Trek finally gives us another explanation as to why most critters in the universe are lumpy latex humanoids. (The Preservers from "The Paradise Syndrome" did something similar. Even tangentially so with the Fabrini in "For the World is Hollow and I Keep Finding More Syllables To Shove Into The Episode's Title Have Touched the Sky" with hauling inhabitants across the galaxy and in a way that may have influenced "Homeward"...)
As usual for the era, the music goes out of its way to sap all intrigue and interest out of the episode. A shame, as this story's worthy of exciting incidentals.
The Kurlan Neskar -- first thing that came to my mind was this:
(now in 4K!)
Especially the moment we get the next scene where the lid is open, with Picard behind it, and he's chatting with Beverly and all the little figures are in plain view, so you know there's a reason or two...
I'm glad that the quest wasn't about putting together a thousand-piece puzzle of a Jackson Pollack painting.
The Yridians are deemed untrustworthy - not unlike Romulans, but Trek needed Romulans for another scene in this story, hence the Yridians being created.
I forgot how often "Deep Space ___" was namedropped in season 6. This is late season 6, we know the spinoff has been airing now.
The sciency stuff about the bland planet of the hominids was done pretty well.
So was Picard's sarcastic quip about all those pesky delegates squabbling, which also reminded me of this:
(Data's big moment is later on in the scene, but the lead-up to it is needed, big hair and all... but only in 1080P)
Crusher goes on and on about DNA and all the similarities, but all I could think of was "The Enemy" where the story went out of its way to say how Vulcans and Romulans were incompatible bloodwise, yet Klingons were. Okey dokey then.
I adored how everyone showed up at once, thanks to the Yridian, whose name was surely "Cindy Brady" in the rough draft. First, we have Tara King showing up. Later, we get Stotzy. Since actors now show up who were playing memorable figures from British sci-fi/spy shows like The Avengers and Doctor Who start popping up out of nowhere, how come we never got to see Avon, Vila, Trillian, Lister, Kryten, Marvin the Paranoid Android, et cetera?
The episode really picks up Tara and Stotzy start to bicker - this episode has a few recursive themes and I'm yumming it up!!
Which reminds, the Klingon representative trying to bribe Data was a hoot. I love the disparate, discreet characterization minutiae present in all four factions... even if Stotzy at the end gives a monologue to Picard, which feels hollow given how often they still play chess and go-fish and all the other games, but it does show the Romulans aren't monolithic too.
Another sciencey gem: Extrapolating positions based on 4 billion years' worth of planetary/star movement was an awesome touch. Until then, be content that the Earth's moon continues to flee Earth at a rate of one inch per year. Sheesh, where's Commander Koenig and Maya to show up with the rest of the British show gaggle? They really missed out...
The Cardassian betrayal and slight of hand felt by-the-numbers and that's before the non-muzak was piped over the scene.
How could the Preserver emissary's race have developed fast enough to traverse the cosmos to find it barren of life, only enough DNA puddles to pollinate? (This is something of a cool idea, but even the galactic chart shown on the Enterprise reveals the innermost half of the representation remaining untouched because the relative density of the region, at least in the present, makes the probability of life less than improbable. All things relative, 3.75 billion years plus the time it took to make a fast-food order back then (hence the other 025B) might have been viable for some brief portion of time. Meh, given all the sciency stuff that was done right and a cool premise to justify how our galaxy has everyone looking similar, and let's face it, a blob with no appendages would find it difficult to create any means to assemble a spaceship. Like the conditions needed to create life, the conditions needed to create sentient life with dexterity sufficient to craft delicate, intricate devices is just as plausible/probable. Wake me when the guppy at the pet store develops an ion drive after evolving into a dolphin...
Oh yeah, here's the cake's icing: The Kurlan Neskar also serves twofold: As a metaphor for a person and their thoughts... and as a metaphor for the galaxy and all the proverbial dollies within.
