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Re: BSG S2: Pegasus
Michelle Forbes just lights up the screen. What a pity it didn't work out for her to be on DS9...even though Nana Visitor did a stellar job all the way. I didn't watch this iteration of BG when it first aired, now catching up on streaming (Stan, Oz service). Incredibly grateful that streaming makes it possible for us to do this. The entire series is brilliant, even its "worse" episodes are light years ahead of ST TNG. The darkness, the flawed characters making huge life decisions, the pulsing dialogue: all superbly satisfying.
Love Olmos, Callis, Sackhoff, Park and Helfer. Mary MacDonnell is a little annoying, always has been in everything I've seen her in, including Independence Day. Still the role is beautifully written. This episode is top stuff. So glad they could get Forbes to do it. I just adore her in the role. But Jammer, too young to be an admiral? That's a pregnant comment in its non objectivity. Brilliant people in every profession rise through the ranks faster than "normal".
Michelle Forbes just lights up the screen. What a pity it didn't work out for her to be on DS9...even though Nana Visitor did a stellar job all the way. I didn't watch this iteration of BG when it first aired, now catching up on streaming (Stan, Oz service). Incredibly grateful that streaming makes it possible for us to do this. The entire series is brilliant, even its "worse" episodes are light years ahead of ST TNG. The darkness, the flawed characters making huge life decisions, the pulsing dialogue: all superbly satisfying.
Love Olmos, Callis, Sackhoff, Park and Helfer. Mary MacDonnell is a little annoying, always has been in everything I've seen her in, including Independence Day. Still the role is beautifully written. This episode is top stuff. So glad they could get Forbes to do it. I just adore her in the role. But Jammer, too young to be an admiral? That's a pregnant comment in its non objectivity. Brilliant people in every profession rise through the ranks faster than "normal".
Re: DS9 S6: Profit and Lace
Loosen up everyone. This is parody of the highest order. So appropriate in today's "rainbow gender politics". Plus Armin Shimmerman is even more brilliant than ever cos he's in on the joke and he plays Lumba as if he knows it.
I give it 5 stars for sheer prescience some 20+ years before its time about how western society was evolving. There are no cliches in parody, parody explodes all the cliches it engages with.
Boldly goes where ST has not gone before.
Bloody Brilliant!
Loosen up everyone. This is parody of the highest order. So appropriate in today's "rainbow gender politics". Plus Armin Shimmerman is even more brilliant than ever cos he's in on the joke and he plays Lumba as if he knows it.
I give it 5 stars for sheer prescience some 20+ years before its time about how western society was evolving. There are no cliches in parody, parody explodes all the cliches it engages with.
Boldly goes where ST has not gone before.
Bloody Brilliant!
Re: DS9 S6: Far Beyond the Stars
Just rewatched on Netflix, and it's no better than I remember. Style over substance. The visuals of the Earth period depicted are stunningly done, great cinematography. The actors are almost without exception fabulous, but the "dream" conceit as the central premise just doesn't work. It's only remotely connected to S6 DS9 story arcs in the sense of spoofing the various characters and their relationships. I love Dorn without the Klingon makeup, ditto Shimmerman, he's probably the single best character here, and the Alaimo and Combs cameos are superb. But the Klingon fighting, bloodwine swilling , bat'leth wielding, gambling with Ferengis Jadzia reduced to a chewing gum chewing bimbo? How did Terry Farrel stand for it? Still, it feels like a day off of fun and games for an ensemble cast spoofing themselves and having fun rather than a DS9 legit episode.
Just rewatched on Netflix, and it's no better than I remember. Style over substance. The visuals of the Earth period depicted are stunningly done, great cinematography. The actors are almost without exception fabulous, but the "dream" conceit as the central premise just doesn't work. It's only remotely connected to S6 DS9 story arcs in the sense of spoofing the various characters and their relationships. I love Dorn without the Klingon makeup, ditto Shimmerman, he's probably the single best character here, and the Alaimo and Combs cameos are superb. But the Klingon fighting, bloodwine swilling , bat'leth wielding, gambling with Ferengis Jadzia reduced to a chewing gum chewing bimbo? How did Terry Farrel stand for it? Still, it feels like a day off of fun and games for an ensemble cast spoofing themselves and having fun rather than a DS9 legit episode.
