Star Trek, the Next Generation
Jun. 11th, 2009 02:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skywaterblueWhen this show was good, it was really good. I checked disk six, season three out from Netflix because it has "Sarek" on it, a very classic episode about Spock's father. Written by Peter S. Beagle! I surprised myself, though, by watching the rest of the episodes on the disk and liking all of them.
They just don't make TV shows like TNG anymore, and it's our loss as viewers. You see, in all the episodes on the disk, nothing much happens. The Enterprise never starts a war with Romulus or saves Vulcan from getting blown up. TNG trusts that you care enough about the characters by this point in the show that it really DOES matter to you what happens to them.
That sort of confidence in the writing is pretty sexy. Maybe television should take a step back.
"Hollow Pursuits" is the one that introduces Barclay, a character who goes on to become semi-beloved. (I like Barclay. Haters to the left.) Barclay is a troubled guy on the engineering staff who obviously suffers from some social anxiety disorder.
In the modern era of autism awareness, and considering that they have a full-time counselor, it's a little weird to see the crew of the Enterprise failing to cope with Barclay. However, he's not troubled in any way that would seem odd for a utopian 24th Century; indeed, I find the thought that Barclay - social weirdo - exists and manages to have an okay career in Starfleet prior to getting posted to Enterprise pretty reassuring.
Anyway, so Geordi is being a dick to this guy, and Riker doesn't like him either. In one of his truly awesome moments in life, Picard tells them they need to try harder to fit Barclay into the group. (In one of the greatest moments ever, though, we see that Picard accidentally internalized their nickname for him, Broccoli, and calls him that by accident. Picard, being a total gentleman, has the very good sense to look completely mortified by this.)
Meanwhile, Barclay has made a holosuite program with all the senior staff where they love him, and he's become totally addicted to it. Geordi, set straight by Picard, decides to man up and become Barclay's friend and give him more responsibility. In the end, the ship almost flies itself apart because of some random plotonium. Barclay and Geordi figure it out together and save the Enterprise. Barclay gets the confidence to totally quit holoprograms. (For the moment.)
It's a sweet episode that establishes a recurring character, and Picard, Geordi, Riker and Troi all get things to do that enhances their characterization. You do end up caring for Barclay, but you can see why this episode is weird by modern standards - 'cause, um, nothing plotty happens in this.
---
Next episode on the disk is "The Most Toys", a solid but minor episode I've always liked about Data. The Enterprise is picking up a shipment of unstable plotonium from a guy who collects stuff. He wants Data, the universe's only sentient android, for his very own so he fakes a shuttlecraft explosion. The entire crew thinks Data is dead and is unsettled, but they go off on their mission. Data resists the collector in various peaceful, non-violent ways, while Geordi becomes convinced that something is wrong while the rest of the crew mourns their robot pal.
Upon reaching the Planet of the Week, the rest of the crew realizes that Geordi must be right because they have fake plotonium, not real plotonium. So they go back and track down the ship, just as Data is contemplating killing his captor. In the end, they save Data just before he can do it, but Data isn't perturbed because he doesn't feel emotions at all.
I forgot to make a screencap, though, of the first appearance of the Bajoran wormhole. (As one of Data's paintings!)
---
Unlike the other two episodes, the whole point of "Sarek" is that you want to see Mark Leonard play Spock's dad one last time. This one has a slightly more interesting plot, but they put almost no effort into it. Ambassador Sarek has to go on one last mission to make contact with some aliens who are important to the Federation for... non-compelling reasons. (World building. It ain't TNG's strong point, okay.)
If it wasn't Sarek, you would have to invest more time in explaining the new character and why Picard loved him, and why this trade mission is so important. But it is Sarek, so who cares, on to the real story which is: Sarek is totally Picard's idol. Of course he is! Picard is really excited to get to meet him, he's spent like all month preparing for this with a special shipboard concert and everything, and then he's bummed out when it appears that Sarek is too ill to actually hang out with him.
I mean, there's some plot about how the new aliens ONLY want to deal with Sarek, but you really don't care about those guys at all. In fact, you don't even meet them, that's how totally non-important they are. The important part is that you feel REALLY REALLY BADLY because Sarek is old and Picard was so excited.
It turns out that Sarek has Vulcan Alzheimer's, which causes him to lose control of his emotions completely. In order to save the treaty, Picard volunteers to mindmeld with him so that Sarek can have his control and Picard can have his emotions. Picard-as-Sarek breaks down and cries about his deceased wife and crappy relationship with his son. Sarek-as-Picard saves the day one last time. At the end, they've both learned an important lesson.
Meanwhile, I am left totally wondering if the reason I love "Noel" in the West Wing so much is because there is a very similar 'breakdown in a classical concert' in this episode.
---
"Menage a Troi". This episode is universally crapped on, but rewatching it, I really liked it. What happens in this episode: Troi's mom, Ambassador Lwaxana is on board following a trade mission. While there, some Ferengi guy falls in love with her/becomes convinced he can use her telepathy to make money. When Lwaxana somehow convinces Deanna and then later Riker to come down to Betazed for a picnic on the estate, they all get kidnapped.
This episode features Riker beating a guy at chess and making a computer code out of musical notes. Oh, and Picard's big rescue gambit involves having to pretend to be a bad Shakespearean actor and wooing Lwaxana with sonnets.
