Of course, but I still don't see where it would be that hard for 24th century smart people, who would probably be at a whole other level from modern smart people, to learn all of that.
Franklin should have known what the parents would do. He should have lied and said he found a way to treat the boy without surgery. I doubt the parents would have ever found out.
1x11 - Survivors Kind of a ho-hum episode that, at best, does some work to flesh out Garibaldi's backstory. The problem is that a lot of it comes off as typical generic action movie stock main character fare - complete with his alcoholism and previous employment troubles (mayhaps he was a... loose cannon??) It's a pretty predictable plot with standard riffs we've seen thousands of times. I think the main flaw is that it was so obvious that Garibaldi had been framed, there was less in the way of tension and more impatience in wanting the conclusion to just get on with it and arrive. Not to mention, it feels like the show has gone to the "someone from a character's past returns" well a lot already. Overall, not such a good show, although it was nice to spend a little time with Garibaldi for once, I guess. Rating: ** - Happy Daze Bar; a somewhat more unwholesome establishment than Quark's or Ten Forward. I enjoyed how Garibaldi drunkenly stumbled out, getting immediately caught by security forces. It felt like something Homer Simpson would do. "D'oh!" - One particular line I did really like came from Ivanova: "You will try to resist, I hope?" - Black market gangster bug dude is still around, I see. "No one will find me here..."
I always had difficulty liking Garibaldi as a character, and S4 just complicated that (you'll see...). Learning more about the actor didn't help either, though I will say on the commentary tracks he comes across pretty amiably. You know the sort of person who seems to be especially proud of turning every molehill they encounter into a mountain? Something like that.
Spoiler: Later Garibaldi lines I believe in season 3, Garibaldi says something about switching out the electric chair for the electric bleachers. JMS has said that was a Jerry Doyle original. There were also stories about how Doyle and Boxleitner dominated lunch-table current-events conversations with whatever Rush Limbaugh was bitching about, until Jason Carter joined the show and stood up for his own lefty-british sensibilities.
From what I gather BB is more of an old school right winger, not one of the extremist crazies that seem to have overtaken the moderates these last few decades. Of course, even back then what we call right wing over here is what the yanks call left and what they call right, we call "raving loonies", so make of that distinction what you will. Side note: BB just did a stint on the 'Supergirl' tv show where he played a very clear parody (if one could even call it that at this point) of what the right wing has become, so I think it's safe to say he's not on board with what's going on at the moment.