Target Audience / UNCUT - In Theory (TNG S4E25)

This episode is so hilariously dumb and I love it.

Wrestling With Gaming

2025-01-07 03:08:35 +0000 UTC

I don't have the same kind of reaction to this one as most people. Yeah, Data trying to hard is cringe, but it's meant to be, so it's more amusing than anything to me. One criticism I have of these types of episodes however is that any time they try to make Data explore human emotion, they turn the clock back to S1 Data for contrast. Data shows in this episode an almost complete lack of understanding of human behavior and emotion, taking every figure of speech completely literally. Yet over the last 4 seasons we've seen Data get progressively better at understanding these things. I suppose every now and then a reminder that Data doesn't genuinely have emotions is needed, and the scene where he's being all flirty before starting an argument only to reveal he basically wrote a program to emulate that behavior implies much the same thing is going on in other instances where he seems to show some level of emotion. And yes, Picard piloting the shuttle was clearly Stewart throwing himself a bone as the director. There are no doubt more qualified shuttle pilots onboard, including Riker, and his place was on the bridge. Floor girl was definitely one of the bigger WTF moments on the show though. The fact there is blood coming out her ears despite being being fused into the floor around the waist implies her insides got scrambled when the distortion passed through her. To quote Worf, "what a horrible way to die". At least Data still has Spot.

Timothy Nikiforovs

2024-11-17 22:10:11 +0000 UTC

@Sherpa Jones It still does not negate what I see as Troi's bad advice to Data. She should have shot it down.

Jovet

2024-11-17 21:59:14 +0000 UTC

@Jovet it's not something most people would think about, but real world breaches of this ethical boundary have caused people serious emotional and psychological distress. There are a lot of therapists out there who should have their licenses revoked.

Sherpa Jones

2024-11-17 21:42:37 +0000 UTC

Stay current with eps watched and not future eps.

Prof Moff

2024-11-17 21:40:09 +0000 UTC

I imagine the scene of getting her out would be more at home in The Boys, so probably for the best we didn't see it.

Timothy Nikiforovs

2024-11-17 21:33:20 +0000 UTC

Exactly

Timothy Nikiforovs

2024-11-17 21:27:34 +0000 UTC

There’s a reference to the film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in this episode. When investigating a disturbance in the observation lounge, we learn the Enterprise’s windows are made of “transparent aluminum,” which was the material Scotty helped ‘invent’ in the past.

Matt Everkoul

2024-11-17 16:24:20 +0000 UTC

YAWWWNN. I give this a D. It had a few moments, but it dragged and dragged. I didn’t even know what the nebula plot line was about, and didn’t care. And the character of Jenna was just needy, and frankly, stupid. He’s an android. She should know there won’t be a way to have an emotional relationship with him. And I didn’t like the actress that played her. She was a creampuff. It would have been at least a bit more interesting if she had a slight edge. Im hammering this one. It was just boring as hell.

Chris S.

2024-11-17 04:43:23 +0000 UTC

nah, phaser on kill, poof she's gone

Jason Lallathin

2024-11-17 02:54:01 +0000 UTC

I wonder if she asked him if he was fully functional? I bet not, he should have told her, you know... informationally

Jason Lallathin

2024-11-17 02:29:00 +0000 UTC

"Data's Day" DATA: Since I am not affected by emotional considerations, I am closer to being Vulcan than human.

Jovet

2024-11-17 01:34:22 +0000 UTC

@Sherpa Jones "Writing a program" is how Data grows. Not all of his programs perform successfully. As he told Lal, the journey is what is important. You can hold your hands up and use your fingers to pick up the corners of your mouth so it resembles a smile. That isn't the same thing as actually smiling.

Jovet

2024-11-17 01:31:57 +0000 UTC

*has a pussy ....cat.

Jovet

2024-11-17 01:26:23 +0000 UTC

@Sherpa Jones Data has demonstrated his compassion several times. Sarjenka comes to mind.

Jovet

2024-11-17 01:25:44 +0000 UTC

@Sherpa Jones Interesting. Obviously I'm not a therapist.

Jovet

2024-11-17 01:23:56 +0000 UTC

The folks who raised me were into horror and so I think all of the early horror influences for TNG that go on in VOY (ie writers like B. Braga) really prepped me for really getting into horror movies as a teen (And I was scarred by a bunch of horror movies as a kid 🙃😅)

Loki Incredible

2024-11-16 22:31:34 +0000 UTC

There’s a lot of discussion in this post about whether or not Data has emotions. Many, including Data himself, insist he has none at all. But you can’t be mad if everyone doesn’t buy that. Even if it’s just one itsy bitsy iota of a feeling, it could be argued something is there. From the pilot he’s been saying he wants to be human. Is desire not an emotion? I guess it could be argued that that pursuit was programmed into him but aren’t we all “programmed” with emotion. He’s also stated he understands friendship. He gets accustomed to people and feels their absence when they’re gone. Is that not a valid feeling? Didn’t Soong his creator say Data would grieve him in his own way? (projection or wishful thinking on the part of Soong?) You also can’t completely discount Brent’s acting choices or the direction he’s given. We see the difference when his “personality” is completely taken away. And how do we classify his intellectual and artistic curiosity? Emotionless experimentation? Is that why he has a cat? In that case, what motivates the selection of his experiments? Scientists generally choose what interests them. Interest is a feeling. Or, is Data just systematically going through the totality of human experience? Why did he lie at the end of The Most Toys?! 😂 Anyway, this could be debated til the cows come home. No right or wrong. Just wanted to throw in some representation for the crowd that sees a foundation for emotion. I enjoyed this episode, thought it was fun. Was it meant to reset our thoughts on Data? Possibly. But the cat’s already out of the bag. As Picard said, Data is something new. Not human, not machine. We’ll see what we want to see.

Shanelle

2024-11-16 21:40:18 +0000 UTC

I know! Watching Data awkwardly put his arm around Jenna... I need eye bleach!

Sherpa Jones

2024-11-16 21:23:32 +0000 UTC

It seemed like a no brainer to me that Data should seek counsel from a Vulcan member of the crew; especially if they had a romantic partner that wasn't Vulcan. Too bad Sarek was ill and was only on the ship for a single mission. His guidance to Data would have been valuable.

Sherpa Jones

2024-11-16 21:22:51 +0000 UTC

That scene left me with nightmares as a child.

