#kolrami

[idol--hands]

🎮 TRANSLATION 🎮

DATA: "I must not make the wrong decision on the bridge."

PICARD: "Do I have to comfort the android?! There's less than an hour before the next shift!"

PULASKI: "I'm relentless, stop sulking because you lost at a game!"

DATA: "I'm not sulking, I'm looking for a defect."

Data embroiled in some shenanigans between Picard and Pulaski

(Source)

[filmjunky-99]

r e m e m b e r i n g

Roy Brocksmith

15 September 1945 – 16 December 2001

⚘️

[pic: brocksmith as sirna kolrami, peak performance, tng]

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Data

By Ames

It’s the man you’ve all been waiting for! He’s one of the most popular Star Trek characters of all time. He teaches us humanity and friendship and science. He’s the outsider character of his series and uses his unique perspective to open our eyes to the world and the people around us. And he loves cats! No wait, we already spotlighted Commander Spock. Just kidding. I’m, of course, talking about Lieutenant Commander Data!

It’s hard for us at A Star to Steer Her By to narrow down the best moments from our android friend because he gets to do so damn much between The Next Generation series and movies, and he’s also my personal favorite character on the show, but we’ve somehow managed it! So use your positronic brains to read on below and listen to our discussion on this week’s podcast episode (tricorder scan to 1:03:10) to see where we drew the line. Saddle up!

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

You are fully functional, aren't you? As we mentioned in our Picard spotlight, “The Naked Now” has the strangest mix of great and terrible character moments, and I couldn’t not include the incredibly hot Data/Yar romance that it created. It’s just nice to know that Data is programmed in multiple techniques, a broad variety of pleasuring. And later, the physical acting we get from Brent Spiner in that lean and fall was great!

My thoughts are not for Tasha, but for myself While the rest of “Skin of Evil” and the anticlimactic death of Tasha Yar aren’t really our cups of tea, we do have to admit that the tribute scene at the end is moving and well done. And that final moment when Data and Picard talk (even so briefly!) about the point of the ceremony and how empty it will feel without Yar… I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

Tied game, we’re going into overtime I also have to give Data credit for all the times he uses his big android brain to solve a problem, an advantage he has over pretty much any other character. For example, when he busts Sirna Kolrami up in a game of strategema by forcing a constant stalemate in “Peak Performance,” it feels like a win because he thinks outside the fluorescent holographic box!

One android with a single weapon Every so often, we also see Data in command, questioning his leadership skills or having difficulty connecting with his peers (more on that one in a second). But when he’s the only one who can survive the radiation on Tau Cygna, he takes charge to get its colonists to leave by blowing up their aqueduct in “The Ensigns of Command.” Try withstanding Sheliak attacks now, losers!

Thank you for my life While some of us on SSHB didn’t care much for Lal, you’ve got to admit that all of Data’s actions in “The Offspring” are on point. From questioning why he shouldn’t be allowed to create life, to letting his offspring self-identify, to keeping her out of the hands of Starfleet, it’s all good parenting. But what takes the cake is the heart-wrenching farewell scene after he tries to save her.

He who dies with the most toys… is kind of an asshole While we don’t get the cathartic release of Data phasering the hell out of Kivas Fajo in “The Most Toys,” we do get to take some pride that he is capable of overcoming his ethical subprogram to do away with someone who really has no right existing. When Geordi says that he detects a phaser firing in the transporter beam, you know he just needed a fraction of a second more and Fajo would be toast.

Your request for reassignment has been noted and denied Like in the afore-mentioned “The Ensigns of Command,” Data has some trouble adjusting to command when he takes control of the Sutherland in “Redemption, Part II.” It sure doesn’t help that his racist XO Hobson undermines his every decision, but that doesn’t stop Data from single-handedly foiling the Romulans’ plan and telling Hobson exactly where to shove it.

I've never been to a better funeral When it’s apparent that Geordi has been killed in a transporter accident in “The Next Phase,” Data grapples with the loss of his best friend in a very touching way, similar to how he mourned Yar as we mentioned above. And before he solves the puzzle of the episode and saves them, Data throws the best funeral I’ve ever seen for La Forge and Ro! People are just dying for a funeral like that!

The most human decision you’ve ever made We gave Picard a lot of accolades when we discussed his standing up for Data’s right to live in “The Measure of a Man.” Data gets a similar moment in “The Quality of Life” when he refuses to trade the lives of the Exocomps for those of other beings. It’s a nice episode of paying it forward, and we also get to see the scientific method on high display when he and Crusher deduce the little guys are alive.

