Darmok

[jazzstick]

Hey!

When ever someone asks me which episode embodies Star Trek or is a good place to start if they want to know what the show is all about I always point them to "Darmok"!

From the first time I watched it all those years ago I was blown away by the creativity and imagination of this story and felt that if there was ever an episode that embodied Gene's vision for the future this was it!

Human's using their minds to over come a language barrier and maek first contacat, man I get chills just thinking about it!

What do you guys think? Is there an episode that could top this one as being the most Trek?

Temba, his arms wide!

 

[MacLeod]

"Duet".

But this can vary from show to show.

 

[jazzstick]

"Duet".

But this can vary from show to show.

That one seems sow speicfic to DS9 but yeah that one is fantastic. I watch it and it stays with me for days after!

So thats

TNGarmok

DS9: Duet

Ok what else?

 

[R. Star]

Yeah.. the whole "universal translator" thing really did soft pedal this issue. To me this episode is probably the best representation of the hope for a better future that Trek is about. Sure the whole metaphor language is silly, but that's really not what the episode is about at all.

Only downside about this is Riker comes across as a bigger jerk than usual in this episode. Duet also is a great episode, but it's more about over coming prejudices and intolerance than the whole better future. They're similar and intertwined, but not quite the same.

 

[bbjeg]

Darmok is by far my top episode. Not just from Picard's angle but the crews response as well. From a hopeful beginning, to the near destruction of the ship which could have started a war, all due to a misunderstanding. It's the trek of all treks IMO.

 

[Hober Mallow]

Sure the whole metaphor language is silly, but that's really not what the episode is about at all.

It's not the metaphor language, per say, that's silly, it's that all languages everywhere are metaphors. There is no such thing as a purely literal language, so by the logic of the episode, the UT shouldn't work.

I like the episode, particularly Picard's retelling of an episode in the Gilgamesh epic, but you have to get past the really silly premise.

 

[Makarov]

Great episode but I wouldn't use it as a place to start. Because the communication is frustrating the characters it could also frustrate a new viewer.

 

[Forbin]

I love the ep, but my wife can never watch it again - she was asked by a friend to make Picard's jacket, and we spent a couple of days freeze-framing, Fast-forwarding, freeze-framing, rewinding, freeze-framing. She became sick to death of seeing it. The jacket came out great, though.

 

[Mojochi]

but you have to get past the really silly premise.

Could say the same thing about all off Star Trek

Some other TNG episodes that have some of the flavor of the Roddenberry vision would maybe be Galaxy's Child &/or Tin Man

 

[vulcan redshirt]

I would agree that Darmok is one of Trek's better episodes. Thinking back, this may actually have been the very first Trek episode I ever watched.

 

[Gojira]

Darmok is a great episode but it was one that had to grow on me. I guess because I too felt the frustration of the characters while I was watching it. That type of frustration was hard to sit through.

 

[bbjeg]

^Shaka, when the walls fell.

 

[Gojira]

^ darmok and jalad at tanagra

 

[Jerikka Dawn]

 

[Gojira]

It was a great concert!!

 

[Kevman7987]

It was a great concert!!

When they came back out for the encore and performed The Epic of Gilgamesh, the audience lost their shit!

 

[Jerikka Dawn]

I especially loved the stage show during "The Beast at Tenagra"

 

[The Old Mixer]

For an episode that embodies Trek's philosophy, I'd recommend TOS's "The Devil in the Dark".

 

[BillJ]

For an episode that embodies Trek's philosophy, I'd recommend TOS's "The Devil in the Dark".

I'd add The Corbomite Maneuver.

 

[The Old Mixer]

As far as TNG goes, one could do a lot worse than following up with Season 2's "The Measure of a Man". Perhaps Picard's best speechifying moment.