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Author	Topic: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
Jedimarine Registered: Feb '01	Date Posted: 6/24 5:31pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	wow...this is somewhere between fascinating and brutal. continue! -----signature----- GO SEE "THE DARK KNIGHT"
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The2ndQuest Title: : -Games -LACWAC -Lit Mod of Death Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 6/25 4:14pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	112: The Big Goodbye: -Premise: Picard is trapped on the holodeck, in 1940s San Francisco in the middle of a gangster novel. -T2Q Comments: Ah, our first holodeck episode... but, damn, they reused the D intro shot from Farpoint. "Auto-mobiles?" "an entire..um..." "city block!" ug, dude... you know what a damn city block is. Apparently being the ideal human in the future makes you look like a...um... ::snapsnap:: "horse's ass?" yes! a horses ass! Doc Crusher seems just a bit too excited about the murder accusation, ha. Why did Picard and Crusher never end up together? I know it's hinted at more down the road a couple times. They should have had Picard and Crusher be the focal love story in Insurrection rather than Troi/Riker and Picard/nameless chick. That might have even given her something to do in Nemesis. Data figuring out the lamp while Picard plugs it in a nice touch- I wonder if that was a scripted action. One of the nice things about Holodeck episodes like this is it accomplishes the setting/premise aimed for by both Time-Planet-of-the-Week episodes and time travel episodes, but without the campy, ridiculous suspension of disbelief required in the former, nor requiring the time travel plot mechanic while eliminating the pre-determined nature of events of a time travel episode. No ship or phaser strike to show up to save the day, no worries about the Prime Directive, no worries about "setting things right" or avoiding changing the past. Albeit in this episode "getting home" is subsituted with "getting free of the program". Verdict: Somewhat essential in that how the holodeck and being trapped within a holodeck program become an intertwined plot thread later on with Data's Sherlock Holmes interest. Not specifically essential, as far as I can tell, to other plots, though, so I'll just say it's a Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential. But one I'll probably rewatch since I like holodeck episodes usually. 113: Datalore: -Premise: The crew discovers a prototype of Data, which attempts to take over the ship by pretending to be him. -T2Q Comments: Could have done a bit better on the manequin head for Lore, but anyways, this episode, as the title implies, is the introduction of Lore. The early pointing out of the grammatical differences between Lore and Data was interesting, but Wesley pointing it out again comes across poorly. Wesley's "disrespect" on the bridge is only a problem because he doesn't report his suspicions- I hate it when writers do that, making a conflict that could be easily avoided if someone would just explain. "SHUT UP WESLEY" Verdict: I'm sort of a sucker for evil-twin type plots (particularly of the 80's mechanical variety- KITT vs KARR, Airwolf vs Redwolf, etc), those there is still a dash of cheeiness in the upbeat "morale of the story" ending line, still, recurring villain introduction whose is Definitely Essential when it comes to Data, the emotion chip in Generations, and the Borg. Though oddly enough, he's unmentioned in Nemesis, a huge oversight where Lore could have been the perfect anti-Data to compliment the cloned Anti-Picard and hammer home Data's moral of the story more solidly- but I'll go into that more later when we hit Nemesis in a year or two. 114: Angel One: -Premise: Riker struggles with a planet's female leader, while a plague on the Enterprise prohibits sanctuary for the rebels T2Q Comments: A planet of amazons-er-matriarcal society- once again I must exclaim, "yay". Why is it that every (relatively advanced) female-dominated society in these shows/franchises is so overtly arrogant or disdainful towards males? ("our library is too complicated for males", etc). Funny that with these show, when they remove the men, the people in charge are still ****s. Ooh- Bonnie from Knight Rider! Amusing bit with Geordi assuming command "make it