My latest re-watch was "Conspiracy" from season one.
While it's true the Enterprise D is "beige", the high definition remastering did allow me to appreciate the corridors with that textured wallpaper outside Quinn's quarters - which is actually rather stylish. And, of course, the dents in the aluminium panel at the far end of one corridor that was recycled from TMP. But that wallpaper and palette were good.
The music, set design, and direction are fairly top notch for this action piece. Everything came together nicely, though I do have and will get to some nitpicks soon...
The sets almost hark back to 60s Trek with their geometric art deco corridors.
The acting! In this episode, it's either competent or compelling. Of particular merit, the casting for Quinn, Scott, and Keel were utterly perfect for their dialogue. The sense of menace and authority where needed were simply great.
I had forgotten that Scott had already been compromised. Keel states with pride she was the officer to be promoted to Captain the fastest. How long have these parasites been infiltrating the fleet? Was she an early victim? As with a few other scenes, it's an unintentional question that forms in retrospect that never gets answered. Though it doesn't need to be, which - in this case - keeps the episode interesting. No so much for others, the most glaring of which I'll get to eventually...
The episode feels like a possible season arc, condensed "TV Digest" style into a neat 43 minute outing. I say this because some of the plot tropes were re-used, to rather great effect (IMHO), in DS9 with the Changelings and the fear of infiltration. But for TNG/S1, this episode does hold together despite those inevitable little nitpicks I'm about to mewl over.
If these critters wanted peaceful coexistence, why did they use Remmick's body as a host and a puppet -- since he was dead in order for Momma Parasite to hang out in there and use jump ropes out of his intestines for its daily calisthenics. Seriously, sedentary lifestyles are said to be bad... Again, this story has some interesting ideas but they just feel out of place - not unlike my allusion to jumping rope there.
Troi gets what, on the surface, seems to be another "derh, we don't know how to write for Troi so she'll cypher the obvious like Jethro": And I quote: "Someone is hiding something, but I can't tell who or what." Except, this is at the start of the episode and at this juncture nobody knows everyone has been taken over by the parasites (now as buffet at Red Lobster for $8.99 with unlimited shrimp and salad!) and as such she genuinely wouldn't be able to tell. It is not a "Troi states the obvious" line but a subtle clue confirming a big problem long before we're told or shown outright. The fact nobody takes her at face value, given her abilities, is more a typical season 1 issue that ranks right up there by scripting Wesley to be the smart one by making everyone around him dumb. For more on this, if you can stomach it, watch "Datalore".
Why does Walker Keel, after several minutes of interrogation, tell Picard then to say hi to Beverly, of which Picard says nothing and whose facial expression confirms nothing? (Of course, back on Enterprise he tells her very po-face that he wasn't there.)
Also, when Keel's ship is shown destroyed and emphasis is placed on "no bodies in the flotsam", where did the crew end up? Wielding pickaxes on Dytalix B and singing silly songs about striking it rich with a whistle? This knocks down an otherwise gut-churning scene, which was still fairly good, with the revealing of the destroyed ship but for as strong as it was it could have been a lot stronger if only a tiny rewrite to include the corpses were there.
If it's that easy for anyone to sidestep a phaser blast then dozens of zap zap scenes in TNG's run no longer hold up.
When security is called, it makes sense for Worf to do his run to get there. Why is Geordi running with him when he's supposed to be keeping the ship in orbit? This isn't P.E. class, there are over 1000 people that could be there to be thrown like rag dolls. Which might be the reason, we have more emotional connection invested in a main cast member than lil' Ensign Whatshisname would. Except for "Lower Decks", but that's another story.
I know this is the late-80s when sci-fi/fantasy television had used horror and gore as a trend, but there's no blood on Riker's torso when Crusher turns him over. Given the number of glass shards from that late-80s glass table that Quinn throws Riker on with frightening glee, and given everyone's now hyper with "MEDICAL EMERGENCY" but there's no blood or anything that really seems that urgent...
I almost laughed when Picard pointed out the lack of people wandering the corridors, despite exterior shots showing bustling activity.