Sherpa Jones

2024-11-16 21:19:07 +0000 UTC

I agree. I think the difference between Data and Spot & Data and Jenna is that Data chose spot, whereas Jenna chose Data. I think Data didn't really understand the level of choice and consideration he was responsible on his end. But if he could choose Spot and really care about an animal, I think he could also choose a romantic partner. I also think he should study Vulcan concepts of romantic love, since they have ways to show love even to humans that are received and appreciated.

Sherpa Jones

2024-11-16 21:18:44 +0000 UTC

I think what goes wrong with some characters like Jenna is that they assume since he doesn't have human emotions, he can't emote in his own way. He felt an emptiness when Tasha died, saying to Picard his thoughts were on himself and how her presence would be missing. He thought he missed the point of grieving but Picard said he didn't miss it at all. There are other ways he lets people know that they matter to him. Jenna fell in love with Data and he just saw her as a friend. He really took that friendship seriously too! She didn't give him time to really explore whether the importance he placed on their relationship was more than friendship, and he didn't know he needed to do that, and just wrote a program instead of growing with her. Her assumption that he couldn't grow to new levels of familiarity with someone reinforced Data's ignorance that he actually could.

Sherpa Jones

2024-11-16 21:14:34 +0000 UTC

Data's entire attempt to write a relationship program was his biggest mistake, yet it didn't hurt him at all unfortunately. You are right that Data doesn't have human empathy. He can guess at emotional states and try to act the best he can, but empathy comes from mirror neurons in the human brain. He can however have compassion which is acting in accordance with someone else's needs, and isn't an emotion. I think his efforts to write a dating program for himself overrode his compassion for her. She liked him just the way he was before they started dating. Then he had to start trying and it all fell apart. I think there is a lesson here for all of us though...

Sherpa Jones

2024-11-16 21:09:49 +0000 UTC

That would be a huge breach of ethics and patient/therapist confidentiality. A therapist can only advise the person sitting in front of them in their office. They cannot chase down people in their patient's lives and advise them how to make choices about their patient. If my therapist did that to me I would report them to their licensing branch's disciplinary board for review. And even if Jenna was seeing Troi, it is Troi's job to manage conflicts of interest like this. Troi did her job perfectly.

Sherpa Jones

2024-11-16 21:06:17 +0000 UTC

How would Data know? He’s never been human.

Column Meanie

2024-11-16 20:18:20 +0000 UTC

I think it is interesting that they never mention films, as well. By contrast, "The Orville," which is HEAVILY influenced by TNG mentions classic cinema in several episodes. They even have a movie night in the ships theater.

Owen Madden

2024-11-16 19:53:50 +0000 UTC

Who needs her when he has a cat

AzoriusMage

2024-11-16 14:09:34 +0000 UTC

A few examples of "proactive Troi" come to mind. She approached Capt Picard in "We'll Always Have Paris" about his emotional response to Dr. Mannheim's name. She approached Worf about replacing deceased crew members in "The Most Toys." They did not come to her for these personal things. We do not know that Jenna was (regularly) seeing Counselor Troi. But (plot armor) Troi warned Data to be careful with her, instead of advising Jenna to reflect on her own behavior. Jenna is the one with the vulnerable emotional state, so it's more logical for Troi to counsel her. Perhaps Troi may not dissuade her, but it seems to me it's her professional responsibility to try.

Jovet

2024-11-16 10:34:16 +0000 UTC

Yep. To be blunt, Data has no real empathy. That makes romantic relationships very challenging. His fake façade (where he was, essentially, acting like Lore) just couldn't last.

Jovet

2024-11-16 10:08:19 +0000 UTC

Correlation does not necessarily equal causation.

thebeefmaster

2024-11-16 09:31:39 +0000 UTC

How many times does Data have to say that he does not have emotions and cannot feel the way that a human does? I take him at his word.

thebeefmaster

2024-11-16 09:22:50 +0000 UTC

I should've been more specific. I should say a blind man can be taught an understanding of the concept/physics of colour, but can never be taught the experience.

Paul Noad

2024-11-16 08:09:38 +0000 UTC

I think the main point is that while Data is clearly interested in showing/emulating affection he doesn't actually have the associated feelings. I suppose one could argue that Data does still care in his own sort of android way, but it's still not exactly love as we know it either.

Paul Noad

2024-11-16 07:53:24 +0000 UTC

I may have to go back and check, but I would assume Troi would only proactively help those that had sought her counselling in the past. For them it would be basically part of their ongoing treatment. Perhaps Jenna has never sought counselling in the first place. Either way I'm not sure. That being said, I'm not convinced Jenna needed the advice anyway. Sure, it wasn't a great decision to pursue a relationship with Data. However, she ended up coming to that realization on her own, and when it came time to end things she handled it like an adult. She took responsibility instead of blaming him, and even gained some self awareness along the way. In the end she got it out of her system and made the necessary decisions to help herself. She didn't even need Troi.

Paul Noad

2024-11-16 07:40:11 +0000 UTC

For some reason this one never really sat as well with me, just for the second-hand embarrassment factor. I think the sync is a little off from the episode picture-in-picture.

Nathan Koga

2024-11-16 05:02:14 +0000 UTC

I rate it a J for Jenna. I just couldn't get on board with her script or the actor's portrayal. Maybe a B- for Brent, he did the best possible with the material.

Paul Hess

2024-11-16 02:51:03 +0000 UTC

Unlike others, I cannot (will not) claim that watching through these again with TA has changed my opinions on these episodes. But the discussions and reactions of others have helped me understand my opinions better. I have just figured out why I don't like this episode. Counselor Troi. She should have advised Jenna not to jump into a rebound relationship with Data. Even if Jenna did not come to her for counseling, it would not be the first time that Troi has gone to a crew member and tried to help proactively. Especially after Data talked to her, she should have advised Data that she's not ready, and then advised Jenna to not repeat the same relationship she just got out of. It's taken me 30 years to figure this out, but it's a huge failure of writing. This episode remains in my Bottom Five of all of TNG.

Jovet

2024-11-16 01:30:19 +0000 UTC

another interpretation of the end was that unlike Tasha, this woman ::didn't:: really matter to Data and hes not "emotionally aware" enough to sort ou the difference. We were clearly meant to think Data was NOT broken up over this, selling his gf's whole point she couldnt touch him emotionally.

paultardspambot .

