Was Yes'days Enterprise really GOOD or really COOL?

[StarryEyed]

I absolutely cannot accept that the Klingons would have a prayer against the Federation in a protracted war. Even if they did, would the Federation build Galaxy-class starships? Hell, no! They might keep them on the drawing board but they would start churning out warships. In that reality, we would see fleets of ships reminiscent of the Defiant-class, Soveriegn-class and Akira-class. The Klingons would not be able to keep up, falling far short in both resources and innovation.

I like Q's option of calling it a "cool" episode because I think it was that. It's like Enterprise's In A Mirror Darkly - a cool fan-wank but not a good episode.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Re: QUINTO'S SPOCK SHOULD BE CONSTANTLY SHOUTING!!!

^In the alternate timline, the Galaxy-class is a warship. I can't remember the exact words, but Yar says something like "This was the first Glaxy-class battlecruiser built". Also instead of families they have soldiers in season-one gear with silly silver belts.

And by what basis do you say the Klingons would fall short on innovation? Remember the Prime-D was destroyed by a single, tiny and obsolete Bird-of-prey in Generations. The alternate BoP's were about 20 times bigger.
Also in the DS9 mirror universe, the Klingon flagship was miles long, and in STVI the Klingons came up with the cloaking device they could shoot through. In that time all the Federation came up with were quantum torpedoes, that glow blue instead of red and pulse phasers, that look ripped-off from the Klingons to me

 

[Shatnertage]

Good episode, because of Patrick Stewart's performance.

I didn't notice this the first time I watched it, but during the entire episode Picard is just being consumed by the knowledge that the Fed is losing, and the fact that he can't share it with anyone. He's failing, and he's the only one on the ship that knows it.

For example, when Riker pipes up about "the pasting we gave [the Klingons]" at whichever system, Picard totally no-sells it, because he knows that it's a lie.

Another scene in the briefing room has the camera pan around his back, and he's grinding his knuckles, where no one can see it but us--this is what the stress is doing to him.

He's almost relieved to tell Garrett how bad the situation is, because at last he has someone he can confide in.

The time travel, etc, is secondary to a great performance by Stewart. He 100% owns that episode.

So it's both a cool episode because of the fan-wank, and a great episode because of Stewart's acting.

 

[sonak]

er, so okay I forgot that this was a 1990 episode and TUC was late '91. Dumb of me. However, even so, they should be assumed to be at least evenly matched. I just don't get how a straight-up Federation vs. Klingon Empire war would turn into a rout of the Federation. It would have made more sense if the Klingons had been allied with another power in this alternate timeline. THEN, the Federation would come across as exhausted from fighting a two-front war.

 

[indolover]

When was it ever the case that the Federation was weaker than the Klingons (or vice-versa), whether in TOS, TNG or DS9?

We've never known how many ships/personnel are in Starfleet, but in DS9 this was presumed to be hundreds, even thousands of vessels. The Klingons the same.

I think one reason the Federation was on the verge of defeat may have been the Klingon cloaking device. The Romulan treaty may have been in effect, so Starfleet couldn't develop anti-cloaking technology without piquing the Romulans' interest. Even if the Romulan treaty ended, and the Federation could add cloaks to Starfleet ships, it still would have had to face both the Klingons and the Romulans. Whether Starfleet was strong enough to fight both, well I doubt it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Side note: Any truth to the rumor that the Klingon who hails the Enterprise ("Surrender and prepare to be boarded"), was going to be Worf?

 

[Anwar]

The script said "Klingon voice, possibly Worf". It would've been too much of a coincidence for it to be Worf, though.

 

[Mark Antony]

The Klingons may have been led by a Klingon Julius Caesar or a Klingon Napoleon. The Federation may have been poorly led in comparison. If that was the case, it wouldn't really matter about what resources each side had.

 

[ThankQ]

^True, and the Klingons would be like Germany in WWII. They put nearly ALL of their resources into being ready for war. The Federation not so much. Sure, they would have shifted the use of resources after the war started, but the Klingons could have gained the upperhand early, leaving the Federation to play catch-up.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The script said "Klingon voice, possibly Worf". It would've been too much of a coincidence for it to be Worf, though.

No more or less so than having all the crew from the "normal universe" serving on the same ship in the "war universe."

Piller himself was critical of the plot logic of the episode, remarking that in the end Picard sends all of these people back to die on the word of the bartender.

 

[Anwar]

The original idea for the episode, with a time-exploration team using the Guardian of Forever accidentally killing Sarek and creating a new timeline where the Trekverse was ruled by the Vulcan Star Empire, would've been interesting.

 

[F. King Daniel]

^They killed Surak, and Spock's dad Sarek had to take his place. It would have been a nicer end for Sarek than "Unification".

 

[G2309]

A good episode can be easily judged by

Story
Pacing
Special effects
Acting
Characters
Imagination

All of which were good in this episode.