30th Anniversary TNG Episode Discussion Marathon

[Nate the Great]

I forgot to do "The Emissary", I'll have to get back to that.

[Nate the Great]

June 26th, 1989, "The Emissary"

Fiver (by Marc)
Transcript
Memory Alpha

The Episode

DATA: I believe the wiser course of action here is to bend.
LAFORGE: You mean fold, Data.
DATA: That is correct. Fold. To bend. To make compact or to capitulate.

Ugh. If he really has memorized all books ever written about poker, he should know that you can't use a synonym for "fold" here.

WORF: Talk or play. Not both.

I understand this sentiment. It's possible to do both simultaneously, but people rarely do.

RIKER: The Iceman wins again.

It's a shame Worf never met Koloth, as Curzon Dax gave him the same nickname.

DATA: The game is seven card stud. After the queen, one-eyed jacks and low card in the hole are wild.
LAFORGE: Wait a minute, let me write this down.

Is this considered a particularly complicated set of house rules? Incidentally, the one-eyed jacks are Spades and Hearts. The King of Diamonds is the only other face card with only one visible eye.

DATA: Emergency signal reads as follows. Enterprise to divert to coordinates four-two-three by one one two by five one immediately. Further orders forthcoming.
RIKER: That's it? What's the emergency?

If K'ehleyr's probe is supposed to be secret, why use an emergency signal? Surely emergency signals are less coding to be more easily understood. Wouldn't a top-secret signal be more appropriate?

GROMEK [on viewscreen]: Captain, you will soon be joined by a Federation special emissary from Starbase One Five Three. We Are now transmitting the specifics.
DATA: We are receiving, sir.

So...the shorter the distance a subspace signal has to go, the more hard it is for someone else to intercept or decode? Reasonable, I suppose, but it still raises more questions.

DATA: Apparently there were no starships available on Starbase One Five Three. The envoy is aboard a class eight probe.

The idea of "no starships at a starbase" seems odd, but I suppose it wouldn't be a good idea to send a civilian ship within range of a possibly hostile Klingon ship. This is the only mention of Class 8 Probes in canon, although the Technical Manual states it's a medium range probe suitable for multiple missions.

PICARD: If the transmitters and the sensors were removed and life-support installed, there would be just enough room for one person.

Transmitters, fair enough, K'ehleyr won't need any. No sensors seems rather dangerous, especially for something going at high warp.

PICARD: Engage tractor.
O'BRIEN [OC]: Transporter beam locked, Captain.
PICARD: Energise.

Um, don't they have to turn off the probe's warp engines first? Just because the probe is motionless relative to the ship doesn't mean it's not still moving.

PICARD: Number One?
RIKER: I'll welcome our visitor.

Riker could've been in the transporter room by now, I don't think he actually contributed to the rendezvous.

RIKER: Something wrong, Doctor?
PULASKI: I'm not sure. The readings are quite interesting.

Sure, this is needed for the exposition later, but in-universe it makes no sense. Human/Klingon hybrids are hardly common, but there have to be enough of them around for the tricorder to know what standard H/K hybrid lifesigns look like. Remember that Crell Moset can ID a H/K hybrid based only on visual inspection!

RIKER: nuqneH. qaleghneS.

Translation: What do you want? I am honored to see you.
A bit blunt, but apparently a traditional Klingon greeting.

K'EHLEYR: You speak Klingon.
RIKER: A little.

Putting aside Riker's experiences in "A Matter of Honor" (about five months ago in-universe), he seems like the kind of guy who would memorize greetings and farewells in a few of the more common languages.

K'EHLEYR: Klingons are not supposed to mind hardship. Nonetheless, I am delighted to be out of that damned coffin.

I like her, I wish she could've made more appearances.

PICARD: This is Lieutenant--
K'EHLEYR: Worf. So this is where you've been hiding. I told you we'd meet again. Aren't you going to greet me?
WORF: I have nothing to say to you.
K'EHLEYR: Haven't changed a bit. Well, I missed you, too.

Meaningless aside, but their prior encounters are related in the Starfleet Academy novels Line of Fire and Survival.