2024-11-16 01:23:24 +0000 UTC

I am often reminded that there are lots of things the higher officers should be delegating to the lower decks that they just do themselves. It's one of those things I have just learned I have to try to ignore, like the incessant sounds in space.

Jovet

2024-11-16 01:21:46 +0000 UTC

Yes, it was written to be cringy. The acting was masterful. It was just too cringy and silly for me.

Jovet

2024-11-16 01:18:44 +0000 UTC

Actually ,Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes also get on well with Shatner .There is a great hour long StarTrek Captains’ Table discussion chaired by Whoopie Goldberg on You Tube. It starred Shatner, Stewart, Frakes and Leonard Nimoy.

Jill Barker

2024-11-16 01:16:42 +0000 UTC

@Greg Quinn That is evidence but not proof. I did not state that animals have no emotions. People long believed many animals cannot feel pain, which is ludicrous. "Love" for a human may be "recognize as friendly" or "recognize as fulling my basic needs such as food and water" in a pet. There are also multiple kinds of human love. Familial love isn't the same as romantic love isn't the same as adorative love. I love chocolate. It could be said domesticated animals love being taken care of so they don't die I suppose, but it's not as simple as believing animals experience all emotions or in the same way as we humans do.

Jovet

2024-11-16 01:12:13 +0000 UTC

Agreed .Love is NOT specifically a human emotion. Animals love in many ways which are as just as powerful ,

Jill Barker

2024-11-16 01:10:29 +0000 UTC

I submit he's biased about that because he got to direct it.

Jovet

2024-11-16 01:04:37 +0000 UTC

See, that is my point. I think you're reading into his behavior what is not there. He has no feelings. It could be a failure of writing, or a failure of acting a bit too human, or your imagination (or a combination of these things), but Data is a logical being. He is a fancy mobile computer designed to emulate most human behavior. He can still be a sentient being and not be a human being. This whole episode reinforces that his acclimation into the world of human emotions always involves trial and error, and he self-tunes his programing based on the results of those experiments.

Jovet

2024-11-16 01:03:59 +0000 UTC

I found the ending very powerful and moving in its simplicity. Data has failed in his attempt to build a meaningful human relationship and yet he accepts companionship and comfort from his cat, picking Spot up and cuddling him. He is coming to terms with the fact he will always be alone.

Jill Barker

2024-11-16 01:01:21 +0000 UTC

The ending makes me cry a little because you want a sweet character like him who you love to have something special like that for himself, but you know just he can't. "He is Data. He cannot cry, so I cry for him" to paraphrase another film.

Vina

2024-11-16 00:53:10 +0000 UTC

Data is "cringe" in it in service to the plot, not because the story or acting etc are bad. We are definitely meant to feel embarrassed for him in this situation that's totally new for him.

Vina

2024-11-16 00:51:24 +0000 UTC

That was a pretty good series! I watched most of it in its original run when I was young and earlier this year re-watched it plus the made for TV movies (which weren't as good as the series). It did a pretty good job for its time at addressing racism and xenophobia, and I really loved the the main characters and their dynamics

Vina

2024-11-16 00:45:59 +0000 UTC

I'd forgotten how cringy the romance was in this episode. That said, the episode isn't that bad, and the science story was actually interesting enough that it held up well.

John

2024-11-15 22:54:38 +0000 UTC

100% correct. They did not.

thebeefmaster

2024-11-15 22:39:45 +0000 UTC

Speculative and unprovable. At best a theory or hypothesis. This is unknowable unless you could be an animal. But then you would be the only one to know because you could not tell us yes or no.

thebeefmaster

2024-11-15 22:19:16 +0000 UTC

Data has no emotions. The best that he can do is imitation. What some mistake for an inkling of emotion being shown, is no more than him reflecting on the moment.

thebeefmaster

2024-11-15 22:10:44 +0000 UTC

Hatred of cats?

tyranusfan

2024-11-15 21:45:49 +0000 UTC

I like Brent...but he seems to be the one next gen actor who gets along really well with Shatner. Now I like Shatner as well...but they may have something in common. Lol

Greg Quinn

2024-11-15 21:43:39 +0000 UTC

Disagree. They have done brain scans on animals like dogs and the same parts of their brains light up when looking at a owner as the parts of the brain of humans when looking at someone they identify as a person they love. Emotions are a pretty baseline cognitive function. There is no reason to think that emotions require high level cognition. Emotions mostly occurs at parts of the brain that most all animals have. It's their for evolutionary reasons. The main reason people don't like to think of animals having emotions is we want to be special in every possible way, and it makes killing and eating them feel ethically more awkward.

Greg Quinn

2024-11-15 21:40:36 +0000 UTC

I guess my point was data clearly can show feelings to some degree. Also I'm more of a dog person lol

Ca$hWednesday

2024-11-15 21:13:37 +0000 UTC

He can "emulate" several emotions just by logical conclusion.

Jovet

2024-11-15 21:09:37 +0000 UTC

The "love" from an animal is just as imaginary as Data's emotions. Love is a human emotion.

Jovet

2024-11-15 21:05:46 +0000 UTC

Pretty sure Spot shows up on his own. Data sat still long enough for the cat to demand attention.

Jovet

2024-11-15 21:03:56 +0000 UTC

From the ending of the episode, I always assumed Data called Spot over to comfort him means he can actually feel affection and love another being. The opposite of what Jenna says to him.

Ca$hWednesday

2024-11-15 20:50:54 +0000 UTC

Patrick Stewart ranks this as his favorite episode of TNG. Ever. If only we knew how much that would say about the man's creative insights about Trek... To put this in more current parlance, he's stuck playing Steve Rogers, who he doesn't understand, but really wants to be playing Johnny Storm.

Nolan

2024-11-15 20:39:43 +0000 UTC

I understand your reaction to the very last scene, saying you wanted a hint that data did feel something, or that it was at least less clear whether he did or didn’t. But I took it a bit differently. He clearly demonstrated that he didn’t have an emotional tie to Jenna despite trying, but when she left he immediately engaged with Spot in what looked like a caring manner. I think the scene showed his current ability to care really well. He wasn’t ready for human love or an intimate relationship , but he was already capable of showing and feeling affection for a pet. Which is true growth for a machine and a reflection that he had overstepped his current abilities, just like he said in the scene. It wasn’t a failure, just data trying to move too fast and hopefully learning from it, which is very human.

