What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?

You know, I think we throw the word "sentient" (which is actually "sapient" btw) around a bit too cavalierly. Unless there's an actual test that can detect sapience the way we detect body heat for example, and such a test doesn't exist not even in the star trek universe otherwise episodes like "The Measure Of A Man" would be pointless, there is no *** way to tell sapience from a simulation of sapience, if you see what I mean, the way it is impossible to tell a good actor from the real thing... I mean all we have are appearances and that's not enough. There's something called Occam's razor that states that if two explanations are equally valid we must privilege the one that includes the fewer hypotheticals. In that case, until proven otherwise, machines are not sapient.

 

Sentience is consciousness. Sapience is reason.

 

TNG "A Fistful of Datas" and "Emergence", Voyager "Spirit Folk"

 

Controversial Opinion: I stopped watching VOY in 1999 (no that's not the controversial part, I'm getting to it) and never saw "Spirit Folk". But, I was aware of the reputation and anyone who was on TrekBBS in 1999 and 2000 remembers the infamous thread titled "Spirit Folk! Crap! Crap! Crap!" That was literally the name of the thread title. If you registered after 2000, maybe you might have heard of it through reputation.

"Spirit Folk" also developed a reputation. An infamous one. In 2008, I re-watched VOY from start to finish, watching the last two seasons for the first time. When I got to "Spirit Folk", I have to say...

... it didn't live up to (or should I say down to?) its reputation. Don't misunderstand me. It's not a good episode. But I was expecting "The worst of the worst of the worst! THE WORST EVAR!!!!" And it didn't quite get there for me. It's bad but it's not unwatchable. So I "only" rate it a 3 out of 10.

"Threshold" it's not.

 

Yeah gotta agree with ya on Emergence. Spirit Folk tends to fall into so-bad-its-good territory for me. And I haven't seen Fistful of Datas so can't comment on that. But we still got alotta great ones, like Projections, Bride of Chaotica and Elementary Dear Data.

 

City on the Edge of Forever, A Piece of the Action, Little Green Men, & Trials and Tribbleations terrible? We're very different people...

Is that controversial?

I'm with SF Debris: it's horrible because it makes any one who uses holodecks a monster.

I get the guy playing Moriarty was great (and seeing Data dress up as Sherlock Holmes is always fun), but otherwise I never got the love for Elementary Dear Data. The Enterprise computer can ACCIDENTALLY create sentient life? Seriously?

 

The first half of that post wasn't. The second half (which you didn't quote), referring to 2021, is. See current events. They make the title sound tamer than ever, IMO.

From this point on, when I hear the word "insurrection", I'll have a very different, very real picture in my mind now.

 

Well the appeal for me is ofc Daniel Davis' performance as Moriarty, the scene with him and Picard debating the nature of life and intersection of AI, fun little period outfits as Data gets really into it, Geordi Pulaski and Data's interactions with eachother. And how it unintentionally gives us the gateway to future Hologram characters(Like The Doctor). But obviously it isn't for everyone.

 

I never really cared for the Moriarty stuff. “Elementary...” is at least tolerable. The sequel in S6...is not.

 

"Spirit Folk(VOY)" was the better of the two Irish village holoprogram episodes. I really like the two aforementioned TNG episodes.

 

"A Fistful of Datas" is a ton of fun. "Emergence" is enjoyable, too, and pretty humorous.

 

I've talked enough about my opinion on City on the Edge of Forever.
My dislike started out as disappointment with a title like that I excepted a story that was a lot more...Jack Vance-like...instead of "we're going to the studio back-lot and dressing up in period wear yet again"
Piece of the Action: I don't like mobster movies (no not even the Sopranos), so why would I like that episode? Same goes with Fistful of Datas and Westerns or the Sherlock Homes episodes or the Dixon Hill ones. They just all happen to be genres I'm not generally interested in.

The only holodeck episodes I like are Captain Photon (because I do enjoy old, corny scifi) and Hollow Pursuits (because it actually does something with the holodeck, instead of just using it to dress the actors in period wear.

 

I obviously enjoy them more if I'm into the genres, but that's just a bonus. The real fun for me is just watching characters I like play.

 

Yeah I disagree with that, obviously, watching the characters LARP doesn't really interest me.

 

Unless we're talking about different things, It's "Proton" not "Photon".

 

I love "The Way to Eden". It's a guilty pleasure of mine. It always has been. And finally, finally, finally someone else in the Online Trek Community is backing me up. Groovy!



It's written by people who don't get hippies at all, and that's what gives it its unintentional charm. Alice's Restaurant this isn't, but I don't mind. And people who are too uppity don't like this episode, that makes me like it even more.

 

It's not even close to the worst episode of TOS. I'm not even sure it's in the Bottom 5.

 

“A Night in Sickbay” really isn’t a terrible episode.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not great by any means but it’s not as bad as people make it out to be.

 

Ditto!