Unfortunately, I did laugh at a few things:
0. Without that gill poking out, how would they confirm the takeover already in progress? This is a convenient little cliche. (The episode handles it all very well, don't get me wrong, but it's still unintentionally hilarious.)
1. Remmick, throughout the story, always seems to be nonchalantly shifty in the background. My first thought, you know - the worst kind of thought, is that he reminded me of Air Traffic Controller Johnny Henshaw-Jacobs from "Airplane!" but without the over the top, silly banter that I'm more known for. There's something unintentionally hilarious with Remmick, though the intent was more serious.
2. The purple crustacean parasites aren't always shown at the same proportion. This is most apparent when little Purple Phil starts crawling through the door then up Remmick's leg.
3. Nice to see a male officer wearing a skant again, though it's another red outfit (no golds or blues?) and at no time is the actor facing a camera.
4. Poor old Remmy just can't catch a break: It helps if you're not a fan of "V" where they used the same air bladders to show Diana eating and swallowing a large living hamster. It's actually handled more convincingly in "Conspiracy" but for fans of the 1983 sci-fi event, it's impossible not to notice.
5. The scene when the phasers fry Remmick and out comes the Momma Parasite rises as if a standing ovation is to follow just plain bad. There's something about Remmy. But that's easy pickin's, he's sitting in a chair and fish in a barrel were watching in absolute envy over how easy he was shot.
Seriously, as far as parasites go, why the form of a large plastic purple prawn floating bathtub toy? They don't hold up well in close-ups and they don't convey a sense of menace. Which reminds me, I need to pick up some crab legs and butter - yum...
Oh, the same purple people eaters, when dead, turn a nice salmon pink color, keeping in with the story's other theme that has something to do with the Mediterranean Diet, apparently. and salmon is apparently a good fish to eat too: https://www.organicfacts.net/salmon.html Though you won't find mercury on that list...
Remmick is already controlled by zillions of shrimp, so why is one crawling through the corridors to waddle up his leg then enter his mouth to begin with? To gossip with its friends wherever the miniature water cooler is inside of him?
I forgot one: 6. Perception is a wonderful thing, but let's take a key scene and deconstruct it: When Picard walks into the dining room and are served for dinner, without formality of course, candy dishes full of mealworm grubs... this alone is so cliche it's impossible not to laugh and it's a shame as the episode often succeeds at selling a palpable sense of threat and fear. Only to be upended by late a 80s fad of cod horror. So they're served all these mealworms, with the side order of 80s cheese and ham for we viewers because this is scene is very cheesy. Hammy too, as -- naturally -- TNG's hunkyred gold shirt - hams it up when eating these things and -- you guessed it -- is the only one to die (as we're told later everyone else is peachy dandy A-OK). Yes, someone was clever in 1987 to say "Hey, you know that stupid joke where anyone that wears red is going to die? Let's just swap division color schemes and nobody will utter that stupid joke anymore!" As a result, we now have 7 years of gold shirts that we all know are going to die on cue, with people heckling - again, on cue. Does it really make a difference if security grade is wearing red or gold, or ultraviolet (but that one's fun to see!) when being in the security division means you're at greater risk for an exotic form of death? The same goes for the engineering division as they're exposing themselves to high voltage technobabble and also get fried on cue...
In 1987, the British sci-fi show Doctor Who had aired an episode where the villain melts - to horrifying effect - directly on screen. People wrote in to whine about it. That may have been a catalyst for this episode being banned from broadcast in 1988 in Britain.
Originally, these parasites were henchmen for the Borg - who, at the time, were going to be large insect-like creatures and not walking cybernetic nightmares. Harking back to earlier regarding my mentioning Keel's missing crew, could there be a base belonging to said insect-like species and are using humans as food that would have been in a follow-up had it been made? So not just "V", there's now a reference to 1978's "Battlestar Galactica" where a large insect-like species is kidnapping and eating humans (which was actually very effective, especially for 1978. Just ignore the perfect disco hair of the screaming humans netted in the cocoons, or if nothing else just pretend the insects can smell all that hairspray (AquaNet?) and it's an aphrodisiac to them... but that's another story, in another series. In case you hadn't seen that show, I put up the spoiler warning flag up top...)
