30th Anniversary TNG Episode Discussion Marathon

[Nate the Great]

October 12th, 1987, "Code of Honor"

No Fiver
Transcript
Memory Alpha

Okay, let's just get this out of the way up front: I usually don't link to the SFDebris reviews in the interests of saving time, but this time I'll make an exception. There's good stuff there.

The episode:

* Many, many nits and sarcastic remarks that I had to delete, again. To summarize:
** If the rug had to be there, beam these guys to a large conference room instead of a cargo bay.
** A horse statue from the Sung Dynasty only has meaning for Earth history buffs. At least declare that these guys are descended from colonists from Earth!
** So the Lagonians know what a holodeck is, but haven't mastered the concept of "a hologram is just a complicated puppet"?
** There are lives at stake, lives that have not sworn to uphold Federation law regarding bullying weaker civilizations. That means we should either take the "vaccine" (which should really be a serum or antidote) by force or beam Tasha back by force and go find an alternate source!
** This was totally not the episode to take Wesley on a tour of the bridge. Wait for a relatively peaceful mission for that! And Beverly, shouldn't you be worrying about the people dying of that plague even as we speak?
** Lutan intends to marry Tasha whether she wants him or not. Human rights violation there, extreme measures are needed!
** How Yareena can claim that every woman wants Lutan with a straight face is beyond me.
** Combat won't be interrupted, unless Lutan says so. Is this the first time one of the combatants has lost their spiky glove? Isn't that a sign that they've lost?
* Good stuff:
** I will admit that I like the kiddillies joke, but it feels like it doesn't fit with the A plot.
** Um, was that it? Okay, fine, revealing that Tasha (in her right mind anyway, stupid Naked Now) has more tender emotions was nice, even though this was neither the time nor the place.

Memory Alpha:

* Much bashing of the episode by production personnel, and I don't blame them.
* The writer of this one also wrote a similar episode for Stargate SG-1, which was better than this, although just barely.

Nitpicker's Guide:

* Why does marriage end at death, but not possession? I know that SF Debris brought this up as well, but still!

[Zeke]

Some replies re: "Encounter at Farpoint". 5MV history fans, don't tune out before the end!

A scan of the original series bible

Not quite the original! Larry Nemecek's TNG Companion covers the creation of the series in great detail and includes some tidbits from earlier versions. Gremlin mentioned the Leslie thing, and Riker was going to be spelled "Ryker".

Ha ha ha. Boy did THAT change!

Did it? I always saw a bit of a parental side to their relationship. I think of scenes like the end of "Tapestry".

Did Beverly ever show resentment or anger toward Picard on this point?

Good question. I don't remember any off the top of my head. The lack of progress on this is probably connected to McFadden's departure -- I wonder which was a contributing factor to the other.

Ha ha ha! Oh, man, that's a good one. Did Brannon and Braga ever read this before working on Voyager?

Brannon and Braga

Brannon and Braga

Heh.

That would be awesome! Too bad the budget wouldn't support it. I'd love to have a "window" with a holographic forest and stream past it, how about you guys?

Yeah, that's such a good idea I'm surprised they never returned to it. Maybe they thought the holodeck made that sort of "2.5D" hologram unnecessary. It's much more realistic, though, so let's hope it gets invented in real life!

Interesting. Was this Gene's idea: if they haven't slept with each other yet it makes it more okay for them to sleep with other people without destroying all possibility of a reconciliation?

Everything I know about Gene suggests otherwise. Peter David, of course, went the exact opposite way in [Imzadi] -- not only had they slept together, but him being her first is what "imzadi" actually meant. I always thought that was really tacky.

Um, ew.

What's "ew" about any of that? As long as it's strictly a friendly/big-sister thing, it seems wholesome to me.

Hmm, there are certainly narrative possibilities here that were never realized, aren't there?

I'm not complaining. Geordi and the rotating Chief Engineer spot were a perfect match, and we had too many kid-centred episodes anyway.

How many good stories would we have lost had Worf not been the only Klingon in Starfleet?

Would we have? As long as Worf wasn't around those other Klingons, he'd still have been isolated, just as Spock was special even though Starfleet had enough Vulcans to man at least one whole ship. (Which seems inconsistent with the fanon that he was the first Vulcan in Starfleet until you remember how long he was Pike's first officer.)

I will say, however, that if a ship is going somewhere where lives may be lost in the name of the Prime Directive, there shouldn't be children on board. They're not mature enough to make this decision.

A good point -- obvious, in fact, and likely the reason this idea was quietly dropped in the TNG movie era (we certainly don't see any children on the Ent-E). Gene was a man of big ideas and not so much thinking through. When he lost creative control of the TOS movies, he gained early TNG as his playground -- a good trade, but one whose consequences did eventually need dealing with.

