PATRON TAKES - Star Trek TNG S2E11
Added 2024-02-19 12:42:19 +0000 UTCComment on this post your ‘takes’ on this episode and we will read a few in our discussion!
NO SPOILERS - If it is information regarding anything THAT DOES OR DOES NOT HAPPEN after this episode, don't include it in your comment.
If you want your take to be read in the video, comment ONE of the following:
- A brief review (2-3 sentences) of why you like/dislike the episode
- A question for us about the episode
- A prediction of how you think we will react to a certain aspect of the episode
- A fun fact about the episode
We are watching this episode Monday, so we won’t be reading the comments on this until then. If you have questions shoot us a message!
Comments
Maybe they're running behind this week. These Patron Takes posts were late, too.
Jovet
2024-02-22 20:11:20 +0000 UTCBoth excellent points! Though the Iconian technology can get a pass, since they had to delete all records of it and they had to destroy it to ensure the Romulans didn't get their hands on it. So as profound of a discovery as Iconia is, there's much way it can impact all their lives.
Jovet
2024-02-22 20:10:35 +0000 UTCWhere is E11? It's Thursday evening (in Middle-Europe).
Sam Langanke
2024-02-22 19:07:07 +0000 UTCTrue, like I said few examples
Sebastian_Frodo
2024-02-22 14:02:49 +0000 UTCWe did also hear spoken Vulcan in the first two movies.
Anthony Bernacchi
2024-02-22 12:40:55 +0000 UTCI believe the Writers' Guide for TOS said two of the Enterprise's sister ships in that era were named "Monitor" and "Merrimack," although they were never mentioned on screen.
Anthony Bernacchi
2024-02-22 12:37:08 +0000 UTCI'm aware. I'm just intentionally not mentioning anything beyond this one episode, as the lads have requested many times in their videos.
Andy Frankham-Allen
2024-02-22 08:32:27 +0000 UTCRe: Iconians - Star Trek Online explored this in an amazing way, they have a great storyline there.
snthd
2024-02-21 22:06:22 +0000 UTCThe solution is amusing and I remember laughing when I first watched it in the 80s. I predict you will be intrigued by the set up and at a loss as to how they will solve it. And that you also will laugh when they find the solution. Either that or you will think it’s dumb.
Crankygrandma
2024-02-21 13:23:32 +0000 UTCI enjoyed it this episode though TNG still carries on the tradition of introducing universe-changing discoveries then promptly forgetting it ever happened by the next episode. Funny enough it was the nurse who didn't know what a splint was that I found the most unbelievable. Especially seeing as how often crews get stranded on planets without their advanced resources.
Lindsey
2024-02-21 07:11:42 +0000 UTCAn alien computer virus is not a normal event. Anyway, deleting everything and rebooting using a backup does not get more complicated when a system is more advanced. It is by design a very simple solution even if it's not elegant, it's basically smashing everything with a digital hammer and starting over.
Phillip Grischa
2024-02-21 07:05:16 +0000 UTCAnd not something one would normally ever consider needing to turn off!
Jovet
2024-02-21 04:46:24 +0000 UTCI've always liked that bright white flash with the blue lens flare to represent the antimatter release. Really gives the impression of a massive energy release.
tyranusfan
2024-02-21 01:53:18 +0000 UTCI like this episode, we get to learn about a new ancient, and powerful, alien race. Though this episode proves why you shouldn’t put civilians and families on your military/exploratory ships.
Leighton Cressman
2024-02-20 22:29:38 +0000 UTCThe USS Yamato was definitely named after the World War II battleship Yamato (just like the Yamato in the Japanese series was a rebuild of that same ship), but modeler Rick Sternbach says that the name was not a reference to the anime series. He was an anime fan, but the name was coined by the writers without his input, and he strongly doubted the writers had knowledge of the anime connection. Most English viewers would have been more familiar with the English Star Blazers dub, where the ship was given the name "The Argo" instead of the Yamato. So I guess, unless the original writers (likely of When Silence Has Lease) come forward and settle the matter, the answer is "maybe? Doubtful, but it's possible."