TROI: And you believe you can convince these Klingons that the humans are now their allies?
K'EHLEYR: No, not a chance. If you ask me, talking will be a waste of time. Klingons of that era were raised to despise humans. We'll try diplomacy. But I promise you it won't work. And then you'll have to destroy them.

I can appreciate being realistic, but in this case I wonder why K'ehleyr is even here. Did she lie to her superiors about her opinion of this mission? Is she still the best choice? Has Ambassador Spock left for Romulus yet?

PICARD: Are there any personal reasons you don't want the assignment?
WORF: Yes.
PICARD: Any professional reasons?
WORF: No. (Picard's left eyebrow raises slightly) I withdraw my request, Captain.

Nice scene, and a useful lesson for Worf.

TROI: I didn't know it was possible for a human and a Klingon to produce a child.
K'EHLEYR: Actually, the DNA is compatible, with a fair amount of help. Rather like my parents.

Even if these hybrids are rare the tricorder should know what they look like. Even if the "standard H/K hybrid life signs" stored in the tricorder are from K'ehleyr herself.

K'EHLEYR: Worf, we're alone now. You don't have to act like a Klingon glacier. I don't bite. Well, that's wrong, I do bite.

Ha ha. I still wish K'ehleyr and B'elanna met at some point.

K'EHLEYR: I mean, as I see it, we have some unfinished business, you and I.
WORF: Not as far as I'm concerned.

Nice lie, Worf.

WORF: There are always options.
K'EHLEYR: Oh, are there? Tell me, whatever happened to that wonderful Klingon fatalism of yours?
WORF: My experiences aboard this ship have taught me that most problems have more than one solution.
K'EHLEYR: Starfleet hasn't improved you one bit. You're as stubborn as ever.

It's nice to see how Worf's character development has progressed with each season. Season One Worf would've gone with "talk, but be ready to destroy them."

(She takes out her pent up rage on the poor defenceless glass table. Then the doorbell rings)

Cue transparent aluminum ranting again.

PICARD: I've never before seen the Lieutenant so unsettled.
RIKER: The Iceman's finally melting.

I'm reminded of Worf's encounter with the illusionary Klingon woman in "Hide and Q." There's a lot to extract here about Worf's attitude towards women at this time, but that would get boring really quick.

[Nate the Great]

K'EHLEYR: It's not much of a programme.
WORF: Computer, level two.

Great moment. She was asking for it.

K'EHLEYR: Worf, you're the perfect Klingon. The ultimate minimalist.

Klingons are minimalists? There's a lot to extract here, too.

K'EHLEYR: Why didn't we do this six years ago?
WORF: We were not ready.
K'EHLEYR: I was.
WORF: No, we were both too young, too unaware. We lacked commitment.

Their relationship evolved from 2357-2359, when Worf was 17-19. Granted, Klingons mature at a different rate than humans, and the issue of when people should lose their virginity is another big discussion for elsewhere, but here's the important thing. Worf seems to believe that sex=marriage at this point. Did he really think so when he was a teenager?

K'EHLEYR: Wait. You can't mean--
WORF: We are mated.
K'EHLEYR: Yes, I know. I was there. But--

First, this moment is great because it marks the point when K'ehleyr looses control of her "superiority" over Worf. She was pretending to be more mature than she was to maintain control over Worf. Second, "I was there" is a great punchline.

K'EHLEYR: Worf, it was what it was. Glorious and wonderful and all that, but it doesn't mean anything.

This is an interesting statement. Does she really treat sex as something "hormonal rather than emotional" as Picard put it in "Attached"?

K'EHLEYR: I will not take the oath!
WORF: Then this night had no meaning. And that, I will not believe.

Like I said, Worf has evolved emotionally. He's a great character.

K'EHLEYR: Poor android. Whose behaviour do you find more perplexing? Human or Klingon?
DATA: At the moment, I would find it difficult to choose.
K'EHLEYR: So would I.

Nice moment.

PICARD: Could the T'Ong be disabled rather than destroyed?
LAFORGE: We could probably knock out their warp drive engines without damaging the rest of their ship.
K'EHLEYR: That would gain you nothing. Disable the ship, and K'Temoc will destroy it himself.
WORF: Klingons do not surrender.

I find it dubious that Worf wouldn't know where to fire on such an old ship to disable the self-destruct.

