Best of Both Worlds, pt. 2 and others:
Jun. 17th, 2009 10:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skywaterblueMore reviews!
This episode is still excellent, defying all logical rules that the second part of a two parter is usually crappier than the first part. The emotional heart rests with Guinan, who shows up in just the nick of time to smack some sense into Riker.
(Although ironically, the plan Riker comes up with, which ultimately works, is to rescue Picard at the potential expense of the crew and Earth - because he knows it's not what Picard would have done, and thus not what the Borg expect to happen. I say ironically because it's the exact opposite of the advice that Guinan gives, which is to let Picard go. An interesting thing happens, which is that Guinan's advice is correct, and what the previous episode and a half was leading towards, but when Riker chooses the other path, we're never given a scene in which someone tells Riker he was wrong to do it. Thus leaving us with an uncomfortable sense of reality in this episode: Guinan is right and Riker is right at the same time.)
My brother really liked this one. I think he ships Guinan/Picard. Cute. I like that for a brief moment, I think he really did think that Shelby was going to be part of the new crew. He also really liked the saucer separation. Is that the first time we see it? Saucer separation is awesome. He would also like to point out that the new movie raided this film something fierce for the rescue of Pike sequence in the new movie. (Except Picard doesn't shoot anyone.)
Sad facts: No matter how many times I've seen this episode, I always expect the Battle of Wolf 359 (say it like a Trekkie, guys: THE BATTLE OF WOLF 359) to be awesome because I'm remembering Emissary. Except uh, we don't really see any of it, just floating broken ships. The Borg also self-destruct at the end of this episode, which is an interesting choice as the Federation didn't yet have a 'better dead than assimilated' policy.
I haven't seen this episode in AGES.
Here's an example of TNG being completely character focused. The big drama in this episode is um, is Picard so fucked up by his assimilation that he's willing to quit Starfleet? This is one of the few episodes of Star Trek to ever take place entirely on a contemporary-to-them Earth. (The others I can think of are: Homefront/Paradise Lost, and Pathfinder. Of them, Pathfinder is most like this one because it doesn't have an active threat plot.)
I find it really interesting that enough people are interested in uh, making a new continent in the middle of the Atlantic ocean that the Federation has over 200 people staffing the project. It fits in well with my personal belief that the only scarcity left in the Federation is land scarcity.
Picard chooses to go home to the family vineyard. I have to say that for an episode about Picard's emotional recovery, I feel like they busted some serious budget. Picard's house and the matt painting and the vineyard all look JUST French enough for you to buy it. (Even if the house is clearly California-modern-aping-French-village. Maybe French wine-country goes through a Franco-California modern period uh, later.)
Picard is also, the only person who ever looked good in 24th Century clothes. I prefer to think that this is just because Picard is a natty dresser who follows fashion. (He's super anal about everything, it's only reasonable to assume he's super anal about casualwear.) At one point in this he wears a green wrap-around, ala Kirk.
The most impressive thing about this episode: one, Picard's brother is a big asshole, and almost intolerable. The thing I like about it, though, is that he's an ass in the 'I resemble that remark' way. You can clearly see where the Picards share their character traits, and not just because his young nephew clearly takes after uncle. (It's a shame these characters just bite it off screen.) Also, Picard's breakdown in the mud? That's two actors really going at it. They get fucking filthy. I hope they shot that in one take.
My brother also loved this one because of the Worf subplot, in which Worf's adopted parents come on board and are worried for him because of what happened with the Klingons last season. My brother hasn't seen that one, but he didn't seem to have any problem following the story. "I have all the blueprints!" Hee.
I forgot this one! Wow. Okay, in this one Data is called by secret programming to his creator's deathbed because Noonien-Soong has created a emotion chip to complete Data's design. The first half of this was excellent, because it features Data basically completely hacking the Enterprise to take him to meet dad. Oh, and Lore also shows up.