so." ha! AGH! the image of open-shirted Riker has burned my eyes in terrible, Hoff-like ways! The subplot with the crew getting sick.. ha, bet you wish you knew what a cold was now, eh Future-Ubers? And now Data is immune to this virus, yet was suceptible to the stupid Naked virus? They also never resolve this virus thing, like where it came from, for instance. Interesting how the execution station is in the hallway rather than inthe secured room. Good thing those condemmed to death have no incentive to try to escape... There's a psuedo interesting subplot about the Romulans here, which reintroduces their presence in this era, but it's inconsequential to the plot- it's just a fill-in-the-blank that the Enterprise needs to be at within a certain time to add a the-clock-is-ticking layer to things. Verdict: Not gut-busting terrible, but it seems to be a good example of the behind the scenes problems with the early TNG, and further supports my view that the worst thing about Star Trek was Gene Roddenberry. he may have created the universe and concept, but by god, was he absolutely clueless when it came to recognizing what was good about the franchise. This paragraph of background info at the Memory Alpha wiki seems to sum it up best: Writer Michael Rhodes ran afoul of Gene Roddenberry when he wanted to create more conflict in the script for "Angel One". Roddenberry ruled out conflict as a dramatic device. Rhodes, who came to this one-shot Star Trek: The Next Generation assignment from scripting episodes of the series Fame, enjoyed working on the show, despite the disappointing quality of the episode as filmed. Rhodes whimsically agreed that the episode was sexist, and recalled how oblivious to this Roddenberry was. When Rhodes suggested that the episode be used to examine the unconscious vestiges of sexism that might, perhaps, still linger in the enlightened twenty-fourth century minds of Picard and his crew, Roddenberry dismissed the notion out of hand, and admonished a surprised Rhodes that there was no place for conflict in Star Trek. Nevertheless, Patrick Stewart later observed that there was still considerable sexism in the script for The Next Generation, a fact that disturbed him. Eventually he and Jonathan Frakes protested, along with Marina Sirtis and others. Rhodes, perplexed, could not quite fathom how to create interesting drama without some sort of conflict. Still, his memories of working on the show, especially with the cast, were generally pleasant. There is no denying, however, that the creative process was undergoing some peculiar distortions during the first season of The Next Generation, which became extremely evident in "Angel One". The episode ends up being Forgettable. The visage of open-shirted Riker, most unfortunately, is not. Up next: 115: 11001001, 116: Too Short a Season and 117: When the Bough Breaks. -----signature----- K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..." Is your Death Magnetic?
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Juliet316 Registered: Apr '05	Date Posted: 6/25 8:55pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	Yeah, with the exception of a few gems, Seasons One AND Two are largely forgettable. I still say Justice is the worst TNG episode. -----signature----- Juliet RIP Eddie Guerrero Tangible Dreams: http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/21029022/?10 The Heart of Betrayal: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/23822708/p1/?17
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The2ndQuest Title: : -Games -LACWAC -Lit Mod of Death Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 6/27 4:36pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	115: 11001001: -Premise: The Enterprise arrives at Starbase 74 for a computer overhaul conducted by the mysterious Bynar aliens. But when Wesley, Geordi, and Data discover evidence that the antimatter containment system is about to collapse, the crew has no choice but to abandon ship. When the crew can't find Picard, Riker or the Bynars, they realize that the aliens have stolen the Enterprise. -T2Q Comments: Yyay! gorgeous starbase! Nice shot of the Enterprise on approach- though the non-D footage is essentially reused Trek 3 footage- though this seems to be the same size as the TOS movie Starbase, which i don't think the D would actually fit through the doors of... Mention of the holodeck problems from The