#tng chain of command part 2

[filmjunky-99]

r e m e m b e r i n g

David Warner

29 July 1941 – 24 July 2022

⚘️

[pic: warner as gul madred, chain of command, tng]

[thegeminisage]

oh boy it IS. tng update time. tonight, just under an hour ago, we finished watching "chain of command" parts i & ii. i'm not differentiating between them even though one had. WWWWAY more nudity than the other. hey did you guys know tng can occasionally pop the FUCK off

to me this episode felt like a backdoor pilot to ds9 which we will be doing tomorrow because it had cardassians in it and basically the only thing i know about ds9 is that gay cardassian that wants to fuck the doctor. and he's like the definition of the predatory gays/predatory gaze joke from what i have seen from gifs. so i was expecting like, some minor cardassian shenanigans and mild flirtiness

holy shit.

like girl when i tell you my tits got blown clean off

normally i complain there's too much downtime and technobabble in tng. there was not an OUNCE of fat on this episode. from start to finish we went at 500mph

like, we open with the guy taking away picard's command. and you're like oh no a demotion! but then it's COVERT OPS and also a suicide mission???

and the guy who takes over is a war-mongering bastard with a dubya accent idk how they predicted that in 1992 but GREAT job. i really loved to hate him, and one of my only nitpicks with this episode is that he didn't get more of what should have been coming to him

we acted this episode. will riker grinding his teeth every time he spoke to this guy. deanna's worried looks. beverly feeling guilty for leaving picard behind. i was actually complaining about patrick stewart not emoting when she was stuck in that little hole but now i understand. he had to save it for the FUCKING payload

ROLE REVERSAL FOR THE WOMEN. deanna got to wear a real uniform and beverly got to flirt her way out of a Situation. i love deanna's uniform, even if it is too tight around the chest. i think that's preferable to it being too tight around her crotch and leading to the horrific c*melt*e situation (sorry to say it like that). her hair also looked great this ep. so did bev's weirdly??? women's rights.

data didn't have much to do in this episode except accidentally give geordi more work which made me sad but it WAS wild to see him in a red shirt. i'll miss him until it's time to watch tng again

the little infiltration was charming. worf and beverly teasing each other about heights and bats. even the cave-in. picard getting left behind because worf tried to hold the door open like that guy in narnia and got SHOT.

i loved the guy who was doing the peace talks. he had the most unsettling horrific smile i've ever seen in my life. STAN a legend.

truly though even though i enjoyed the first half of the episode and thought it was solidly watchable the second half is what elevated it into mind blowing territory.

and like first of all it must be said: picard buck ass naked. computer show me image

i want you to imagine that you are 1. profoundly sleep deprived 2. have been complaining about the lack of sex in this show for six and a half seasons 3. do not find this man remotely physically attractive 4. AND the only thing you know about cardassians is gifsets of the guy from ds9 wanting to fuck the little doctor guy 5. you are PROFOUNDLY sleep deprived. only then can you imagine a fraction of the depths of my hysteria

i actually laughed so shrilly and loudly discord MUTED me cathy was like youve been silent for like 30 seconds are you still THERE. i laughed so hard i quite literally cried. we had to pause it for ten entire minutes. not even because it was funny i was just like. SHOCKED.

THEY REALLY WENT ALL IN ON THIS. it was like something out of a fanfic. a BAD fanfic. like those whump fics where guys get captured and made into sex slaves. EXCEPT PATRICK STEWART WAS ACTING!!!!! like it got SO SERIOUS so QUICK

i just now skimmed an article that said patrick stewart himself did research on torture and also went all in ie filming nude fr. the dedication came through in the work i wish tng could be like this always

bro like. the part where he could have walked out but thought bev was still captive. the part where he was was like YOU'RE SIX YEARS OLD AND YOU CAN'T HURT ME. when he got the torturer to call him by his real name. when he ate the live worms or whatever they were i couldn't look. when they got to talking about that guy's daughter. like we literally got the best of both worlds. picard reverse uno'd him at every turn and kept his wits about him and then in the end he BROKE ANYWAY

THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS, BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!

i was like. oh my god.

listen to me when he said it i was a little disappointed. i could see in his face given another 30 seconds he would have said five. i said OUT LOUD to catherine they should have showed us a shot of five lights and then had him say four anyway. but him saying four defiantly was still so so so good

BUT THEN. AT THE END. when he was like. deanna. i said four, but i saw five

THAT'S THE THESIS STATEMENT OF THE EPISODE. THAT TORTURE DOESNT GIVE YOU INFORMATION JUST WHAT THE TORTURER WANTS YOU TO SAY

AND THEN THEY JUST ROLLED CREDITS.