Bantha Fodder

2024-11-15 20:11:36 +0000 UTC

Brent Spiner said Spot was the worst actor that he ever worked with

tyranusfan

2024-11-15 17:04:48 +0000 UTC

Yeah I know but seriously I feel like this is the biggest pop that y'all have had definitely for Star Trek maybe across the entire channel? When she's halfway into the deck plates I knew it was coming and y'all popped.. RIL BEEG haha, it was a great time Great watch Love you Love you channel

Loki Incredible

2024-11-15 16:57:57 +0000 UTC

Thank you, theLore!!!!!!!

Loki Incredible

2024-11-15 16:56:23 +0000 UTC

I always think the oddest example is when he doesn’t understand what someone is saying he clearly shows confusion on his face. That could be how he is “programmed” to alert people that he doesn’t understand, but then why couldn’t he be programmed like that to show every emotion visually?

Josh (Target Audience)

2024-11-15 15:41:12 +0000 UTC

lol noted

Josh (Target Audience)

2024-11-15 15:31:23 +0000 UTC

My take, especially looking at the show now, is that Data does have some kind of emotions. They are just different or he processes them differently, and can't express them like we do. Like in Data's Day where he shows obvious nervousness, or in Legacy where toward the end he sure looks like he's having emotions.

Joe Concepts

2024-11-15 13:54:09 +0000 UTC

Earthshock pt 3. Great serial.

THE LORE!!!

2024-11-15 13:28:34 +0000 UTC

Guys, considering how much Star Trek programming has been made over so many decades, they have been pretty good when it comes to continuity. But don't expect any when it comes to Spot. That cat is the black hole of Star Trek continuity. Just accept however Spot is presented to you in any particular episode and run with it.

Regan

2024-11-15 13:17:25 +0000 UTC

Of course, beaming her out assumes that the rest of her hasn't...blended with the decking. Probably not, but we didn't learn what they found.

KatWithAttitude

2024-11-15 12:37:09 +0000 UTC

I think that the girl trapped in the deck was a nod to the Philadelphia Experiment from 1943. It was an experiment where the U.S. Navy attempted to make a destroyer escort, the USS Eldridge, disappear/become invisible and the bizarre results that followed. Reportedly, when the ship reappeared, some sailors were embedded in the metal structures of the ship, including one sailor who ended up on a deck level below where he began and had his hand embedded in the steel hull of the ship.

thebeefmaster

2024-11-15 10:24:40 +0000 UTC

I wonder how Data and a Vulcan female would get along.

thebeefmaster

2024-11-15 10:08:19 +0000 UTC

Beam her out with the transporter, most likely.

thebeefmaster

2024-11-15 09:50:23 +0000 UTC

Gotta admit I enjoyed it more than I remembered. Floor lady and the advice montage were the only scenes that I really recalled from way back. Still a C for me tho. Not actually bad, just doesn’t motivate to rewatch. I wish that after the great early comedy bits with the crew, Data had followed Troi’s very wise advice and they had moved onto a new A-plot.

rear adm. crackbiscuit

2024-11-15 09:48:36 +0000 UTC

You will NEVER get THAT image out of your head!!!

T’Pynyn of Vulcan

2024-11-15 05:46:18 +0000 UTC

I think it's already been mentioned, but the sync with what's displayed is a bit off this time. I almost don't mind, it's kinda fun trying to sync using reactions. The chick cut in two by the floor was a pretty great moment for that.

Chris

2024-11-15 04:49:22 +0000 UTC

I won't! All of us Jeffs are heartless and emotionally unavailable.

Jeff

2024-11-15 04:25:38 +0000 UTC

They won’t answer until you apologize to Jenna, Jeff!!!!

Ross Townsend

2024-11-15 04:16:43 +0000 UTC

The way I read the ending of this episode is that Data so instinctively provided the necessary affection for Spot. It happened naturally. So like humans, Data was overthinking the relationship and messed it up. He's human when he doesn't try and android when he overthinks things.... but then again, overthinking is human....

Ricky

2024-11-15 04:16:27 +0000 UTC

Cool! A nice way to start the new year.

Jeff

2024-11-15 04:12:36 +0000 UTC

Good breakdown

Josh (Target Audience)

2024-11-15 04:11:09 +0000 UTC

Based on what we've seen so far, Data does not have emotions. He does have regret, and apprehension, and even love, but he does not FEEL. Apparently you do not need emotions to experience these things, and how an 'emotionless' individual handles those experiences in unique. But Data really isn't at all like you or I.

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

2024-11-15 04:09:32 +0000 UTC

No, because you aren’t factoring in the break between seasons. ST VI will be early January.

Josh (Target Audience)

2024-11-15 04:09:21 +0000 UTC

I think the fun is in playing with how close you can push “processing” or “understanding” human emotion to “feeling” that emotion. Data doesn’t “feel” grief for Tasha, Lal, or Soong, but his processing of their absence and why their absence matters could be close to the same thing in theory (aha!)

Josh (Target Audience)

2024-11-15 04:08:38 +0000 UTC

They just shot her on a green screen and composited her in, and added a contact shadow to help it blend in. You'll note that neither she nor the camera ever move in the slightest in any shot that you can see her intersect the floor. The shots from behind, where the camera is moving and she's not keeping perfectly still, you can tell that her head is actually higher up, enough for her to just be sitting down on the floor in front of the camera.

Adam Zey

2024-11-15 04:05:06 +0000 UTC

He can't be reasoned with. He doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And he absolutely will not stop... ever, until you are dead! To hell with the off switch, Data with violent intents is not the same

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

2024-11-15 04:00:23 +0000 UTC

I wonder how they set the shot for that floor merge up?

Keith S

2024-11-15 03:56:47 +0000 UTC

There are objectively worse ways to go in Trek, but none come to mind this close to a rewatch of that reveal. NO THANKS.

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

2024-11-15 03:55:11 +0000 UTC

I don't think so; without getting into spoilers, we know this can't be true based on dialogue in [redacted].

Forbidden Donut

2024-11-15 03:54:20 +0000 UTC

Ref 3: There are a lot of things Picard ends up doing that ought to be given to Riker. Writers are a little too in love with JLP.

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

2024-11-15 03:50:09 +0000 UTC

I knew it. I had to manually adjust things and then everything lined up. It was like a puzzle to solve, which was good because it distracted me from the episode's cringe.

