Star Trek: The Next Generation
"Conundrum"
Air date: 2/17/1992
Teleplay by Barry Schkolnick
Story by Paul Schiffer
Directed by Les Landau
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
Where "The Masterpiece Society" was the sort of talky story that I think is fairly specific to Star Trek (albeit not a good one), "Conundrum" is more general popular sci-fi fare (though it's definitely a subgenre of Trek as well). The premise, let's face it, is completely implausible. The entire crew of the ship has their memories blocked, and all evidence of who they are and why they're on the ship has been erased from the computer. Meanwhile, a mysterious new crew member, Commander MacDuff (Erich Anderson), has been suddenly inserted into the crew with the agenda of waging war against his bitter enemies. Via falsified information, he manipulates the Enterprise crew into pursuing this agenda.
That MacDuff is capable of such an elaborate ruse (including selective memory erasure, and wiping clean all related records from the Enterprise computer) and yet still needs the Enterprise and its crew as a weapon against his enemies is pretty hard to swallow. But sometimes TNG must be viewed as a laboratory/playground for strange and logically dubious things, and "Conundrum" is entertaining enough for me to forgive its unlikelihood. As a mystery, it finds its fun in the what and the why, even though the who is provided to us from the very first scene. It's more about the crew, rather than us, figuring things out.
"Conundrum" is also in the long-standing tradition of Trek stories that allow the characters to step outside themselves and essentially become someone else (in this case, blank slates that retain their original personalities, which become magnified by the situation). This is good for some low-key humor, particularly Worf's presumption that he may be in command of the ship. He sits in the captain's chair and tests the phasers (firing them into the void of space like a kid with a new toy), and then takes over Picard's ready room. Picard takes this all in stride, which is also funny to watch; always so unflappable and understanding, this man.
Meanwhile, Ro aggressively puts the moves on Riker, who voices no objections. Riker is also receptive when Troi reveals that she has discovered they had a romantic past. Riker gamely plays the part of a cheerfully likable womanizer (who gets his comeuppance in an amusingly played final scene). Hey, it's not his fault he's so awesome!
The plot resolves itself because the crew, despite having their identities erased, pretty much act as level-headed as they always would, asking themselves questions rather than launching mindlessly into action. Also, MacDuff does a pretty good job of stupidly blowing his cover. For a guy able to pull off such a deception, he sure hasn't done his homework about what makes these people tick. Hey, this isn't a great episode of TNG, but it's a fun one.
Previous episode: The Masterpiece Society
Next episode: Power Play
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109 comments on this post
Sat, Apr 2, 2011, 4:46pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Apr 3, 2011, 3:38am (UTC -5)
Seems like that would have made his mission a lot easier.
Sun, Apr 3, 2011, 8:45pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Apr 4, 2011, 10:58am (UTC -5)
Wed, Apr 6, 2011, 10:38am (UTC -5)
Thu, Apr 14, 2011, 9:21pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 4:56am (UTC -5)
I hadn't seen an episode of Trek since Best of Both Worlds part 2 (Possibly it was Family, I am not sure).
Then a few years later I saw this episode, knowing it was season 5 and therefore stuff might have changed. So to me, McDuff was (at first) plausible. Hell, Tasha died and Worf took her job, so why not?
Alas, they screwed it up all too soon when the camera focused on McDuff's face when another character left the room. A clear 1980's/1990's sign that he was the bad guy. (A technique this isn't used as much these days, but still rears its ugly head from time to time).
But, yes, why didn't he just make himself captain?
The only reason I can guess is that he new the morality of the crew would force them to go against him as captain, whereas as the XO he can manipulate those around him with more ease.
Perhaps I am just digging too deeply, something I accuse other of when it comes to Trek.
Sat, Apr 16, 2011, 6:01pm (UTC -5)
Why did I like that episode? - Because it was fun!
But if the bad guy was able to do ALL THAT then why did he need the Enterprise? - but, Riker slept with Ro & Troi! Then they caught him!
Yeah, but MacDuff should have been placed in command so he could just get the job done. - true, but did you see Worf in the captain's chair?
With all that power couldn't MacDuff just kill everyone on the ship by causing brain hemorrhages rather than erasing their memories? Then just take the ship and fight off his obviously inferior enemy! - but Worf was in command! Riker was an awesome manwhore! The Enterprise fired phasers from its phaser banks again and not the photon launcher! Fun!
Mon, Apr 18, 2011, 10:22pm (UTC -5)
Wed, May 11, 2011, 11:08am (UTC -5)
Second viewing, saw through many of the plot holes and was a little jaded. I think it is still good fun, if totally ridiculous. Why does all TV (especially Sci Fi) need to stand up to reason though, it's supposed to be escapism.
Fri, May 13, 2011, 7:23pm (UTC -5)
Sat, May 14, 2011, 2:19pm (UTC -5)
Fri, May 20, 2011, 7:52am (UTC -5)
Tue, May 24, 2011, 11:46am (UTC -5)
Elliot,
By that logic, what about DS9's "Dramatis Personae"? Everyone slipped back into their old selves after that episode despite the fact that they came within inches of killing each other.
DS9 was also initially supposed to be about Bajor entering the Federation. It was only when the ratings weren't as high as Paramount thought they should be that Ira & co. introduced the Dominion, which were really the Borg with the fries supersized.
TNG had no more missed opportunities than the other series.
Tue, May 24, 2011, 4:51pm (UTC -5)
I don't disagree with you; my point was that many of the plots in VOY which people casually dismiss as "recycled" make use of those missed opportunities from TNG especially. I think the Dominion were a good invention. For a few seasons, they managed to be interesting, complex and compelling. In the end, they turned into 2D badguys, but that doesn't make their initial nature unworthy.
I didn't mean to imply TNG had more missed opportunities than the other series at all, just that this one had a lot of fertile soil which it didn't make use of (incidentally, "Dramatis Personæ" was a complete failure of an episode).
Mon, Aug 15, 2011, 12:57pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Sep 8, 2011, 9:14pm (UTC -5)
That said, I saw this episode probably when it first aired in 1992 (when I was 9) or shortly thereafter. I too saw it early in my Trek-watching, so I also did not actually know that MacDuff was not a normal crew member. I have always wondered what my reaction would have been had I known he should not have been there.
But that said, I can’t get over the complete ridiculous premise of the episode. They erased the memories of EVERYONE onboard (of all species) INCLUDING Data?! AND they reprogrammed the computer to include MacDuff and a war with a whole other species? I wonder if they included enough to fool even Data had he done any research (including mission logs of any “battles” with this false enemy, archived communications with Starfleet about the war, etc.)
