The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchise

[Captain Clark Terrell]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

^Especially since the Voyager crew had no problem visiting Tom Paris' recreation of a theater.

--Sran

 

[Nightdiamond]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

^Especially since the Voyager crew had no problem visiting Tom Paris' recreation of a theater.

--Sran

Hypocrites? Hah, Voyager couldn't wait to re-instate television. Paris actually had a television in his quarters. And the Captain Proton stuff. And this what Kes actually said about TV soap operas;

KES: That's because you've been spoiled by the holodeck. There's something to be said for non-interactive stories like this, being swept away in the narrative.

What happened to all that stuff Data and Phlox said about TV?

Janeway: There's coffee in that nebulae.

Nothing particularly wrong with this one, but have to throw it out anyway.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

Plus, they still have news channels in the future ("Endgame"/Generations/Into Darkness)

 

[Praetor]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

It creates a fascinating paradox - people who are above all that and work only to better themselves, yet in actuality are still fascinated by the stuff they're better than. Root beer indeed.

Come to think of it, I think that's why all those preachy lines always drive me nuts.

I'm not saying that a positive example of a future is a bad thing, or a bad thing to aspire to, but when it's played as a vaguely hypocritical way of life, it's annoying and disheartening.

 

[T'Girl]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

Hah, Voyager couldn't wait to re-instate television. Paris actually had a television in his quarters.

Captain Pike was so ahead of the curve when it came to having a television in his quarters.

 

[Praetor]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

Or at least intellectually honest?

 

[Nightdiamond]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

Captain Pike was so ahead of the curve when it came to having a television in his quarters.

Wonder what he was watching? lol

It creates a fascinating paradox - people who are above all that and work only to better themselves, yet in actuality are still fascinated by the stuff they're better than. Root beer indeed.

Come to think of it, I think that's why all those preachy lines always drive me nuts.

I'm not saying that a positive example of a future is a bad thing, or a bad thing to aspire to, but when it's played as a vaguely hypocritical way of life, it's annoying and disheartening.

That's what I see. A simple answer would have been good enough, but Trek characters took it a step further with extra commentary about how backwards a past activity was.

What would make people suddenly want to go back reading books all day, watching plays, practicing on an instrument for hours, and nothing else?

It took over 90,000 years for humans to finally create television. Did Trek think humans were going to give it up suddenly and go back to telling stories, gardening, having picnics everday?

If you were to ask Picard if he watched TV he'd probably say something similar to Phlox, about finding real life more interesting than watching someone else's.

But if you were to ask him, 'but when you pretend to be Dixon Hill when you use the holodeck, how is that any different?"

Would love to see the expression....

 

[Praetor]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

Yeah. I mean, sure with all the post-apocalyptic horror nobody wanted to watch television for a while there, but once that was all sorted, surely all kinds of new fancy technologies would make staged entertainment of any kind more enjoyable? If VGR's any indication, someone's in the habit of holo-converting some of our 20th century classics. I believe Harry named "To Catch a Thief" as one such film.

The one reason that I can see TV as we know it disappearing is because of the exodus of humanity to the stars - but within our lifetimes we're already seeing a marked shift towards the on-demand market, which could easily still work in the future.

"It's not interesting to us anymore" is stupid. It probably wouldn't be to one of us Trekkies who was transported to the future, sure. We'd be busy trying to get into Starfleet Academy.

 

[jpv2000]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

Hah, Voyager couldn't wait to re-instate television. Paris actually had a television in his quarters.

Captain Pike was so ahead of the curve when it came to having a television in his quarters.

Yep, he obviously knew that what goes around, comes around.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

How is it hypocritical of Janeway's crew that they enjoyed movies and television because a Denobulan 200 years earlier had a different opinion about such media?

 

[austen_pierce]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

And I love that movie.

^^^ THIS!

 

[Nightdiamond]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

How is it hypocritical of Janeway's crew that they enjoyed movies and television because a Denobulan 200 years earlier had a different opinion about such media?

It goes back to Data's statement that TV pretty much became 'extinct' around or a little after 2040.

And considering that this was early TNG, it appeared to say future humans grew bored with it or abandoned it for some reason.

Then taking a look at how humans entertained themselves on the Enterprise-- plays, reading, playing instruments, studying science and arts-- we never see anyone watching a movie or tv.

But for direct evidence, read what Harry Kim had to say about TV when Kes and Neelix told him about how much they enjoyed soap operas.