AND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's so wonderful-awful that that guy KNEW picard was getting release and STILL he felt the need to finish the conditioning, which i assume was meant to get picard to fake-confess to killing 55 men women and children like that one guy said. like, he didn't have time to record that confession. he JUST wanted to break him, and that was all. i bet he thinks about it all the fucking time. the one that got away.

again, i wish dubya knockoff hadn't been responsible for his release. i REALLY wanted riker to do a mutiny. but there just wasn't time. i am still glad riker got to give him shit but like we deserved more comeuppance truly bc he SUCKED SO BAD. also like lmaoooo at ANYONE saying starfleet is a science peaceful organization now. they're warmongers! they're no different from mirrorverse not really

aside from that though it was absolutely flawless. one of the best tng episodes possibly THE best tng episode. i feel so completely satisfied and also grateful that we will be watching ds9 next because going from this to another fucking barclay episode (the next tng one) would ruin me. i need TIME!!!

TOMORROW: ds9's "emissary," parts 1 & 2 !!!

we're going in release order, so now our watch schedule will look something like...

two at a time. that's gonna mess us up for "birthright" but we'll cope somehow

[walkingstackofbooks]

TNG 6x10 and 6x11 Chain of Command, Part 1 & 2 thoughts (rewatching, so possible future spoilers for DS9 too)

I’ve temporarily paused my DS9 re-watch after 2x20 Maquis Part 1 to go through all the Cardassian episodes in TNG to get a better picture of the build up: 4x12, 5x03, 6x10, 6x11, 6x20 and 7x15.

6x10 Part One

Watching Jellico on 1.5x speed makes him even more aggressively brusque

I can't remember if Jellico's genuinely good at his job or if he's very, very bad

The trouble is, he wants people to work for him. Picard has people work with him.

Once again, I had kind of forgotten till I re-watched just how much I liked Picard

(I just looked up what the Ferengi was called to make my next comment, and genuinely hadn't caught on that he was Solok, who they were looking for! I was wondering why he was so dedicated to calling Solok extraordinary XD)

(Huh, another fun fact - Solok was supposed to be Quark, but DS9 was a few weeks too late in airing for there to be a crossover!)

Daimon Solok kind of looks like Pel?

I don't mind woman using their charm, and that ear stroke wasn't egregious as some... but still, I hate ear stroking ferengi to get your way with them

I cannot tell if Jellicoe is an idiot or very clever

"If the Cardassian Union truly wishes to discuss peace, they can send someone who can negotiate in a civilised manner." Fuck OFF, you're hardly being civilised!!!

Ok, so there was some strategy...

"Well, I'll say this for him. He's sure of himself." "No, he's not." Oh fuck, that's concerning

IT'S A TRAP

That gul looks far too pleased with himself

Action scenes are VERY silly on 1.5x speed XD

Ohhh the next one will be the torture episode right? 😬😬😬

6x11 Part Two

Oh gosh, I was not expecting him to divulge information like Beverly's involvement straight away!

Any action Picard took should be said to be his own, not on behalf of the Federation - Isn't that the defence you should be using?

Yes, it's nice Will's worried about his captain, but tbf the Federation shouldn't withdraw from the sector for Picard. He knew the risks.

Data in red is so damn weird

Madred's child just casually being there is so chilling. Jesus.

Cardassian history is interesting, once being a peaceful people with a rich spiritual life before the military took over

They've discovered the plan!

I don't trust this "you can go" routine

Ohhhh

Oh no

That is the way to torture him. Mention Beverly

Picard walking back to the chair is so similar to Sisko walking back the box in Paradise

Jeeez, the breaking of the egg next to Picard bald head sure is kind of visceral

"Ah! You called me Picard."... "You are six years old. Weak and helpless. You cannot hurt me." What a king!

Crew sticking up for crew :) Geordie pushing for Riker to pilot the mission. :3

This exchange though - go go go Riker!

>>Jellico: "Let's drop the ranks for a moment. I don't like you. I think you're insubordinate, arrogant, wilful, and I don't think you're a particularly good first officer. But you are also the best pilot on the ship.

>>Riker: "Well, now that the ranks are dropped, Captain, I don't like you, either. You are arrogant and closed-minded. You need to control everything and everyone. You don't provide an atmosphere of trust, and you don't inspire these people to go out of their way for you. You've get everybody wound up so tight there's no joy in anything. I don't think you're a particularly good Captain."

"Do I wanna know how close that was?" "No." XD

Ohhhhhh. Oh Picard. Oh, you poor poor thing. He's going to say five isn't he?

JUST IN TIME gosh it's weird being grateful for Cardassians

"There are four lights!". You hero.

"Welcome home, Jean-Luc... Just the way you left it, maybe a little better." Oh, fuck off already Jellico. Though thank you for being involved in Picard's rescue, I guess.

Immediately meeting with Troi, yes, good idea, you definitely need counselling

Oh, Picard <3

These are good episodes. Jellico is infuriating and it's harrowing to watch Picard, but it's a damn good story.