The second half features uh, lots of Brent Spiner emoting at Brent Spiner and then not emotiong some more at another Brent Spiner. I totally hate those episodes, usually, but I didn't mind this one so much. It has some cute shit, like Data taking the toy dinosaurs his father collects for the kids on the Enterprise, and Lore singing then stealing the chip, and Data calling his dad father as he dies.
Way to prove you believed in continuity way more than I thought, though, TNG. This episode is completely NOT understandable unless you already know who all the players are, especially since they spend almost an entire act talking about the shit that went down the last time there was a Noonien-Soong family reunion.
Which I know because I had to pause it half a dozen times to be all, "Oh, uh, that's Data's father. Oh, uh, that's Data's older brother. OH, yeah, he's totally fucking evil, by the way."
Anyway. Another milestone: emotion chip. Goddamn emotion chip. Goddamn Lore.
The last episode of the disk. My brother called it accurately when he said that it was Picard having to do a Charlie X. (Aren't we proud of him? Noogies!)
It is also a bit like Cardassians from DS9, because it is basically just a big custody dispute in space, except that this episode is annoying. The aliens in question scream like autistic kids (I'm not being crude for humor's sake, they really do) to grieve, so of course there's like five teenage boys screaming and comfort rocking their heads off in the first act.
They're a species called Talarians that we will never ever see again, except supposedly they murdered the fuck out of at least one Federation border colony which led to a war. My brother was fairly incredulous about this (as am I) especially when they zoom out to show this wee little battleship next to the GIGANTIC Enterprise-D.
Also: does the Federation never fucking check before people start colonizing shit? Half their problems would be solved if they did.
Anyway, they murdered some colonists, but one guy took baby Tommy Westphall (same actor, maybe the reason they cast him is because they thought he does autism?) into his own home and raised him to adulthood. Except his grandmother is a Federation admiral, and... it's like that, yeah.
At the end, we realize that despite being misogynistic militaristic assholes who the Federation could wipe out without thinking if they were the sort of galactic superpower to do such things, the power of love from the adopted father to the son is such that Picard totally frees the kid to go back to being a Talarian. Since the kid goes back, the Federation doesn't have to have a war. Everyone wins!
Except for that elderly female Admiral back in San Francisco who had the brief hope of getting to know her only grandchild who she thought had been murdered along with his parents, but pfft, fuck her. Self-determination for the kid. I guess I can go with that on principle, but the actuality of this case is pretty disturbing.
In conclusion: this episode is annoyingly bad, but there's a brief bit in the middle where it is fun because it is always fun to see Picard teamed up with kids.
Oh: and at certain points in this episode, I totally thought they were going to reveal that the adopted father and the human kid were um, having sex. It's that kind of culture, you know.
We also watched 'Who Mourns for Adonis', a TOS episode in which Apollo shows up and um, grabs the ship with his green hand. Except that Scotty is in love with the ship's archeologist, who falls in love with Apollo, so he keeps messing up the plans for escape. Even though Kirk obviously writes her off as a moron once it becomes clear she's more into Apollo than her job.
My brother and I came to the astute conclusion that this episode would be a lot better if the Enterprise away teams followed the rule of bros before hos. My brother also wishes to object to 'the number of times that Kirk has fought a God'. I told him to stfu and sit down because fighting gods is a Star Trek staple because of atheism. Except I forgot this episode is one where Kirk mentions worshiping 'the one God' at the end, so that was some Trekkie fail right there. My brother will never believe me now that they're all atheists.
Ironically, this is also the episode where Uhura totally breaks down and rebuilds her computer console. It is one feminist moment in an episode otherwise full of feminist fail, from the implication in the teaser act that the female Starfleet officers quit after they marry on to Lt. Carolyn Palamas's swooning 'I love Apollo so much even though he wants us all to go back to raising sheep and worshipping him and I don't care if I totally mess up Kirk's plans to get us free because I looooove him.'
STFU. For serious, woman? You're a fucking Starfleet anthropologist, don't tell me you're into that middle ages bullshit. If you're going to suck it that hard, I'm going to be okay with 'bros before hos' as a rule for Kirk.
