to seem as suspicious as possible. His every line is straight out of the psychopath's playbook. Basically a wannabe cult leader. Looks remarkably like Tom Paris.

Boothby is a cool old man and has some impeccable banter with Picard.

Albert provides many hurt and skeptical reaction shots. Accidentally a guilt tripper.

Dramatic scenes are kept relatively musicless as is traditional. A nice long shot through the gardens when Picard and Boothby are talking. The Vulcan steals many closeup shots to accentuate his menace when poking holes in testimony. Its a pretty nice campus.

I've shat on Wesley quite a bit in this review and, for once, it feels like the writers want me to. This episode is the show finally conceding that Wesley is a misbegotten wretch of a character and treating him as such. I'm actually delighted at how thorough they are in painting this kid as a pathetic unlikeable weasel. Easily led, far dimmer than he pretends, possessed of no real ethics or morals, unreservedly arrogant, he's a mess and every one of his flaws tracks from how he acted in previous seasons. Just an overpriviledged golden boy who covers up the death of his friend to save face.
In between all the Wesley bashing, there's also a moral about the value of honesty. Which, great as Picard's speech is, is a little too absolutist for my tastes. Plenty of good reasons to lie, some of them are even ethical. Wesley's problem isn't a willingness to lie, it's that he's a weak willed cowardly piece of shit who places his and his friends' entitlement to a career over the thoughts of a grieving father.

It's actually a little thin, but that didn't stop me from really appreciating a long overdue dressing down.

Cost of Living next if I'm not too busy in Belfast.

Also, Locarno looks and acts a lot like Tom Paris because that's who Tom Paris was originally supposed to be until some sort of rights issue came up, forcing them to change him to Tom Paris lol.

I mean, I get that he's had some arrogant and hot headed moments already established in his backstory, but I feel like he's the type who's always had a strong sense of morality about him, to the point where I can't imagine him not owning up immediately if he got someone killed through a stupid mistake.

Maybe there's some detail in his past I've forgotten, but I genuinely can't see him ever acting even slightly like how Wesley did.

Huh, so casting the same actor wasn't just coincidental, then?

splodeymissile posted...

I mean, I get that he's had some arrogant and hot headed moments already established in his backstory, but I feel like he's the type who's always had a strong sense of morality about him, to the point where I can't imagine him not owning up immediately if he got someone killed through a stupid mistake.

Maybe there's some detail in his past I've forgotten, but I genuinely can't see him ever acting even slightly like how Wesley did.

This will be addressed in season 6 and I promise it's a top 10 ep.

Smiffwilm posted...

some sort of rights issue came up

as i understand it, they'd have to pay the The First Duty writer for every episode Paris was in (which, presumably, would have been close to two hundred times).

but 1) how much would that payment really have been? would we even be into six figures by the end of the series? and 2) they were planning to do the same thing with DS9. so, it clearly wasn't a complete dealbreaker.

Ro in DS9 is a much better what-if.

Giving it a bump

Episode 20: Cost of Living

Two characters I did not expect to see together.

Picard's a bit grim when the first plan fails, but he quickly goes into problem solving mode. Still sick of Lwaxana, but hopeful he can finally get rid of her.

Riker's enjoying himself far too much.

La Forge does his job. One of the more stressful tasks of his career.

Worf's quite astute. That is bribery. Couldn't be less thrilled with Lwaxana. Even with the obvious troubles, this is probably his best performance as a dad. Has the right reaction to the clown bubble. Is Worf's full name just Worf or is it Worf Rozhenko? Worf Rozhenko-Mogh? Shows remarkable restraint during the laughing hour. Still doesn't like baths.

Troi mightve been sweet to Alexander, but i still get the impression her heart was not remotely in that session. Wouldn't exactly call the contract the most brilliant moment of her career. Her sarcasm over Her mother's basically a PTSD trigger at this stage. Correct about how dodgy the relationship seems. She's not wrong that Alexander needs to learn responsibility. Acquires an apple so she can better be a bitch to her mother in delivering those messages.

Data certainly has a reaction to the arrival of the bridegroom.

Lwaxana's somehow found a new low in her bewildering quest to get hitched. Sees through Troi's nonsense immediately and she and Alexander make for strange, but not unwelcome friends. I don't comprehend how she finds whatever the fuck that simulation is entertaining. I want to believe its entirely for Alexander's benefit, but knowing her, she probably does enjoy it unironically. Decent wisdom about variety. Understandable reaction to the dress. Truly brilliant scene about being alone. That said, it's hard for me to accept that any character played by Majel Barret would ever need to compromise. Rocking up naked to her wedding is wonderfully whimsical.

Alexander's as astute as his dad. The proposed contract would be quite unfair. How old is this kid meant to be? Sorting out laundry shouldn't be too much of an ask once you're capable of being in school. Has fun in the simulation, somehow. Actually like the lad this time around, though I'm still not sure I'm particularly looking forward to his next appearance. Him and Troi sharing a "ha" was actually pretty funny.

Campio and Erko manage to be the incarnate death of romance. Even his voice and cadence manage to be the ultimate soporific. Never gonna complain about seeing Tony Jay.

