The Last Outpost

[MikeS]

I was watching this last night with my wife. She was a first time viewer and figured out the "mystery" in the first few seconds.

It was my umpteenth viewing but one thing really stuck out this time as being odd. Something I'd not noticed before. A whole act before (the French Captain again) surrendering, Troi points out that "in the rush [they've] ignored the planet". They all continue ignoring the planet, as though Troi's advice isn't worth listening to. They ignore the possibility and even go as far as trying to surrender before considering it. How odd! (I fully expect Timo to come up with an explanation )

It's been pointed out before but I'll say it again. How The Next Generation survived these early episodes is beyond me.

[Trek Survivor]

You must have been watching CBS Action as well then!!

Though I can't disagree with your observation, I must admit I rather enjoyed watching this episode last night. There's something cool about seeing the characters in their season 1 uniforms and the "feel" of the show at this time.

Maybe just nostalgia, but yeah, I enjoyed TLO more than I thought I would based on memory!

Could've done without all the embarrassing "Ho! Ho! Data's funny, he's trapped himself in a finger puzzle" - nonsense though.

"Pygmy cretins!" - Worf just has a way with words...

[BillJ]

I've always enjoyed The Last Outpost far more than anything they produced in seasons six and seven.

[GeorgeKirk]

Hey, could you blame them for ignoring Troi most of the time? I mean, most of what she did was just state the bleeding obvious (i.e. saying "I sense great hostility" about someone who was obviously angry).

Seriously, though, the real-world explanation is that much of the show's creative control during the first season rested with GR's lawyer, the sleazy and amoral Leonard Maizlish. Given the behind-the-scenes unrest he created, it's truly amazing that the show lasted beyond season one.

[Timo]

Troi herself ignored her own recommendation. In the brainstorming, she instead advocated trying to contact the Ferengi.

Apparently, she did this because the Ferengi had just tried to contact the heroes in their own, biased way - by reading information from the E-D computers. It was a reasonable conclusion to draw, even if unfounded in reality. Surely a group of thieves could be talked with, and perhaps also reasoned with, when they had just demonstrated their willingness to steal words.

The funny thing is that she first witnessed the lopsided communications attempt, and then brought up the possibility of the planet being involved, and then returned to the as such reasonable communications idea but ignored the planet. But until Data's analysis came in, she couldn't offer anything constructive on the planet angle, and the idea of communicating with information thieves by baiting them with the sort of information they wanted was a relative stroke of genius by Starfleet hero standards.

Timo Saloniemi

[RAMA]

MikeS wrote:

---

I was watching this last night with my wife. She was a first time viewer and figured out the "mystery" in the first few seconds.

It was my umpteenth viewing but one thing really stuck out this time as being odd. Something I'd not noticed before. A whole act before (the French Captain again) surrendering, Troi points out that "in the rush [they've] ignored the planet". They all continue ignoring the planet, as though Troi's advice isn't worth listening to. They ignore the possibility and even go as far as trying to surrender before considering it. How odd! (I fully expect Timo to come up with an explanation )

It's been pointed out before but I'll say it again. How The Next Generation survived these early episodes is beyond me.

I never really thought it was meant to be that much of a mystery...the situation gave them a chance to face off against the Ferengi without full scale combat.

RAMA