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

2024-11-15 03:47:10 +0000 UTC

My interpretation is that Data is not meant to have any emotions, however the actor and the writing staff do sometimes step over the line with this, and I think that incongruity sets fans up to believing there's more going on than was originally intended to be going on. The other characters are written to 'see something more' in him as well, which muddies the waters, too. However, Dr. Soong made him an emotion chip for a reason; he needs it in order to truly feel things. I've also always felt that a lot of what we may think we're seeing as 'human' in Data is really us noticing Brent Spiner's humanity. He's excellent at playing Data, but he's a human being, and on some level we probably can always feel that whenever we see him on screen.

Forbidden Donut

2024-11-15 03:46:42 +0000 UTC

Oh, I'm glad I'm not crazy. All the exclamatory reactions happening right before the reason for the reaction was driving me nuts trying to keep it synced.

Mark

2024-11-15 03:45:38 +0000 UTC

@Clyde Frog My cat would come to comfort me if I were sad. But he also acted like a dog a lot, following me all around the house, etc.

Jovet

2024-11-15 03:41:52 +0000 UTC

I was thinking about this, too. I think technically there's stuff in that from up to Season 6, but honestly... is any of it consequential enough to matter? I feel like it probably wouldn't hurt, but others may disagree.

Forbidden Donut

2024-11-15 03:41:40 +0000 UTC

In terms of the rank insignia you mentioned, a dark pip next to a golden one represents a diminished version of a full rank. In Jenna's case lieutenant junior grade, while two golden pips would be full lieutenant (Worf). Same like Data's one dark and two gold pips mean lieutenant commander, while Riker's 3 gold pips make him a full commander. About what you said during the intro, I believe since they all have several holodecks on board, I always assumed they pretty much fulfill anyone's needs. And so there would be no need for people to come to Data. But you never know.

Marko

2024-11-15 03:25:50 +0000 UTC

Can they watch Data & Picard (Pogo) now without spoilers? I think this was the last part referenced in that song.

This_Guy_Again

2024-11-15 03:09:21 +0000 UTC

Mens' off buttons are called TESTICLES.

Jovet

2024-11-15 03:07:17 +0000 UTC

I doubt it. Cats never seem to give a shit about your feelings like dogs do, at least in my experience.

Clyde Frog

2024-11-15 03:05:42 +0000 UTC

I've never felt like a failure at the end of a relationship, no matter why it ended. Even after 10 years. Ideally, each failed relationship is a learning experience. Such as: don't do what Jenna does and keep making the same mistakes over and over.

Jovet

2024-11-15 03:05:23 +0000 UTC

If my calculations are correct, you're due to watch "Star Trek VI" in 3-4 weeks. Does that sound right?

Jeff

2024-11-15 03:00:06 +0000 UTC

Hopefully they especially programmed the transporter and beamed her out... of the beams.

Jovet

2024-11-15 02:59:08 +0000 UTC

How would Spot know Data is sad? How COULD Data be sad??

Jovet

2024-11-15 02:58:11 +0000 UTC

Maybe they beamed it out.

Keith S

2024-11-15 02:54:39 +0000 UTC

Moderate cringe is entertaining and fun. Extreme cringe is embarrassing and repulsive.

Jovet

2024-11-15 02:53:39 +0000 UTC

It was the reaction and episode being out of sync that did that.

Jovet

2024-11-15 02:51:32 +0000 UTC

1:12:35 The "Takeaway" from this episode is that Data needs that emotion chip his father made for him.

Jovet

2024-11-15 02:48:20 +0000 UTC

Low key solid guest performance

Josh (Target Audience)

2024-11-15 02:25:43 +0000 UTC

A saw perhaps

Josh (Target Audience)

2024-11-15 02:24:14 +0000 UTC

Okay Josh, you coincidentally said "in theroy" just before it showed up on screen as the episode title.

Keith S

2024-11-15 01:48:28 +0000 UTC

Glad you guys liked the episode, but I am not a fan of cringe, so this doesn't really work for me. Especially when I was younger, I really wanted the A and B stories reversed because I was much more interested in the dark matter phasing plot, though the woman trapped in the floor was (and still is) highly disturbing. I do like though that Jenna is not villainized in any way, she seemed to have good intentions and things just didn't work out. I disagree with you guys about the ending, for me that's actually one of the best parts of the episode. Perhaps I am just projecting, but I totally felt a degree of sadness or loneliness from Data until he started petting his cat and that made him feel better. And it's only after that that he blows the candle out, not right away after Jenna leaves, which is what I would assume would happen if the breakup really didn't matter. It reminds us and Data himself that while romantic love eludes him, he is still capable of caring in other ways. Perhaps there could have been a longer moment between Jenna's exit and Spot's entrance to sell it a bit more, but that small pause of Data just staring at the door was enough for me.

Ryan Caulfield

2024-11-15 01:46:20 +0000 UTC

This. The cat (and its "simple" feelings) is very important for the... symbolism?

ellmo

2024-11-15 01:46:10 +0000 UTC

Spot purrs instantly when Data pets it – not caring Data is artificial or has no real feelings for him. The cat's feelings for Data are enough. Why does it even come over at this moment? Does it know Data's sad?

ellmo

2024-11-15 01:44:23 +0000 UTC

Michelle Scarbelli played Sunsan Francisco in Alien Nation TV series.

Keith S

2024-11-15 01:32:26 +0000 UTC

I often wonder how they got her body out of the deck.

KatWithAttitude

2024-11-15 01:20:53 +0000 UTC

Yeah—then he really would have emotions! It's why that episode is so sad.

Jovet

2024-11-15 01:20:27 +0000 UTC

Yup! Excellent comment. 👍👍👍 Edit: Actually it is impossible to convey to someone who has never seen color before what color is like. If someone goes blind after having seen color, it's not a problem. The memories may fade but the core concept is there.

Jovet

2024-11-15 01:19:16 +0000 UTC

That is true Jovet, but there was time, and the possibility of off screen energizing is there. We have made bigger leaps of faith. I mean it is not like it was Georgi, this is Data, and Jenna was close to engaging from the first. Review: call stands... Data downloaded at least once. (or is it uploading?)

Prof Moff

2024-11-15 01:19:15 +0000 UTC

He has no feelings.

Jovet

2024-11-15 01:18:37 +0000 UTC

For me, the ending shows Data does have some feelings. A relationship with a person requires a great range of multiple emotions. Data's current capabilities are only up to taking care of a cat.