Jumping right into the action again. Couple of beautiful Enterprise shots at the start. Particularly like the dust one. A few quick cuts between scenes when Lwaxana first shows up, presumably because Troi's so traumatised by this stage that she's disassociating. At first, I felt that the simulation was something of a theme park if it were based on a particularly vapid and condescending Cbeebies show, with some light Wonka thrown in, but then the exotic dancer rocks up and I'm left incapable of knowing what to make of it. Kind of cool seeing the holodeck start to fall apart, especially with the juggler going through the motions in the background. The metal parasite plot is sort of just there. Blatantly filling time.

Not an awful lesson to suggest that kids and adults alike both need to have fun in their lives, but I can't get past this all starting because of a refusal to sort laundry. Not a big ask and, more importantly, it does not justify immediately running to the child psychologist (since that's what Troi is today). Even then, Troi is suddenly incapable of properly connecting with children and Worf is still a bit of a bumbling dad. Neither is a turn I particularly want to see from these characters (Troi always seems to skirt around unlikeability whenever her mother is about). The parasite plot is nothing and the resolution is hilariously rushed (like whiplash going into the wedding scene), so, while there are a few individual good moments, only the parts directly involving Lwaxana's life ever really sing. And I still have no idea what to make of the simulation world.

Stuff with Lwaxana is alright, but it just sort of there overall.

Lwaxana may not have found The Perfect Mate, but it won't stop me from checking it out.

By the way, you ever watch the X-Men movies? If you did, you'll soon get why I asked that lol.

Episode 21: The Perfect Mate

Yes, I recognise Jean Grey.

Picard has his priorities in order. Rightly perturbed by the mail order bride business. Once again, the prime directive gets in the way of the right thing to do. Definitely not Kirk. Kamala tries a TOS style seduction and he breaks out of it without too much effort. His respectful attitude gives way to lightly patronising at a few points. Puts himself down in matters of romance. Straight up lies on Alrik's behalf. His resistance to spending any significant time with Kamala starts to verge on the cruel.

Riker doesn't much like Ferengi, which is quite understandable given his recent history with them. Disconcerted by human trafficking. Can't help but be slightly flirty. Doesn't put up much resistance. I pity the poor soul who has to clean holodeck 4. Wisely makes himself scarce when Kamala comes to the bar.

La Forge makes up something involving dolphins to get the Ferengi away. Bit of a weird first thought.

Worf doesn't care much for the new guests, either. Makes for a pretty good bouncer.

Crusher has the moral right of it.

I'm not sure taking Kamala down to the local is Data's cleverest idea. Bit useless, really. Very gossipy, apparently.

Briam is a little dull.

The Ferengi are hilarious in how willfully annoying they are. Didn't expect them to nearly kill a man.

Kamala's actor is brilliant at adjusting her personality to fit in each situation. Doesn't take her long to figure out Riker. Quite a significant look she gives him. Being proudly sociable and promiscuous is quite wonderful. Sees through Picard's cunning plans effortlessly. Cutely sly in how she gradually breaks his guard. Find it interesting that her first thought when asked about herself is to start imitating Picard's interests.

Alrik manages to be instantly hateable.

The egg is a pretty cool looking thing. Nice music during the emergence. Fantastic shot of Kamala in the mirror when Picard knocks on her door. Actually mirrors are used a lot around her, for obvious reasons.

My thoughts on the whole altar diplomacy haven't changed since the last time I ranted about it, but a quick note, nevertheless. It's sickening and, frankly, more than a bit farcical, that, for the longest time, the only thing that would often stop two groups of people from killing each other was shackling women to men who would never regard them as human. It's a nasty business and neither planet receives any sympathy from me. It's, again, lighter than TOS' brand, but there's more than a little sexism infecting this episode. Sure, they're trying to act against it by making the main characters care about Kamala as a person, rather than a sex toy, but some of the ways she's shut down by the characters are more than a little patronising, almost veering towards slut shaming, and the ten forward scene, with the rowdy miners, is almost intolerable, with Kamala herself being the only bright spot. Even her talk about never having been alone is framed a bit too close to being needy for my tastes. Maybe it's just that it's a subject matter for which I have very high standards and merely having your heart somewhat in the right place simply isn't enough. I do like that Kamala's arc sort of concludes with her self actualisation, but then going along with the mating out of duty isn't just a sour note, it kind of goes against what they've been building to. It doesn't help that her best self is literally Picard's ideal woman. That his ideal woman happens to be an actual human being doesn't stop it from muddying itself further. Would've been better if who she chose to be had no relation to any of the men. Allow her to find a long buried true self or something.

Like a lot of episodes of this calibre, I think it's genuinely trying and the guest star is excellent, but I just don't have much tolerance for getting this sort of thing wrong.

Imaginary Friend sounds like it could be a creepy one.

Dammit there's a web comic involving Riker and the holodeck janitor but I can't remember the name of it and google isn't finding it.

Episode 22: Imaginary Friend

Never had one, myself.

Picard has a decent speech at the end.

Riker does his job.

La Forge tries to feed his ego a bit. Decent with children. Got a bit of backstory, too.

Worf is decent with kids, as well. Guess Alexander is a good influence.

Crusher's trying to encourage a relationship.

