TNG Rewatch: 5x05 - "Disaster"

TNG did that more times than not though.

 

Extra crewmen don't actually exist, they disappear when the main cast aren't thinking about them, so they can't die.


Captain's log: We will be putting into central casting for more background extras, some of the ones we thought we had have disappeared, but we're all ok.

 

Yeah, and it's sort of frustrating. There's times when it's sort of okay, but there's some times when it's like, "Wasn't what just happened sort of a BIG deal?!"

Here and later in "Genesis" are times when the light hearted "Everything is good now!" ending just didn't make sense in the light of everything that happened before.

 

That makes it a regular Voyager episode as this kind of situation, IE the ship is damaged almost beyond repair and yet they cut to the final log where the captain tells us that everything is alright, happens a lot in the series.

 

Actually, the subspace aliens from Schisms were already taking crew members. They just hadn't noticed yet.

The best part of this episode was Worf & Keiko, which set up the DS9 episode Bar Association. Quark: Keiko's gonna have a baby, Worf: Now?

 

Yeah, Voyager was absolutely terrible about it and one of the (many) reasons why that series is so bad. At least with TNG and the Enterprise's case we could argue they were in, or close to, Federation space so even if the ship wasn't 100% at the end of this episode and just able to get to a starbase we know that it *can* do that and be fine in the next episode.

The Enterprise was also the flagship and had a lot of power and resources in it, again, having it make *some* sense that it could get by on its own to some degree or another.

With Voyager? They didn't have the advantage of pulling into a starbase for repairs and we're constantly being told their power and resources are scarce. But then they have a huge disaster and are able to recoup the problem by the end of the episode.

 

I really enjoy this episode. I prefered the original ending where the kids decide to jump down the turboshaft instead of climbing because of Picard's singing and Picard has to awkwardly explain it to Starfleet Command, but I understand why the networks decided change that bit.

Seriously though it's also funny that Troi had to ask some pretty basic questions when she was in command. She was pretty cool in the leadership role but sometimes I wish we would have gotten more Captain LaForge.

 

A lot of the episodes throughout the ST series in which we're supposed to "learn" about a character (or characters) tend to sacrifice coherent storytelling for didacticism concerning the character. That's just how they roll in the ST universe. I'm cool w it. The plots tend to be contrived and the endings perfunctory. In this episode, we're supposed to learn that Picard is kinda uptight and uncomfortable around kids but is, basically, a decent, caring reasonable guy when given a chance. I find the episode "ok". I think it should have appeared earlier. The 5th season is pretty late in the game to be "learning" such basic info about Picard. After all, we've already had 104 episodes to gauge that the main character of the entire show is, basically, an introvert & can be an uptight arrogant ass in times of stress but is also a great captain and a good,likable and interesting person.

 

It's rare that I would ever say, "Well, TFF did it better", but the scene where Scotty, Uhura, and others are busy trying to get the bridge up to working order -- that's something I'd prefer to see at the end here. Repairs are underway and they'll be hard, but the crisis has been averted and the conflict has been resolved.

With that said, since it happens after all the important stuff anyway, it's not crucial to the episode, but it would've made narrative sense. The ship went down, the crew worked together, and everyone's better for it.

 

I know, and it was one of their worst story crutches. It became such a cliche that my friends and I joked about it and riffed on it all the time.

 

Perfunctory is the perfect word for it! Thank you, smart person.

 

Nothing is as hilarious as VOY's Threshold. The Doctor reverses millions of years of evolution (!?) for Paris and Janeway during a commercial break.

 

Yeah, when came to the end-of-the-episode reset button, Voyager is the worst.

 

That is a problem. First of all, the fire was discovered by Beverly ("Geordi, this wall is hot!"). Why Geordi, a man with unique vision, didn't see it and notice is a head-scratcher.

You could argue that Geordi, a man with unique vision, would be able to see any problem situation behind the door...but then you'd have to explain why he couldn't see the fire!

 

Yeah, that was an odd moment, that Geordi couldn't see that the wall was hot. We could *maybe* argue that the "plasma fire" is opaque to his vision, somehow, or that the material the bulkhead is made of is opaque to Geordi, he can't see what's behind it. But he should still see the radiant heat of the wall since the "fire" was making the wall hot.

Still, there could have been some condition on the other side of the door he was unaware of, which is why the computer wouldn't release the door. (Even though the main computer is down it seems that there's still operating local computers at the consoles and such.) At that moment it seems like there's little reason to leave the safety of the room given they don't know the conditions of the corridor beyond the door.

 

No dispute whatsoever with your observations about the door and computer.

As far as the fire goes, I'm inclined to think that if Bev could feel it, Geordi should be able to see it. How did he put it in Farpoint, something about seeing much of the e.m. spectrum, including heat, infra-red, radio waves...

 

Maybe Geordi just wasn't in the correct visual mode. He seems to be able to switch modes to get specific details.

 

Interesting. I hadn't recalled that ability.

I still think the Visual Acuity Transmitter should've returned in a story.

 

I don't recall him ever saying he had the ability to tune the VISOR to what it is he wanted to see (if that were the case why not have the VISOR set to only show him the visible light spectrum?) but he does say he has the mental ability to "tune out" what he doesn't want to see in order to see what he DOES want to see. (Likening it to being able to pick out a particular voice in a noisy, crowded, room.) So we may be able to argue that Geordi is so used to seeing radiant heat all of the time that he just so used to tuning it out he didn't immediately recognize the heat of the fire behind the bulkhead.