# ST:TNG, Encounter at Farpoint makes so much more sense ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2015, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065 "2015-06-21T04:56:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/101 "2015-06-28T04:43:39Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > That was what Guinan was there for. I mean, as in a plot device, not an official capacity. And for some reason, the name always evokes purple in my mind. I wonder why that is. Prune juice. A warrior’s drink. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/102 "2015-06-28T04:44:25Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > BAs for the headache thing: that episode was contradictory. If headaches had been eliminated, why did Picard think they were no big deal? You suddenly have a part of you body hurt that has never hurt before, and you just act like there’s nothing wrong? And why didn’t Beverly insist on figuring out what was wrong instead of just giving pain killers? > > I think that, with headaches being mentioned elsewhere without comment, it was clearly just part of the First Season Weirdness that got ignored as they went on. TOS had some of that, too. I guess I’m part of the 23rd-century crap, because I haven’t missed a day of work in over 15 years. I’ve been hungover as hell, but I show up for work the next morning and do my damned job. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/103 "2015-06-28T05:05:16Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Prune juice. A warrior’s drink. One of my all-time favorite scenes from TNG. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/104 "2015-06-28T05:37:27Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Yeah, saucer separation was supposed to be a regular thing (every time the ship had a dangerous mission the civilians would get dropped of somewhere safe in the saucer), but the special effects needed proved too expensive to use on a regular basis. The original Enterprise was also cable of saucer separation, but only in a direr emergency as the ship couldn’t be put back together afterward. According to the books, the original Enterprise also had landing legs. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/105 "2015-06-28T05:39:24Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > I do mind that the dialogue makes no sense unless Dr. Crusher knows that someone from 1996 is listening in. Like “Isn’t it so great that we live in The Future, instead of in 1996 where they have things like minor headaches? But we have advanced so far since 1996 since we understand pain now. The common cold is also something people in 1996 suffered from but we do not.” Well, since the last episode was broadcast in 1994, I guess she _was_ living in the future. But personally, I figure humans will be getting headaches for as long as humans have heads. There might be some furisticky instant-fix version of Anacin, but it would have made more sense to mention in passing a common (in the 20th century) infectious illness that had vanished, like influenza. It would still seem forced and artificial, though, just like Sulu’s remark in “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” about 20th century racism. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/106 "2015-06-28T05:52:56Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > According to the books, the original Enterprise also had landing legs. What books??? 😕 Everything I’ve ever read said explicitly that the _Enterprise_ never lands on a planet; its components were produced at the San Francisco Navy Yards and boosted into Earth orbit where they were assembled. It was neither configured nor equipped to perform a landing. In storytelling terms, a landing sequence was rejected as being both too slow and expensive to show regularly. That’s why the transporter was conceived. I always thought it was crazy to show that _Voyager_ had landing capability. Apparently their power problems were nowhere near as bad as they would normally have wanted you to think. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/107 "2015-06-28T06:14:12Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Prune juice. A warrior’s drink. This line is right up there with “I sense joy! And gratitude! And joy! And it’s _beautiful_!” and “Troi! You’re my _friend_ and you _tricked_ me!” Of all _ **TNG** _’s lame jokes, Worf’s prune juice was the lamest! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/108 "2015-06-28T06:28:05Z")
I forgot the ultimate stupid line: “Lieutenant Worf! That is a very _sexist_ thing to say!” :roll eyes in disgust: :vomit: ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/109 "2015-06-28T07:31:10Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I forgot the ultimate stupid line: “Lieutenant Worf! That is a very _sexist_ thing to say!” > > :roll eyes in disgust: :vomit: But he did look good in a dress. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/110 "2015-06-28T07:36:02Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > But he did look good in a dress. Riker or Worf? :dubious: ---
**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:** [June 28, 2015, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/111 "2015-06-28T08:10:50Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I guess I’m part of the 23rd-century crap, because I haven’t missed a day of work in over 15 years. I’ve been hungover as hell, but I show up for work the next morning and do my damned job. Did you misunderstand my post, or was I unclear? Because I don’t understand what this has to do with what I said. I’m talking about a disease state that has been completely eradicated suddenly coming back and it’s being treated as not being a big deal. Sure, In modern times, a headache is no big deal. You’ve got a hangover; it’s just normal. But if headaches have been eradicated, one coming back is a pretty seriously thing. You don’t get to treat it the same way you would in the 20th century. Yes, 20th century. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/112 "2015-06-28T08:22:00Z")
How the hell can you eradicate headaches, anyway? They’re a perfectly normal physiological response to a wide range of stimuli. More lame _ **TNG** _ writing! ---
