First-Time Watch – Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 02, Episodes 04-06
Welcome to another episode of the To Baldly Go Podcast, in which I – a newbie to the Star Trek universe – am watching through Star Trek from the beginning, in release order, and discussing with some of my long-time Trekkie friends.
This week, we get:
Picard jokes about surrendering…but is it a joke?
Advantage from disability?
Where does our humanity lie?
We covered:
The Outrageous Okona
Loud as a Whisper
The Schizoid Man
“The Outrageous Okona” – Perhaps the joke was not funny
The Enterprise encounters a charming but mysterious rogue named Okona, whose small cargo ship seems to bring trouble wherever he goes. Two alien factions accuse him of theft and kidnapping, each demanding justice.
As Captain Picard investigates, it becomes clear that Okona’s charisma hides a complicated personal mess involving romance, family expectations, and political embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Data explores human humor by trying to learn stand-up comedy from a visiting comedian on the holodeck. The episode mixes a swashbuckling guest character with an early look at Data’s ongoing quest to understand humanity.
Things we discussed:
The continuing exploration of Data’s humanity
Not as bad as The Child or Code of Honor
Forgettable
What a non-comic might think stand-up comedy is
Timely political references
A poorly-written romance novel
SeaQuest D.S.V.
Worf’s effectiveness
Sometimes an episode just doesn’t work. Sometimes they swing and miss. This felt like one of those episodes.
“Loud as a Whisper” – Turning disadvantage into advantage
The Enterprise transports Riva, a renowned mediator known for negotiating peace between warring planets. Riva is deaf and communicates through a trio of telepathic interpreters who express different aspects of his personality.
When tragedy strikes during the mission, Riva must confront the possibility that his ability to mediate has been destroyed. Counselor Troi helps him rediscover another way to communicate, leading to a powerful moment where Riva adapts and continues his mission.
The episode explores communication beyond language and the idea that understanding others often requires more than just hearing words.
Things we discussed:
How does an acting ensign get to pilot the fleet’s flagship?
Nepotism in the 24th century
Geordi’s choice
Freud’s separation of the mind
Troi’s abilities
Geordi and ChatGPT prompts
Transporter capabilities
Sometimes we can find strength in our perceived weaknesses.
“The Schizoid Man” – What does it mean to be human?
The Enterprise transports the brilliant but difficult cyberneticist Dr. Ira Graves, whose mind has begun to deteriorate due to a terminal illness. Fascinated with Data’s positronic brain, Graves secretly transfers his consciousness into the android’s body to escape death.
Initially reveling in his newfound immortality, Graves soon begins to exhibit increasingly erratic and domineering behavior while inhabiting Data. As the crew realizes what has happened, Graves must confront the ethical consequences of his actions and the question of whether preserving his mind is worth sacrificing Data’s identity.
The episode explores ego, mortality, and the meaning of personhood.
Things we discussed:
Another great Brent Spiner performance
What does it mean to be human?
The story of the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz
What is consciousness?
Lots of discussion points and questions, fewer answers.
Final Thoughts
This week, we learned:
Worf is already more effective than Tasha ever was
Prompting people is a lot like prompting AI
Seriously – the story of the Tin Woodsman from the original Wizard of Oz novel is one of the most messed up stories ever
We are cruising along through Star Trek: The Next Generation. These episodes all had a very “Original Series” feel to them, but not like The Naked Now. TNG still feels like it’s figuring out what it is, but it is getting closer.
As always, remember – Never give up! Never surrender!
Listen to this episode of the To Baldly Go Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Where we are on our Trek:
Last week we covered:
Next week we will continue with:
TBG Episode 043
If you want to see my journey from the very beginning, start here:
Also, be sure to check out Nate’s and my other podcast – The In Lap with Aaron and Nate – to listen to us discuss all things Formula 1 on race weekends, wherever you listen to your podcasts.