# I'm watching ST: The Next Generation from the beginning **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181 "2012-02-27T20:20:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/81 "2012-02-29T20:35:51Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Yes, in early episodes some male crewmembers wore skirts. And the male officers’ dress uniform was a tunic-type thing that looks like a minidress. [The infamous skant.](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Skant#Skant) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/82 "2012-02-29T21:08:05Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > [The infamous skant.](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Skant#Skant) Heh. That looks like (famously maladjusted) Lieutenant Barclay. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/83 "2012-02-29T21:18:33Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Heh. That looks like (famously maladjusted) Lieutenant Barclay. There’s a slight resemblance, but if you look at the larger-size photo, you can see it’s not him. (I always want to call that guy Lieutenant Murdock, thanks to Dwight Schultz’s other famous TV role.) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/84 "2012-02-29T22:15:16Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > IIRC, Lore told Data this. “I’m superior to you. Nyahh nyahh.” > > But Lore may have been lying. I think lying is a bit too far. It just depends on your point of view. It is quite clear that Data was specifically made to not have the emotions that Lore was capable of. It seems that giving Lore emotions is what let him go crazy. On the other hand, it appears that Lore did not have any ethical subroutines to keep him in check like Data did, as we see in one episode where Data shuts that off and he becomes nearly exactly like Lore. Then again, the reason Data shut it off was that he was temporarily given emotions, so maybe that was why Lore was able to override his. Either way, Lore is superior in that he has something more, but inferior in that he went genocidal. As for the contraction quirk: just because it manifests itself as such in English doesn’t mean it doesn’t manifest in other ways in other languages. (I think the original idea was that he had trouble with informal speech or slang, but people just focused on one part.) Whether this was an intentional flaw by Soong to make people feel better, or just something that went wrong in his development that was not considered a big enough problem to start over, I don’t know. I do know the fake looking skin was to make people feel more comfortable, and not because there wasn’t better skin-like materials. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/85 "2012-02-29T22:18:27Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > As for the contraction quirk: just because it manifests itself as such in English doesn’t mean it doesn’t manifest in other ways in other languages. (I think the original idea was that he had trouble with informal speech or slang, but people just focused on one part.) What I know about the contraction quirk was that it was very inconsistent. Data often did use contractions in his speech. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/86 "2012-03-01T16:35:11Z")
Last night was “Where No One has Gone Before”, which introduced some interesting concepts and then ran away from them as fast the episode possibly could. First of all we get this smug, arrogant, egotistical prick to deal with. And he comes with an alien friend - who surprise! loves Wesley. But the egotistical prick did not like Wesley, which made me marginally like him better. I thought it was really amazing when they traveled 2.7 million light years out of the galaxy, and then even further, into another dimension? Hard to tell. And an alien that can channel thought into energy? Bring it on! But then we decide to grind to a screeching halt as the Traveler looks for beings “like Wesley” and Picard should nurture Wesley’s amazing talent, and then - and I skipped the ending five minutes with Wesley, so I had to read about this one on Wiki - Picard promoted Wesley, a teenager, to acting ensign. :smack: :smack: All that aside, it was touching to see Picard suddenly grow kind and affectionate with his mother, and of course the idea of the “dream world” - the Outer Rim - was absolutely fascinating. From Will Wheaton’s review: > [@](#): > > Up on the bridge, Kosinski whizzes on everything, and humps Picard’s leg, before Picard whacks him on the nose with a newspaper and sends him back to engineering to get them back home, but things get crazygonuts, and the assistant begins to phase out of reality again. Kosinski is the arrogant prick. Anyway Wesley gave this episode a much higher rating than I would have. I still found Wesley as annoying as ever - why is he even on screen - but I admit I did like the background stuff, and the special effects are still surprisingly cool-looking. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/87 "2012-03-01T16:46:28Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > [The infamous skant.](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Skant#Skant) In Troi’s photo, why is there a “pixelated” or blurred out effect between her thighs? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/88 "2012-03-01T16:48:32Z")
I think that’s the glare from the lights showing through between her legs. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/89 "2012-03-01T16:52:40Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I think that’s the glare from the lights showing through between her legs. I guess. She’s standing on a lit transporter pad… I think. It may be that light reflecting off her thighs in an odd way. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/90 "2012-03-01T16:54:52Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > I guess. She’s standing on a lit transporter pad… I think. It may be that light reflecting off her thighs in an odd way. I think it’s the lighted wall _behind_ her. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/91 "2012-03-01T16:59:28Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I think it’s the lighted wall _behind_ her. It is. The lighted wall behind her is the exact same shade as her inner thighs, which confuses the eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/92 "2012-03-01T17:08:47Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I liked DS9 but Klingons attempting boarding actions using knives as their primary weapons was just mind bogglingly stupid. In fairness, there are some not-crazy reasons to avoid using firearms in boarding an alien spacecraft. You don’t want to accidentally breach the hull, after all, and since it’s an alien spacecraft, you don’t necessarily know how much punishment the hull can take. Cardassians aren’t all that exotic in the TNG-verse, so it’s possible the Klingons actually _do_ have a pretty good idea of what they can get away with in terms of weapons fire on DS9 - but their training probably discourages weapons fire in boarding actions, and sticking to one’s training under stress is a military virtue in itself. What I never understood is why no one ever, ever puts on a pressure suit during combat. You’re in _space_, for god’s sake - the other guy is trying to poke holes in your hull. Exposure to vacuum isn’t just possible, it’s likely. And during a boarding action - if you’re in pressure suits and the other guy isn’t, you win. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/93 "2012-03-01T17:41:59Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I think it’s the lighted wall _behind_ her. But we don’t see the same effect anywhere else on her body. Also, the curve of the thighs are towards the camera, and thus should be in shadow if they were back-lit. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/94 "2012-03-01T17:42:16Z")
For that matter, why not do some selective breaching of the hull **before** boarding? It would certainly make the defenders a much easier target. Pop a few holes in the target, then transport a squad in with suits and mop up the survivors. But I guess that’s too logical and prosaic for Star Trek. **mlees** - that’s because the light on her thighs is coming from below, and is blocked by her uniform and fat ass. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/95 "2012-03-01T17:46:50Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > In fairness, there are some not-crazy reasons to avoid using firearms in boarding an alien spacecraft. You don’t want to accidentally breach the hull, after all, and since it’s an alien spacecraft, you don’t necessarily know how much punishment the hull can take. Cardassians aren’t all that exotic in the TNG-verse, so it’s possible the Klingons actually _do_ have a pretty good idea of what they can get away with in terms of weapons fire on DS9 - but their training probably discourages weapons fire in boarding actions, and sticking to one’s training under stress is a military virtue in itself. > > What I never understood is why no one ever, ever puts on a pressure suit during combat. You’re in _space_, for god’s sake - the other guy is trying to poke holes in your hull. Exposure to vacuum isn’t just possible, it’s likely. And during a boarding action - if you’re in pressure suits and the other guy isn’t, you win. To be fair, the TNG+ era seems to engage in liberal use of “containment forcefields”. Fanwanking: The major spacefaring races posess (and share) emergency life support system technologies that include self contained forcefield projectors (as in independent of main power, and equipped with their own sensors) that attempt to seal off hull breaches. They may be so idiot proof that they don’t need vaccsuits much. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/96 "2012-03-01T18:56:20Z")
I rather enjoy [SFDebris’ video reviews](http://sfdebris.com/startrek.asp) on the Trek series’—insightful when it comes to the better episodes, and utterly hillarious when he gets to the bad ones (like much of [Voyager](http://sfdebris.com/startrek/v832.asp) and [Enterprise](http://sfdebris.com/startrek/e130.asp)). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/97 "2012-03-01T19:36:28Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > And he likes tea and Shakespeare. Obviously French people can like those things, but for a character that was supposed to be French, they seemed to go out of their way to give him a bunch of British interests on top of his accent. > > I never got why they didn’t just give the character a British name. I guess Captain Nigel just sounded less cool. If memory serves, another Doper has suggested that something very, very bad happened to France between the 20th and 24th centuries. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/98 "2012-03-01T19:38:18Z")
You mean like losing the 100-second War in 2286? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/99 "2012-03-01T19:43:26Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I never got why they didn’t just give the character a British name. I guess Captain Nigel just sounded less cool. [Q] “John Luck Pickard? I have a delivery here for John Luck Pickard.” [/Q] ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/100 "2012-03-08T19:20:29Z")
So… Over the weekend I watched half of “Lonely Among us”. Only half because this was an incredibly boring episode, and I just didn’t care what happened next. I couldn’t even watch it to be entertained by how bad it was. Yesterday I watched Justice, which while not great, was much better. My goodness, a heck of a lot of blondes in terrible wigs, though! And the terrible shorts for the men! Ugh. Too much time spent on Wesley as always, and not enough on the core message of “justice”. “I’m with Starfleet. We don’t lie.” What an awful line. And it was very annoying that Beverly Crusher was able to march right into the bridge and apparently whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine to Picard about her son. Does she think he’s going to be like “Oh well, fuck it, that’s another teen down, let’s move on?” Leave him to die? Total lack of professionalism and it really irked me. From Will Wheaton’s review: “Once there, he shows her “god” (this is, quite honestly, a nice little homage to the original series. Whenever Captain Kirk took a hot babe back to the space ship, he showed her god, too. Sometimes, he showed her an entire pantheon of gods. And he never called her back, baby, because that’s just how he rolled, leaving broken hearts all over the galaxy. Awww yeah.)” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181.md?page=6)