Date: March 6, 2020

Season 1, Episode 22

Setting the Stage: I watched this episode via Netflix, just me and Professor Zoom while we waited for the husband person to come home. I’m sorry this post is delayed, but I got home later than I expected from work and had to start laundry and a few other things. By the time I watched this episode and started on my notes, it was time to celebrate some friends who are getting married on Saturday. Today’s Trek writing music is The Green Dragon Inn, a Lord of the Rings compilation.

Bad Ass Moms (http://kck.st/2SimbnD) has reached their Kickstarter goal! I’d love to see them reach at least the next two stretch goals, so continue to spread the word. I mean, who doesn’t want another Bad Ass Mom story? Only 4 more days!

Favorite Quote:

Worf: The martial arts competition is in three days. Are you prepared?

Yar: I will be if you’ll meet me on the holodeck later. I need your help on the Mishiama wrist-lock and break. If it works on you, I can use it on anyone.

Worf: A valid assumption.

Worf has some of the best parts of Spock and Data, but with more badassery

The Enterprise is waiting to receive Counselor Troi as she is returning from a conference. I’m happy to see the Trek universe continues things like professional development and continuing education. Engineering is, of course, doing maintenance because engineering and IT always do maintenance at the most inopportune times. Oh sure sure, 5 am – 6 am on a Saturday is JUST FINE, absolutely no one will need the server then. Please note the heavy sarcasm in that last sentence. Anyway, Worf and Yar have an awkward flirting moment and I’m pretty sure Worf blushed and it was adorable. Just then, there’s an issue with the shuttle craft that Troi’s on and engineering is ordered to get the warp drive back in order NOW.

The shuttle craft crash lands on a planet so an away team is assembled of Data, Yar, and Riker to check for survivors. On the planet there’s a slick black mass that follows them and will not let them pass. My first thought is – why don’t you split up the team? Surely it can’t follow in two directions. Then the mass starts talking in a weirdly comical and not at all menacing voice and begins to take shape. I’m torn between thinking this is reminiscent of the pink slime from Ghostbusters (with a Vigo-like deep voice) or the birth of the Uruk-hai from Lord of the Rings. What do you think?

The entity will not let them pass and, in true Yar style, Yar is impatient and tries to bust her way through. She is attacked by the entity and reads as being dead. We pan to the shuttle craft where we find Troi and the other crew member alive, but hurt. Troi flexes her psychology muscles on the entity and is eventually allowed to talk to Dr. Crusher. Since no one is amusing the entity it swallows Riker and this leads to Picard beaming down, so now we know things are extra bad. Dr. Crusher tries to revive Yar, to no avail, and Worf and Picard hatch a plan to allow for everyone to be beamed back up. The shuttle craft is destroyed, the planet is quarantined, and there is a memorial held for Yar in the holodeck. She pre-planned her funeral hologram and leaves a personal message for each bridge member and it’s a touching goodbye.

Maybe it’s because it’s hard to find a character that dies and stays dead or maybe it’s because who kills a mostly main character in the first season WHEN THERE ARE STILL 3 MORE EPISODES TO GO, but either way Yar’s death I did not see coming. I kept thinking she’d be revived or that she just read dead because of the interference with the scanners. I was also just starting to like Tasha Yar and she had that touching moment with Worf just minutes before she’s off to battle and just dies. I mean it’s an absolutely good life lesson that death can happen just that suddenly, especially when you are on the front lines. Like any good soldier she planned ahead and I was truly touched by her messages and totally fine until she said “hailing frequencies closed, sir” and then I lost it a bit.

One other heartbreaking part of the episode was when Riker was being hurt in the goo and Troi calls out for her “beloved”, her Imzadi. It’s clear how much she not only feels for him, but for the rest of the crew as well. Data’s reaction to the funeral is also a nice touch, because he does approach things with such child-like wonder and it’s a way to help others understand there is no “correct” way to grieve. It was a nice vehicle to show off both Troi and Picard in different ways, but I can’t get over how they treat Yar in this episode, which is why I can’t rate this one.

TA Out!

Date: March 5, 2020

Season 1, Episodes 20 and 21

Setting the Stage: I watched both episodes, via Netflix, though half of “The Arsenal of Freedom” was watched yesterday before my brain was too fried to finish it. The usual company was in the room where it happens tonight. Sloppy joes and sweet potato & cauliflower tots were had for dinner and it was just what I needed, though we should have had more vegetables I’m sure. Just one more day of work and then it’s “Spring Break” for the University. Unfortunately I still have to work, but the plan is to work from NY and NJ for a few days so I can visit with friends and family. Tonight’s writing music is a mix by Ben Böhmer.