[subbyfoxelf]

[tv review] tng "chain of command" (1992)

6x10 “chain of command, part 1”

the way they handled the transfer of command to jellico is easily one of the best jobs they’ve ever done of implementing a temporary status quo change. like, it’s not “best of both worlds, part 1” levels of believability that picard’s status on the show might be in jeopardy, if only because at this point we’re nearly halfway through the show’s penultimate season. but we get a lot of time with the enterprise’s temporary captain and see quite a bit of the crew having a bit of trouble adjusting to his presence. he also makes significant changes to the way the ship runs, and even demands “and get that fish out of the ready room” about captain picard’s iconic lionfish.

although part 2 is where a lot more of this happens, this is also kind of a turning point for the cardassians as major antagonists on the show. they were already positioned as such in their few previous appearances, but this really is the moment where they gain a ton of credibility as a big bad which will carry over to ds9, which probably not coincidentally began airing after this two-parter. s-rank

6x11 “chain of command, part 2”

i don’t want to be nitpicky, but it’s kind of weird that picard’s borg trauma is (rightly) something we keep going back to over & over, but his cardassian trauma basically never comes up again once the credits roll on this one?

the reason i don’t want to be nitpicky is that this episode is fantastic. the entire episode is designed to put patrick stewart’s performance front & center, and yeah obviously that works out fantastically in the show’s favor? and david warner is just a fantastic opponent for him here. their contest of wills just absolutely sizzles.

AND YEAH OKAY i guess i should acknowledge really quick that even though i don’t find either of these characters attractive, i did find a lot of the stuff that happened in this episode uncomfortably hot. i’m sorry i’m like this. (no i’m not.)

back on the enterprise side of things, things really break down between riker & jellico to the point that jellico relieves riker of duty and installs data as first officer. data is even jarringly required to don a red command division uniform, something he didn’t do as acting captain during the blockade of the klingon/romulan border in “redemption, part 2.”

this serves to make it extra satisfying when jellico is forced to go to riker hat in hand to ask him to go on a critical mission that basically everyone falls over themselves to say he’s uniquely qualified for.

it’s funny that this would’ve been a drastically better wrap-around season finale/premiere two-parter than “time’s arrow,” but they wanted a big cardassian episode to give them extra credibility leading into the premiere of deep space nine, which totally makes sense.

i wouldn’t want every episode to be like this, and there are some tiny nitpicks i could make if i were interested in going in that direction, but there’s a reason this is considered one of the best episodes of the series. i do think i would be more inclined to agree if this had more lasting consequences for picard’s character, but again that’s not really the episode’s fault.

i think this episode falls just outside my personal top 10 tng episodes (whereas part 1 is actually comfortably within my top 10), but i get why it’s a lot higher on a lot of other people’s lists. s-rank

[trek-tracks]

The Cardassian version of Duolingo is intense

[almalvo]

Ok TO BE FAIR, La Forge is a great engineer no doubt about that - but Scotty is a straight MADMAN with all that he did under those constant time crunches Kirk gave him -

TNG “Chain of Command Part I”, La Forge is complaining about a huge overhaul of work under 2 days that even Data said was doable 2 times - while Scotty had to do a week’s worth of physical computations in 30 minutes as the Enterprise hurls to its demise by Kirk’s impossible orders -

Queen TOS.

[doctorbeverlycrusher]

TNG Guide: Picard/Crusher Edition

Someone did a guide like this for Elliot and Olivia from Law and Order and I’ve been thinking about these two lately so here we are.

This guide is obviously coloured by my personal opinion and some of the things are really subtle, but there’s also way less to get through here than something like SVU.

Of course, there are still many good episodes of TNG that don’t revolve around Picard and Crusher, but for the purposes of this guide, I tried to stick to the important ones or ones with some good interactions. Also, feel free to suggest things I may be missing.

SEASON 1

1x01/02 - Encounter at Farpoint

1x03 - The Naked Now

1x05 - The Last Outpost

1x07 - Lonely Among Us (This is on here for one scene really)

1x09 - The Battle (This one doesn’t really have moments between them as much but it’s got some good Picard backstory)

1x12 - The Big Goodbye

1x19 - Coming of Age (Again, mostly here for one scene where Beverly is being interviewed)

1x21 - The Arsenal of Freedom

1x24 - We’ll Always Have Paris

Due to a conflict between Gates McFadden and a writer on the show, Beverly doesn’t appear in season 2. It is said she took the position to head Starfleet Medical on Earth. However, due to a huge fan campaign led by Patrick Stewart himself, Gates came back in season 3 and stayed for the rest of the series.

I’d suggest watching 2x17 - Samaritan Snare as it gives some really good Picard backstory, but for P/C purposes, that’s the only one that’s necessary.

