New Short Trek: The Trouble With Edward

[Gonzo]

Yes but its less likely and that Scientist looked all kinds of wrong from the start.

Plus the command staff had multiple opportunities to stop him.

 

[DaveyNY]

Welp, just like in real life, sometimes it takes something catastrophic to happen, for folks in charge to wake up to the fact that some people are idiots and a real danger to society.

Many times, it's too late by that point and people do get hurt and/or killed.
(even then, the point doesn't always get acknowledged when there's an opportunity to lay the blame on some thing or some one else)

Humans will never be perfect, no matter how well Society overall, improves.



Ain't it interesting how once again a Star Trek allegory points out the flaws in our current Society.

 

[fireproof78]

Psychological testing also commonly occurs in a very controlled environment. It does not allow for all factors or stressors to be completely involved. And people are very good at faking it, especially in more sociopathic individuals, who have learned to blend in in order to survive.

 

[Gonzo]

It ruined the short trek for me because it just beggared belief, I would have been fine if he had tried to hide his intentions or misdirect his colleagues away from his actions.

Or even if he had ulterior motives like greed or revenge but there was nothing.

The episode felt rather empty to me.

 

[DaveyNY]

Obviously, you've never had to deal with someone with such a temperament.

I have, on many an occasion at work, both from employees and patients.

These kind of folks do exist out there, be glad you've apparently never had to run into them.

 

[fireproof78]

Obviously, you've never had to deal with someone with such a temperament.

I have, on many an occasion at work, both from employees and patients.

These kind of folks do exist out there, be glad you've apparently never had to run into them.

Exactly.

 

[Gonzo]

Oh I have I just wouldnt expect someone like him who clearly had a screw loose to pass all the checks required to serve on a Starship however good a liar he may or may not be, I would expect the same level of psychological and background checks that the navy would do for Submarine personnel.

As we saw in the episode all it took was one idiot to bring the whole ship down, however he was only able to act due to the inaction of his crew mates and command staff.

We dont know what happens to the Captain but I very much doubt her superiors will accept "He was an idiot" as an acceptable reason for losing a starship, the chances of her getting another ship anytime soon is pretty slim.

The buck stops with the Captain, plus the idiot in question is dead so he cant defend himself (even though we know its his own fault).

Dont get me wrong we are meant to find it funny which it certainly is in its way but it made the mistake of going to far and ended up in ridiculous territory.

I laughed far more when Pikes Science Officer headbutted an asteroid in S2, he was foolish but he only endangered himself.

 

[mtblillie]

Finally got around to seeing this Short Trek, only because I was pleasantly surprised by Q&A and Ask Not.

Must admit I didn't think much of it due to everybody acting like they are bloody idiots.

Did enjoy the fact that he created the Tribbles that will go on to cause such trouble for the Klingons and all the shots we got of the ship which gave a good sense of scale and detail.

I would like to think that idiots wouldn't be allowed on Starships, if they are then that means the individuals who let them onboard are idiots too which doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

Unfortunately 'idiot' and 'common sense' are relative terms. Everyone has different standards as to what those are, and on top of that many of the people we think of idiots are ones that either just rubbed us the wrong way at the wrong time or that the conclusion that they are idiots is based on misunderstandings or bad information. But if we are going to say that people are, in fact idiots based on our opinions, then you can't really throw a stone without hitting a half dozen. I guarantee that to someone out there, each one of us is an idiot

 

[fireproof78]

Oh I have I just wouldnt expect someone like him who clearly had a screw loose to pass all the checks required to serve on a Starship however good a liar he may or may not be, I would expect the same level of psychological and background checks that the navy would do for Submarine personnel.

As I said, those are in controlled environments were stressors are minimized, and managed throughout the assessment. Psychological testing is not perfect. There is a reason why there are multiple types, each with their own validity checks. And they can be fooled.

Also, not to belabor the point, but this isn't just a realistic organization portrayal. J*A*G had a whole episode where a medic fooled a submarine crew, while committing murders. Some times drama is just drama.

As we saw in the episode all it took was one idiot to bring the whole ship down, however he was only able to act due to the inaction of his crew mates and command staff.

I mean, we've seen that before.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Just look at how well the screening is for personnel selected for Captains or especially Admirals...

I'm convinced that's insanity from some side effect of prolonged exposure to warp fields or decades of transporter use or the material the captain's chair is upholstered with.

 

[Ovation]

I'm convinced that's insanity from some side effect of prolonged exposure to warp fields or decades of transporter use or the material the captain's chair is upholstered with.

Definitely the upholstery.

 

[Queen Mab]

Forgive me if this has been posted and discussed already but looking through the 30 pages I cant see a link to the following video or discussion of the sort.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

The video maker seems to be pointing out that the culture of the world in this show is very different to that of the world in Star Trek The Next Generation.

I would tend to agree somewhat. This is my biggest problem with Discovery, I would think. A lot of people I speak to seem to assume it would be the look of the show. But the issue I had from the start was the portrayal of Federation culture that seemed to not gel with Pre-Federation or Federation Culture shown in Enterprise, Star Trek (1967), Star Trek (1973), or Star Trek The Next Generation.