Re: DS9 S6: Resurrection
Just what was wrong with the DS9 writers and producers here? They killed off Vedek Bareil in a previous season, a character with far more potential than the two-dimensional Kai Winn, and an actor far more charismatic than Louise Fletcher, and now they brought him back for 5 minutes to taunt and torment the main character, Kira, ad if she were a scripting plaything. No. Just no. It's a maddening decision and I've been furious about it ever since I first watched it, and now rewatching it I'm even more furious.
Thank God for the Gul Dukat/Marc Alaimo episodes to save their collective reputation.
Philip Anglim is a grossly underestimated and underrated actor.
Just what was wrong with the DS9 writers and producers here? They killed off Vedek Bareil in a previous season, a character with far more potential than the two-dimensional Kai Winn, and an actor far more charismatic than Louise Fletcher, and now they brought him back for 5 minutes to taunt and torment the main character, Kira, ad if she were a scripting plaything. No. Just no. It's a maddening decision and I've been furious about it ever since I first watched it, and now rewatching it I'm even more furious.
Thank God for the Gul Dukat/Marc Alaimo episodes to save their collective reputation.
Philip Anglim is a grossly underestimated and underrated actor.
Re: DS9 S6: Waltz
Just rewatched this on Netflix.
An over 20 years old episode packing more cinematic punch than all the recent CGI driven super hero movies put together.
Gul Dukat/Marc Alaimo: single greatest character/actor in all of ST. Just beyond comparison to anyone else. This spectacular episode is evidence of Alaimo's towering natural talent. He puts all those posh Brit Shakespearean actors to shame. He is more Shakespearean here than all the Hamlets and King Lears and Richard the Thirds put together.
Sizzling script delivered by Alaimo in impeccable intonation. Compare it to Avery Brooks' delivery here and elsewhere. An acting master class. Dukat remains far more grey and complex by the end of this episode than all of Sisko's PC Starfleet B&W good and evil distinctions. A brilliant episode worthy of a PhD dissertation.
Bravo, Mr Alaimo.
Just rewatched this on Netflix.
An over 20 years old episode packing more cinematic punch than all the recent CGI driven super hero movies put together.
Gul Dukat/Marc Alaimo: single greatest character/actor in all of ST. Just beyond comparison to anyone else. This spectacular episode is evidence of Alaimo's towering natural talent. He puts all those posh Brit Shakespearean actors to shame. He is more Shakespearean here than all the Hamlets and King Lears and Richard the Thirds put together.
Sizzling script delivered by Alaimo in impeccable intonation. Compare it to Avery Brooks' delivery here and elsewhere. An acting master class. Dukat remains far more grey and complex by the end of this episode than all of Sisko's PC Starfleet B&W good and evil distinctions. A brilliant episode worthy of a PhD dissertation.
Bravo, Mr Alaimo.
Re: DS9 S6: Behind the Lines
I loathe that orange woman with a vengeance. The greatest creep in the entire ST universe. She wants humanoid sex and a changling link with Odo, and she then wants him to kiss and tell, and he like the idiot he is goes along with it and literally loses the plot. Founder, my foot! Complete and utter tripe.
Pity that Nana Visitor who continues to shine and be scintillating has to share this episode with this "alien".
No. Just no!
I loathe that orange woman with a vengeance. The greatest creep in the entire ST universe. She wants humanoid sex and a changling link with Odo, and she then wants him to kiss and tell, and he like the idiot he is goes along with it and literally loses the plot. Founder, my foot! Complete and utter tripe.
Pity that Nana Visitor who continues to shine and be scintillating has to share this episode with this "alien".
No. Just no!
Re: DS9 S6: Rocks and Shoals
So great it's in a class of its own, even watched as a stand alone episode it makes superb viewing. Dialogue, pace, themes, dramatic development, cinematography are all superlative. The acting equally impressive, with Brooks not chewing the scenery for once. Christopher Shea as the Vorta brings a unique menace to the role. His performance is a counterpoint to Jeffrey Combs' lighter and ironic character. They should have kept him on some more. Have seen this episode several times and it never loses it luster. The Kira subplot is superb too, achieving complexity in every way. I wish such episodes would be "the order of things" in all of ST. One of my top fave pieces of TV within ST and in general.