Glad that Troi indulges Clara. Correctly points out that it's the dad's fault for constantly moving about. Almost looks guilty when she refuses to invite Isabella.

Data continues to practice his sarcasm. Getting far better at social situations.

Guinan acts as expected.

Keiko is presumably about.

Alexander's prescence surprised, especially so soon after his last appearance, but I don't mind him.

Sutter doesn't leave much impression.

Clara's a sweet enough kid.

Isabella is proper creepy. Wonderfully menacing when she turns on Clara.

Some beautiful use of shadows for the nebula. Music wise, it's damn near silent, which makes a lot of scenes even creepier. It's a truly odd eerie feeling that doesn't seem fully intentional. Mostly only plays when Isabella's up to something. The strands suddenly appearing is pretty cool. Wandering about the room, looking for Isabella was a decently spooky scene. The constant harsh red caused by the strands is actually quite unnerving.

I appreciate that this show is on the right side of child psychology and sees imaginary friends as nothing to be concerned about. I also like the acknowledgement that a lack of stability in life, such as if you're moving around a lot, can have a detrimental effect on the mental wellbeing of children. I recognise that everyone has different circumstances, but it's hard for me to not regard such people who drag their kids everywhere instead of allowing them to put down roots as a little bit selfish. Sutter, aside from being a bit bland, really doesn't inspire much sympathy as he should be attentive enough to his kid that he shouldn't need Troi to spell it out for him. Parenthood is something far too important to just muddle through. Even though Stewart can almost always deliver a good speech, and this episode is no exception, there's an uncomfortable whiff of "adults always know best" to it, which is obviously untrue. I mean, Clara's idiot of a father thinks a bit of play is something worth going to the psychologist over. It's like he's a Dahl villain.

Has a very weird feel to it, but there's some good visuals and the story's mostly decent.

I, Borg next.

Found it at home lol.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/2/1/AAcAeRAADxN1.jpg

Found it at home lol

On Deep Space 9, the Ferengi bartender Quark has holodeck programs dedicated to banging

i've always thought Shay Astar was underrated as a child actor, but i just can not stand that episode.

Quick bump.

Wouldn't the mess be demolecularized and placed into the replicator stores, to be later remade into... let's say, a tuna salad?

hexa posted...

On Deep Space 9, the Ferengi bartender Quark has holodeck programs dedicated to banging

But where any of them used by William Riker?

Smiffwilm posted...

But where any of them used by William Riker?

at one point, quark does ask him if he's calling to reserve a holosuite. so, it's implied that he had done so before. but as far as i can remember, it's just the implication that he used one, and not for what purpose. maybe he was just using his hands for jazz.

Episode 23: I, Borg

A more intimate story was probably the best option for their next appearance.

Stewart's magnificent at making Picard wear his PTSD all over his face. Quite ready to leave alone, but hearing Worf's militant suggestions reminds him of his best self, weary as it makes him. Politely, but far too finally, shuts down Troi. Deep into madness when he suggests the infection plan. Completely dispassionate, yet internally frothing. Tries to sort of dodge Guinan's questions. Enjoys playing with dehumanising pronouns and speaks of Hugh with angry contempt. Utterly brilliant to go from lightly wounded at being called Locutus to immediately turning it into a plan. Left in a shocked whisper when Hugh demonstrates proper individuality.

Riker has a professionally understated reaction to Hugh. Fully in pragmatic mode.

La Forge finds quite a lot of decisions and suggestions a little dubious. Sarcastic to Hugh. His anger at Crusher suggests that he did have quite a problem with this before bonding with Hugh. Telling Guinan to listen is fucking brilliant.

Worf, as expected, advocates killing Hugh. Never thrilled with leaving his captain in danger.

Crusher has remarkable empathy and does the right thing. Once Third demonstrates that it's scared without the rest of the collective, I feel her arguments are immediately validated. Patient as hell with Hugh and finds his progress immensely gratifying.

I think Troi is getting increasingly frustrated by people refusing her help. Her face seems to suggest resignation at any rate. Little shocked to see her on the war side of the debate.

What is going on with Data? After kind of spinning his wheels for a good few seasons, hes suddenly picked up an aptidude for social affairs. Basically prompting Troi to talk to Picard with only a look.

I'm not sure about this use of Guinan. Usually, her role is to cleverly suggest the right philosophical choice. Here, she just plays into Picard's paranoia and trauma. Nice as it is to have her explore fencing, I not convinced it's the correct choice to have her lose, either, even if one was a feint. Her angry reaction to La Forge flags up the weirdness even more so. I get she's had history with the Borg and for any other character, this sort of development would be fine, but after being so immaculately moral and wise in every other appearance, it feels off to have her so against them. Even with the loss of her home and most of her people, I would've still expected her to be sympathetic to Hugh from the start. The problem might just be inflexibility on my part, especially since I quite like the late night visit scene and there's nothing glaringly wrong in any of her other scenes.

Hugh has some pretty good body language to indicate how lost he is. Naturally, La Forge's example gives him the first impetus to begin questioning things. The body language makes gradual changes as he explores individuality more. Its impressive how expressive you can be with just one eye. Rejecting Borg philosophy is a great moment. Giving La Forge one last look was quite sweet.

