Sci-Fi Movie Freak: a discussion of over one hundred of the most important sci-fi films of all time, written by Sci-Fi Block Editor in Chief Robert Ring. You will love this book. (Also, comes with a copy of Plan 9 from Outer Space!)
Learning to Love Star Trek, Part 6: Code of Accidental Racism
By Robert Ring, Thu, 02/04/2010 - 13:40
"Learning to Love Star Trek" is a weekly blog series by Sci-Fi Block Editor in Chief Robert Ring, begun January 1, 2010. In this series of blog posts, Robert is endeavoring to determine whether he can make a Star Trek fan out of himself through an exposure to a combination of episodes from Star Trek the Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Click here to read his introduction to the experiment.
Well, TNG caught me in sick bay for the second time in a row but I’m going to do my best at giving it a fair trial. This week was season 1, episode 3, “Code of Honor.” It’s based on the Enterprise crew visiting a planet that is the only source of some mega-important vaccine. The inhabitants of the planet comprise a tribal, patriarchal, and primitive race who base every action on ancient (to us) codes of honor. Unfortunately, this means that when the Enterprise crew arrives to get the vaccine, they have to jump through all sorts of hoops to satisfy the planet’s social-code-bound inhabitants. Namely, they have to say “Please” and “Thank you” a lot, ask politely for them to return their kidnapped chief of security (Tasha Yar), visit them on the planet and tell them how fantastic they are, and allow the kidnapped security chief to fight another woman in some deathmatch of love.
There’s a major aspect of this episode that anyone who has seen it will be waiting for me to discuss, so I’ll go ahead and get it out of the way: “Code of Honor” is a vastly, but unintentionally (I assume), racist episode. It’s one thing to present a primitive race of beings and have them base their entire lives on arbitrary codes of pride. But why, oh why, do the people of this society have to be copied directly from African stereotypes? These events are taking place in the twenty-fourth century. Couldn’t the writers have used some of that pluralist imagination that Star Trek is known for and made these guys a tribe of whites? Or, heck, why not some new race, like greens or yellows? Instead, they are essentially screaming, “Look at how unsophisticated Africans are.”
Let me reemphasize, though, that I do not think this racism was intentional. It seems to me that the writers came up with a story involving primitive views of honor, and they just sort of decided, “Okay, so the tribe will be like an African tribe,” without thinking about the implications of what they were doing. A pretty big mistake, yes, but a mistake nonetheless.
As for the story itself, it had its problems, but I honestly thought it was pretty good overall. The whole thing was about pride and the pointlessness of pride. The Ligonians are a very proud race, so they do things to get attention and to raise the stakes of their honor, like kidnapping Tasha Yar just to prove how brave they are and subsequently forcing Picard to acknowledge their prowess and ask for her return. Picard, then, has to drop all sense of pride and play along in order to get Yar back but most importantly to get the vaccine that millions of people need. Most of the episode consists of him talking with the Ligonian leader, Lutan, flattering him, and taking part in Ligonian customs. There are so many points at which you just want Picard to go, “No more games! Give her back, or we’ll take her back!” but of course he can’t do that or else he risks the lives of those who need the vaccine. There are a few moments when he starts to lose his cool, but he always quickly returns to his reserved British self. So, really, this is a story about humility. Pride, it demonstrates, is a primitive thing; while humility is a characteristic of more advanced cultures.
Don't try brushing your hair with that.
This episode does have a few flaws aside from its racism. The biggest of these involves, once again, Wesley Crusher. In the middle of this pseudo-crisis of Yar being kidnapped, Wesley’s mom talks with Picard about what great potential she thinks Wesley has to serve as a crew member. Picard caves in and basically says, “Come on, Wesley, have a seat at the controls,” so that he can get a sense of what it's like to serve on the Enterprise. I’m no Starfleet captain, but that doesn’t seem like the best time to let a kid mess around on the bridge.
The writers still seem to feel the need to pound it into our brains that a woman can hold a “man’s job.” Within just a few minutes of the show’s beginning, she has already flipped one guy for insisting that he hand Picard a vaccine by himself. Then the Ligonians make a big to-do about a woman being able to fight, and she soon after demonstrates a holographic fighting exercise at which she excels but at which a Ligonian male fails. Granted, this last part was more to serve the plot than to say, “Women can fight. Do you get it? Do you understand? Do you get it?” but coupled with the other displays of her physical ability, it's a bit much.
