One thing I especially hate in "In Theory" ...

[Skipper]

Well, I particularly dislike this episode, which oscillates between the Nice Guy Fantasy and misogynistic undertones.

But there is a thing that really irks me.


"HONEY I'M HOME!"

In this episode, Data is trying to perfect romantic subroutines for his relationship with Lieutenant Jr. Jenna D'Sora. And, for some reason, she thinks it's a great idea to act like a stereotype of a 1950s American husband returning to her suburban home where his suburban wife is waiting for him.

Now Real Life reasons why he acts in this way are clear: the writers thought it was hilarious to have Data act like he was an "I Love Lucy" character.

In-Universe, it makes absolutely no sense because:

1. Why the hell would Data think that the typical behavior of a 400-year-old culture, which lasted only a decade, in a single geographic area of the Earth, would have been the best choice in this situation? So why not behave like the Pilgrims just landed from the Mayflower? Or an 18th century caliph? Or simply, as a normal and well-adjusted modern human being?
   
2. This was a sexist and incredibly harmful culture towards women. And it was a pretty clear concept even at the time of TNG's broadcast. So Data, the living encyclopedia, takes it as an example of how to manage a perfect relationship, while deciding to ignore the culture of successive decades that detailed why that was the worst way to behave in a relationship? Had the eugenic wars erased all traces of First Wave and Second Wave Feminism from the historical archives?

I know this is a beloved episode for many (Patrick Stewart himself puts it among his favorites) but it irritates me in an incredible way, especially for his utterly misogynistic portrait of the female guest star character. But I think I'll detail more in another post ...

 

[JesterFace]

I know this is a beloved episode for many (Patrick Stewart himself puts it among his favorites)

Because he directed it?
It's a nice episode I guess but in the end when the Enterprise is shifting between solid and not so solid it bothers me when the Enterprise is pretty far away from the edge of the nebula and Riker goes: "Lets make a run for it." Um, what? Those weird anomalies are still out there dude.

 

[Forbin]

My wife and I both say "Honey I'm home" when one of us gets home.
You may be overthinking this.

 

[Oddish]

This episode was Patrick Stewart's directorial debut, which might explain why he likes it so much.

The only part of it I liked was O'Brien and Keiko's discussion of socks. The rest of it was painful.

 

[Skipper]

My wife and I both say "Honey I'm home" when one of us gets home.
You may be overthinking this.

They even gave him a briefcase to replicate all the "blue-collar worker coming back home after a hard work day" vibe

The only thing that was missing for the perfect 50s sitcom atmosphere was an applause/laugh track.

 

[Angry Fanboy]

Alexa, show me a person unnecessarily overthinking something.

 

[Skipper]

Alexa, show me a person unnecessarily overthinking something.

Alexa: "Err, all Trekbbs' members?"

 

[Oddish]

At least some of us admit it.

 

[Farscape One]

I actually like the episode. Data was exploring a side of humanity he hasn't dealt with before.

I also really thought the death of that crewman, half stuck between decks, was creepy and well done.

And to defend Riker's decision to run for it, they had already gotten through most of the nebula by that point, so there was less risk in going for it than just dragging along slowly.

 

[Mojochi]

Why the hell would Data think that the typical behavior of a 400-year-old culture, which lasted only a decade, in a single geographic area of the Earth, would have been the best choice in this situation?

You're reaching imho. I mean he also thinks the quintessential notion of a humorous person is a Catskills comic, probably named Shecky, played by Joe Piscopo, imitating Jerry Lewis

I know this is a beloved episode for many (Patrick Stewart himself puts it among his favorites) but it irritates me in an incredible way, especially for his utterly misogynistic portrait of the female guest star character.

Examples? What's so misogynistic about how she was depicted? I mean Data might be doing some dated, half-witted, & nonsensical stuff, but that is like his bloody calling card. The dude thought he should get tap dancing lessons to dance at O'Brien's wedding. How is any of this episode's stuff off brand for that guy?

 

[Skipper]

Examples? What's so misogynistic about how she was depicted?

It's a quite complex subject, I think I have to separate my answer in two post.

First of all Data, here he perfectly embodies the fantasy of the "nice guy": someone only because he's friendly and use basic social etiquette is automatically entitled to a romantic or sexual relationship. In the episode Data does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to pursue a romantic relationship with Jenna. He simply behaves in a friendly manner. He does not suggest either implicitly or explicitly he seeks a romantic (or otherwise) relationship. Let's say he behaves like a decent "human" being. And BANG, the hot girl falls into his arms, madly in love! It is truly the dream fulfillment of nerds who think someone owe them sex just because they were "nice".

In the next post I will talk about the horrendous depiction of Jenna and women in general in the episode.

 

[Skipper]

Now let's talk about the depiction of Jenna.

Jenna D’Sora is every single bro-ish stereotype of “clingy bitches” rolled into one: She’s vapid, shallow, air-headed and programatically dedicated to a man who doesn’t care about her in the face of all sense and reason. She’s even “on the rebound”.