DATA: Sensors show life forms aboard, but I am unable to ascertain whether they are awake or dormant.

Really? Life forms in stasis must put out sensor reading sufficiently different from ordinary sleep to make it easy to determine. Furthermore, the Enterprise should be able to scan through hundred-year old shields.

LAFORGE: I think so. Those old shields weren't particularly efficient at blocking gamma ray output.

Um, Geordi? Cloaking device on means shields off. Period. Would it be so hard to say "those old ships weren't particularly efficient and suppressing gamma ray output while cloaked"?

RIKER: How did you like command?
WORF: Comfortable chair.
K'EHLEYR: And you wore it well.

She's such a good compliment for Worf, willing to be serious when she has to but silly the rest of the time.

K'EHLEYR: I hid the truth from you. Last night did have meaning. I was tempted to take the oath with you, but it scared me. I've never had such strong feelings toward anyone.
WORF: Nor have I.
K'EHLEYR: Then it was more than just a point of honour. Maybe someday, when our paths cross again, I won't be as easy to get rid of.
WORF: K'Ehleyr. I will not be complete without you.

How romantic.

The Fiver

Riker: I'm curious -- what made you choose a career as a special emissary?
K'Ehleyr: I decided I didn't have the temperament to become the chief engineer of a Federation starship.

"Plus being a diplomat is less dangerous and you get more benefits. At least that's what I thought until they stuffed me into this probe."

K'Ehleyr: Lieutenant Worf needs no introduction, Captain. He just needs to decide whether he's going to kiss me or hit me.
Worf: And in what order.

How tacky. Klingons hit then kiss. And then read love poetry. And claw at you...

Picard: What makes you think they would act in a hostile manner if they discovered humans on those planets?
K'Ehleyr: They were sent out on their original mission on the same day they learned that James Kirk had beamed eighty-thousand tribbles into their sister ship's engine room.

But Scotty said they'd be no tribble at all!

Troi: I didn't think humans and Klingons could produce children.
K'Ehleyr: Actually, the DNA is compatible.
Troi: I was talking about surviving the mating ritual.
K'Ehleyr: Well, that can be a concern.

Never did like the Worf/Troi romance, even if it gave us a nice novel in Imzadi II: Triangle.

Worf: (in Picard's chair) Drop your shields and surrender, K'Temoc!
K'Temoc: (on viewscreen) A uniformed Klingon warrior in command of a Starfleet vessel? Impossible!
Worf: Skeptical fool! The Empire and the Federation are allies in this century!
K'Temoc: How repugnant! For what price did our cowardly leaders sell their honour to these humans?
Worf: For the secret of how to prevent tribbles from reproducing!
K'Temoc: Not a bad deal.

Did they run out of genetic stock to make glommers?

K'Ehleyr: Very well. Two to beam over.
Worf: Two? Who is the other person?
K'Ehleyr: I'll introduce you to him or her when we next see each other.
Worf: Then I shall spend the time until your return in a considerable state of expectation.
K'Ehleyr: Believe me, so will I.

Dun dun dun...

Memory Alpha

* The planned Worf/Selar romance was scrapped when this episode was written. A pity, while I like K'ehleyr a longer romance with a Vulcan would've made for some interesting stories.

Nitpicker's Guide

* What was the T'Ong's secret mission anyway? If it's weapons related it wouldn't work because technology would advance while they were asleep.
* Why would Worf use a Federation time system talking to a Klingon? Don't the Klingons have their own year system probably related to an event in Kahless's lifetime?
* How can this be Worf's first command if he commanded the saucer in "Encounter at Farpoint"?
* Would the holodeck have let K'ehleyr attack Worf with a holographic weapon?

[Nate the Great]

I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping up. Real Life commitments and all that. I'll catch up later.

[DrWho42]

Originally Posted by Nate the Great

I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping up. Real Life commitments and all that. I'll catch up later.

no worries! looking forward to it

[Nate the Great]

July 17th, 1989, "Shades of Grey"


No fiver
Transcript
Memory Alpha


For alternate ways to do a bottle show with no budget or time to write a script, I refer you to SF Debris' review. I hate this episode, so let's get this over with and move on to Season Three...


