He was already pissed and crazy. That why he was abandoned in the first place. It’s also why he was floating on that derelict cryoship. Kirk was justified. Earth of the past was justified.
Well, he had reason to become more pissed and crazy.
Earth of the past chickened out of solving its problem. What was done wasn’t observing humane (in case they decided he deserved a humane treatment), and wasn’t effective either (in case they didn’t).
Did he? Or did he do the humane thing as befitting a Starfleet officer? Just because it didn’t turn out well in the end doesn’t mean he was in the wrong to do it. He was in the wrong never coming back to check on Khan, especially when he left one of his crew behind.
I’m with some of the other folks around here: Pulaski was a better character. Conflict between the ship doctor and the captain makes for more interesting narrative opportunities, and Pulaski was great specifically because she was willing to stand up to Picard and be a pain in the ass.
Fans just didn’t like her because she didn’t immediately see Data as a person, but even that was interesting because not everyone would, and giving voice to that again created interesting ways to explore the implications of Data’s existence.
While i agree with all your points, the way she came across while not seeing Data as a person infuriated me. It’s one thing to have a good philosophical debate, as ST fans we love a good debate, but the way she acted with Data just drove me crazy. You can disagree with an idea and not be a bigot.
And yet we know in Measure of a Man that Pulaski was far from unique in her views, and was in fact a) quite tame about it and b) ended up changing her mind, showing on-screen how a person can change in a positive way. That’s a far more compelling (and realistic) message than everyone just unquestioningly accepting the one and only android in all of Starfleet holding a senior role on the Starfleet flagship.
Think of it like “The Devil in the Dark”. It would’ve been incredibly boring if everyone just immediately accepted the Horta right off the bat instead of seeing it as an unthinking monster. The journey is in the message that you can come to understand something different from you and accept it not just in spite of those differences but for them.
Everyone simply accepting Data on the Enterprise right off the bat without question was, frankly, lazy writing. And they figured that out eventually, hence episodes like Measure of a Man.
Fans just didn’t like her because she didn’t immediately see Data as a person
It wasn’t just that she didn’t immediately see Data as a person; it’s that her first scene was so ham-fisted and poorly written. She made a specific effort to mock something she didn’t even think was alive.
It would be equivalent of someone saying “Oh does my car not like that I left my lights on? Could it be that I offended it in some way?” It’s an inanimate object, why would you even bother saying that? If you saw someone doing that you would think they are an idiot and an asshole, as they didn’t miss an opportunity to be a dick even if the subject is an object performing its function.
I agree, Pulaski was far more interesting than Crusher. Pulaski butting heads with Picard? Going to be a great episode. Pulaski paling around with Geordie and Data? Going to be a great episode. It’s just her first scene was so bad that it was memorable, which meant it took time to warm up to her and what she brought to the show.
I always felt Pulaski was Bones character all over again. I’m ok with the conflict part but prefer soft spoken character, it blends better with TNG plots full of ethics and moral dilemmas. Bones/Pulaski fit better in an action based series, with no room for psychological introspection and deeper characters.
Besides, they wasted a perfectly good plot twist that Pulaski is actually Thalassa secretly still in Ann Mulhall’s body, and that she changed names to hide the slower aging.
I disliked Pulaski because she was written as a Mary Sue.
Picard needs heart surgery? Pulaski is the best heart surgeon in the galaxy. Virus that ages people? Pulaski wrote the definitive paper on Viruses. Riker’s dad shows up? Oh Pulaski dated him. Geordi has problems with his visor? Pulaski had done several successful ocular implant surgeries.
It was ridiculous.
You can get away with giving a character one unique ability. But Federation’s top heart surgeon, virologist, opthalmologist, and dates Riker’s dad is the same person? That’s bad writing.
While I agree it is a bit much, I think I’m willing to lessen her sentence because Star Trek: TNG is full on hardcore competency porn. Everyone else on the show is an expert in exochemolinguistics, why shouldn’t the chief medical officer of the Federation flagship have six different medical degrees?