But the whole production has a warped, stereotypical and tropish conception of femininity and gender roles, with various characters bemoaning how confusing, erratic and illogical women are. We’ve got Geordi hemming and hawing about whether or not D’Sora really is on the rebound, and Captain Picard happily telling Data he’ll “pass along any advice” on women to him “as soon as [he has] any”. And then Worf telling Data that Klingons “conquer what they desire”, but warning Data that, as her superior, he doesn’t want Jenna “mistreated”, as if Worf were Jenna’s daddy and she was his baby girl.

Now, in the episode no one is really worried that Jenna wants to start a serious relationship with what will be an advanced dating sim at best. It is stated several times in the episode that Data absolutely cannot reciprocate her feelings, but despite this no one cares about this, indeed, they give suggestions to Data to better succeed better in this sick pretense! And really, there's no compelling reason given as to why Jenna suddenly gets into her head to make a play for Data. Either she's a techno-fetishist, or she's been through so many abusive relationships that she desperately needs someone she can trust. Because the reason stated in the episode ("Eh, well, I guess it's a rebound thing" ) doesn't explain why she decided so casually to embark on a romantic relationship with a machine.

If nothing else, it is she who clearly needs help, but no one obviously thinks seriously about what they are doing, no, everyone cares that Data is best at this absurd masquerade.

 

[Oddish]

Jenna would have benefited more from a few sessions with Counselor Troi than a relationship with Commander Data.

 

[Skipper]

Jenna would have benefited more from a few sessions with Counselor Troi than a relationship with Commander Data.

Exactly! The answer from Deanna, when Data went to her for advice, should have been: "Lieutenant Jenna wants to start a romantic relationship with you, who are totally incapable of romantic feelings? And you didn't give any indication that you were interested in this type of relationship? Err, maybe I better have a chat with her..."

 

[Mojochi]

^Well, maybe they're a little more open minded than you're being. Humans develop relationships with Vulcans. It's a complex fantasy realm, that you need to offer a little leeway imho

I'm certainly not going to suggest that Star Trek isn't trope-ish lol

However this thread kind of runs wild with being offended over what's mostly just their average fare imho. Why is no one concerned for Jenna in these scenes? Because these are Data's friends. We're seeing this from his perspective. It's not misogynistic. It's that he's a main character & she isn't

Even within that, Troi does give caution. So does Worf, his own barbaric way. I actually think this situation showcases these characters rather realistically. Most of them are expectedly horrible at advising about this

Just because someone dates someone that isn't right for them doesn't mean she needs to be called in for counseling. That's WAY more restrictive to her agency IMHO. She's an adult, & while this wasn't the best adult decision. No real damage was done. If anything it was a growth experience for both

 

[Oddish]

Deanna should've chatted her up and told it like it is: "Jenna, in terms of emotional involvement, you might as well initiate a romance with the replicator in your quarters."

 

[JesterFace]

"Jenna, in terms of emotional involvement, you might as well initiate a romance with the replicator in your quarters."

In that case this thread wouldn't exist because the replicator is always home.

 

[Skipper]

^Well, maybe they're a little more open minded than you're being. Humans develop relationships with Vulcans. It's a complex fantasy realm, that you need to offer a little leeway imho

Well, Vulcans have proven time and time again that they are perfectly capable of emotional bonding. Data has only ever shown the romantic relationship forming abilities of a replicator. Just the fact that Jenna is convinced that she can start a relationship according to the parameters of human culture with a machine speaks volumes.

However this thread kind of runs wild with being offended over what's mostly just their average fare imho. Why is no one concerned for Jenna in these scenes? Because these are Data's friends. We're seeing this from his perspective. It's not misogynistic. It's that he's a main character & she isn't
[...]
Just because someone dates someone that isn't right for them doesn't mean she needs to be called in for counseling. That's WAY more restrictive to her agency IMHO. She's an adult, & while this wasn't the best adult decision. No real damage was done. If anything it was a growth experience for both

We're not talking here about a bunch of casual acquaintances spending some time together. We are talking about a crew member who wants to start a potentially harmful relationship with a senior officer. Deanna is responsible for the psychological well-being of the crew and we have seen multiple times in the past that she can go and talk to someone if she thinks that's the case. Even in a normal company the HR area would like to have a chat with the people in question first, let alone a semi-military organization.

And let's remember, the only one who had to lose in this story was her. All of this was just a curious experiment for Data. It absolutely cannot be said that the relationship was even remotely equal, at any level.

Just the fact that she wanted to be in a relationship with Data should have raised a lot of red flags, but for everyone it was something perfectly normal.

And really Data wasn't just "someone that isn't right " for her, is a machine that can't even fit in the human concept of romantic relationship. If a friend of mine told me he got engaged to a Japanese dating sim I wouldn't think "Oh well, maybe it's not the best thing for him, but he's an adult and he makes his own decisions", I'd go to him and say "Dude, you need help!".

 

[Iamnotspock]

And he uses a contraction!!!

 

[Farscape One]

Doesn't Data have the right to explore this aspect of being? He is sentient, after all.

And honestly, how many of us really knew what we were doing in our first relationships? I guarantee many people have read things or watched stuff to try to emulate what they might consider being a good mate.

Regarding romantic relationships, Data was starting from scratch... exactly like every one of us did.