Did La Forge try to troll Riker on purpose in "Conspiracy"?

[Ensign_Redshirt]

I like to think so!

RIKER: What is our ETA at Pacifica, Mister La Forge?
LAFORGE: Twenty two hours fourteen minutes, sir.
RIKER: Increase to warp six.
LAFORGE: Aye sir. Full impulse.

Evidence: Just immediately prior to that exchange La Forge had told Data a "dirty" joke, so maybe he was still in a playful and jestingly mood.

 

[Timo]

Bad jokes are very much a LaForge thing, yeah. And I don't think we should mix "writer intent" in this in any fashion, as some of the writers probably felt LaForge cracked good jokes on occasion, or some other nonsense like that...

No way to tell what the hell the writer of "Conspiracy" was thinking. But I'm thinking what you're thinking.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Tosk]

No way to tell what the hell the writer of "Conspiracy" was thinking. But I'm thinking what you're thinking.

The writer was thinking, "Where did that line come from?" (The full impulse bit is not in the script.)

 

[at Quark's]

RIKER: Increase to warp six.
LAFORGE: Aye sir. Full impulse.

^Reminds me of a book I read that mentioned that in the late 19th/ beginning of the 20th century, there still was a rule in place you couldn't say 'no' directly to royalty. So, they'd sometimes have conversations that went something like this:

'- Ahhh.... this is made of wool, isn't it ? '
'-Certainly, your majesty. Cotton, to be precise.'

 

[Mojochi]

I'd have to watch it again, but it's just garden variety sarcasm, isn't it?

I mean if they are increasing to warp six, then they were probably only going about half as fast as the ship can go at like warp four or whatever. With an arrival time that was almost an entire day away, & increasing to warp 6, they still aren't setting any speed records, & still won't arrive for like 3/4 of a day, at best

"Full Impulse" might just be his sarcastic way of saying they are taking their sweet ass time. So yeah... Knocking on Riker for how slow they're going. I'm guessing the notion was to suggest that when the captain's away, the gang lets loose a little

 

[Timo]

Or, in context, Riker is ordering more speed solely because he wants to hit the beaches faster and thus escape Data's incessant babbling - so LaForge "obliges" by promising to slow down so that Riker won't miss out on the finer details of having a dirty joke explained to him with android precision.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Mojochi]

Or, in context, Riker is ordering more speed solely because he wants to hit the beaches faster and thus escape Data's incessant babbling - so LaForge "obliges" by promising to slow down so that Riker won't miss out on the finer details of having a dirty joke explained to him with android precision.

Timo Saloniemi

Hey, that could be too! I wouldn't say it's because of incessant babbling necessarily, but it's surely clear from their previous joke & the following parts of the scene that they'd like to get there quick, & enjoy some down time. Riker's request could be seen as something of a "Are we there yet?" kind of remark. So when he orders a little more speed, Geordi kids him about slowing down

Problem is, Geordi seriously doesn't even try to play it for a laugh at all. I hadn't even noticed it after all these years (I don't often rewatch that one though) So while he is having something of a go at Riker, it doesn't play as big as him trying to stick it to him, by saying "Yes sir, slowing down to make you suffer a bit more" That would be some thick ribbing, that he just isn't painting it with

I still tend to lean toward my earlier interpretation. Geordi just tried telling a joke to Data, of all people. How bored must he have been? Dude really wants to get to that beach, & warp six seems like they're still crawling there lol

 

[Nakita Akita]

I like to think so!



Evidence: Just immediately prior to that exchange La Forge had told Data a "dirty" joke, so maybe he was still in a playful and jestingly mood.

I thought it was just one of those oddities of an early episode?
Like when they go into a "parking orbit"

 

[cgervasi]

I like to think so!
Evidence: Just immediately prior to that exchange La Forge had told Data a "dirty" joke, so maybe he was still in a playful and jestingly mood.

If they did they kept it very dry, not showing any reaction shots to let the audience know it was a joke.

I would say the writer just didn't know Star Trek technology that well, BUT being down to impulse power was solidly established in TOS as a way of saying slow. It only make sense as a joke.

I admire them if that's what they were doing, but I lean toward their not thinking.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Maybe going to warp is taking the ship at impulse through a subspace bubble. So one of the steps of going to warp is going to impulse.

 

[Timo]

At least in TOS, the ships seemed capable of warping while impulse engines were down, as per "Ultimate Computer".

Kirk: "Estimate damage on Lexington, Spock."
Spock: "Hit in engineering section. Possible damage to her impulse engines. She's still maneuverable on warp drive."

Also seen in "Obsession", where Scotty engages in maintenance of the impulse engines, but can take the ship to high warp straight from orbit without advance warning, and then forgets that a valve in the impulse engines remains open, suggesting the drive is still down.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Groppler Zorn]

“Full impulse” was the name of the deodorant Riker was wearing that day.

In most of the conversations Laforge had with Riker that morning, Geordi finished every sentence with “full impulse” so as to reference an advertisement for the deodorant he saw on a Ferengi trading outpost where they were trying to shill “full impulse” body spray for latinum strips.

 

[tomalak301]

It kind of felt like Laforge was trolling everyone in season 1. It's a much different character than what he became.

 

[Tenacity]

Interpretation, Riker wanted to increase the ship's warp speed, LaForge as helmsman is announcing that he's going to employ the impulse engine(s) at full to accomplish the speed increase. Letting his supervisor know ahead of time his intended actions.

Conjecture, the warp core was already near maximum recommended output, possible owing to something other than the warp drive making demands upon it (replicator use?), so LaForge knowing this used a alternate source of power for the speed increase.

Once the speed increase was accomplished, the warp core would be able to sustain the higher speed, or the impulse engine(s) would continue to be used.

YMMV.