They're all correct: The star is pretty beautiful. The snow planet is quite nice, especially with the overhead shot. Surprised to see a dead Borg with an exposed brain. Picard gets a variety of closeups to emphasise his teetering on the brink of madness. Fitting the coupling manages to be an impressively tense scene.

He who fights monsters, then. Because, ultimately, the Borg are all about depersonifying people and literally making them drones in a somewhat vague machine. Armed with their respective traumas, most of the cast are perfectly comfortable with doing the exact same dehumanising to Hugh because, to them, he's just another piece of kit in the service of their enemy. And, following this theme of large institutions eroding humanity, fear and an undeclared war are used as additional justifications for the surrendering of ethics. Crusher breaks through this nonsense because the overriding philosophy behind medicine is an absolute insistence on showing compassion to all.

It's sort of necessary to avoid the Borg being little more than masterbatory cannon fodder, anyway. As soon as Picard was freed from the collective at the start of season 4, it became apparent that assimilation doesn't necessarily kill you, so, much as it just subsumed you. Considering the strides they've made with the Klingons (and occasionally tried with other races), suggesting that all other drones can just kick rocks and die, but Locutus is special because he was once a main character kind of violates the overall ethics they're going for. If Picard were never assimilated, maybe they could've gotten away with having a race of flat monsters, but it just can't really work now without some acknowledgement that being relentlessly militant is problematic to say the least.

Besides, what about Picard's (and, much as I still think, even with her trauma, that this wasn't the ideal role for the character, Guinan's) soul. Allowing their first instincts to be right means conceding that that they should be perpetually angry and wounded over what was done, which flies in the face of the big theme of healing that the past few seasons have kept flagging up.

By my count, we're three for three on great Borg stories.

On to The Next Phase.

I always liked the scene where Picard is confronting Hugh. I feel like he transitions from faking being Borg to having a small flashback and just becoming one again for a moment as Hugh gets more and more human in his distress.

Episode 24: The Next Phase

Phasing is another really fun concept.

Picard starts fidgeting once they disappear and carries himself with utter solemnity. Nice of him to share a story about La Forge. Certainly has a reaction to the funeral.

Riker still has little tolerance for Ro's comments. Angry and frantic when La Forge and her go missing. Clearly likes Ro, at least a little. Delighted by the party.

La Forge takes to intangibility a bit more calmly than Ro. Angrily rejects the possibility that he's dead and has a lot more hope about their situation. Exasperated with Ro's resignation. Appreciates Data's thoughts. Has a bit too much fun giving him extra work to do. Loves a good party.

Worf seems to have put away some of his Romulan bigotry, since he has a note of severity when mentioning the 73 survivors. Still not happy with them, though. Actually gets listened to for once. Like his honesty of how Klingon culture has uncommon views on death.

Crusher briefly holds on to optimism, but gets on with her job.

Troi cant sense anything.

Data is quite sweet, asking to do the memorial. The brief hesitation is adorable. Genuinely appreciates La Forge's accepting nature and expends great effort to figure out the appropriate way to mourn. Full sincerity mode when he gets his friend back.

Ro is a bit more ready to bite her tongue. Quickly gets annoyed, then panicked when everyone keeps ignoring her. Being regarded as dead seems to hit her particularly quickly. Accepts it even faster and almost has a sense of peaceful bliss over her faith being "proven". Get a decent peak at who she is, from her gratitude over Picard to her shock at Riker maybe being a bit nicer than she thought. Enjoyed her outwitting the Romulan. Doesn't quite get the party. Shooting Riker in the head is the appropriate response to all this ambiguity. Liked her complex thoughts on how not being dead is almost a spiritual disappointment.

The Romulan ship is a claustrophobic death trap. The clear unease of everyone discussing the apparent deaths makes the ship feel a bit like a dream world from Ro's perspective. The lights in engineering when we catch up with La Forge have a similar effect. Bit of a power move to just walk through a computer. Having the phased Romulan in the foreground was some brilliant foreshadowing. Fun to almost voyeuristically peak at private lives during a chase/fight sequence. Phasing through the hull of the ship is a bit of a sudden, bleak fate. Doesn't affect my enjoyment at all, but it does highlight how arbitrary the rules of phasing are.

They don't go as deep into Ro's spirituality as I would like, but I still do appreciate that this experience has genuinely changed her and for the better. Aside from effortlessly connecting with La Forge anyway, that final scene has her at the happiest and most comfortable we've ever seen her and its all on the back of her maybe finding a fleck of faith in her life. I may be down on religion (primarily because I find dogma to be incompatible with faith, which in some people's eyes might be quite the paradoxical statement), but a personal spirituality is a truly beautiful thing and, so long as you feel you have the freedom to add things that are missing and to disregard those that aren't fit for purpose, using a system of traditions or even a religion as the backbone for that framework isn't awful at all. Far more important than maybe proving the existence of Bajoran ghosts (dressing up the explanation and solution in technobabble doesn't change the fact that that is what they are. Hell, Data's scanner is basically an EM reader that ghost hunter types tend to use), though, is her recognising that maybe the Enterprise isn't as hostile as she may have believed (sure, its nicer than anywhere else, but shes still standoffish), especially if even Riker's thoughts are only ambiguous at worst. The joy comes in realising she was slightly wrong in a truly wonderful way. Her readiness to accept being dead quickly veers into what looks like a suicidal death wish, yet seeing how she would be treated once she's gone and immediately clicking with someone who's in a similar position basically gives her a care to live.

