Unification

[dinwitty]

I -finally- saw this show, I think its a great storyline with Spock and Serak. What blew me off is Sela and Denise Crosby as a Romulan. I was expecting Picard to react to Sela looking like Tasha Yar. If they were going to use Sela they should have given her more distinct makeup change. I get Roddenberry's choice to cast her back up somehow, but to me its just not fitting. or fitting right.

from all that Pardek looked really familiar but I couldn't place it, then checking the alpha I found why as he played the voice in the pilot and the Menagerie. Thats the kind of makeup Sela should have had.

The scene with Sela is actually good minus what Sela is with Denise Crosby,

Data and Spock interaction was pretty good, Spock is working on cracking the Romulan code Data was talking to Spock then Spock cracks the code, Data gives a silent look turn to Spock and what he was doing and he does like a silent pregnant pause in awe what Spock did as he couldn't crack the code.
This is a pretty good moment.

 

[2takesfrakes]

The problem with Sela is that her parentage is the most interesting thing about her. Otherwise, she's just a standard Romulan. When Sela first met Picard in Redemption, they made the mistake of describing Yar as having been already executed. This completely ruined Sela's potential. It was a nice gesture TNG made to not hold Denise's choice to leave it against her ... but ... her coming back to the show was also rather foolish of her. It made her appear as being down on her luck, so to speak. She left the show because she was going to set the world on fire, being so young and hot and from a famous family and everything. She probably should've just focused on a modeling career, because she was exceptionally beautiful, which was really the thing she had going for her, anyway.

 

[elamigodemiamiga]

I don't get how the romulans only sent one vessel to annex Vulcan. And how come Starfleet didn't send a fleet, to annex another planet is an act of war.

 

[DonIago]

Picard wouldn't have reacted to Sela in this episode because they already met, in "Redemption".

 

[dinwitty]

I havent seen redemption yet, the Romulans have this pure Vulcanlike look, and Sela looked like... Denise. (Tasha)

 

[DonIago]

As "Redemption" is Sela's first (significant) appearance and includes her first meeting with Our Heroes, I'd strongly recommend watching the episode. It explains what's going on with Tasha and Sela.

Though, if you haven't seen "Yesterday's Enterprise" either, I'd watch that episode before either of the two we're discussing.

 

[Timo]

That Sela would look "ill fitting" is certainly in keeping with her backstory. Being a half-breed in a supposedly xenophobic and totalitarian society might make her desperate to conform - and showing what a poor job she does at that is thus twice as satisfying.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Paradise City]

Unification is a brace of fun episodes packed with great acting. It's an intersection point in Trek history and I'd also add TUC as a useful companion to these episodes.

Lenard and Stewart have some poignant scenes and then Nimoy's own chemistry with Stewart and Spiner is seamless and plausible. Nimoy is in top form as Spock battles with Picard and contends with his own fathers death and legacy. Some classic scenes there.

The problem with these episodes is that there's too much crammed into them. They build up a big mystery and the battle on the D -- but it all just drains away into much ado about nothing. And our heroes escape is a little too easy -- as is their arrival come to think of it.

As for Sela she looks a touch ridiculous. You gotta do a little more than fling a wig on Crosby. If not the full Romulan prosthesis then give her the Nimoy make up touch. She does have a great voice for the role mind you. She has that silky scheming voice that gives that character a unique quality but I wish they just took a little step further with that characters look.

 

[Timo]

And our heroes escape is a little too easy

Which could be considered a plot point. After all, the villain did reveal her plans to the heroes before the escape... So we should expect those plans to be nonsense, and we certainly aren't disappointed there.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[JoeD80]

It made her appear as being down on her luck, so to speak. She left the show because she was going to set the world on fire, being so young and hot and from a famous family and everything. She probably should've just focused on a modeling career, because she was exceptionally beautiful, which was really the thing she had going for her, anyway.

She still acts to this day so it worked out just fine for her.

 

[JesterFace]

watch...
Yesterday's Enterprise
Redemption 1 & 2
Unification 1 & 2

Not the other way around... makes much more sense in the correct order.

 

[Sakonna]

I was endlessly hoping for more from Sela. The way she's just left unconscious on the floor in this one was such an anti-climactic end to her arc. All the way to the last season of DS9, when they were establishing a Romulan presence on the station, I was yelling at the TV: WHY IS THIS NOT SELA! It would have been perfect. They needed more with the Romulan's, they needed more female characters, Sela would have fit in so well with the DS9 community of cultural outcasts... ah well.