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Favorite Quote from “The Arsenal of Freedom”:

La Forge: Relinquishing command, Captain.

Picard: As you were, Lieutenant.

La Forge: Sir?

Picard: Mr. La Forge when I left this ship, it was in one piece. I would appreciate your returning it in the same condition. Do you concur, Number One?

Riker: Absolutely, sir.

A good humor moment near the end of the episode

“The Arsenal of Freedom” has the Enterprise checking out Minos where all of the intelligent life has suddenly disappeared. As they approach the planet they are being hailed and scanned and then they are shown a pre-recorded message with the universe’s most slimy salesman.

The away team of Yar, Riker, and Data is assembled and they head down to investigate. Riker runs into Rice, an old buddy from the academy, but there’s no life sign other than the away team and it turns out Rice was really a drone image. As they prepare to beam up Riker is encased in an energy field, so Picard and Dr. Crusher beam down. Another drone comes to attack the party and Picard and Dr. Crusher find themselves down a hole. Dr. Crusher is injured and everyone’s communicators are down. Data finally frees Riker but the Enterprise is fired upon – by an unseen enemy – so they can’t beam up the away team.

La Forge and chief engineer-of-the-episode Logan fight over what to do. Back on the planet the drone keeps upgrading and following the crew. Picard administers first aid and tries to keep Dr. Crusher awake. After one last round of being fired upon, La Forge leaves orbit and leaves Logan in command of the saucer section and they prepare to separate. Troi gives LaForge some advice and I am so stoked she’s actually using her psychology background! Picard finds a view screen and that actives the automated salesman, who appears and explains that this is basically The Incredibles. Picard neutralizes the system on planet and La Forge and the rest of the battle bridge are able to shoot out the other ship and beam in the away team.

This is a very similar plot to The Incredibles where someone builds a technology that winds up being smarter than anticipated and causes a lot of trouble. In this episode the people who build the technology are war profiteers, like Tony Stark before he was Iron Man, except that they’ll sell to anyone who has money. It makes sense that they would want to demonstrate the power of their technology but you always need a fail safe or twelve. Clearly Star Trek did it earlier but Frozone did it better. I really liked how there were three separate things going on. We had Picard and Dr. Crusher were trying to keep her alive and Picard obviously not wanting to be her blanket. Yar, Data, and sort-of Riker made up another team that didn’t do a whole lot except destroy two of the drones and show off Data’s jumping skills. The big highlight for me was seeing La Forge stretch his captain legs and Troi actually acting as the damn counselor rather than just looking like she’s going to cry. I genuinely enjoyed this trip although it was much more about character development rather than story progression. I give this episode a 7 character password that has to include one lowercase letter, one uppercase letter, one number, one special character, a hieroglyph, and your eye color.

Favorite Quote from “Symbiosis”:

Data: Fascinating. Your society is dedicated exclusively to the production of a single product.

Picard: A product for which you have no use, but which the Ornarans can’t live without.

Langor: One of the little ironies of life, Captain.

Sobi: But one we’d be fools not to take advantage of. It’s mutually beneficial.

Langor: The Ornarans provide us with the necessities of life, and we provide them with the necessities of living. It is a fair exchange.

Picard: Interesting relationship.

Data uses the word “fascinating” and I giggle every time. Picard was certainly using sarcasm in his last line. I can hear it all the way from space.

“Symbiosis” sees the Enterprise approaching a magnetic storm and it is messing with computer systems. They intercept a distress signal from a nearby freighter and do several things to try to assist but eventually have to beam everyone over before their ship is going to disintegrate. The people on the ship beam over the cargo instead of themselves and Yar tries one more time and is able to beam up 4 of the 6 people, but they are all only concerned about the cargo. The two groups argue over the cargo and then try to electrocute each other. The cargo turns out to be medicine that one planet needs desperately. Dr. Crusher examines everyone but cannot find the cause of the disease and she is suspicious about the medicine as it is their only source of income.