So great it's in a class of its own, even watched as a stand alone episode it makes superb viewing. Dialogue, pace, themes, dramatic development, cinematography are all superlative. The acting equally impressive, with Brooks not chewing the scenery for once. Christopher Shea as the Vorta brings a unique menace to the role. His performance is a counterpoint to Jeffrey Combs' lighter and ironic character. They should have kept him on some more. Have seen this episode several times and it never loses it luster. The Kira subplot is superb too, achieving complexity in every way. I wish such episodes would be "the order of things" in all of ST. One of my top fave pieces of TV within ST and in general.
Re: DS9 S6: A Time to Stand
Outstanding episode. Character and dramatic development driven, away from just mindless bang bang CGI battle action. Thank God for that.
Edgy dialogue and character conflict in every scene. Everyone is boss and everyone exploits everyone else. Grown up stuff. Just brilliant television.
Outstanding episode. Character and dramatic development driven, away from just mindless bang bang CGI battle action. Thank God for that.
Edgy dialogue and character conflict in every scene. Everyone is boss and everyone exploits everyone else. Grown up stuff. Just brilliant television.
Re: DS9 S5: Children of Time
Re-posting after rewatching. I was kind first time around. The temporal mechanics and quantum duplications are such blatant nonsense they do my head in. Do they die or simply cease to exist or never existed in the first place...see what I mean?
At the moment this and Paradise from an earlier season are my two top worst DS9 episodes. They make the Risa EP and even Ferengi Love Songs come across as the height of sophistication!
Re-posting after rewatching. I was kind first time around. The temporal mechanics and quantum duplications are such blatant nonsense they do my head in. Do they die or simply cease to exist or never existed in the first place...see what I mean?
At the moment this and Paradise from an earlier season are my two top worst DS9 episodes. They make the Risa EP and even Ferengi Love Songs come across as the height of sophistication!
Re: DS9 S5: Doctor Bashir, I Presume
LOL. The parents from hell!!! No wonder "Jules" sulks all the way to the stupidly unconvincing end. The typical "Asian Parents" cliche is unworthy of any discussion. What a crock!
Zimmerman is equally obnoxious here.
Thank God for the luminous Leeta and her willingness to love little Rom. Now there's a saga worth developing.
Ten times worse re-watching it.
LOL. The parents from hell!!! No wonder "Jules" sulks all the way to the stupidly unconvincing end. The typical "Asian Parents" cliche is unworthy of any discussion. What a crock!
Zimmerman is equally obnoxious here.
Thank God for the luminous Leeta and her willingness to love little Rom. Now there's a saga worth developing.
Ten times worse re-watching it.
Re: DS9 S5: Soldiers of the Empire
Not an ordinary Klingon episode. It shows the reality aboard a Bird of Prey, a reality (the crew is demoralised due to no victories for a while) that's the opposite of the glories usually depicted in their songs, a crew near mutiny.
Martok is one of the few genuinely noble Klingons, not a posturing caricature, and he is great in the episode, the usual actor continuing his great nuanced portrayal of the character. Terry Farrel continues to surprise, she was so bland in season 1, but she has matured as a performer alongside her character's maturity, she's more Klingon than the Klingons and more Ferengi than the Ferengis as the situation demands. The one narrative and dramatic weakness here is Worf challenging Martok on the Bridge. They could have come to the same plot resolution (rescuing the survivors of the B'Moth and defeating the Jem' Hadar) without this meaningless gesture, especially in the light of the final scene between Martok and Worf. I almost felt Worf didn't deserve the honour bestowed on him by Martok at the end.
Apart from that quibble this is among the half dozen great Klingon episodes spread throughout the Series, and among the best overall in the whole of ST. I adore Martok and Gowron as possibly the two most nuanced Klingon characters of all, ever. Just like Garak and Dukat among Cardassians. All four actors playing these characters are key to the greatness of said characters.
Not an ordinary Klingon episode. It shows the reality aboard a Bird of Prey, a reality (the crew is demoralised due to no victories for a while) that's the opposite of the glories usually depicted in their songs, a crew near mutiny.
Martok is one of the few genuinely noble Klingons, not a posturing caricature, and he is great in the episode, the usual actor continuing his great nuanced portrayal of the character. Terry Farrel continues to surprise, she was so bland in season 1, but she has matured as a performer alongside her character's maturity, she's more Klingon than the Klingons and more Ferengi than the Ferengis as the situation demands. The one narrative and dramatic weakness here is Worf challenging Martok on the Bridge. They could have come to the same plot resolution (rescuing the survivors of the B'Moth and defeating the Jem' Hadar) without this meaningless gesture, especially in the light of the final scene between Martok and Worf. I almost felt Worf didn't deserve the honour bestowed on him by Martok at the end.
