I thought "Journey To Babel" and Star Trek IV
gave us the impression that Spock and Sarek managed to work out at least some of their differences....and yet this episode seems to suggest they didn't.

It actually goes into some detail about their newer problem, disagreement over the Cardassian war.

Aye, that makes sense, although it does detract from a lot of the stuff in the movies about them making up. Still, that's not a nit. (Though it is a dramatic shame.)

New problems, new conflicts.

It seems like this episode says that they did make up, until the Cardassian wars and then the arguments bubbled up again.

Why is anyone surprised that things are missing from this junkyard? Apparently anyone can come in or out with anything that they want to- there appeared to be nothing to prevent this, not even some sort of forcefield or sensors.

That long range scanner sure takes some amazing close up photos. Presumably this long range scanner is in Federation space, possibly a couple of light years, at least, from Romulus and yet it produces a picture that looks like it was taken from the roof of a building. Good thing Romulans don't believe in skyscrapers or the Federation never would have known where Spock was. Also amazing is that the scanner was apparently set up to monitor a relatively unimportant little street, just in case something valuable would happen along it. Of course, it is possible that earlier or later in the day it would have recorded a more technologically valuable area, given the fact that a planet does rotate on its axis. There is no way that a long range scanner in Federation space could be focused on any one spot of Romulus, unless it were also orbiting Romulan space. I suppose it is also lucky that Romulus was on the other side of its sun so the scanner could get a daylight shot of Mr. Spock. However, the most amazing thing is how did the scanner get the picture in the first place? It couldn't have been using light since light has a top speed of 186,282.397 miles per second, and I doubt that Romulus is so close to the Neutral Zone that it would take light less than three weeks to get there. Obviously, there is no `long range scanner'. That picture had to have been taken by a spy on Romulus and the long range scanner comment was made to try and throw off any Romulan spies or bugging devices. And we know there are Romulan spies and/or bugging devices around because the Romulans knew Picard had come to Romulus. (It seems I was correct in my comments about a spy. In the Episode All Good Things the Admiral says, "Our operatives on Romulus...")

Picard says, "It was barely a year ago that I mind melded with Sarek." The episode Sarek was from the third season with Stardates 43917.4-43920.7, while this episode is from the fifth season with Stardates 45233.1-45240.6. I would say that the mind meld occurred just over two years ago, unless Picard was going by a Vulcan year or something.

If Perrin likes mint tea then why doesn't she have some shipped to Vulcan instead of suffering with Vulcan mint?

Dokachin calls Troi a handsome woman, but all the Zakdorn ever shown indicate that they are a `round' people with little hair and multiple cheeks. Would an emaciated, single-cheeked, hedge headed woman like counselor Troi really be considered "handsome" by a Zakdorn male?

Riker tells Geordi to make them look like junk.

Right. A Galaxy class ship in a junkyard. The class of ships is only a few years old!

Maybe if they had Microsoft construct a giant box for Windows 98?

Luigi, it's a good thing Richie's not the moderator of this board or your post would be deleted.

Hey maybe in the Zackdorn language handsome means something like ehhhhhccccchhhhhhh!

ScottN, I agree. When I first watched this, I thought that they should have at least gone in as just the engineering section...

About that "long range scanner" business. Yes, the photo was taken by a spy on the surface. But the spy was maybe one kilometer away, and that's why Picard called that a "long range." I don't think it's necessary to read any more into it than that.
The Zakdorn called Troi "handsome" to butter her up in hopes of getting future favors from the crew. Besides, "handsome" seems a little less flattering than "stupendously pulchritudinous."
So it wasn't all that flattering. Remember Kirk in "The Man Trap" calls that middle-aged lady "handsome".
Take it either way you want, I dunno.

When Picard and Data are talking to the Klingon captain, he mentions that if they are caught, they could all be killed, as if that is a reason not to go... I guess today was NOT a good day to die!

And, sapphire, Penny Muroc threw a drink in Picard's face when he described her as such in Tapestry(TNG).

About the "long range scanner":

I strongly suspect that the Romulans are paranoid enough to have surveillance cameras installed on nearly every corner, especially near important locations like a Senator's office. Maybe they are transmitting their little home movies wireless to the local Tal Shiar office and the signals are routinely picked up by the mighty Federation subspace sensor arrays. The neutral zone isn't far away from Romulus...

GREAT MOMENT: The writers & producers went back and added "Gene Roddenberry 1921-1991" to the beginning of these episodes after his passing sometime after these episodes. I must point out that it seems ironic that they chose these particular episodes to do it in, seeing that Sarek died in these episodes. They could've chosen to dedicate a different episode that aired after Gene's passing, but didn't. It is very tasteful. (An interesting thing to do while watching both parts of these episodes is to substitute "Sarek is dead" with "Gene Roddenberry is dead" when Picard gets the message from Vulcan and when Picard tells the news to Spock)

I must point out that it seems ironic that they chose these particular episodes to do it in, seeing that Sarek died in these episodes. They could've chosen to dedicate a different episode that aired after Gene's passing, but didn't. - John Lang

I agree that it's somewhat ironic (or at the very least, apropos).

But I think the real reason they chose to place the memorium in this episode is because it was a special episode of TNG... one which featured a prominent character from TOS (Spock) and not because of Sarek's death.