Radioactive. What does that mean? Speaking of the scientific method! Even with his memories wiped in “Thine Own Self,” Data is able to piece together why the radioactive materials are hurting everyone in the village on Barkon IV. And with that clear slate of mind, we see that in all forms, Data is curious, caring, and willing to help people who are in need, even if it gets him speared in the back a little bit.

Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature… We’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up Data’s beautiful relationship with his cat, Spot. As everyone on SSHB is a devoted cat person, we found it a treat whenever we saw Data interacting with Spot, testing which food she’d like, and writing cat poetry. The best might be when Data reunites with her after the Enterprise crashes in Generations AND he has the emotions to appreciate it!

Resistance is fully functional We noticed in our TOS spotlights that it’s in the movies that most characters get to shine, and First Contact is that chance for Data. His scenes getting tempted by the Borg Queen are dead sexy and you can’t tell me otherwise. And his betrayal of the Collective by purposely sparing the Phoenix and then fumigating engineering to kill Borg Queen are the climax we all needed. I’ll be in my bunk.

—

Worst moments

I am stuck Especially in the early seasons, Data got used to make bad fish-out-of-water jokes. It was a silly habit the show had of depicting him as naïve about human culture even though he’s lived in it for years (and has the memories of the Omicron Thetans when the show remembers). Seeing him get stuck in a fingertrap in “The Last Outpost” is just such an example of dumb sight gags to make him look goofy.

I can’t use contractions, sir This is just a pet peeve of mine that could have been fixed so damned easily. Listen, writers, if you’re going to make it a plot point that Data can’t use contractions in episodes like “Datalore” and “Future Imperfect,” then be consistent. Run an apostrophe search in Microsoft Word and replace them, because in episodes like “We’ll Always Have Paris” when he states “It’s me,” it pisses me off.

Take my Worf, please! Don’t worry, we’re not done pointing out all the bad jokes told at Data’s expense that we see throughout the series (oh god, and just wait for the movies). And it’s a shame because Brent Spiner himself has such great comic timing and delivery, but when you make his jokes so obviously idiotic like in Ames’s least favorite TNG episode “The Outrageous Okona,” we cringe so hard.

Is anybody out there? We mentioned this one in our prime directive chat before, since Data just tramples all over it, but “Pen Pals” has some good discussion on the pros and cons of the situation. But that doesn’t excuse Data for making the decision on his own to get involved with the Dramen people, much less to bring Sarjenka onto the bridge (for crying out loud), necessitating a Pulaski mind wipe!

One seven three four six seven three two one four… There are a handful of times in TNG that we find it a terrible idea that Data (or any single being) has as much power as they have, considering how often they get possessed by things or duplicated by other things. So when Data single-handedly takes over the Enterprise in “Brothers,” disrupting the mission to save Willie Potts’s life, because Soong hacked into his brain, we raise eyebrows.

Jilting by association While I could joke that Data ever introducing Miles and Keiko was a mistake (and I have!), there’re still a lot of bad moves he makes regarding their relationship in “Data’s Day.” When he gets stuck in the middle of their nuptial stress, he’s so clueless how to handle the situation and keeps making things worse when, frankly, Miles and Keiko should have kept things to themselves.

Who programmed the book of love? Moving on to even more lousy relationships: Data’s brief, unnecessary romance with Jenna Desora in “In Theory” proves to be just another example of too many “Data doesn’t understand humanity” jokes that we hoped the show was over by this point. But alas, he’s written himself a love program to basically treat the situation like a sitcom and we were done with it.

Point that thing somewhere else From the moment Data stands directly in front of Bashir’s mystery device in “Birthright, Part I,” it’s obvious he’s going to get zapped by it. Really, Data? You couldn’t have stood literally anywhere else than in front of what is clearly an energy beam? And the rest of the episode, we’re stuck going on a dream adventure, and you already know how I feel about those!

Stop it, stop it, stop it Like in “Brothers,” it just seems weird to have Data getting controlled by his kooky family members when it happens again in “Descent.” This time, Lore has given Data the emotions he thought he wanted all along, but it turns out the very first emotion Data embraces is sheer rage. When he takes pleasure in killing Borg, you know maybe emotions just aren’t for him, and yet…

Open sesame! …when we get to Generations, Data has a fully fledged emotion chip that really needed more testing first. We’re subjected to just way too many of those dopey Data jokes, from Open Sesame to Mr. Tricorder to cackling at a 7-year-old joke. And to add kidnapping and torture to insult, it’s when Data is having a particularly bad reaction that Geordi nearly gets killed by Klingons!

