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Old 10-16-2021, 02:35 PM
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October 14th, 1991, "Silicon Avatar"

Fiver by Derek

The Episode

CARMEN: If you want to share camp rations in my tent, I'd be delighted.
RIKER: Haven't we gotten you a replicator yet?
CARMEN: No, we haven't, but I've been saving my ration of dried chicken curry.

Really? You'd think a replicator would be a necessary first step. You just can't live on dried food long-term. Furthermore, why are we still reconstituting dried food in the future? You'd think by the 24th century we could make packets of wet food with built-in heating elements.

RIKER: It left nothing.
MARR: Except witnesses, for the first time in eleven recorded attacks.

Eleven! Why hasn't Starfleet destroyed this thing by now?

PICARD: Doctor, there is no one on this ship with more knowledge of the Crystalline Entity than Commander Data.

What? Everything Data experienced was experienced by the rest of the crew! He doesn't have memories of the Omicron Theta attack.

MARR: I am aware of his origins. I'm very much aware that his brother, Lore, worked with the Crystalline Entity, led it to Omicron Theta where it killed every living thing. I don't think it's unreasonable that I should prefer to make another choice.

What? Holding Data responsible for Lore's crimes? How does that make any sense?

MARR: Its needs are to slaughter people by the thousands. It is nothing but a giant killing machine.
PICARD: Doctor, the sperm whale on Earth devours millions of cuttlefish as it roams the oceans. It is not evil. It is feeding. The same may be true of the Crystalline Entity.

This analogy doesn't work. Cuttlefish aren't sentient. Furthermore, we're not given any indication that the Entity is more sentient than we are, if that.

PICARD: Starfleet will be notifying Carmen Davila's family of her death and returning her personal effects.

What personal effects? The entire colony was destroyed!

MARR: What can you tell me about Renny? What were those thoughts? Was he was he happy at all, on Omicron Theta?
DATA: I have some vivid memories of sporting events. He played parrises squares with a group of his schoolmates.
MARR: Renny started parrises squares when he was young. Too young, really. But the older children kept asking him to play, and I couldn't keep him away. He had this natural gift.

The danger level of Parrises Squares fluctuate throughout the canon. I have trouble with this "Data has the colonists memories" thing. I'll buy that he has access to personal logs that were otherwise destroyed, but that's not the same thing. Then again, Soong was able to copy Juliana's memories. However, I'm skeptical that the colonists would let their brains be scanned by this crackpot.

The Fiver

Marr: I've never trusted the Crystalline Entity, and I never will. I can never forgive it for the death of my boy.
Picard: Um, that's nice. Why don't you work with Data?
Marr: I've never trusted Data, and I never will. I can never --
Picard: Geez, leave already!

Kirk's hatred of Klingons for the death of David seems dubious. Kruge didn't know David was Kirk's son, it wasn't personal. Furthermore, Kirk has enough other reasons to hate Klingons.

Captain's Log: Counselor Troi's professional opinion of Dr. Marr is that she's nuts.

I'll be sure to include that in my log...

Marr: Grrr. How do I know you're not in cahoots with it?
Data: Because everyone loves me.
Marr: Don't make me do my Pulaski impression.

Pulaski was a better-written character than this nutjob, and that's saying something!

Marr: It invades our space and we fall back. It eats entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make it pay for what it has done!
Picard: Issues much?
Marr: You're one to talk.

I get the Picard/Ahab comparison (I really should watch the Stewart version of Moby Dick one of these day...), but I don't like comparisons to First Contact. I know a lot of people like that movie, but I don't. It seemed like a blatant attempt to cater to a more casual audience with mindless violence. I also don't like the version of Cochrane presented there.

Data: I think we can communicate with the entity using pulses.
Marr: Why don't we just hail it like Lore did in "Datalore"?
Data: Oh, sure, if you want to be unoriginal.

I'm pretty sure Lore wasn't using a standard hailing frequency. He probably knew how to program the Universal Translator to communicate with it.

Worf: Snowflake incoming.
Enterprise: Bebop.
Picard: Is the rock steady?
La Forge: Yep. And it's sending something back to us.
Crystalline Entity: Cowabunga, dudes.

Could someone explain what TMNT references are doing here?

Memory Alpha

* "At the time, the writing staff were trying to avoid sequels." What? The Worf/Duras/Gowron thing don't count as sequels? BOBW doesn't count as a sequel?

Nitpicker's Guide

* Why couldn't Data or Geordi turn off the graviton beam?
* Marr uses the tricorder while it's upside-down at one point. Oops.
* If the Entity attacks this quickly, how come the kids on Omicron Theta had time to draw art of the thing before they were killed?
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