Episode A Week: The Last Outpost.

[inflatabledalek]

Happy Tuesday!

The first Ferengi episode. The big new threat that was going to eclipse the Klingons and become the main recurring bad guys of the show.

Hmmm.

Well, at least unlike Code of Honor it's funny. Unintentionally funny, but funny never the less.

Amongst all the other well recorded oddities in this show which I'm sure will be mentioned as we go along I'd like to add something I've not seen brought up often: For me this episode has hands down the worst writing for Geordi of the entire show. It's easily the most overt showing of his occasional early problem of the ageing white writers trying to do what they think is cool young black man dialogue. "WHOOOOOOOO EEEEEEEEEEE".

It's also probably the worst episode for that season one thing of Picard listening to his bridge crews advice, thinking it over, and then telling them they're fucking idiots and to just do what he wants. Considering the show was obviously trying for a more ensemble feel than the original it's amazing how often Picard shows nothing but contempt for what everyone else thinks. Later that will be toned back a bit so it's usually Worf who gets lumbered with the token stupid suggestion.

The Ferengi themselves have a nice ship and decent make up job, but... yeah. The direction buggers it up. And frankly, something as shamelessly commercial as Star Trek doing anti-capitalist villains seems somewhat hypocritical.



And on a random, egocentric aside, my blog entry on Encounter At Farpoint inspired by the first one of these has gotten the most hilarious bile filled comment my little site has yet recieved. For something that's generally fairly positive, "He wrote something nice THE WANKER!!!".

You think you know so much but when your pathetic cobbled-together brain runs out of ideas you just bluff and bluster your way through like any other wanker. You've been trolling your whole life just by expressing your so-called opinions, until everyone is totally sick of you. How do you think you are justified in having anything to do with websites? Get off them: go and do something useful for once in your miserable life.

I should delete it as trolling, but it's worryingly ego stroking.

http://thesolarpool.weebly.com/1/po...ers-the-next-generation-pilot-on-blu-ray.html

 

[Trekker4747]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

Really, overall, I think this is a good episode and one of the better ones of the first season. I especially like the encounter between Riker and "Portal." The only bad thing about this episode is the portrayal of the Ferengi planet-side. That deserves a huge, "what were they thinking?!" Did they really think we'd accept them as vicious, feared, bad guys when they howl and scream at the sound of thunder?!

 

[davejames]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

Yeah, it's really hard to understand the decision making that went into the Ferengi. The producers build them up as this scary, fearsome new enemy... and then give them big Dumbo ears, cast a bunch of short, geeky actors, and have them wave their arms around like a bunch of idiots.

It's like they got so caught up in making them fit the "repulsive, greedy businessman" stereotype, that they forgot they were still supposed to be an actual threat.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

I just love Tasha's line,

"Back-off, shorty"

Where was her Starfleet/evolved-Human sensibility when she said that?

 

[BillJ]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

Have always loved The Last Outpost.

The planet side Ferengi were a bit of a stumble but other than that I love it.

 

[R. Star]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

The Last Outpose? Was that a typo or a shot at the Ferengi's statures in this episode?

 

[tomalak301]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

TNG's first season really didn't get out to a roaring start, and I found this episode kind of stupid (But not the season's worst). The Battle did the Ferengi (As I'm assuming they were conceived back then) better.

 

[T'Girl]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

I should delete it as trolling, but it's worryingly ego stroking. http://thesolarpool.weebly.com/1/po...ers-the-next-generation-pilot-on-blu-ray.html

It's like when I had a stalker a couple of years ago, it's was scarey, but also strangely complimentary at the same time.

 

[BriGuy]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

"Anti-capitalist villains"??????????????

The Ferengi are capitalists taken to the extreme.

Although I do love this episode for that one piece of advice we could all benefit from following -- keep your females naked.

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

The Last Outpose? Was that a typo or a shot at the Ferengi's statures in this episode?

