# TNG episode "The Perfect Mate" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tng-episode-the-perfect-mate/530442 "2010-02-25T21:08:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**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 26, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tng-episode-the-perfect-mate/530442/21 "2010-02-26T15:16:29Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > I hated this episode. I hated that her entire being revolved around being pleasing to a future mate. She had no character of her own. It was really depressing. Even more depressing is the fact that Picard wasn’t revolted by the idea that he loved her because she had molded herself into something he loved, not because she was inherently… well, anything. She was an empty shell made to be filled with nothing more than what he desired, and for some reason this appealed to him. I think this is my least favorite Trek episode of all time. But she didn’t appeal to him because she was an empty shell. She made herself seem like more than an empty vessel, like someone with a genuinely strong character underlying her transformations – because that’s what Picard wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tng-episode-the-perfect-mate/530442/22 "2010-02-26T15:21:34Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > the one where Picard lives out the rest of his life on that planet due to the probe. Another fantastic episode - one of my favorites in the whole series. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tng-episode-the-perfect-mate/530442/23 "2010-02-26T15:30:32Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > But she didn’t appeal to him because she was an empty shell. She made herself seem like more than an empty vessel, like someone with a genuinely strong character underlying her transformations – because that’s what Picard wanted. So it showed that Picard wanted character in a woman, which is good. But this particular woman had character only because he wanted her to have it. It was still about her submitting to someone else’s will, being filled with someone else’s desires. Her entire being was defined in relationship to another person. I don’t know, I just found the whole thing very disturbing. I remember being genuinely upset by that episode. I really couldn’t figure out where the writers were going with it other than indulging some kind of fantasy about the perfect woman. Agreed with **Skammer** on one point though – the ‘‘Picard’s alternative life’’ episode was one of the best. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tng-episode-the-perfect-mate/530442/24 "2010-02-26T15:33:13Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > IIRC, she imprinted on him because she enjoyed herself when she was who she was when she was with him. Hmm, I had never considered that perspective. Maybe it’s trying to make a point about partners bringing out the best in us, or something. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tng-episode-the-perfect-mate/530442/25 "2010-02-26T20:41:01Z")
**Morbo** said: > [@](#): > > After she comes on to Riker and he resists, he says “Bridge - if you need me I’ll be in holodeck four.” So we’re to assume he went to go rub one out, yes? No, I don’ t think it was intended to be a reference to masturbation or holographic booty call. It was supposed to be a reference to vigorous activity - like working out, or playing parisi squares, or running a marathon on the treadmill. Like from Enterprise when the black guy is working out in the gym talking to Malcome about avoiding sexual desires by working out - a lot. Of course if you want to take it as a booty call instead, your perogative. > [@](#): > > If that were the case, wouldn’t her teachers have only taught her things that would be of interest to the other ruler? Why would they bother to fill her head with knowledge about woven Ventanan thimbles, or teach her the Klingon sex-call, or any of the knowledge from other worlds that would never come up? Haven’t seen this episode since it originally aired, but isn’t she an empath? Isn’t the whole point that she can sense and become what her partner wants? So isn’t the suggestion she’s taking these things from what her partner wants rather than from innate knowledge? And yes, I know empathy is not supposed to work that way, but this is Star Trek - they love to abuse words. **olivesmarch4th** said: > [@](#): > > So it showed that Picard wanted character in a woman, which is good. But this particular woman had character only because he wanted her to have it. It was still about her submitting to someone else’s will, being filled with someone else’s desires. Her entire being was defined in relationship to another person. I don’t know, I just found the whole thing very disturbing. I remember being genuinely upset by that episode. I really couldn’t figure out where the writers were going with it other than indulging some kind of fantasy about the perfect woman. Maybe what they were trying to do was make the audience uncomfortable, explore the notion of independence vs women as subjagated tools for men’s desires? Maybe what they wanted was for you to say, “That’s just wrong!” The other thing was that yes, she was an empty shell waiting to be filled, but because of the accident she got to be filled by Picard’s vision of what he wants, not some other random person’s less charitable vision. Was her life made better because of that? Or worse, because she understands duty, but how her life is about duty instead of joy? Would she have been happier to be truly bound to that ruler and maybe have less strength of character but be honestly devoted to him? ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tng-episode-the-perfect-mate/530442/26 "2010-02-28T08:13:52Z")
[quote=“Morbo, post:1, topic:530442”] [li] Picard and Crusher having breakfast together every morning[/li][/QUOTE] I quite enjoyed that too. And the later episode in which they both confess to just wanting “coffee and ‘kwaaahsant’”. 🙂 [quote=“Morbo, post:1, topic:530442”] [li] After she comes on to Riker and he resists, he says “Bridge - if you need me I’ll be in holodeck four.” So we’re to assume he went to go rub one out, yes? Is this the only time in TNG where they had such a direct reference to masturbation? Also, I wonder of Joss Whedon knew about that line when he used “I’ll be in my bunk.” [/li][/QUOTE] LOL I think it’s probably unofficially that. I got a “I’ll be in my bunk” vibe too. Of course, this is proabably not the _official_ story, but a case of the writers trying to subtly get away with something. [quote=“Morbo, post:1, topic:530442”] [li] Are we to conclude that Picard nailed her? I think the last scene bore that out - Buck Rogers guy asked him how he was able to resist, and Picard just said “Have a safe trip.” Plus she told Picard that she had already imprinted herself onto him, and will never love the new guy the way she was intended. If so that was pretty damn stupid of Picard, wasn’t it?[/li][/QUOTE] I got the sense that “Have a safe trip” was a dismissal of the other guy’s whole notion of the woman as an object (IOW Picard was :rolleyes: him), and not some indication that Picard had slept with her. I think it was fairly clear that the reason she imprinted on Picard is because her pod opened prematurely and by the time she got to the planet her imprintation period had already expired, and Picard was the object of it because of the time and quality of time they spent together. [quote=“Morbo, post:1, topic:530442”] > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Or he could have been going to have a holographic booty call. If all he was going to do was spank it, why not just go to his quarters? I think a holographic booty call qualifies as masturbation. Does having sex with a sex doll qualify? How about having sex with your time travel duplicate? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tng-episode-the-perfect-mate/530442.md?page=1)