Ian Westcott
2024-02-20 22:27:48 +0000 UTCCheck out Exodus. A game being developed by high quality rpg veterans. You'll love its story.
valen
2024-02-20 21:48:04 +0000 UTCThat's cool! I didn't remember Gerber wrote this episode.
Collin Freeman
2024-02-20 21:22:21 +0000 UTCI mean, we're not talking about an iMac where you do a simple reboot... It's a starship. As is pointed out, the most sophisticated computer system in the known galaxy.
Steven Johnson
2024-02-20 18:47:12 +0000 UTCMan, they should have done that to the guy who died on the bridge in Where Silence Has Lease, lol. His nostrils just would not stop flaring after he died. Makes me laugh every single time I watch that episode.
Lady Beyond The Wall
2024-02-20 16:14:45 +0000 UTCIf I lived in the future, that's ABSOLUTELY what I would be doing! Running around finding ancient civilizations and trying to not be captured by Romulans I guess, lol.
Lady Beyond The Wall
2024-02-20 16:12:33 +0000 UTCThis episode is a lot of fun but I kinda have to roll my eyes at the crew when they don't figure out on their to just delete the virus and reboot the system until Data literally shuts off and does a demonstration.
Phillip Grischa
2024-02-20 12:57:21 +0000 UTCI still enjoy rewatching this episode from time to time. It may not be the best, but at least there are Romulans and a pretty cool ship explosion! Definitely a better hook than some previous episodes.
Brian Moore
2024-02-20 06:51:50 +0000 UTCOh heck, you're right! xD
DataDroid
2024-02-20 05:14:26 +0000 UTCI like the FX they concocted to explode the other ship, using the Enterprise model). The skin slowly burning away on the saucer and everything.
Mike Rogers
2024-02-20 03:47:10 +0000 UTCI really like this episode, mostly due to the information about the Iconians. I have a thing for super ancient extinct alien races. I do feel like the stuff underground looked a little too "new" for being hundreds of thousands of years old though. Loved the Romulans and Geordi being flung like a ragdoll - Data's reaction always cracks me up.
Lady Beyond The Wall
2024-02-20 02:05:50 +0000 UTCI'm absolutely the same with the episode title! Every single time I see the title of this episode, I for the life of me can't remember what the hell it's about! 😂 And I really like this one too. You'd think it'd stick in my brain, but nope.
Lady Beyond The Wall
2024-02-20 01:57:26 +0000 UTCI wouldn't be surprised if it was. But I'm sure the symbolism wasn't lost on the writers- having two of Starfleet's best ships carry the names of a WWII Japanese battleship and a WWII US aircraft carrier. It is a metaphor for the federation itself- different cultures putting aside their differencces and coming together in peace.
Regan
2024-02-20 01:52:24 +0000 UTCI love this episode and it is also one of the very very few examples of alien spoken language besides klingon especially in early Star Trek and then even 2. I also love the pace of this episode and the jump to interesting different places like Iconia or the bridge of the Romulan Warbird. And nice to see the first episode where the romulans are really a big part of the episode.
Sebastian_Frodo
2024-02-20 01:17:45 +0000 UTCThis was actually the episode that got 8 year old me hooked on TNG as a kid while Season 2 was first airing. Lots of action and entertaining, though limited impact on the rest of TNG. I think you'll like it. As a kid I enjoyed TOS, and had seen some other "slower" TNG season 2 episodes that hadn't hooked me, and I really loved the Romulan ship upgrades vs. TOS.
NivekTheIncorrigible
2024-02-19 23:41:56 +0000 UTCAnd some still don't, at least according to my cousin when he worked in tech support.
