[Ockeghem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Scarpa

You Forgot to mention how the S1 Finale set up for the Borg in S2.

Dave,

Hi. I'm not sure whom you're responding to, but both Nelson and I mentioned the allusion to the Borg in The Neutral Zone. I liked how it was left kind of cryptic, too. For me, it made Q Who all the more chilling.

[Yee-Ming]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ockeghem

I love any episode Suzy Plakson is in, whether she plays a Klingon or a Romulan. I read somewhere that she is around six feet tall.

6' 1.5"
Suzie Plakson - Biography

No wonder she had no trouble playing opposite Michael Dorn, who is 6' 4".

[Ockeghem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yee-Ming

6' 1.5"
Suzie Plakson - Biography

No wonder she had no trouble playing opposite Michael Dorn, who is 6' 4".

Thanks. Yeah, I often think of that (their heights) when I see the two of them together in a scene. Incidentally, I met Michael Dorn at a Creation-sponsored Trek Convention many years ago. I'm also 6'4". I was going to challenge him to a duel, but thought better of it since his Klingon martial arts are a notch above mine.

[Garrett Adams]

I don't think I watched more than five TNG episodes when originally aired. Now with Sci-Fi running four episodes every Monday I can catch up.

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Scott, yes we did allude to the Borg!

I thought I'd make a few quick comments about the 3rd season without all the detail. As we all know, it's when the series was run by Michael Piller and he made the show come into it's own. Stories were more character focused.

A lot of great shows this year. My favorites include: The Ensigns of Command was a nice study of Data being in command, sort of like Galileo Seven. The Survivors saw Troi go cookoo while Picard tries to solve the mystery of the planet's only 2 survivors. Who Watches the Watchers shows how Starfleet spies on a planet. A great Prime Directive show, much better then Insurrection. I liked how the fear of the Mintakeans reacts to the appearance of the Picard.

I always liked Booby Trap, and how Geodi and Leah figure out how to defeat the trap. They follow up the Geordi story in the fourth year with the real Leah Brahms! The Enemy is cool, one of my favorites because Geordi and the Romulan work together to get out and the first time we see Tomalak, a Romulan commander as memorable as Kor in TOS Errand of Mercy. The Defector is a terrific follow-up on the Romulan story and nice to see Tomalak back. Deja Q is a worthy Q story where he's lost his powers and left to live as a human. I love the Data line, "An irony. It means that you have achieved in disgrace what I have always aspired to be."

The highlight in most eyes is Yesterday's Enterprise. A cool episode that had such lasting effects on the rest of the series. And this episode was recently discussed in an interview with Ronald D. Moore as a better story choice for the first TNG movie! The Offspring was interesting, but the political intrgue of Sins of the Father I felt was a stronger show. It was fun to see Kurn take over as second in command and then the revelation of Dura's father as the traitor, and Worf taking the blame for it to preserve the Empire.

Captain's Holiday, a fun show for Picard to find romance and adventure. Tin Man follows and I found it to be very memorable, and another favorite. The idea of Elbrun joining with the Gomtuu was a great happy ending and how Data in the end connecting with Troi was sweet.

Hollow Pursuits was fun too. But Sarak was a really strong show and it was cool to see that character come back to the Trek world, but sad to see him end that way. The season ends with The Best of Both Worlds, and a very chilling last shot before going to black and 3 or 4 long months to wait to see what happens!

On a separate subject, I'm watching the fourth season. When I saw Identity Crisis, I was surprised to see how bad the video effects of the current DVD's look. There's a shot of a shuttlecraft heading into the planet's atmosphere. As it pans across the screen, I am amazed how jaggy it looks! I am watching on an upconvert Toshiba HD-DVD player on a 50" plasma which is really unforgiving of the source material! There was talk last year that CBS Digital was looking at tests to remaster TNG as they have done for TOS, but that the effort was going to be difficult. Live action is on film, effects done in video and then edited on video at 480. I have no idea if it will be done, I some how doubt it. This show will benefit.