Big Goodbye. "If winning is not important, Commander, then why keep score?" ok, Sports Worf is awesome. i want to see him play ping pong now. Can't help but notice Crusher's "oh, Commander Riker" comment occurs several seconds after he's spoken and she's been directly facing him... Riker certain likes to take his time with his porn... the whole evacuation sequence is quite cool, actually- I love it when things have a realistic or relatable element like that. Manskirt sighting! Manskirts: 4, Masculinity: 0 So now we have the 1st TNG auto-destruct sequence attempt (3rd overall)- they certainly daughtle after the auto-destruct starts, and then walk to the bridge- uh, maybe you might want to take advantage of as much time as you can get to reclaim the bridge and stop the auto-destruct by maybe running? Verdict: Overall a neat episode, though the Riker Holo-luv is a bit strange. 116: Too Short a Season: -Premise: An elderly Admiral on a diplomatic mission to negoiate with hostage takers, takes a wonder drug to become a younger man. -T2Q Comments: Geez, these admirals never retire, do they? Age makeup is rarely effective, they really should have at least just gone with multiple actors to better accomodate the different age states and just used makeup from there. Cool shot of admiral sitting in chair w/ stars in background. This sorta continues the TOS pattern of painting the Federation brass as being somewhat incompetent or unstable. The "confession" scene is actually pretty effective...at this point in the story I wish they hadn't tried to bog it down with the bad ageing makeup and the whole de-aging subplot as this could have been much more compelling if they had focused on the main plot instead- the de-aging becomes distracting in a sort of "what is he becoming?" situation instead of a "what has he done/what will he do?". The over-intense acting between the bad guy and the admiral oddly swings back and forth between effective and "trying too hard it distracts". And then we have the moral of the story as the closing exchange of lines once again. Verdict: I really don't know what to make of this episode...it starts off kinda bad with the de-aging plotline, but then starts to approach "really good" as the negotiations plotline comes to the forefront, but then is sort of held back by the aging plotline again. I'll just say "ok" for now. 117: When the Bough Breaks: -Premise: The children of the Enterprise-D are kidnapped by a dying race that has mysteriously become infertile en masse. T2Q Comments: Interesting that they at least address the issue of children onboard the ship and how it does put them in potential harm. Ah, a stagnant society served by a super-computer- dipping into the pool of TOS fallbacks already, Gene? "oh, I see, sir." ha. I'm surprised to see the repulsor "flick the spinning ship far away" effect here- I had only known it previously to be used when Q introduced them to the Borg. I think the Custodian's voice is the second voice of KARR... Verdict: A dry episode and aims to be too "family show". Not particularly offensive or remarkable. Don't think I'd care to rewatch it again since the entire plot revolves around the "aliens" being too stupid to first consult outside medical opinions first before resorting to other tactics. Another "ok" episode. Up next: 118: Home Soil, 119: Coming of Age and 120: Heart of Glory. -----signature----- K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..." Is your Death Magnetic?
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Jedimarine Registered: Feb '01	Date Posted: 6/27 5:34pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	It's interesting...I always thought the holodeck-luv one was much later...even season 2. I mean the enterprise has been on mission how long and it's getting a computer servicing? Sheesh...MS must be running a new service pack or something. -----signature----- GO SEE "THE DARK KNIGHT"
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The2ndQuest Title: : -Games -LACWAC -Lit Mod of Death Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 6/27 7:48pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	Well, I think they explain it as being the result of the probe scan that trapped Picard in the holodeck- or at least that's one of the reasons it's getting upgraded. -----signature----- K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..." Is your Death Magnetic?