Considering in Clues the mere presence of Data screwed everything up for the memory-wipers in that episode, I find it so hard to believe that these people would need any help from the Federation.
Keep in mind that ONE photon torpedo would destroy the enemy base; which was guarded by a handful of completely overmatched ships. Why wouldn’t MacDuff’s people just brainwipe their enemy?! Then just destroy the ship while everyone is trying to figure out who the heck they are. A species with this kind of power would, I believe, be a much bigger factor in the universe than they seem to be (along the same lines as the aliens from The Game who could seemingly brainwash anyone they wanted to).
I can only give this one two stars on the high side.
Sun, Sep 25, 2011, 6:59pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Jun 5, 2012, 5:06am (UTC -5)
Thu, Jun 14, 2012, 9:45am (UTC -5)
Wed, Nov 7, 2012, 7:07pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Feb 6, 2013, 2:17pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Apr 13, 2013, 10:01pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Apr 14, 2013, 8:08pm (UTC -5)
en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Conundrum_(episode)
Scroll to 'Sets and Props'
Tue, Jul 23, 2013, 11:31pm (UTC -5)
Wrier 1, "Hey, let's have some alien race be so technologically advanced that they can override the Enterprise shields and computer, wipe every memory, including a positronic brain. We'll say they need the ships weaponry to destroy their enemy."
Wrier 2, "You mean they can come up with this super memory wiping technology; it won't work on their enemy but it will work on someone more advanced than their enemy; and yet they can't make a photon torpedo."
Wrier 1, "Lets not lose focus now, we are talking Riker and Ro here."
Sat, Oct 12, 2013, 8:11pm (UTC -5)
The rest of the episode is plausible to me. I especially liked how the crew acted after they had their memory wiped. Including Worf taking command and Picard acting like a regular crewman, and Riker being with Troi and Ro in doing their business. I also like how the crew at least think about their decision too before acting as Jammer said.
Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 11:53am (UTC -5)
Tue, Dec 10, 2013, 6:26pm (UTC -5)
chess, let alone Data.
Sun, Feb 9, 2014, 1:06pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Feb 10, 2014, 3:36am (UTC -5)
As for the rest I do love this episiode. I can suspend belief regarding the power MacDuff has because certain species have better advancements in some than others.
As for not making himself captain. Well this makes perfect sense. He would have to know the ins and outs of everything and if he buckled under question the ruse would have failed... I mean it did but much sooner.
3/4 is still a fair mark though.
Sun, Mar 23, 2014, 4:01pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Mar 29, 2014, 9:14pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Aug 18, 2014, 3:41pm (UTC -5)
Regarding the chess scene, I think it would have worked a lot better with anyone other than Data. It would actually be kinda cool to somehow get across that Troi can cheat at chess just by reading the emotions of the other player. Anyone here remember that jerk kid from the X-Files who beat chess masters by reading their minds?
This is one of those episodes that gives me enough fun with the characters that I don't mind the ridiculous plot that much. The first big hole that I thought of was how could Crusher not realize the dude wasn't human when he went in for the treatment. Regardless of the logic, I did love seeing Data pop up from behind the bar. The script also shows how even if the writers were out of logical ideas, they still understood their characters well enough to make some good scenes. I really like Worf's 'arc' in this one. I think I'd give it a solid 2.5 stars.
Mon, Sep 8, 2014, 12:00pm (UTC -5)
He was no doubt playing at "super easy" setting with Troi.
Sat, Oct 18, 2014, 9:46am (UTC -5)
Mon, Dec 1, 2014, 6:28pm (UTC -5)
Ofc this is your subjective opinion. :) Imo, VOY is a great show with great characters, neat concept and a lot of outstanding episodes. Subjective opinion aswell. xD
Sat, Dec 20, 2014, 4:01pm (UTC -5)
But I've decided to take a stand on "Conundrum" of all episodes. It really has sunk in how much resentment there is towards TNG both in the reviews and some of the comments. I think that this is exactly the type of episode that makes or breaks you as a TNG fan - whether you can see past the episodic nature of the show, and even the "plotholes," to enjoy how the writers mix things up for the characters.
Quite frankly, it's episodes like this that drive home what the show is all about - it's not just "Best of Both Worlds" with a bunch of crap stuffed around it. It really does a disservice to the memory of the show to focus so overwhelmingly on the "plausibility" of the episode, which is so overwhelmingly outweighed by other, more character-driven, considerations in this episode - namely, nobody, including Data, knows who they are, or what their stations are. Their skills intact - but their identities unknown. The Prime Directive lurking underneath for Picard, and the alien mistaking Worf for a bloodthirsty Klingon - his parents are human, after all. Riker - who finally gets unleashed as a bit of a lady's man - sort of gets his ass handed to him at the end.
There is of course absolutely no discussion of this in "the review" - simply focusing on the absurdity of the alien. I have to say it's tremendously disappointing. And it reads mostly strongly in these trivial episodes, like someone who didn't really like TNG is just sloughing through it.
Sat, Dec 20, 2014, 9:04pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Dec 21, 2014, 11:35am (UTC -5)
In response to Navamske, I often tend to like this sort of narrative device too if it doesn't come up too often. It works especially well in little self-contained bits like this episode. One thing that always bothers me though is the opposite arrangement - 'point of view' protagonists having knowledge that is withheld from the viewer. See my comments on Defector. I've complained about this in some other things as well.
Sat, Mar 14, 2015, 11:20pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Jul 6, 2015, 1:28pm (UTC -5)
I didn't find it very fun either. An exception Riker and Ro was a highlight. Made me think if Ro didn't have such a bad reputation, Riker might fancy her.
As for McDuff making himself captain, possibly the least issue I had with it.
Mon, Jul 13, 2015, 7:00pm (UTC -5)
I have also wondered why McDuff did not make himself captain. I can think of two possible answers. One, maybe he felt it would be difficult to impersonate the commanding officer of a starship, and felt he could more easily impersonate the role of first officer. Two, when Dr. Crusher attempts to bring back the crew's memories, he volunteers to be the "guinea pig", and of course the experiment failed. Maybe he felt the captain would not have been allowed to be the 1st test subject.
Regarding the weapons technology being so far behind their obvious other technological advances: This is possible, but EXTREMELY unlikely. Indeed, Will Riker himself comments on the disparity in technology at the end of the episode, and Picard state both sides in the war had equal weapons technology.
Sat, Aug 1, 2015, 2:09am (UTC -5)
I thought msw188 hit one of the larger plot holes - Crusher performing a complex medical procedure on MacDuff without noticing he wasn't human. Similarly, Troi did share a room with MacDuff, but she also picked up nothing - either a strange inability to read him, or an ability to read a mind buzzing with deception.
