TNG runthrough

Evade

Evade wrote: »

If Data was ever to return I wouldn't mind if they dropped the makeup altogether for the benefit of the actor and write it off as a fashion thing like his streak of grey in All Good Things.




Didn't the Soong hologram say she'd shut down if she ever found out she was an android?

I thought so as well but then i thought i must have misheard because then there surely wouldn't be a debate?
If it was literally 'well it's lie to her or she dies' then i probs would be more on the 'lie to her' camp all right.

The makeup is mad sparkly on a 4k tv! we were amazed at it.
Plus since there's precedent of a totally human looking android now he could totally have an upgrade.

Captain Picard just got authorisation to exceed warp speed limits for some assignment he just got, so there is some continuity there now. On captain Picard day

Inviere

bluewolf wrote: »

On captain Picard day

He's eh, he's a role model

I watched a below decks type of episode next last night, with the ensigns. It was really good up until they sent ensign sato or whatever her name was, the bajoran one, on a stupid mission. They can genetically modify everyone else for away missions and they sent ensign baby face off??
Also lol at geordi taking a break from poker to do some work and take an ensign along with

pixelburp

The genetic surgery thing always bugged me; like the teleporters I get the practical reason why they did it for the sake of the plot, but just felt like something has would have a huge cultural ripple effect that never went explored or acknowledged. After all, if you could look like any race, why stick with the one you're born with?

I never thought of that. I wonder if it required 20 levels of clearance and was otherwise generally forbidden or unavailable. The cardassians did it easily enough in ds9 with convincing whatsherface she was really cardassian.
Though it's usually cosmetic only anyway isn't it

pixelburp

Well if you believe Discovery, it was possible to surgically alter ones organs into the preferred species too. As you suggest, I suspect it's something like cloaking, that everyone agreed not to use - and obviously it was just a (lazy?) crutch for writers to allow Riker to stomp about Mah'Guffen IV without problem.

Just feels like another one of those little cultural elements of Trek that went / goes unexplored that leaves me wanting more: assuming it was legal, why wouldn't folks alter themselves to match their preferred body image? Even as a cosmetic or fashion choice.

It'd be an intriguing point of friction & drama for a race to suddenly find Federation civilians looking just like them. Fake Klingons walking around wearing head-ridges for the aesthetics of it. Brings up the issue of cultural appropriation for extra 'topicality' points.

TheIrishGrover

I'm only waiting for Discovery to introduce a..... well a.... species-fluid species. "Are you identifying me as Klingon? That's offensive. I'm whatever I want to be. TODAY I identify as Klingon but don't assume I'm Klingon just because I look Klingon, sound Klingon, speak Klingon, smell Klingon, adopt Klingon mannerisms and customs"

Actually, that would be interesting: Have a character that looks like some hot Human/Vulcan or whatever. As soon as they get pregnant or if their species goes into heat - they get all horny and stuff, and then they turn into a huge big ugly blob monster which is sexy as hell to their species but, y'know...... Have the other interested party then deal with their own acceptance/opinions........ Think of all the easy cosplay at comic-cons. lol


But, yeah, regarding the modifications in Trek. I always assumed they were cosmetic and probably fooled also by some sort of local cloak. Look at the time Riker was captured and they quickly identified him as being different by a simple scan.

I got the impression from Discovery that the process to actually genetically modify someone was a difficult, time consuming, dangerous and painful process that was only taken as an extreme measure: "What will it cost me?" "Everything"

TheValeyard

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

I'm only waiting for Discovery to introduce a..... well a.... species-fluid species. "Are you identifying me as Klingon? That's offensive.

Think TNG already did that with Datas daughter Lal. She was allowed to choose her own gender and appearance.

Four finalists – an Andorian female, a Human male and female, and a Klingon male – Lal chose the Human female form.

They did have a non gender species as well. Didn't riker fall for the one who was trying to identify as female? Then s/he got brainwashed back to nongender and told him to take a hike

TheIrishGrover

bluewolf wrote: »

They did have a non gender species as well. Didn't riker fall for the one who was trying to identify as female? Then s/he got brainwashed back to nongender and told him to take a hike

Yeah, and it was a very good episode actually. Well acted by Frakes

pixelburp

That was 'The Outcast' and while a standout from the TNG era, was very much the product of its time: watching it with 2018 era eyes, it comes off very clunky and stiff; seemed like the writers had to thread the needle of writing an allegory about gender identity and gay rights, without tipping to the audience that it was about gender identity or gay rights - at a time when audiences simply wouldn't have accepted a 'normal' gay character. I also wondered if the writers were themselves from that community, because it had that preachy, 'white knight' quality you can get from those with secondhand experience, so didn't think they were.

Evade

The thing with trans-species is would there be any reason for it? It's not like a transgender person whose brain forms in such a way that it's mismatched to their body. There's no biological reason for a human to be born with an Andorian aligned brain or what have you. I know other-kin were a thing on the internet a few years ago but those kids seem to have all grown out of it. Voyager did have the episode about the species that reproduces by reanimating the dead of other races but that's really dumb.


Every Star Trek bar Enterprise has touched on a sort of trans cultural assimilation where a person strongly identifies with another culture but never really feels the need to become a member of that species. TNG had Suddenly Human with the boy who was orphaned and found by a former enemy race and adopted by them. Voyager had the Doctor's son after B'Elanna injected some realism into the programme. Then there's Jadzia and the Klingons. I'm going to include Spock here too more for his rejection of his human side for a good deal of his life and identifying solely as a Vulcan than assimilating into an alien culture.

Kiith

Only Riker could end up on a planet of a non-gender race and still get into trouble for hooking up with someone.

