Inner Light and other alternate reality episodes

The Squire of Gothos · February 19 2013, 08:55 PM

There are a number of episodes like those on TNG, crew member wakes in another reality, spends the majority of the episode there, trying to get back to the real reality. I think most of the major cast got in on one, or more.

The episodes very in quality from the excellent Yesterday's Enterprise and Inner Light, to the ok I guess Remember Me.

It always bugs me though that Inner Light did what Remember Me did and took us out of the alt reality that our protagonist was cast into for a moment. I would never think that Picard was really this husband on a dying planet, but it was interesting to see where he would go in the reality. Not so interesting, was a cut back to the Enterprise, where the rest of the crew have nothing else to do but issue technobabble on the bridge.

Not much of a critique that, but it just bugged me that Inner Light didn't get to keep up the same intensity that Yesterday's Enterprise did. There was no release for either the audience or the crew, which helped maintain the tension until the very end. It makes me wish for a fan edit of Inner Light that takes away the bits on the bridge (or that I had the know how to do that myself).

DalekJim · February 19 2013, 09:09 PM

I agree entirely. The Inner Light is my second favourite all-time Star Trek episode behind DS9's In The Pale Moonlight but I could easily lose the pointless "What's wrong with Picard... why is he asleep?" scenes. Repetitive and pointless.

MacLeod · February 19 2013, 09:11 PM

Well "Yesterday's Enterprise" was an alternate reality episode, as for the "Inner Light" isn't that more it's just a dream episode?

Same with "Future Imperfect" that was about making Riker think it was years later.

BillJ · February 19 2013, 09:20 PM

I'd rather dig out a wisdom tooth with a rusty spoon than watch The Inner Light again. And I'm not sure it's an alternate reality episode, more like a Picard at the movies one.

The Squire of Gothos · February 19 2013, 09:56 PM

MacLeod wrote:

Well "Yesterday's Enterprise" was an alternate reality episode, as for the "Inner Light" isn't that more it's just a dream episode?

It occurred to me only after I posted that indeed, Yesterday's Enterprise has real stakes, if you imagine a separate time line that could collapse our own. We survive and Picard et al are friends with the Klingons, but the timeline that Yar leaves goes on and the Federation collapses.

They all could be alternate reality episodes for all we know when we watch them first. Of course, TNG wouldn't play tricks on us like that, Yar died for real after all. But for the course of the episode, it would be nice to suspend belief.

JirinPanthosa · February 20 2013, 05:34 AM

I like the way Future Imperfect started but I think it lost steam toward the end. Like they had this great premise for Riker to wake up 16 years in the future with no memory, but couldn't figure out where to go with it so they made it a 'loveable misunderstanding'.

I also like Inner Light but unlike most would not rank it among the best TNG episodes.

Frame of Mind might be my favorite episode like this.

Hard Time is another good one, and an outlier because we know it's a fake reality from the beginning and it's all about the emotional impact on the character.

Tiberius · February 20 2013, 10:17 PM

BillJ wrote:

I'd rather dig out a wisdom tooth with a rusty spoon than watch The Inner Light again. And I'm not sure it's an alternate reality episode, more like a Picard at the movies one.

Geez, what's with the hate?

TIL isn't an episode where Picard watches a movie for 40 minutes.

It's an episode where he gets to live the life that was always denied to him, he gets to have a family, a wife, children, acting as a member of a community, not as the leader of that community. The point of the episode is we get to see how Picard copes with the opportunity to live that life, we get to see how much his family means to him, even though the Picard we've come to know has refused those things. he doesn't want to get married. he doesn't like kids. But then, when he has the chance to do them, we find that he doesn't just do them, he does them WELL. He realises that there is a part of himself that he never knew, and so do we. It makes his character more interesting, deeper and more complicated, because he isn't a man who doesn't want those things anymore. He's a man who knows what he's given up, who knows how rich his life could be with them, and yet chooses to go without so he can be the captain of a starship. Before the episode, he's happy to pay the price of being the captain, but afterwards he's come to realise just how great that price is.

BillJ · February 20 2013, 10:25 PM

Tiberius wrote:

BillJ wrote:

I'd rather dig out a wisdom tooth with a rusty spoon than watch The Inner Light again. And I'm not sure it's an alternate reality episode, more like a Picard at the movies one.

Geez, what's with the hate?

TIL isn't an episode where Picard watches a movie for 40 minutes.

It is absolutely all it is, with a side order of Riker acting like a complete idiot.

The episode puts me to sleep. I'd rather watch Code of Honor and Angel One back-to-back on a constant loop for eternity than be forced to sit through The Inner Light again.

Zzzzzzzzzzz...

RAMA · February 20 2013, 10:57 PM

It is rare that any episode really meets the pre and post series hype, this is one of the exceptions.

RAMA

Tiberius · February 21 2013, 02:50 AM

BillJ wrote:

Tiberius wrote:

BillJ wrote:

I'd rather dig out a wisdom tooth with a rusty spoon than watch The Inner Light again. And I'm not sure it's an alternate reality episode, more like a Picard at the movies one.

Geez, what's with the hate?

TIL isn't an episode where Picard watches a movie for 40 minutes.

It is absolutely all it is, with a side order of Riker acting like a complete idiot.

Did you even bother to read my post?

BillJ · February 21 2013, 02:59 AM

Tiberius wrote:

BillJ wrote:

Tiberius wrote:

Geez, what's with the hate?

TIL isn't an episode where Picard watches a movie for 40 minutes.