Edweirdo

2024-11-15 01:16:43 +0000 UTC

Not now Madelin!

Alan Thompson

2024-11-15 01:16:16 +0000 UTC

I think one of the great things about this episode is that it tackles the conception/misconception that Data somehow has emotions despite reporting otherwise. Data certainly has a greater capability than let's say the Enterprise computer of understanding/emulating human behaviour, but that's because he's literally designed for that purpose. In some ways he's like the terminator in T2, "I know now why you cry, but it's something I can never do.". I'm sure we've all been in situations where we weren't affected by something emotionally ourselves, but someone else was, and when we become aware of what they are feeling we are sympathetic but still don't have those feelings. That basically Data all the time. He's developed an awareness by learning and growing, but ultimately he's trying to improve his programing to overcome a hardware limitation. A blind man can be taught an understanding of colour, but he still can't see.

Paul Noad

2024-11-15 01:10:46 +0000 UTC

Cringiest episode of TNG so far, BY FAR! Bottom 5 of the series for me, I believe!

Jovet

2024-11-15 01:07:03 +0000 UTC

Straight men don't understand women, either. 😏

Jovet

2024-11-15 01:06:25 +0000 UTC

Yes. Data DOES NOT have emotions. He can learn to somewhat emulate having them to accommodate the comfort level of his peers, but he has NO true emotions.

Jovet

2024-11-15 01:04:07 +0000 UTC

🙄 There is no evidence they porked. 🤦

Jovet

2024-11-15 01:01:49 +0000 UTC

2) I thought we all knew that from the whale film.

Jovet

2024-11-15 01:00:20 +0000 UTC

49:15 As a long time Doctor Who fan, that "in the floor" scene did not disturb or affect me much at all. It's a great way to get rid of Cybermen, actually.

Jovet

2024-11-15 00:58:25 +0000 UTC

32:30 I'm glad that Alex, at least, feels the same way I do about this episode. CRINGE SHITTY!

Jovet

2024-11-15 00:41:04 +0000 UTC

29:07 I forgot how much he essentially turns into Lore... ugh

Jovet

2024-11-15 00:37:42 +0000 UTC

It's a good point about the ending. And they had everything set up to have that other ending. The candle was there on the table and he blew it out, but if he just showed some hesitancy in blowing it out, that might have been enough.

Nerd's Gold

2024-11-15 00:21:51 +0000 UTC

I think what I’ve always appreciated about this episode is that Jenna genuinely respects Data. She knows who she’s dating and she doesn’t try to change him. She just doesn’t fully understand the implications of dating another emotionless person. I feel bad for her by the end of the episode.

Column Meanie

2024-11-15 00:21:48 +0000 UTC

always wondered how this would have played out if data had his emotion chip

Dark Kronis

2024-11-15 00:21:05 +0000 UTC

4:42 ...when any co-workers want to come... *and come...

Jovet

2024-11-15 00:12:38 +0000 UTC

Team Jeff

Jeff Cornell

2024-11-15 00:08:28 +0000 UTC

I really don't like this episode. I have only ever watched it once (maybe twice) before. It's going to be a chore to slog through it again. I'll give it my best...

Jovet

2024-11-15 00:07:16 +0000 UTC

What happens in the holodeck, stays in the holodeck.

Paul Sage

2024-11-14 23:55:56 +0000 UTC

I noticed Data used a contraction during the scene where he was getting drinks from the replicator

Doug

2024-11-14 23:50:22 +0000 UTC

At least this episode answers some questions often asked: 1) What is Data thinking? He's thinking of a thousand things, per second, over and over. 2) What is transparent aluminum actually used for? Its what the windows are made of. 3) If Stewart wasn't directing this, it makes a lot more sense for Riker to pilot the shuttle. Or, you know, an actual highly trained shuttle pilot that they have on the crew for just such occasions.

Alan Thompson

2024-11-14 23:46:14 +0000 UTC

Should be focussing on the Data stuff but I always thought the image of the crewmember trapped between floors was quite chilling

Darren Seal

2024-11-14 23:37:52 +0000 UTC

Ironic isn’t it

Josh (Target Audience)

2024-11-14 23:34:44 +0000 UTC

The Lore is the one who made me aware

Josh (Target Audience)

2024-11-14 23:28:17 +0000 UTC

She dumps him, leaves. He sits there reflecting on how he has failed to successfully maintain this relationship, is insufficient as a partner and is incapable of providing love and comfort to another...... Dark stuff that we are likely to feel after a breakup. ...and then Spot comes over, hops up and starts purring away as Data gives scritches..... Data is providing love and comfort and is more than sufficient to Spot. It's as if to say, the human element still eludes him but he's almost there... He blows out the candle, probably not realizing the juxtaposition....

James Bottas

2024-11-14 23:16:49 +0000 UTC

lol

PIG

2024-11-14 23:09:28 +0000 UTC

@Loki I didn't read past it. The text didn't exist when I made my comment

THE LORE!!!

2024-11-14 23:09:00 +0000 UTC

Men have an “off button” too! It’s called a knife. Or a bullet lol And as much as some dude is terrifying I bet a chimp (who is likely weaker than Data) is still more terrifying.

PIG

2024-11-14 23:08:54 +0000 UTC

@Sam They edited after I left my comment

THE LORE!!!

2024-11-14 23:08:25 +0000 UTC

Okay .. Data's brother is out there having a... LOREGY thank you

Loki Incredible

2024-11-14 23:05:28 +0000 UTC

Have you read the explaining text?

Sam Langanke

2024-11-14 23:00:43 +0000 UTC

The sex scoreboard Riker 10 Troi 3 Dr. Bev 3 Data 2 NEW +1 Picard 1 Worf 1 Geordi 1 Broccoli 2 i Chief 1 Keiko 1 extras: Obviously Jenna gets a +1. There could be a question as to sealing the deal but we believe Data did during the 6 second delay making Data the full functional with multiple techniques 6 second sentient being. There could be one more +1. The engineer woman dropping between decks is ...well something.

Prof Moff

2024-11-14 23:00:32 +0000 UTC

You feel like such a failure when you get dumped, but many including me now look back at that time afterwards in a bachelor apartment with the mattress on the floor and a cat to look after as the high point of their lives.