Nolan
2024-02-19 23:32:15 +0000 UTCI mean, it kinda probably was though? I'm not up on my Space Battleship Yamato lore, having I think only seen the first ep awhile ago, but isn't that just the highly reknown WWII Japanese carrier retrofitted to be space-worthy? Thus, since the Enterprise was the most decorated WWII American aircraft carrier, and one if the ships the 1701 lineage is named after, the D's sister ship having the name of the WWII Enterprise's rival would track, and thus, obliquely IS a reference to Space Battleship Yamato.
Nolan
2024-02-19 23:28:37 +0000 UTCJust imagine what they were doing now 200035 years ago ...
Jovet
2024-02-19 22:37:34 +0000 UTCAnd a Romulan ship interior!!
Jovet
2024-02-19 22:36:44 +0000 UTCIt's just kinda a shame that Picard got to *touch* Iconia, and then blew it up.
Jovet
2024-02-19 22:34:25 +0000 UTC@DataDroid The Iconian countdown makes sense. It's a bit "off" to me that the "universal translator" translates the Romulans themselves just fine, but not their ship's countdown timer. 🤦
Jovet
2024-02-19 22:26:53 +0000 UTCFrom now on when I need to do a factory reset after visiting "certain websites" I'm just going to blame it on the Iconians.
Greg Quinn
2024-02-19 22:20:17 +0000 UTCI always liked this one. Even if the solution was "did you turn it off and back on again?" Poor Yamato. Brought up a couple times before, now just space dust. And ACTUAL Romulans. Lotta ancient, dead empires in Star Trek though. Guess we'll add Iconians to the list.
Nolan
2024-02-19 22:16:04 +0000 UTCWesley cancelled the McAfee subscription.
Alan F
2024-02-19 21:59:10 +0000 UTCYears later, when the computer backups came into being, I thought "just like that Star Trek episode" . Another thing I remember is when Data completely shut down, he had a closeup and his closed eyes jiggled. That was because they superimposed a frozen frame of Brent Spiner's closed eyes over the rest of his face (I guess to hide eye movement in the shot).. The remastered one eliminates the shifting.
Mike Rogers
2024-02-19 21:37:40 +0000 UTCEvery time I see the name of this episode, I have to remind myself "oh right, that's not the one where Pulaski grows super old... it's the one where Geordi finds out what's so turbo about the turbolifts"
GreenCauldron08
2024-02-19 20:49:15 +0000 UTCI've always really liked this episode, even though people feel it's hit or miss. And as a tech guy, the only unbelievable thing is that they didn't think of restoring from backup earlier. Any reference to "Yamato" always makes me happy, even though I heard that the name inspiration was NOT a Space Battleship Yamato reference.
Ian Westcott
2024-02-19 20:46:14 +0000 UTCIt wasn’t… you could do it with software like ARCserve or Norton, either on HDD partitions, floppies or tape backups
Smear Campaign
2024-02-19 20:23:00 +0000 UTCI also like the detail that the countdown is heard in Iconian, nice little touch. Same for the countdown of the Romulan auto destruct countdown in Romulan on their ship.
DataDroid
2024-02-19 20:20:50 +0000 UTCIndiana Picard and the Temple of Iconoa, or is it more Stargate with the magic portals to anywhere in the galaxy?
Gregory
2024-02-19 19:57:12 +0000 UTCWorf: "Sir, the antivirus trial has expired, this is a security threat, should we buy the license?" Picard: "Nah, we can always turn the computer off and on again..."
snthd
2024-02-19 19:22:16 +0000 UTC“Contaigion” or “Have you tried turning it off and back on again?” or “BE FOREVER YAMATO” Written by Steve Gerber?! the creator of HOWARD THE DUCK?! OMG! I like the idea of the Iconians. Unlike all those ancient spacefaring peoples that Kirk came across in their travels that only exist in ruins, this was one that was known and studied. And I love that Picard is an archaeology nerd. It’s why I prefer Picard over Kirk. Picard, despite his aloof first impression and his defrosting awkwardness with children, is a very thoughtful man. He studies the past and appreciates the lessons of history. They inform his decisions, and I love that.
