A title callback to one of TNG’s worst episodes? It’s a bold move – let’s see if it pays off.
A stronger story that’s getting back to what makes the show great – the interactions with the characters, and their flaws. The Boimler/Mariner story is good but underserved. It’s nice to see their flaws colliding and reinforcing, rather than it being alternate turns. But there’s just not enough time given to the story. Which is also a pity because the post-scarcity party (and rebellion) is an interesting concept – what would that transition really look like?
The Tendi Orion pirate plot was underwhelming. It’s a bit of a one joke thing (sweet old Tendi is a pirate bad-ass), and it really feels like the writers thought they’d be able to get more out of the setup than they did. The ‘secret pregnancy’ thing felt like a storyline from a very conventional sitcom such as Friends.
And finally once again the show has no idea what to do with Rutherford, so he gets basically a cameo of missing Tendi, with the tiniest bit of character development for T’Lyn. T’Lyn has been a very slow burn, but she’s slowly starting to develop a bit more than ‘generic Vulcan’, and feel like a member of the lower decks gang. Not really enough time to pay that off though.
Overall a more enjoyable way to spend 20 minutes, but not up the strengths of past seasons.
Quick hits:
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The TAS callback to the blue Orions is a bit too much for my tastes. Too small a joke to hang a plot on, and the designs really don’t fit this universe well.
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I do like the idea of the post-scarcity party, but the economist in me wants to think it through more…
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I do love a good solar sail.
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I’d take the fuzzy socks from Tendi. Very cute.
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‘Cute-iny’ is so Tendi, love it.
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Not wanting to be Mr Pedant – but a solar sail would be so gossamer thin that there’s no way a grappling hook will hold for any time at all.
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The stupidity of the physics in the race is causing me pain.
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T’Lyn is starting to get a bit more definition.
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Was that Blue Orion about to try and lift a pallet of what looked like a thousand gold ingots? That would weigh something like 10,000kg…
930 down.