I have been designed to serve as a floatation device We’re not done yet with the Data humor (and just way too much humor in general that doesn’t land) in Insurrection. While this film really gives Jean-Luc his time to shine, the rest of the cast are treated like afterthoughts, including Data who seems to be around for punchlines, like remarking about how the women’s boobs feel firmer, and serving as a life preserver.

Going out in a blaze of failure Finally, I need to criticize Nemesis yet again, as I am wont to do. It’s just… Data’s sacrifice for Picard is so unearned. I’d debate that it’s worse than the Kirk sacrifice in Generations that we put in that Worst Moments list too. Most of it is probably the abysmal script. I’ll sum it up by saying this: if you can’t make me care that my favorite character died, you’ve done something wrong.

—

Now that we’ve found Data’s off switch, we can wrap things up this week. Don’t worry, we’ve got tons more character spotlights for the coming weeks, so keep your sensors here, journey over to SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts to follow along with our Enterprise watchthough, break the Prime Directive with us on Facebook and Twitter, and delete that comedian holoprogram from the computer!

[jeanjauthor]

One of the best life lessons came out of this one episode.

(image description, a picture of Captain Picard, as played by Sir Patric Stewart, along with a quote from the same episode as the clip above)

" It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life. "

~Captain Jean-Luc Picard

(end image description)

[supermariomamafucker]

they should make the game that data and kolrami are playing at the start of that TNG episode real

[everythingismadeofchaos]

Kolrami inspired me to play video games. Even though Data busted him up

[fanofcarson]

Kolrami fancam 💖

[startrekvsfaceapp]

Strategema

[chaptertwo-thepacnw]

strategema |1989|

[dgcatanisiri]

Also, by Peak Performance, Pulaski is actively Data's CHEERLEADER in setting up the Strategema match between him and Kolrami. She stands by his side in both matches, cheering him on, and celebrating with everyone at the end when Data "busted [Kolrami] up." She isn't cheering about Kolrami getting beaten, she is cheering FOR Data.

Pulaski had growth and development. She had an arc. She changed over the course of her one season, and I love and respect the character for that.

I mean, for god's sake, this is the same season that says that Data has to PROVE his personhood to Starfleet, the right to choose not to be disassembled and stripped for parts just because Starfleet decides he has all the rights of a toaster, Pulaski's attitude when she comes aboard is very clearly not solely her own belief but also one of many who have not built a relationship with Data - and then, as time goes on and she works alongside him, she changes that attitude as she learns more about him as a person, not simply "the android in a uniform."

People who openly like Dr. Katherine Pulaski on fandom spaces are braver than any U.S. Marine truly

[thisisstarfleet]

Watching “Peak Performance” (one of my favorite early TNG episodes) and in the conversation between Picard and Kolrami about why he’s been so shitty to and about Riker, Kolrami says he displays “inappropriate joviality”.  Picard responds to this with:

“ The test is whether the crew will follow where Commander Riker leads. His... his "joviality" is the means by which he creates that loyalty. “

That line immediately brought to mind Riker’s brief appearances in Lower Decks where he continues to be Exactly That Captain

[thegreaterlink]

Reviewing Star Trek TNG - S2E21 “Peak Performance”

THE PREMISE

The Enterprise is ordered by Starfleet Command to participate in simulated combat exercises to prepare for the imminent Borg threat. Renowned Zakdorn strategist Sirna Kolrami (try saying that five times fast) is sent to act as the exercise's observer and mediator.

The combat exercise pits the Enterprise against the far inferior 80-year-old Federation ship USS Hathaway, which Riker will be commanding. He recruits Geordi, Worf and Wesley Crusher as his senior crew, while Picard and the others remain on the Enterprise. Back on the Enterprise, Kolrami expresses doubts over Riker's abilities as a commanding officer, making Picard determined to prove him wrong.

MY REVIEW

I'll admit I wasn't sure about this episode when I first saw the premise. I was convinced that it would be middling at best, and I have never been happier to be proven wrong.

The Hathaway is massively outclassed by the Enterprise, with barely any dilithium crystals and no warp speed capabilities. Most of Riker's story is dedicated to him coordinating his crew in getting it up and running again, proving his effectiveness as a leader. As has been pointed out more than once, if he wasn't so dedicated to the Enterprise then he would make an excellent captain.

