Starfleet Academy General Discussion Thread

[Christmas Canon Spock]

The TNG ones with Worf also feature a number of characters from the New Frontier series.

Brikars are kind of my favorite species because of it.

 

[StarTrek1701]

Picard basically telling an entire planet of proto-Vulcan humanoids they're superstitious rubes and that he's not going to participate in their stupid worldview was probably his lowpoint in TNG from a "warm character you want to like and root for" perspective. Yes, the Mintakans were Bronze Age primitives but if real world explorers pulled the shit Picard did in that episode they'd be rightfully excoriated as colonialist pricks who can't resist playing the "I'm more evolved than you" card. I like that episode, but Picard does not come off looking good for most of it.

What was he supposed to do?
Starfleet fucked up by having faulty whatevers that blew their cloak and position.
Crusher fucked up by not mindwiping Ray Wise properly.
What Picard did was the best outcome given the circumstances.
Kind of similar thing happened in First Contact (the ep and movie) as well.

 

[SantaEddie74]

That whole episode was a masterclass in how not to place Federation observers on primitive planets.

 

[Tosk]

What was he supposed to do?

Nuke the site from orbit.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Nuke the site from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

 

[Christmas Canon Spock]

 

[FredH]

Picard basically telling an entire planet of proto-Vulcan humanoids they're superstitious rubes and that he's not going to participate in their stupid worldview was probably his lowpoint in TNG from a "warm character you want to like and root for" perspective. Yes, the Mintakans were Bronze Age primitives but if real world explorers pulled the shit Picard did in that episode they'd be rightfully excoriated as colonialist pricks who can't resist playing the "I'm more evolved than you" card. I like that episode, but Picard does not come off looking good for most of it.

In Prime Directive terms, you’re not wrong.

In real-world terms, I’m glad the episode has him do it.

 

[Frostscape One]

What was he supposed to do?
Starfleet fucked up by having faulty whatevers that blew their cloak and position.
Crusher fucked up by not mindwiping Ray Wise properly.
What Picard did was the best outcome given the circumstances.
Kind of similar thing happened in First Contact (the ep and movie) as well.

Crusher's biggest mistake was not leaving Liko to die on the planet to begin with. I'm sorry to say it, but Picard was right... by bringing him aboard, Crusher made an already difficult situation far worse. And now the Mintakans know about alien life, other worlds, and greater technology long before they were meant to.

 

[Enterprise1701]

The TNG ones with Worf also feature a number of characters from the New Frontier series.

That is a somewhat backwards way of framing it. Peter David debuted those characters in his TNG SA books before transferring them to the later NF series.

 

[Unionized Elf]

That is a somewhat backwards way of framing it. Peter David debuted those characters in his TNG SA books before transferring them to the later NF series.

Yes, thank you, I'm well aware of that. However, over the years, I've found that those characters are more frequently recognized amongst fandom as New Frontier characters, thus why I worded it the way I did. It's no different that one were to say TNG features Chief O'Brien from DS9. Yes, "backwards" as you say since O'Brien actually began on TNG, yet DS9 is where he had the larger role so it's also not inaccurate to think of him more as a DS9 character.

 

[Jason X-Mas]

I never felt optimism from TNG, with how much conflict they had or alluded to. The preaching also was not very welcoming.

There's a reason TOS appealed to me. It allowed a measure of flaws. Later TNG got a little bit better but the impression was not lost.

Yes, I prefer the journey towards the utopia, and being encouraged that humans can grow towards it rather than told we're to lucky to have it.

While TOS is my favorite Trek show, specifically because of the bond between Kirk,Spock and Bones it is TNG that is the one that made me a fan in the first place. The Enterprise felt like it would be fun place to live. Nobody had to worry about going hungry. Medical doctors actually care and people are exploring and trying to make things better because they were noble and not because they were getting paid.

Picard was like the ultimate dad figure and I always like those kind of characters because I don't have a great relationship with my own dad. I also discovered this at time when I was depressed and didn't have any friends.

As for the speeches, I loved that. I like how Picard could save the day by saying something wise or by people coming to a understanding instead of becoming violent. While I love action movies and heck I love violence in movies and tv. Most people do I think even they don't like to admit it. But Trek was something different. It wasn't just fun but also a nice escape from the darker realities of real life. I will say that it helps when the person making the speech is someone like Stewart. I know it's a cliche but British actors can really turn a phrase.

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Crusher's biggest mistake was not leaving Liko to die on the planet to begin with. I'm sorry to say it, but Picard was right... by bringing him aboard, Crusher made an already difficult situation far worse. And now the Mintakans know about alien life, other worlds, and greater technology long before they were meant to.

Like when you'ree making a nature documentary and cant step in to stop an animal from suffering.