A lot of my issue with Pulaski is meta rather than in-universe; I’m not so happy with my understanding of what was going on behind the scenes in seasons 1 and 2, why McFadden and Crosby left among them. And something about trying to play it safer with Bones McCoy 2.0 feels slightly cynical?
The difference is overcoming odds and succeeding as compared to walking into the scene as the Galaxy’s foremost expert.
It’s the difference between Geordi having to learn about warp engines from Leah Brahms and instead Geordi tells the Captain, “I’m the Federation’s top expert on warp engines.”
Oh Data has a problem, “I’m also Federation’s top expert in cybernetics.”
Time travel problem? “Oh I solved that 3 times on my last assignment. Do you want me to fix it?”
Worf’s brother shows up. “I’m childhood friends with Worf’s brother.”
I assume you hated Spock, then. Buddy was literally an expert in everything! McCoy needs help reinstalling Spock’s own brain? Spock is on it! Computer seems to show Kirk killed a guy by accident? Nbd, Spock is a computer expert, he’ll figure it out with chess (did I mention he’s a chess master?). Need to implode the engines to escape from a collapsing planet? Also warp engine specialist! Oh and he can play the piano, that Vulcan guitar thing, and also happens to be deeply knowledgeable in earth history and culture as the needs require (including being able to recognize Brahms handwriting by sight).
Again, being competent isn’t the same as being the Federation’s foremost expert in the field.
When the Enterprise computer was going to get refit, Dr Daystrom came on board. Daystrom didn’t say , “Oh Mr Spock is here! He wrote the book on duotronics that is still standard today!”
(This is what the virus researcher said about Pulaski about virus research.)
You are shown Spock overcoming the odds. With Pulaski, you are told she is the expert. It’s bad writing.
Edit: It’s also Spock is Vulcan with superior intelligence. Bashir could have pulled it off because he was genetically improved. Pulaski was human.
Now I’m certain you’re just making up reasons to be mad.
Spock is repeatedly depicted as being an established expert across a truly improbable range of topics (including, of all things, brain reattachment surgery). Spock is to basically everything else what Kirk is to “talking computers into killing themselves”.
Would the episode have been better if McCoy announced beforehand, "The Mr. Spock! Author of Brain Reattachment Surgery, the standard book for brain surgery! I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be dealing with. "
And yes I hold TNG to higher standards than TOS. TOS’s contemporary TV writing was Gilligan’s Island.
Edit: Also it wasn’t Spock doing the surgery. He was only providing feedback to McCoy on the connections. This is the same as how today, brain surgery sometimes needs to be done with the patient conscious so the doctor knows what he’s touching and can get immediate feedback from the patient if their speech slurs for example.
No, Spock guided him through the back half of the surgery when the effects of the teacher wore off. He literally told him which instruments to use (oh that tri-laser connector!) and how to proceed. Here’s the dialog:
SPOCK: If you will finish reconnecting my speech centre, I might be able to help.
MCCOY: Speech centre.
SPOCK: Yes. That’s correct. One thing at a time. Ah, ah, mmm. (normal voice) That’s better. Now, Doctor. Try the sonic separator.
MCCOY: Sonic separator.
SPOCK: Yes, I believe I already have some sensation of feeling. Please stimulate the nerve endings and observe the physical reactions, one by one. In each case, I shall tell you when the probe is correct. You will then seal using the tri-laser connector.
MCCOY: Tri-laser connector. Ready?
SPOCK: Ready.
Of course, what the text fails to convey is McCoy’s hesitation and confusion, or Spock’s confidence as he instructs him on how to complete the surgery.
I… watch far too much TOS…
Edit:
By the way, there is one bit of headcanon, here, that could explain this specific example, so yes, I’m gonna undermine my own point, but hey, what’s a pedantic conversation about Trek without circling back and contradicting oneself??