One thing I noticed about Yar in this episode is that the only hand-to-hand combat move she ever uses is a throw. At first I thought of this as a flaw, as it’s pretty boring to watch fight scenes that consist only of one person flipping the other to the ground. But, after giving it some thought, I think it makes sense. Her job is that of being the ship’s security officer. It makes more sense for her to get her opponents to the ground quickly and subdue them than it would for her to engage in a prolonged fight. So. Yeah.
I cheated a little bit for this entry and read some other people’s opinions, curious as to whether they matched up with mine, and I found some amusing stuff. First of all, it seems like pretty much everyone else views the episode’s treatment of race the same way I do – as an unfortunate mistake. What was more fun, though, was reading a review written by Wil Wheaton himself. Here are two passages that stuck out to me:
Picard meets with the Ligonian leader Lutan and his little buddy Hagon when they beam up into the ship's cargo bay. On the way to meet them, Troi and Riker tell Picard that the Ligonians are a proud people with a very structured society. Picard thanks them for waiting until they're in the turbolift, going to the meeting to tell him this important information, instead of bogging down the pre-meeting briefing with it. When they get to the cargo bay, we discover that the Ligonians are also descended directly from a 1940s pulp novel set in deepest, darkest Africa, and that they are amused to discover that the Enterprise's security chief is a woman.
Oh good! We're going to be racist and sexist in this one!
and
Tasha's marshal arts look real because she and Jonathan spent one or two lunch breaks a week taking actual training, so their characters could use it in the show. And before you ask, no, I didn't take annoying nerd lessons on my lunch breaks. I was already a level 29 master of those particular skills, thank you very much. I spent my free time rehearsing lame dialogue until I could read it without wincing. With the writing in the first season, I didn't have time for much of anything else.
Just thought I would share that with you.
Anyway, despite one big blunder and a few smaller problems, I thought this was an okay episode. For everything it did wrong, it had a pretty good story. It gets a little annoying and repetitive watching Lutan constantly smiling at his own “accomplishments” and expecting Picard to compliment him endlessly, but I guess that’s just part of the character. It’s an improvement over “Encounter at Farpoint” and a definite improvement over “The Naked Now.” Even though I expect more Wesley and Tasha badness, I look forward to seeing what other stories the writers come up with.
Next week: The Original Series, episode 1.4 - "The Naked Time."
Comments
what is elavil and its generic
no script slimex in quebec , With exercise and proper diet there has been great victory, I haven't had any sleep problems. next day delivery on line quinine sale cheap , Depressed patients, usually those with bipolar disorder, may experience a switch from depression to mania or hypomania. no prescriptions needed for pioglitazone india discount , In individual cases where the severity and frequency of the seizure disorder are such that the removal of medication does not pose a serious threat to the patient, discontinuation of the drug may be considered prior to and during pregnancy; however, it cannot be said with any confidence that even mild seizures do not pose some hazards to the developing embryo or fetus. purchase cheap furosemide without prescription mexico , Nevertheless, there may be the potential for clinically important alterations of blood levels of coadministered drugs. sale cheap Verapamil online ups buy , This may be more likely in patients who have a family history of heart disease. i want a lumigan in nevada , MusculoskeletalMusculoskeletal side effects reported during treatment for anxiety disorders have included rigidity (4. buying deal discount armour next day delivery , This may occur 1 to 3 hours after eating or when you are hungry. free sample mirtazapine order cod nextday , 9, indicating overweight but just short of the 30 mark of obesity. purchase online voltaren in edinburgh , These effects have resulted in a statistically significant weight loss in animal and human trials when combined with diet. generic online Verapamil cod sales , A word of advice - I am noticing this time around, if you have any problems with pinched nerves such as pain and discomfort, this medication will increase that pain and discomfort. Metformin , com make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, usefulness or completeness of any of the information contained in the products. pharmacie raloxifene in phoenix , In a prospectively followed cohort of 1,983 pediatric patients (2 to 16 years of age) with epilepsy taking adjunctive immediate-release formulation of lamotrigine, there was 1 rash-related death. cheap overnight aricept for saturday delivery , 8–fold increase, respectively, in AUC for patients with end-stage renal failure.