Who else wants front-row seats at Janeway's court martial?

Picard broke the Prime Directive five times by "The Drumhead". FIVE TIMES.

Wow. I wonder where they keep the warp coils to prevent the phaser wielder from being kicked the other way into the Atlantic!

Nah, they just have inertial dampeners. There's nothing those things can't do!

You can definitely tell Gene thought highly of himself from how much he loved Wesley (Gene's middle name)

Which came full circle on VOY with Thomas Eugene Paris!

I do wish that Tasha hadn't left, she represented the rare human who didn't grow up with the freedom of the Federation. Compare her to Neelix (there's a rare sentence) as they fit the "complete outside" role. In both cases there was a lot more that could've been done with them, plotwise.

Very true. I'm surprised Tasha's backstory was permitted in Gene's universe of perfect humans. When you remember how bad her planet was, it's easier to swallow later developments like the Maquis.

Ah yes, the fan-made transcript. O'Brien didn't exist at this point as a named character, just as "Conn".

And he was even wearing red (as were Worf and Geordi this season). I made a little nod to that near the end of the "Way of the Warrior" fiver.

Can you imagine Beverly working at a sewing machine?

I can, actually. It seems like something she'd be interested in. She always had an old-fashioned side -- making breakfast for Picard, taking both her husbands' last names, etc. "Sub Rosa" is a terrible episode, but it does put that side of her character in context.

Couldn't they have had the infodump be with someone other than the ship's doctor? Beverly should already know all of this stuff! Have a scene where Wesley gushes over the things the VISOR can do, and Geordi responds that the price to pay is constant pain. Characterization for Wesley and no one looks like an idiot!

That's some solid editing. Pity no one suggested it.

Ha ha, future ambassador talking. Worf's character arc is one of the most interesting in the entire franchise if you ask me.

Yep, and it's a pity we didn't see how that last step actually worked out. I always wondered if, after living his whole life among humans, Worf would really be happy on Qo'noS.

Yeah, Riker is our new Kirk. Too bad there was a reason he never hit on Rand, it's called a command structure. Riker can have relationships with aliens but no one on board, at least no officer.

I've wondered if there are rules about that. It's interesting that both times two major characters have gotten married, they've been of equal rank.

Doesn't fit the timeline, but I gotta agree with Picard.

I have been waiting SO LONG to be asked about this! What a weird reference to make, right? That's because it was a private joke between me and monkee, a reviewer, fic author, and friend of mine. She was a strong J/Cer (hence her sort-of-cameo here). When the plot of "Endgame" leaked, we both hoped that the C/7 part wasn't true, but she said she was preparing for the worst. Here's what I said:

Exactly what I'd have suggested. Just go in expecting the infamous couple to marry, have lots of kids (naming them all after Janeway's bitter enemies), be elected co-presidents of the Federation, and finally evolve to a higher form of life, forever entwined like those happy jellyfish in "Encounter at Farpoint." Then you can't possibly be disappointed with what's there. <g>

She had a good laugh about that. Not long afterwards, I wound up fiving the episode in question, and I couldn't resist using the same gag in reverse. Yep -- this was a reference only she and I actually got! But it wasn't completely out of nowhere for other readers at the time, since C/7 was still fresh. It seems much more random now.

Believe it or not, this isn't even the most confusing private gag I've snuck into a fiver. That honour probably goes to the start of "Future's End", where VOY characters bring up Kira out of nowhere. No points for guessing who that one was aimed at!

[Nate the Great]

Ah, the TNG Companion. I might have to dig that one out.

Picard and Riker may have had a older mentor-younger protegee thing going on, but I would never categorize it as father-son. Riker's relationship with his father was such that I'd think he'd avoid placing any other man in a similar position in his mind.

The Imzadi/first thing is kinda stupid if you ask me. I can totally buy that Troi lost her virginity to Riker, but this whole "two people can mutually decide that they are soulmates in a short amount of time" business is just silly.

The way the bible was going, it sounded like Tasha was going to have a crush on Wesley, a kid ten years younger than her. That goes beyond cougar into extremely uncomfortable territory.

Look, the children never should've been on the ship in the first place, but if they have to be there, it would've been nice to see our crew interact with them on something approaching a regular basis. You don't need them to be the same kids every time, officers are apparently getting transferred on an off the ship all the time (insert rant about twenty-year missions here), but there were possibilities that could've been exploited. One of the crew has a sibling that's onboard as a civilian specialist with their family. A B-plot once or twice a season focuses on that, like what was done with the O'Briens or Jake.

I don't agree. If there were multiple other Klingons in Starfleet, it would've taken away from Worf's character arc. Maybe you could make a distinction between Worf as a guy who spent most of his life among humans and the Klingon who's first exposure is at the Academy, but even so. Another part of Worf's character arc was demanding respect from both sides and forging his own path. If other Klingons had done this before, he wouldn't be trailblazing anymore.