 

[Paradise City]

I was endlessly hoping for more from Sela. The way she's just left unconscious on the floor in this one was such an anti-climactic end to her arc. All the way to the last season of DS9, when they were establishing a Romulan presence on the station, I was yelling at the TV: WHY IS THIS NOT SELA! It would have been perfect. They needed more with the Romulan's, they needed more female characters, Sela would have fit in so well with the DS9 community of cultural outcasts... ah well.

I'd like to have seen Worf deal with Tasha Yar's daughter alright.

 

[Tenacity]

She still acts to this day so it worked out just fine for her.

For some actors it's less getting a stead paycheck, and more about the part and what they're being given to do. One of the reasons Crosby ask to be released from her contract is she wasn't being given a lot to do.

I don't get how the romulans only sent one vessel to annex Vulcan.

We know the Romulans sent at least four ships, the three troop transports and a large cloaked warbird.

And how come Starfleet didn't send a fleet, to annex another planet is an act of war.

A fleet wasn't available in a short time period, one nearby Starfleet vessel intercepted, and a unknown number of Vulcan vessels were on their way.

 

[Paradise City]

The plan might be to embed an initial invasion force using Vulcans as hu..uh..Vulcan shields. Taking the planet hostage as it were. Once so embedded a larger fleet of warbirds might then annex the region.

 

[Tenacity]

My (head canon) is that the Romulans already had the willing support of a large number of Vulcans and just needed a core group of Romulans to land and kick things off.

The existing groups of Vulcan sympathizers would then publicly accept the Romulans and encourage other Vulcans to do the same. By the time Starfleet arrived over Vulcan the government would have already changed.

 

[cgervasi]

I don't get how the romulans only sent one vessel to annex Vulcan. And how come Starfleet didn't send a fleet, to annex another planet is an act of war.

I agree it was inconsistent with other portrayals of Romulans. In TOS there had been a great war with the Romulas. In TNG episode The Neutral Zone we were told Starfleet hadn't heard from them since TOS. It didn't made sense to me that they could annex one of the key founding members of the UFP using a simple ruse.

 

[Timo]

It smacks true to me, though: Vulcan and Romulus are pretty much like South and North Korea, two sides of one and the same alien coin, and probably fairly close to each other politically, spiritually and astrographically. The closeness would not just breed utter contempt - it would make it easy for one side to perform devastating surprise strikes against the heartland of the other. And once Romulus invaded Vulcan, the borders of the UFP might shift by essentially one star system's worth, there then being very little the rest of the Feds could do (because they could do very little about the Romulan Star Empire before the invasion, and nothing much would have changed here).

Not that the plot of "Unification" would be much of a concern, because it's the plot that the Romulans allowed to be leaked out and thus probably the opposite of what they really were up to. Unless it was a double feint. Although the devious Romulans would probably prefer to make it a triple feint when at it...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Paradise City]

The whole escapade may have been a Sela solo run after the Klingon Civil War debacle. She and her faction of supporters regroup and plot a desperado attempt to restore their influence and win power. Not unlike some of the stuff we see in Nemesis. And just like if Tain's joint Romulan-Cardassia venture into Dominion space had gone well, it would've been a solo run that would be accepted as victory after the fact.

What strikes me about this episode isn't the Romulans really -- it's the Feds. Like earth, Vulcan seems very lightly defended despite apparently being in proximity of an aggressive power. A fleet presence really isn't in evidence. It would be another matter if earth and Vulcan were tucked deep within the Federation hinterland but that doesn't seem to be the case particularly as Vulcan is in danger of being annexed and earth in its turn isn't that faraway from Vulcan.

Also Spock's standing on Romulus isn't that clear. Is he an outright outlaw/fugitive? Has he the status of a visitor? Is he simply watched but tolerated because he has too much support?

 

[Nyotarules]

The invasion idea made little sense, either Starfleet needs to be sacked for not defending the Federation border between Romulus and the Federation. Or the Star Empire is right next to Vulcan, which makes it right next to Andoria which makes them not that far from Earth; the HQ of the Federation and Starfleet. The Alpha & Beta quadrants must be very small or the RSE own Borg transwarp technology...

I can see why Nero was pissed at Spock for being late since Vulcan was only next door