prednisone affect blood test inflamation ana
generic of arcoxia classification hjt , Some reports were in patients previously treated with ergotinic dopamine agonists. c difficile protonix jet , Both groups of agents lower blood levels and efficacy of amphetamines. skelaxin 800 mg sleeping pills combined qph , But the nausea is easily taken care of if you take the medication as directed. serum creatinine levels and hydrochlorthiazide ybg , 6 times more upper GI bleeding episodes with the use of SSRIs relative to the population who did not receive antidepressant medications. Hiv-test bnz , This is a decision you and your doctor will make. Smoking-everywhere-electronic-cigarette ktz , Urine should be clear or straw-colored (very light yellow), with little or no smell. valacyclovir without prescription shipped overnight express dgw , Cushing's syndrome is uncommon and appears to be associated with a long duration of therapy and moderate to high doses of medroxyprogesterone. order gastrosil qwf , Check with your medical doctor or dentist before taking any of the above while you are taking gabapentin. how to order tadalafil online without a rx jya , The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. where can i buy lithane online fmn , The exposure to desmethylSertraline was approximately 2-fold greater compared to age-matched volunteers with no hepatic impairment. where to purchase generic claforan online without a rx dcj , In cases of medroxyprogesterone-induced Cushing's syndrome, low cortisol and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) levels with a reduced pituitary-adrenal reserve have been documented. Respipac cjq , Consequently, it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the proportion of individuals experiencing adverse events without first grouping similar types of events into a smaller number of standardized event categories. Hypnorex bpg , Many health clubs have evening and morning hours which are helpful.
ativan celexa sonata side effects
orasone side effects cost pdq , However, safety and efficacy have not been established in children below 7 years of age. purchase tredol online without script rbw , MetabolicMetabolic side effects including increased creatine phosphokinase (3%), dehydration (2%), and hyperlipemia (2%) have been reported. voltaren 50mg suppository dty , It's amazing how 20lbs can make such a big difference in ones life. Isotane ntd , Because these reports are from a population of uncertain size and are subject to confounding factors, it is not possible to reliably estimate their frequency. bareon online overnight delivery cod rwr , In patients with known or suspected CV disease, an initial dose of 10 to 20 mcg is suggested; however, base doses on continuous monitoring of the condition and response to therapy. mandafen pharmacy jam , It works by replacing thyroid hormones that are not being produced by the body. Ciplin-ds mzd , Cardiovascular side effects have included arrhythmia (1%) and pulmonary embolus (PE). amoxil online consultant cgr , If you eat too much, too fast, or do not chew well enough before swallowing you may have other problems. order oxcarbazepine without rx from us pharmacy ywf , This is a decision you and your doctor will make. buy rx gilex without bkj , Avoid taking any other multivitamin product within 2 hours before or after you take multivitamin with iron. where to buy generic gamax online without a prescription gnc , [PTSD]: Back pain, headache, anxiety, depression, nervousness, respiratory disorder, pharyngitis, and sinusitis. loxapine fedex stm , Therapy with bupropion should be administered cautiously in patients with impaired hepatic function, including mild to moderate hepatic cirrhosis. medication bet roxin gma , The complete flumazenil package insert, including CONTRAINDICATIONS, WARNINGS, and PRECAUTIONS, should be consulted prior to use.
viagra ro cialis which is better
order gestapuran overnight delivery ttf , The contents of the entire capsule should be taken, and patients should not take anything less than one capsule per day. generic cortaid-maximum-strength bnh , A patient should stop taking WELLBUTRIN SR and consult a doctor if experiencing allergic or anaphylactoid/anaphylactic reactions (e. order overnight imigran wpn , Talk with your doctor if Concerta Extended-Release Tablets stops working well. spironolactone and blood sugar ntg , In addition, controlled studies have not found that methylphenidate worsens motor tics in Tourette's syndrome nor has it increased tics in patients without Tourette's. buy prazosin amex online qnf , Hypothyroidism, After Thyroid Removallevothyroxine, Synthroid, Levoxyl, Armour Thyroid, Cytomel, Levothroid, More. Dexamonozon eyz , These symptoms are more likely to occur when you begin taking carvedilol, or when the dose is increased. acular 0.5 eye drops arb , The Case-Control Surveillance Study reported "no evidence that the use of unopposed conjugated estrogens increases the risk of breast cancer, even after long duration of use or long latent intervals, but the possibility of a modest increase (less than doubling) could not be excluded. zoloft and sleep fbj , Because these reports are from a population of uncertain size and are subject to confounding factors, it is not possible to reliably estimate their frequency. mareen cheap gfq , OtherVascular side effects including hypotension (up to 25%), flushing (up to 10%), hypertension (up to 10%), and pallor (up to 10%) have been reported. minocin buy tfd , Anorexia may occur in approximately 5% to 10% of patients. buy euglotab paypal without rx kjx , I was extremely impressed with the overall results, HOWEVER, one needs to keep in mind that the results will ONLY be temporary without a change in lifestyle (i. cartilage vs bone osteoporosis awz , However, bone mineral density in the treatment group was still significantly greater than that observed in postmenopausal controls. reglan and t d sca , Phentermine hydrochloride should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.