In the end, it is a fun story to watch and is above average for season one's standard. It does succeed on a number of levels and is certainly worth watching for Quinn beating the snot of Worf and everyone else, but is risible too many times to call this a classic. It's so close, but just doesn't gel where it needed to and resorting to late-80s faddish ubiquity instead.
7.5/10
While it's true the Enterprise D is "beige", the high definition remastering did allow me to appreciate the corridors with that textured wallpaper outside Quinn's quarters - which is actually rather stylish. And, of course, the dents in the aluminium panel at the far end of one corridor that was recycled from TMP. But that wallpaper and palette were good.
The music, set design, and direction are fairly top notch for this action piece. Everything came together nicely, though I do have and will get to some nitpicks soon...
The sets almost hark back to 60s Trek with their geometric art deco corridors.
The acting! In this episode, it's either competent or compelling. Of particular merit, the casting for Quinn, Scott, and Keel were utterly perfect for their dialogue. The sense of menace and authority where needed were simply great.
I had forgotten that Scott had already been compromised. Keel states with pride she was the officer to be promoted to Captain the fastest. How long have these parasites been infiltrating the fleet? Was she an early victim? As with a few other scenes, it's an unintentional question that forms in retrospect that never gets answered. Though it doesn't need to be, which - in this case - keeps the episode interesting. No so much for others, the most glaring of which I'll get to eventually...
The episode feels like a possible season arc, condensed "TV Digest" style into a neat 43 minute outing. I say this because some of the plot tropes were re-used, to rather great effect (IMHO), in DS9 with the Changelings and the fear of infiltration. But for TNG/S1, this episode does hold together despite those inevitable little nitpicks I'm about to mewl over.
If these critters wanted peaceful coexistence, why did they use Remmick's body as a host and a puppet -- since he was dead in order for Momma Parasite to hang out in there and use jump ropes out of his intestines for its daily calisthenics. Seriously, sedentary lifestyles are said to be bad... Again, this story has some interesting ideas but they just feel out of place - not unlike my allusion to jumping rope there.
Troi gets what, on the surface, seems to be another "derh, we don't know how to write for Troi so she'll cypher the obvious like Jethro": And I quote: "Someone is hiding something, but I can't tell who or what." Except, this is at the start of the episode and at this juncture nobody knows everyone has been taken over by the parasites (now as buffet at Red Lobster for $8.99 with unlimited shrimp and salad!) and as such she genuinely wouldn't be able to tell. It is not a "Troi states the obvious" line but a subtle clue confirming a big problem long before we're told or shown outright. The fact nobody takes her at face value, given her abilities, is more a typical season 1 issue that ranks right up there by scripting Wesley to be the smart one by making everyone around him dumb. For more on this, if you can stomach it, watch "Datalore".
Why does Walker Keel, after several minutes of interrogation, tell Picard then to say hi to Beverly, of which Picard says nothing and whose facial expression confirms nothing? (Of course, back on Enterprise he tells her very po-face that he wasn't there.)
Also, when Keel's ship is shown destroyed and emphasis is placed on "no bodies in the flotsam", where did the crew end up? Wielding pickaxes on Dytalix B and singing silly songs about striking it rich with a whistle? This knocks down an otherwise gut-churning scene, which was still fairly good, with the revealing of the destroyed ship but for as strong as it was it could have been a lot stronger if only a tiny rewrite to include the corpses were there.
If it's that easy for anyone to sidestep a phaser blast then dozens of zap zap scenes in TNG's run no longer hold up.
When security is called, it makes sense for Worf to do his run to get there. Why is Geordi running with him when he's supposed to be keeping the ship in orbit? This isn't P.E. class, there are over 1000 people that could be there to be thrown like rag dolls. Which might be the reason, we have more emotional connection invested in a main cast member than lil' Ensign Whatshisname would. Except for "Lower Decks", but that's another story.
I know this is the late-80s when sci-fi/fantasy television had used horror and gore as a trend, but there's no blood on Riker's torso when Crusher turns him over. Given the number of glass shards from that late-80s glass table that Quinn throws Riker on with frightening glee, and given everyone's now hyper with "MEDICAL EMERGENCY" but there's no blood or anything that really seems that urgent...