Apart from that quibble this is among the half dozen great Klingon episodes spread throughout the Series, and among the best overall in the whole of ST. I adore Martok and Gowron as possibly the two most nuanced Klingon characters of all, ever. Just like Garak and Dukat among Cardassians. All four actors playing these characters are key to the greatness of said characters.
Re: DS9 S4: Our Man Bashir
Off the scale brilliant. A rare holosuite episode that works. A myriad narrative and dramatic elements seamlessly interwoven: the fantasy and the real life gadget (transporter) malfunction work brilliantly in tandem to create the dramatic tension, and all the while the Bond parody keeping things thoroughly entertaining.
Nana Visitor and Alexander Siddig are just brilliant in their roles. Ditto Andrew Robinson in his Garak role exchanging endless repartee with
Julian. Siddig's Brit accent and understated acting, particularly his voice inflections, are a joy to watch. The other actors are good too, but for Avery Brooks who as Dr Noah just has the wrong vocal delivery for parody. Understated straight acting is his modus operandi, spoofing seems to be out of his range. Still, a sizzling episode in terms of pacing, editing and dialogue. Just super fun not only as ST but as television full stop.
Off the scale brilliant. A rare holosuite episode that works. A myriad narrative and dramatic elements seamlessly interwoven: the fantasy and the real life gadget (transporter) malfunction work brilliantly in tandem to create the dramatic tension, and all the while the Bond parody keeping things thoroughly entertaining.
Nana Visitor and Alexander Siddig are just brilliant in their roles. Ditto Andrew Robinson in his Garak role exchanging endless repartee with
Julian. Siddig's Brit accent and understated acting, particularly his voice inflections, are a joy to watch. The other actors are good too, but for Avery Brooks who as Dr Noah just has the wrong vocal delivery for parody. Understated straight acting is his modus operandi, spoofing seems to be out of his range. Still, a sizzling episode in terms of pacing, editing and dialogue. Just super fun not only as ST but as television full stop.
Re: DS9 S4: The Visitor
I posted on this back in 2015.
Recently rewatching DS9 on Netflix. This EP is even worse on a repeat watch. They do fab stuff with prosthetics make up with Cardassians, the Jem' Hadar and other assorted aliens, but they can't do an aged human to save their face, awful pun thoroughly intended! TOS Spock's Brain is the kind of bad that becomes a classic cult thing with time. Bad as in great bad. This EP is just bad. As in unbelievably bad. Just awful. Do we really watch DS9 to see a "weepie"? Good Lord, when the series reaches such heights most of the time, these bad EPs just stick out even more.
I posted on this back in 2015.
Recently rewatching DS9 on Netflix. This EP is even worse on a repeat watch. They do fab stuff with prosthetics make up with Cardassians, the Jem' Hadar and other assorted aliens, but they can't do an aged human to save their face, awful pun thoroughly intended! TOS Spock's Brain is the kind of bad that becomes a classic cult thing with time. Bad as in great bad. This EP is just bad. As in unbelievably bad. Just awful. Do we really watch DS9 to see a "weepie"? Good Lord, when the series reaches such heights most of the time, these bad EPs just stick out even more.
Re: DS9 S4: Rejoined
It's not "lesbian" by a long shot. Just listen to the dialogue and the back story. And even if it were, so what? Big deal! It's actually quite a silly episode, with a very forced resolution at the end.
Susanna Thompson is immortal as the Borg Queen in Voyager, Dark Frontier. Sooo much better than pretend sexual tension that goes nowhere. Still the chiks are lovely eye candy as diversion from all the heavy stuff that gives on in DS9 (and to avoid any misunderstanding of misogynism or sexism or whatever other -ism you want, I'm a straight woman, just for the record.). Looking at beautiful people of any gender is an aesthetic satisfaction of its own, without any ulterior motives involved.
It's not "lesbian" by a long shot. Just listen to the dialogue and the back story. And even if it were, so what? Big deal! It's actually quite a silly episode, with a very forced resolution at the end.
