• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Thanks for killing me, douche.

Trekker4747

Boldly going...
Premium Member
I'm watching through TNG right now. And watching "Coming of Age" - where Wesley undergoes the "Psych Test" in a recruitment session for the Academy.

Wesley gets his shit all twisted up over the course of the episode in worrying about the "Psych Test" where the entrants are exposed to some image or situation to see how'd they'd react in a situtaion they couldn't be prepared for/is their biggest fear. It's the "No-Win Scenario" with a good mind-fuck.

Anyway, Wes' "Psych Test" is that an explosion occurs in a room next to the center's holodeck and Wesley rushes in and finds two men trapped after something blew up int he room. One man is trapped under a fallen piece of equipment the other man is trapped because he's pissing his pants in fear and clinging to the wall. Wesley can only save one person and quickly decides to save the man who's trapped, dragging him to safety outside the room before it is sealed, along the way trying to encourage the scared man to get off his ass and walk out the damn door, which close shortly after Wesley gets the unconscious man out.

Running into the center's leader he tries to tell him what happened but is quickly told this was part of his "Psych Test" it's around this point the doors opened and the scared man walks out giving Wesley a smirky smile/nod as if saying, "Yeah thanks for leaving me to die, douchebag!" It cracks me up everytime yet, at the same time, Wesley made the right call -despite being told the test had no "right" or "wrong" answer when it clearly seems it did. Why save the able-bodied man over the injured, traped, unconscious man?

Anyway, it doesn't end up mattering. Wesley isn't accepted due to affirmative action anyway.
 
Anyway, it doesn't end up mattering. Wesley isn't accepted due to affirmative action anyway.
That's not as bad as in "Menage a Troi" when Wesley simply misses the bus to the Academy. I never quite understood that reasoning. That's like my me as a kid missing the bus to school and my mom saying, "Well, you missed the bus, I can't you can't go to school this year." There was really no other ship in the universe that could have taken Wesley to the Academy?

Not even the short bus?
 
Well, the Enterprise usually was the only ship in the goddamn quadrant.... sooooooo....
 
Anyway, it doesn't end up mattering. Wesley isn't accepted due to affirmative action anyway.
That's not as bad as in "Menage a Troi" when Wesley simply misses the bus to the Academy. I never quite understood that reasoning. That's like my me as a kid missing the bus to school and my mom saying, "Well, you missed the bus, I can't you can't go to school this year." There was really no other ship in the universe that could have taken Wesley to the Academy?

Not even the short bus?

This argument might make sense if your kid's school bus was taking him to a school on the otherside of the planet and that's the only bus around for several months, past which it'd be too late to go to school.

The universe is a big place. ;)
 
... in a room next to the center's holodeck ...
That was a holodeck? How do you figure? :confused:

Speculation. We see Wesley trying to prepare for the test on the Enterprise holodeck and we see mordock leaving, the othwerise empty, room trembling in fear following his "psych test" it's my speculative theory that it was a holodeck in which they created the "fear" for the test. Wesley's test just didn't utilize it.
 
Well, the Enterprise usually was the only ship in the goddamn quadrant.... sooooooo....

I always found that amusing, if the Federation is in the "Alpha Quadrant", how can the Enterprise be the only ship in the fleet there?
Unless the "Alpha Quadrant" it self is divided up in to quadrants?
Dam writers just seeing if we're paying attention :devil:
 
I'm watching through TNG right now. And watching "Coming of Age" - where Wesley undergoes the "Psych Test" in a recruitment session for the Academy.

Wesley gets his shit all twisted up over the course of the episode in worrying about the "Psych Test" where the entrants are exposed to some image or situation to see how'd they'd react in a situtaion they couldn't be prepared for/is their biggest fear. It's the "No-Win Scenario" with a good mind-fuck.

Anyway, Wes' "Psych Test" is that an explosion occurs in a room next to the center's holodeck and Wesley rushes in and finds two men trapped after something blew up int he room. One man is trapped under a fallen piece of equipment the other man is trapped because he's pissing his pants in fear and clinging to the wall. Wesley can only save one person and quickly decides to save the man who's trapped, dragging him to safety outside the room before it is sealed, along the way trying to encourage the scared man to get off his ass and walk out the damn door, which close shortly after Wesley gets the unconscious man out.

