'Skin of Evil': Was it ever explained what Armus was?

[ReadyAndWilling]

Hey guys, I was re-watching this episode and it was great. I loved how Data was trying to figure out what Armus was exactly.

Was it ever explained later on in Star Trek lore what Armus was exactly???

 

[FormerLurker]

I think the closest we got was Armus explaining its own existence, ie: all the evil of a civilization cast off and left behind to rot.

 

[Orphalesion]

Armus was one of those very powerful, very abstract (and ultimately very boring) villains that would have fitted better into TOS than TNG, so its no surprise he was never revisited.

Still I would have liked to get more explanation as well, particularly I would have liked to see the species that had produced Armus. Weren't his words along the lines of "they became beings of such pure beauty that all who see them are struck in awe"?

Some fans have speculated that it was the Q who produced Armus by casting off their evil, but the Q are neither pure good nor are they particularly beautiful (though they might be in their true forms, which we have never seen as far as I know)

 

[Lance]

As noted above, metaphorically he's the waste product of a society which has cast off all evil traits. A kind of physical manifestation of the negativity they've left behind.

Physically, Armus is a combination of wet tar and metamucial.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

Armus was one of those very powerful, very abstract (and ultimately very boring) villains that would have fitted better into TOS than TNG, so its no surprise he was never revisited.

To me, that's a positive. Of course, I was always a sucker for rock monsters and stuff.

Besides, it's not as if the costume is equally convincing as a couple of guys in a horse costume.

(Which actually brings to mind something about Armus I'd never considered: would that be classified as a costume, or a special effect?)

 

[tomalak301]

As noted above, metaphorically he's the waste product of a society which has cast off all evil traits. A kind of physical manifestation of the negativity they've left behind.

Physically, Armus is a combination of wet tar and metamucial.

I thought it was black printers ink (Just watched Journey's End: The Saga of Next Generation so I do know this ). By the way, what is Metamucial? Is that like Pen ink?

 

[Lance]

As noted above, metaphorically he's the waste product of a society which has cast off all evil traits. A kind of physical manifestation of the negativity they've left behind.

Physically, Armus is a combination of wet tar and metamucial.

I thought it was black printers ink (Just watched Journey's End: The Saga of Next Generation so I do know this ). By the way, what is Metamucial? Is that like Pen ink?

Metamucil was a kind of powdered sludge that, when prepared in water and consumed, was supposed to help the flow of your digestion. If you know what I mean.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

I thought it was black printers ink (Just watched Journey's End: The Saga of Next Generation so I do know this ). By the way, what is Metamucial? Is that like Pen ink?

Pen ink? Ha ha, noo.... . Metamucil is some compound to deal with bowel irregularities or something. "For that clean, fresh feeling" or something along those lines.

 

[Lance]

I just like refer to Armus as the Metamucil Man because of an infamous interview with Jonathan Frakes where, talking about Skin Of Evil, he lamented having to be submerged "in that Metamucil sh*t".

 

[tomalak301]

I thought it was black printers ink (Just watched Journey's End: The Saga of Next Generation so I do know this ). By the way, what is Metamucial? Is that like Pen ink?

Pen ink? Ha ha, noo.... . Metamucil is some compound to deal with bowel irregularities or something. "For that clean, fresh feeling" or something along those lines. [/QUOTE]

The reason I said black pen ink was because I was thinking about the color. I guess that's what the printers ink provided and the the Metamucil provided that slickness glueish look?

 

[Lance]

^ I think that's correct. It was a compound mixture.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

The reason I said black pen ink was because I was thinking about the color. I guess that's what the printers ink provided and the the Metamucil provided that slickness glueish look?

Oh, okay, I see where you're coming from now. That makes sense.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Wasn't there a garbage bag involved as well?

 

[ReadyAndWilling]

I think the closest we got was Armus explaining its own existence, ie: all the evil of a civilization cast off and left behind to rot.

I remember reading a long time ago that Armus was some kind of defective product of the Founders from DS9?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Armus is congealed evil.

Somebody was saving evil for later as a snack, left it in the fridge too long and it went bad.

 

[tharpdevenport]

Well, I don't care for the Q explination, but I think it could still work for people who believe it. Maybe the Q did cast off their evil at one point, but with all the power and knowledge they gained, their own wilful ignorance allowed it back in.

After all, to paraphrase a great man: Pureness is not passed on from generation to generation in the blood stream.

 

[jimbotron]

The shot of Riker descending into the black muck is obviously Frakes doing it, we all know that.

But for the shot of his face coming out of the muck, I assume that's a cast of his face?

http://tng.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x23/skinofevil_hd_302.jpg

 

[Anwar]

Doctor Who had a villain like this once too. A civilization cast off their negative emotions, but the resulting by-product creature of this killed them all until they sealed it away inside a star.

 

[Lance]

The shot of Riker descending into the black muck is obviously Frakes doing it, we all know that.

But for the shot of his face coming out of the muck, I assume that's a cast of his face?

http://tng.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x23/skinofevil_hd_302.jpg

It's one of those moments that always makes me smile when it gets reprised ad nauseum in "Shades of Grey".

"Data... DAYDASUMTHIN'SGOTMEEEAYYYEEE!!!!!"

 

[Orphalesion]

After all, to paraphrase a great man: Pureness is not passed on from generation to generation in the blood stream.

But I thought the Q did not reproduce and Q2 was a special case?