Adam Reid
2024-02-19 19:10:03 +0000 UTCAn episode written by Steve Gerber who is most famously known for being the creator of Howard the Duck. I predict Josh and Alex will love this episode for reasons I can sum up with one word, Romulans.
Nick Sauer
2024-02-19 18:14:51 +0000 UTCOnly two things really save this one; the destruction of the Yamato and the return of the Romulans. And that latter is only made interesting by Carolyn Seymor's portrayal of the Romulan commander. The whole Iconian thing is potentially interesting, but they don't really do anything with it; definitely worth further exploration, though.
Andy Frankham-Allen
2024-02-19 17:07:12 +0000 UTCFate... Protects fools, little children and ships named Enterprise
James Bottas
2024-02-19 17:06:22 +0000 UTCGeordie saving the enterprise by booking it to the bridge on foot is a great sequence. Good episode.
James Bottas
2024-02-19 17:03:43 +0000 UTCcon·ta·gion /kənˈtāj(ə)n/ - noun - (1) the communication of disease from one person to another by close contact. (2) a disease spread by close contact. (3) an excellent episode of star trek the next generation.
Dan Krantz
2024-02-19 16:48:35 +0000 UTCJust tell him to get a blue pill...
Jovet
2024-02-19 16:38:09 +0000 UTCThe Romulans are back! This is one of my guilty pleasure episodes. It's not the best but it's an enjoyable adventure and it also fleshes out Picard's interest in history and ancient civilizations. The destruction of the Yamato is also very dramatic. Aside from the Enterprise in Search for Spock, we've never seen a federation ship blow up in such a spectacular fashion.
Andreas Schmitt
2024-02-19 16:32:44 +0000 UTCGalactic archeology is so captivating! Specially when it's combined with a galactic cold war stand off with the Romulans.
valen
2024-02-19 16:30:59 +0000 UTCFinally another Romulan appearance! I like that they showed another Galaxy class ship that was mentioned earlier this season in “Where Silence has Lease” even if they immediately destroyed it. Also the idea of the Iconians and there tech is a plot point that always fascinated me.
Eric Bundy
2024-02-19 16:25:59 +0000 UTC(On a phone conversation with my grandpa) *deep sigh "Have you tried turning it off and back on again?"
Elway Simpson
2024-02-19 15:52:08 +0000 UTCSpoilers...
Darin Wagner
2024-02-19 15:35:42 +0000 UTCThere was no way he was not going down there! I think by now we’re getting to see more sides of Picard and it’s great.
Paul Rymer
2024-02-19 15:29:35 +0000 UTCAt the time this was my favorite episode of the season. I was a computer science major at the time. I felt kind of special recognizing a computer virus when the Yamato’s logs were transferred . The writers promised Geordi they would let him take off the visor. So here it is, after LaForge is ejected from the turbolift.
Thicketdweller
2024-02-19 15:29:27 +0000 UTCI love how cool she is when Picard appears on her ship.
Jovet
2024-02-19 15:17:05 +0000 UTCHe's like a giddy schoolboy on Christmas morning! Past-Study Picard™ is here!
Jovet
2024-02-19 15:16:23 +0000 UTCYou should be in tech support! LOL!
Jovet
2024-02-19 15:14:12 +0000 UTCNot in the mainframe world 😉
Jovet
2024-02-19 15:10:41 +0000 UTCThis a one of my favourite Season 2 episodes. Starts off with a literal bang, has romulans, and has a fun computer virus plot. Also as a Canadian who lives close to Toronto, I always have that "Leo pointing at the TV meme moment" when I see Toronto City Hall as the building in the portal.