[Nate the Great]

I thought I had a copy of the TNG Companion, but I guess not. I'm still sorting through my other Trek reference books to see if there's anything worth adding to this thread that aren't covered elsewhere.

[Nate the Great]

Have I posted the TNG Episode Guide song yet?

[Nate the Great]

October 19th, 1987, "The Last Outpost"

No fiver
Memory Alpha
Transcript

The Episode

DATA: A comparison modern scholars have drawn from Earth history likens the Ferengi to the ocean-going Yankee traders of eighteenth and nineteenth century America, sir.
RIKER: From the history of my forebears. Yankee traders.
DATA: Who in this case sail the galaxy in search of mercantile and territorial opportunity.
RIKER: And are those scholars saying the Ferengi may not unlike us?
DATA: Hardly, sir. I believe this analogy refers to the worst quality of capitalists. The Ferengi are believed to conduct their affairs of commerce on the ancient principle caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware.

I know that Gene was anti-money at this time, but this desperately needed a rewrite. As SF Debris has pointed out several times, having a currency system is not inherently evil, abusing it is. Besides, the Ferengi are hardly the most anti-Federation government we've ever seen. I'd argue that the Orions and Sheliak fit that title better.

WORF: I say fight, sir. There's nothing shameful in falling before a superior enemy.

The Ferengi a "superior enemy"? I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that. And I thought that it was established earlier that the two ships were roughly the same, the balance tipping one way or the other for specific technologies, but not overall.

RIKER: Matthew! Pola! You know this area is off limits. Come on, come on. (they scurry out as Picard enters) Boys will be boys, Captain.

Why were kids allowed in the observation lounge in the first place? I thought that the turbolifts were programmed not to let unauthorized civilians up here!

PICARD: Trillions? I've never heard the word Tkon before.
DATA: Understandable.

Oh, couldn't they have had Geordi or Tasha be the one ignorant of the Tkon? Picard is the history buff; he should know about all previous galactic powers!

TARR [on viewscreen]: We seek only what is equitable. What do you seek? Why did you begin by attacking us?
PICARD: We did not attack you. We gave chase in order to recover a Federation-owned energy device which
TARR [on viewscreen]: Which we know is ours. Your barbarous Federation placed it on one of our planets!

Let's be generous and say that Gamma Tauri Four had no evidence of Ferengi technology on it when the Federation expanded in that direction. I'm confused as to why the Federation didn't ask the Ferengi "where do you think the boundary between our governments is" and work from there. I know that the implication is supposed to be that the Federation is relatively new to this area of space, but they've had some reports about the Ferengi by this point. This is a sign to send a factfinding mission to track down Ferenginar and talk directly to the government, right?

LAFORGE: I'm resting, sir. My foot's stuck. Up there. I materialized upside down above the planet surface.

Ugh. Okay, so we've got energy surges between crystals down here. That should mean that if the transporter beam was reflected and refracted, Geordi should've materialized in a puddle like Lori Ciana and Commander Sonak back in STTMP.

TROI: It's getting much, much colder, sir. How far down is it likely to go?
PICARD: A lot. Even in orbital space it'll get below minus two hundred degrees.

I'll try not to harp about this in episodes to come, but I need one rant. The Enterprise-D is a big ship. Cluster everyone in large rooms far away from the hull and turn off life support everywhere else! They should be using the Battle Bridge by now!

LETEK: It looks like gold. Tastes like gold.
RIKER: It is gold.

Ah, the inconsistencies of galactic currencies and the worth of gold in early TNG. Gold is worthless, remember when Quark was trapped in a storage pod full of it? The weird thing is, I still ask why the commbadges have gold in them even in a society without money: it could be put to better use in industrial processes.

Memory Alpha

* The first appearance of the Main Engineering "pool table", but it still hasn't assumed its final form yet.
* The last chronological main Ferengi episode "The Dogs of War" features the words "the last outpost" in reference to this episode.

Nitpicker's Guide

* Phil points out the inconsistencies to come regarding whether telepaths can read Ferengi minds. It's a shame that more couldn't have been done with this. A cool plot device that I think would've been cool is that Ferengi aren't inherently telepath-proof, but that it's a skill that they can learn and that must be achieved before a Ferengi can be named Daimon (or the nonmilitary equivalent). Have Deanna be able to read the junior officers but get confused because none of them have the complete story.

[Wowbagger]

Originally Posted by Nate the Great

Have I posted the TNG Episode Guide song yet?

Some years ago, I spent a summer trying to memorize this.

I mean, that wasn't the only thing I did all summer, but I really worked on it.