Season 3

3x01 - Evolution

3x05 - The Bonding (No moments here exactly, but the themes present are super important to their relationship)

3x12 - The High Ground

3x18 - Allegiance

3x23 - Sarek (This is here for the mind meld scene, which I think speaks to their relationship, but is also one of the best scenes in the entirety of Star Trek)

3x26 - The Best of Both Worlds Part I (This is mostly here for a specific brief scene, but the events of this episode really affect Picard so it’s important)

Season 4

4x01 - The Best of Both Worlds Part II (Here for continuity purposes)

4x02 - Family (No specific scenes but the storylines here are very much important)

4x05 - Remember Me

4x09 - Final Mission

4x20 - Qpid

4x21 - The Drumhead (This is here specifically because of the trial scene where Jonathan Frakes made some really interesting directorial choices)

4x23 - The Host

Season 5

5x12 - Violations (Massive warning for what is essentially mind rape in this episode)

5x18 - Cause and Effect

5x19 - The First Duty

5x21 - The Perfect Mate

5x25 - The Inner Light

Season 6

6x10/11 - Chain of Command, Part II & II (Massive warning for psychological and physical torture)

6x15 - Tapestry (Mostly here for Picard backstory purposes)

6x19 - Lessons

6x20 - The Chase (This is specifically here for the last scene where again Jonathan Frakes makes some interesting directorial decisions)

6x22 - Suspicions

6x25 - Timescape (This is here for a specific interaction between Deanna and Picard)

6x26 - Descent Part I

Season 7

7x01 - Descent Part II

7x08 - Attached (If you are only going to watch one episode about these two, this is the one to watch)

7x14 - Sub Rosa (This episode is atrociously bad but there’s still some good PC content here)

7x22 - Bloodlines

7x25/26 - All Good Things…

[thecraggus]

Geordi, Data...it's your turn to post Craggus' Trek Trek Phase II Omnibus - Vol.20 #StarTrek Here's your weekly Omnibus Edition of Craggus' Trek Trek Phase II covering Season 6 episodes 9 to 15:

[theboywhocriedworf]

First enjoy some eye candy:

Data in command red.

S6E11 "Chain of Command: Part 2"

Let's talk uniforms!

Actually, I still can't fully appreciate the TNG-era uniforms (and the change of color, in the first place). I know that Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes didn't supposedly look good in gold. I bet Frakes would be stunning in science blues if command gold was a no go, but gold is not really his colour I admit, and neither is it Stewart's. (I wonder if there are any real pics from costume try-ons? The one below is an edit, if you know the author, please, let me know). Anyway, they changed the colour scheme, and I will never get over it, I think. Data could have worn blue! A girl can only dream.

And I am all for Geordi in red, as well.

But to be frank, I am a complete sucker for the TOS uniforms. I know, they were shabby, ill-suited and ripped so easily (it's definitely not a con, though), but I rather mean the colour scheme itself. I just adore this look, especially the braids, and seeing the modern version of those uniforms in the second season of ST: Discovery and Short Treks filled me with joy. The uniforms are definitely one of the reasons why I am so hyped for ST: Strange New Worlds.

Even ST: Enterprise had enough faith of the heart to hold on to the colour scheme through the stripes! It was a neat nod to TOS alright, even though the only character I had eyes for mostly ran around in his briefs.

But to be frank, the idea of blue uniforms with stripes - no matter if they are gold/silver/copper as in Discovery or a traditional gold/blue/red as in Enterprise - is just not my cup of tea. Literally no one looked good in their uniforms in ENT, except dr. Phlox, because he wasn't wearing one.

But grey uniforms are a completely different matter. The uniforms from ST: TMP were gorgeous, and I will die on this hill.

May be I just have a thing for gray in colour palettes. One day I will write an ode to Picard's gray turtleneck which made his fancy captain's jackets stand out so well in the last seasons of TNG.

And this is why I rather loved the new Disco uniforms! Two birds with one stone. They incorporated the colour scheme, albeit from TNG against a gray background jacket.

I'll be missing the braids though.

[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 Gul Madred [chain of command part ii, s6ep11]

'Whenever I look at you now, I won't see a powerful Cardassian warrior. I will see a six year old boy who is powerless to protect himself.' - picard [to madred]

[chacusha]

DS9 Companion liveblogging (4/14)

Second half of season 2 (2x14-2x26):

Interesting notes here on 2x14 “Whispers,” how it has an extremely tight focus on O’Brien (has no scenes without him) because having a B plot or any scenes where people are talking when he’s not in the room would immediately give away the episode’s mystery. Also, apparently a scene was cut because they accidentally used the wrong runabout name in the dialogue.

On how 2x16 “Shadowplay” was always about not being able to tell the difference between reality and virtual reality but started off much darker before becoming a heart-warming episode:

(O’Brien must suffer.)

Interesting thoughts from Rene Auberjonois on the conundrum of why Odo can’t do faces:

Another Word of God thing that some of Dax’s more wild behavior is an act intended to throw people off-balance. Honestly, though, I think she slept with that alien. Like, yeah, they were “working out” all right!

Shimerman once again being a Ferengi booster (I love him so much):

Fun notes on getting the TOS Klingon actors together for 2x19 “Blood Oath” and trying to decide what makeup/look to use. I appreciate the three of them more now that I’ve watched TOS.

An interesting dialogue for a scene in 2x20 “The Maquis Part I” meant to guide the actor’s reactions but not meant to be spoken, which I like because (1) it’s another example of admirals being The Worst (a great Star Trek tradition), and (2) it features Sisko defending his choice of Odo as head of security on DS9, which Sisko makes reference to later (that Starfleet is not happy and he’s advocated for Odo behind the scenes) but it’s nice to see it featured in written dialogue.