Susanna Thompson is immortal as the Borg Queen in Voyager, Dark Frontier. Sooo much better than pretend sexual tension that goes nowhere. Still the chiks are lovely eye candy as diversion from all the heavy stuff that gives on in DS9 (and to avoid any misunderstanding of misogynism or sexism or whatever other -ism you want, I'm a straight woman, just for the record.). Looking at beautiful people of any gender is an aesthetic satisfaction of its own, without any ulterior motives involved.
Re: DS9 S1: The Forsaken
Just brilliant. The exquisite Majel Barrett at her best. I love her as No 1 in the TOS pilot, and as Nurse Chapel in the rest of TOS, and I absolutely adore her as Lwaxana, despite the ludicrous screenplays she has had thrown at her. She is such an exquisite character actor, her Lwaxana has depths a lot of "fans" don't seem to see. Her scene with the liquid Odo pooling in her scooped up skirt makes me cry everytime. Odo's remark "you are not what I thought you were..." is just spot on. Not only does she think it's the greatest compliment she's ever received, I think it sums up the whole of her everywhere she's ever appeared. The flirtatious outgoing femme fatale with a deep deep sensibility. One of ST's best characters and performers. Love her!
Just brilliant. The exquisite Majel Barrett at her best. I love her as No 1 in the TOS pilot, and as Nurse Chapel in the rest of TOS, and I absolutely adore her as Lwaxana, despite the ludicrous screenplays she has had thrown at her. She is such an exquisite character actor, her Lwaxana has depths a lot of "fans" don't seem to see. Her scene with the liquid Odo pooling in her scooped up skirt makes me cry everytime. Odo's remark "you are not what I thought you were..." is just spot on. Not only does she think it's the greatest compliment she's ever received, I think it sums up the whole of her everywhere she's ever appeared. The flirtatious outgoing femme fatale with a deep deep sensibility. One of ST's best characters and performers. Love her!
Re: TNG S7: All Good Things...
Definitely worse than the end of Voyager. Time warps and Q trials and Picard tending vines and Geordie with silver eyes popping in out of the blue and Data with skunk coloured hair ( that grumpy housekeeper is the only authentic note here) a Laucasian professor at Cambridge, and Beverly with a crepe neck captaining the "Pasteur" (seriously?) and Deanna in pink like a toddler arguing with Worf about the exact feeling of their holodeck experience, yeah, that relationship is gonna go far....
I'm gonna stop myself right here. The episode tries to be all things to all people and it ends up being nothing very much at all.
Goodbye and good riddance to 7 years of puerile dross but for a very very very few shining moments briefer than that of Camelot.
Definitely worse than the end of Voyager. Time warps and Q trials and Picard tending vines and Geordie with silver eyes popping in out of the blue and Data with skunk coloured hair ( that grumpy housekeeper is the only authentic note here) a Laucasian professor at Cambridge, and Beverly with a crepe neck captaining the "Pasteur" (seriously?) and Deanna in pink like a toddler arguing with Worf about the exact feeling of their holodeck experience, yeah, that relationship is gonna go far....
I'm gonna stop myself right here. The episode tries to be all things to all people and it ends up being nothing very much at all.
Goodbye and good riddance to 7 years of puerile dross but for a very very very few shining moments briefer than that of Camelot.
Re: TNG S7: Preemptive Strike
Finally! Two episodes from the end of the series they get it right. So right in fact, this episode could stand alone as a piece of TV, even for anyone not familiar with Ro's backstory and the whole Bajoran/Cardassian/Maquis context.
Brilliantly cohesive narratively and dramatically; great pace; Forbes is beyond stellar in the character; even Stewart manages a couple of genuinely emotional facial expressions, though Riker looks ludicrous in that earring.
What a pity they pretty much abandoned the Ro Laren character and the Maquis after this. She is one of the most individual, complex and exciting characters in the whole of ST. Better than all the crusty old male admirals put together.
Just like Nick Locarno, Starfleet's sanitised and arid militarism has no place for anyone who might rock the boat for the better. Ro would have suffocated under the likes of Picard despite his alleged fondness for and protectivess of her.
Fantastic episode, pulsing drama, scintillating viewing. Outstanding work from Michelle Forbes.
Pretty unforgettable stuff.
Finally! Two episodes from the end of the series they get it right. So right in fact, this episode could stand alone as a piece of TV, even for anyone not familiar with Ro's backstory and the whole Bajoran/Cardassian/Maquis context.