Dr. Crusher figures out that the “medicine” is actually a narcotic and everyone is just a drug addict. She feels so strongly about it that her and Picard fight about what to do. Picard cannot violate the prime directive and feels that telling them this information would do so. The Brekkians decide to give the “medicine” to the Ornarans for free because they’ve realized the Federation has figured it out and if they all die, there will be no more customers. Picard refuses to give them the coils to fix the freighters citing the prime directive but hoping it will help the Ornarans become less dependent on the drug and become a more independent peoples.

I was a bit taken back by Picard’s disdain and demeanor toward the other captain when the freighter was in crisis. He was so upset by the incompetence and he’s usually so gracious with his own crew. However he sticks to his guns about the prime directive even it is against his own personal moral code and against the quite forceful Dr. Crusher’s advice. I think she’s much more outraged by the exploitation than the suffering, but it’s a close call. I’m also super confused by both groups of aliens being able to electrocute others with their bare hands as it’s never really brought up or plays a really big role in the episode. I get it… drugs are bad and so is exploiting those who are addicted. Addiction is nothing to mess around with and I wish everyone saw it the way Wesley did:

Wesley: What I can’t understand is why anyone would voluntarily become dependent on a chemical.

Yar: Wesley, no one wants to become dependent. That happens later.

Wesley: But it does happen. So why do people start?

Yar: On my home planet, there was so much poverty and violence, that for some the only escape was through drugs.

Wesley: How can a chemical substance can provide an escape?

Yar: It doesn’t, but it makes you think it does. You have to understand, drugs can make you feel good. They make you feel on top of the world. You’re happy, sure of yourself, in control.

Wesley: But it’s artificial.

Yes Wes, it is.

Overall this was a very “meh” episode and I think it earns itself 4 imperfectly rolled joints. That being said, I leave you with this gem:

TA Out!

Date: March 4, 2020

Season 1, Episode 19

Setting the Stage: I watched this episode via Netflix while eating a wonderful steak dinner. I did the happiest happy dance I could, given my level of exhaustion, that I was going to get some more Worf in this episode! Zoom was on one side of the husband, Tempura was on the other, and I was jealous that I wasn’t on the couch sharing in all the puppy and kitty cuddles. I also watched about half of the next episode, but I didn’t really sleep last night and am super tired, so that will have to wait until tomorrow. Next week is Spring Break and I’m sure I’ll zoom ahead (no pun intended) in between all of the work I have to do. Tonight’s Trek writing music is the Fantastical Symphony by Berlioz.

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Favorite Quotes:

Yar: It looked like Korris was going to hold that little girl as a hostage.

Worf: That is not our way. Cowards take hostages. Klingons do not.

Worf setting the record straight.

Worf: You have talked of glory and of conquest and legends we will write.

Korris: Yes, the birthright of every Klingon.

Worf: Yet in all you say, where are the words duty, honor, loyalty? Without which a warrior is nothing.

Worf setting the record straight, for the second time in the same episode.

The Enterprise is looking into a disturbance in the Neutral Zone where they encounter a floating vessel. La Forge, Data, and Riker beam over and they try the visual transmitter so everyone can see what LaForge sees. They maneuver through the ship and Data goes ahead to find the survivors, three Klingons. They all manage to be beamed off the ship just as it explodes. Two of the Klingons try to explain what happened but something is off about their story. The third Klingon has severe injuries, dies, and the two remaining Klingons and Worf do some some screaming. Worf explains some of his background, he was adopted, and the surviving Klingons share that they hate the peace treaty and feels it limits them as warriors. Another Klingon ship approaches and their captain explains that the two Klingons are actually renegades and criminals.

Worf asks to address the Klingon captain but is unsuccessful in his plea. The two Klingon prisoners break out and kill some yellow shirts (ugh, that has an awful ring to it) and one of the Klingons is killed. Korris, the remaining Klingon, escapes to engineering where Picard and Worf follow. Worf tries to talk down Korris and eventually defeats and him. Worf does a very excellent scream after Korris dies, Chekov should take some notes.

A few things about this episode, but only a few because my brain is fried. I absolutely LOVED learning more about Worf and more about the Klingons. I absolutely hated how Yar and some of the others were suddenly racist against the Klingons and said “Klingon” like it was a dirty word. I get that the Klingons and the Federation were enemies but you’ve been at peace for a while now, get over it! Worf certainly acts as a model Klingon and model Federation officer, and I commend him. Korris got a little dramatic and erratic at the end, where did he think he was going to escape to? The episode seemed to have a lot of filler in it, and that I was disappointed in. I asked for more Worf and I got him in spades, but I certainly want more and would have liked a bit better of an episode. I didn’t hate this episode, but I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. In fact, I think this episode deserves the 6 of spades as part of a pocket pair.