The music alone drags this story down, which isn't a surprise, and the pacing is a bit uneven, but when it picks up it re-engages and there's so much more to the story that really works... and who can't dislike the choice of guest cast as it's lovely to see this mini-UK reunion of sorts. But it could easily have been better.
6.5/10
As usual for the era, the music goes out of its way to sap all intrigue and interest out of the episode. A shame, as this story's worthy of exciting incidentals.
The Kurlan Neskar -- first thing that came to my mind was this:
(now in 4K!)
Especially the moment we get the next scene where the lid is open, with Picard behind it, and he's chatting with Beverly and all the little figures are in plain view, so you know there's a reason or two...
I'm glad that the quest wasn't about putting together a thousand-piece puzzle of a Jackson Pollack painting.
The Yridians are deemed untrustworthy - not unlike Romulans, but Trek needed Romulans for another scene in this story, hence the Yridians being created.
I forgot how often "Deep Space ___" was namedropped in season 6. This is late season 6, we know the spinoff has been airing now.
The sciency stuff about the bland planet of the hominids was done pretty well.
So was Picard's sarcastic quip about all those pesky delegates squabbling, which also reminded me of this:
(Data's big moment is later on in the scene, but the lead-up to it is needed, big hair and all... but only in 1080P)
Crusher goes on and on about DNA and all the similarities, but all I could think of was "The Enemy" where the story went out of its way to say how Vulcans and Romulans were incompatible bloodwise, yet Klingons were. Okey dokey then.
I adored how everyone showed up at once, thanks to the Yridian, whose name was surely "Cindy Brady" in the rough draft. First, we have Tara King showing up. Later, we get Stotzy. Since actors now show up who were playing memorable figures from British sci-fi/spy shows like The Avengers and Doctor Who start popping up out of nowhere, how come we never got to see Avon, Vila, Trillian, Lister, Kryten, Marvin the Paranoid Android, et cetera?
The episode really picks up Tara and Stotzy start to bicker - this episode has a few recursive themes and I'm yumming it up!!
Which reminds, the Klingon representative trying to bribe Data was a hoot. I love the disparate, discreet characterization minutiae present in all four factions... even if Stotzy at the end gives a monologue to Picard, which feels hollow given how often they still play chess and go-fish and all the other games, but it does show the Romulans aren't monolithic too.
Another sciencey gem: Extrapolating positions based on 4 billion years' worth of planetary/star movement was an awesome touch. Until then, be content that the Earth's moon continues to flee Earth at a rate of one inch per year. Sheesh, where's Commander Koenig and Maya to show up with the rest of the British show gaggle? They really missed out...
The Cardassian betrayal and slight of hand felt by-the-numbers and that's before the non-muzak was piped over the scene.
How could the Preserver emissary's race have developed fast enough to traverse the cosmos to find it barren of life, only enough DNA puddles to pollinate? (This is something of a cool idea, but even the galactic chart shown on the Enterprise reveals the innermost half of the representation remaining untouched because the relative density of the region, at least in the present, makes the probability of life less than improbable. All things relative, 3.75 billion years plus the time it took to make a fast-food order back then (hence the other 025B) might have been viable for some brief portion of time. Meh, given all the sciency stuff that was done right and a cool premise to justify how our galaxy has everyone looking similar, and let's face it, a blob with no appendages would find it difficult to create any means to assemble a spaceship. Like the conditions needed to create life, the conditions needed to create sentient life with dexterity sufficient to craft delicate, intricate devices is just as plausible/probable. Wake me when the guppy at the pet store develops an ion drive after evolving into a dolphin...
Oh yeah, here's the cake's icing: The Kurlan Neskar also serves twofold: As a metaphor for a person and their thoughts... and as a metaphor for the galaxy and all the proverbial dollies within.
The music alone drags this story down, which isn't a surprise, and the pacing is a bit uneven, but when it picks up it re-engages and there's so much more to the story that really works... and who can't dislike the choice of guest cast as it's lovely to see this mini-UK reunion of sorts. But it could easily have been better.
6.5/10
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