In this episode of To Baldly Go, we continue my first-time watchthrough of Star Trek: The Next Generation with Season 3, Episodes 19-21: Captain’s Holiday, Tin Man, and Hollow Pursuits.
This week we get:
An archaeological adventure looking for artifacts from the future
All the elements to make a great episode, but just missing the mark
Impostor syndrome
We covered:
Picard taking a vacation that very quickly stops being a vacation
The difficulties of telling time-travel stories
Whether Picard is too trusting
Unexpected chemistry between actors and characters
Star Trek shovels
Shocker - a Parks and Rec tangent
An episode with all the ingredients to be great, but missing the mark
The Story of the Tin Woodsman and fairy-tale influences
Music and strange sound-effect techniques
The number 47
Starship Farragut
Barclay, impostor syndrome, and holodeck escapism
The holodeck’s ongoing inability to be a normal, safe room with a lock
Captain’s Holiday
In Captain’s Holiday, Picard is encouraged to take some time away from the Enterprise and visit Risa. Naturally, this being Star Trek, his relaxing vacation turns into an archaeological mystery involving artifacts from the future, time-travel complications, and a character who may or may not be set up to return.
We discuss how difficult time-travel stories can be, whether Picard is too quick to trust the people around him, and how this episode balances sci-fi adventure with something closer to a romantic comedy. We also talk about unexpected chemistry, Star Trek shovels, real-life ramifications from the episode, and of course, once again, Parks and Rec.
Tin Man
In Tin Man, the Enterprise is sent to make contact with a mysterious living ship before the Romulans can get there first. This episode feels like it has a lot of the right pieces: a strange alien presence, a troubled guest character, bigger thematic ideas, and has nothing to do with the story of the Tin Woodsman.
But for us, it never quite comes together as strongly as it could have. We talk about the episode’s lack of tension, the things that almost worked, the music and sound-effect techniques, and whether this had all the elements of a much better episode hiding just under the surface.
We also discuss Starship Farragut.
Hollow Pursuits
In Hollow Pursuits, we meet Barclay, a socially anxious crew member who is struggling with confidence, connection, and his place aboard the Enterprise. The episode opens with the question of what exactly is happening, before revealing that, of course, the holodeck is involved.
We discuss impostor syndrome, unclear messaging, the uncomfortable way the episode handles Barclay’s holodeck fantasies, and the fact that the holodeck does not seem to have a basic lock. We also talk about whether the ending felt inevitable and how the episode’s ideas compare with its execution.
Final Thoughts
This week’s episodes gave us a Picard adventure, a near-miss with some interesting science-fiction ideas, and a Barclay introduction that raises some surprisingly relatable questions about insecurity and belonging.
Join us as we discuss Captain’s Holiday, Tin Man, and Hollow Pursuits.
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:
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.