I'm long passed expecting the Romulans to reclaim their former complexity, so, I'm happily calling this pretty fantastic.

I'll look into The Inner Light, next.

The Inner Light has the most votes for the best episode of The Next Generation

Episode 25: The Inner Light

I can see why.

I like that Picard's first thought is that he's in a holodeck simulation. As always, Stewart is effortless at modulating through different modes. Initial confusion gives way to fear. He adopts a not entirely convincing facade in front of Batai. Attempts to use Eline until it dawns on him how badly she's hurting. Tries to brush her away out of decency. A single act has so much to talk about and every moment of processing his situation and changing his behaviour is perfectly written on Picard's face. Wracked with a complex guilt over being unable to leave his Enterprise life behind. Even though he's not a leader, many of his captain instincts are still present when he starts properly participating.

Sweet to hear him talk about the joy of being a dad. Manages to get even more cantankerous the older he gets, without sacrificing any warmth. As he settles more into the role of Kamin, he puts on one hell of an emotional tour de force, with his breakdown over Eline's death being impressively real. Makes for an amazing grandfather. The gasp when he realises what Ressik is damn near made we tear up. Closing on him playing the flute is a perfect ending.

Riker springs to action and is very angry about the probe.

La Forge passes judgement on the technology.

Worf gives the expected suggestions.

Crusher is the voice of reason. Practically collapses out of stress once Picard's vital signs stabilise.

Data provides exposition and problem solving.

Ro gets to sit down.

It's impressive how, despite the context of an unfamiliar world, Eline never for a moment seems remotely sinister. Instead, it's evident that she cares for Kamin, that his apparent confusion worries and hurts her and that the brief moments where it seems like there might be recollection instantly warms her heart. Teasing him over the flute speaks to a genuine romantic history that exists, but which were not privy to. Considering that the audience's natural reaction would be that she's somehow manipulative, I'm amazed that I never got that vibe from her. Even when she asks him to give up on Enterprise life, she's never anything less than sympathetic. Their relationship manages to be a truly beautiful one, especially with the light bits of teasing banter.

Batai is an alright leader. Commands an audience well enough. Batai the younger doesn't leave much impression.

Meribor manages to have more humanity to her than her short role would suggest.

Rather understated, the probe's attack on Picard. Ressik is a beautiful community, with the episode absolutely aware that the clifftop view is worth lingering on. I'm not sure about cutting to the Enterprise scenes. They don't really accomplish much beyond the obvious and the passage of time in Ressik could still be communicated just through the ad breaks. I wish I had a better ability to grasp music theory. The flute makes for an outstanding audio signifier throughout the episode. Aside from being, for lack of a better term, a very primal instrument in the sense that, in my experience, its able to touch the soul more than most. Add that to the main melody being slow and contemplative enough to be incredibly wistful, yet peaceful and, again, lacking better terms, it creates a sense that the world of Ressik is a real dream.

Fucking hell, where do I start? It's perhaps appropriate that Picard's interest in archeology has long been established before this episode, since part of the point of that and related subjects is to understand how other people lived and even thought. The probe, then, and the resulting dreamworld is the perfected vision of this: literally living a lifetime as a member of an ancient community, including the tremendously ordinary parts of that life. And all for the purpose of properly remembering and understanding them.

It's interesting that they invert the typical traveller philosophy, too. Once you get past the basic spectacle of seeing new places, part of the joy of travelling becomes to learn and to especially learn about yourself. While he technically journeyed to another place, he was ultimately forced into living at a single location rather than being free to drift off as he pleased. He still learned, though, as he discovered that having children in his life is something he's actually okay with. I quite like him mentioning needing to remind himself of what his home is. I travel when I find the time and I like to spent at least a week at wherever I end up. I've found that even if I'm staying in a relatively bare hostel, it quickly becomes a home of sorts for me and many of my more automatic thoughts eventually adapt to account for it. Upon returning to my real home, even though I've been only been gone for a few days, there is a sort of uncanny adjustment period where I spent a couple of days reminding myself of something that should be intimately familiar.

Finally, though, despite being based on a real history, it is practically a dreamworld and while a great many dreams are often useless babble, somewhere in all that chaos is the potential for a genuinely life changing experience. I've mentioned before that I have far less musical ability than I would like, to the point where I'm unable to compose songs despite giving it a fair effort on several occasions. What I produce isn't merely derivative of existing songs, it's always identical to something I've previously heard. Yet, I've had several dreams where I have created something original and, while it always fades within a few hours, I've kept the memories of these compositions for a bit upon waking and in those moments it never seems like I'm just pulling from someone else's work. So, I'm convinced that the capacity exists inside me somewhere. Seeing Picard learn the flute throughout his time in Ressik, invent his own song and keep the ability long after waking couldn't help but remind me of this weird anecdote in my own life. Fitting with the episode's title, it kind of doesn't matter if the people of Kataan were ever real because Picard has nevertheless discovered a great many things about his inner self. And we have a beautifully melancholic story to cap things off with.