Amusingly, Spock reverses the polarity. And it doesn't work. So now we know the real reason that Star Trek and Doctor Who must never mix.
This episode is still excellent, defying all logical rules that the second part of a two parter is usually crappier than the first part. The emotional heart rests with Guinan, who shows up in just the nick of time to smack some sense into Riker.
(Although ironically, the plan Riker comes up with, which ultimately works, is to rescue Picard at the potential expense of the crew and Earth - because he knows it's not what Picard would have done, and thus not what the Borg expect to happen. I say ironically because it's the exact opposite of the advice that Guinan gives, which is to let Picard go. An interesting thing happens, which is that Guinan's advice is correct, and what the previous episode and a half was leading towards, but when Riker chooses the other path, we're never given a scene in which someone tells Riker he was wrong to do it. Thus leaving us with an uncomfortable sense of reality in this episode: Guinan is right and Riker is right at the same time.)
My brother really liked this one. I think he ships Guinan/Picard. Cute. I like that for a brief moment, I think he really did think that Shelby was going to be part of the new crew. He also really liked the saucer separation. Is that the first time we see it? Saucer separation is awesome. He would also like to point out that the new movie raided this film something fierce for the rescue of Pike sequence in the new movie. (Except Picard doesn't shoot anyone.)
Sad facts: No matter how many times I've seen this episode, I always expect the Battle of Wolf 359 (say it like a Trekkie, guys: THE BATTLE OF WOLF 359) to be awesome because I'm remembering Emissary. Except uh, we don't really see any of it, just floating broken ships. The Borg also self-destruct at the end of this episode, which is an interesting choice as the Federation didn't yet have a 'better dead than assimilated' policy.
I haven't seen this episode in AGES.
Here's an example of TNG being completely character focused. The big drama in this episode is um, is Picard so fucked up by his assimilation that he's willing to quit Starfleet? This is one of the few episodes of Star Trek to ever take place entirely on a contemporary-to-them Earth. (The others I can think of are: Homefront/Paradise Lost, and Pathfinder. Of them, Pathfinder is most like this one because it doesn't have an active threat plot.)
I find it really interesting that enough people are interested in uh, making a new continent in the middle of the Atlantic ocean that the Federation has over 200 people staffing the project. It fits in well with my personal belief that the only scarcity left in the Federation is land scarcity.
Picard chooses to go home to the family vineyard. I have to say that for an episode about Picard's emotional recovery, I feel like they busted some serious budget. Picard's house and the matt painting and the vineyard all look JUST French enough for you to buy it. (Even if the house is clearly California-modern-aping-French-village. Maybe French wine-country goes through a Franco-California modern period uh, later.)
Picard is also, the only person who ever looked good in 24th Century clothes. I prefer to think that this is just because Picard is a natty dresser who follows fashion. (He's super anal about everything, it's only reasonable to assume he's super anal about casualwear.) At one point in this he wears a green wrap-around, ala Kirk.
The most impressive thing about this episode: one, Picard's brother is a big asshole, and almost intolerable. The thing I like about it, though, is that he's an ass in the 'I resemble that remark' way. You can clearly see where the Picards share their character traits, and not just because his young nephew clearly takes after uncle. (It's a shame these characters just bite it off screen.) Also, Picard's breakdown in the mud? That's two actors really going at it. They get fucking filthy. I hope they shot that in one take.
My brother also loved this one because of the Worf subplot, in which Worf's adopted parents come on board and are worried for him because of what happened with the Klingons last season. My brother hasn't seen that one, but he didn't seem to have any problem following the story. "I have all the blueprints!" Hee.
I forgot this one! Wow. Okay, in this one Data is called by secret programming to his creator's deathbed because Noonien-Soong has created a emotion chip to complete Data's design. The first half of this was excellent, because it features Data basically completely hacking the Enterprise to take him to meet dad. Oh, and Lore also shows up.
