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Episode
119
We’ll Always Have Paris
A lost love of Captain Picard’s ends up on the Enterprise. It could be a chance for Picard to correct an old wrong, though there are a couple of problems. First – she is married. Second – experiments run by her husband are threatening the space/time continuum. Are three Datas better than one? Find out when we put We’ll Always Have Paris in the Mission Log.
The Menu from that small Parisian restaurant in this episode….
I consider myself to have a refined and varied palate, but there are things on that menu I wouldn’t touch.
LOL- Yeah, well, as the author said – the strain of producing hundreds of graphics for weeks on end on TNG was clearly beginning to take it’s toll on the art dept. staff.
Late to the party (though I do have a soft spot for this episode), but this graphic is just beautiful. Also, I could understand most of it. So now I feel smart!
How did the Holodeck know to create a stood-up female for Picard?
I’m sorry Dave. I cannot tell you that.
I suspect it was a coincidence. The computer may have a feature where it creates interesting characters for users to interact with, proverbial icebreakers tailored to the environment and the user(s). When Riker conjured up the jazz club in a previous episode, had the Bynars not created Minuet as a distraction, the icebreakers might have come from the jazz musicians or the bartender.
And Paris with its romantic reputation would include someone who might have been stood up.
Here is another rewatch courtesy of BBC America. Most of the points I wanted to mention were mentioned in the podcast, but I would like to make a few comments.
1. I cannot believe no one mentioned the holodeck character Picard talks to named Gabrielle, played by Isabel Lorca. I don’t want to get crude, but I thought I was watching a soft core porn movie. Her “top” was one of the most revealing articles of clothing in a mainstream tv show I have ever seen. I am shocked that got approved.
2. Jenice Manheim makes a mention of Picard’s cab being late as a joke about why he did not show up. This is another thing that bothers me about Star Trek. Does everyone use transporters to get around or is it reserved for special occasions? Are there still cabs in this time frame? And with no money, how does one compensate the cabbie, or is it all automated?
3. Am I the only one who thinks Dr. Manheim is stark raving mad, even after time is “fixed”. I cannot see any positive qualities that would lead Jenice to marry this guy. And, he wants to go back to his experiments? No Doc, you are going to a padded cell and your research is going to be declared top secret.
4. Dr Crusher looks at an unconscious Dr Manheim, makes a weird comment about how special he is, and lovingly strokes his face with a look of longing on her face. Did this not creep anyone out? I was taken aback by this action. Am I a prude? Reverse the genders and tell me that would not be a violation and inappropriate.
Another overall “Meh” episode.
As cool as the holodeck is, I think there are two blaring aspects that make it inferior to real life. A) Physical space. Sure, it can make it look like I’m in a field of flowers, but if I start dancing around, I’m probably going to smack right into a wall. B) It can take facts from my mind and combine it with data it has stored, but it will likely never create something unexpected.
Like that weekend I spent with my family and friends at a lake house and it stormed the entire time. We stayed in and played games, watched movies, and ate and drank. It was one of the most fun weekends we ever had at our lake house, even though we were initially disappointed. A holodeck would never throw you a curveball like that- it will always be exactly what you expect it to be (until it’s trying to kill you).
Same thing with people. Let’s say Troi does want to visit Yar. Everytime Yar would probably be the same version of herself. She would never have a new (true) story to tell. She’d never be grumpy due to a bad night’s sleep. She’d never reveal something that she’d never shared before. Even if the holodeck could recreate a perfect copy with the exact look and exact speech pattern and the exact mannerisms- she would still be a ghost the real Yar.
With all of the holodeck debating, I guess that’s where I stand. It’s super cool and fun but there’s still a reason to take shore leave on real planets.
Remember your comments here when you get around to “Emergence” in season 7. We have a similar conversation.
History of Trek on consumer Home Video: A Production Promo Photo was used on the front cover for this Episode: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e28b5589ac005423eaed9c303d0719409f576a88a6eb0ccaa73b5799693af576.jpg