Yes, yes, yes I like "The Royale"; shout if you do

[Amaris]

It's watchable if you take it as goofy fun. But the premise of how the crew escapes doesn't make any sense. They have to force a condition where the simulation will end, fine. What does that have to do with exiting the building?

If the simulation was supposed to be a permanent environment for Col. Richey, there shouldn't be any situation where he's suddenly allowed to leave. If Col. Richey had managed to end the story, would it have let him go-- and if so, what would he have done then? It would be like an ape whose cage door opens and lets him leave the zoo if he manages to solve a really complex puzzle.

Either the aliens wouldn't program such a situation, or if it was ever achieved, the simulation would just restart.

Remember, like "A Piece of the Action", the intelligent life forms of that planet followed the book, thinking it was the way humans lived, so it's likely they built everything "to spec", where the simulation could actually end, keeping in mind that for the simulation to actually end, it took an outside source. If it would have been anything less than 3 visiting crew members, they would not have triggered the next chapter of the book (the 3 investors), and thus Richie would have never left, no matter what he did.

 

[Kelthaz]

Well, because the (unseen) aliens were trying to help the human. And the crew was solving a puzzle that depended on this notion, which I thought was rather profound. The episode was more about this premise than many later episodes of TNG, where, in the end, they are trying to develop the characters of the main cast. Here, it was about the sci fi concept.

Yeah, fair enough. I wasn't thinking when I made that post. I have a different definition for hard sci-fi, but that's just semantics. I get where you're coming from.

In fact, I agree with you. I disliked the episode (rather strongly at that), but the concept was excellent. The scene where Riker reads the Astronaut's book and recounts his horrifying life was chilling. Or at least it would have been chilling if it didn't cut to Data playing Craps and Riker joking around. Mood Whiplash, anyone? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't this episode go through some rather severe executive meddling to the point where even the writer disowned the episode? It makes you wonder what could have been.

I think "The Royale" would have worked much better as a Twilight Zone episode. Show the Astronaut (henceforth referred to as Bob) with his companions aboard his ship when something strange happens knocking Bob out. He wakes up alone in the hotel and decides to explore his surroundings. The episode would follow him as he explores the Casino and discovers obscure clues left by the aliens in an attempt to communicate with him while piecing together what has happened to him. The episode would make liberal use of time skips to show Bob slowly losing his mind and his attempts to escape by contacting the aliens getting more and more desperate. The episode ends, of course, with Bob's death.

 

[Mitty]

Another Royale lover here. I always wonder if that guy with the cowboy cat in this story is the inspiration for that similar Simpsons Character, you all know the one.

 

[Danny99]

I loved "The Royale"

I think the fact that the aliens were actually trying to help the human they had hurt instead of treating him like a lab rat, where I think many series would've gone.

I agree with Kelthaz that the episode can decide if it wants to be a satire, a comedy, or serious drama, but I think the episode outweighs that.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Good point, Danny99... having the aliens trying to help the person makes it a bit more profound than you might expect, which is another reason that this episode is almost hard sci-fi, at least for Trek.

As for your second point, why can't it be all of those things?

This might be stretching it a bit, but I kind of wish the people writing Star Trek movies would try to think of more interesting things for the crew to do than just fight a villain. I mean, it's kind of clever that, in this episode, the crew are:

a: confronted with the unknown, a structure on the planet.

b: fish out of water: presented with the culture of 20th century Earth

c: Tries to use their usual methodology to talk to the people and later escape, neither of which work.

d. Realize that there is a human who has passed away, and the aliens were trying to help him by subjecting him to the cliches of a book that he had with him.

e. In order to escape, the crew has to actually has to play a role in the story.

Compare that to the latest Star Trek Feature.

a. villain wants revenge.

b. villain has doomsday weapon

c. crew must stop villain.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Compare that to the latest Star Trek Feature.

a. villain wants revenge.

b. villain has doomsday weapon

c. crew must stop villain.

Make that features instead of feature.

Plus, The Royale did not have an exploding supernova threatening to destroy the entire galaxy.

That episode has a lot going for it, I tell you!

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I just spit my drink out, laughing so hard.

 

[MrPointy]

I want to like The Royale. I really like the concept and there are moments (Data - all the time) that are funny. But I really don't like how it's written most of the time and the idea of a crappy episode about a crappy novel does not gel with me.

It's a Season 2 combo of meh - The Royale With Cheese.

The people saying the episode could work as a Twilight Zone episode have a point though.