So, the one bit of headcanon is: Spock seems to have had access to the knowledge of the people of Sigma Draconis, given that at the end he starts lecturing the group about the history of those people, with knowledge he presumably acquired by being wired up as the Controller. So maybe he also had full access to the knowledge of the teacher, including the knowledge needed to reattach a brain.
“Yes, I believe I already have some sensation of feeling. Please stimulate the nerve endings and observe the physical reactions, one by one. In each case, I shall tell you when the probe is correct. You will then seal using the tri-laser connector.”
That was the extent. He told him what nerve caused which response.
“KIRK: Well?
MCCOY: How do I know? I could have made a thousand mistakes. Sealing nerve endings, joining ganglia. The fluid balance is correct, but I don’t know.
(Spock sits up and stretches.) SPOCK: Congratulations, Doctor. And thank you.”
And again, Spock was Vulcan, not himan. Just like Data had broad expertise.
Pulaski was human yet was the Federation’s top heart surgeon, top virologist, and cured several blind people who had Geordi’s condition. You can be good in many areas. But the best in the Galaxy out of all humans in multiple fields?
But your entire premise that if I don’t accept Pulaski then TOS is bad is flawed. As you said Kirk talked computers into burning out with a logic problem. Is there any modern Scifi movie or episode that you think is bad? If so I can say you are wrong because Kirk talked computers into burning themselves up.
If you can accept Kirk, then you can accept Battlefield Earth.
LOL you’ve described literally every doctor in Star Trek ever. I mean, Christ, they lampshaded this with McCoy when he exclaimed “By golly, Jim - I’m beginning to think I can cure a rainy day!” when he treated a fucking silicon rock monster.
Honestly at this point this is just making up reasons to be mad.
There is a huge difference between the Enterprise Doctor or Engineer overcoming odds and solving the problem and walking in saying, “I’m the Galaxy’s expert in this.” “Oh and I’m also the Galaxy’s expert in this and that too.”
You’re right. In the former case it’s utterly implausible that every ship doctor would not be an expert in a thing but still somehow be able to cure that thing. Every. Damn. Time.
At least with Pulaski they gave an excuse (well, assuming I buy your claims; frankly, I think you’re overstating things quite a bit).
A tourist is traveling through Ireland and stops by a pub for dinner. Lonely and looking for company he strikes up a conversation with a local man sitting at the bar. He asks the man for his name and he replies,
“Did you cross the bridge on the way into town?” The tourist nods. “I built that with me own two hands! Do they call me Seamus the bridge builder? No!”
The tourist tries to reply but the man continues, “did you see that great big stump outside the pub?” The tourist nods again “I cut that down with me own two hands! Do they call me Seamus the lumberjack? No!”
Not to this level obviously, but there basically was a character like this in Enterprise. She was T’Pol’s hero, and shocked the crew of the Enterprise by being friendly, shaking hands, and wanting to try their food
Inversely there’s the one where Will Riker in TNG does this like a Klingon exchange student and absolutely kills it! He apparently makes for a top shelf Klingon.
Was that character supposed to be a burn victim? His makeup effects look like the Klingon version of that mama cat that ran back into a house fire repeatedly to rescue her kittens and she kind of melted.
Chang’s appearance, as well as his affection for the works of the Human playwright Shakespeare, may be explained in part by the Klingon augment virus that spread through the Empire in the mid-22nd century. Among its other effects, the virus dissolved Klingon cranial ridges and gave its victims a more Human appearance (see “Affliction”). One of Chang’s ancestors may have been a “smooth-headed” Klingon who was exposed to the retrovirus. Also, he lost an eye and wore a eyepatch similar to Claus von Stauffenberg.
But mostly, Christopher Plummer didn’t want to put up with bulky makeup.