Ca$hWednesday
2024-02-19 15:06:58 +0000 UTCWell, a Galaxy Class ship Blows up the first 3 minutes in....the most excitement in this episode even with Romulans in the mix. Another Female Romulan Commander! That's it! 😀🖖
Duane Chancey
2024-02-19 14:51:17 +0000 UTC"In another time and place this could be funny."
DataDroid
2024-02-19 14:48:27 +0000 UTCOne of my favorites from S2. TRIVIA: One of the writers was Steve Gerber, notable 70s writer for Marvel Comics and creator of Howard the Duck!
Moonlander
2024-02-19 14:45:35 +0000 UTCIn 1988, the idea of rebooting and restoring your system from a separate backup partition was considered science fiction.
JGoss
2024-02-19 14:43:06 +0000 UTCI took it at the time as a reference to Space Cruiser Yamato (1978) and / or the anime series.
Paul Rymer
2024-02-19 14:40:15 +0000 UTCThis one is a delightful romp. Carolyn Seymour is an outstanding heavyweight (guest star) and there's a Geordi scene that his very memorable for positive reasons. The resolution of the story, however, may seem obvious to us watching it today, but back in 1989, computers weren't yet in every American home and a lot of people didn't know basic things about them.
Darin Wagner
2024-02-19 14:30:05 +0000 UTCA fun episode. Look at the dings and dents on the turbo lift set when La Forge is tossed around. Wonder how many times they filmed it.
Mike Rogers
2024-02-19 14:20:55 +0000 UTCA highlight of season 2 for me, ties in somewhat with The Neutral Zone in that there are hints about attacks on outposts again. Carolyn Seymour is superb, we have some O’Brien and Picard throwing himself into an away mission.
Paul Rymer
2024-02-19 14:18:22 +0000 UTCQuestion: Since it was Dr. Beverly who suggested turning the weapons system off in "The Arsenal of Freedom," do you think she would have solved the problem in this episode early on if she had been on the Enterprise?
Anthony Bernacchi
2024-02-19 14:15:06 +0000 UTCI predict you guys will love this one. I really liked Carolyn Seymour as the Romulan Commander. The mention of the Iconians, when added to the Preservers in TOS season 3, the T’Kon Empire from The Last Outpost and a few others, paints the picture of a very different galaxy hundreds of centuries before Star Trek…
tyranusfan
2024-02-19 14:09:17 +0000 UTCLove the interactions between Data and Picard on the surface. Also love the "ancient powerful space civilization" trope.
Evan Guthrie
2024-02-19 14:05:44 +0000 UTCAt least they didn’t put Wesley out of an airlock.
Smear Campaign
2024-02-19 13:59:01 +0000 UTCPlot hole - should have separated the saucer instead of taking children into the dangerous Neutral Zone. No wonder Iconian’s didn’t make it - their self destruct is triggered by big coloured noisy buttons aimed at 4 year olds. What could possibly go wrong? 🫣
Smear Campaign
2024-02-19 13:52:29 +0000 UTCTakes "Banger of an opening" to a whole new meaning, eh? I love this episode. I love the mystery. This ties into something I said back in the TOS days. We get these nice bits of lore pointing to things in the distant past of the galaxy. It gives the Trek universe a richness and mystery. Which hack writers can later come along and fill in with unexciting explanations. (IM KIDDING! ... Or am I? Is this opinion fake? No, it's based.)
Steven Johnson
2024-02-19 13:41:58 +0000 UTCAlex should take a drink each time Worf says "Sir!"
Jovet
2024-02-19 13:41:27 +0000 UTCNaming the sister ship of the Enterprise after the pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy in WWII is a nice way of driving home that mankind has moved beyond the nationalist rivalries of the past.
Regan
2024-02-19 13:39:59 +0000 UTCQuestion: What do you guys think of Sub-commander Taris?
Jovet
2024-02-19 13:35:36 +0000 UTC"Fate. Protects fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise."