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The2ndQuest Title: : -Games -LACWAC -Lit Mod of Death Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 6/28 7:22pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion - Date Edited: 6/28 8:03pm (1 edits total) Edited By: The2ndQuest
	118: Home Soil: -Premise: A new microscopic lifeform threatens to kill the crew working to terraform its planet -T2Q Comments: First casualty telegraphed and by-the-books. Tthey should really try beaming the lifeform off the ship..ah, there we go, took em long enough. Sure are milking the final beam off, though Verdict: Feels very TOSish, some interesting mysteries though, but it all kind of feels "why?". Ok Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential: 119: Coming of Age: -Premise: Wesley takes Starfleet Academy entrance examination, while Picard faces a competence investigation. -T2Q Comments: Interesting to note this was the first episode directed by Mike Vejar, who would direct several later episodes in the franchise, is probably better known for working his magic on several Babylon 5 episodes and movies. "It's a good thing you're cute, Wesley, or you could really be obnoxious", now, now, don't jump to conclusions, missy- he can easily be both Zoldans- humans with webbed fingers, sigh..."You don't like me much, do you?" "Is it required, sir?" . I like that there's a degree of consequnece to actions taken in past episodes here- such as my earlier comment on how "Justice" didn't touch upon the consequences for violating the prime directive. Fairly elaborate psych test...doesn't this have the potential of creating serious psychological trauma? Verdict: Connects to previous episodes, furthers the Wesley plotline, and sets up the later "Conspiracy" episode (which itself was almost the setup for the Bprg before they changed their plans; potentially essential for how relevant it is to the first season's story, even though the Borg switchup and lack of followup detaches it from the rest of the series' importance 120: Heart of Glory: -Premise: Worf faces a test of loyalties when three fugitive Klingons come on board the Enterprise-D. T2Q Comments: It's kind of weird the command staff would react so surprisingly to the presence of Romulans ("a name we haven't heard in a long time")- um, weren't you just hearing about them a few episodes ago? Device that can transmit Geordi's visor visual...establishing the use of something similar in Generations...so...this is the episode that killed the Enterprise . Picard's "Let's Leart About Geordi" scene a bit well, um "why aren't you trying to save the people?" kinda kid moment- plus, Geordi was able to see briefly thanks to Riker-Q, so wouldn't he have known there' d be no visible aura around Data since he saw him with normal eyes briefly? "All routes are equally dangerous" "So which route is the least dangerous?" um... weren't you just listening? A simple, but very cool visual of the three sioluetted against a bright light background- crop it to widescreen and it's neat. Actor who plays Korris also played the admiral on Enterprise as well as the top Nightwatch security officer during the B5 Severed Dreams trilogy. So they confess they wish to break the allaince between the Federation and Klingons, then immediately ask to be shown around the ship, and Worf doens't think anything of it? Nice to hear the use of the Klingon theme here. The Worf scream multi-jump-cut is kinda corny though. Verdict: Solid Klingon episode and kinda shows an aftermath of the treaty from ST6 with some still being disgruntled about it- a fact I believe DS9 later brings back up and develops further. Definitely Essential. However, the strange Romulan comments and Geordi visor bit make it feel like this should have aired much earlier in the season. Up next: 121: The Arsenal of Freedom, 122: Symbiosis and 123: Skin of Evil. -----signature----- K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..." Is your Death Magnetic?
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The2ndQuest Title: : -Games -LACWAC -Lit Mod of Death Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 7/7 4:37pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	121: The Arsenal of Freedonm: -Premise: On a planet famous for its munitions industry, the crew of the Enterprise is threatened by a deadly automatic weapons system. -T2Q Comments: Catherine Sakai! Interesting obstacle combination for the ship with the shields/transporter attack apect. Data tossing Yar like a ragdoll, . Saucer separation #2. "You're trained and tested- you've earned the rights to sit in those chairs" but not be recurring characters. I like Geordi's subplot in command. Apparently this episode addresses my earlier "why didn't Picard and Crusher ever hook up?" question- Roddenberry apparently had a lack of interest in character development, which led to the writer of this episode (a co-producer on the show) to leave the show. It seems originally it was Picard who would have been injured and Crusher would have expressed her feelings to him. The reversal also frustrated the director it seems. The sand in cavern was also apparently infested with fleas, which severely annoyed the actors. Verdict: Episode has a bubbly wrap-up though- "crusher will be fine!", etc. Good ep, but not essential. 