Phlox's statement, Data's and Kim's all combined say TV is outdated and a waste of time.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

Multiple characters and multiple writers make for multiple opinions in-universe or behind the scenes. Neither the characters nor the viewpoints expressed by the show need be homogenous. Just ask Spock and McCoy.

I can believe that television as a distinct medium could vanish in this century, replaced by digital media. That doesn't mean that the type of entertainment that television provides would go extinct. Look at vinyl to CD to MP3.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

Multiple characters and multiple writers make for multiple opinions in-universe or behind the scenes. Neither the characters nor the viewpoints expressed by the show need be homogenous. Just ask Spock and McCoy.

I can believe that television as a distinct medium could vanish in this century, replaced by digital media. That doesn't mean that the type of entertainment that television provides would go extinct. Look at vinyl to CD to MP3.

I agree with that. I think the last stand of television will be all live events.

And I think the transition to digital will kill the yearly season format.

 

[Anwar]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

It goes back to Data's statement that TV pretty much became 'extinct' around or a little after 2040.

TV as it was in 1987 is already going extinct nowadays. That's more what Data meant, not "TV is entirely gone". It's another example of Trek unintentionally predicting the future.

 

[JarodRussell]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

How is it hypocritical of Janeway's crew that they enjoyed movies and television because a Denobulan 200 years earlier had a different opinion about such media?

It goes back to Data's statement that TV pretty much became 'extinct' around or a little after 2040.

And considering that this was early TNG, it appeared to say future humans grew bored with it or abandoned it for some reason.

Then taking a look at how humans entertained themselves on the Enterprise-- plays, reading, playing instruments, studying science and arts-- we never see anyone watching a movie or tv.

But for direct evidence, read what Harry Kim had to say about TV when Kes and Neelix told him about how much they enjoyed soap operas.

Phlox's statement, Data's and Kim's all combined say TV is outdated and a waste of time.

Let's face it, I'm already bored by TV. By 2040, I will probably be bored by films as well.

 

[CoveTom]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

It goes back to Data's statement that TV pretty much became 'extinct' around or a little after 2040.

TV as it was in 1987 is already going extinct nowadays. That's more what Data meant, not "TV is entirely gone". It's another example of Trek unintentionally predicting the future.

I don't know that I agree. Sure, there's a bagillion more channels than there were in 1987. And we have better and more flexible methods of recording and playing back programs than the VCR's of 1987. But, fundamentally, TV is still the same basic medium as it was, and it's still the dominant home entertainment medium by a long shot.

Yes, there's Netflix and YouTube and all sorts of online viewing options. But, truth be told, the vast majority of people are still not using those as their primary method of viewing TV programs. The vast majority of TV viewing is still taking place in people's living rooms in front of a (basically) traditional TV.

 

[Anwar]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

Sure, now. By 2040 who knows how it will have been further changed?

 

[Nightdiamond]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

I think it boils down to the context of what Data said... he said the form of entertainment did not survive, as if to say passive watching of something on a screen was outdated.

He could be right, but I also think it might be underestimating the concept a little.

But the real insinuation was that there was something wrong with it too. I noticed this from the "Neutral Zone"

Sonny: How do you turn on this here teevee?

Riker: Teevee?

Sonny:Yeah, boob-tube... you know. I'd like to find out how the Braves are doin' after all this time.Probably still finding ways to lose.

Data:Oh -- I think he means television, sir.

Riker: From what I have already seen of our "guests", there is very little to redeem them. In fact,it makes me wonder, how our species ever survived the twenty-first century.

The only conversation Riker had with them is pretty much what was in the quotes above. Ralph mentioned something about checking his accounts, but that was it, nothing hard or serious.

From that you can guess that because 20th century humans liked to watch activities on a 2 dimensional screen, 24th century humans thought they were hopelessly primitive.

As far as the show, all I've ever saw people use it for is communications, searching data, music, maybe video games.

Entertainment? Plays, concerts, Ten Forward, Holodeck..

I think at the time, Trek had a certain idea of what advanced humans did for entertainment.

 

[Noddy]

Re: The Single Worst Line of Dialogue in the entire Star Trek Franchis

But B'nanna and Insaneway leaping up and down like schoolgirls shrieking "Warp particles! WARP particles!" upset me on so many levels.

What episode is this from?

Oh, and one of the most painful lines ever uttered on Trek, for me, has to be in TNG "Hide and Q" where Geordi yells "WORF! Is this your idea of SEX?!!"

And then there's Vorik's "YOU ARE MY MATE NOOOOWWWWW!!!!" on VOY "Blood Fever."