Brilliantly cohesive narratively and dramatically; great pace; Forbes is beyond stellar in the character; even Stewart manages a couple of genuinely emotional facial expressions, though Riker looks ludicrous in that earring.
What a pity they pretty much abandoned the Ro Laren character and the Maquis after this. She is one of the most individual, complex and exciting characters in the whole of ST. Better than all the crusty old male admirals put together.
Just like Nick Locarno, Starfleet's sanitised and arid militarism has no place for anyone who might rock the boat for the better. Ro would have suffocated under the likes of Picard despite his alleged fondness for and protectivess of her.
Fantastic episode, pulsing drama, scintillating viewing. Outstanding work from Michelle Forbes.
Pretty unforgettable stuff.
Re: TNG S7: Bloodlines
LOL! They didn't have the guts to give Picard a real son, so they set him up with a poseur who's part of a Ferengi's vendetta with Picard. A real son turning up would have stretched the writers' tiny minds plot wise: to send him away at the end or keep him on. That would have tested Picard's human skills big time. Hell, he goes to Beverley for parental advice! But he's free at the end courtesy of genetics -what a convenience DNA is to every ST writer stuck with writer's block!- to back to being married to the Enterprise.
LOL! They didn't have the guts to give Picard a real son, so they set him up with a poseur who's part of a Ferengi's vendetta with Picard. A real son turning up would have stretched the writers' tiny minds plot wise: to send him away at the end or keep him on. That would have tested Picard's human skills big time. Hell, he goes to Beverley for parental advice! But he's free at the end courtesy of genetics -what a convenience DNA is to every ST writer stuck with writer's block!- to back to being married to the Enterprise.
Re: TNG S7: Masks
Poor Brent Spiner! All his sublime acting skills totally squandered on this moronic rubbish. Another fantastic initial premise butchered in the execution.
Poor Brent Spiner! All his sublime acting skills totally squandered on this moronic rubbish. Another fantastic initial premise butchered in the execution.
Re: TNG S7: Emergence
Finally. Some intelligent life on the Enterprise, all the tech getting together to exceed the sum of its parts. Wish the human component would do the same!
Finally. Some intelligent life on the Enterprise, all the tech getting together to exceed the sum of its parts. Wish the human component would do the same!
Re: TNG S7: Journey's End
Finally an adult episode among the dross of S7.
Thank God, Wesley's out of Starfleet's clutches at last. I could never imagine him turning into a Picard, he's not sufficiently duplicitous for the Federation's dubious diplomacy. Wesley isn't only super intelligent IQ wise, he has oodles of emotional intelligence, which enables him not only to see the truth, in this case how morally wrong removing these people from their home is, but to call it out loud and clear.
The Indian culture and its spiritual dimension are treated with respect and without the condescension usually reserve by TNG for small races in the way of the Federation's military ambitions.
Hell, this lot CAN deliver a descent episode when they put their collective minds to it.
The Indian old man is superb, his calm and wisdom are so moving; Wheaton plays Wesley pitch perfect here, without the cloying cuteness of earlier episodes; the spiritual Indian/Traveler aspect is sensitively handled, he gives Wesley the way out that his combined seniors (Dr Crusher and Picard) cannot give him; even Picard is not entirely loathsome here, coming across as humble and genuinely concerned for the villagers.
And the Cardassians are just superb: two sons lost in the war, who wants to lose their last one? Echoes here of the Cardassian at the end of Lowe Decks. I adore the Cardassians, they're the most complex characters in the whole ST universe. No wonder DS9 is so beloved by true ST and SciFi afficionados. They have done the Cardassians true dramatic and narrative service.
And we have the foreshadowing of the background to the Maquis. Nice tie in with other ST iterations, but another aspect of the ST universe never truly developed anywhere.
Just loved the pace and dignity and maturity of this episode.
Finally an adult episode among the dross of S7.
Thank God, Wesley's out of Starfleet's clutches at last. I could never imagine him turning into a Picard, he's not sufficiently duplicitous for the Federation's dubious diplomacy. Wesley isn't only super intelligent IQ wise, he has oodles of emotional intelligence, which enables him not only to see the truth, in this case how morally wrong removing these people from their home is, but to call it out loud and clear.
The Indian culture and its spiritual dimension are treated with respect and without the condescension usually reserve by TNG for small races in the way of the Federation's military ambitions.
