The Star Trek Thread, 3.0

As I've stated before, Trek should have never been about a utopian humanity, but about, as I'd sorta put it, "making tomorrow than better than today".

Speaking of making tomorrow better.

TNG: "The Child"

The story about Troi's child holds no interest for me at all. It's vaguely interesting, nothing more. The real joy of this episode is in seeing TNG take a big step up from where it had been. I mean, it's immediately noticable that this show is now better. I wonder what it was like for a skeptical viewer in 1988. It's similar to the big quality jump in ENT's "Storm Front" two-parter.

For one, it's not red-tinted, though that'll of course be corrected on the Blu-rays. But we finally see a shuttlebay, then we see Worf in gold with a metal baldric, Riker with a beard, Wesley in an acceptable uniform that isn't a heinous 80's Christmas sweater. The dialogue and character interaction, even the way the scenes play out, are HUGELY improved. The bit with meeting Pulaski (and for the audience, meeting Guinan) are well done. I really like the scene with Picard and Wesley in the turbolift. For the first time in the series I don't want to see Wesley sprayed with xenomorph blood. Just how the show moves along is better than pretty much anything in S1.

Of course Rob Bowman does a good job in directing the episode. I liked the scene in the briefing room with Troi sitting quietly at the end of the table. Okay, Riker gets a jackass moment... "I don't mean to sound indelicate, but... (quite indelicately) Who's the father!?"

And we get to see Seymour Cassel of all people in a Star Trek episode. At the end, the Enterprise warps off, and things feel promising at last.

Turns out the red tinting had to do with the video masters aging horribly. I realized that when watching "Shades of Grey" that all of the S1footage looked color corrected and then there was a 1994 feature with S1 clips all color corrected. So when they finally got back to the masters to transfer them on DVD ten years ago they were in a terrible state. Must have been different tapes they used from the rest of the show because S2 is a noticeable improvement in picture quality.

That's the thing about video -- whether on tape then or digital now. You're saving money today just so you can get fucked in the future.

Digital degrades?

In a hundred years, I can take a strip of 35mm, shine a light through it, and get an image.

Meanwhile, hand me a digital video file you made on your iMac in 2002 and ask me to play it in ten years and you'll get nothing but frustration.

I could go on and on, but this is a rant I've expounded on one two many times.

Wow, I don't get how a digital file can degrade.

It's not degradation that's a problem with digital so much as that the technology moves so fast that you'll be lucky if you can play anything stored that way.

TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease"

A few minor qualms aside it's probably my favorite episode yet. An interesting, intelligent episode. Does Picard's plan to destroy the Enterprise feel properly motivated? That's one question I had when watching it, from a writing standpoint. I understand that course, and the logic of it, but I feel like it maybe needed a step or two more to get Picard there in a way that would feel completely natural.

Where did Wesley go? Maybe he had to take a shit, so they had Ensign Redshirt fill in so someone could die and it wouldn't matter. It bothers me that it's not explained at all, because it's too easy to just put a redshirt right in front at the Conn and then kill him a minute later. It's too clumsy for an otherwise intellgently done episode. Was there a deleted scene?

Would have been better if Haskell had been in a different position in the bridge, maybe science station or something. He just comes out of nowhere the way it plays out.

Also. ONE RIKER, ONE BRIDGE!

When Haskell starts to die I thought of Bill Cosby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wZdarKToKs

TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data"

Enjoyable enough to make me ignore some questions I'd have. Terrific Moriarty. The teaser has perhaps the most hilarious moment of unintentional homoeroticism in the franchise.

Some of the bonus stuff to be expected in the blu-ray, this taken from an early camera testing for the pilot.

From Comic Con

Quote :

Regarding DS9 on Blu-Ray: Director of Multimedia at CBS Television Distribution Ryan Adams said that CBS are putting this decision in the fans’ hands. However, Adams assures fans DS9 HD "is officially on our radar now." He made it clear that CBS want to engage with the fans who are part of the process. "If this is what you want, make it vocal – especially now with social media, Facebook, Twitter, Blogging – you guys let us know what you want next. We want to please the fans and give them what they want."

Not sure if I'd buy it right away, but I'd like it to be available.

BTW, anyone seen a 70's show called QUARK?



May Netflix it. It's only got a few episodes.

Watching OKONA. 7 minutes in.

-Troi states what is readily apparent, that this guy is a brazen rogue, etc. Doesn't she have manic-depressives to treat? A big mistake for her character was always having her sit on the bridge.
-Riker just stands there as Okona brazenly sexually harrasses a subordinate. For like, two-minutes. Riker's just laughing with the guys. Yeah, this wasn't written by a man. I don't care on TOS, but it really sticks out on TNG. It's not believable to me, character-wise.

EDIT: 10 minutes in.

Teri Hatcher is waiting for Okona to fuck him. *facepalm*

TNG: "The Outrageous Okona"

Truly, truly awful.

TNG: "Loud as a Whisper"

A fair episode, with the funniest death effects in Trek.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

TNG: "The Outrageous Okona"

Truly, truly awful.

The school text edition of plain bad writing. Literally on all counts.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

TNG: "Loud as a Whisper"

A fair episode, with the funniest death effects in Trek.

A favorite cue of mine from that episode.

TNG: "The Schizoid Man"


"I'M NORMA BATES!!!"

A pretty good episode. It's always great to see Spiner get to do something different.

TNG: "Unnatural Selection"

Well, I liked it. I like Pulaski. Sure, she's very much McCoy 2.0, and her relating to Data is very much like McCoy and Spock, but I do think they pulled it off well throughout S2... at least from what I recall.

TNG: "A Matter of Honor"

A good episode, if you accept the premise. I guess I can accept it. The idea of the Klingons going for an officer exchange program is a stretch to me, but the story otherwise works. Granted, I'd rather see Riker on a Klingon ship in a battle situation (perhaps against the Romulans) than having the conflict be over ship-eating bacteria.

And of course, one of the great fuck ups of the TNG films was having Riker growing fat on the Enterprise bridge. He should have been a captain by FIRST CONTACT at the latest. They could have had him only in the beginning, during the Borg battle. He doesn't actually serve much of a purpose after they go back in time anyway, not really.

I like the idea of "The Chase" being TREK VII. STAR TREK ORIGINS. Picard, Data, and a Leo Getz-ish Ferengi on an a adventure while Riker commands the Enterprise, and they all meet up (with Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians) at that planet. The Enterprise is destroyed in the same manner as GENERATIONS and the crew is taken back to a starbase by those aliens ships (which is fitting, given the story). Riker then accepts a command, and it's made clear Picard will get another Enterprise. Maybe we picks up a small piece of debris that says "Enterprise" and says, "I'll just wait for the next one."

TNG: "The Measure of a Man"

So, the little irksome things...

-Perhaps they laid it on a little too thick with Maddox, though he came off better to me on this viewing.

-In the first session of the trial, did Picard even have an arguement? It didn't seem like it.

-I'd say maybe Guinan comes up with her defense just a little too quickly, but hey, she's Guinan. The real question is WTF is doing working as a bartender.

All of that aside, this is classic Trek.

I'm very interested in seeing Snodgrass's extended cut, apparently it will be mostly character stuff added but that should be fun to watch. Doesn't the blu-ray of TOS S1 have the extended cut of "Where No Man Has Gone Before"?

Son of a bitch, I forgot I have MEASURE on DVD. I got the "Best of TNG" DVDs for a few bucks. Would have looked better than Netflix Instant.