Exasperated Calculator

Here’s a helpful hint if you’re ever on board a starship in similar situations to these ones: when you’re emotionless android suddenly has human emotions, the correct answer is to lock him up and then find out what’s going on. Especially if he’s super strong and acting irrationally and jealously.

At this point, you’d think they’d be considering some kind of “is this really Data” test to be deployed every day or so, to make sure Data hasn’t been replaced or taken over.

Once we’re past the slight dose of the idiot plot the episode picks up. It’s a great performance from Brent Spiner, as he subtly twists Data in different directions. And to be fair, the crew isn’t as stupid here as in some past episodes – they do work it out fairly quickly.

138 down, 599 to go. And I’ve half caught up on the latest mini-hiatus (4 episodes behind).

To me, the core of Star Trek is to tell good Science Fiction stories through the lens of the Enterprise crew.

This is a really good example of that. The basic idea is an exploration of a common trope of SF, exploring some ideas of more alien lifestyles. It’s carried through well here, particularly through the relationship with Troi (the first time that I’ve actually liked her in the series).

Riva’s chorus is implemented well, with the concept settling in quickly without being beaten over the head with it. Although there is a slightly unsettling overtone with the caste-like system of the chorus – it would have been interesting to come back to this setting again.

137 down, 600 to go.

Apparently the writers think the most important character to resurrect from the Original Series is Harry Mudd. It’s hard to see the character of Okona as anything other than a direct copy, which is not a good sign. After all, the Mudd episodes were some of the worst.

The first act (’oh, the charming rogue’) is then followed by the second act (’Data tries to find out what funny is’), and about the point that they were doing Jerry Lewis impressions I would have given up if this wasn’t part of the project.

As it turns out, I should have stopped while I was ahead. Because then we plunge into a bad retelling of Romeo & Juliet, written by someone who didn’t really understand the story. Soon there will be two good episodes in a row, but not now.

A side note: it’s nice to see that the first search result for a great comic wasn’t from the 20th century for a change.

So, apparently the programmers of the Enterprise Holdodeck have never heard of elementary computer security, such as not allowing programs to escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary code.

This means I’ve got a bit more suspension of disbelief than usual to do. Alien species, faster than light, those are all easy. But the idea that computer security would be so lax on a military ship? Difficult.

With suspension of disbelief in hand, though, this is really a fantastic little episode. The growth of the Moriaty character on the Holodeck is great, and the episode is mercifully devoid of the idiot plot at all.

It’s a little strange, but the two best episodes so far of TNG are both set on the Holodeck. Gee, I hope the writers don’t run that into the ground later…

This episode also has pretty much the dirtiest Star Trek line ever: “Then I shall fill you with crumpets, Madam”.

135 down, 602 to go.

Oh dear, it’s the superpowerful aliens again.

It’s a crutch for lazy writers, really. You can ignore logic, and don’t have to worry too much about the plot. So you end up with a universe that seems to be packed with super-powerful aliens around every other corner.

The episode does have some nice pieces: Worf and Riker on the Yamato, Picard and his conversation with the faux-Troi and Data. There’s also a good sense of menace in the episode. But things fall off the rails in the final third, with the resolution basically coming down to Picard sulking.

Oh, and Doctor Pulaski really needs to stop with the Data bashing. I think they were going for something more like Bones/Spock relationship, but it just comes across as mean.

134 down, 603 to go.

Welcome to Season 2. And we’re off to a pretty heavy dose of retooling. A new doctor, a new set (complete with stunt recurring guest star), some reshuffling of roles, and even a uniform for Wesley. Oh, and the bead. Thank goodness for Riker’s beard, it’s absence had been unsettling me.

Some things haven’t changed – we’re in a conference room inside the first 10 minutes.

Overall I didn’t like the episode very much. The ‘Troi has a son’ thing is just weird, and never gets satisfactorily explained. And the emotional connection doesn’t come through either. So it’s just a case of ‘bleh’. And then there was the strange subplot involving the plague specimens or something, which I didn’t quite follow and had all the excitement of watching people count things.

133 down, 604 to go.