Best episode might be right. Utterly brilliant.

We close with Time's Arrow.

Episode 26: Time's Arrow

Some proper time travel here.

Picard (and the rest) are far more bothered by Data's inevitable death than Data himself. Bluntly and immediately accepting that he's irrational is brilliant. Has a brief internal debate, but allows Data to go. Has the right idea of just getting on with the job. Seems to be a theme whenever he and time travel meet. Always respectful of Guinan. Presumably, didn't have the heart to tell Worf that a Klingon might cause a scene if they go back in time.

Riker is naturally angered and hurt, to the point that he makes a rather anemic effort to hide from his emotions. It's a bit of a useless effort, but nice to see that his priority is finding Data.

La Forge doesn't take it particularly well, either, though his reaction is closer to just sadness. Manages to appreciate Data's perspective a little. Not confident in his work compared to Data.

Worf has a morbid thought about fate and gets kicked back to the ship.

Crusher attends a meeting and delivers some exposition.

Troi holds it together easier than most and goads Riker into behaving like an adult. Doesn't need telepathy to have the biggest insight into Data's own views.

Data's understandably shocked by the discovery. Fatalism was not a reaction i expected, but seeing it as a sense of closure and a mark of humanity kind of makes sense. Able to appreciate everyone fussing over him, even if being treated differently clearly hurts him. Like a scorched child when he gets snubbed for the away team. Survives well enough in the past and it's fun to see him learn as he goes. Bleeding heart towards beggars. Starts with the right reaction towards tipping culture, but quickly gets worn down. Spiner finds time for plenty of physical comedy, with the farce involving the anvil a highlight. Fun to see him politely disregard social graces.

Guinan is nosy and manages to be a font of mystery. Doesn't beat around the bush too much with Picard, which is refreshing considering how these types of stories usually go. The drink is a fine metaphor.

Young Guinan isnt too different from her future self. Still has the social wisdom and subtly holds Clemens in contempt. Little adorable how she finds Data fascinating.

Clemens is clearly a sociable sort and has a basic level of cunning, but he strikes me as a man who believes hes far more intelligent than he actually is.

Data's head is a fine way to close a cold open. Looks rather ghoulish. Cool shot to have La Forge chime in from the background. An invisible Data describing things that aren't quite human, whilst panning over several reaction shots is a proper tense and spooky scene. It's rare for Star Trek to bother with past eras, so, the 1800s is a nice collection of sets and characters. The poker game was a foregone conclusion, so, no need to see that. Just cut to the win. The villains rocking up in period appropriate clothing, with a handbag that doubles as a soul stealer is light something out of Doctor Who. Guinan's mug in the paper is a great cliffhanger. The blue hue gives a nice ethereal tint to the alien space. What little we see of said aliens, again, reminds me of classic Doctor Who.

Yeah, this feels like a deliberate homage to Doctor Who in quite a few ways. Beyond that, though, we have the tease of Guinan's backstory, which might be interesting when I get to part 2, and, on a similar note, the inevitable problems of trying to look deeply into something when I only have half of the story. Fate is the obvious thing, both with Data's death and the necessity of Picard and Guinan's first meeting.

More interesting, though, is the reaction to Data's fate. The android himself feels comforted by the notion that he has an endpoint, that his time will come to an eventual close. His friends, however, are adamant about preventing that. Of all the members of the crew, his nature means that he should by rights be an eternal fixture of the Enterprise. The bittersweet joy of loving people you see regularly is that you feel comfortable enough to take them for granted and can scarcely imagine a life that would be ever too different. There's a truly beautiful, but near thoughtless, assumption of eternity: that how it is now is how it will always be, albeit with shifting details. Logically, of course, everyone knows that's a fallacy, but being aware of the obvious facts of time does nothing to defeat the emotional certainty. Likening Data's fate to a terminal illness is appropriate, then, because when a loved one is clearly on their way out, there's a bizarre liminal space where you're acutely aware of that fact and often find yourself acting differently around them, both for the sake of your emotions, as you'll have plenty of stuff to process, but also because of the desire to no longer take them for granted. In an attempt to make the last days of the relationship more important and fulfilling, you run the risk of losing the comfort that characterises a good relationship to begin with. The suddenness of being flung back in time might as well be equivalent to an illness taken a very sudden turn and killing someone far faster than you'd dare fear. At least, those are my initial thoughts. Will have to see how part 2 looks.

Pretty fun start to an adventure.

Will be some rankings before too long.

End of season 5

Top 7: (because my path through this season was a little delayed and my previous topic is gone, I'm relying on memory for a lot of the early episodes. None of my rankings ever seriously tried to be objective, but, even so, this is the least objective I've ever done)

Darmok (utterly brilliant and surprisingly deep exploration of language and culture)

Unification Part I (its impressive how a story that's basically all build up manages to be such an engrossing watch.