Running into the center's leader he tries to tell him what happened but is quickly told this was part of his "Psych Test" it's around this point the doors opened and the scared man walks out giving Wesley a smirky smile/nod as if saying, "Yeah thanks for leaving me to die, douchebag!" It cracks me up everytime yet, at the same time, Wesley made the right call -despite being told the test had no "right" or "wrong" answer when it clearly seems it did. Why save the able-bodied man over the injured, traped, unconscious man?

Anyway, it doesn't end up mattering. Wesley isn't accepted due to affirmative action anyway.

As I see it, there could have been two possibly valid out comes..... one where Crusher did what he did and saved the unconscious man, since the other was fully capable of getting out on his own..... and there's the alternative option of not knowing if the unconscious man was even alive, thus saving the scared guy instead and ensuring that at least one of the two survives, while rescuing the other guy could end up leaving you with one person who ends up dying anyways, thus you saved nobody.

The episode based on my memory, gave the impression that Wes did the right/moral thing, but that's subjective..... and let's not forget that there's also the third option of him not doing anything..... or the forth option of him running off to get help instead.

I always found that amusing, if the Federation is in the "Alpha Quadrant", how can the Enterprise be the only ship in the fleet there?
Unless the "Alpha Quadrant" it self is divided up in to quadrants?
Dam writers just seeing if we're paying attention :devil:

Well each Quadrant is separated into various Sectors if that counts.

And I think a better comparison would be going to college or university and trying to get there for the final day of registration. Most Colleges/Universities around where I live won't let you just jump into the middle of the year and start off when and where you want to.... if you don't give them the requested forms and show up when you're supposed to for registration/orientation/etc. they'll pass you off and you'll have to wait until the following year/semester.
 
I'm watching through TNG right now. And watching "Coming of Age" - where Wesley undergoes the "Psych Test" in a recruitment session for the Academy.

Wesley gets his shit all twisted up over the course of the episode in worrying about the "Psych Test" where the entrants are exposed to some image or situation to see how'd they'd react in a situtaion they couldn't be prepared for/is their biggest fear. It's the "No-Win Scenario" with a good mind-fuck.

Anyway, Wes' "Psych Test" is that an explosion occurs in a room next to the center's holodeck and Wesley rushes in and finds two men trapped after something blew up int he room. One man is trapped under a fallen piece of equipment the other man is trapped because he's pissing his pants in fear and clinging to the wall. Wesley can only save one person and quickly decides to save the man who's trapped, dragging him to safety outside the room before it is sealed, along the way trying to encourage the scared man to get off his ass and walk out the damn door, which close shortly after Wesley gets the unconscious man out.

Running into the center's leader he tries to tell him what happened but is quickly told this was part of his "Psych Test" it's around this point the doors opened and the scared man walks out giving Wesley a smirky smile/nod as if saying, "Yeah thanks for leaving me to die, douchebag!" It cracks me up everytime yet, at the same time, Wesley made the right call -despite being told the test had no "right" or "wrong" answer when it clearly seems it did. Why save the able-bodied man over the injured, traped, unconscious man?

Anyway, it doesn't end up mattering. Wesley isn't accepted due to affirmative action anyway.

As I see it, there could have been two possibly valid out comes..... one where Crusher did what he did and saved the unconscious man, since the other was fully capable of getting out on his own..... and there's the alternative option of not knowing if the unconscious man was even alive, thus saving the scared guy instead and ensuring that at least one of the two survives, while rescuing the other guy could end up leaving you with one person who ends up dying anyways, thus you saved nobody.

The episode based on my memory, gave the impression that Wes did the right/moral thing, but that's subjective..... and let's not forget that there's also the third option of him not doing anything..... or the forth option of him running off to get help instead.
I was under the impression that the "right" thing was to make a decision in the first place - that it was a test of Wesley, as a future Starfleet member, being able to make hard life-or-death decisions, and being able to understand that you can't save them all. Whoever he decided to save, it would be the 'right' choice. But he would have failed if he hadn't been able to make a decision at all, if he had hesitated in the hope of saving them both and been unable to make a choice, it could have resulted in both of them dying (and maybe also his own death).
 
You get a similar thing when Troi is is taking the commanders test in "Thine Own Self". She tells holographic Geordi to go fix a conduit or something knowing he would die. Holo Geordi gives Troi the "Thanks for killing me, cuntbag" look as he walks away. LOL
 
You get a similar thing when Troi is is taking the commanders test in "Thine Own Self". She tells holographic Geordi to go fix a conduit or something knowing he would die. Holo Geordi gives Troi the "Thanks for killing me, cuntbag" look as he walks away. LOL

I dunno.. I just checked out that scene and I can't see a reaction through the visor. Just a slight nod like he's thinking "being the black dude, I should've seen this coming".
 