TA Out!

Date: March 3, 2020

Season 1, Episodes 17 and 18

Setting the Stage: I watched both episodes, via Netflix, after coming home from work and voting. The Democratic ballot in NC had 15 choices for President while the Republican ballot had 3, and our county had 13 positions to vote on this Super Tuesday. Professor Zoom was fast asleep and does not seem to give one iota about The Next Generation, not that he’s ever really excited about anything on the TV for that matter. Tempura was the only one really hanging around, but this morning I was surrounded as it was clear all my fur babies missed me while I was on my trip. Tonight’s writing music is a mix by the Dallas String Quartet.

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Favorite Quote from “Home Soil”:

Voice of life force: Ugly, ugly giant bags of mostly water.

Picard: Bags of mostly water?

Data: An accurate description of humans, sir. You are over ninety per cent water surrounded by a flexible container.

I still can’t stop laughing, this was the best damn line of the whole episode

“Home Soil” has the Enterprise checking in on the group in charge of terraforming Velara III. As Director Mandl becomes obstinate and Troi detects erratic behavior, Picard insists the away teams beams down to check things out. One of the workers goes off into another room and is severely injured by a drill and then beamed up to sickbay. Data investigates and finds that the drill was somehow programmed to kill and we’ve now got a murder mystery on our hands.

La Forge and Data go back to investigate and think they’ve found a life form, which turns out to be inorganic and why it was missed during the several checks beforehand. In Dr. Crusher’s lab it duplicates right in front of the crew’s eyes but after an unsuccessful quarantine, they evacuate the lab. At one point the light life form tries to communicate and begins to look like a Tesla Coil.

The light life forms admit to killing the man with the laser and declare war on the humans because they do not believe they came in peace. The crew figures out how to affect the entities and Picard is able to negotiate peace with them. The entities ask humanity to try again in 300 years and is now a beautiful crystal structure. Picard recommends the planet to be off limits and away we go.

I liked that Troi finally got a lot to do this episode though she still always looks pained. I also noticed that La Forge really tries to be funny, but his one liners are often delivered dead panned and don’t really land. He and Data have a great relationship and I wish we saw that a little more. I’m also finding that I don’t dislike Yar as much as I used to, but that’s also a function of her not really having much to do. Back to the episode I love the idea of terraformming and have always been fascinated with it. I love that they spent time explaining the subject and didn’t think it took away from the episode at all. I also think that this episode helps the Federation actually learn something about the universe it hadn’t before; life doesn’t always look the same. We can abstract out all we want, but in the end there will always be something that challenges our standard definitions. It’s sad someone had to die, especially since I really liked his enthusiasm for the .5 seconds we got to meet him, but in the end it was a pretty good episode. I give this one a solid 8 of hearts.

Favorite Quote from “Coming of Age”:

Worf: The psych test is no more or less important than the rest of the process.

Wesley: That’s what they said, but I can’t stop thinking about it.

Worf: Thinking about what you can’t control only wastes your energy and creates its own enemy.

Worrying means you suffer twice, as I always say. GIVE ME MORE WORF already!

 “Coming of Age” begins with Wesley and another teenager having a weird teen moment before we find out that Wesley qualified to take the Starfleet entrance exam and he beams down to the planet. Just as soon as he’s beamed down an Admiral Quinn and “internal affairs” officer Remmick beam in to see if there’s anything wrong with the Enterprise and its crew. Remmick starts with Riker, who does an impressive amount of overreacting, about “discrepancies” in the captain’s logs.

Jake, the teenager from earlier, steals a shuttle craft. Picard helps Jake through the malfunction and gets him back safely, showing he’s truly a badass. On the planet Wesley meets three other candidates who will all be working toward securing the one slot for the Academy and they begin several rounds of testing. Wesley does a great job on the tests, shows an aptitude for understanding other cultures, and helps another student through a problem even to the detriment of his own test. During the “psych test” Wesley proves to himself, and the examiner, that he can make the command decision – but is ultimately not chosen for the slot.