Jovet
2024-02-19 13:33:07 +0000 UTC25:40 Why is Wesley tasked with raising the shields?? Shouldn't that be Tactical's job? LOL 🤦
Jovet
2024-02-19 13:32:16 +0000 UTC"Welcome to the Bridge, Mister LaForge."
Jovet
2024-02-19 13:26:54 +0000 UTCJust one question.. have you tried turning it off and on again? It always works!
TalynStarburst
2024-02-19 13:25:55 +0000 UTCThis episode has a lot of neat little sci-fi details that I think are important because they're realistic. The communication with the Yamato ceases the moment the ship explodes. Picard's searching of Captain Varley's personal log is sublimely efficient. Data being reprogrammed by the "probe" on the surface. The joyous simplicity of Iconian portals. The entire Iconian set is neatily simple reflecting its sophistication. I think these things perfectly play of things like Wesley's little chat with Picard.
Jovet
2024-02-19 13:24:53 +0000 UTCObservation: Troi is useful in this episode. She advises Picard several times in dealing with the Romulans, and her advice is sensible. Her comment about it being funny is a great one. She's also obviously affected by all the stress on the ship.
Jovet
2024-02-19 13:15:55 +0000 UTCHere's another episode I've been anxious for you two to watch. The writer(s) sure used a drastic means to imprint on the audience the stakes of this story. Probably the most drastic "hook" yet? I've always really liked this episode. I'm big into the science fiction aspect of the show—good characterization is nice, but it can't eclipse good science fiction. I do find it hard to believe that the crew of the Yamato were too inept to figure out the cause of the ship's problems—the probe. I would think they would have put 2 and 2 together, even if they may not have known what to do about it. The writers had a field day... a lot of the ship issues the Enterprise begins to experience are whims of aggravation that are just so convenient to the plot. Poor Geordi. Iconia must have been an amazing place in its heyday!!
Jovet
2024-02-19 13:12:20 +0000 UTCPrediction: The full destruction of a fully staffed starship (let alone a Galaxy class one) is going to make your jaws DROP. Especially since it's pre-opening credits!! I believe you're going to enjoy this episode, though not for the same reasons I do.
Jovet
2024-02-19 13:05:48 +0000 UTCI was beginning to wonder where these posts are! ⚠️
Jovet
2024-02-19 13:04:30 +0000 UTCO'Brien, the Romulans, an ancient powerful race, what more could you want?
THE LORE!!!
2024-02-19 13:02:26 +0000 UTCI think for me this was the first episode where I started to view the Enterprise D as a character the same as other members of the same cast I know we’ve had episodes before that have touched on this kind of concept but I think seeing the Yamato’s destruction made me feel like the ship was becoming more than just “somewhere where the stories happened” and something I cared about as much as named character
Andrew Duffy
2024-02-19 12:59:04 +0000 UTCI like the mysterious nature they built around the Iconians. We get to know very little about them but it's intriguing how they could disappear despite the superior technology they evidently had.
DataDroid
2024-02-19 12:56:15 +0000 UTCReview: Decent, mostly unmemorable. Had to read the plot synopsis to remind me what it was. Prediction: You’ll like it. Question: What are your feelings about the Romulans so far? Trivia: The curved building visible in the gateway is Toronto city hall.
John M.
2024-02-19 12:52:55 +0000 UTCFor some reason when I see the title of this episode I can't remember what it's about until I look up a synopsis. I do kind of like it and I have it ranked as “Enjoyable”. And hey, at least you get Romulans and a brief mention of Bruce Maddox already. And speaking of Maddox, in the few days since you guys watched “The Measure of a Man” it jumped from #6 on the IMDb ranking of TNG episodes up to #3. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot”.
KatWithAttitude
2024-02-19 12:49:14 +0000 UTCPoor Geordi gets flung around like a rag doll in this one... Was one of the writers mad at him?
David Wayne Fox
2024-02-19 12:46:52 +0000 UTC