You get a similar thing when Troi is is taking the commanders test in "Thine Own Self". She tells holographic Geordi to go fix a conduit or something knowing he would die. Holo Geordi gives Troi the "Thanks for killing me, cuntbag" look as he walks away. LOL

I dunno.. I just checked out that scene and I can't see a reaction through the visor. Just a slight nod like he's thinking "being the black dude, I should've seen this coming".

At least she didn't call him Toby. ;)
 
In a situation like this, there is indeed no right or wrong. Just follow your instincts and when you have to chose what to do/who to help, follow the first thought that comes to your mind.

And after you did it, NEVER think about it AGAIN.

Should you have saved the grandpa, or the little kid, the retarded guy or the rocket scientist, the one-legged-one-armed homeless or the Football athlete making 30 million per year. It doesn't matter in the very moment. Whoever can be saved must be saved.
 
How can there be right or wrong in a psych test? Troi's exam was of command potential, so that has definite right's & wrongs.

But a psych test? The only way to fail one of those is to go insane or something. I saw it as a reality based Rorschach Test, a character evaluation, & in that way, I suppose the Kobayashi Maru is also a psych test, specifically for potential captains, seeing as there is supposed to be no solution & therefore simply an evaluation of character

Point being, if he had just panicked & ran away to get someone else to deal with it, or stood there freaking out, till they all burned to death or something, then he might have been denied acceptance based on an unsuitable psychological stability necessary for work in Starfleet, having nothing to do with intellect, or preparedness, because let's face it, some folks just don't do well in crisis situations. That's not saying there is something wrong with them, just that they are not suited for work that involves crises
 
But a psych test? The only way to fail one of those is to go insane or something.

How so? If the psych test is about your suitability for work in Big Business Corp. and you get evaluated "mildly social, good with numbers" and your competitor gets "outgoing, leader type, concentration problems", you may well have failed to get the job, or he may have. The test gives a result, and the result gives a fail or a pass.

Wesley was competing for an opening in Starfleet (supposedly in the underage supergenius quota), not merely trying to meet minimum entry requirements (which may be what all the other heroes did). Getting a low score from the psych test would be just as bad for him as getting a low score from the physics quiz or the health evaluation - all without indicating that he's a nutcase, ignorant in physics, or terminally ill.

Timo Saloniemi
 
How can there be right or wrong in a psych test? Troi's exam was of command potential, so that has definite right's & wrongs.

But a psych test? The only way to fail one of those is to go insane or something. I saw it as a reality based Rorschach Test, a character evaluation, & in that way, I suppose the Kobayashi Maru is also a psych test, specifically for potential captains, seeing as there is supposed to be no solution & therefore simply an evaluation of character

Point being, if he had just panicked & ran away to get someone else to deal with it, or stood there freaking out, till they all burned to death or something, then he might have been denied acceptance based on an unsuitable psychological stability necessary for work in Starfleet, having nothing to do with intellect, or preparedness, because let's face it, some folks just don't do well in crisis situations. That's not saying there is something wrong with them, just that they are not suited for work that involves crises

I agree, but I can't help but suspect how we was evalualted on what he did when he decided to act. Now, I think that Wes made the right choice he saved the injured man and tried to coach the scared man out. I think that shows strong character in Wes he saved the person who could not save himself. (For the sake of argument we'll assume Wesley checked the man's pulse or something and knew he was alive.)

But, I suspect Wes would be evaluated differently if he shrugged off the man who was out-cold and tried to save the man pissing his pants in fear. Just because the guy said there was "no right or wrong answer" doesn't mean that he wouldn't have sat with his board afterwards and said, "Yeah. He saved the scared man and left the unconscious man there to die... What the fuck was up with that?"
 
The universe is a big place. ;)

Not on Star Trek. ;)

The Enterprise could probably have dropped him off at the Buck Rogers matte painting with little upset in their schedule.

And am I the only person who would have suspected some amount of bullshit when there's an explosion just when I'm waiting for my psych test?
 
I don't think a psych test like that would often have a right and wrong in itself, but the results would speak to someone's personality and character. Not all personalities are equally suited for different roles, including that of a Starfleet Officer.
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top