Remmick delivers his final report to the Admiral explaining that he couldn’t find anything wrong and then asks Picard if he can serve on the Enterprise in six months when his tour is up. After Remmick leaves, Quinn explains that he believes there’s someone trying to destroy the Federation and he had to be sure Picard hadn’t been compromised. The Admiral offers the position of commandant of the Starfleet Academy to Picard, which he turns down. Wesley learns that Picard also failed his first entrance exam and we head to a party.

So it took me several episodes to realize that the red and yellow shirts were switched for this series, and I’m not sure why it took me this long. I mean I noticed it on the first episode, of course, but didn’t think anything of it until I saw a cute comic about red shirting in reference to sports and was like – wait, Picard wears red now!

Anyway this episode was okay, but not great. I really need more Worf. Event though he had very few lines he is such a commanding presence. He’s becoming a top favorite, along with Data of course. I like this side of Wesley and I like seeing him interact with others his age and on his level, he was smart but not arrogant. He showed great maturity for an almost 16 year old and he even blushed a little when a girl called him “cute”. Remmick plays a great internal affairs guy and you can see that he has the tenacity to get to the bottom of a mystery, but also the understanding that his premise may not be true. He cheered when Picard helped Jake and understood the crew was more like family. This episode gets a solid six of clubs, in sticking with today’s theme that I didn’t even know I had.

TA Out!

Date: March 2, 2020

Season 1, Episode 16

Setting the Stage: I watched this episode via Netflix in the comfort of my own home after a fantastic but long weekend. I flew from Pensacola to Nashville and then to Raleigh where I picked up my car and went straight into the office. I saw approximately 20 students during my afternoon office hours, taught class, came home for a quick nap, ate dinner while watching this episode, and then answered about half of my emails while jamming out to Billy Joel. I’m just tired from writing that sentence. The usual contingency of Professor Zoom and Tempura were present during our Trek watch, along with the husband. Since I cannot write with lyrics, however, tonight’s Trek writing music is 2001: A Space Odyssey by Coccolino Deep.

Just 8 more days of plugging Bad Ass Moms: http://kck.st/2SimbnD.

Favorite Quote:

Picard: Dr. Crusher is a Staff Officer, Radue. Starfleet Regulation six point five seven requires that at least two Staff Officers are present during any treaty or contract negotiations.
Radue: Very well.
Riker: Not much on pleasantries, is he?
Data: I am not aware of Regulation six point five seven.
Picard: No, Data. Neither am I.
Data: I see, sir. (short pause) Oh, I see, sir.

and this, my friends, is why I love Data

The Enterprise has been following an anomaly which leads to the discussion of the infamous planet of Aldea, which turns out to be real and simply behind a protective shield that also acts as a cloaking device. Radue and Rashella beam aboard the Enterprise and then beam over Riker, Dr. Crusher, and Troi in very quick fashion. It turns out we have a Children of Men situation and the Aldeans cannot have children, so they want those off of the Enterprise. As soon as they are told “no”, however, they beam back the away team and beam over several children, including Wesley (of course).

Each child is assigned to a “unit” that will help foster the child’s talent. Wesley meets “the custodian” which is really a computer that has been running the lives of the Aldeans so much so that they do not know what Calculus is, among other things. The parents back on the Enterprise are rightfully panicked but Picard and Dr. Crusher have a plan and sneak a medical scanner over to Wesley when they are there to “negotiate” a trade for the children. Turns out the Aldeans are dying due to radiation poisoning which stems from using their shield.

Data and Riker are able to beam over through a break in the shield as Dr. Crusher and Picard go to finish the “negotiations”. It helps that the Aldeans really want the children to thrive so the Federation agrees to help Aldea and the children get to go back to their parents, but they still have to study calculus.

I immediately knew that I knew the actress who played Rashella and, as it turns out, she’s been in a bunch of stuff. I know her fondly from Sports Night and all is well in the world because that show was awesome and I miss it. Picard being visibly uncomfortable while the young girl was showing him affection was hysterical and he handled it well, as a captain should. I do like that they are finally acknowledging that there are families on the ship as Wesley has really been the only reminder since the first episode, I think. This wasn’t the strongest episode, but it had an interesting plot and pulled out a win at the last moment in true Trek style. It used others on the ship in interesting ways and allowed for some creative problem solving. I give it Track 8 off of Billy Joel’s Album Turnstiles which was originally written as his adaptation of a science fiction song, appropriate as I’ve just come back from a sci-fi convention. Give it a listen here:

TA Out!