Booby Trap

TrekToday · April 18 2008, 10:49 PM

Plot Summary: The Enterprise picks up a signal from a thousand-year-old Promellian battle cruiser, which thrills Picard, who never imagined that he would find such an ancient ship intact. But at the moment he leads an away team aboard, the Enterprise begins to suffer drops in power. When the crew raises shields to try to deflect the radiation they believe is responsible, the power drain becomes worse. Desperate for a solution before the radiation depletes the ship's power and kills the crew, LaForge brings up the Enterprise's design specs and begins a dialogue with a holographic reconstruction of Dr. Leah Brahms, the principal architect of the ship's propulsion engines. Riker and Data discover that the Promellians were trapped during an ancient battle in a booby trap that converted energy to radiation, which means that any use of power to escape will only hasten lethal exposure. LaForge concludes that the only way to escape will be to use a quick burst of energy followed by a complete system shutdown, enabling the ship to drift out of the trap without providing it with additional energy. Picard takes the helm and navigates the ship through an asteroid field, using a large asteroid's gravity to slingshot the Enterprise out of danger. He then has Riker and Worf destroy the trap so that no future ships can suffer the same fate as the Promellians.

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startrekwatcher · April 18 2008, 11:01 PM

I enjoyed this one. It isn't a great episode but decent enough. The highlights were Picard's giddiness at finding the cruiser and the manuevering by Picard at the helm to escape the field.

NCC-1701 · April 19 2008, 12:22 AM

I liked this episode, too. I guess I have a soft spot for Geordi as I can relate to his misfortune with women. But MEG is right, it is ridiculous that the Enterprise computer is able to generate such an elaborate yet laughable version of Leah Brahms.

Also, it would have been nice if they named her Daystrom – as originally intended. Despite the casting issues, this would have been a nice nod to the Original series.

Pioneer · April 19 2008, 11:59 AM

She did not use the word "icky" in all seriousness.

Creepy people are easily creeped out.

The concept of a 1500-year-old Promellian battle cruiser was fascinating. Especially since most of our technology wouldn't survive even 200 years if we weren't here to perform constant maintenance. This was one of my favorite episodes for that reason, even if is is in some ways flawed. Also, this episode serves as a springboard for at least two other episodes. One where the real Leah Brahms appears (which resolves the holo-fantasy) and the other where the pre-ascended alien gives Geordi his mojo.

My chief complaints are that Geordi's behavior is a result of bad writing. No real person would behave that way. Also, the actress wasn't pretty enough. I mean, if you're going to do a male fantasy episode, then the girl has got to be a lot hotter. Do you want to accuse me of being an MCP? Fine. Guilty as charged.

The Laughing Vulcan · April 19 2008, 01:46 PM

Icky Leah Brahms at least set up the sequel, where reality hits Geordi in the face with a comedy mallet.

Thingol · April 19 2008, 01:58 PM

Pioneer wrote:

She did not use the word "icky" in all seriousness.

Creepy people are easily creeped out.

The concept of a 1500-year-old Promellian battle cruiser was fascinating. Especially since most of our technology wouldn't survive even 200 years if we weren't here to perform constant maintenance. This was one of my favorite episodes for that reason, even if is is in some ways flawed. Also, this episode serves as a springboard for at least two other episodes. One where the real Leah Brahms appears (which resolves the holo-fantasy) and the other where the pre-ascended alien gives Geordi his mojo.

My chief complaints are that Geordi's behavior is a result of bad writing. No real person would behave that way. Also, the actress wasn't pretty enough. I mean, if you're going to do a male fantasy episode, then the girl has got to be a lot hotter. Do you want to accuse me of being an MCP? Fine. Guilty as charged.

Errr. Geordi is blind since birth. I guess his standards for "hotness" are different than yours.

Agent Richard07 · April 19 2008, 07:23 PM

I thought that Leah Brahms was absolutely stunning back then and still do.