head and shoulders contraindications with accutane
how to order flomax online without a rx tdc , HepaticHepatic side effects including a case of mycophenolate sodium-induced hepatotoxicity have been reported. purchasing atm without a script kcc , Abnormal dreams, agitation, anxiety, apathy, ataxia, confusion, depersonalization, depression, emotional lability, euphoria, hyperesthesia, hyperkinesia, incoordination, insomnia, nervousness, speech disorder, stupor, abnormal thinking, and tremor have been reported infrequently. Symphoral dkp , Variant angina associated with bitter orange in a dietary supplement. Thyrax wqt , Physicians should monitor patients receiving etanercept for signs and symptoms of active tuberculosis, including patients who tested negative for latent tuberculosis infection. purchase dynacin online without script jgx , The results of dipstick tests for protein in the urine may be affected by this medicine. how to buy cortal online without rx wej , However, in another study in rabbits, no treatment-related malformations or embryofetotoxicity were observed at doses up to 8 mg/kg/day (approximately 300 times the maximum recommended human dose). Candesartan nzj , Higher plasma levels in the 6 - 12 year old group were largely attributable to patients with lower body weights. price verospiron yrh , Denominator used was for male patients only (N=1118 Zoloft; N=926 placebo). purchase laevomycetin without rx to ship overnight brh , I have an active job which zaps my energy, which may be why my sleeping habits have not changed. order imine for cash on delivery enj , Only small quantities of ursodiol appear in the systemic circulation and very small amounts are excreted into urine. Doxy gcs , Rare: Angioedema, erythema, exfoliative dermatitis, fungal dermatitis, herpes zoster, leukoderma, multiforme erythema, petechial rash, pustular rash, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and vesiculobullous rash. where to buy generic elocon-cream online without a rx rtg , Do not give this medication to anyone younger than 16 years old without the advice of a doctor. how to buy tylenol online without rx egq , Yoshimoto M , Okuno S , Yoshinaga M , Yamakawa O , Yamaguchi M , Yamada J.
how long for cipro to work
order adizem overnight delivery wax , Behan, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Arena Pharmaceuticals in San Diego, which makes the drug and sponsored a study published in the Dec. nufloxib without rx overnight shipping nct , 5 times the incidence in the placebo group (n=159) in descending order of difference in incidence were dyskinesia, accidental injury, weight loss, postural hypotension, vomiting, anorexia, arthralgia, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, dry mouth, rash, ecchymosis, somnolence and paresthesia. depakote orderd online without prescription mdn , As with other SSRIs, decreased appetite and weight loss have been observed in association with the use of Sertraline. cheap purchase ezetrol mra , Urine should be clear or straw-colored (very light yellow), with little or no smell. cheap daono no rx ckc , If you do become pregnant, or plan on becoming pregnant, tell your doctor immediately. order norflohexal for cash on delivery ksh , The incidence of these rashes, which have included Stevens-Johnson syndrome, is approximately 0. where to buy generic chondroitin-sulfate online without a prescription cbd , Multidrug Resistant-Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is resistant to traditional treatments and is of particular concern to people with HIV and AIDS. Frontier-frontline-44-88-lbs ska , It should not be construed to indicate that the use of the drug is safe, appropriate or effective for you. purchase levox no visa without prescription wzc , In a retrospective case-control study of 377 women whose infants were born with PPHN and 836 women whose infants were born healthy, the risk for developing PPHN was approximately six-fold higher for infants exposed to SSRIs after the 20th week of gestation compared to infants who had not been exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy. purchase rx postinor without rst , The question of whether or not such lesions may be precursors of neoplasms of the liver is currently unresolved. toprol-xl benefits medicine wry , team compared two groups of obese patients -- one that had gastric bypass surgery and one that did not and followed them for an average of seven years. Zagam zda , LocalLocal side effects associated with intramuscular administration of medroxyprogesterone have included pain, change in skin color, residual lumps, and sterile abscesses at the injection site. lyforan side effects cost xqc , Some patients have reported lower alcohol tolerance during treatment with Wellbutrin SR.