While we're at it, how did MacDuff get on the Enterprise at all? They did have shields up, even if they didn't block the scan, one would hope they'd block any sort of transport. Not that they ever do, admittedly. And... sigh... must the Enterprise always meet strangers with its shields down? Starfleet had already ordered against this stupidity back in Kirk's day, and it just gets more and more ridiculous. This is a galaxy where a first strike can (and often does) cripple an unshielded ship, where transporters can (and do) whisk critical people away (why not beam off the whole bridge crew?)... puttering around with shields up should be a sign of trustworthiness, as it means you're not insane.
And as others have mentioned (and a problem with The Game too), it seems the writers often forget that many species are present on the Enterprise. It calls for "magic" technology to be able to remotely and precisely erase the differently-stored memories of: the computer, Data, and how many species... 3 just on the bridge, plus Guinan (conspicuosly absent), Mott the barber, and surely a handful of others at any particular time.
Wed, Aug 12, 2015, 9:31am (UTC -5)
The problem is the huge number of plot-holes. 1.) Why doesn't MacDuff make himself the captain? 2.) Why did he pick a ship with so many people on it - that means there are vastly more chances for his plan to be revealed - instead of a smaller ship he could more easily control? 3.) How did he honestly think these people wouldn't be off-put by the way they VASTLY outmatch the Lysians? 4.) Why, when the Lysian destroyer is said to be so inferior to the Enterprise, does it manage to do any damage during its attack? 5.) How did Crusher miss the fact that MacDuff isn't Human during her medical procedure? 6.) Most importantly - why wasn't MacDuff using his mind-altering weapon on the Lysians? It's said that the Lysians and the Satarrans have equal weapons technologies, but so what? The Satarrans obviously have an advantage that they could use against the Lysians. Just use the device on countless enemy ships and have them turn against their own. It would take more time, but it would be simpler than trying to get outsiders to do the job for you.
But, leaving all that aside, "Conundrum" is still a pleasant enough diversion to be an average outing. What ultimately drags it down, however, is the final scene with Riker, Ro and Troi in Ten Forward. "An amusingly played final scene"? Really, Jammer? Well, to each their own, but I have to firmly disagree with that. This scene was not amusing at all; it was awful! Riker is a little confused? Well, so am I. What exactly was being said here? That Riker is scum for enjoying casual sex? It seems to me that both Ro and Troi also enjoy casual sex. It was, after all, Ro who aggressively pursued Riker here. Why is she let off the hook while Riker is racked over the coals? Is it because he "should" have known that his relationship with Troi was important? Well, given the fact that his memory had been wiped I find that hard to swallow. Even given the scene where he and Troi discover the book she gave him, that proves nothing. They obviously know they aren't married since they have separate quarters. No, apparently Riker's past relationship with Troi should trump everything, even through a memory block, because Troi still has feeling for him that transcend that memory block. "Well, if you're still confused tomorrow, you know where my office is."? Oh, well counselor, are you going to talk about how just last episode ("The Masterpiece Society") you, without the excuse of a memory block, threw away all those feelings for Riker that he's supposed to remain loyal to come what may and had sex with the colony's leader? Hypocrisy, thy name is Deanna Troi!
But seriously, let's reverse the genders here and see what happens. Riker aggressively pursues Ro. Ro gladly gives into the pursuit and enjoys herself. Ro then finds out that she might, maybe, possibly have had some slight romantic interest in some other man at some ill-defined point in the past. Once everyone's memories are restored, Riker and this other man confront Ro in Ten Forward and all but excuse her of being a whore who should be ashamed of herself. See the problem here? But, as presented, it's okay because.... why? Because Ro and Troi have vaginas? Whereas Riker has a penis so is therefore obviously in the wrong? *vomit*
It's a shame this coda was tacked onto the episode because without it "Conundrum" would be an enjoyable, if ultimately flawed, episode.
3/10
Sat, Sep 12, 2015, 5:52pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Sep 25, 2015, 3:37pm (UTC -5)
Judged in those terms, this actually works quite acceptably. Mixing up the established characters always throws up some interesting permutations, such as Worf's assumption of command. It's not that the characters are acting out-of-character, but playing more exaggerated versions of themselves. So Picard becomes "the diplomat" and Riker "the horn dog" - and I enjoyed the Ro/Riker relationship.
The visual effects take a real notch up here - I see for which it won an Emmy. The shot of the Enterprise engaging the sentry fighters is a classic. 2.5 stars.
Wed, Feb 3, 2016, 11:43am (UTC -5)
Just wanted to mention about the Chess Scene with Data and Troi. It's possible that Data just learned the rules, read a few articles on it, and that's it. He may not have a time-tested chess program in his software - after all, if he did that, then HE wouldn't be playing, but a program some else wrote. If so, then being able to calculate large number of possibilities is NOT an insurmountable edge against a human. The reason is modern chess software is not strong against humans because it can see many positions. Instead it's strong because modern chess program use a heavily researched/tested algorithm to accurately assess positions. Thus, a chess PC program is tough because it sees many positions AND assesses the positions accurately.
Take away the position assessment algorithm, or give it less inaccurate one, and humans absolutely could (and did, before this algorithm was perfected) defeat computers.
Wed, Feb 3, 2016, 12:51pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Feb 4, 2016, 10:55pm (UTC -5)
Anyways good thing they didn't run into a romulan ship and end the entire series.
Thu, Feb 25, 2016, 6:45am (UTC -5)
I think the intention of the episode was to suggest that the Sutterans and their enemies were basically similar and probably both possessed some funky memory altering technology. Presumably the other guys were well aware of the Sutterans' tricks and would not have been vulnerable to them.
The episode further suggests that while advanced in some respects (the memory altering technology) they were had extremely crude weapons, about 100 years behind anything possessed by the Federation.
But here's where the episode drops the ball: at the very beginning the Enterprise is probed by the alien ship. If the alien ship disabled the Enterprise while its shields were down, that would be one thing. But Picard gives the order to raise shields and the Sutteran scanner penetrates the Enterprise's shields!! So Federation weapons technology is 100 years ahead of these races but the Sutterans can punch through the shields of a Galaxy class starship?
Kind of an unforced error on that point if you ask me.
Kudos to GregT for explaining why McDuff chose not to make himself Captain. If McDuff had been the Captain, he never would have been allowed to volunteer for the memory restoration procedure.
Thu, Feb 25, 2016, 6:54am (UTC -5)
I can accept aliens with primitive weapons overpowering the Enterprise and taking over the ship. I can even accept them erasing the entire crew's memories (including Data's!) and selectively rewriting the entire computer.
