Retro Review: Prototype
- Thread starter TrekToday
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Trek is known for recycling stories and this is certainly the case here. As far as I'm concerned, Prototype, Dreadnought and Warhead are essentially the same story (even Drone to some extent but the Borg angle gives it something different).
Which is fine except for the fact that Dreadnought comes so soon after Prototype. This makes the similarities more noticeable. B'Elanna inadvertently reawakens (and therefore re-arms) a robot leading her to feel responsible for its destructive threat.
A few weeks later B'Elanna tries to disarm a dangerous weapon she feels responsible for because she programmed it.
OK fine but for the record, when it comes to these three recycled episodes, I think I probably like Warhead the most (because it's an EMH episode). I do agree though that it's a good B'Elanna episode and we get to see her develop as a "Starfleet" character.
I do enjoy the episode and I agree with praising the tin man. It's essentially a man in a cheap looking bit of plastic yet you do believe that it's alive and even demonstrates a level of sympathy towards B'Elanna. It's a good effort. I tend not to fast-forward this ep so that's a good sign.
Which is fine except for the fact that Dreadnought comes so soon after Prototype. This makes the similarities more noticeable. B'Elanna inadvertently reawakens (and therefore re-arms) a robot leading her to feel responsible for its destructive threat.
A few weeks later B'Elanna tries to disarm a dangerous weapon she feels responsible for because she programmed it.
OK fine but for the record, when it comes to these three recycled episodes, I think I probably like Warhead the most (because it's an EMH episode). I do agree though that it's a good B'Elanna episode and we get to see her develop as a "Starfleet" character.
I do enjoy the episode and I agree with praising the tin man. It's essentially a man in a cheap looking bit of plastic yet you do believe that it's alive and even demonstrates a level of sympathy towards B'Elanna. It's a good effort. I tend not to fast-forward this ep so that's a good sign.
I agree. The old 'A.I. is a crapshoot' trope.
I remember reading that Dawson was upset over that. She didn't like acting against machines or herself especially in episodes so close together.
Its an old tired refrain of mine but I just never cared for B'Elanna episodes. I liked her in and of herself but with one or two exceptions I tend to skip them. This wasn't one of the exceptions.
I loved this EP! 
I enjoyed that the robot makeup did not flesh out the human characteristics in the face. When Rick Worthy's character says "We terminated the builders," you can just imagine a horde of the faceless robots coming at you wave after wave, showing no emotion, and that is frightening as hell.
I liked the ep quite a lot. It showed the dangers of ignoring the prime directive in a visceral way, rather than just as a star fleet ethics class assignment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRfjbnO4UO8
"Can I call you 39?"
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRfjbnO4UO8[/yt]
I also liked how they showed the crew knitting itself together... B'Elanna going to the EMH to brainstorm the robot's repair, B'Elanna defying Janeway to save the ship/crew, Tom willing to risk himself to save B'Elanna, Chakotay chuckling at the helmsman's bravado and finally Janeway commiserating with the chief engineer over her decision to kill that which she brought to "life".
An excellent ep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRfjbnO4UO8
"Can I call you 39?"
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRfjbnO4UO8[/yt]
I also liked how they showed the crew knitting itself together... B'Elanna going to the EMH to brainstorm the robot's repair, B'Elanna defying Janeway to save the ship/crew, Tom willing to risk himself to save B'Elanna, Chakotay chuckling at the helmsman's bravado and finally Janeway commiserating with the chief engineer over her decision to kill that which she brought to "life".
An excellent ep.
Well when you put it that way I guess I better watch it again. I have not since its original airing.