Does anyone feel somewhat similarly, if not as vehemently as the video creator?

 

[nicholasm]

Forgive me if this has been posted and discussed already but looking through the 30 pages I cant see a link to the following video or discussion of the sort.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

The video maker seems to be pointing out that the culture of the world in this show is very different to that of the world in Star Trek The Next Generation.

I would tend to agree somewhat. This is my biggest problem with Discovery, I would think. A lot of people I speak to seem to assume it would be the look of the show. But the issue I had from the start was the portrayal of Federation culture that seemed to not gel with Pre-Federation or Federation Culture shown in Enterprise, Star Trek (1967), Star Trek (1973), or Star Trek The Next Generation.

Does anyone feel somewhat similarly, if not as vehemently as the video creator?

This is my first comment, so I apologize if my tone comes across as rude, but would it be fair to compare the two scenes?
It seems to me that The Trouble with Edward is a somewhat farcical comedy while Star Trek: The Next Generation is a sci-fan drama. I would personally liken such a comparison to expecting the same things from Get Smart and The Americans.
Additionally, I believe there are problems with comparing Edward and Barkley. Edward directly disregards his captain's orders, and rather than lodging a standard complaint about his reassignment to a study he has no experience in, he tries to sew distrust among the crew.
Barkley is, while a bit creepy, willing to cooperate and be a useful part of the crew.

 

[fireproof78]

Sorry, this is a place where I cannot agree. Cultures can change, and can change rapidly. One need only to look at some of the changes, especially in tech, that have impacted contemporary culture in the past 10 years. We are struggling with issues that futurist predictors could not have imagined.

Secondarily, one thing that has always bothered me about Federation culture portrayal in Star Trek is the idea that it is monolithic and static across all member worlds, and for hundreds of years. In a culture that supposedly accepts diversity and cosmopolitan way of life the idea of static culture is...actually kind of offensive.

 

[BillJ]

I would tend to agree somewhat. This is my biggest problem with Discovery, I would think. A lot of people I speak to seem to assume it would be the look of the show. But the issue I had from the start was the portrayal of Federation culture that seemed to not gel with Pre-Federation or Federation Culture shown in Enterprise, Star Trek (1967), Star Trek (1973), or Star Trek The Next Generation.

Enterprise and TNG are a century away, forward and backward, from TOS. So differences in culture would be expected (the two shows were also made by a large extent with the same people). Though I don't think it gels with TOS. Fifty years is a long time in a real world context to make something that would seamlessly fit together. The writers and producers of TOS grew up and lived in a world very different from the one experienced by the writers and producers of Discovery.

Which is why I treat Discovery as a separate timeline. Broad strokes are relatively the same, details are different. Though it a mileage may vary type of situation.

 

[The Wormhole]

It really is apples and oranges to compare this situation with that in Hollow Pursuits. In Hollow Pursuits, Barclay is a shy loner having trouble fitting in among the engineering team to an extent that it impacts his job performance, and the backlash he faces from Geordi and Riker as a result of this lead to his reclusive tendencies escape into holodeck fantasies. Picard recognizes this and rather than transfer Barclay off to another ship like so many others have done, decides to try and fix the situation and help Barclay become a productive member of the crew. Though Barclay was socially awkward and not 100% focused on his work, he was generally inoffensive did not cause any trouble.

Edward on the other hand was absorbed in his own research to the extent he didn't contribute to the other tasks the rest of the crew were required to, argued with his captain after she had made her decisions, and then filed reports with Starfleet Command accusing his captain of being stupid just because she disagreed with him. Edward was a legitimate problem for Captain Lucero, as further evidenced when he sets into motion events which lead to the ship's loss. She was within her rights to have him removed from her crew.

So, no, I don't view this as proof of differing cultures. Indeed, were their positions reversed, I think Picard would have dealt with Edward the same way Lucero did and Lucero would deal with Barclay the same way Picard did.

 

[Zod]

I liked it except the idiot was standing there making a speech while a ton of tribbles were about to collapse onto him. Gimmie a break....What normal person wouldn't turn around or hear that?

This actress who played the Captain is very beautiful. I am sure I've seen her someplace recently.

 

[fireproof78]

What normal person wouldn't turn around or hear that?

Pretty sure it was well established that he was not normal.

 

[Zod]

Pretty sure it was well established that he was not normal.

Yeah not buying it. This has nothing to do imo with how strange he is. That must have sounded like a freight train behind him. Even crazy people dont want to die. I call that sloppy writing. If he had even turned around and didn't make it in time I would have less issues

 

[fireproof78]

Yeah not buying it. This has nothing to do imo with how strange he is. That must have sounded like a freight train behind him. Even crazy people dont want to die. I call that sloppy writing. If he had even turned around and didn't make it in time I would have less issues

That was half-joking but since we went all serious and such...

Humans are not always great at perception.