But there is no way that Troi beats Data in chess. Never. Ever.
I am going to be charitable and assume that the bet was just for Troi to last more than five moves against Data or something like that, and even that strains credulity.
Sun, Mar 6, 2016, 8:43pm (UTC -5)
Incidentally, Jammer's comment on that last point highlights Picards' flawless handling of Worf's embarrassment - acknowledge it, put the issue in context, normalize, show respect/understanding, and move on (Bravo Patrick Stewart, yet again - I wonder if there was another actor on American television at the time who could have pulled that off so convincingly or with such skill and grace? )
The concerns about plausibility and plot holes are, I'd like to suggest, are (1) greatly overblown (2) readily addressed and (3) beside the point. For instance, kudos to GregT for the observation that McDuff perhaps eschewed making himself captain so that he could subvert medical interventions. Others' explanations above about his technical ability or knowledge of command codes are at least plausible. And I would add that if he had been captain, his ability to monitor and manipulate would have been severely curtailed. The "mission" would have been top-down; misgivings might have become mutiny if the main voice in favor of slaughtering the "enemy" was also at the top of the power structure...I can easily imagine the crew coming together conspiratorily to question the surety of a genocidal captian; not so if the push comes sideways as it is portrayed.
But I agree with Julian, broadly speaking at least, who pointed out above that there is greater substance to be found here in addressing the huge, evergreen, nuanced and important issue of following immoral orders, or even more broadly, the morality of killing in general.
Actually, writing this has just prompted me to wonder if a larger problem with the episode was tone, not plausibility or plot holes. Maybe it should have more directly and forcefully explored the immoral orders topic; maybe it was too cute and distracted to give proper weight to such a weighty issue...was it a romp, a cautionary tale, an exploration of (as several above suggest) the nature of personality? Maybe the problem was trying to be all of the above?
Luke, props for pointing out the double standard...I'm not absolutely sure whether you're right that if Ro had been a guy, many opinions would be different....but it is defintely plausible. Thanks for raising the point.
Lastly, and I hate to agree, Troi beating Data at "wedding cake chess" was insipid. I'm actually a Troi fan and feel compelled, usually, to defend her (and Sirtis, given the thankless job of being buxom and emotionally vulnerable while at the same time the second most powerful member of the crew), on this occasion, well...no frakking way. Chess grandmasters (if we are proceeding - as the episode encourages us - to think of the game, essentially, as chess) are not possessed of some vastly superior OR especially intuitive mind. They do not "think 6 moves ahead", or use emotional intelligence to intuit a winning strategy. They instead hold tens of thousands of experientially-memorized "position maps" of the board, and subconsciously overlay those configurtions onto their current game. Data's capacity for this would be so far beyond Troi as to make any such contest, I think, an utter farce.
I love that this site still exists; thank you Jammer!
Mon, May 2, 2016, 12:53am (UTC -5)
1) Why could MacDuff and his species have even needed the Enterprise? Maybe their mental beam technology was way advanced, but their conventional weapons were crap, or maybe their enemies found a way to block the memory beam (which the Federation probably could too, but they'd never encountered it before), or maybe they just have a much smaller population and industrial base and so are badly outnumbered despite superior tech.
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).
Tue, May 24, 2016, 10:32am (UTC -5)
Tue, May 24, 2016, 11:11am (UTC -5)
"Absurd episode. MacDuff's race can easily defeat the mighty flagship of Starfleet but is unable to take down a tenth rate adversary."
Not necessarily absurd. We assume that technology should develop in a certain manner and at a certain rate. Indeed, players of Sid Meier's Civilization know that eventually everyone gets the same science no matter what path they take.
However, *alien* species should work differently. You can have this really fancy mental wipe device but still have really lousy impulse engines and rocket-based weaponry. Fans of the Foundation Series know this theory well, as one of the big concept's in Asimov's novel is that one Foundation specializes in physical sciences while the other specializes in mentalics. If either side is caught off guard, they are vulnerable.
So yes, you need to buy into the idea that the Federation flagship can be taken over by a species with low-tech weaponry. But that's only because they have presumably high-tech devices in areas the Federation does not yet understand.
Wed, Jul 13, 2016, 11:34pm (UTC -5)
, I always liked that music when the Sutteran ship is on the viewer. It's kind of a mysterious cue but it fits the mood perfectly.
Tue, Jul 26, 2016, 1:28pm (UTC -5)
I especially liked the ending on a rewatch because I had misremembered it, I thought it ended like "The Naked Now" with a character declaring "It never happened!," that would be the more expected conclusion and the reactions we instead got were a lot of fun.
Fri, Aug 26, 2016, 7:32pm (UTC -5)
All but one who observed that the episode had "plot holes," nonetheless found the episode to be entertaining. As someone correctly stated, "how much I can suspend my disbelief depends upon the entertainment value of what I am watching." This observation holds true not just for Star Trek, but for life in general :-) If we find something to be amusing, we're more likely to pay attention to it, even perhaps against our better judgment.
Some people, though, have yet to board the amusement train, and one must respect their views. Indeed, I suppose that the person who upbraided the episode for its plot holes also has a quite valid and powerful philosophy, to wit:
"Shockingly bad. Plot holes/contrivances and corniness.......How time has ravaged it. 1 star is pretty generous."
"I just.... love scanning for plot holes. Plot holes.,,, You tiny little plot holes.... You precious little plot holes... Where...are...YOU?" ..........
Thu, Jan 19, 2017, 1:35pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Jan 20, 2017, 2:44am (UTC -5)
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.
Fri, Jan 20, 2017, 3:08am (UTC -5)
Fri, Jan 20, 2017, 9:30pm (UTC -5)
"Disaster" - in that neither one of them makes a damn bit of sense but who cares because the characters and the dialog are such fun!
Ro and Riker have been butting heads since her arrival episode. Given their personalities. - he's a womanizer; she's all pent-up angst and rebellion - It's totally believable to me that they'd tear each other's clothes off after two shots of vodka or a little amnesia... or pretty much any excuse at all. So that was pretty satisfying. Kinda wish they'd stayed frenemies with benefits from time to time... But I guess that would be a little too edgy for a family show?
Part of the epiaode's fun was my own persistent puzzlement over who the heck was that McDuff guy anyway? When it was over and the plot was revealed, I called myself a moron for not figuring it out in two seconds.
Mon, Feb 6, 2017, 10:33pm (UTC -5)
Over-exaggeration suggests that you believe your point is not supported by the actual facts, and you over-exaggerate when you say: "[Riker] finds out that [he] might, maybe, possibly have had some slight romantic interest in some other [woman] at some ill-defined point in the past."