It is absolutely all it is, with a side order of Riker acting like a complete idiot.

Did you even bother to read my post?

Of course, I simply disagree with it. Such is life.

Dream · February 21 2013, 06:04 AM

I wouldn't call Inner Light an "alternate reality" episode. It had probe downloading a bunch of memories onto Picard thing. Very different from something like "Parallels" or any of the Mirror eps.

yousirname · February 21 2013, 12:07 PM

It technically isn't an 'alternate reality' since the civilisation in question really existed and did so in the same universe as the Enterprise and crew. But it's an alternate reality for Picard - he wakes up as an alien with a wife and kid, after all. The only difference between TIL and Future Imperfect from the point of view of the central character is that in one case the setting is familiar and in the other it's not.

The Squire of Gothos · February 21 2013, 02:19 PM

yousirname wrote:

But it's an alternate reality for Picard - he wakes up as an alien with a wife and kid, after all

That's the way I looked at it too, an alternate reality from that character's point of view. Shots of the bridge took us out of that point of view and let the episode down somewhat.

Tiberius · February 22 2013, 01:13 AM

BillJ wrote:

Tiberius wrote:

BillJ wrote:

It is absolutely all it is, with a side order of Riker acting like a complete idiot.

Did you even bother to read my post?

Of course, I simply disagree with it. Such is life.

I'm curious as to why you disregard the points I made.

February 19 2013, 08:55 PM	#1
The Squire of Gothos Rear Admiral Location: Northern Ireland	Inner Light and other alternate reality episodes There are a number of episodes like those on TNG, crew member wakes in another reality, spends the majority of the episode there, trying to get back to the real reality. I think most of the major cast got in on one, or more. The episodes very in quality from the excellent Yesterday's Enterprise and Inner Light, to the ok I guess Remember Me. It always bugs me though that Inner Light did what Remember Me did and took us out of the alt reality that our protagonist was cast into for a moment. I would never think that Picard was really this husband on a dying planet, but it was interesting to see where he would go in the reality. Not so interesting, was a cut back to the Enterprise, where the rest of the crew have nothing else to do but issue technobabble on the bridge. Not much of a critique that, but it just bugged me that Inner Light didn't get to keep up the same intensity that Yesterday's Enterprise did. There was no release for either the audience or the crew, which helped maintain the tension until the very end. It makes me wish for a fan edit of Inner Light that takes away the bits on the bridge (or that I had the know how to do that myself). __________________ The Squire of Gothos

February 19 2013, 09:09 PM	#2
DalekJim Fleet Captain Location: Great Britain	Re: Inner Light and other alternate reality episodes I agree entirely. The Inner Light is my second favourite all-time Star Trek episode behind DS9's In The Pale Moonlight but I could easily lose the pointless "What's wrong with Picard... why is he asleep?" scenes. Repetitive and pointless. __________________ The Paradox Machine - My blog "Four things cannot be hidden - love, smoke, a pillar of fire and a man striding across the open bled." - Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

February 19 2013, 09:11 PM	#3
MacLeod Vice Admiral Location: Great Britain	Re: Inner Light and other alternate reality episodes Well "Yesterday's Enterprise" was an alternate reality episode, as for the "Inner Light" isn't that more it's just a dream episode? Same with "Future Imperfect" that was about making Riker think it was years later. __________________ On the continent of wild endeavour in the mountains of solace and solitude there stood the citadel of the time lords, the oldest and most mighty race in the universe looking down on the galaxies below sworn never to interfere only to watch.

February 19 2013, 09:20 PM	#4
BillJ Vice Admiral Location: Greater Cincinnati	Re: Inner Light and other alternate reality episodes I'd rather dig out a wisdom tooth with a rusty spoon than watch The Inner Light again. And I'm not sure it's an alternate reality episode, more like a Picard at the movies one. __________________ J.J. Abrams didn't change Star Trek, audience expectations did.

February 20 2013, 05:34 AM	#6
JirinPanthosa Captain	Re: Inner Light and other alternate reality episodes I like the way Future Imperfect started but I think it lost steam toward the end. Like they had this great premise for Riker to wake up 16 years in the future with no memory, but couldn't figure out where to go with it so they made it a 'loveable misunderstanding'. I also like Inner Light but unlike most would not rank it among the best TNG episodes. Frame of Mind might be my favorite episode like this. Hard Time is another good one, and an outlier because we know it's a fake reality from the beginning and it's all about the emotional impact on the character.

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February 20 2013, 10:57 PM	#9
RAMA Vice Admiral Location: NJ, USA	Re: Inner Light and other alternate reality episodes It is rare that any episode really meets the pre and post series hype, this is one of the exceptions. RAMA __________________ “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”—Stephen R. Covey

February 21 2013, 06:04 AM	#12
Dream Admiral	Re: Inner Light and other alternate reality episodes I wouldn't call Inner Light an "alternate reality" episode. It had probe downloading a bunch of memories onto Picard thing. Very different from something like "Parallels" or any of the Mirror eps. __________________ TWoP Forums .

February 21 2013, 12:07 PM	#13
yousirname Commander	Re: Inner Light and other alternate reality episodes It technically isn't an 'alternate reality' since the civilisation in question really existed and did so in the same universe as the Enterprise and crew. But it's an alternate reality for Picard - he wakes up as an alien with a wife and kid, after all. The only difference between TIL and Future Imperfect from the point of view of the central character is that in one case the setting is familiar and in the other it's not.