It's difficult to believe that in two episodes, Picard gets assimilated. HARSH.
They just don't make TV shows like TNG anymore, and it's our loss as viewers. You see, in all the episodes on the disk, nothing much happens. The Enterprise never starts a war with Romulus or saves Vulcan from getting blown up. TNG trusts that you care enough about the characters by this point in the show that it really DOES matter to you what happens to them.
That sort of confidence in the writing is pretty sexy. Maybe television should take a step back.
"Hollow Pursuits" is the one that introduces Barclay, a character who goes on to become semi-beloved. (I like Barclay. Haters to the left.) Barclay is a troubled guy on the engineering staff who obviously suffers from some social anxiety disorder.
In the modern era of autism awareness, and considering that they have a full-time counselor, it's a little weird to see the crew of the Enterprise failing to cope with Barclay. However, he's not troubled in any way that would seem odd for a utopian 24th Century; indeed, I find the thought that Barclay - social weirdo - exists and manages to have an okay career in Starfleet prior to getting posted to Enterprise pretty reassuring.
Anyway, so Geordi is being a dick to this guy, and Riker doesn't like him either. In one of his truly awesome moments in life, Picard tells them they need to try harder to fit Barclay into the group. (In one of the greatest moments ever, though, we see that Picard accidentally internalized their nickname for him, Broccoli, and calls him that by accident. Picard, being a total gentleman, has the very good sense to look completely mortified by this.)
Meanwhile, Barclay has made a holosuite program with all the senior staff where they love him, and he's become totally addicted to it. Geordi, set straight by Picard, decides to man up and become Barclay's friend and give him more responsibility. In the end, the ship almost flies itself apart because of some random plotonium. Barclay and Geordi figure it out together and save the Enterprise. Barclay gets the confidence to totally quit holoprograms. (For the moment.)
It's a sweet episode that establishes a recurring character, and Picard, Geordi, Riker and Troi all get things to do that enhances their characterization. You do end up caring for Barclay, but you can see why this episode is weird by modern standards - 'cause, um, nothing plotty happens in this.
---
Next episode on the disk is "The Most Toys", a solid but minor episode I've always liked about Data. The Enterprise is picking up a shipment of unstable plotonium from a guy who collects stuff. He wants Data, the universe's only sentient android, for his very own so he fakes a shuttlecraft explosion. The entire crew thinks Data is dead and is unsettled, but they go off on their mission. Data resists the collector in various peaceful, non-violent ways, while Geordi becomes convinced that something is wrong while the rest of the crew mourns their robot pal.
Upon reaching the Planet of the Week, the rest of the crew realizes that Geordi must be right because they have fake plotonium, not real plotonium. So they go back and track down the ship, just as Data is contemplating killing his captor. In the end, they save Data just before he can do it, but Data isn't perturbed because he doesn't feel emotions at all.
I forgot to make a screencap, though, of the first appearance of the Bajoran wormhole. (As one of Data's paintings!)
---
Unlike the other two episodes, the whole point of "Sarek" is that you want to see Mark Leonard play Spock's dad one last time. This one has a slightly more interesting plot, but they put almost no effort into it. Ambassador Sarek has to go on one last mission to make contact with some aliens who are important to the Federation for... non-compelling reasons. (World building. It ain't TNG's strong point, okay.)
If it wasn't Sarek, you would have to invest more time in explaining the new character and why Picard loved him, and why this trade mission is so important. But it is Sarek, so who cares, on to the real story which is: Sarek is totally Picard's idol. Of course he is! Picard is really excited to get to meet him, he's spent like all month preparing for this with a special shipboard concert and everything, and then he's bummed out when it appears that Sarek is too ill to actually hang out with him.
I mean, there's some plot about how the new aliens ONLY want to deal with Sarek, but you really don't care about those guys at all. In fact, you don't even meet them, that's how totally non-important they are. The important part is that you feel REALLY REALLY BADLY because Sarek is old and Picard was so excited.
It turns out that Sarek has Vulcan Alzheimer's, which causes him to lose control of his emotions completely. In order to save the treaty, Picard volunteers to mindmeld with him so that Sarek can have his control and Picard can have his emotions. Picard-as-Sarek breaks down and cries about his deceased wife and crappy relationship with his son. Sarek-as-Picard saves the day one last time. At the end, they've both learned an important lesson.
Meanwhile, I am left totally wondering if the reason I love "Noel" in the West Wing so much is because there is a very similar 'breakdown in a classical concert' in this episode.
---
"Menage a Troi". This episode is universally crapped on, but rewatching it, I really liked it. What happens in this episode: Troi's mom, Ambassador Lwaxana is on board following a trade mission. While there, some Ferengi guy falls in love with her/becomes convinced he can use her telepathy to make money. When Lwaxana somehow convinces Deanna and then later Riker to come down to Betazed for a picnic on the estate, they all get kidnapped.
This episode features Riker beating a guy at chess and making a computer code out of musical notes. Oh, and Picard's big rescue gambit involves having to pretend to be a bad Shakespearean actor and wooing Lwaxana with sonnets.
It's difficult to believe that in two episodes, Picard gets assimilated. HARSH.
