In the sixteenth episode of the second season of\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i>, FUCK THIS EPISODE, IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S TOO GOOD. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trigger Warning: For mention of genocide<\/b>.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fucking ready.<\/p>\n
To say that this is the best written and best acted episode of this show thusfar doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite communicate\u00c2\u00a0why<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0I loved this so much. I actually enjoy that\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0hesitates to use violence or dramatic sweeps of tension and melancholy. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s slow, prodding, thoughtful, and often quite philosophically challenging. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s certainly unlike any other show I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever written about before for Mark Watches.<\/p>\n
Which is precisely why this episode works so well. This show does not do existential horror. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not part of the overarching narrative, especially since so much of\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ethos concerns optimism, hope, and adventure. A thriller based entirely around the failure of humanity to stop their impending extinction is not exactly par for the course in\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i>. And yet, the writers bring back Q for an episode\u00c2\u00a0that isn<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even about him<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0so that they can introduce the most terrifying villain this show has ever had to date:<\/p>\n
The Borg.<\/p>\n
From the surrealist nature of the Borg\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ship \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a messy and yet intricately organized metallic cube covered in a nonsensical pattern of pipes and plates \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to the collective nature of the Borg\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s existence, this is the kind of shit to cause nightmares forever. Why? Because by design, the Borg is impossible to beat.<\/p>\n
No, not \u00e2\u20ac\u0153million-to-one-odds\u00e2\u20ac\u009d impossible to beat, but\u00c2\u00a0literally<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0impossible. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no weakness to the Borg because the Borg is a massive living organism made up of smaller, humanoid organisms. Kill one? There are thousands upon thousands more waiting to take their place. Destroy part of their ship? They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be able to hone their collective willpower long enough to HEAL THEIR SHIP. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t speak, they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t react to anything, and\u00c2\u00a0they don<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give a shit about anything at all<\/i>. That apathy is disarming because, as multiple characters point out, that means that the Borg don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t view any of the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0crew as a legitimate threat. Their silence and disinterest is the ultimate insult, one leveled at the crew constantly.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all a means for Q to make a point: humanity is not ready to explore the galaxy. Oh, sure, the parts that the Federation has already mapped are easily controlled and regulated down to the last degree, but where Q takes the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/i>? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where the mere idea of peace and negotiation has no meaning. How can you negotiate with a being whose only interest in anything is to acquire technology they believe they can use. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cultural appropriation on a massive, violent scale. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s theft. And in the case of the 18 crew members who happened to be in the section of the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0that was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153acquired,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also murder. But the Borg are uncaring. Unflappable. Immutable. The loss of life is meaningless because it holds no value to their constant pursuit of new technology. Everything else is a obstacle to be defeated or ignored.<\/p>\n
Amidst this, the writers don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ignore how this new being affects the crew. From the general sense of horror and foreboding exhibited by the crew, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got Sonya Gomez. WHO MAGICALLY SURVIVES THE EPIOSDE. I was convinced she was going to die. But what better opportunity to introduce a character so overflowing with energy and optimism! Yes, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s CRUSH HER SPIRIT. Thankfully, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that actually happens here, though she gets a healthy dose of realism in the process. But \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Q Who\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is most vital in what it does with Guinan. Like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ready. I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I love so dearly that this show not only gives us a huge chunk of her past, but that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve now got a canonical Diaspora within this universe. I suppose some of the other past characters might apply under this label, but Guinan specifically references it when discussing her people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s past with Q\u00c2\u00a0and<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0the Borg.<\/p>\n
I just LOVE the reveal that she knows Q. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO GOOD. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so\u00c2\u00a0powerful<\/i>, and I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s largely because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just a plot twist. This episode is not the same without Guinan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fear of the Borg. Have we ever seen her behave like this?\u00c2\u00a0Ever<\/i>? No, and I think that informs our own reaction. If the woman who never shies away from conflict or fear is suddenly terrified, then you better believe I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to be scared shitless. Her fear, though, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t some baseless inclusion meant for the audience. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s terrified of what the Borg did to her people. As far as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m concerned, the Borg regularly practice genocide in order to get what they want, you know?<\/p>\n
I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more haunting about this episode. The 18 nameless people who die? Whoopi Goldberg\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s performance? The first appearance of the Borg? The fact that at the end of all of this, the crew has exactly\u00c2\u00a0zero<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0ways to stop the Borg? THE BORG NURSERY???? (Actually, that was pretty cute.) How about the ending, which shows us that the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0crew really were hopeless without Q? That there really are things out in the universe they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not ready for at all?<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a bleak, disturbing ending, and yet it fits perfectly within\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s greater story. What a fantastic episode, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I WANT ANOTHER BORG EPISODE RIGHT NOW.<\/p>\n
The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Q Who\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded\u00c2\u00a0here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n – Please help book\/finalize the Mark Does Stuff European Tour!<\/a> In the sixteenth episode of the second season of\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation, FUCK THIS EPISODE, IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S TOO GOOD. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[614,632],"tags":[615],"class_list":["post-4740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-star-trek","category-the-next-generation","tag-mark-watches-star-trek"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4740\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n– I am now on Patreon<\/a><\/strong>!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME<\/a>.
\n– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S., Canada, Europe, the U.K., and Ireland. Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"