On 2x22 "The Wire": "'The fans said they were disappointed because they did not learn anything about Garak,' says Behr. [...] Although fans would learn a bit more about Garak in subsequent seasons, they never would learn the complete truth. [...] [Says Wolfe,] "He wasn't a gul; he wasn't in the military. He was in the Obsidian Order, and his first name is Elim. Those things, I would say, are the truth.'"

(It makes me realize that Garak is a one-man Rashomon story. XD)

The original pitch had Kira be the unexpected drug addict rather than Garak but it was rejected for being too heavy. Interesting!

Things revealed in this episode: Julian Bashir's middle name (Subatoi); Cardassia Prime is the Cardassian homeworld; the Obsidian Order and Tain as its retired head.

Interesting notes here on 2x23 "Crossover": the Mirror Odo explosion was a physical effect (exploding wax doll) not CG, and Worf was planned for a crossover appearance here, even before he joined the show, but he was unavailable and his lines mainly went to Mirror Garak. I thought it was kind of odd they specifically mentioned/established a Cardassian/Klingon alliance in this episode, but then no major Klingon characters appear...

Some interesting notes on how 2x25 "Tribunal" is the first episode set on Cardassia and features more O'Brien Must Suffer that builds on (1) a conversation between Sisko and Dukat about Cardassian justice in 2x21 "The Maquis Part II" and (2) Picard's experience with Cardassian interrogation in TNG 6x11 "Chain of Command Part II". I'm not a fan of this episode but the visual style and set are pretty memorable.

2x26 "The Jem'Hadar": Notes on the role of Vorta and Jem'Hadar within the Dominion, and the implication that Tosk was a Dominion creation:

On why Eris is the only telekinetic Vorta seen in DS9: "Eris's apparent telekinetic powers would never be employed by another Vorta. Considering that the typically obsequious species weren't really known for their truthful nature, it's likely that Eris had faked those powers here. In any event, as the writers put more thought into the function of the Vorta, telekinesis was set aside as a misstep that Behr and the others hoped viewers would forget."

This is one of my favorite episodes because Sisko and Quark are just a great pairing as reluctant in-laws camping buddies.

[thegeminisage]

iiiit's tng update time. last night we watched "a fistful of datas" and "the quality of life."

a fistful of datas:

i wanted to like this episode because it had data in the title but i Hate holodeck episodes. like clockwork, someone goes into the holodeck and it breaks. i understand they're doing this to give us "real" stakes but all it does is cement my belief that the holodeck is not only unethical but DANGEROUS.

however, i did love getting to see data's cat. and a reference to his poetry. actually i'm surprise riker recognized it since he fell ASLEEP during the reading >:(

deanna western outfit HOT. i didn't like the smoking part but every time she cocked a shotgun i had hearts in my eyes

deanna/worf rights??? tenderly bandaging his wound...rescuing his son with him...FLIRTING WITH HIM...we were missing riker but STILL deanna e worf e riker. it can happen. i can make it real with the power of my mind.

i don't remember what exactly the dialogue was but data's accent was VERY good. i understand there are difference between a southern and a western accent that may be too subtle to catch unless you've spent a long time listening to both, but they DO sound similar, and he remembered to drop the front of whatever word he said which came after the word "i." like bones in this side of paradise: "wanna see how fast i'an put you in the hospital?" most people faking a southern accent don't remember to do that (love and light to lucy gray). anyway, it might have been "i'm going to..." that sounds right. in a southern accent this becomes something that sounds like, "i'm on..." which is changing "going to" to "gon" and then dropping the first half of the word entirely when it comes after "i'm." elliot spencer also does this, which i appreciate.

anyway this is only the second time i've seen hints of worf not being the Worlds Best Dad (the first time was in that AWFUL lwaxana episode) but given that the holodeck went SO wrong can anyone really blame him for being reluctant to go...like yes he should have sucked it up and gone anyway or suggested an alternate activity instead of trying to wiggle out of it but i DO understand.

as a final note, the first scene with picard getting interrupted during his flute-playing (hi, flute!) like 1000 times is just yet more examples of no work-life boundary aboard this ship...you're always on call even during your personal time...no such thing as a do not disturb sign on the door...

quality of life:

this one was...okay?? like, none of the science experiments made ANY sense, it was bad science, but whatever, we got to watch data be data.

star of the show: the little guys, and their wiggles. like they're kinda cute.

this lady scientist looks SO familiar and i cannot figure out why. i don't recognize anything on her imdb page. i think i must be getting her mixed up with one of the ds9 ladies i've seen in gifs. we give star wars shit and justifiably so but they also have a lot of pale alien brunettes on that show. okay i just looked up jadzia i think i thot she was jadzia LMAO love 2 be faceblind

i didn't like everybody doubting data when he said those little guys WERE alive. but i did like him saying he had intuition with other machines the way he didn't with biological life forms. that's a neat piece of worldbuilding. also, i don't want him to be alone in the universe either :'(

i didn't like how one of them died in the end after all data did trying to save them!!! we should have had a little scene where it got fixed up!!!!!!!!

that said, what's proof of sentience like self-sacrifice for another...actually, no, that's bad science too. but they're good little life-saving guys!!! and they wiggle.