[Ockeghem]

Nelson,

You've again written an excellent post, containing much that I could respond to, and I will, probably tomorrow. But for now, I wanted to touch on just a couple of points.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nelson Au

On a separate subject, I'm watching the fourth season. When I saw Identity Crisis, I was surprised to see how bad the video effects of the current DVD's look. There's a shot of a shuttlecraft heading into the planet's atmosphere. As it pans across the screen, I am amazed how jaggy it looks! I am watching on an upconvert Toshiba HD-DVD player on a 50" plasma which is really unforgiving of the source material! There was talk last year that CBS Digital was looking at tests to remaster TNG as they have done for TOS, but that the effort was going to be difficult. Live action is on film, effects done in video and then edited on video at 480. I have no idea if it will be done, I some how doubt it. This show will benefit.

I don't have too much to add from the technical side of things, but Identity Crisis was IMO a phenomenal episode when it first aired. For me, it has a very The Outer Limits feel to it. I recall the first time I watched it, and picked up on the extra shadow--I am fully convinced that the effect the writers may have been going for was fully experienced by me the first time I saw it. It was chilling, all of a sudden to realize what Geordi wasn't yet seeing (and eventually did see) during his reconstruction. The first time I saw this episode, I saw it before Geordi did, and I gasped when I realized it.

Speaking of chilling, and moving back to the second season for a moment--

I watched Q Who tonight. I wanted to see how many light years Q sent the Enterprise when they came in proximity to system J-25. It turns out it was 7,000--I'm guessing that this put them on the outskirts of the Alpha quadrant? I don't know for certain.

BTW, another reason I wanted very much to watch Q Who tonight was because last night, we concluded Season Three of VOY (Scorpion, pt. 1). I wanted to hear some of the language used to describe the beginnings of the Borg as well as more on their desire to acquire technology.

[Nelson Au]

Scott! Come to think of it, you're right, Identity Crisis was pretty Outer Limits-esque. I can see Robert Culp in the role!

And I saw "The Minds Eye" last night, that Manchurian Candidate plot to have Gordi kill the Klingon Governor to start a war between the Klingon's and the Federation. That was a really good one with some chilling brainwashing sequences and the mystery Romulan women in the shadows.

Look forward to your comments on the third season.

Nelson

[Sam Favate]

Nelson, you've touched on many of my favorite episodes of the third year, and many of my favorites of the series. Let me add: The Price - the interaction between Riker and Ral was great, especially the scene where they confront each other in the bar. "To the last mile." Also always liked The Hunted and The High Ground, lots of contemporary social commentary in these, like the days of TOS, and a nice showcase for Dr. Crusher in the latter. And of course, how can we forget The Most Toys, with that ambiguous ending. Did Data fire or not?

[Dave Scarpa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Favate

Nelson, you've touched on many of my favorite episodes of the third year, and many of my favorites of the series. Let me add: The Price - the interaction between Riker and Ral was great, especially the scene where they confront each other in the bar. "To the last mile." Also always liked The Hunted and The High Ground, lots of contemporary social commentary in these, like the days of TOS, and a nice showcase for Dr. Crusher in the latter. And of course, how can we forget The Most Toys, with that ambiguous ending. Did Data fire or not?

The Most Toys and Ensigns of Command are two of my favorite Datasodes. I think I like these because Data gets to be in command/On His own in these episodes and I always like Tough in Command Data over the Comedy Relief Data or the Fish out of Water Data that is featured in Many Shows. These two shows has a Data I can believe can be a commisioned and decorated Starfleet Officer

[Ockeghem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Scarpa

The Most Toys and Ensigns of Command are two of my favorite Datasodes. I think I like these because Data gets to be in command/On His own in these episodes and I always like Tough in Command Data over the Comedy Relief Data or the Fish out of Water Data that is featured in Many Shows. These two shows has a Data I can believe can be a commisioned and decorated Starfleet Officer

Dave,

I like those titles you have for Data. I might also add that I like the 'I'm going to take over the ship and become scarier than hell Data.' This is when he is either taken over by some entity, acting the part of Lore (in which case he isn't really Data, of course), or has gone off on his own (knowingly) without too much regard for protocol, such as when he was in charge of the Sutherland, was attempting to contact Sarjenka, or was creating Lal. I wouldn't want to see this kind of Data all of the time, but in small doses, I like it.