TNG Rewatch: 5x26 - "Time's Arrow, Part I"
- Thread starter Trekker4747
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You mean the temporal prime directive, not the one Picard defied like nine or ten times?
You really don't need to try and file it under anything other than the Prime Directive. You're taking someone from a primitive society and giving them access to things their society won't see for hundreds of years.
Following Riker's staff briefing, where everyone contradicts his plan to return for Picard, it seems pretty clear nobody is going back, and until the scene where Twain volunteers, they don't even know if it's possible to do so. Clemens is considered a permanent resident of the 24th century until then. Besides, what were they going to do ? Lock him in a dark room the entire time, sedate him, stuff him in a holodeck program & try to lie about everything he'd already seen before coming aboard? He was already convinced they were malevolently attacking his time. They go treating him like a prisoner, & he'd be assured of it.
You don't need to treat him like a prisoner to show caution. If your computer records show a different date for his death than the date he left the 19th century, then you may have a scenario where he would be returned that you just don't see yet.
Kirk fucks up pretty badly in a similar scenario in "Tomorrow is Yesterday" buy showing Captain Christopher around and giving him a glimpse of the future. Only transporter/time travel magic saves him.
Better than "Birthright," yes.
A little bit better than "Unification."
Not better than "Descent" - I like both equally.
Probably better than "Gambit," because Part II starts to drag and Data intentionally letting the mercenaries get away several times does not wash for me. Still, it has a nice twist at the end.
The (regular) prime directive doesn't apply to humans. It's been said in The Masterpiece Society.
I quote from the episode:
You can't be any clearer than that.
It's hard to say or know how "dynamic" time-travel is in the Trek universe. This episode seems to sort-of nicely establish the "most realistic" depiction in that the past occurred first, so all events in the past are fixed. Any events in the future that occur that impact the past have their past-actions occur before the chain of events even begins. (Which can mess with your mind when it comes to the idea of free-will.)
Data's head was in the cavern before he left for the past and Guinan was aware of all of these events before they all occurred.
But even with all of this, there's still been plenty of time in Trek where changes in the past that impact the present only occur when something to change the past happens. (For example: "Yesterday's Enterprise", the movie "First Contact.")
What does this all mean? There's no way to know if checking to see if Twain wrote more books after the time he left would work. If the episode was consistent with how it depicted time-travel then it would have worked,Twain's history post-the past events of the episode would have been documented. Even though Twain hasn't returned to the 19th century to do them yet.
But, if it's the more fluid depiction of time-travel, Twain's travel to the future undoes anything he did post the past-events of the episodes. His history now says he mysteriously disappeared in 1898 (or whatever the year is.) Meaning he's meant to stay in the future. (This may also impact the crews' memories they may have of his post-1898 literary works.)
So which is it?
And even is we accept the "fixed time-line" notion, during the entire two episodes the crew behaves as if they can change the past/future. Picard intends to restrict Data's duties in order to possibly prevent his "death" in the past. Riker is intent to get info from Guinan in order to help make his decisions.
So from the crew's perspective they're mission is still pretty dynamic and as far as they are concerned Picard is stuck in the past and Twain is stuck in the present, they need to stop the aliens, so travel between the two time periods isn't likely going to happen. So if Twain is stuck in the here-and-now might as well let him get used to living there.
As far as him learning of future events even if they intended to send him back home, they probably figure his experiences won't have any meaningful impact or anything. He belongs 500 years in the past, he's one man and known for an inventive imagination and -from how he behaves- being rather kooky to begin with. Let him go back to 1890s with stories of starships, blue aliens, werewolves and matter transporters. There's virtually nothing he can say that will be believes or have an impact on events 500 years away from him.
Interesting. In my re-watch I will get to Times Arrow in about two weeks. This is an interesting thread to entice me to pay closer attention to some of the things mentioned here.
Cool.
Cool.
Pay attention to the reporter that seems to follow Mark Twain around. He plays Taurik in Lower Decks.
Alexander Enberg? No kidding? I will watch for him. 
Another tidbit: The constable that Riker knocks down also plays a holodeck cop in the Big Goodbye.Alexander Enberg? No kidding? I will watch for him.
The 49er guy was a hoot. Short role, but definitely left an impression. "Most unfortunate. I require large quantities of whiskey as a liniment."
The extras are usually quite good on TNG.
The 49er guy was a hoot. Short role, but definitely left an impression. "Most unfortunate. I require large quantities of whiskey as a liniment."
Yeah, I loved that line and how Data just sort of takes it in stride, a long with pretty much everything else that is asked of him when he first arrives.
Jack London tells Data about the hotel rates.
"I'm sorry I have no form of legal tender."
"Well, that matters."
"But I am capable of carrying out a wide variety of tasks both mental and physical perhaps you would offer me a job?"
"Well, I dunno...."
And then lists off all of the filled positions. It's interesting how apparently Jack, the sole bellboy at this hotel, is also in charge of the hiring process at it and is strongly familiar with the other employees there enough to know of their value to the hotel.
As I said up-thread, I think the guy who plays Jack is a lot of fun and enjoyed his character and the building friendship with Data.
Hey, he even does a little pimping on the side too.The 49er guy was a hoot. Short role, but definitely left an impression. "Most unfortunate. I require large quantities of whiskey as a liniment."
Yeah, I loved that line and how Data just sort of takes it in stride, a long with pretty much everything else that is asked of him when he first arrives.
Jack London tells Data about the hotel rates.
"I'm sorry I have no form of legal tender."
"Well, that matters."
"But I am capable of carrying out a wide variety of tasks both mental and physical perhaps you would offer me a job?"
"Well, I dunno...."
And then lists off all of the filled positions. It's interesting how apparently Jack, the sole bellboy at this hotel, is also in charge of the hiring process at it and is strongly familiar with the other employees there enough to know of their value to the hotel.
As I said up-thread, I think the guy who plays Jack is a lot of fun and enjoyed his character and the building friendship with Data.
Hey, he even does a little pimping on the side too.The 49er guy was a hoot. Short role, but definitely left an impression. "Most unfortunate. I require large quantities of whiskey as a liniment."
Yeah, I loved that line and how Data just sort of takes it in stride, a long with pretty much everything else that is asked of him when he first arrives.
Jack London tells Data about the hotel rates.
"I'm sorry I have no form of legal tender."
"Well, that matters."
"But I am capable of carrying out a wide variety of tasks both mental and physical perhaps you would offer me a job?"
"Well, I dunno...."
And then lists off all of the filled positions. It's interesting how apparently Jack, the sole bellboy at this hotel, is also in charge of the hiring process at it and is strongly familiar with the other employees there enough to know of their value to the hotel.
As I said up-thread, I think the guy who plays Jack is a lot of fun and enjoyed his character and the building friendship with Data.
And illegal trade! Oh! AND abetting illegal gambling!
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