TONIGHT: chain of command, parts i & ii. these are the LAAAST tng eps we watch before starting ds9 (we are doing it in release order, so we will soon be watching two shows concurrently).

[gmariam19]

So my Original Star Trek viewing didn't last too long, but that's okay - I'm binging some of the good ST: TNG episodes now! Which means random observations on The Next Generation, and the last episode I just watched in particular. . .

Well, it's not as advanced as I thought. I mean, it was made in the late 80s/early 90s so its obviously way more diverse and inclusive than the original series was in the 60s. But still not quite that diverse, and still pretty darn straight. And still with that hint of gender roles - ugh, the episode where Troi has an arranged marriage due to genetic bonding? I mean, Picard outright states that it doesn't work for the 24th century anymore, but it was still tough to watch. Especially when the parents were arranging everything for them! And the out at the end? Totally unexplained and kind of lame. :P

The Naked Now episode with the drunk virus? Still classic.

Riker getting those Q powers and immediately going all arrogant and asshole? Not in character. Boo.

Tasha Yar's death by oil slick? Still lame.

Riker almost dying from that microbe? Interesting, but his memories were sort of meh. I *do not* like that holodeck girl, that's for sure. Plus it was a strange way to end a season, with the focus on one character like that and no big action.

And here's the real reason for my post: The Best of Both Worlds. LOVE LOVE LOVE! So good, so dramatic! Yes! That's some drama, that's what Star Trek can be! The scene where we first see Picard as a Borg? FUCKING ICONIC, I was screaming. But I have to unload.

Forgive me, but I hatehatehate Commander Shelby. I really do. She may be a lot of positive things, but she's also so awful to Riker, goes around him and undermines his authority all because she wants his job. She could try to earn her place as first officer the right way, but being a jerk about it is wrong. Like Picard won't see right through her disobeying Riker and throwing him under the bus. When she beams down without the rest of the landing party. When Riker tells her he will talk to Picard but she goes first. When Riker gives the order to fire on the Borg ship and she's ordering the crew to call Starfleet even though he is the Captain and made his decision. Ugh And then I feel bad not liking her because maybe in the 24th century women still have to claw their way to the top of the command chain that way. But I don't have to like it. Or her. Yes, she's smart and strong and daring, but she's also not very nice and definitely not very trustworthy. There's no sense of integrity, just ambition. Honestly, Riker is so patient with her it makes me love him even more. Which is probably part of my problem - Riker girl here - but if she treated any of the crew like that I'd still dislike the character. So I wonder what the writers had in mind for her - that tension with Riker or something else? I guess not everyone is Starfleet is sunshine and rainbows.

That cliffhanger, though. YEAHHHHH! I'm not sure there is a better one! Can't wait to watch Part 2 and randomly make my way through the next few seasons!

[calliecat93]

Season 6 is done, yay~! So after going through burnout/disappointment with S5, I was worried about if S6 would be able to reignite my interest. Thankfully, it did~! S6 may very well be my second favorite season as of now! I had so much fun with a lot of these episodes~! Some were thrilling, some were fun, some were mind-opening, and some… well they can’t all be winners. But overall I really enjoyed this season! Tere were a lot of 4’s and several 5’s this time around. The ones I disliked never went past a 2. Maybe they should have, I even considered lowering my rating of my Least Favorite pisode on this list, but ah well. I’ll reconsider if I ever do a second watchthrough. There were so many things that I was so happy to have such as Q coming back, a TOS guest star, Troi getting MUCH better treatment (one early episode aside), and just some cool concepts and ideas for episodes. It wasn’t perfect, like doing another poorly done Geordi/Girl of the Week plot, having three Picard episodes in a row, and Riker is really feeling stagnant (he has since The Best of Both Worlds but it became more apparent here). Still, I had a good time. But enough small talk, let’s get to the lists~!

Top 5 Favorite TNG S6 Episodes

Face of the Enemy (5/5)

Tapestry (5/5)

Relics (5/5)

Chain of Command (5/5)

Descent (4.5/5)

Honorable Mentions: The Quality of Life (4.5/5), Ship in a Bottle (4.5/5), True Q (4/5), A Fistful of Datas (4/5), Birthright (4/5), Frame of Mind (4/5), Suspicions (4/5), Timescape (4/5)

Top 5 Least Favorite S6 Episodes

Aquiel (2/5)

Rascals (2/5)

Starship Mine (2.5/5)

The Chase (2.5/5)

Schisms (3/5)

Gonna save character rankings for the final season. Oh gosh… we’ve entered the final season. It took a long time, but at last I have almost finished watching all of TNG excluding the films. Whether I see them or not, I’m going to take at least a month or two off before starting DS9. This has been fun but I need a bit before I commit to another 170+ episode long show. When I’m done, I’ll do the final Best/Worst list and that post will also include the final character rankings (which will be for both current and previous main characters so Tasha, Pulaski, and Wesley will be included) and have a seasons ranking list. After that I will complete the TNG series run with two posts covering my Top 15 episodes as I did for TOS. Now I may expand it to 20, it’ll all depends on how I feel when I go back through the episode lists, but 15 is the plan for now. One reason I added the Honorable Mentions part was to remember all my options since just because an episode made it into the Top 5 lists doens’t mean it’ll make it into the Top 15. The movies will happen whenever I get around to them and then one final post concerning my overall thoughts on TNG to conclude things. But that’ll be for later. For now… one more season to go. 25 episode left to go. They better end with a bang, that’s all I’ve got left to say.