His best was still the alien nurse after he was captured, who he had to bang before she would help him escape :P

Back in the hospital, Riker is attempting to escape where he encounters a nurse named Lanel, who tells him he cannot escape due to the guards outside. Lanel asks if Riker is an alien. When he says no, she does not believe him. Lanel offers to let Riker escape to his spaceship in space, but only if he would make love to her. Riker says no, but Lanel insists, eager to learn how Humans make love. "I can't wait to learn", she eagerly says.

Lanel fulfills her part of the bargain, distracting a guard by saying she thinks Riker is dead. Lanel asks if she will ever see Riker again. Riker says "I'll call you the next time I pass through your star system.

As for genetic modifications, i'm assuming the "slightly evolved" human race don't have any real desire to change their appearance that much. Given the trouble they had with Eugenics, there is probably a healthy enough fear of what would happen if they went down that path again.

That episode with Lanel popped into my head the other day, it was a funny Roswell episode
"we'll just cover it up as a big government conspiracy, any doubters will be called crazy"

Broccoli gets his own disease named after him

Also lol at the sideeye data gave him when he said he'd be grand taking care of the cat. Brent spiner is some actor all the same

Next up wesley appears to be throwing an angsty strop, and the native americans are being kicked out again
Wesley turned into a magical hippie?? 🤔

Cookie_Monster

pixelburp wrote: »

The "warp speed disintegrates space" was and still is a great concept that could be stretched out into an arc, it's a shame no one ever grasped it. Would have made a change from the ubiquitous war plots.

except the variable geometry warp nacelles of Voyager solved the problem, no?
I though that was the whole point of them.

IvySlayer

bluewolf wrote: »

Broccoli gets his own disease named after him

Also lol at the sideeye data gave him when he said he'd be grand taking care of the cat. Brent spiner is some actor all the same��

Weird that Dr Crusher and Counsellor Troi are laughing at something that people died due to the disease only a day or two ago!

pixelburp wrote: »

The "warp speed disintegrates space" was and still is a great concept that could be stretched out into an arc, it's a shame no one ever grasped it. Would have made a change from the ubiquitous war plots.

Wasn't that only a specific area of space it damaged? They could have expanded on it, how would they have enforced it to other empires etc etc but Star Trek being Star Trek anything can be solved by some magical thing done by the deflector dish

Cookie_Monster

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

I'm only waiting for Discovery to introduce a..... well a.... species-fluid species.

The Founders ticked that box

Evade

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

The Founders ticked that box

And the race from TNG's the Dauphin, and then the girl(?) in Rura Penthe in Star Trek VI. There was probably one in TOS too that I can't remember.

Johnny Storm

bluewolf wrote: »

That episode with Lanel popped into my head the other day, it was a funny Roswell episode
"we'll just cover it up as a big government conspiracy, any doubters will be called crazy"

That was "First Contact" - one of the best episodes IMHO

IvySlayer

IvySlayer wrote: »

Weird that Dr Crusher and Counsellor Troi are laughing at something that people died due to the disease only a day or two ago!



Wasn't that only a specific area of space it damaged? They could have expanded on it, how would they have enforced it to other empires etc etc but Star Trek being Star Trek anything can be solved by some magical thing done by the deflector dish

I think iirc they decided the specific area was already more susceptible or more damaged but it could happen anywhere so they had to play it safe. I have to say they have been very consistent about it - most episodes say engage warp 5, or mention there is permission from starfleet to go faster


Since our last update, ro has joined the maquis and now capt Picard is flitting around different time periods. Its interesting ti see reactions between episodes when someone says something out there. Sometimes they're all straight on board, if you said it, it must be true. Sometimes it's "captain have you considered you might just be crazy"

Also deanna and worf are dating now o.O

Goodshape

bluewolf wrote: »

and now capt Picard is flitting around different time periods.

Sounds like you're about finished then?

Also deanna and worf are dating now o.O

Always liked that arc to be honest. I think I might be in the minority, but was disappointed that they just dropped it like it never happened in the movies and DS9.

I haven't actually kept track - i don't remember the ending and i didnt want to find out there's only a few episodes left


It's a bit mad if they just dropped it everywhere. I was thinking alright nobody mentioned that in ds9. He seems a lot more uptight with jadzia too, he was always moaning about something!

I think I'll have to catch up on the movies next

pixelburp

Deanna / Worf felt way wrong, and I can't help but wonder if it was just the writers struggling to manufacture something for Troi to do, and decided to pair her off with Worf.

His relationship with Jadzia was pretty fantastic, and you could tell the writers loved sparking the pair against each other. The material with Deanna was just terrible. But then I'm an unapologetic hater of anyone named Troi in Star Trek so I'm pretty heavily biased

Oh no! I love lwaxana

Oh you weren't joking that really was the end! Sob!

Well it's been a good run everyone! I'll have to think about whether I'm up for a voy rewatch. I think I'd rather do the movies since I'm pretty sure i missed most

Goodshape

Or DS9?


//edit: oh, I just went back to look at the OP here. You've done DS9 already

IvySlayer

All Good Things is the best ending ever.

DS9/Voyager/Enterprise massive disappointments

pixelburp

All Good Things is the most quintessentially Trek piece of Trek; it ticked every trope in the box - in a good way. Anomalies! Science and investigation! Time travel! Wobbly timelines! The show then got to go out on a high, which is probably just as well as IIRC the quality level really tanked in that last season.

Kiith

Definitely the best ending, though i enjoyed the montage at the end of DS9. And the final shot zooming away from the station with the fantastic music playing. Voyager was way too abrupt, and the less said about Enterprise the better.

Both worth watching again