That is WAY more tentative than the reality the show presented. The seriousness of Riker/Troi's relationship is underscored in front of both of them, post-memory-loss. The emotional memory of their relationship is literally the only memory that was retained by anyone on the ship (indicating significance), and Riker himself brought up the book with the "All My Love" inscription.
Riker understood perfectly well that whatever was between him and Troi was somehow serious. And he chose to keep flirting with Troi to her face, while snogging Ro as soon as Troi was out of the room. No one blames Ro for pursuing Riker, because she didn't know what he knew. The point isn't "Casual sex is wrong"; it's "Don't lead on two people at once, and especially don't have casual sex with one person when you're pretty sure you're more deeply emotionally involved with another."
Anyway, they gave him only a very *light* chastening, at the end. And he mostly chastened himself, by his obvious awareness that he was the one in a position to feel embarrassed. Neither lady actually gave him much crap about it. But we're perfectly within our rights as the audience to feel a little grossed out when Riker flips from showing Troi the "All My Love" book to: "She's out of the room! Come here, dear Ro-- let's fiddle again."
Sat, Feb 25, 2017, 3:11pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Feb 25, 2017, 3:13pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Feb 28, 2017, 4:31am (UTC -5)
MacDuff had to have known where the Enterprise was going to be; this did not seem like a random encounter. Also consider that Data is literally the first crewman disabled by the Sutteran weapon, even before Troi or anyone else is affected - which suggests the Sutterans were using a two-phase weapon, the first to disable Data and the second to disable the rest of the crew. They must have known about Data, and much like the plot in The Game, completing their mission required them to deal with Data at the outset.
My assumption watching this episode is that while the Federation may not have been familiar with species in this part of the Galaxy, the Sutterans were well aware of the Federation and had studied its patterns and may even have obtained inside information on its technology and the design of its starships.
Could the Sutteran military have defeated the Enterprise in a normal military engagement? No. But with careful planning and maybe a little inside intelligence about where and when the Enterprise was going to be, and the element of surprise, it stands to reason that a carefully executed "heist" (on par with Voyager's plan to steal a transwarp coil from a Borg Sphere in Dark Frontier) could have succeeded.
MacDuff was pulling Section 31 stuff with this episode. He was probably the Sutteran equivalent of Garek or Sloan.
Fri, Mar 3, 2017, 11:53pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Mar 18, 2017, 11:05pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Mar 25, 2017, 12:15pm (UTC -5)
The basic premise of this episode was to recontextualise the crew in an unusual situation, and suggest what might happen to the main cast if the reset button was hit, literally. In this case there was some sleeping around, which probably happened a lot anyway, just not on screen. More importantly though was the fact that, for all their memory loss, the crew was able to retain its Starfleet training and Federation principle of not firing upon a technologically inferior and practically defenceless species, and of giving a potentially deadly situation the benefit of their doubt rather than going in, all guns blazing.
Sat, Jul 15, 2017, 11:24am (UTC -5)
"The shot of the Enterprise engaging the sentry fighters is a classic."
YES! That was beautiful.
And I always use that for Star Wars vs Star Trek argument. If the USS Enterprise faced a swarm of TIE fighters then this shot shows what would happen to the fighters.
Tue, Jul 25, 2017, 10:59pm (UTC -5)
"It's psychologically valid."
Love it.
Tue, Sep 12, 2017, 6:31pm (UTC -5)
Now that I've just seen this episode, I'm trying to think: When did MacDuff appear? Was it just after being scanned by the alien ship in the teaser? Or maybe he was there the whole time.
The best part of this episode is how the crew reacts to losing their memory: Worf taking control is great. Picard, as expected, is the wisest one. Ro, RIker, Troi were fun to watch.
The crew's instincts, however, are always there and we get the firing phasers at the MacDuff scene in the end and finally Crusher restores the memories. Neat and tidy. But I thought it was clever of MacDuff to be the first to volunteer for Crusher's procedure and after his negative reaction, discourages other crew members from going through it.
2 stars for "Conundrum" -- the episode was about the Enterprise in a conundrum but suspicion had to start from the first moment for the viewer with who the hell is this new commander dude? He seemed to be playing nice but his war-like intentions were growing. Sort of a decent plot with a ton of implausibility, but a good episode for watching the main crew members trying to figure things out.
Fri, Oct 13, 2017, 10:06pm (UTC -5)
I was surprised by MacDuff because I originally didn’t catch that he wasn’t onboard the ship prior to the beam striking the crew. I had just assumed he was a guest star officer the show periodically inserted.
Overall though episode felt routine and mechanical. There were definitely much better episodes this season and this definitely doesn’t rank with the best sff mystery TNG episodes
Fri, Oct 27, 2017, 10:22pm (UTC -5)
The only exception to this would be Troi becoming a chess savant, but they clearly did this because it put Data and Troi in ten forward and they needed to give them something mildly competitive to do, something which resulted in Data making a drink and becoming a bartender.
I'll allow it, even though it's preposterous. Maybe I just have a huge tolerance for plot holes, but I just don't care to deconstruct an episode I'm watching to look for them. I agree with the rating.
Thu, Apr 5, 2018, 9:05pm (UTC -5)
I do like this episode, but the real Conundrum is how Troi can beat Data in chess!!!
That aside, if these aliens can wipe minds and penetrate shields, do they really need the Enterprise to fight their battles? Just wipe their opponent's minds!
Thu, Apr 5, 2018, 9:19pm (UTC -5)
@Jay Again, I agree! No offence to Michelle Forbes, but I've always seen her as quite ugly! I have some idea that sometimes my tastes vary from the norm though. *(actually, I don't really see any of the regulars (Troi, Guinan, Tasha, Crusher) as particularly attractive.
I seriously see MacDuff as the Mule from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. Even without physical (technological) powers, he can just twist minds (or make them forget) and turn his enemies against themselves. For instance, they could believe that they just signed a treaty with his race, and are going to destroy their weapons! But as Shawn Davis said, the rest of the episode is so interesting and fun, that I will forgive this and still enjoy the show
@Moegreen & JJ I just read your comment(s). As a high school chess coach myself, that plot hole bothers me more than anything else about this episode! Poker, yes, chess no!
Thu, Apr 5, 2018, 10:54pm (UTC -5)
"As a high school chess coach myself, that plot hole bothers me more than anything else about this episode! Poker, yes, chess no!"