I almost laughed when Picard pointed out the lack of people wandering the corridors, despite exterior shots showing bustling activity.
Unfortunately, I did laugh at a few things:
0. Without that gill poking out, how would they confirm the takeover already in progress? This is a convenient little cliche. (The episode handles it all very well, don't get me wrong, but it's still unintentionally hilarious.)
1. Remmick, throughout the story, always seems to be nonchalantly shifty in the background. My first thought, you know - the worst kind of thought, is that he reminded me of Air Traffic Controller Johnny Henshaw-Jacobs from "Airplane!" but without the over the top, silly banter that I'm more known for. There's something unintentionally hilarious with Remmick, though the intent was more serious.
2. The purple crustacean parasites aren't always shown at the same proportion. This is most apparent when little Purple Phil starts crawling through the door then up Remmick's leg.
3. Nice to see a male officer wearing a skant again, though it's another red outfit (no golds or blues?) and at no time is the actor facing a camera.
4. Poor old Remmy just can't catch a break: It helps if you're not a fan of "V" where they used the same air bladders to show Diana eating and swallowing a large living hamster. It's actually handled more convincingly in "Conspiracy" but for fans of the 1983 sci-fi event, it's impossible not to notice.
5. The scene when the phasers fry Remmick and out comes the Momma Parasite rises as if a standing ovation is to follow just plain bad. There's something about Remmy. But that's easy pickin's, he's sitting in a chair and fish in a barrel were watching in absolute envy over how easy he was shot.
Seriously, as far as parasites go, why the form of a large plastic purple prawn floating bathtub toy? They don't hold up well in close-ups and they don't convey a sense of menace. Which reminds me, I need to pick up some crab legs and butter - yum...
Oh, the same purple people eaters, when dead, turn a nice salmon pink color, keeping in with the story's other theme that has something to do with the Mediterranean Diet, apparently. and salmon is apparently a good fish to eat too: https://www.organicfacts.net/salmon.html Though you won't find mercury on that list...
Remmick is already controlled by zillions of shrimp, so why is one crawling through the corridors to waddle up his leg then enter his mouth to begin with? To gossip with its friends wherever the miniature water cooler is inside of him?
I forgot one: 6. Perception is a wonderful thing, but let's take a key scene and deconstruct it: When Picard walks into the dining room and are served for dinner, without formality of course, candy dishes full of mealworm grubs... this alone is so cliche it's impossible not to laugh and it's a shame as the episode often succeeds at selling a palpable sense of threat and fear. Only to be upended by late a 80s fad of cod horror. So they're served all these mealworms, with the side order of 80s cheese and ham for we viewers because this is scene is very cheesy. Hammy too, as -- naturally -- TNG's hunky
In 1987, the British sci-fi show Doctor Who had aired an episode where the villain melts - to horrifying effect - directly on screen. People wrote in to whine about it. That may have been a catalyst for this episode being banned from broadcast in 1988 in Britain.
Originally, these parasites were henchmen for the Borg - who, at the time, were going to be large insect-like creatures and not walking cybernetic nightmares. Harking back to earlier regarding my mentioning Keel's missing crew, could there be a base belonging to said insect-like species and are using humans as food that would have been in a follow-up had it been made? So not just "V", there's now a reference to 1978's "Battlestar Galactica" where a large insect-like species is kidnapping and eating humans (which was actually very effective, especially for 1978. Just ignore the perfect disco hair of the screaming humans netted in the cocoons, or if nothing else just pretend the insects can smell all that hairspray (AquaNet?) and it's an aphrodisiac to them... but that's another story, in another series. In case you hadn't seen that show, I put up the spoiler warning flag up top...)
In the end, it is a fun story to watch and is above average for season one's standard. It does succeed on a number of levels and is certainly worth watching for Quinn beating the snot of Worf and everyone else, but is risible too many times to call this a classic. It's so close, but just doesn't gel where it needed to and resorting to late-80s faddish ubiquity instead.
7.5/10
