Vengeance Factor - Why Not Physically Stop Her?

[Ketracel]

At the climax, why didn't Riker beam down with Worf and the rest of the security detail to physically restrain "the Chef"? Why kill her when it wasn't necessary? Why not beam her directly to the brig from the ship?

I know they were going for the dramatic effect but it was so unnecessary and contrived that it made me laugh out loud to see her vaporized.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Vengeance_Factor

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

"Contrived" is the exact word to describe the climax of that episode.

See, if he doesn't have to kill her it's not tragic.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Riker likes killing. He killed his clone, Pulaski's clone, that alien scientist in "A Matter of Perspective", probably other lifeforms, too.

THE VENGEANCE FACTOR was lame, really. More of something from a lesser series. I mean, some humanoid alien clan feud stuff...it's a great big galaxy, why are we wasting it on these people?

 

[Ketracel]

Yeah, did the actors, director, producer, etc... anyone! really care about these sort of things?

I know to some they might seem like details but it is exactly this sort of thing that separates the merely good from the great.

btw, didn't they prove that Agpar killed himself while trying to kill Riker, via a rigged transporter "accident"?

 

[May 20]

Yeah, they did. The last pulse "blew up" the simulated lab.

I always figured that Riker killed her because it was the only way to stop her. If she were captured or imprisoned, she'd escape (or try to) so that she could continue her sworn vengeance.

 

[Ketracel]

They or Riker? In any case, the pulse was directed by Agpar as a weapon against Riker. It backfired, literally and killed him by blowing up the whole facility.

How the frak is that anyone's fault but Agpar's?

 

[May 20]

No, Picard and LaForge and Wesley proved that Riker didn't kill Apgar through the recreation in the holodeck. The destruction of the space station and Apgar's death were completely Apgar's fault.

 

[Ketracel]

oh, ok so we agree.

 

[Jack Bauer]

I think Riker just liked to kill things. I mean he killed his own clone.

 

[gastrof]

MeanJoePhaser said:
Riker likes killing. He killed...that alien scientist in "A Matter of Perspective"...

No he didn't.

Rather, it was proven the other guy had tried to kill Riker, and caused his own death as a result.

 

[FalTorPan]

Riker killing Yuta was one of the few "WTF" moments that I had while watching TNG. It was worse than Spock's forceful mind meld with Valeris in Star Trek VI.

 

[Kolrad]

There's not really any good reason for it, aside from the fact that it's one of the very few times we actually see someone vaporized by a Starfleet phaser in the TNG era.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

Eh, I liked it. I didn't like Yuta anyway, and since it got rid of her character, no big whoop.

 

[WillsBabe]

The episode gives us a moment that we don't see very often in TNG, in fact, might only see once more, and that's Riker and Picard interacting in 10 Forward. I really like that Picard comes to seek him out and check that he's okay. I don't think that ever happened again. Nice character moment between the two of them. Other than that, I'm with the folks that say that the vaporising was not necessary. Well, I'd say that it wasn't necessary the way they filmed it. They could have filmed it better to make it necessary.