The second half features uh, lots of Brent Spiner emoting at Brent Spiner and then not emotiong some more at another Brent Spiner. I totally hate those episodes, usually, but I didn't mind this one so much. It has some cute shit, like Data taking the toy dinosaurs his father collects for the kids on the Enterprise, and Lore singing then stealing the chip, and Data calling his dad father as he dies.
Way to prove you believed in continuity way more than I thought, though, TNG. This episode is completely NOT understandable unless you already know who all the players are, especially since they spend almost an entire act talking about the shit that went down the last time there was a Noonien-Soong family reunion.
Which I know because I had to pause it half a dozen times to be all, "Oh, uh, that's Data's father. Oh, uh, that's Data's older brother. OH, yeah, he's totally fucking evil, by the way."
Anyway. Another milestone: emotion chip. Goddamn emotion chip. Goddamn Lore.
The last episode of the disk. My brother called it accurately when he said that it was Picard having to do a Charlie X. (Aren't we proud of him? Noogies!)
It is also a bit like Cardassians from DS9, because it is basically just a big custody dispute in space, except that this episode is annoying. The aliens in question scream like autistic kids (I'm not being crude for humor's sake, they really do) to grieve, so of course there's like five teenage boys screaming and comfort rocking their heads off in the first act.
They're a species called Talarians that we will never ever see again, except supposedly they murdered the fuck out of at least one Federation border colony which led to a war. My brother was fairly incredulous about this (as am I) especially when they zoom out to show this wee little battleship next to the GIGANTIC Enterprise-D.
Also: does the Federation never fucking check before people start colonizing shit? Half their problems would be solved if they did.
Anyway, they murdered some colonists, but one guy took baby Tommy Westphall (same actor, maybe the reason they cast him is because they thought he does autism?) into his own home and raised him to adulthood. Except his grandmother is a Federation admiral, and... it's like that, yeah.
At the end, we realize that despite being misogynistic militaristic assholes who the Federation could wipe out without thinking if they were the sort of galactic superpower to do such things, the power of love from the adopted father to the son is such that Picard totally frees the kid to go back to being a Talarian. Since the kid goes back, the Federation doesn't have to have a war. Everyone wins!
Except for that elderly female Admiral back in San Francisco who had the brief hope of getting to know her only grandchild who she thought had been murdered along with his parents, but pfft, fuck her. Self-determination for the kid. I guess I can go with that on principle, but the actuality of this case is pretty disturbing.
In conclusion: this episode is annoyingly bad, but there's a brief bit in the middle where it is fun because it is always fun to see Picard teamed up with kids.
Oh: and at certain points in this episode, I totally thought they were going to reveal that the adopted father and the human kid were um, having sex. It's that kind of culture, you know.
We also watched 'Who Mourns for Adonis', a TOS episode in which Apollo shows up and um, grabs the ship with his green hand. Except that Scotty is in love with the ship's archeologist, who falls in love with Apollo, so he keeps messing up the plans for escape. Even though Kirk obviously writes her off as a moron once it becomes clear she's more into Apollo than her job.
My brother and I came to the astute conclusion that this episode would be a lot better if the Enterprise away teams followed the rule of bros before hos. My brother also wishes to object to 'the number of times that Kirk has fought a God'. I told him to stfu and sit down because fighting gods is a Star Trek staple because of atheism. Except I forgot this episode is one where Kirk mentions worshiping 'the one God' at the end, so that was some Trekkie fail right there. My brother will never believe me now that they're all atheists.
Ironically, this is also the episode where Uhura totally breaks down and rebuilds her computer console. It is one feminist moment in an episode otherwise full of feminist fail, from the implication in the teaser act that the female Starfleet officers quit after they marry on to Lt. Carolyn Palamas's swooning 'I love Apollo so much even though he wants us all to go back to raising sheep and worshipping him and I don't care if I totally mess up Kirk's plans to get us free because I looooove him.'
STFU. For serious, woman? You're a fucking Starfleet anthropologist, don't tell me you're into that middle ages bullshit. If you're going to suck it that hard, I'm going to be okay with 'bros before hos' as a rule for Kirk.