Yes, this point is beyond preposterous. Maybe one of the writers saw the odd TOS episode and idly thought "well, if Kirk can beat Spock, then..." But alas no, Kirk being able to do that is a *plot point*. Here it's a plot hole; more like a sinkhole.
And I actually don't even believe that she should be able to beat Data at poker either. Frankly programming him for optimal poker performance shouldn't be all that hard. Experts have advanced algorithms for how to set up false patterns of bidding and behavior so that their bluffs can't be tracked, and Data could easily randomize it for real. The one irritating thing about frankly all fictional poker representations is the idea that somehow your facial control (poker face) is equivalent to your skill level. Most of it is hard number crunching and falsifying likely holdings based on what the others know. Data should be crushing the others in poker, although I'm willing to accept that Riker is a bone fide expert and knows how to fool Data's systems somehow.
Fri, Apr 6, 2018, 9:10am (UTC -5)
Fri, Apr 6, 2018, 10:38am (UTC -5)
It was pretty funny because my buddy would say "are you sure you want to do that?" (trying to coach on unwise moves) and his nephew said "yes, I have a plan". My friend didn't hold back either, he's a rather ruthless player who prefers being on the offensive.
So yes, my buddy isn't Data and his 10 year old nephew isn't Troi, but sometimes, unconventional "risky" novice moves can open up attacks traditional players wouldn't expect.
Also, I'd imagine that 3D Chess has many more opportunities to checkmate than normal chess. Surely that would make it much harder to plan a sound defense.
Tue, Apr 10, 2018, 1:53am (UTC -5)
After being attacked and manipulated into war with the Lysians, how is the Federation going to respond to the Satarrans? Quickie war? Blockade? Nothing good would come out of it. If the Federation began some sort of peace talks or friendship with the Lysians, the Satarrans still lose.
El Salvador attacking a US Naval vessel and manipulating the crew into a war with Panama ends very badly for El Salvador if the plan fails.
Sat, Jul 7, 2018, 1:51am (UTC -5)
Fri, Aug 3, 2018, 4:40pm (UTC -5)
I think this would have worked a lot better another one of Q's tests.
I enjoyed Erich Anderson's guest appearance.
Tue, Aug 21, 2018, 6:17pm (UTC -5)
You actually create a false equivalency (a massive one), admit in the same post that it is, in fact, a false equivalency... and yet this is your argument that Troi beating Data at chess is plausible? Really?
I have a more plausible explanation:
When this episode was made, chess computers could not challenge Grand Masters. It seemed like it might be a long time before they could. The writers were short sighted and thought what they were writing was realistic.
No. It was stupid. A good sci-fi writer would have factored in advances in computing. And data is not just a computer - he is a sentient AI.
Troi isn't beating Data. Not ever.
Wed, Sep 26, 2018, 4:10pm (UTC -5)
I cannot believe this merits 3 stars,Jammer-cliche was piled upon cliche.
Troi beats data at chess as Kirk beats Spock at chess, the crew is once again taken over ,possessed,subborned in an excessively convoluted and unstable plot-Riker gets his leg over everyone in sight.
Oh and Picard ,admittedly having allowed his mind to be taken over, destroys a crew of innocents which is put right with a mere apology?-I don't think so.
Never mind the plot holes-this was not fun.
Thu, Oct 4, 2018, 8:57pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Oct 7, 2018, 4:46pm (UTC -5)
I think the "message" of this episode was that, what these cast members are in the shadows is exactly what they are in the light. The memory erasure bit is a scifi approach to removing societal pressures that allows it to fit into this show. But it's the same thing. Picard, Riker, et al aren't in Starfleet to make money, or to satisfy their parents, or to gain power over others, or whatever. They are there because they believe in the principles of the Federation. And they don't believe in the principles of the Federation because it's convenient or because everyone else does, they do because they firmly feel they are right deep within their souls.
The amnesia ray didn't remove their skills, and it didn't remove their core personalities. And their core personalities are to use those skills "for the betterment of mankind", or at least the ship in this case. So Crusher realizes she's a doctor, realizes she still has plenty of medical knowledge, and so goes to work finding a cure. LaForge uses his engineering skill to make the ship go, Worf uses his tactical knowledge to man his post, etc. If they still have their deep commitment to duty, and still have their skills, why wouldn't they?
But in order to show this "message", the show had to devote most of the runtime (other than the perfunctory mystery elements) to the conundrum at hand. Because Picard et al believe so strongly in the principles of the Federation, they would not obey an order contrary to those principles. So the show had to set that up, that - as far as they could tell - everything about their organization said they needed to destroy this space station. But everything about themselves said that that was wrong. The show HAD to make the destruction of the space station as the easy, obvious answer. That way, the decision to not destroy it would show true courage, not only on Picard's part but also for the rest of the crew to not go along with MacDuff's mutiny.
Now, I realize that what you wrote isn't necessarily the same as what I'm talking. I know you're not necessarily talking about the crew getting completely different, cynical personalities and all, but still. Like I said, they needed to focuses on the similarities and place the conundrum front and center in order to get to the theme of the episode across. And that just didn't leave enough time for focusing on shifting personalities on minor manners, which seems to be what you wanted. My guess is that the writers/director/producers decided that the fluff during the amnesia section of the show - Worf assuming command, Data as a bartender - would be more amusing and entertaining to the viewers than other personality changes during the conundrum section of the show, and so focused on that instead.
Thus, the only personality change was Ro/Riker. Because that one made sense. Ro's aloofness is due primarily to the accident/court martial in her past, probably more so than her life as a refugee (although that helps). There's hints elsewhere (Rascals, Preemptive Strike) that she wants to belong, wants to be part of a community, and so it makes sense that she would be more outgoing here. And Riker's animosity toward her is 100% due to her past. With neither one knowing about it, it's not too surprising that he might be attracted to her. So it was a good "B" plot, and a good use of Ro's character. Since her personality is the one most heavily defined by a single event in her past (Tapestry notwithstanding...), and a relatively recent event in her past (so one that hasn't had time to become, for lack of a better phrase, ingrained into her soul), she was a good choice to have the most obvious personality change. And since Riker was the one most notably negative toward her early on, it makes sense to have him be the one to change his view of her.
Would the episode have been better if there were more subtle personality changes after the computer told them who they were? Perhaps. Like I said, the execution of the idea is certainly arguable (although I think it is a good but not great episode). But all changes would need to still serve the central theme that these are still the same people deep down. And it may be that the writers felt that subtle personality changes would detract from the theme.