122: Symbiosis: -Premise: Two alien races struggle over a major pharmaceutical shipment. The dominant race claims the drug will treat a deadly disease, but instead it has been used to keep the weaker race addicted and powerless. -T2Q Comments: The one Breckian, Sobi, is the same actor who played Khan's second in command in TWOK. Likewise, T'Jon is played by the actor who played Kirk's son, David. The "Drug are bad, M'kay?" message is a bit blatant by time Yar's speech is finished, almost sidetracks the episode. Picard waxing poetic about at the Prime Directive seems a bit hypocritical since he supposedly broke it earlier this season; not a bad episode Verdict: Not a bad episode, not outstanding or particularly releevant but interesting premise. Fun note: as Picard and Crusher leave the cargo bay, you can see Denise Crosby waving goodbye in the background, as this was the final episode she shot. 123: Skin of Evil: -Premise: In the midst of a rescue mission, the crew encounters an entity of pure evil, costing them the life of a dear comrade. T2Q Comments: One of the season 1 episodes I clearly remember seeing when i was a kid- the oil creature creeped me out...come to think of it, so did the black slick on the lake in that one CreepShow movie... Yar's death is interesting since it happens so suddenly without a heroic fanfare or buildup, kinda makes things a tad more real- though I didn't realize it at the time I fist saw this since I didn't know who Yar was. Evil creature who renders instruments useless very cliche TOSish though. The Yar farewell is a bit much but works in places. Verdict: Definitely essential due to Yar's passing and how her death will be relevant in upcoming episodes such as Yesterday's Enterprise. Nitpicker note: As pointed out on Memory-Alpha: When the dilithium crystals are realigned, the matter/anti-matter intermix ratio is set to 25:1. This contradicts Wesley Crusher's statement in the earlier episode "Coming of Age" that there is only one intermix ratio, 1:1.. I just find it amusing, hehe. Up next: 124: We'll Always Have Paris, 125: Consiracy and 126: The Neutral Zone. -----signature----- K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..." Is your Death Magnetic?
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Manisphere Registered: Aug '07	Date Posted: 7/8 2:05pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	Jedi_Master_Conor posted: i'm watching First Contact right now. best of the TNG movies easily My girlfriend had the day from hell at work yesterday so I had First Contact on for her when she got home. It's her favorite movie ever.
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Obi Wan Bergkamp Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 7/15 8:18am Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	The2ndQuest posted: 115: 11001001: -Premise: The Enterprise arrives at Starbase 74 for a computer overhaul conducted by the mysterious Bynar aliens. But when Wesley, Geordi, and Data discover evidence that the antimatter containment system is about to collapse, the crew has no choice but to abandon ship. When the crew can't find Picard, Riker or the Bynars, they realize that the aliens have stolen the Enterprise. -T2Q Comments: Yyay! gorgeous starbase! Nice shot of the Enterprise on approach- though the non-D footage is essentially reused Trek 3 footage- though this seems to be the same size as the TOS movie Starbase, which i don't think the D would actually fit through the doors of... Mention of the holodeck problems from The Big Goodbye. "If winning is not important, Commander, then why keep score?" ok, Sports Worf is awesome. i want to see him play ping pong now. Can't help but notice Crusher's "oh, Commander Riker" comment occurs several seconds after he's spoken and she's been directly facing him... Riker certain likes to take his time with his porn... the whole evacuation sequence is quite cool, actually- I love it when things have a realistic or relatable element like that. Manskirt sighting! Manskirts: 4, Masculinity: 0 So now we have the 1st TNG auto-destruct sequence attempt (3rd overall)- they certainly daughtle after the auto-destruct starts, and then walk to the bridge- uh, maybe you might want to take advantage of as much time as you can get to reclaim the bridge and stop the auto-destruct by maybe running? Verdict: Overall a neat episode, though the Riker Holo-luv is a bit strange. This episode could also be called a must see because the Riker Holo-luv plays an important part in Future Imperfectwhich I think is in season 4 -----signature----- Stand up if you hate Tottenham
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The2ndQuest Title: : -Games -LACWAC -Lit Mod of Death Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 7/15 4:41pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	Interesting- I'll keep an eye out for it when we get there. -----signature----- K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..." Is your Death Magnetic?
