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Episode
156
Déjà Q
Is Q still Q without the power of Q? Find out when we put Deja Q into the Mission Log.
Is Q still Q without the power of Q? Find out when we put Deja Q into the Mission Log.
Haven’t heard the podcast yet, but I think this was one of the best episodes w Q. Hide and Q was bad…Q-Who was great w the Borg. I just liked the humbling of Q, too bad he did not seem to show any signs that he learned a lesson in follow up episodes….oh well…..the unique and original effect of the Calamarain was very fun. So different, yet intelligent…like the Crystalline Entity or the space whale from S4? good stuff…gonna listen asap
Interesting comments on Data already having what he is looking for. I think his own statement about having curiosity is evidence of this as well. Wouldn’t / shouldn’t curiosity be considered an emotion? One could see it as a dissatisfaction with whatever the current situation or understanding of that situation and a push to know more. That drive, the emptiness you feel that comes out of that gap of understanding that compels you to know more – what else other than an emotion could that be?
maybe curiosity is a trait? versus emotions being brought about almost uncontrollably under certain circumstances? Of course, we can catch Brent Spiner making facial expressions as Data that seem to indicate anger, or sadness when in a phaser fight etc….to be perfectly accurate, he should not emote any facial gestures when firing phasers or getting surprised I think…
It’s definitely an intriguing part of Data’s character, that he is a seeker, even if the seeking proves he has the humanity he seeks. (Ow.) It’s more endearing than the sometimes tiresome child-like behavior or the always misfired “Ah, a human idiom that I do not comprehend!” Someone should do a good thought piece on how androids/a.i./robots are portrayed in pop culture. There are some interesting variations… from HAL… to Data… to Robot B-9… to Ex Machina’s chicks… to Banks’s Minds.
Q didn’t call Worf a Romulan. He said, “Romulan! I should have said Romulan.” As in, he should have told the Q to make him a Romulan instead of a human or a Klingon.
I thought that Q called Worf a Romulan and then thought that he he should have said Romulan.
Understandable: It’s a subtle distinction because he absolutely wanted Worf to briefly think he was calling him a Romulan. But, from the context and the inflection, he’s not. It’s meant to bookend with how he started the conversation buttering him up by saying he should have picked Klingon (I’m just like you), so he’s insulting him by saying he should have picked Romulan (I’m nothing like you). Actually calling him a Romulan would weaken the statement he’s trying to make because he’d by saying, “We’re the same” again. That would mean he’s still trying to suck up to Worf, which he isn’t.
I think Q called Worf a Romulan as an insult…then thought, “I should have said Romulan”.
Data once said “The most important statement in science is “I do not know”- or something to that effect
Feel this is a good place to share something I wrote a while back
http://bipaganman.tumblr.com/post/116153305964/datas-emotion-chip-does-nothing
Kinda weird they couldn’t work Mr. “You don’t have to lay out circuits for a week, just see it in your head” Crusher into this episode. Repulser beams are his speciality.
So, is recognizing that you lack a thing and curiosity about said thing automatically an emotion, or is that just how a human processes such a thing? Is the emotion the intellectual processing of an experience, or the chemical one. There’s a whole bunch of synapse and neurotransmitter stuff going on in a human brain they might be, at best, only simulated in an android brain. There are times when Data acts angry, for example. Is he angry, or is his program simply telling him, “Make angry face now. Use angry vocal tone now”? Or I’d it just a show written by a series of writers, none of whom really know how to write a truly emotionless character?
I’m fairly curious about the physics of the moon’s orbit in this episode. Just that the orbital period while it was spiraling in was in the magnitude of hours or even minutes as opposed to a month (using our moon as an example). It just seems like they imparted a lot of orbital velocity to that moon in a really short time, which I guess tells you something about just how powerful the Enterprise is.
The part about Guinan…in retrospect I didn’t care for Guinan. There are many future episodes that she could have lent insight too, but would have to be explained as being off ship. If they had a character that was less high profile it might be more plausible. Someone who can discern temporal anomalies and has a history w the Q? What would she have done w her finger pose in “Q Who?” why not use it now…? Because that aspect of her abilities was never developed and should never have been introduced…
I think his arm flailing was because he wasn’t used to even having arms; he kept looking at them with bewilderment, and bending them. ^_^
Trivia: Summer of 1988. DC launches The Next Generation Comic Book Mini-series. In Issue 5 – Q finds himself stripped of all his powers! ( due to his failure to convert Riker in “Hide & Q”) & so he wants / tries to commit suicide. A phaser blast meant for him hits Geordi , who almost dies and this causes Data to experience emotions (anger and confusion). Later on, Q sacrifices himself to save Data ( who was under attack) , and in doing so, is given back his powers by the Continuum ( as he past their little test.)
Q restores Geordi to full Max Hit points. Sound at all familiar ?
Did the phaser blast vaporize Geordi’s spine? Gave his abs a good work-out, though, so maybe it’s a plus.
I recall collecting a few from this time period as well. I thought the ankle upside down V was interesting and would look for it on the show and cry foul! lol- Also in other issues Crusher has a white labcoat….
“Q” John DeLancie
The Survivors, Who Watches the Watchers, The Bonding, The Enemy, The Defector(!), now Deja Q.
Guys, as soon as you realize that TNG Season Three is better than TOS Season One, feel free to just blurt it out. We won’t judge.
Sure, next week’s episode is hardly a gem, but after that….
…
😀
Lol, I said this to my wife today after we watched “Who Mourns for Adonais?” TBH I don’t get what all the hoopla is regarding “City on the Edge of Forever.” I mean…its ok. “The Defector” is better!
John Champion’s IMDB page eh?…
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1659809/
No, I’ll resist crediting him as Kolchak the Night Stalker. This time.
I see his credit for World’s Scariest Model Train Wrecks (2004); it sounds like a cool parody of reality shows; it has a good review. The title made me think of Gomez Addams. ^_^
There might have been a little Gomez as inspiration…
Fun fact: this episode is the origin of the facepalm meme
Great episode. Probably the funniest line in TNG in my opinion. Q: “What do I have to do to prove I’m mortal?” Worf: “Die.” So, so good.
This is the best Q episode – but it really will only be of value with those who have seen the series. To see him lose his powers is really a stroke of genius. You get to see what it is like for Q – and through him the audience – what it is like to be human. Definitely on my top 10 of TNG.
This may be far out there, and certainly not what the show was intentionally trying to portray, but Q episodes almost seem a study in toxic masculinity. Much of the traits that Q condemns the Enterprise Crew for are historically (though not necessarily inherently) female traits- compassion, empathy, thoughtful judgement, non-violence, valuing verbal communication. Q, on the other hand, has a lot of the negative, old-world masculine traits- quick judgement, posturing, shows of power, unemotional, etc.
Star Trek tells us that adopting these “feminine” traits don’t make us weak, they make us strong enough to reach the stars. Q is the bundle of toxic traits that Star Trek believes we should leave behind.
By walking a day in our shoes, Q is able understand the value of listening instead of preaching over everyone, that power dynamics through posturing is not the best way to do things, and that compassion makes you brave, not weak.
*side note: feminine is in facetious quotes because these traits are in fact universal, but have historically been held against women as character defaults