Sun, Oct 7, 2018, 5:10pm (UTC -5)
I'll add that these do show something real about Worf and Data's personalities, albeit in a funny way. Worf comes from aristocracy, has very strong beliefs, and this seems to have made its way into how he sees himself. Normally we look at Worf's need to restrain himself in terms of Worf's need to restrain himself from violence, but his need to restrain himself from an egoistic assumption that he is superior to those around him is something that this episode also shows. Of course Worf's background is part of his *memory*, but I guess what I'm getting at is what whatever core personality traits remained are still going to depend on early experiences, even if they can't remember them, and Worf was raised, for his first few years, as the heir to one of the most noble houses in the self-satisfied (though to some extent internally crumbling) Klingon Empire. His respect for Starfleet values and "human"/Federation humility is also a part of his personality, and nurtured by the Rozhenkos, but I can see how not recalling this would give him an inflated view of himself. Anyway Worf's respect for hierarchical tradition is pretty drilled into him, even though he often goes against it for what he believes is right.
Data is in a sense the opposite -- he basically has no egotism, at least none in the way we usually think of it (as relating to career). This isn't to say that he sees himself as worthless, but he sees bartending as just as valid a possible job as anything else he could be doing, because not only does he not have *that* strong a sense of the usefulness of hierarchies besides a certain rational understanding thereof, but he tends to admire human social interactions, interpersonal stuff, etc. -- he would find a bartender just as valuable a position as captain, I think. That mixing drinks itself seems below the limits of his skill level is in a way even a commentary on how almost all his regular duties are far below his skill level -- it's mostly the interpersonal stuff he struggles with on a daily basis, and the work is only really challenging when they encounter some new exceptional situation (which does happen frequently, but not always). Data's position on the bartender not being beneath him also sits with the show's optimism -- after all, Guinan is in a sense totally overqualified for "bartender" in and of itself, but she has made that niche totally her own because of her superhuman talent for interpersonal insight.
I agree this is a good-not-great episode but I think these character details, while not revolutionary, generally add up to a satisfying hour, along with the central "told to go shoot a stranger" moral dilemma. I like that there's relatively little *drama* about Worf's mistaking himself for being in command, and that he quickly steps aside once the truth is revealed.
Tue, Oct 16, 2018, 11:45am (UTC -5)
- Data has to make an ice cream sundae "as only he can"
- Ro is back
All that cr*p, and the opening credits haven't even rolled...hating the episode within 3 minutes.
Mon, Feb 18, 2019, 11:51pm (UTC -5)
I liked that one cheeky writer managed to get his thoughts about the episode in through Riker’s comments to Picard in one of the ending scenes: “With all the power that McDuff had to alter our brain chemistry and manipulate the computers, it’s hard to believe that he needed the Enterprise.”
I also always found it a little weird that they didn’t express more concern/guilt about destroying an innocent ship of 53 people. I know they can’t realky be blamed, but it would still be human nature to feel some guilt.
Sat, Apr 20, 2019, 11:09am (UTC -5)
But the fact that MacDuff has such technology but his homeworld has limited weapons seems unlikely. It would have been better had he stolen the ship and memory sweeping technology from some Ferengis.
Sat, Apr 20, 2019, 11:19am (UTC -5)
It was funny at the end when Riker approaches Ro and Troi and starts to do his "aw shucks" routine and Ro puts him in his place: in situations like they just went through people do things that they always wanted to do. She has no shame about it unlike how many female characters are portrayed (think of Troi grovelling to the captain in Masterpiece about the fact she had sex). Riker is left being faced with having to think about his actions. "I`m confused" he says to Troi...ha ha ha!! GOLD
Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 11:28am (UTC -5)
No way that Troi would ever be capable of beating Data at chess or any other game or whatever. That is malarky.
As for Guinan, I believe Whoopi Goldberg had already left TNG. Not sure of that but I am not going to look it up.
SOOOO. McDuff is just a duff/crap, If he had so much ability to rip our guys apart AND disable Data too, why could he have not build viable ships and weapons and go kill off the Lysian's in the first place, hmmmmmmmm? The Lysian's were not bothering him or his people?, it was him alone desiring to be a Klingon and Romulon rolled into one to always be at war and destroy. He had a Hitler complex.
TROI AND RIKER HAVE NOT BEEN A LIVE-IN COUPLE FOR EONS. At the time when they would up on the Enterprise they did not have a desire to return to the "lover" state. Would any one of you people go back to a relationship that ended 5 to 10 years ago? If you DID it would prove that you are still a child. It would be unwise as you are a different person today........
Without naming each thing, it is clear that these people were left with selective memories and that makes no sense at all. It can only be done if a person is conscience of what he or she is thinking of doing.
Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 11:31am (UTC -5)
Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 11:37am (UTC -5)
Isn't that the point, though? They don't have any memories of their past relationship but obviously are still attracted to each other on a physical and social level that transcends memory. I'm not sure if you're married, but I'd like to think that if my wife and I ever lost our memories we'd still make a connection with each other somehow. It's at least plausible, if not likely.
Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 12:32pm (UTC -5)
Troi and Riker broke up because he had career ambitions, not because they didn't like each other. They still like each other, and there's probably a lot more respect than there was the first time around. Not sure why this strikes you as weird. Fate saw fit to put them on the same ship as each other, and after that they had to pretty much keep each other at bay for professional reasons (like Picard and Crusher). But it doesn't mean there wasn't still something there.
Incidentally, have you ever dated someone from a telepathic species? The term "Imzadi" has some connotations that probably refer to having shared someone's inmost thoughts and feelings. "We're different people now" wouldn't mean to a Betazoid what it means to you, and their relationship had at least some of that in it.
Mon, May 11, 2020, 5:54pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Aug 27, 2020, 11:51am (UTC -5)
Worf's self-appointed spell in command is a lovely touch. Ensign Ro improves any episode she appears in (though why - given she's an ensign, does she appear so prominently in the manifest?)
It's hard to accept that a culture that's apparently so backward, technologically, to the Federation - despite being an extremly warlike race, they have only weak and underdeveloped weaponry - could so easily overcome the crew and its computer systems.
I laughed when the crew manifest came up and the computer wrote the text to the screen like a teletype. A mid '80s home computer could fill a screen with information retrieved from a floppy drive a lot faster than that. That's one of my sci-fi pet hates. Computers of the future always display information one letter at a time.
Kirk would have ended that war. I can't buy that Deanna would beat Data at 3D chess. Or anyone, really.
Good one! I hadn't seen it before and the mystery and suspense held up throughout.
Tue, Oct 6, 2020, 10:44pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Jan 16, 2021, 6:52pm (UTC -5)
Probably Data has a difficulty setting, right? Every chess program I’ve ever used over the last 40 years had one, including the Atari 2600 cartridge.