**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:** [June 28, 2015, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/113 "2015-06-28T10:04:22Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > How the hell can you eradicate headaches, anyway? They’re a perfectly normal physiological response to a wide range of stimuli. > > More lame _ **TNG** _ writing! According to the episode, it was because they now had a complete understanding of the brain and the nature of pain. And I did overstate it a bit: Crusher says that headaches are extremely rare, and always part of another condition. She’s so concerned because she can’t find anything physically wrong with Picard. You can fanwank away why Picard doesn’t realize that headaches are such a big deal–he does have a strange mental disorder that’s dormant but will make him senile in the future, and grew up amongst some pseudo-luddites. He may have just been told that headaches were normal, and thus never really brought them up. Problem is, there are other headaches in the series that are treated by everyone like no big deal. The only real fanwank is that Beverly was very much overstating things because she was worried about Picard. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/114 "2015-06-28T10:10:57Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > According to the episode, it was because they now had a complete understanding of the brain and the nature of pain. Take some aspirin, drink a Coke, and have a lie-down for a half hour. Always works for me, and I know very little about the brain. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/115 "2015-06-28T12:52:19Z")
For some reason, \*\*this \*\*came to mind. Just imagine Picard and Crusher doing the same scene in her office… [Gumby - Brain Specalist - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7AihnLbw1E)😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/116 "2015-06-28T13:22:13Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Riker or Worf? :dubious: Riker spent some time telling Worf, “It is not a dress, it is a dress uniform” and when Worf stopped chewing furniture, Riker continued, “Besides, you look good in a dress.” The Enterprise is under fire by aliens, and Troi says, “I sense great anger, Captain.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/117 "2015-06-28T13:29:33Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > The Enterprise is under fire by aliens, and Troi says, “I sense great anger, Captain.” 🙂 I believe the correct response is: “You cow! A CHAIR could sense great anger!” 😃 What was it that Wesley said to Guinan after he boffed that hot young shape-shifter—“When does the feeling go away?” Something like that. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/118 "2015-06-28T15:58:25Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, since the last episode was broadcast in 1994, I guess she _was_ living in the future. Uhm… yeah… they must have been planning their datedness a few years ahead for syndication, that’s it… 🙂 > [@](#): > > But personally, I figure humans will be getting headaches for as long as humans have heads. There might be some furisticky instant-fix version of Anacin, but it would have made more sense to mention in passing a common (in the 20th century) infectious illness that had vanished, like influenza. Crusher’s point was not, “headaches don’t happen”. Certainly one could always be induced by swift application of a medium-sized rock to the patient’s skull, or substantial application of alcohol to the patient’s digestive tract the night before. It’s “headaches without an obvious cause” that are exceedingly rare, and with advanced medical sensors available pretty much everywhere there’s no reason not to know the specific cause of your headache. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/119 "2015-06-28T16:22:35Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Yeah, what was the deal with the separable saucer section for battle engagements? All that does is put all your hostages in a single place where they can’t escape capture. The docking procedure did look cool, that one time they did it, though. I can’t help thinking of it every time I see a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. [Amazing timelapse video: Cruise ship gets cut in half and ‘stretched’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0ew1MkmY1s) ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/120 "2015-06-28T23:17:26Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > What books??? 😕 > > Everything I’ve ever read said explicitly that the _Enterprise_ never lands on a planet; its components were produced at the San Francisco Navy Yards and boosted into Earth orbit where they were assembled. It was neither configured nor equipped to perform a landing. > > In storytelling terms, a landing sequence was rejected as being both too slow and expensive to show regularly. That’s why the transporter was conceived. > > I always thought it was crazy to show that _Voyager_ had landing capability. Apparently their power problems were nowhere near as bad as they would normally have wanted you to think. I dont remember the book but I think it was a Mr. Scott guide to the Enterprise or something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065.md?page=7)