In the fifth episode of the first season of\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i>, the Enterprise\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>chases a Ferengi vessel carrying a stolen Federation device, only to find themselves locked into a bizarre struggle with someone\u00c2\u00a0else<\/i>. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is much more like it, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all! I think the placement of the episodes I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen has made it harder for me to get a grip on what\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i> can do as a show, particularly in how it differentiates itself from\u00c2\u00a0The Original Series<\/i>. So far, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say that the stories themselves feel all that different. They tread in familiar tropes, and even though \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Last Output\u00e2\u20ac\u009d was the best episode I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d seen so far, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still pretty safe.<\/p>\n
So what makes this unique? What I wanted from the first batch of episodes was an exploration of the crew itself. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the immediate way that this feel refreshing to me. The cast itself is so huge and so new! And unlike the last two episodes, this one gave me a chance to see how these people worked with one another. I wanted to understand the character dynamics at play here, and with a mystery like the one here, I was able to get a glimpse at possible storylines to come.\u00c2\u00a0That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something a show like this needs to do, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pleased that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s finally starting to happen. A lot happens here to demonstrate that since the crew is faced with a task that forces them to think whether diplomacy or violence is the best solution. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s through this that we get to see more of Worf, which WAS VERY SATISFYING TO ME. I got the sense that some of the Klingon characterization from\u00c2\u00a0The Original Series<\/i> still works here, since Worf is the one person who wants to use violence as the first resort. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not to say he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exactly like the Klingons of the past. He understands his role within the crew, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know that any of the original Klingons could have behaved this way. THIS MAKES ME WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN THE KLINGONS AND THE FEDERATION MORE THAN EVER. How??? How did these two groups make peace with one another?<\/p>\n
I also don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a stretch to say that Data and Geordie are like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 total besties. RIGHT??? He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the one person Data seems to revolve around, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so goddamn adorable, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. Data is just so\u00c2\u00a0genuine<\/i>, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the most charming things about his character. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually pretty hard to write and portray a character like this without Data coming off as irritating and childish, and yet, the show pulls it off wonderfully. Now, I think the Chinese finger trap bit, while amazingly funny, is a bit heavy-handed in terms of a metaphor, but hey, it works. It also establishes that Data can act as both comic relief\u00c2\u00a0and<\/i> a serious character, and I appreciate that. It gives him depth.<\/p>\n
Truthfully, there are a lot of small moments between these characters that just thrilled me to watch. Like the tender way in which Dr. Crusher touched Picard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face at the end of the episode. Or Geordie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s infectious attitude when Riker comes up with a way to possibly escape the Ferengi ship. PICARD\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S FACE EVERY TIME CHILDREN ARE AROUND OR MENTIONED. Who decided that this would be part of his characterization??? YOU ARE A BRILLIANT SOUL, I OWE YOU EVERYTHING.<\/p>\n
As for the story itself, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s definitely the strongest one so far, though I admit it kind of peters out by the end. I loved that this was the first chance for both the audience\u00c2\u00a0and<\/i> the crew to meet the Ferengi, and shrouding them in mystery was a fantastic writing choice. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot of tension in the episode while we await the reveal, and initially, I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t disappointed. The show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s production design team gave us a species that is so clearly NOT HUMAN, and it was a real treat, especially coming off of\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, that last thing. You know. Sticking a twist in the middle of the plot? Another great choice, especially since it forced the Ferengi and the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/i> into a tough spot. They could choose certain annihilation\u00c2\u00a0or<\/i> diplomacy, which was complicated by the third party \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the Tkon Empire\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s outpost, likely the only surviving one \u00e2\u20ac\u201c holding both ships in place.<\/p>\n
So, I was excited to see how these two groups would behave once they were required to work together to save one another. The characterization of the Ferengi as a pirate culture, one motivated entirely by profit, seemed like it had a lot of potential! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never seen a show deflate an antagonistic force so quickly. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually know if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s intentional or not, but the Ferengi\u00c2\u00a0in person<\/i> come off like petulant children who jump around like monkeys, and it is the least intimidating thing I could possibly imagine. I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell if that was the point! But it made the interaction with the Portal a whole let meaningful or suspenseful because the Ferengi didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to pose any threat anymore. At worst, what could they do? Whip the Federation crew and then irritate them to death?\u00c2\u00a0It makes me wonder if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be a long-term antagonist for the Federation on\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i> or if that was a red herring the whole time.<\/p>\n
Anyway, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really understand the Portal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s test in the context of the greater message of the episode, which contributed to what I felt was a weak ending to the story. The Portal tests both parties and judges them, but for what? Who is a better culture? Who is nice? Who is smarter? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know the answer to this question? So while I appreciated the journey itself, the ending isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t all that satisfying. Still, it was a great chance to get to know the crew better, and I hope there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more of that in the future.<\/p>\n
The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Last Outpost\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n – Mark Does Stuff is now on Facebook<\/a>! Feel free to Like the page, which I’m running myself, for updates and SILLINESS. In the fifth episode of the first season of\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation, the Enterprise\u00c2\u00a0chases a Ferengi vessel carrying a stolen Federation device, only to find themselves locked into a bizarre struggle with someone\u00c2\u00a0else. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star … Continue reading
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