Otherwise, he would handily clobber just about everyone, except perhaps people like the Stratagema guy.
Sat, Feb 20, 2021, 9:24am (UTC -5)
Chief Wiggum: "Hey I crack cases all the time. Like the case of the symphony conductor who murdered his star cellist."
Lou: "That was an episode of Columbo, chief. They show you who the bad guy is at the beginning of each one."
Chief Wiggum: "Yeah but you have to remember."
It's really prrrrretty obvious to the viewer that McDuff is "laying it on" a little thick. It can be kind of a bringdown to the episode, in fact, because it may be a mystery to the *crew* thanks to the technobabbly explanation, but it's really not at all mysterious to us who the bad actor is, just why exactly they're doing it.
Tue, Jun 29, 2021, 8:55pm (UTC -5)
There is genuine sexual tension between Riker and Troi, and even between Riker and Ro. There is Worf saying, "I am decorated as well," showing off his mighty baldric in response to Picard's comparatively puny 4 stars, which is one of Worf's great lines of any episode. There's the "patient in a bathing suit" line from Dr. Crusher's patient. There's Data the bartender. And there are some surprises in the actual plot, such as Picard ordering the destruction of that first nearly-defenseless starship, and even Worf backing up the captain at the end.)
There are plot holes and seeming illogicalities, but there are at least plausible explanations for everything, unlike, say, Dr. Crusher -- Dr. Crusher! -- volunteering to fly a shuttle directly into a star in Suspicions. It is plausible that a species could have extremely advanced mind/memory control/shapeshifting capabilities but not the technology to develop super-advanced weaponry (the Dune series has a lot of this type of thing). It is plausible that the species would believe that avoiding detection would be easier as a first officer than a captain.
(I will admit that it is a bit much that the alien species could have remotely programmed McDuff's photo and biographical information directly into the ship's computer, but it doesn't ruin the episode for me.)
What comes closest to the edge is Troi seemingly beating Data at chess. But if you watch it closely, it's Data -- not Troi -- who "discovers" the seven move checkmate. He gives up before Troi actually needs to execute it. There's no indication that Troi herself knew anything about it (her saying "We'll see about that" is how any novice responds to a know-it-all). Watch how quickly she puts back the pieces! I think she saw the opportunity to make a point about intuition and took it, then got off the subject as quickly as possible and on to Samarian Sunsets.
Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 2:41am (UTC -5)
I love how the crew acted completely themselves despite not knowing who they were - especially Worf, Riker, Picard, and Troi. The final scene between Riker, Ro, and Troi , after Riker’s behaviour with both women, then the restoration of their missing memories, was hilarious.
Oh, and the music was good too! A strong 3 stars.
Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 5:24pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Nov 6, 2021, 8:33pm (UTC -5)
The subplot with the romantic triangle formed by Ensign Ro, Riker and Troi is fun. However, Kieran McDuff is pretty gross,...perfect casting....as the unctuous agent provocateur goading the others forward in the surprise attack.
It seems to me that the alien Sutterans did not make Kieran McDuff captain (let alone admiral) of the Enterprise, was to get the blame directed against true members of the Federation, and escape from culpability themselves.
Tue, Mar 29, 2022, 8:07am (UTC -5)
1. There's no way anyone on the Enterprise could beat my phone at chess, let alone Data.
2. The moves shown are nonsensical.
3. Chess is not "a game of intuition".
These kind of scenes usually serve as some kind of metaphorical link with something that's about to happen in the episode, but I'm struggling to see how that applies here. Is the Lysian/Satarran war a game of chess, and MacDuff's memory trick supposed to be an unexpected genius "intuitive" move? That doesn't really work for me in the same way as, for example, Data learning to bluff in poker, then applying the skills in real life later.
Putting these nerdy points side, I agree with others - this is a fun episode as long as you can get over the gaping plot holes.
Fri, Apr 1, 2022, 2:37pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Apr 1, 2022, 3:07pm (UTC -5)
"The metaphor is about the importance of intuition"
Hm, I don't know about that. I don't personally think there really is a metaphor here, just a plot puzzle they need to solve. Picard knows something is wrong because the scenario as it's playing out is completely illogical: a so-called mortal enemy whose technology is so far inferior to theirs that they could not possibly pose a threat. In fact given the nature of the fake orders and the seriousness of the situation, it takes quite a lot of proof to get Picard to toss aside the 'mission'. If the stakes had been a bit lower he would probably have already figured it out just from their initial enemy encounter. So I don't really think they needed intuition to solve this, just the most basic application of reasoning. Mostly I think it's just a fun romp letting our crew have some interesting interactions.
Thu, May 12, 2022, 2:08pm (UTC -5)
I didn't like the 5-second resolution at the end. They should've dispensed with the Riker romancing every tail on the ship angle and instead given us more (much more) of the whole story.
Sat, Oct 29, 2022, 5:18pm (UTC -5)
Three thoughts on the episode: (I only skimmed the other comments, so my apologies if I missed where someone else already made these points more clearly.)
1) Kudos to @Jeffrey Jakucyk for getting what the "Troi beats Data at chess" scene is all about, and why it's in the episode at all. It's not just a bit of filler. It's a metaphorical synopsis of the point of the entire episode: When choosing a course of action, mere "data" (pun intended) is insufficient, if it is not accompanied by healthy awareness of gut feelings. That kind of gut knowledge is power. Troi, as the empathic counselor, of the entire population of the Enterprise, epitomizes the "aware of gut feelings" approach. Data not only epitomizes but is even named for the rigidly logical, data-based approach. The writers not only wanted but needed to show Data losing to Troi, because that was THE POINT. I suspect that the scene would not have appeared in the episode at all if they had really been thinking of chess as a game in which "feelings" have nothing to do with victory. In fairness to them, they were writing before there were algorithms that could consistently beat chess masters. They may have thought that this was not just a measure of how limited-but-subject-to-improvement coding was at the time, but a sign that there is a qualitatively different facet of the game that computers would never be capable of performing.
2) McDuff sure was lucky that none of the command crew noticed that there were children onboard, which would have raised the question of why they would be on a battleship during a war.
3) I think what people are missing about the Ro-Troi-Riker interaction is that in their state of amnesia, the two women were kept from communicating with each other (and thus recognizing that they were both being played Riker) by their jealousy toward each other, and in the last scene, they have joined forces so that he can't play them against each other anymore. This, too, is a metaphor for the episode's whole point: Knowledge is power, and lack of awareness is vulnerability. It is not a coincidence that Troi is in both the opening and closing scenes that sum up "the point." It's a classic "inclusio," or "bookend structure."
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