Darmok

[Rulius]

I just saw this episode (the whole thing anyway) for the first time. I always thought Best of Both Worlds was the best episode of TNG. Now I know that Darmok is right up there with it. Absolutely superb episode. I must admit though if it had been me instead of Picard, oh boy there would have been war at the end heh.

 

[MikeH92467]

I really liked the concept of a race with such weird speech that the universal translator was worthless. It's been established that first contact situations are dangerous at best, but when someone is a technological equal and you can't communicate you could have a real mess on your hands. Obviously the captain to captain relationship between Stewart and Winfield is the A story, but the head to head confrontation between equally skilled and loyal first officers backs it up very well.

 

[JoeP]

This was the first appearance of that way cool captain's uniform too, right? I always dug that thing and was a bit disappointed it didn't get much use...

 

[CaptainStoner]

This was the first appearance of that way cool captain's uniform too, right? I always dug that thing and was a bit disappointed it didn't get much use...

And I think it is one of the only appearances of the variant with "leather" shoulders, subsequently the Captain's jacket was done with suede shoulders.
Wow. Sometimes I outgeek even myself.

I felt the same way on my first view of this episode. As time passes I find Data and Troi's cross-referencing the computer to be unrealistically slow - you or I could have entered parameters into a search engine a lot faster - but then this was before such real world technology reached prominence, and besides, it needs to be slowed down for story purposes. "Realistically" though I think Data could have cross-checked all that info and come up with a rough translation of Tamarian metaphor in .047 seconds.

 

[Mojochi]

I do really like this episode, as it is quite unique for Star Trek, & I did thoroughly enjoy the acting from both Stewart & Winfield, but I also think that for dramatic purposes, a bit of realism was sacrificed, particularly relating to body language

An alien person holds up a knife & then throws another at your feet. Do you assume that a knife fight is their intent? Perhaps

Do you immediately throw the knife back at them, intending to indicate that you want no part of a knife fight with them? Not necessarily, because you must admit the possibility that you may have misconstrued their action & that they will misconstrue yours as well

That's why we have body language. You point at yourself, & say something like "Me?" Then you hold up the knife & point at it & say something like "Knife?" Then you point at them & say something like "You?". Then you set the knife back at your feet, & slowly back away from it. Now you have successfully communicated "I won't knife you"

From that point, if his intent is otherwise, as was in this case, he will understand you, & use these basic body movements to indicate that he wants you to use your knife on something else. Episode over. I find it a bit tough to extend my disbelief to a point where I'd except that Picard, a veteran of first contact alien encounters would not be hip enough to get with that technique from the get go

But if you do suspend that disbelief, then you can still enjoy the episode as these two beings begin to understand one another, but I think it could have been possible to still have that relationship, while still preserving some common sense too

 

[Cyke101]

My professor in Advanced Fiction used the episode as an example about the power of metaphor in storytelling. She was many things, but I never would have guessed a Trekkie at first glance!

 

[SchwEnt]

Darmok and Jelad at Tanagra.
Shaka, when the walls fell.

I love it!!

 

[evil saltine]

My professor in Advanced Fiction used the episode as an example about the power of metaphor in storytelling. She was many things, but I never would have guessed a Trekkie at first glance!

Funny you should mention that

 

[F. King Daniel]

Darmok and Jelad at Tanagra.

It's an email address!

Darmok&Jelad@Tanagra.com

 

[Kelso]

It's on BBCA right now. I freakin' love this episode.

 

[RAMA]

I recall a LOT of stories about universities, etc using the episode or talking about the episode in classes. My sister mentioned a professor using it in one of her classes.

I've seen the episode twice recently and its still awesome!

RAMA

 

[RAMA]

It's on BBCA right now. I freakin' love this episode.

Makes me glad to be a ST fan!!

 

[Kelso]

Darmok and Jalad at Facebook

lol!

 

[RAMA]

Darmok and Jalad at Facebook

lol!

 

[Cyke101]

My professor in Advanced Fiction used the episode as an example about the power of metaphor in storytelling. She was many things, but I never would have guessed a Trekkie at first glance!

Funny you should mention that

Oh THAT'S NOT FAIR. My class merely discussed it, we didn't have a list of detailed questions that I would so obviously ace

 

[sevenstars]

I love this episode. I mean, they really tried-- really made an effort to illustrate a different frame of reference.

After 101 viewings, it doesn't totally hold up. First of all:

As time passes I find Data and Troi's cross-referencing the computer to be unrealistically slow - you or I could have entered parameters into a search engine a lot faster...

Yes. That's what I thought the last time I watched it. "I could Google that in ten seconds."

Then, I always have to wonder:

1) If the total content of their language consisted of references to these stories, how did they tell themselves the stories in the first place?

and

2) How...HOW... did they ever get into space with a language like that?

I think the reason it holds up so well is the beautiful performance by the guy who played the alien captain.

 

[Marten]

It's not logical, but it sure is well executed.

 

[Forbin]

My friend Frank loved the captain's new jacket so much he begged my wife to make him one. This resulted in the three of us sitting in front of the TV with Darmok on tape, rewinding, plating, freeze-framing, rewinding, playing, freeze-framing, while my wife made sketches.

There were two results: a jacket so well done that Majel Barret told Frank at a con that it was the best one she'd seen so far; and my wife refuses to ever watch Darmok again.

 

[Cyke101]

I love this episode. I mean, they really tried-- really made an effort to illustrate a different frame of reference.

After 101 viewings, it doesn't totally hold up. First of all:

As time passes I find Data and Troi's cross-referencing the computer to be unrealistically slow - you or I could have entered parameters into a search engine a lot faster...

Yes. That's what I thought the last time I watched it. "I could Google that in ten seconds."

Then, I always have to wonder:

1) If the total content of their language consisted of references to these stories, how did they tell themselves the stories in the first place?

and

2) How...HOW... did they ever get into space with a language like that?

I think the reason it holds up so well is the beautiful performance by the guy who played the alien captain.

I'm thinking it was the evolution of the language (that they didn't start out using only metaphors from the start), and that perhaps it became the form that we know fairly recently (give or take a couple hundred years). It's funny that modern-day search engines were brought up as more efficient than what we saw in this episode; current texting and email language, much of which didn't exist 10 years ago, keeps changing and morphing and evolving every few months, never mind generations, using devices like imagery, metaphors, and abbreviations. I suppose if we can do that, a more advanced race could do wonders.

 

[Ghrakh]

^^^quoted from another thread here:

"no coz darth vader wud sho up n totally kick sum borg ass"