Half a Life---wow, I'm impressed

[EnriqueH]

I thought Majel Barrett did a great job as Lwaxana in this episode, and in general.

Before "Half a Life", I don't think Barrett or Trek fans have anything to feel embarrassed about. She was a tongue in cheek character, just like "Q", Harry Mudd, and I think you can make a case that Vash leans towards a humorous character though not as pronounced.

They just did a great job grounding her in Half a Life.

 

[DWF]

Deanna and Lwaxana's talk on the teleporter was a highlight for me and I especially liked how they lowered the lighting in the room. David Ogden Stiers and Michelle Forbes were also both great. And it was a great commentary on mortality and growing old and the place society has for the eldery.

 

[Riker Kenobi]

One of my favourite episodes. Genuine tears the first time I saw it.

 

[2takesfrakes]

... I was feeling a bit emotional when I posted that.

TNG fans are very passionate about their favourite series. I like that ...

 

[ThankYouGeneR]

A satisfying and enjoyable episode for me.

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

I don't know, a people that would rather see their sun go nova than to make one dispensation to their rule. That's seems highly implausible. There are always people getting special treatment, no matter how rigorous the regime boasts to be.

 

[WillsBabe]

I like this episode. It's a proper grown up Trek episode. It has loads of social commentary (which I always love in my Trek) and great acting. It has a new insight into a character we thought we knew all about (another thing I like) and good episode beats (there's a moment, if I recall, that we think DOS's character is going to make it and we'll have a happy ending). It's a really good bit of drama, never mind Trek.

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

It radiates.

 

[Silvercrest]

"Dark Page" is also often a top-ten TNG pick of mine.

(side note: Is David Ogden Stiers the only M*A*S*H actor to do Trek? There's Rene Auberjonois and Sally Kellerman of course, but they were only in the MASH movie, not the series.)

I expect this is hardly a complete answer, but, if we open it up to guest stars, I recall that John Anderson (Kevin Uxbridge in TNG's "The Survivors") guested on M*A*S*H, as General Addison Collins in the 1983 episode "Say No More", according to IMDb.

How about Rosalind Chao?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

"Dark Page" is also often a top-ten TNG pick of mine.

(side note: Is David Ogden Stiers the only M*A*S*H actor to do Trek? There's Rene Auberjonois and Sally Kellerman of course, but they were only in the MASH movie, not the series.)

I expect this is hardly a complete answer, but, if we open it up to guest stars, I recall that John Anderson (Kevin Uxbridge in TNG's "The Survivors") guested on M*A*S*H, as General Addison Collins in the 1983 episode "Say No More", according to IMDb.

How about Rosalind Chao?

D'oh! As Soon-Lee, no less.

 

[doubleohfive]

If you're looking for an episode featuring social issues, euthenasia is definitely one that works well in television. This episode is outstanding, obviously in part because of Stiers' performance and Timicin but I think just as much (if not more) credit is due to Majel Barrett, who for the first time grounded the character of Lwaxana Troi and showed us there was more to her than the silly romps with "Auntie Mame" we'd been seeing in her previous appearances. After this, her appearances were much more toned down in that regard and I think it was a great show of growth for the character and her interactions with the crew.

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

If you're looking for an episode featuring social issues, euthenasia is definitely one that works well in television. This episode is outstanding, obviously in part because of Stiers' performance and Timicin but I think just as much (if not more) credit is due to Majel Barrett, who for the first time grounded the character of Lwaxana Troi and showed us there was more to her than the silly romps with "Auntie Mame" we'd been seeing in her previous appearances. After this, her appearances were much more toned down in that regard and I think it was a great show of growth for the character and her interactions with the crew.

There is also Dark Page.

 

[WillsBabe]

For me Half a Life's social issue is less about euthenasia (which I apparently can't spell) and more about western society's attitudes to its older members. It's interesting seeing people comment about the euthenasia aspect after all these years.

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

For me Half a Life's social issue is less about euthenasia (which I apparently can't spell) and more about western society's attitudes to its older members. It's interesting seeing people comment about the euthenasia aspect after all these years.

I don't think this qualifies as euthanasia (first try ) since euthanasia is purportedly a way to end someone's life for their own good, typically to spare them too much suffering. Here they force perfectly healthy people with potentially forty or fifty more years of good to acceptable life to kill themselves, regardless of their wish to live. That is more like a genocide of the elderly.

 

[WillsBabe]

/\ I agree, and so that's why I never saw it as euthanasia. It's a study too of Mrs Troi in later life, not just Timicin's society. (Thanks for the spelling lesson, too! )

 

[RoJoHen]

For me Half a Life's social issue is less about euthenasia (which I apparently can't spell) and more about western society's attitudes to its older members. It's interesting seeing people comment about the euthenasia aspect after all these years.

I don't think this qualifies as euthanasia (first try ) since euthanasia is purportedly a way to end someone's life for their own good, typically to spare them too much suffering. Here they force perfectly healthy people with potentially forty or fifty more years of good to acceptable life to kill themselves, regardless of their wish to live. That is more like a genocide of the elderly.

Let's just call it "forced retirement."

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

/\ I agree, and so that's why I never saw it as euthanasia. It's a study too of Mrs Troi in later life, not just Timicin's society. (Thanks for the spelling lesson, too! )

You're welcome and I agree with that too. This episode is more about Lwaxana than anything else.