Kate Pulaski & Season 2

[Orphalesion]

Okay, maybe less of the 'literal'. Should've said 'metaphorical'.....

Ro Laren was certainly an interesting character with an intriguing back-story and a "goldmine" full of potential for interesting stories, she was pretty much a more refined Tasha Yar and if they had introduced her earlier and the actress would ave been more willing to commit to the series TNG would have been a richer show.

 

[CoveTom]

^ Agreed. Oddly enough, it seemed anyone who shook up the dynamic and brought some conflict to the crew didn't hang around long.

 

[JRoss]

"Measure of a Man" is overrated. The idea is sound, but the principle is flawed. This sort of issue would likely have been handled long before they let an android attain senior rank. Riker acting as the prosecution is clearly a conflict of interest. Yes, I know, current military protocol, yadda, yadda, yaddah. All that means is current military protocol in that matter is idiotic, and with the reforms currently underway, it's likely to go the way of the dinosaur. Also, whatshername pointing out at the end that Maddox called Data "him". Viewers aren't dense, we all got that and the moment would have been better served if they hadn't mentioned it onscreen.

 

[Ghrakh]

"Measure of a Man" is overrated. The idea is sound, but the principle is flawed. This sort of issue would likely have been handled long before they let an android attain senior rank.

Don't agree. Data's rights obviously haven't been called into question before. It was because of Maddox that the question came up. No one before thought Data was simply property and just accepted him as another person.

 

[Mytran]

I have to wonder what Data's legal status as an individual was before this hearing. He clearly passed some sort of assessment to be allowed to enter Starfleet Academy (with a teenage Madox in attendance), yet it is still subject to being challenged all those years later.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

It is true it probably wouldn't have taken Data that long to have his rights legally defined. Otherwise he wouldn't be Lt Cmdr Data, he would be Android Unit Data, Ship Equipment. But if you don't allow the writers even that level of contrivance Star Trek should be unwatchable to you.

Either that, or Starfleet Academy just let Data enroll to help them advertise their diversity and nobody ever really thought about it until then.

 

[Nebusj]

It is true it probably wouldn't have taken Data that long to have his rights legally defined. Otherwise he wouldn't be Lt Cmdr Data, he would be Android Unit Data, Ship Equipment. But if you don't allow the writers even that level of contrivance Star Trek should be unwatchable to you.

Either that, or Starfleet Academy just let Data enroll to help them advertise their diversity and nobody ever really thought about it until then.

The probably-least-implausible way to rationalize it is to guess that every time the question of ``but is he a person?'' came up, the relevant authority decided ``that question's outside our domain but we haven't got grounds to exclude him from (class, specialist training, whatnot) at this moment so we will provisionally allow it'' and trusted that somebody other than them would have to decide the issue. And once Data had some particular status, it was easier to leave him in place than it was to challenge it. (Among other things, who'd have standing to challenge it, besides Data, who's got the incentive not to?)

And it finally crashed against someone who said, ``I don't care that there's nothing in the rules that says a snail can't race in the Indianapolis 500 [1], there's nothing in the rules that says he can,'' and pressed the point that a hearing had to be made.


[1] The snail case is not explicitly covered, granted, but the rules as written do make it clear a snail could not in fact race, for multiple reasons.

 

[Mytran]

Thanks Nebusj, I can see that situation developing among Starfleet's bureaucracy.

However, since Nog got into the Academy first time when Wesley had such trouble, I can definitely see JirinPanthosa's diversity committee having some weight with the whole Data scneario.

 

[Orphalesion]

Weren't the problems Wesley had with entering, staying in and finishing the academy largely personal? I.e. deep down he knew it was not where he was supposed to be/what he was supposed to do and he subconsciously sabotaged himself?

It's been years since I saw that episode where he leaves with the traveler to do...something, but I thought that was the explanation.

 

[Mr. Data]

I enjoy Season 2 simply for its bizarre flavor compared to later seasons. It was similar in its downright weirdness to s1, but had better acting and execution.

 

[Mytran]

Orphalesion, I was referring to Season One's Coming of Age, were Wesley competes against 3 other top class candidates - and loses fair and square! The reasons why Wes fails to get into the Academy on subsequent years become more and more contrived, but it's not til he actually gets into the academy that he has a change of heart

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I don't know what's after the Cougar phase ... Lwaxana was a Sabertoothed Tiger, I guess?

Some Star Trek fans are soooo sweet.

 

[EnriqueH]

I don't know what's after the Cougar phase ... Lwaxana was a Sabertoothed Tiger, I guess?

Some Star Trek fans are soooo sweet.

Nerds, in general, can be cruel. Many of them, I'm sure, feel the need to lash out since they have been the victims of cruelty themselves.

Present company excepted, of course.