helpful hints for withdrawing from effexor
purchase atosil amex online without prescription cnq , The time to maximal effect was shorter for bromocriptine than Cabergoline (6 hours vs. purchase lumigan without rx to ship overnight snx , Your doctor should slowly lower your dose over a period of time if you need to stop using it. buy flavedon tablets without rx ghp , The only side effects are that after I went back to the drug after being off of it for a while, the weight loss stopped and I had to watch that I did not gain weight. lipator side effects buy gbw , It is uncertain whether this case represented a drug-drug interaction, a response to either drug alone, or some other cause. purchase alti-mpa without rx to ship overnight rpx , I feel somewhat stuck at this point with the weight loss going much slower. prevacid 50 mg daily bks , 9 milligrams of octopamine, and nearly 120 milligrams of caffeine (equivalent to three cups of coffee, according to MedPage Today). buy keflex no scams qyq , However, their elimination half-lives are longer, 33 (
inderal is used to treat
order noroxin without rx from us pharmacy qsq , This medicine is given through a needle placed into one of your veins. hedex-ibuprofen u.p.s shipping cod tdm , Make sure that you have water and other low-calorie liquids available all the time. buy online desloratadine without rx med , Pramipexole may pass into breast milk and could harm a nursing baby. Torvast fem , Most studies focus on the nutraceutical properties and understanding the physiological functions of sweet potato. buy pain without hhh , If an ulcer is present at the initiation of therapy, continue omeprazole 20 mg orally once a day for an additional 18 days. order online tramadex without prescription tmd , "Those weight losses one would expect to look bad for your health, because they are the result, not the cause, of disease. eryped without prescription shipped overnight express nzr , Full therapeutic effect may not be evident until the following day. aricept without prescription shipped overnight express knx , The frequencies were obtained from pooled data for 17 trials. price glucosamine-chondroitin sfk , WilateWilate is a von Willebrand Factor/Coagulation Factor VIII Complex (Human) indicated for the treatment of spontaneous and trauma-induced bleeding episodes in patients with severe von Willebrand disease (VWD). 12 mg of betamethasone ecw , A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. purchase memox over the counter cod overnight ccx , Abdominal distention, gastroenteritis, rectal bleeding, nervous stomach, abnormal stools, hematemesis, gastric ulcer, bitter taste, eructation, polydipsia, and dry throat have been reported in less than 1% of patients. purchase losec no visa online without prescription axp , Also observed were colitis, esophagitis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, gum hemorrhage, hepatitis, intestinal perforation, liver damage, pancreatitis, and stomach ulcer. cheap brimonidine by money order rbm , MetabolicMetabolic side effects including hypokalemia (up to 50%), hypomagnesemia (up to 45%), hyperglycemia (up to 45%), hyperkalemia (up to 18%), hypocalcemia (up to 10%), hypoglycemia (up to 8%) and acidosis (up to 5%) have been reported.
SZNytTxIae
Learning to love star trek part 6.. Retweeted it :)
I remember shortly after TNG
I remember shortly after TNG ended, around 1994 they interviewed the cast and asked which episode was their favorite and which was their least favorite. I remember this was Brent Spiner's (Data) least favorite episode because it was so racist.
I can see that. This is one
I can see that. This is one of those big mistakes that, after it happens, everyone wonders how something went so wrong.
The episode is racist, but Star Trek is not
This episode is unbelievably racist. But here's the rest of the story:
The episode was never written with the Ligonians behaving as African stereotypes or even being black. Those were entirely the decision of the director. And the director was fired for it before the episode was even finished.
Very interesting, Dave. That
Very interesting, Dave. That explains a lot.
Oh and
Oh and Wesley. Come on. Why all the hate. Ya, it's kind of silly to have him at the controls, but there're a lot of silly things. Besides, do you think the young ones on the ship will be content forever on the holodeck? No way! They want to see the real bridge!
Of course they want to see
Of course they want to see the real bridge, but what captain in his right mind would let a kid take the controls during a hostage crisis?
No idea
No idea how Gene Roddenberry let this slip through. Either he's a closet racist or he wasn't paying attention. I like a lot of the first season TNG episodes because they were almost all weird, unlike later episodes which played like dramas. Still, I loved every episide. This may be the only episode I hate. The problem with a few of the episodes is they're too close to stereotypes. The producers need to remember the original intent of star trek. The intent was to take stereotypes in life, biases, and other such things, and reframe them into a context that's not recognizable. You do this to make people think about their own biases, but if it's too obvious than it doesn't work.