LOL! Spelling corrected.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

Yeah, it's really hard to understand the decision making that went into the Ferengi. The producers build them up as this scary, fearsome new enemy... and then give them big Dumbo ears, cast a bunch of short, geeky actors, and have them wave their arms around like a bunch of idiots.

It's like they got so caught up in making them fit the "repulsive, greedy businessman" stereotype, that they forgot they were still supposed to be an actual threat.

Yeah, the arm waving & their general behavior was ridiculous.

I'm happier with the Ferengi later in TNG and in DS9.

And those weapons, what we called "energy dildos" back then

 

[Trekker4747]

I actually thought the "phaser whips" were pretty neat and was sorry we never really got to see them again. (Until Enterprise.) But I guess they didn't make for really practical weapons. did they?

 

[inflatabledalek]

Re: Episode A Week: The Last Outpose.

Buggered up on my first ever thread title.

or a Ferengi pose joke. Yeah, I'll go with option 2...

"Anti-capitalist villains"??????????????

The Ferengi are capitalists taken to the extreme.

I was probably a bit garbled there, by "Anti-Capitalist" I didn't mean the opposite of one, but anti in the negative sense, it's an exaggerated mocking of "Modern" humans worst money grabbing traints. As part of a cash juggernaut of a franchise.

 

[Use of Time]

There are two things that stand out to me in this episode and they are not good things.

1. There is no way Levar Burton doesn't watch that scene without throwing up. It is cringe worthy to say the least.

2. The whole exchange with Riker and the portal at the end when the old guy says something to the effect of "should I destroy them" and then Riker in his most pretentious condescending tone says "then they would never learn." Then he proceeds to talk about them as if they aren't even there with his whole "they were once like us" comment. The Ferengi are probably saying to themselves "what an a-hole this guy is." What fantastic diplomatic skills.

 

[MikeS]

Some misplaced machismo on the part of Picard too when Beverley admits she's been thinking of giving Wes a seditive "No, he deserves to face death like the rest of us - with his eyes open".

Shame she didn't chose to euthanise him instead. Would have given us some excellent moral reprecussions and saved us from four more seasons of him.

 

[Mott the barber]

I, too, never like the condescending tone in Riker's discussion with Portal. I also don't like how they go and build up Portal as this all-powerful creature (holding both starships for pete's sake) and within a few scenes of meeting him on the planet he is casually walking with Riker as if they're bffs. It just never felt like a smooth transition from monster to friendly old man. Anyone else feel the same?

 

[Use of Time]

All I know is that those T9 energy converters must be very expensive.

 

[Trekker4747]

Beverly wanting to euthanize her son is sort of... dark. Considering the outcome of events was hardly iron-clad at that point (the away team was supposedly dealing with things planetside.)

But, nope, Beverly "Oh my God my teenage son broke a law on an alien planet and was given the Death Penalty!" Crusher wants to euthanize her son because he might freeze to death or suffocate along with 1,000 other people during a massive power-loss to the ship. Ummm... Is that ethical?! Does Starfleet, the Federation or the evolved human sensibilities see euthanasia differently in these types of situations? Would Beverly so willingly let any other crew member submit to death in these circumstances? Or is this just another example of her being the worst, most over-protective mother ever?

Because when Worf wants to kill himself due to honor and the traditional ways of his people she tries to stop it at every turn and at all costs! (Ethics.) But here, nope. Wesley might die along with the rest of us in these circumstances so I best shoot him up with some Hypodeath-X.

 

[davejames]

I never interpreted that as Beverly trying to euthanize her son. It sounded like she just wanted to give him some kind of sedative so he would sleep and not suffer from the cold.

That's far different from killing her son beforehand with some other means, before the cold has a chance to do anything.

 

[MikeS]

I never interpreted that as Beverly trying to euthanize her son. It sounded like she just wanted to give him some kind of sedative so he would sleep and not suffer from the cold.

That's far different from killing her son beforehand with some other means, before the cold has a chance to do anything.

That's how I interpreted it. I merely passed thought that it would have been nice for her to have euthanised her son.