There was like one scene with muskets in the book. Even then, I grew up with this material (in the form of several different movie and cartoon adaptations, and eventually the book, too), and it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that the name musketeer comes from the musket.
I think you’re thinking of Generations which is why you can’t find it
Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. But I rather believe than time is a companion who goes with us on the journey, and reminds us to cherish every moment because they’ll never come again.
Seriously, the E-D is huge to the point where the amount of time it would take to get anywhere on the ship would make it impractical. The E-A is roughly the size of its nacelle.
That was the point of the Galaxy-class of course. It was meant to be less “rough and tumble sailors” and more “long term cohesive floating city that could technically be self-sufficient for 10-20 years and show the technical prowess of the Federation” . Had to be big to support the 1000 crew compliment.
Except everyone IRL forgot that and now it’s an average size ship. Also, a ship that size could easily support several thousand people, not just one thousand. Modern aircraft carriers have thousands of people on them and their volume is comparable to the E-A.
Modern aircraft carriers have thousands of people on them and their volume is comparable to the E-A.
they also don’t need to run completely self-contained life support systems that must generate and maintain water and breathable air rather than pulling it from conveniently free (or near-free) sources right outside the ship
The energy requirements for warp travel are also many orders of magnitude higher than pushing a carrier through water so the space dedicated to warp cores and other energy management/propulsion systems must also be greater
Ya done good! The change in sheer size from A to D can be hard to grasp. I remember getting a model set as a teen with Enterprise TOS, A, and D, and was taken aback at how small the other two were. Crazy stuff.
I was all “wait? What? It’s more than twice the size?” And then trying to find the right way to show it. I even looked at other pictures of the cargo ship but none were right for the comparison. One of my failed drafts.
The Constitution Class (NCC-1701A/B) were effectively light cruisers by the TNG era whereas the Galaxy Class was a super-heavy explorer cruiser. The main difference between them was the NCC-1701 was designed to operate for 5 years without service but the NCC-1701D could theoretically run indefinitely on its own without major battle damage. Large part of its mass is form the power systems needed to run its own industrial fabricators (replicators) and the experimental research hardware. That and all the families living aboard.
I always thought of the tos enterprise as being an unusually large submarine. The biggest of those irl is impressive enough, and it fits the way tos handles a lot of things.
But, I still thought it was bigger than what this picture shows. I thought of it being about the same length as a cargo vessel built to pass the panama canal, which is, I think what this ship is built for size wise.
panama canal, which is, I think what this ship is built for size wise.
Panamax is the largest vessel size that can traverse the Panama Canal. The dimensions for a Panamax ship max out at 290 meters in length, 32m in width. The Enterprise (no bloody abc or d) is 228m long, 121m wide, and 72m tall.
So this is probably not a Panamax ship but the ship dimensions in the photo appear to be incorrect for Enterprise so I’m not 100% sure.
They don’t run on electricity, they run on plasma for some reason. Meant to replicate what happens on ships with steam in the pipes. But still, weird that they do that lol
I came here to say this. I get that they use fucking plasma in their electrical systems, but you’d think some step-down transformers and circuit breakers could be installed. And why the hell do the defense systems feed back into the main power grid? Why isn’t there a capacitor bank to dump feedback into for reuse in the weapons or something?
I saw someone say a good reason for the consoles exploding all the time is that they wouldn’t have I clouded breakers, because, in a red alert situation, the console staying on and responsive is more important than it not exploding
Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don’t care, I’m still free
You can’t take Star Trek from me
…
Lost my love, lost my land
Lost the last place I could stand
There’s no place I can be
Since I’ve found the NCC
Lol it’s not my style at all (I’m more a Barbarella cheese fan), but I do appreciate the spectacle it achieved, even if it looks outrageously silly today. It’s definitely a product of its time. Seriously though, you could take the movie and all it’s wild production stories, claim it was made in the 80s, and everybody would believe you. I’m not unconvinced Boorman wasn’t a time traveler
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