Amusingly, Spock reverses the polarity. And it doesn't work. So now we know the real reason that Star Trek and Doctor Who must never mix.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 06:08 pm (UTC)Grrrrr emotion chip. I keep meaning to make a post about what a huge copout the emotion chip storyline is and how much it sucks, for like the 2.5 people on my flist who would care.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 08:14 pm (UTC)If you post about the emotion chip, I will link it. :D
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 08:49 pm (UTC)We see the saucer separation in Encounter at Farpoint because they wanted to show off what the new show could do, but not after, I don't think. (Maybe I'm forgetting something, though.)
Your brother is an observant kid, there was definitely some raiding. Re: Picard/Guinan: given that they have some awesome scenes together over the years, and the relationship is pretty important on the show, there is suprising little shipping. (I think the only story I've actually read was more about Guinan venting her Q issues via having sex with Picard, which is so not about their own relationship.) If you get around to it, show your brother Yesterday's Enterprise (comes complete with Picard risking the 'verse on Guinan's "we're in the wrong timeline, damn it!").
Picard is also, the only person who ever looked good in 24th Century clothes.
You know, I've come to the same conclusion when rewatching this one and Captain's Holiday where he's also mostly in civilian 24th century clothing. Riker wearing it in eps like Menage a Troi just doesn't have the same effect. It's a mystery.
Brother Robert: yes, exactly, what you said. And oh, do I love that breakdown scene.
Worf's adopted parents are adorable. *hearts* Why were they never on DS9?
Who mourns for Adonais: good lord, yes, the genderfail on this one. It's arguable whether it's as bad or worse than with that other female Starfleet anthropologist who falls for Khan... Ah well. At least I got a good joke out of it for my "five Picard regrets" prompt.*g*
no subject
Date: 2009-06-18 09:08 pm (UTC)It must be because Whoopi is non-sexualized. (I blame the 80s. All of her movies are kind of sex-less.) Also because the story seems to clearly put their relationship in the past, and now they're just good friends. Yesterday's Enterprise is on the list, I think, at some point although I've obviously failed chronologically.
Picard's good-lookingness in the 24th century casual look. Watsonian-ly, you think maybe they designed the style to look good on uh, slim tall people with Picard's frame, and not bigger men like Riker and Sisko?
(Later on, when Sisko starts picking up the 24th Century African casualwear, he looks a bit better, imho. Even though it's one of those awkward African-American of the 20th Century political things that snuck through and always feels disingenuous to me.)
Why were they never on DS9?
Isn't there something about the father being ill later and that's why Alexander keeps getting bounced around? Maybe he's too frail to come for a visit. (Then again, they say the same thing about Sisko's dad, and he shows up.)
The anthropologist who falls in love with Khan is almost as bad, except I think Montablan plays it in a way where you buy their relationship as being consensual. Also, she gets more characterization as a person, because we see her room and she's fascinated with uh, dictator types already. So I can buy that one as okay, since her obsession with that sort of person is something that existed prior to meeting Khan.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-19 06:23 am (UTC)because it's really not very good, and I know the show is
capable of much more.
*tries to think of a non-sexless Whoopi movie from 80s* Err... the
sort of sensual scene from "The Colour Purple" with her and Shag?
At any rate, that's still not a good enough reason, if you
think about fans shipping people who aren't even on the same show
together. Or never had a scene. Hm.
Watsonianly, they just might! On a Doylist level, maybe the
costume designer liked Patrick Stewart best. *g*
no subject
Date: 2009-06-19 07:28 am (UTC)I have to admit, I'm tempted to write one just because I sense the empty need, but I wouldn't know where to start.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-19 04:30 pm (UTC)Whoopi's sexuality is beside the point: Ian McKellen being gay didn't stop anyone from writing Magneto/Mystique...
no subject
Date: 2009-06-19 08:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-19 07:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-19 08:11 pm (UTC)