Comment Stream

Re: TNG S6: Chain of Command, Part I

Peter says:

"That said, I found Picard's special ops mission to be ridiculous. Surely Starfleet has, somewhere, some trained commandos who would undertake such a mission. That Picard is an expert on "theta waves" is besides the point."

It is ridiculous. Not only is he old (no offense meant to Patrick Stewart), but the theta waves are just the (supposed) delivery system for the (alleged) actual weapon, so honestly, what was he there for? To reprogram the tricorder that one time? No one else could do that, it absolutely must be the most visible captain in Starfleet? At least the doctor's role could perhaps be vital, but look, let's be honest, with what they're going there to do, expertise in killing and blowing stuff up seems a lot more important.

That the Cardassians concocted this ruse expecting to capture Picard is the most ludicrous thing of all.

Re: TNG S5: I, Borg

I think the writers wasted much of the potential of the Borg, but they're still great villains for me. They frighten me in a way that the Romulans and Cardassians never could.

Re: TNG S5: Ethics

Grumpy_otter said: "Also wanted to say I like Caroline Kava in this episode very much--she played her part perfectly. They could have made her entirely a villain, and she wasn't at all."

Ha ha ha ha ha! What?! You could practically see her twirling the ends of her mustache as she rationalized her use of an experimental drug on that dude in the shuttle bay. I'm absolutely certain that scene was there only for the purpose of making her less sympathetic and Crusher more so. I rolled my eyes so hard I'll probably need an untested procedure to get 'em pointed right again.

In general I found Worf's point of view presented entirely unsympathetically. You'd think (well, I'd think) that in a Utopian future it would be unequivocally accepted that the right to die was a fundamental one. Instead apparently your doctor has the even more inviolable right to hold you prisoner indefinitely. Progress!

Tne one thing I did like about this ep is that at least a character outside the Enterprise bubble was allowed to do their job competently and "save the day". Dr. Pulaski would've pushed Dr. Russell out of the way and fashioned Worf a new spine out of spit and baling wire.

Re: TNG S5: Conundrum

Yeah, I guess I don't understand the final scene either. I don't think Riker really needs catastrophic memory loss as an excuse to mack on some chick --- just a few episodes ago he was on Risa doing hookers and blow, or at least the 24th century equivalent thereof, and Troi didn't care --- but he has it here, so .... what am I missing?

Re: TNG S5: Conundrum

Daniel B says: "2) Why didn't he make himself the captain? Because he hasn't got the foggiest clue how to run the ship. Everyone else retained their skills and technical knowledge, so he had to put himself in a place where he could get away not spouting technobabble about the ship's capabilities or how to do anything, but he could command most of the people who did (and advise anyone he couldn't command). "

He knew how to arm and fire the weapons.

He must know how the computer works too, or his people must, since their magic memory ray worked on it too.

And it's not like he made himself cook. He's second in command of the ship. He's going to have to know as much about starship operations as the captain anyway.

Re: TNG S4: The Nth Degree

Aaugh! Substitute "between" for "being".

Re: TNG S4: The Nth Degree

Crusher - "I couldn't even guess at your IQ level now!"

Barclay - "Probably somewhere being 1200 and 1450."

Entire episode was gold. So many laughs, and it was great seeing Barclay in his ascendancy.

Re: TNG S3: The Price

I could live with more scenes of Ms. Troi and Mrs. Crusher doing team calisthenics.

This isn't a great episode for all the reasons that have already been listed here, but Ral's manipulation of the negotiating process was so fun that I don't even care. Very watchable.

Re: TNG S3: Who Watches the Watchers

I enjoy this episode, but I find it comical that the Prime Directive allows for an observation post to be placed on the ground of an alien world. C'mon man, with the rate of technology failure in the Star Trek universe, that thing is never going to remain hidden.

And were they still planning to use it even after showing it to the Mintakans? Isn't that kind of creepy? "Hey, we're going to be inside that boulder monitoring you. So uh, just act natural, 'kay?"

Re: TNG S3: The Ensigns of Command

I'd say three stars just because the ending was so genuinely amusing. I finished watching it fifteen minutes ago and I haven't stopped chuckling yet.

Re: TNG S2: Shades of Gray

For me, having just now rewatched all the putatively good episodes of the first two seasons, the only must watch eps are the pilot and then The Measure of a Man. Elementary Dear Data, Time Squared, Q Who, Datalore, and Peak Performance are also perfectly watchable. Conspiracy and A Matter of Honor were great ideas that were undone by poor execution. I don't see the appeal or the four star rating of 11001001 at all; the aliens were silly, and the premise didn't feel believable.

I'm thankful the series was able to survive its rough start.