Hero Worship (how a Data story should be)

Conundrum (a gimmick episode that success in striving for more)

Cause and Effect (immaculate production all the way)

I, Borg (the natural evolution of how to handle Borg stories done brilliantly)

The Inner Light (more than deserves its accolades)

Bottom 7: (there's an obvious theme to my choices)

The Game (hilarious for all the wrong reasons and insidious in its actual message)

Violations (it's just really uncomfortable, on reflection)

The Masterpiece Society (some debates simply don't deserve equal consideration of all sides)

Ethics (even beyond my disagreements, it's tediously paint by numbers to the point of being insulting)

The Outcast (pains me the most out of this bunch because I think it tried the hardest and came the closest to succeeding, but it misses it by too much)

The Perfect Mate (again, trying isn't succeeding)

Imaginary Friend (another one that pains me, but there is something really weird about the production in this one and I don't think it's all intentional. Plus, its another slightly bungled message)

Miscellaneous thoughts:

Redemption, Part II (good, especially for Worf's character development, but it's still a slightly unsatisfying ending to the arc)

Ensign Ro (I don't remember this one too much, but I'm impressed by how Ro has become just another member of the crew in such a short time)

Disaster (standing in for a bunch of similar episodes too, but we have had a lot of gimmick/genre shows this season)

Unification, Part II (I was tempted to include both parts as one entry in the top 7, but this has a similar problem to Redemption of not quite landing the ending)

New Ground (might've made the bottom 7 if I remembered enough about it. Worf being a difficult father is not a turn I like from him)

The First Duty (shitting on Wesley gives it a massive amount of points, but, fun though it would be, even I can't justify placing it in the top 7)

Cost of Living (similar weird vibe to Imaginary Friend. The two could be interchangeable)

The Next Phase (there were a decent number of contenders for the top 7. This was one of those that got closest. More interestingly, it was here where I noticed that good and bad episodes tend to be grouped together a bit)

The overall quality continues to climb, though the lows seem to be getting lower.

Next is a brief digression back in time to explore The Undiscovered Country.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

There's Klingons on the starboard bow.

Kirk is playing up his racism tremendously and is both angered and supremely hurt by Spock's actions. Stunned by Valeris' questioning of his orders, but gives a not quite sweet smile and reminder of what he said. Despite some friction, giving Spock a knowing look after is a nice show that their friendship is still intact. Practically throwing a tantrum while he dictates the captain's log, chucking his stuff about the place. Somewhat self aware of his problems, but believes he's incapable of change. Has a few brainfarts when they pull up to the Klingon ship, but eventually manages to invite them to dinner. Gets plastered and compares them to nazis, then feels like shit and tries to sleep off his fuck up. Genuinely appalled when torpedoes start flying. Manages to charm his way around in the gulag. Wracked with guilt when he realises how bigoted he is. Clever to see through Martia's plan. Annoyed by a poorly timed rescue.

Shatner has some fun briefly being Martia.

It becomes clear pretty early on that one of the prime reasons Spock is doing this is for Kirk's benefit. Tries to warn Valeris away from making the same faux pas as Saavik. Continues to be in harmony between his two halves and attempts to pass on his wisdom to Valeris. Pretty great line about logic there, too. Pretty much the only decent attendee to the dinner party on our heroes' side. Has a truly aghast reaction to Kirk's Hitler comment. Frankly, Nimoy's expression shocked me more than the comment itself. His anger at Valeris is also quite a stunning move. Batting the gun out of her hand. Don't really like that he forced a mind meld on her. Broods in the dark. Nice human moment at the end.

McCoy is mostly in snark mode. Some great desperation when trying to save Gorkon. Proper offended at being called incompetent. Exhausted by Kirk always finding someone to snog. Steals a catchphrase.

Scotty has immense pride in the ship (which is well deserved considering the absolute state of it last movie). Takes some time to cotton on to lying about the engine. Uhura has a great moment of tutting when Valeris shows she's a bit too professional. Quite casual on the bridge now, as well. I'd have thought shed already know a decent bit of Klingon. Chekov offers the chair when Kirk enters the bridge, but the captain's immediate BSOD leaves him awkwardly stood there and unsure what to do with himself. Fails miserably with Dax.

Sulu finally has Excelsior and quite prim and proper as a captain. Having a cuppa on the bridge is lovely. Despairingly sarcastic to his underlings. At least he's loyal. Noticed that he never really shares a scene with the other main characters. Is that due to Shatner and Takei's animosity?

Valeris is fine. Like Saavik before her, she's a little overeager and, also like Saavik, I'd have been happy to see her a main character going forward, which makes it such a shame that shes rather obviously the traitor. Telling off the racist guards is a fantastic moment, even if its hypocrisy. I was a bit taken aback by her blasting the cooking pot. Looks completely violated after the meld and, yeah, my sympathy is going to her there, despite the assassination.

Gorkon carries himself far better than Kirk, even understanding where he's coming from and wisely musing on the difficult task ahead of them. The other Klingons get a few great individual moments, but the highlight is their awkward attempts to imitate the humans whilst trying to seem natural at the dinner party. I like that they have an appreciation for Shakespeare. Chang is quite hamtastic and he's delightfully obvious in his villainy, though the Shakespeare quotes almost wear out their welcome.