[aion-rsa]

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 Episode 1 Easter Eggs & References

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This Star Trek: Lower Decks article contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 1: “Strange Energies.”

The mission of the USS Cerritos is to do the jobs other Starfleet ships can’t; following up with all sorts of minutiae and boring outer space logistics, long after the Enterprise or the Defiant has warped out. But whether it’s Lower Decks or Picard or Discovery or Strange New Worlds, the mission of hardcore Trek fans is the same: Pause the screen and see what deep-cut Easter eggs got slipped in this time!

In Season 1, Star Trek: Lower Decks earned the reputation for the most meta-textual Star Trek ever. There are layers and layers of Trekdom within every frame of this series, making it hard to look at one episode and catalog all the references. But if you thought Season 1 went deep into the wells of Trekkie references and Easter eggs, Season 2 is here to make Season 1 look tame. The Season 2 premiere of Lower Decks — “Strange Energies” — is one giant Easter egg with a bunch of reproducing tribble-ish Easter eggs inside of it. Unless you’ve got ESP powers on the level of Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, there’s no way you caught all of these. 

Cardassian ships

The episode has a cold-open on some kind of prison inside of an asteroid field. This is surrounded by two kinds of Cardassian ships, the Galor-class and the smaller Hideki-class scout ships.

“The Keep Showing Me Lights”

Hologram Boimler says the Cardassians “keep showing me lights.” This line, and the existence of the secret Cardassian facility references the famous Next Generation two-parter, “Chain of Command,” in which Picard was kidnapped and tortured by the Cardassians. If you somehow haven’t seen that episode, the whole idea is that the Cardassians try to gaslight Picard into thinking there are five lights in front of him when there are only four. Lower Decks referenced “Chain of Command” in Season 1, too! In Season 1, Episode 7, “Much Ado About Boimler,” Mariner joked about the Cerritos getting a “Babysitter Jellico-type,” for a subsitute captain, which referenced the temporary captain the Enterprise got in “Chain of Command.” Freeman, Shaxs and Ransom whore the all-black special ops outfits in that episode, too, and Tendi did the same in “Veritas.” 

Too Many Ships to Count 

As Mariner escapes from the Cardassian facility, there are soooo many ships being stored in this particular hanger. It’s all the ships. Here’s just a few we caught

A Federation runabout

Jem’Hadar fighters

A Nemesis-era Romulan warbird

An old school Romulan Bird-of-Prey from TOS

Federation fighter craft (like the ones seen in TNG’s “Preemptive Strike.”)

And many, many more.

Miranda-class USS MacDuff

Mariner steals a Miranda-class Federation starship with the registry NCC-1877, and the name “USS MacDuff.” There’s a lot going on here.

The Miranda-class was first seen in The Wrath of Khan, in the form of the USS Reliant. That film also featured someone stealing a ship like this with ease.

The bridge for this ship is basically identical to the Reliant.

Lower Decks showrunner Mike McMahan said in 2020 that he was inspired by the Reliant for the design of the Cerritos. 

The name “MacDuff” might reference the TNG character, Kieran MacDuff, from the episode “Conundrum.” In that one, the crew has temporary amnesia and MacDuff manipulates them into fighting a war they’re not supposed to be involved in.

Jennifer 

Jennifer is back! Mariner is interrupted during her holographic work-out by Jennifer, an Andorian crewmember from last season. In the Season 1 finale, “No Small Parts,” Mariner runs through the halls and pushes this character out of the way, saying, “Move Jennifer.” As far as we know, Jennifer is the only Andorian named Jennifer, but you really have to wonder, was this an Andorian name, or a human name? 

“I know we’re not supposed to have interpersonal conflict”

Mariner’s dislike of Jennifer is punctuated by her talking to herself saying, “I know we’re not supposed to have interpersonal conflict…but I really hate that Andorian.” This references a long-standing rule from the TNG–era of Trek TV; that Starfleet officers weren’t supposed to have petty differences with each other. This rule was apparently implemented by Gene Roddenberry and drove several writers, including Ron Moore and Jeri Taylor, nuts. 

Slightly new opening-credits

In Season 1, we saw the Cerritos running away from a battle involving a bunch of Borg cubes and Romulan Warbirds. Now, that same battle includes a Pakled ship from the Season 1 finale, a few Klingon Birds-of-Prey, and seemingly, fewer Borg. 

Fred Tatasciore’s name in the credits?