I got the first five seasons down cold, but season six just flew by too fast for me to ever manage to keep it straight in my head.

You'd be surprised by how often this comes in handy.

(Well, in my life, anyway. Probably less useful for people with more non-Star Trek things in their life. I just finished watching The Orville while sorting my Star Trek CCG cards (trekcc.org!) to check on a Star Trek parody site while listening to a Star Trek TNG episode song for fun. So I'm non-representative.)

[Nate the Great]

October 26th, 1987, "Where No One Has Gone Before"

Oh boy, here we go...

First of all, if this episode has to exist to justify having Wesley on the bridge, it should've been the second episode and "The Naked Now" never should've existed (at least in the presented form, and at least not in the first season)

I had a lot of boring text and references to established warp speeds, but I cut it out. It's enough to say that none of the dialogue is consistent about where the Enterprise went, how fast they went, how long it would take to get back to the Federation, how fast subspace communication is, etc.

No fiver
Transcript
Memory Alpha

The Episode

PICARD: I don't understand your concern, Number One. They're not authorised to make any alterations in our engines, and according to Starfleet's report, they will simply test different ways of entering warp speed and different intermix formulas. What's the harm in that?

First of all, there is one and only one intermix formula: 1:1. Anything else means that spare matter or antimatter is going to be clogging up the warp core.

Different ways of entering warp speed; now that's a more interesting question. "Different warp field settings" would be clearer and less stupid, however.

DATA: Sir, we put Mister Kosinski's specs into the computer and ran a controlled test on them. There was no improvement in engine performance.
PICARD: Then how do you explain Starfleet's report that the same tests on the USS Ajax and on the Fearless over there, resulted in a measurable increase in propulsion.
RIKER: Our engines are new, sir. Top condition. The tests on those older ships may have simply been to straighten out some engine inefficiency.

Yes! We were told several times that the Galaxy-class was top of the line and the latest in technology when it came out. If there was an improvement to be made, Leah Brahms would've known about it. This plot really should've waited until a later season.

TRAVELLER: My actual name is unpronounceable by humans.

So choose a nickname that we can pronounce, dude! It doesn't have to make sense, declare that you want to be called Pajama Man and that's what the crew will call you!

KOSINSKI: Inform the Bridge I shall begin the first test in precisely fifteen minutes.

Don't you have a commbadge? Tell the Bridge yourself!

KOSINSKI: What do you mean, let he him try it? Don't talk about me in the third person like I'm not standing right here!

Yes, that's rude! The creators couldn't have had Kosinski spouting his technobabble and then fade to the conference room where Riker and Argyle are talking to Picard about this?

PICARD: Reverse engines.
DATA: Captain, no one has ever reversed engines at this velocity.
PICARD: Because no one has gone this fast. Reverse engines.

Is simply "turn off the warp coils" not an option?

PICARD: This can't be. You've been
MAMAN: Dead? But I'm always with you, you know that.
PICARD: Yes, I've felt that.

Okay, let's take a break from the nitpicking to remark on how touching this scene is.

Captain's log, supplemental. Our position is unknown...

So you made up that 50 billion light-year figure mentioned earlier? Just sticking with "unknown" and not "Galaxy M33" or "Triangulum" (which is 3 million light-years away and not 50 billion, FYI)? Was the editor asleep on the job this week?

PICARD: Then what is the purpose of your journey?
TRAVELLER: Curiosity.
PICARD: That's not an answer.

Um, Captain? "Curiosity" is a major factor in why you're out here, right? To seek out new life and new civilizations, remember? I call it a perfectly valid answer, even if it could've been worded better.

PICARD: Any commissioned rank? Even ensign?
RIKER: That would give him authorised access to the Bridge.

Let's put aside the known noncoms with access to the bridge (O'Brien and so forth), the lowest commissioned rank is not Ensign, it's Cadet or Midshipman.

Memory Alpha

* The article claims that the script is based on the TOS novel The Wounded Sky. Yeah, no. Beyond the "accidentally sent to a distant galaxy" premise there is no similarity. I've read the book, and I own it. Maybe Diane Duane used his novel as a foundation, but the stories go in completely different directions.
* First episode filmed with the Engineering pool table, although "The Last Outpost" aired first.

YouTube

* Picard chats with MarMar.
* Wesley thinks that time, space, and thought are connected, a dangerous idea.

Nitpickers Guide

* Phil wonders if the cycling speed of the warp core has anything to do with velocity, as there doesn't seem to be any consistency. I'm actually willing to cut them some slack with this one. Perhaps as the Traveller concentrates more he doesn't need the power of the ship itself as much, and if he gets distracted or is in pain he draws upon the ship more. To paraphrase Rule of Acquisition #76, "Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the heck out of your enemies."