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Jedimarine Registered: Feb '01	Date Posted: 7/16 6:35am Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion - Date Edited: 7/16 6:36am (1 edits total) Edited By: Jedimarine
	Sadly...the best part of "future imperfect" is that little caveat tying back to this episode. I'd say they are only "must see" as to being tied together. both of them are inherently "skippable" though. (and that's really hard for me to say about an episode with Romulans in it.) -----signature----- GO SEE "THE DARK KNIGHT"
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The2ndQuest Title: : -Games -LACWAC -Lit Mod of Death Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 7/28 6:59pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion
	124: We'll Always Have Paris: -Premise: When Paul Manheim's temporal experiments backfire, the Enterprise-D crew tries to rescue him and his wife, before catastrophe strikes. Complicating things, his wife is Picard's old flame, Jenice, which incites jealousy in Beverly. -T2Q Comments: Good Picard episode, fairly solid overall, though the chick's atire is a bit silly silver spacemany. Not much to say. It's standalone, nothing really offends. 125: Conspiracy: -Premise: After the mysterious destruction of a distinguished Starfleet captain and his ship, the Enterprise-D finds Starfleet Command acting erratically, with key officers possessed by alien neural parasites. -T2Q Comments: The Data/computer "talking to myself" scene is fantastic. Manskirt sighting in the hallway! Manskirts: 5; Masculinity: 0 Riker takes a few punches too many beyond when he should have realized he should have gotten out of there. The Goa'uld have invaded Starfleet, ha! Nice Crusher save. Bug eating is unnerving. Surprised at the head explosion. Usually not so graphic. This episode would have been much more essential had these insects ended up being The Borg or being related to The Borg. As it is now, the beacon to Earth is a dangling plotthread only touched upon in Trek EU with most suggesting they are either genetically altered evil Trill or have been at war with the Trill through their hosts. Still a creepy episode- creepier than the Goa'uld ever were. Not essential to the whole series but makes for a sense of a "season 1 story arc". "Potentially Essential, But Not necessarily Good" (though it is fairly good, IMO). Apparently the original idea behind this episode, as intended in Coming of Age, involved a parallel to the Iran/Contra affair and centered around a military coup by a group of officers determined to undermine the prime directive. But, surpris surprise, Roddenberry vehemontly opposed the suggestion that Starfleet was anything less than a perfect government and thus nixed the coup idea. The parasites were introduced instead. 126: The Neutral Zone: -Premise: The Enterprise discovers a drifting space capsule that contains three humans from Earth's twentieth century, frozen in cryonic suspension. They are brought aboard and introduced to life in the twenty-fourth century, causing complications for the ship's crew. At the same time, Picard must deal with the renewed threat of Romulan activity in the Neutral Zone T2Q Comments: "Commander, look at this." "Commander, look at this." Good boy, Worf, you get a treat. A sleep ship- wonder if it's one of Kahn's old buddies... The lack of info on the Romulans seems like a retread of their introduction in TOS, as well as not making much sense given their presence in the later TOS movies. Picard's annoyance at having to treat the unfrozen passengers as living people is a bit strange- if they obviously have the tech to revive these people, could they consider them any other way? The southern cliche music fanfare combined with the "we are uber" surprised-we-survived-the-21st-century comments annoying. I forgot how ginormous the Romulan ships are in this show (even if they are mostly "hollow"). It's nice that after the XO orders security to "get that man off the bridge" they stop after he protests briefly; "We are back." a neat moment...but this episode is odd in that it doesn't resolve much of anything in the main plot. Verdict: Due to the reintroduction of the Romulans, I'd say this is Definitely Essential. It seems this is an episode and plotline that was disrupted by the writer's strike of the time: this would have been part 1 of a trilogy to introduce the Borg. The Season 2 premiere would have picked up these threads and possibly establish an alliance between the Federation and Romulans to counter this new threat. This episode is also a very clsoe call: it almost brought back Harry Mudd as one of the people aboard the sleeper ship. Thank god that didn't happen (though it is unfortunate that the reason this never happened was because the Mudd actor passed away). Up next: 201: The Child, 202: Where Silence Has Lease and 203: Elementary, Dear Data. -----signature----- K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..." Is your Death Magnetic?