Hell, this lot CAN deliver a descent episode when they put their collective minds to it.
The Indian old man is superb, his calm and wisdom are so moving; Wheaton plays Wesley pitch perfect here, without the cloying cuteness of earlier episodes; the spiritual Indian/Traveler aspect is sensitively handled, he gives Wesley the way out that his combined seniors (Dr Crusher and Picard) cannot give him; even Picard is not entirely loathsome here, coming across as humble and genuinely concerned for the villagers.
And the Cardassians are just superb: two sons lost in the war, who wants to lose their last one? Echoes here of the Cardassian at the end of Lowe Decks. I adore the Cardassians, they're the most complex characters in the whole ST universe. No wonder DS9 is so beloved by true ST and SciFi afficionados. They have done the Cardassians true dramatic and narrative service.
And we have the foreshadowing of the background to the Maquis. Nice tie in with other ST iterations, but another aspect of the ST universe never truly developed anywhere.
Just loved the pace and dignity and maturity of this episode.
Re: TNG S7: Genesis
Semi reptilian Worf hissing and spitting venom cobra like all over Crusher's face: absolutely priceless.
And then all the way downhill from there on. Semi frog Troi in a bog bathtub: can it get any lower than that?
OMG: what were they thinking?
Semi reptilian Worf hissing and spitting venom cobra like all over Crusher's face: absolutely priceless.
And then all the way downhill from there on. Semi frog Troi in a bog bathtub: can it get any lower than that?
OMG: what were they thinking?
Re: TNG S7: Lower Decks
Brilliant episode my foot! Four stars my starboard nacelle!
It has elements that could have led to brilliance if it didn't prove that the Starfleet elite hierarchy survive off the backs of the "lower" forms of life.
A young female Bajoran ensign: that's a quadruple handicap or disadvantage that makes you totally expendable to the Federation's agendas.
Picard is the sanctimonious manipulative hypocrite as usual. He emotionally blackmails the poor girl into thinking she's volunteering of her own free will. Then she's conveniently killed off so the promotions saga doesn't really test the capacity of these "superiors" to cut through their own moral fog.
All the schmaltzy sentiment at the end just makes me cringe. Give them hell when they're alive then praise them to hight heaven when they're dead.
A Cardassian who's sick of war and wants peace for his people; a young Vulcan so gifted he gives short shrift to La Forge; now, they're themes worth exploring. If you had the inclination to take the hard narrative and dramatic path, and not the schmaltzy Hallmark card sentiment approach to life.
What a disappointment!
Brilliant episode my foot! Four stars my starboard nacelle!
It has elements that could have led to brilliance if it didn't prove that the Starfleet elite hierarchy survive off the backs of the "lower" forms of life.
A young female Bajoran ensign: that's a quadruple handicap or disadvantage that makes you totally expendable to the Federation's agendas.
Picard is the sanctimonious manipulative hypocrite as usual. He emotionally blackmails the poor girl into thinking she's volunteering of her own free will. Then she's conveniently killed off so the promotions saga doesn't really test the capacity of these "superiors" to cut through their own moral fog.
All the schmaltzy sentiment at the end just makes me cringe. Give them hell when they're alive then praise them to hight heaven when they're dead.
A Cardassian who's sick of war and wants peace for his people; a young Vulcan so gifted he gives short shrift to La Forge; now, they're themes worth exploring. If you had the inclination to take the hard narrative and dramatic path, and not the schmaltzy Hallmark card sentiment approach to life.
What a disappointment!
Re: TNG S7: Homeward
@Luke
It's been 5 years since your review, and I don't know if you'll get to see this, but I wholeheartedly, completely, totally agree with every point you make.
The Prime Directive used as a plot device here represents a totally morally bankrupt policy, where genocide becomes more acceptable than breaking a few bureaucratic rules.
I hate Picard when he plays God like that, his sanctimonious self-righteousness makes me want to puke.
The moral hypocrisy is off the scale!
Cheers from Oz
@Luke
It's been 5 years since your review, and I don't know if you'll get to see this, but I wholeheartedly, completely, totally agree with every point you make.
The Prime Directive used as a plot device here represents a totally morally bankrupt policy, where genocide becomes more acceptable than breaking a few bureaucratic rules.
I hate Picard when he plays God like that, his sanctimonious self-righteousness makes me want to puke.
The moral hypocrisy is off the scale!
Cheers from Oz
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