Alan Thompson

2024-11-14 22:58:43 +0000 UTC

Lol, we all read right past it "Start the episode then start our reaction at 6 seconds. Obviously all visual syncs will be off this much as well. Sorry about that." Hahahaha thanks y'all

Loki Incredible

2024-11-14 22:58:05 +0000 UTC

Mine was off as well (I watch off of Paramount). I had to resynch a few times.

Greg Quinn

2024-11-14 22:56:04 +0000 UTC

"The Deal is Done." Coming Soon: TA Only Fans =P

James Knight

2024-11-14 22:50:17 +0000 UTC

The officer halfway through the floor freaked me out at a kid.

Saucy

2024-11-14 22:49:26 +0000 UTC

Same issue with me I finally got it synced up for the big pop but it was I think just off by a constant number of seconds yeah

Loki Incredible

2024-11-14 22:48:55 +0000 UTC

Honey I'm Home! To watch this entertaining episode

Narnman

2024-11-14 22:26:33 +0000 UTC

This reaction was really great! In theory... P.S. Love you guys

Deep Red

2024-11-14 22:22:25 +0000 UTC

I love the no reaction of Data and the fade on scene with just punches the audience in the gut, showing that Data did do just what he said he was going to. When Jenna is at the door and Data asked if we are no longer a couple. She replies that they aren't. And Data states he is deleting the program. Him having a real reaction would be counter to what he just told the audience. Showing how it's a failed experiment. Versus something like Lal where he deliberately integrated her memories (minus the emotion behind them) into his own programming, because that relationship did matter to him. It's my favorite scene of the episode for how stark it is, and true to what is stated in an otherwise B or B- minus episode for myself.

Mark Wood

2024-11-14 22:20:44 +0000 UTC

I don't see what the difference would be. The average woman woludnt stand a chance against the average man, and data at least isn't ever really angry and has an off switch.

Eric Wilson

2024-11-14 22:14:53 +0000 UTC

45:22 - 45:35 ... the synchronized groans and grumps and sighs as you both processed your feelings on this one and how you felt about the ending made my day lol

Joshua Taylor

2024-11-14 22:13:21 +0000 UTC

Just as Data is a Lt. Cmdr. With his two gold and one black pip.

Mark Wood

2024-11-14 22:11:23 +0000 UTC

Your reactions are not matching up to the sync on the screen. Maybe the anomaly that affected the Enterprise affected your recording?

Collin Freeman

2024-11-14 22:07:17 +0000 UTC

You are correct, the reaction is out of sync with the picture.

Yorin

2024-11-14 22:05:27 +0000 UTC

Brent Spiner is such a great actor. And throughout the episode, in my opinion, he remains true to the character of Data, though I see where you both are coming from.

Collin Freeman

2024-11-14 22:01:18 +0000 UTC

I was having the same problem

Collin Freeman

2024-11-14 22:00:57 +0000 UTC

You guys are a lot more accepting of the mediocre episodes than a lot of us.

Phil Ken Sebben

2024-11-14 22:00:29 +0000 UTC

I think this is the first episode where Data's cat gets a name. Seems logical that he'd call it spot.

Keith S

2024-11-14 21:59:49 +0000 UTC

Correct. I’m synced up to their picture and sound and yet their actual reactions are ≈5-7 seconds ahead of

Mister Hope

2024-11-14 21:48:18 +0000 UTC

i thought it was just me.

Joe Green

2024-11-14 21:46:15 +0000 UTC

A gold and a black pin means Jenna is a Lieutenant Junior Grade. This ist the rank between Ensign and Lieutenant.

Sam Langanke

2024-11-14 21:45:04 +0000 UTC

This is exactly what dating girls was like for me as a gay teenager.

Christopher Boutwell

2024-11-14 21:25:50 +0000 UTC

Oh gosh I loathed this one. It just made me cringe.

Crankygrandma

2024-11-14 21:19:52 +0000 UTC

Can you imagine how terriifying it would be to have somebody stronger than 10 men have a lover's quarrel, even if he's pretending?

PIG

2024-11-14 20:59:15 +0000 UTC

Is it just me or is the time not matching up correctly? The time and picture match but the reaction itself is like 6 seconds fast

THE LORE!!!

2024-11-14 20:55:17 +0000 UTC

My day just got better. Thank you, Target Audience!

PIG

2024-11-14 20:52:18 +0000 UTC

UNCUT - In Theory (TNG S4E25) | Star Trek Journey 206

Comments

This episode is so hilariously dumb and I love it.

@Sherpa Jones It still does not negate what I see as Troi's bad advice to Data. She should have shot it down.

@Jovet it's not something most people would think about, but real world breaches of this ethical boundary have caused people serious emotional and psychological distress. There are a lot of therapists out there who should have their licenses revoked.

Stay current with eps watched and not future eps.

I imagine the scene of getting her out would be more at home in The Boys, so probably for the best we didn't see it.

Exactly

There’s a reference to the film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in this episode. When investigating a disturbance in the observation lounge, we learn the Enterprise’s windows are made of “transparent aluminum,” which was the material Scotty helped ‘invent’ in the past.

nah, phaser on kill, poof she's gone

I wonder if she asked him if he was fully functional? I bet not, he should have told her, you know... informationally

"Data's Day" DATA: Since I am not affected by emotional considerations, I am closer to being Vulcan than human.

*has a pussy ....cat.

@Sherpa Jones Data has demonstrated his compassion several times. Sarjenka comes to mind.

@Sherpa Jones Interesting. Obviously I'm not a therapist.

The folks who raised me were into horror and so I think all of the early horror influences for TNG that go on in VOY (ie writers like B. Braga) really prepped me for really getting into horror movies as a teen (And I was scarred by a bunch of horror movies as a kid 🙃😅)

I know! Watching Data awkwardly put his arm around Jenna... I need eye bleach!

It seemed like a no brainer to me that Data should seek counsel from a Vulcan member of the crew; especially if they had a romantic partner that wasn't Vulcan. Too bad Sarek was ill and was only on the ship for a single mission. His guidance to Data would have been valuable.

That scene left me with nightmares as a child.

How would Data know? He’s never been human.

I think it is interesting that they never mention films, as well. By contrast, "The Orville," which is HEAVILY influenced by TNG mentions classic cinema in several episodes. They even have a movie night in the ships theater.

Who needs her when he has a cat

Yep. To be blunt, Data has no real empathy. That makes romantic relationships very challenging. His fake façade (where he was, essentially, acting like Lore) just couldn't last.

