'Hail comrades!' he was heard to shout, swinging across on a rope from his passing ship...
Glad to see another early Riker fan there, Red Ranger! Like you, I spent the middle seasons frowning in dismay at what little Riker was being offered and muttering 'What - the - hell is going on?!'
As to him being in DS9... well I love DS9 and although Avery Brooks' acting is a bit hit and miss sometimes, I do like the character of Ben Sisko. Frakes does star in an excellent S3 episode 'Defiant' however (as Tom Riker though).
To The Old Mixer's point (great name by the way!), I wasn't saying I disliked Riker's role in 'Captain's Holiday' as such - more that it is was indicative of the slide, the whole Risa connection etc.
Mrs Picard's (waves cheerily back, definately not in the style of 'Okona'
) point about Kirk being an annoying ladies man is valid, although at least with Kirk, he was always like that. Riker starts out more interesting, but suffers a severe slump as we've been discussing.
'A Matter of Perspective' may not be so great really, but I love a good mystery, the suspects gathered round the table etc. In fact the love i have for detective fiction is one of the reasons I don't care much for 'Elementary, Dear Data'. I'm a HUGE Sherlock Holmes fan, so Spiner's pretty hammy interpretation was a wince inducing experience for me. The guy playing Moriarty was very good though, I must say.
My thoughts on Season 3 meanwhile, run pretty much thusly:
Under the control of a new show honcho, Michael Piller, S3 is the start of a more ‘down to earth’ era for the show (I know that sounds odd, given that it’s in space…) With the introduction of recurring characters from the Klingon and Romulan empires, political stories, increasing detail about the Federation, more use of its ships and personnel etc, the Trek world suddenly seemed at once more ‘real’ but also less mysterious for me. The universe seemed to have been ‘tamed’ somewhat.
Before that, the Enterprise seemed like a small pinprick of lights heading into a vast, unknowable galaxy, full of endless wonders and horrors. Starbases seemed like lighthouses shining in the darkness etc. Now everything just seemed a bit too ‘workaday’ at times, the Enterprise carrying out missions for Starfleet, inducting people into the Federation, getting involved in debate on the merits of such etc. There is much of interest in all that – Deep Space Nine wouldn’t be possible without this kind of work – but it did rob the show of the truly pioneering adventurous spirit of the early seasons in my opinion.
The human factor, or rather the exploration of emotions and how people relate to one another, cope with the sometimes unfair nature of life etc… all very interesting from a social point of view, but perhaps feeding the brain and the heart at the expense of the soul in my opinion. It gave rise (amongst my friends anyway) to the concept of ‘Family Matters’.
‘Family Matters’ is a derogatory term used to describe the more ‘touchy feely’ Star Trek episodes. No greater put down can be levelled against an episode than to be labelled ‘A family matters episode’. It also sees expansive use when people complain that hard races like the Borg and the Hirogen were ‘Family Matters-ed’ to death. I’ve also heard felt its presence when Star Trek was described to me as ‘Social workers in space’.
There is also the consideration that with writers like Ronald D Moore and Brannon Braga on board, the series would sometimes become quite pulpy sci-fi action fare. Very enjoyable for the most part, but this freewheeling, ‘space cowboys’ kind of thing isn’t as haunting and eerie as some of the earlier work (the sheer ‘supernatural’ horror of such baddies as Nagilum, the eerie scene in ‘Where no-one has gone before’ where Picard sees his long dead mother etc).
In broad terms though, Season 3 seems to be about the notion that ‘Life goes on… except when it doesn’t.’ Again and again over the course of the season, people are brought to a calamitous moment that could be considered *the* moment of their lives – one event that will forever be with them, gnawing away inside. And the season explores how sometimes you can help people get past the pain and see there is life beyond this seemingly all important moment – but that sometimes, people can’t get past it.
Right from the start we see this in ‘Evolution’, with the doctor whose entire life has been leading up to his experiment. When the mission looks like it might have to be abandoned, he is crushed – his life was just a means of getting to this opportunity. If it slips him by, everything will have been for nothing. The community in ‘The Ensigns of Command’ have to face the fact that despite all the history and sacrifice they have built up, they will have to leave – something absolutely unthinkable to them.
The boy whose mother is killed in ‘The Bonding’ faces the difficulty of losing his last remaining parent at a very early age. From such trauma, how can anyone go on, the season asks? Worf has to endure the dishonour of his father and exile from the Empire – two things it is hard to imagine him ever being able to live with. Keven UxBridge is forced to face up to the weight of what has happened to him and what he was driven to do to the Husnock.
Along with episodes like ‘Hollow Pursuits’ where Barclay must leave his comfortable fantasy world, these are all examples of how real life must go on, no matter how painful it is. Retreating into fantasy, not facing up to the truth of how your life is or has changed, is something the series constantly strives against.
But it isn’t always successful. The assassin in ‘The Vengeance Factor’ can’t let go of her hatred for her rivals and Riker is forced to kill her. The Romulan General in ‘The Defector’ can’t imagine any life after his exile (unlike Worf for example) and kills himself. Q also comes very close to this as he cannot stand the thought of living his life as ‘just another mortal’. For some, life cannot go on after such trauma.
These episodes are just as important because they help to balance the scales - show the power of some of the ‘baser’ emotions (greed, hatred, despair etc). Star Trek generally seeks to promote higher emotions but to truly get a sense of accomplishment and victory; it is imperative to know that the opposing forces are strong and are something ever to be guarded against. It gives us more respect for the various acts of sacrifice, if we can appreciate the intensity of the pain these characters are living with.
And of course, there are the episodes that deal with the idea that ‘Life doesn’t go on/ must not go on’. Tasha Yar must accept that she is not meant to be alive – that her life ‘spared’ has cost the lives of millions in a war that should not be happening. Data’s ‘daughter’ Lal dies and there is nothing the usually ultra-resourceful crew can do about it.
So all in all, some interesting stuff going on, but not really striking at what really interests me anymore. Not to say I don’t get any enjoyment out of it – I certainly do. But Season three is one of my least favourite nonetheless. The themes of loss and despair do appeal to me, but for whatever reason, the episodes themselves just don’t do it for me by and large.
‘The Survivors’ and ‘The Defector’ were truly excellent in my opinion, but the rest of the season just passed me by really. I was particularly disappointed with ‘Deja Q’ and the move to using Q in such a purely jokey manner. Slightly sinister undertones are always there when he is about, but I felt the earlier episodes had much more edge to them than this and the Robin Hood one. Fortunately, he later returned to form in ‘Tapestry’.
But hey, let’s not be sad – there were plenty more seasons and many more fine episodes to come. And it so happens that I really enjoyed Season Four also! And so to finish off, here’s what I was a’thinking about the Season Four episodes…
Season Four’s A and B lists.
The A list:
’Family.’ (‘Family Matters’ maybe, but done very well!)
‘Brothers.
'Remember Me.’ (A good Dr Crusher episode! – A Dr Crusher episode at all!)
‘Reunion.’
‘The Mind’s Eye.’
'Redemption, pt 1.'
And the B list:
'Final Mission.'
'The Wounded.’
‘Night Terrors.’
‘Half a Life.’
As you can see, I wasn't at all fussed with the second part of 'The Best of the Both Worlds.' It had its moments, but overall I wasn't at all impressed with how easy it was to nab Locutus off the Borg ship.
But anyway, the hour grows late (well not really, but I have to be off). So, that's all for now, folks. Until then, keep well, you crazy cats!
My favorite season 1 episode has to be "The Neutral Zone", though.
It is so rare to talk to someone who loves the first two TNG seasons as much as I do!