The Episode

Captain's log, Stardate 42976.1. During a geological survey on Surata Four, Commander Riker has become infected by an unidentified microbe.


The survey should've been mentioned in a Captain's Log at the start. Don't ask me why Riker and Geordi are the only two members of a geological survey away team. I get it, no money for extras, but why isn't Data down here?

PULASKI: The Commander's nervous system has been invaded by an unknown microorganism. Not a bacteria, not a virus, but with the elements of both.



From what I know of bacterial and viral structure, you can't really mix them.



PULASKI: The organisms fuse to the nerve, intertwining at the molecular level.
RIKER: That's why the transporter's biofilters weren't able to extract it.



This seems like a time to bring up the Time Squared method, reconstruct his body using a previous transporter pattern. It's not like Will would miss his memories of this planet.


RIKER: Well, these things happen.
PICARD: When least expected.
RIKER: I'm surprised they don't happen more often. After all, we are exploring the unknown.
PICARD: And the unknown can be benign or malevolent.
RIKER: Captain, one of the things I've learned anything on these voyages, on this ship, and from you, is that most life forms act out of an instinct for survival, not out of malice.
PICARD: It's an important lesson, and I admire your lack of resentment, Number One.
RIKER: If you drop a hammer on your foot, it's hardly useful to get mad at the hammer.



A shame there wasn't more time to write scenes like this instead of relying on flashbacks. It's almost like Star Trek doesn't need to have expensive alien makeup or special effects every time and could just be people talking every so often! *massive sarcasm*



PULASKI: Something wrong?
TROI: No, it's just that Commander Riker's emotions are rather passionate.
PULASKI: As in erotic?
TROI: Very much so.


I'd argue about the difference between romantic passion and eroticism, but given that the previous scene was about Minuet, I suspect now's not the time. It's a shame that we couldn't have Troi comment about her feelings regarding Riker's other girlfriends. Plenty of room for character development there.


Nitpicker's Guide

* When Geordi and Data return to the planet, they know that plant thorns are a potential problem. Why didn't Geordi wear leg protection?
* Riker didn't have a single memory not from the previous two years come up?

[Nate the Great]

September 25th, 1989, "Evolution"


SFDebris already made the Scrubs joke, moving on...


No fiver
Transcript
Memory Alpha


The Episode

Captain's log, Stardate 43125.8. We have entered a spectacular binary star system in the Kavis Alpha sector on a most critical mission of astro-physical research. Our eminent guest, Doctor Paul Stubbs, will attempt to study the decay of neutronium expelled at relativistic speeds by a massive stellar explosion which will occur here in a matter of hours.



Ah, Treknobabble. Neutronium comes from neutron stars, which come from supernovas. "Relativistic speeds" means close to the speed of light, which I doubt something as dense as neutronium could achieve anyway. And "a matter of hours" implies less than a day, which the events of this episode dispute.


STUBBS: Over and over again, the intense gravitational pull of the little neutron star sucks up the star material from the red giant, and it builds up on the surface until it explodes, every one hundred and ninety six years. Like clockwork.


It's always nice to see a periodic event that doesn't have lots of zeroes in it's cyclical period. And this Treknobabble contradicts the Captain's Log. I doubt that the neutron star can turn the captured stellar material into neutronium in only 196 years.



STUBBS: The interstellar counterpart to Earth's Old Faithful.



I don't mind blatant Earth references from human civilians. We get the impression that in the Trek universe most non-Starfleet humans prefer to live in predominantly human colonies and planets.



CRUSHER: Computer, fix the food slot.
COMPUTER: The food slot is functioning properly.



Food slot? When did this turn into a TOS episode?


CRUSHER: Does he have many friends? Has he ever been in love?


It's not hard to see why Wesley wouldn't mention Selea, but I'm confused why Picard or Guinan wouldn't have sent a message to her about this at the time.


WORF: Vector. Is gone. And so is the Borg vessel.
PICARD: You're telling me this is another computer glitch?
DATA: It is conceivable that he was viewing a synthetically generated image, sir.
RIKER: That our computer was daydreaming?



Creating an image on the viewscreen is one kind of glitch, fooling Worf's sensors with corresponding trajectory readings is another. This must be a very specific glitch if it can fool that many systems in tandem. Are the nanites conducting an experiment here?