Correlation does not necessarily equal causation.

How many times does Data have to say that he does not have emotions and cannot feel the way that a human does? I take him at his word.

I should've been more specific. I should say a blind man can be taught an understanding of the concept/physics of colour, but can never be taught the experience.

I think the main point is that while Data is clearly interested in showing/emulating affection he doesn't actually have the associated feelings. I suppose one could argue that Data does still care in his own sort of android way, but it's still not exactly love as we know it either.

For some reason this one never really sat as well with me, just for the second-hand embarrassment factor. I think the sync is a little off from the episode picture-in-picture.

I rate it a J for Jenna. I just couldn't get on board with her script or the actor's portrayal. Maybe a B- for Brent, he did the best possible with the material.

another interpretation of the end was that unlike Tasha, this woman ::didn't:: really matter to Data and hes not "emotionally aware" enough to sort ou the difference. We were clearly meant to think Data was NOT broken up over this, selling his gf's whole point she couldnt touch him emotionally.

I am often reminded that there are lots of things the higher officers should be delegating to the lower decks that they just do themselves. It's one of those things I have just learned I have to try to ignore, like the incessant sounds in space.

Yes, it was written to be cringy. The acting was masterful. It was just too cringy and silly for me.

Actually ,Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes also get on well with Shatner .There is a great hour long StarTrek Captains’ Table discussion chaired by Whoopie Goldberg on You Tube. It starred Shatner, Stewart, Frakes and Leonard Nimoy.

Agreed .Love is NOT specifically a human emotion. Animals love in many ways which are as just as powerful ,

I submit he's biased about that because he got to direct it.

I found the ending very powerful and moving in its simplicity. Data has failed in his attempt to build a meaningful human relationship and yet he accepts companionship and comfort from his cat, picking Spot up and cuddling him. He is coming to terms with the fact he will always be alone.

The ending makes me cry a little because you want a sweet character like him who you love to have something special like that for himself, but you know just he can't. "He is Data. He cannot cry, so I cry for him" to paraphrase another film.

Data is "cringe" in it in service to the plot, not because the story or acting etc are bad. We are definitely meant to feel embarrassed for him in this situation that's totally new for him.

I'd forgotten how cringy the romance was in this episode. That said, the episode isn't that bad, and the science story was actually interesting enough that it held up well.

100% correct. They did not.

Speculative and unprovable. At best a theory or hypothesis. This is unknowable unless you could be an animal. But then you would be the only one to know because you could not tell us yes or no.

Data has no emotions. The best that he can do is imitation. What some mistake for an inkling of emotion being shown, is no more than him reflecting on the moment.

Hatred of cats?

I like Brent...but he seems to be the one next gen actor who gets along really well with Shatner. Now I like Shatner as well...but they may have something in common. Lol

I guess my point was data clearly can show feelings to some degree. Also I'm more of a dog person lol

He can "emulate" several emotions just by logical conclusion.

The "love" from an animal is just as imaginary as Data's emotions. Love is a human emotion.

Pretty sure Spot shows up on his own. Data sat still long enough for the cat to demand attention.

From the ending of the episode, I always assumed Data called Spot over to comfort him means he can actually feel affection and love another being. The opposite of what Jenna says to him.

Patrick Stewart ranks this as his favorite episode of TNG. Ever. If only we knew how much that would say about the man's creative insights about Trek... To put this in more current parlance, he's stuck playing Steve Rogers, who he doesn't understand, but really wants to be playing Johnny Storm.

Brent Spiner said Spot was the worst actor that he ever worked with

Yeah I know but seriously I feel like this is the biggest pop that y'all have had definitely for Star Trek maybe across the entire channel? When she's halfway into the deck plates I knew it was coming and y'all popped.. RIL BEEG haha, it was a great time Great watch Love you Love you channel

Thank you, theLore!!!!!!!

I always think the oddest example is when he doesn’t understand what someone is saying he clearly shows confusion on his face. That could be how he is “programmed” to alert people that he doesn’t understand, but then why couldn’t he be programmed like that to show every emotion visually?

lol noted

Earthshock pt 3. Great serial.

Of course, beaming her out assumes that the rest of her hasn't...blended with the decking. Probably not, but we didn't learn what they found.

I wonder how Data and a Vulcan female would get along.

Beam her out with the transporter, most likely.

You will NEVER get THAT image out of your head!!!

I think it's already been mentioned, but the sync with what's displayed is a bit off this time. I almost don't mind, it's kinda fun trying to sync using reactions. The chick cut in two by the floor was a pretty great moment for that.

I won't! All of us Jeffs are heartless and emotionally unavailable.

They won’t answer until you apologize to Jenna, Jeff!!!!

Cool! A nice way to start the new year.

Good breakdown

No, because you aren’t factoring in the break between seasons. ST VI will be early January.

He can't be reasoned with. He doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And he absolutely will not stop... ever, until you are dead! To hell with the off switch, Data with violent intents is not the same

I wonder how they set the shot for that floor merge up?

There are objectively worse ways to go in Trek, but none come to mind this close to a rewatch of that reveal. NO THANKS.

I don't think so; without getting into spoilers, we know this can't be true based on dialogue in [redacted].

Ref 3: There are a lot of things Picard ends up doing that ought to be given to Riker. Writers are a little too in love with JLP.

I knew it. I had to manually adjust things and then everything lined up. It was like a puzzle to solve, which was good because it distracted me from the episode's cringe.

Oh, I'm glad I'm not crazy. All the exclamatory reactions happening right before the reason for the reaction was driving me nuts trying to keep it synced.

@Clyde Frog My cat would come to comfort me if I were sad. But he also acted like a dog a lot, following me all around the house, etc.

I was thinking about this, too. I think technically there's stuff in that from up to Season 6, but honestly... is any of it consequential enough to matter? I feel like it probably wouldn't hurt, but others may disagree.

Can they watch Data & Picard (Pogo) now without spoilers? I think this was the last part referenced in that song.

Mens' off buttons are called TESTICLES.

I doubt it. Cats never seem to give a shit about your feelings like dogs do, at least in my experience.

I've never felt like a failure at the end of a relationship, no matter why it ended. Even after 10 years. Ideally, each failed relationship is a learning experience. Such as: don't do what Jenna does and keep making the same mistakes over and over.

If my calculations are correct, you're due to watch "Star Trek VI" in 3-4 weeks. Does that sound right?