Back on the Enterprise, Dr Pulaski persuades Data to challenge Kolrami to a game of Strategema, a game with no clear rules aside from putting on some finger clamps and wriggling them around. It looks cool, but I have no idea what's going on.

When Data loses, he suffers a crisis of confidence and resigns himself to his quarters, convinced he is malfunctioning and that Picard cannot trust his judgement. Both Troi and Pulaski (it's nice to see how much she's softened to him since they first met) are unable to convince him otherwise, but Picard reminds him of his duty and gives us this memorable quote:

"It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness. That is life."

Data's confidence is restored, and we get some nice character moments thrown into the bargain.

In fact, pretty much every character gets their own moment in the spotlight in this episode:

Picard defends Riker's competence to Kolrami, calling his First Officer "the best" multiple times.

Riker coordinates his crew to get an ancient disabled starship up and running in a matter of hours.

Geordi restores warp core stability to a ship from generations prior.

Wesley uses a school experiment involving antimatter to give the Hathaway an edge.

Worf rigs up a holographic projector for the Hathaway to create illusions to throw the Enterprise off.

The simulation begins, and the Hathaway creates a projection of a Romulan warship to distract the Enterprise while it gets its first shots in (all of the damage is simulated, but the computers of both ships are programmed to respond as if it were real) and the Enterprise regroups and prepares to attack.

So, we have a good story, nice character moments for the whole cast and we’re on track for a pretty fun climax. What could go wrong?

Suddenly a Ferengi warship shows up.

When will this series learn that those big-eared little shits just don’t work as villains?

The Ferengi are also limited to static shots against a cheap-looking background along with some pretty bland performances, especially surprising since one of them (I think the one on the left) is played by Armin Shimerman, who you’ll see play one of many more entertaining Ferengi when we get to Deep Space Nine.

Anyway, their arrival creates an unexpected complication, since they're suspicious of two Federations ships attacking each other and conclude that the Hathaway must be valuable, and demand that it be surrendered to them.

But Picard and Riker concoct a risky but ingenious plan for the Enterprise to fire proton torpedoes at the Hathaway, with the Hathaway using their short warp jump (made possible by Wesley's antimatter) to jump to safety an instant before the torpedoes detonate, which works. The Ferengi are convinced that their prize is destroyed, and retreat when Worf tricks them into making them think that another Federation ship is approaching.

Kolrami is forced to eat his words about Riker, and again when Data challenges him to a Strategema rematch and forces him to give up in frustration. Everyone laughs, fade to black, roll credits.

7.5/10 - A surprisingly solid entry. Glad to see this season is finding its footing again towards the end.

Previous Episode | TNG Masterpost | Next Episode

[filmjunky-99]

s t a r t r e k t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n created by gene roddenberry [peak performance, s2ep21]

'It is a matter of perspective, Doctor. In the strictest sense, I did not win.' - data

'Data!' - pulaski

'I busted him up.' - data

[thegrabowskis]

MIKE I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU. deputy james in bogus journey was not just in total recall, he was also KOLRAMI IN ONE OF THE BEST SEASON 2 EPISODES OF TNG!!!! you’re slippin buddy

[spockvarietyhour]

Peak Performance but instead of Strategema Data and Kolrami play Magic.

I’ll go one further. Data and Kolrami are playing Star Trek TCG based off of Magic. There’s confusion and fear as it refers to events that haven’t happened yet. 

Data’s deck keeps coming up with this, which is just a horrible portent of things that should not be spoken:

[mswyrr]

In explaining her approach to politics as a black Democratic woman in a state controlled by white Republican men, she devotes several pages to a pivotal scene from “Peak Performance,” an episode from “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

In the episode, Data, the preternaturally pale android with a greenish cast to his skin, is playing Strategema, a game that appears to be some incredibly complicated form of 3-D holographic chess, against a humanoid grandmaster named Kolrami. Data cannot defeat Kolrami, he discovers, but he can outlast him, drive him into a rage and force him to quit the game, which is itself a kind of victory.

Ms. Abrams writes that this has helped her focus her own thinking. “Data reframed his objective — not to win outright but to stay alive, passing up opportunities for immediate victory in favor of a strategy of survival,” she says in the book. “My lesson is simpler: change the rules of engagement.”

🖖🖖🖖