 

[Saxman1]

I like "The Royale." It has a nice Twilight Zone-ish surrealism to it. And yes, it's a goofy situation, but it embraces that fact and rolls with it, so it's fun in much the same way that "A Piece of the Action" is fun. Plus Ron Jones's period music is terrific.

There's one thing that stands out for me, though I'm not sure whether it counts as ripoff or homage: the way Data uses his android strength to "unload" the loaded dice and win the game is a direct lift from a scene in Roddenberry's The Questor Tapes pilot.

I think in the TNG Companion they mention it is deliberate

OK, that's 3 of us that caught it! I was a huge TOS series fan (born in 1959, saw it first-run at age 6!) and thinking how much I liked the Questor movie when it was first shown on TV, as did my mom. Didn't even know Roddenberry was involved until years later, LOL!

 

[Christopher]

It's watchable if you take it as goofy fun. But the premise of how the crew escapes doesn't make any sense. They have to force a condition where the simulation will end, fine. What does that have to do with exiting the building?

If the simulation was supposed to be a permanent environment for Col. Richey, there shouldn't be any situation where he's suddenly allowed to leave. If Col. Richey had managed to end the story, would it have let him go-- and if so, what would he have done then? It would be like an ape whose cage door opens and lets him leave the zoo if he manages to solve a really complex puzzle.

Either the aliens wouldn't program such a situation, or if it was ever achieved, the simulation would just restart.

No telling how aliens might think. Maybe they believed it was a rite of passage within human culture, a blueprint for a quest he had to complete. Maybe they didn't intend it as his permanent abode but merely an initial environment to help him get acclimated. Maybe they intended something further for him once he found his way out, but he never figured out a way to achieve it. Or maybe there's some other explanation. The mystery is part of what gives the episode its flavor.

Plus Ron Jones's period music is terrific.

QFT. Get the FSM box set if you don't own it yet.

I got it as soon as I could afford it.

Another Royale lover here. I always wonder if that guy with the cowboy cat in this story is the inspiration for that similar Simpsons Character, you all know the one.

Cowboy cat? That sounds like fun! I can haz littul dogie?

And no -- according to Wikipedia, The Simpsons' "Rich Texan" was based on the Texas oil tycoon character in Hitchcock's Psycho. Rich, loud Texan characters in cowboy hats were a well-established cliche long before "The Royale." That was the whole point, in fact -- that all the characters in the novel Hotel Royale were walking cliches.

 

[Kegg]

I did always find Worf's deadpan reply "We call it Theta Eight" to be pretty funny.

Not so keen on the episode itself, but it's a bit of a stab at weirdness at least.

 

[Silvercrest]

No telling how aliens might think. Maybe they believed it was a rite of passage within human culture, a blueprint for a quest he had to complete. Maybe they didn't intend it as his permanent abode but merely an initial environment to help him get acclimated. Maybe they intended something further for him once he found his way out, but he never figured out a way to achieve it. Or maybe there's some other explanation. The mystery is part of what gives the episode its flavor.

That makes sense. The error is to assume that simulation is all there is to it.

The aliens probably got pinged and showed up right after the crew left. "All right! Monkeyman finally solved it! Now let's get him over to the next challenge area, 'Vulcan Love Slave'.

"What the-- he's dead!"

 

[Christopher]

^Suddenly the episode is so much more tragic...

 

[Alrik]

Count me in as a Royale fan.

 

[Supernuke]

I love this episode! I never understood the hate. This is one of the best from season 2 in my opinion!

 

[Art Vandelay]

Get the FSM box set if you don't own it yet.

I got it as soon as I could afford it.

[offtopic]

I know you have it, that was just a general statement.

FSM did a beautiful job on the Ron Jones set, but just a few days after it was released, a certain Internet message board put the whole thing up for download. It was taken down two weeks later, but the damage was done and sales dropped off rapidly. This was a labour of love, Lukas Kendall's dream project, and the operators of said message board should be punched in their faces using their own fists forever and ever.

[/offtopic]

 

[Gaith]

AHHH! Alrik is stalking Christopher! Run, Christopher, run!

 

[Darth Picardous]

Good episode, but Worf and Riker should have accepted the room service!

 

[Trek Survivor]

Always loved this episode since I first saw it. Another example of how under-rated and fantastic season two is. It's just the kind of episode you know they'd never dare do once they get into the formulaic "safer" seasons of 4+.

A li'l classic.

 

[Christopher]

AHHH! Alrik is stalking Christopher! Run, Christopher, run!

No, we were both stalking the Enterprise.