Although Shaxs died in the Season 1 finale, Fred Tatasciore’s name appears in the opening credits…hmmm…will this ever be explained? 

Rutherford’s date with Ensign Barnes

“Strange Energies” directly parallels the 2020 Season 1 debut, “Second Contact,” in several ways. The crew is involved with a second contact mission that goes horribly wrong and Rutherford starts dating Barnes for the “first” time. In the Season 1 finale, Rutherford lost his memory, which is why his relationship with Barnes seems new to him. This is why Mariner says “that sounds familiar.” 

Hating pears…a Doctor Who reference? 

Tendi is concerned that Rutherford used to hate pears, but now he doesn’t. This is possibly incorrect, but this could be a Doctor Who reference. In the Doctor Who episodes “Human Nature,” “Twice Upon a Time,” and “Hell Bent,” the Doctor (both David Tennant and Peter Capaldi) mention hating pears. In fact, in “Human Nature,” when the Doctor’s memory is erased, he asks Martha Jones to “never let me eat a pear.” 

Sonic power washing 

“Sonic showers” have long been a thing in the Star Trek universe, making their debut in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. But, we’ve never seen sonic power-washers before!

“Ever heard of Gary Mitchell”

Ransom’s possession is very much a tribute to Gary Mitchell’s god-like powers in the second TOS pilot episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Dr. T’ana’s insistence that Kirk beat Gary Mitchell with a “boulder” is accurate. For whatever reason, the very first canonical Kirk-adventure ever, established that rock beats god-like powers any day of the week. It should also be noted that Mariner referenced Gary Mitchell in the first episode of Season 1, too.

Possible Harlan Ellison reference?

While Ransom is starting to work out, you can briefly hear him say, “The trick isn’t becoming a God. The trick is staying a God.” This could be a reference to the axiom attributed to Harlan Ellison: “The trick isn’t becoming a writer. The trick is staying a writer.” Ellison wrote “The City on the Edge of Forever,” for TOS. In Star Trek: Picard Season 1, Soji traveled on a ship called the Ellison, which Michael Chabon revealed was an Easter egg meant to reference Harlan Ellison. So, you never know? 

“The Trick isn’t becoming a god, the Trick is staying a god”

Harlan Ellison reference?

Ransom on the Mount

Mariner says that Jack is “going all Ransom on the Mount.” This almost certainly references a hilarious fan video called “Shatner on the Mount,” in which a group called Fall On Your Sword remixed a behind-the-scenes interview with William Shatner (promoting Star Trek V: The Final Frontier) into a hilarious kind of talking-rap song. It has to be seen to be believed. 

Giant God Head

A giant God head coming out to grab a starship might seem silly, but there are several precedents for this kind of thing in Trek canon. In the TOS episode “Who Mourns For Adonais?” a giant green hand grabs the Enterprise, which is later revealed to be the hand of the god Apollo. In the TNG episode “The Nth Degree,” the giant head of a Cytherian finds its way onto the Enterprise-D bridge. And, of course, in The Final Frontier, the crew meets “the God of Sha Ka Ree” which also, is a giant floating head. 

My older sister got a symbiont 

Barnes and Rutherford joke around that her Trill sister has a symbiont, but she doesn’t. This references the idea that not all Trill are joined, which was established in both TNG and Deep Space Nine.

Cetacean ops

Barnes mentions going swimming in “Cetacean ops,” a part of the USS Cerritos that we’ve never seen, but we have to assume has something to do with sea creatures. This is the second time Lower Decks has referenced Cetacean ops, which itself derives from an overheard line in TNG’s “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” Again, with yet another parallel to its Season 1 debut, “Cetacean ops” was last referenced by Lower Decks in Season 1, Episode 1, “Second Contact.”

“LDS thing”

Rutherford incorrectly refers to SMD as “LDS.” This references a few things. First, for most fans, the official abbreviation of Lower Decks is LDS. But, that abbreviation also references a joke from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in which Kirk incorrectly refers to the drug “LSD” as “LDS,” saying that Spock “did a little bit too much LDS back in the ‘60s.” 

Nightengale Woman 

At the end of the episode, Stevens tells Ransom he’s going to read him “Nightengale Woman.” This too is a reference to “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” which Gary Mitchell quotes from the poem “Nitengale Woman,” from memory. In Trek canon, the poem was written in 1996 on “the Canopus Planet.” In real life, the poem was written by Gene Roddenberry, who originally wrote part of the poem to describe flying a plane. 

Riker’s jam session

As the final moments of the episode cut back to the USS Titan, Captain Riker says “This jam session has too many licks and not enough counts.” In jazz, a “lick” refers to a pattern or musical phrase which is predetermined, but open to interpretation. Usually, a lick could result in a long jazz solo.  A “count” on the other hand, is more about the beat and form of a piece of music. Riker’s obsession with jazz began in the TNG episode “11001001.” In the season finale of Lower Decks Season 1, Riker’s catchphrase for sending the Titan into warp was a jazz count.

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Lower Decks Season 2 airs new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays.

The post Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 Episode 1 Easter Eggs & References appeared first on Den of Geek.

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