Roddenberry gets another tribute. The opening theme has a similar tension and anger to The Wrath of Khan, but with an added touch of mystery. We literally explode into action once the credits are finished. Some of it may be stock footage, but it is a delight to see the hyper detailed film designs of ships and such again. The explosion looks great, too. Tables are used a lot, alongside long shots, to indicate emotional distance: Kirk is kept at a remove from Spock and, later, Gorkon. As it is primarily about making the final statement on Kirk's character, we quite intimately see him make the captain's logs. Music isn't present during the dinner scene to highlight the tension and the camera angles almost have us view it from the Klingons' perspective. The torpedo launch is incredibly sudden, which adds to the confusion of what follows. The Klingon blood is needlessly gratuitous, especially as its pretty appalling CGI. The way it dribbles at the camera makes me wonder if I should be wearing 3D glasses. Decent oner showing the desolation of the Klingon ship. The trial scene is brilliant from start to finish.

Nice bleak shots of the snowy wasteland. Some busy work with the uniform hunt. Decent comedy bit with the speed learning of Klingon. Using darkness to briefly obscure Valeris' identity is needless. We get the return of spinning intimacy for the mind meld. Nice to play the conference and space battle simultaneously. It amazes me how, even though I've been watching Picard and crew for a while, these characters are instantly familiar from the moment they appear. It's like they never left.

There are two things going on here. Firstly, the Klingon empire is still a stand in for the Soviet Union, with the plot basically being a Sci-fi allegory for the real life winding down of tensions going on in that period. At the same time, though, there's a recognition that some of TOS's politics, including, but not limited to, how they treated their soviet stand ins, are quite problematic. Add this to TNG being far more idealistic and deliberately trying to look forward, rather than only accidentally doing so and we have quite a disconnect in this franchise. Playing up Kirk's bigotry and then resolving it is how Star Trek picks a lane and elects to have TOS's legacy be the optimism that the fans always saw in it, whilst also setting up some lore to explain the friendly Klingons in the other show. That final captain's log is all the old guard bowing out gracefully. It's been Picard's show for a while. And Kirk has finally grown enough as a person to recognise it.

Not my favourite film of the hexalogy, The Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home are sharing that space, but a bloody good installment and a fitting ending for these characters.

And full circle, indeed. We're back to Time's Arrow next.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 6

Episode 1: Time's Arrow, Part II

Back like I never left.

Picard enjoys his rocking chair. Very cheeky to have a cover story as an acting troupe. Be rude not to do Shakespeare. Eventually, gets his charm working. Very sweet to young Guinan. Always diplomatic, even to his enemies. Some light fanboying of Clemens.

Bless Riker for carrying out the obvious solution when confronted with an annoying copper. Really doesn't like the indecision that accompanies time travel. Just seems to get angrier each time it comes up.

La Forge must be annoyed having to remove his visor all the time. Victim of some light racism from a pig.

Worf can't even deal with the nonsense he walks into.

Crusher does some mystery solving. Clearly dislikes being a mere nurse.

Troi quickly figures out how to keep Clemens happy. Gives a sterling defence of life in the Federation. Still leaning towards the aggressive solution more than she used to.

Data has faith in Guinan. Effortlessly shuts down Clemens' attempts to bluff him. Flails about in a bit of a panic when they need to pretend rehearse.

I got the impression last episode that Guinan was already irritated by Clemens, so, nice to have it confirmed. Her future self isn't too helpful.

Clemens (since that's the name he insists on) has the wrong idea about Data. Its kind of hard for me to tolerate him, especially his voice, and especially considering his misunderstanding and lack of ability to comprehend really anything thats going on. Completely out of his depth and I don't really find him all that fun. Can't blame him for jumping into the future. Some of his criticisms of future life veer close to a genuine point, but it's strikes me as undue arrogance to run his mouth as much as he does. I have little knowledge of the real Mark Twain's personal life, so, maybe this is reasonably accurate to who he really was, but either way, not my sort of person. Hints at a lot of self deprecation when he apologises to Data's body. Overall, his character follows the pattern that your average historical celebrity does in a Doctor Who, though not quite as well as that show manages it.

London is very eager. Kind of surprised how light his role is considering his friendship with Data.

So, its an ambiguous amount of time after the last episode. At least everyone's in period appropriate dress. A lot of fun to be had in the crew's inability to cope with the past. Basically, a farce. The explosion that severs Data's head is a little sudden and understated. Felt a bit limp considering the buildup. The relationship between Picard and Guinan is clearly meant to be an incredibly deep friendship, but I never read much in the way of actual romance in it throughout the seasons, yet their heart to heart in the cavern had a distinct air of precisely that, which doesn't seem right to me.

According to production trivia, last season was originally meant to end on a more standard episode, but rumours of DS9 replacing this show led them to make a hasty two parter. And the haste shows. I've been a bit negative above, but this episode was incredibly fun, even if it is uneven and slightly confused. However, the potentially interesting themes flagged up in the first part don't really get dealt with in a remotely satisfying way, getting almost completely ignored in favour of focusing on the admittedly sometimes clever mechanics of how the time loop functions. Puzzle box episodes, even if this was quite an easy one to solve, can be enjoyable, but it's hard not to feel like a disappointing bait and switch after what the first part did.

Doesn't remotely justify being a season finale/premier and its basically off brand Doctor Who in parts. But its still a fair bit of fun and I was mostly amused through it.

Onto Realm of Fear.