Re: TNG S2: Samaritan Snare

I guess the episode is good for the backstory on Picard and the Nausicaans which will later become important. As for the main plot point and the aliens du jour, all I can say is I felt great relief every time they switched back to the shuttle craft, and that despite knowing that Wesley would be waiting there!

Though the conclusion of that side plot, with the Enterprise recalled by Picard's bumbling heart surgeons so that Dr. Pulaski could save the day, was groan-worthy. Hurry back, Dr. Crusher.

Re: TNG S2: Contagion

I had occasion to speak with Packard Bell tech support a few times in the early-mid 90's, and their solution to everything was "format and reinstall." They'd have knocked this one out of the park! Hope you kept all those recovery disks, Geordi.

Re: TNG S2: The Measure of a Man

The first truly great episode of TNG, maybe even the first truly good one if you're not grading on a curve. I don't entirely buy Starfleet's position here given its utopian ideals, but in any other universe I sure would. Riker pressed into unwilling service as prosecutor is pretty contrived though and is my only complaint.

This one's a beaut.

Re: TNG S2: The Child

I mostly dislike Pulaski for the very mundane reason that back during its original airing I didn't become a regular viewer of the show until season three, and so it's hard to accept anyone else other than Beverly Crusher as ship's doctor.

But that said, rewatching season 2, I'm starting to learn to hate Pulaski all over again for her treatment of Data and for just generally being a little too abrasive.

Re: TNG S1: Conspiracy

There was a bare thread of an interesting premise in this episode, but I think it was undone by the format of the show. Should've been more references to Quinn's suggestion of a conspiracy in the run-up, and then the resolution probably needed to be a multi-parter. Like so many other episodes in this series the resolution was too pat and a little cheesy.

And does Riker's plan to rescue PIcard seem kind of stupid? Beam down with a prosthetic parasite tail sticking out of his neck, and then hope it fools them (do the aliens really have no other way to identify each other?) and that at some point he can get the jump on them and that that's enough to overcome their superior numbers vs beam down with half the Enterprise and just wreck shop on the joint? Hmm.

Re: TNG S1: The Naked Now

I'm making my way back through this series again, although I'm restricting myself to episodes Jammer rated 2.5 stars and above. Have to agree with the previous commenter that it's a miracle the series survived these early episodes which are just total camp. I would never watch this stuff today. To be fair I didn't really watch it back then either ; during TNG's original airing the first episode I saw was Conspiracy, and I wasn't able to regularly watch until season 3.

What's always struck me is how much more expressive Data is early on, drunk or not, than he would later be. I guess eventually a writer or producer must've questioned why an android would be smirking all the time. Also can't wait until I get to the part of the series where they stopped thinking having Data misunderstand a human expression was hilarious. I know there's at least one more in my future ; "combusting the late evening petroleum" or some such. Screw you, early Data.

Re: BSG S4: Daybreak, Part 2

Netflix Instant is missing those scenes. Daybreak is split into 3 parts there and the Chief doesn't appear again after he kills Tory.

Re: BSG S3: Crossroads, Part 1

I don't think Roslin's statement that her cancer has returned damages the defense at all. Yeah, I mean it's great she's not just some druggie getting her kicks with chamalla, but the side effects are what they are regardless of why she's on the stuff and that was the important point.

I do hope Baltar is going to be found not guilty in this trial. He's a great character, and while his list of actual crimes is incredibly long, trying to pin New Caprica on him ... yeah, he embraced settlement as a political ploy, but the reason it worked is because the people wanted it. The occupation itself and the toll in lives was not preventable once that course was decided upon.

Re: BSG S3: Collaborators

Anybody else wish Gaeta had shot the Circle the finger and told them to go frak themselves as he was walking away?

Re: BSG S3: Occupation / Precipice

This is kind of petty perhaps, but the makeup on Lee's face looked off to me in this episode. Misshapen, I mean. Looked more like an infected tooth or the mumps rather than weight gain.

Re: BSG S2: Downloaded

@Chris

Yeah, that was the first thing I thought of when I watched this episode. The Cylon doctor that confronted Starbuck maybe could be explained away by saying it's another copy, but then it surely should've been a lot more surprised to stumble upon her exiting the hospital.

Re: VOY S6: One Small Step

I find it hard to believe the gang could scavenge the ancient spacecraft for a part and have it adapted for use in the shuttle about 3 minutes later, but hey whatever. Guess those early 21st century spaceship designers really knew what they were doing.

Re: VOY S5: Gravity

I had to laugh at Tom's suggestion that Tuvok forget any hope of rescue, and his wife along with it, and build a new life with alien girl.

A new life, on a crapsack of a desolate world, with exactly two other people and intermittently a hologram, huddled in a crashed spaceship hiding from ten times as many enemies, praying that the force field never becomes non-operational, and with only some hideous looking giant spiders for food.

Sounds great, Tom.