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Jedimarine Registered: Feb '01	Date Posted: 7/29 6:31am Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion - Date Edited: 7/29 6:34am (1 edits total) Edited By: Jedimarine
	I have always loved Conspiracy...the best episode of season 1, with Neutral Zone #2...they finally hit the right stride. Now from what I have always understood, the aliens in Conspiracy were originally cooked up to be the main antagonists of the series pushing forward, after the failure of the Ferengi to pass as menacing (I guess the Ferengi were Gene's last "original idea" species). It was the intent of Conspiracy to open the door, and then Neutral Zone would indicate that it was a bigger menace then just to Earth. However, for whatever reason, brainstorming sessions indicated that "seasons of betrayal" and not knowing whom to trust would be too dark for the show, and a more transparent, and visually diverse opponent was needed. Too bad they couldn't make eyes "glow" in 1988. And has been stated on more then one occasion...some Star Trek writer was getting drunk alone in his studio apartment and caught an episode of Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future and had an "epiphany" to create the Borg. ____________ Back to the episodes: Conspiracy is certainly the most complex and engaging script of season one...a sister ship of the Enterprise destroyed, a call home, tying in the command staff from a previous episode...and it all leads up to that moment with the "mother" and most remarkably...the immediate and strong reaction of Picard and Riker...they don't mediate or try to capture...they ZAP that sucker. The beacon and who they are is the most obvious hanging chad of the show...I hoped both with DS9 and Voyager to run into them in the Delta or Gamma Quadrants...but alas. And in all honesty...with the outright success of Stargate (post film), the concept of parasites in the neck taking over the mind have gone to much better places then Star Trek. ___________ Neutral Zone...ah, Romulans...yes they are big ships...and one of the few ST books I ever read has an even BIGGER Romulan ship. The thing I always liked about Romulans was that I saw the reality of human space exploration in them...I'm sure that just enrages Gene somewhere, but it's true...and if you watch the progression of who the Romulans are from this moment to "Nemesis" you realize that it's not so much that the writers "changed" the Romulans, it's that they took the trumped up "menacing" air away, and realize that Romulans are humans who don't believe in Utopian fairy tales. The "sleepers" feels like a retread of "Khan"...in fact, the first time I saw this, I thought they were going to turn the woman into some kind of 80's feminazi who was playing a housewife to escape...oh well...I still think of Khan...and the continuity of "when" this ship launched vs. the Botany Bay always baffles me...Star Trek Continuity is just bass ackwards. The Country Singer is pretty amusing...his slang offerings to the crew help lighten the atmosphere of stuck up futurebots. Tangent: I had a sudden thought I have to express...I really loved DS9. Back on track: One thing I didn't appreciate about this episode is the way they bring in the Romulans just to tell us they are dealing with another "threat"...You're kidding me...it took them the whole first season to get to the BEST alien species on the show, and they cut their balls off like that? That said "we are back" is a great send off. That said, the whole "Romulans have vanished" thing is kind of ridiculous (and I think continuity wise has been redacted to a gross oversimplification). Free Traders would still hop the Neutral Zone...If they Romulans were really gone, how would they stop them? They try to use this dialog to make you think the Romulans are a long LONG way away, while everything else has always indicated a very "intimate" sharing of borders with the Romulans, Klingons, Cardassians, etc. Another case of season one concepts not being fully fleshed. Still, overall, a great episode, despite it's ominous and vague conclusion. -----signature----- GO SEE "THE DARK KNIGHT"
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The2ndQuest Title: : -Games -LACWAC -Lit Mod of Death Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 7/29 4:57pm Subject: RE: Engage! The Star Trek: TNG General Discussion - Date Edited: 7/29 4:57pm (1 edits total) Edited By: The2ndQuest
	Yeah, the sleeper thing did make me think at first this was Gene retreading yet another concept from TOS but thankfully it was more benign. Jedimarine posted: And has been stated on more then one occasion...some Star Trek writer was getting drunk alone in his studio apartment and caught an episode of Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future and had an "epiphany" to create the Borg. No. Freaking. Way! So, not only did B5 "inspire" the broader strokes of DS9... another JMS-written show is also the inspiration for the freaking Borg? Ho-lee-crap. -----signature----- K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..." Is your Death Magnetic?
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