Hoser · April 19 2008, 09:32 PM

Pioneer wrote:

S
Also, the actress wasn't pretty enough.

He liked her for her personality. The hologram thing never would've worked if she had been some supermodel.
That, and I thought she was pretty enough.

Pioneer · April 20 2008, 01:50 AM

Agent Richard07 wrote:

I thought that Leah Brahms was absolutely stunning back then and still do.

Hoser wrote:

Pioneer wrote:

S
Also, the actress wasn't pretty enough.

He liked her for her personality. The hologram thing never would've worked if she had been some supermodel.
That, and I thought she was pretty enough.

Oh, please.

Geck · April 20 2008, 02:30 AM

This is one of those generally well-liked episodes that I could just never get into. I like Geordi, but his lady troubles didn't really interest me and I didn't find Burton and Gibney had much on-screen chemistry. Meanwhile, the rest of the episode was drowned in too much technobabble and so can't keep my attention. So both the character side and the plot side of this episode fall pretty flat for me.

NCC-1701 · April 20 2008, 04:33 AM

Pioneer wrote:

Agent Richard07 wrote:

I thought that Leah Brahms was absolutely stunning back then and still do.

Hoser wrote:

Pioneer wrote:

S
Also, the actress wasn't pretty enough.

He liked her for her personality. The hologram thing never would've worked if she had been some supermodel.
That, and I thought she was pretty enough.

Oh, please.

"Oh, please" what? I found her attractive, too.

Hoser · April 20 2008, 06:28 AM

Pioneer wrote:

Agent Richard07 wrote:

I thought that Leah Brahms was absolutely stunning back then and still do.

Hoser wrote:

Pioneer wrote:

S
Also, the actress wasn't pretty enough.

He liked her for her personality. The hologram thing never would've worked if she had been some supermodel.
That, and I thought she was pretty enough.

Oh, please.

That's why he was so frustrated when the real one appeared, she was nothing like the one he liked.

And yeah, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and there are many people who don't stop beholding at the supermodel level.

Pioneer · April 20 2008, 07:18 AM

Hoser wrote:

Pioneer wrote:

Agent Richard07 wrote:

I thought that Leah Brahms was absolutely stunning back then and still do.

Hoser wrote:

He liked her for her personality. The hologram thing never would've worked if she had been some supermodel.
That, and I thought she was pretty enough.

Oh, please.

That's why he was so frustrated when the real one appeared, she was nothing like the one he liked.

And yeah, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and there are many people who don't stop beholding at the supermodel level.

This is Television, fercryin'outloud, not real life. In real life, you get what you get -- average people overall. The producers of a TV show get to select whom they show. Why select any less than the most beautiful? So pretty enough is not pretty enough. If you want average people, watch the frackin' news. And really, Susan Gibney is no Jeri Ryan. Hell, she's not even a Julie Warner. Not that Ms. Gibney is any dog but it could have been cast better. Oh, and Geordi has his VISOR which makes his vision better than any of ours.

Oh well, De gustibus non disputandum est.

Hoser · April 20 2008, 07:48 AM

Pioneer wrote:

Why select any less than the most beautiful?

It's more realistic to have a relatively good looking person be a scientist than a massive beauty queen.

Oh well, De gustibus non disputandum est.

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes

Saxman1 · April 21 2008, 05:57 PM

Susan Gibney was seriously in the running to play Janeway. I thought she was attractive enough. This isn't a perfect ep, but I enjoy it for what it is. Picard taking the helm, his entusiasm over the discover of the ship and focusing on Geordi for a change (however imperfectly) are some of the highlights for me. It was nice at that point in the modern ST era that every female object of attraction didn't have to be a sex bomb like Jeri Ryan or Seven of Vulcan.

DWF · April 22 2008, 02:04 AM

I've always loved Boob Trap the music was great, the visual effects were a treat and both Geordi and Picard were fairly active in this one and I agree Susan Gibney is great to look at but she looked better with her hair down in Galaxy Being.