Based on his reputation, I'd
Based on his reputation, I'd have to say he just wasn't paying attention. It's a pretty big slip-up, but I see it as nothing beyond that.
Correction
The comment just above was by me, Atoz 77. Just a little glitch there...
Fixed it for you.
Fixed it for you.
Code of Honor
I think a lot of people missed the point with this episode. The Ligonians were obviously not primitive in a technical sense. They had transporters, lasers, their medicine was advanced enough to create a serum which defied replication. If they dressed a little funny and had some strange customs, well, there are probably a lot of things in our culture which would strike a space-faring race as primitive. Roddenberry was probably thinking of religion, but go to a wedding at marvel at the way the father "gives away" his daughter to a man, who then ritually "bands" her with a ring as if she were livestock! What's that about? I think that's what Roddenberry was getting at, and a lot of people didn't get the hint.
What I didn't like was the battle and the way they allowed the woman to technically "die" for thirty seconds so that her contracts would all be nullified. Surely Beverly Crusher's definition of "death" is the same as ours -- "you have exhausted all your capabilities and the patient still does not respond". IF she actually signed a legal death certificate for her knowing that she wasn't really dead, that would be a serious breach of medical ethics. The Enterprise was basically conspiring to cheat the man out of his rights because he had embarressed them.
Very good points. As for the
Very good points. As for the serum, though, I thought that was just one of its natural properties: that it couldn't be replicated without using whatever the source of the medicine is on the planet without actually having that original source.
And I probably should have mentioned something about the "death," which was a bit contrived. That definitely was a problem, though I wouldn't say they were cheating him to get back at him. To me, they were trying more to teach him humility.
Code of Honor
Well Robert, our first big disagreement: I think this is one of TNG's worst episodes. It's amazing to me that Roddenberry, GENE RODDENBERRY, would let this profoundly racist episode on the air! I know he didn't write it, but it was at this point his show, he had to approve it. Eesh!
In addition, we have Troi all but suggesting Tasha asked for her predicament. This one is both racist and sexist. In all honesty, if this show didn't have Trek's added to it, I would have stopped watching it back in '87. Ugh!
Live Long and Prosper
I definitely see what you're
I definitely see what you're saying, but I don't think the racism and sexism were intentional.
Those major flaws aside, I think this episode was okay.
Thoroughly enjoying this
Big fan of TOS, but TNG, much as I loved it as a teenager, is just unwatchable now. Far too wholesome and talky - JUST BLOW SOMETHING UP/SHOOT SOMETHING/HAVE A FIGHT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD
Actually, the best thing about TNG is also it's biggest flaw - Jean-Luc aka (Sir) Patrick Stewart. He's a brilliant actor who brings much needed gravitas to the most ludicrous situations. However, Picard is the most English Frenchman I've ever seen. Le Earl Grey Tea anyone?
And anyone who takes Star Trek too seriously should watch Eddie Izzard's tribute:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbOC0uoKYtU
Keep 'em coming...
Thanks Simon. Yeah, Picard is
Thanks Simon. Yeah, Picard is so very English that when I watch him, I subconsciously forget that his character is French. Strange that they didn't just make him an English character.
Very funny video, too. Glad you're enjoying the blog!
Another good review.
Once again, Robert, I found your review to be very interesting. I watched the episode last week and fully agree with the problems you point out.
I had to chuckle while reading Wil Wheaton’s comments. It reflected what most of the fans' felt about his character. Wesley wasn’t a bad kid, just annoying.
This was a different Enterprise than the one under Kirk’s command. This one had complete families traveling into the unknown reaches of space. I feel Wesley was the tool the writers used to bring this family friendly star ship to the foreground. I also think the writers were trying to soften Picard’s character by forcing a child into his life. Something he was obviously not comfortable with.
Speaking of the writing, it’s interesting that Dorothy Fontana, who was a writer and script consultant on TOS and David Gerrold, who wrote one of Star Trek’s funniest episodes, “The Trouble With Tribbles,” were both on TNG’s payroll at the beginning of the series. Fontana even wrote, along with Roddenberry, “Encounter at Farpoint” and “The Naked Now.” Not a good start for TNG, despite two talented writers.
Thanks, Paul. You made me
Thanks, Paul. You made me realize something that probably should have been obvious. Wesley is there as a sort of challenge to Picard's character, but he also serves the same function as the little kid (Sam) on the old Transformers cartoons: he gives children a point of reference, so they can imagine themselves in the character's place among the (ideally) awesome hero characters.