The Ensigns Of Command // my Next Gen introduction

[Vulture]

The Ensigns Of Command
I was 9yrs old at the time.
It was a show about this robot guy!
Somehow I missed the season premiere the week prior. It was syndication in wacky timeslots after all.
You see I grew up watching TOS reruns with the family.
But the parents didn't watch or like TNG S1&2.
I know those were rough. I don't blame em.
But I wanted to give it a try from the TV spots.
I enjoyed that crazy Data-centric episode.
Enough to watch "The Survivors" the following week.
It was away-team centric like the old TOS that I knew. I dug it. I was hooked on Trek for life.

 

[Mojochi]

It's a good episode. The Picard/Sheliak B plot is also a fun time

 

[Ragitsu]

Why can't geeky women hit on emotionless men all the time? Is the "android" thing the big pull? Darn...

 

[Mojochi]

Why can't geeky women hit on emotionless men all the time? Is the "android" thing the big pull? Darn...

For her? Yeah, I think it was. Face it, that dude is as rare as it gets for a bumkin in that backwater ass end of space, like her. Probably the most exciting interactions of her entire life

Jenna D'Sora on the other hand? That lady is just mental... & Tasha was drunk.

 

[Ragitsu]

Jenna catches a lot of unwarranted flak, in my opinion.

 

[Oddish]

"In Theory" was actually one of Patrick Stewart's faves, possibly because it's the first one he directed.

 

[Mojochi]

Jenna catches a lot of unwarranted flak, in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think she's all that bad of a person or character. Quite the contrary. She seems nice enough, but she might be something of an idiot lol. I do like In Theory as an episode, because it's an interesting take. My issue is with how things are left. Data comes away from it with the impression that his specific nature, as an android, is the chief reason why it didn't work out. She writes him off with this.

Because as close as we are, I don't really matter to you, not really. Nothing I ever do or say will ever make you happy, or hurt you, or touch you in any way

Now despite Data then agreeing with her on that point, which he so often does, humbly selling his own personality short, we know for a fact that there are people, namely Geordi, that truly do matter a great deal to Data, that he'd do anything for, even die for, & that he would experience in some way the loss of them if they were no longer a part of his life, like he experienced the loss of Tasha

So then she's just dumb, and/or never really got to truly know him, & I'm not saying they'd have made a good couple anyhow, or that she's even wrong about herself stumbling around falling for the same types of guys etc... but she truly mischaracterizes Data, as though part of why they could never work is because he isn't capable of the above at all. What she should be saying is that she knows he IS capable of it, but that the type of person she is needs more of that than he's genuinely able to give. At least that would be fair to him

& because he has a history of believing he comes up short in that way, he seemingly buys that he's incapable of caring for a person, & the episode ends as even more of a tragedy than just a relationship going bad. It ends with him maybe thinking he might never be capable of one altogether, & I don't buy that at all, & in fact neither did Troi the psychologist, who reconned he did have things to offer a spouse, in Data's Day.

 

[Ragitsu]

Mojochi, I'll read your response - in full - later. What I was getting at is how some folks are annoyed with D'Sora for continually correcting Data during their brief courtship. Keep in mind that Data is open to learning (especially about humanity) and she wasn't offering advice out of maliciousness. She didn't fully grasp what that relationship would entail (i.e., the necessity of being as blunt as a sledgehammer) when she started courting Data and that's fair. I like to think that Data took those firsthand lessons on interpersonal subtly and incorporated them into his programming.

 

[Mojochi]

Mojochi, I'll read your response - in full - later. What I was getting at is how some folks are annoyed with D'Sora for continually correcting Data during their brief courtship. Keep in mind that Data is open to learning (especially about humanity) and she wasn't offering advice out of maliciousness. She didn't fully grasp what that relationship would entail (i.e., the necessity of being as blunt as a sledgehammer) when she started courting Data and that's fair. I like to think that Data took those firsthand lessons on interpersonal subtly and incorporated them into his programming.

Oohhh! Ok I agree with you there. None of how she acted in their relationship bothered me all that much. You have to remember she was kind of on the rebound anyhow, & that can have side effects like being clingy, or controlling, or all kinds of things & her stuff wasn't that bad really. Data actually prefers you correct him or give him explicit direction where he needs to learn

 

[Oddish]

That is actually an attribute that most men (me included) could benefit from.