Also, it may have been the first new episode that aired after Roddenberry's passing. Or the first one they could actually add the memorium to. But I'm just speculating there.

Last week I read in Star Trek communicator (don't remember what issue it was or who the guy being interviewed was because I was just browsing it in the store while a perscription was being filled) that Unification and Sarek's death was written because of Roddenberry's death. They shot it before he died but at that point he was very sick and everyone knew that he only had a few months left at best. It was just chance that he died before the ep aird so they could put the memorium at the start of the ep. The guy they were talking to about it also said that the ep Sarek was written basicaly about Gene. He said something to the effect of "We got thet idea for Sarek because we were watching our boss who we respected so much get so sick that he couldn't work anymore."

THANK YOU BRIAN FITZGERALD! I KNEW I heard that from SOMEWHERE! I just couldn't remember where! I saw the same issue! (Didn't buy the magazine though)

The Vulcan physicians are quacks!

Poor Sarek in lying in bed, suffering and dying, and the physicians can't even provide the man with a descent BLANKET to help keep him warm. Sarek didn't die from Bendaii Syndrome...he probably died from pneumonia!

About the Klingon captain not being enthused about dying on the mission to Romulus, could it be that he has no wish to be killed sitting over Romulus for a couple days, cloaked, waiting on two Starfleet types to do spy-type stuff. If he was part of a fleet going to invade Romulus, he might be more amenable to going.
Also, why didn't the Romulans' defense system, the one around their homeworld, have a means to detect cloaked vessels? One of their biggest enemies uses cloaking devices, they must be able to detect their own ships while cloaked when flying in formation, and I get the feeling the Romulans are subject to occasional civil war (that is probably what drew them away from galactic affairs until the time of The Neutral Zone). I can't believe that, for all the years they had cloaking devices, they never found a way to trump them, while the Federaton, that has had a very few cloaking devices to study, has found half a dozen ways.

Are no Romulans at all bald, that Picard has to wear a wig with the pot-shape hair-do? Or is it because his bald head makes him easily recognizable, and he is better disguised with hair?

During the preparation of Data, Crusher says the problem is not to change the colour of his skin, but to undo it afterwards. Why would Data want to undo it? If the colour of his skin can be changed, why has never given himself a more natural look, if he tries to be human-like? (Even if the "white" skin is too difficult, Data could dye his skin dark like Geordi).

Are no Romulans at all bald, that Picard has to wear a wig with the pot-shape hair-do? Or is it because his bald head makes him easily recognizable, and he is better disguised with hair?

I suspect the latter, since we have seen bald Vulcans (STIII).

I think he wore the wig because it made him look even less like how he usually looks to wear it, and it made him stand out less. I am sure bald Romulans exist, but they are probably very noticeable, and being noticeable is the opposite of what spies or people on covert missions do.

As for why Data doesn't dye his skin to blend in with other people in his regular life, he is an android. He knows he is unique and seems not to mind looking different, because appearances are not important. If someone suggested that he change his appearance to look like a human, he'd probably remind the person that he is not human, and he won't become any more human by engaging in such deception, and he'd also mention that nobody suggests surgery to any other non-human crew members to make them look human, even if they are the only one of their kind aboard.

Except that Data and others have stated that he has always been on a quest to be more human. It would make sense he might want to look more like one.

Why? He wants to be human, to do things humans can do but he can't, and not simply to masquerade as one. He once refused to be made into a human by Q because it would be false. I don't see how he would think remaking his skin and eye color into colors found on human beings would seem less so, or how any of that would help him learn to laugh or feel any emotions. If all he wanted was to blend in, he would have done that already and would have looked outwardly identical to a human from the start of the series, since nothing about what Crusher did to him and Picard to disguise them as Romulans seems new or revolutionary. It looks like what it probably was, makeup, prosthetics and costumes, which they could apply on their own with little training.

My memory may be faulty, but doesn't Data explain in an episode that he chooses to maintain his appearance as a reminder that he has not achieved his goal.

Nah. He refused to be made human in that episode because of Picard's guilt trip on the senior staff. Boy did I hate Picard in that episode.

Whoops! Put it on the wrong board! That post is:

He once refused to be made into a human by Q because it would be false.
Luigi Novi: By Riker, actually. And yet, on other occasions, he tries to be more human.

Butch, please delete the post of mine above where I asked where the post was, and while you're at it, feel free to delete the one I put on the part II board by accident.

Okay, all fixed (I think) Butch

By Riker, actually. - Luigi


And Q...

In Deja Q, Data fears that Q intends to show his gratitude for Data saving his life by turning him human.


And yet, on other occasions, he tries to be more human. - Luigi

His refusal to allow Riker to transform him shouldn't be construed as contradictory.

As he quotes in Hide and Q, "to thine own self be true." If he would have allowed Riker to instantaneously transform him, it would only be an illusion to him. I believe he says in another episode that he wouldn't want to lump all the experiences together at one time.

Rene: He refused to be made human in that episode because of Picard's guilt trip on the senior staff. Boy did I hate Picard in that episode.
Luigi Novi: Picard did not lay a guilt trip on the senior staff. He did caution Riker that once he began using the power, he might not be able to stop. The staff chose of their own free will not to accept the gifts. He never told Wesley not to accept being aged, or Geordi biologically functional eyes, or Worf a Klingon mate. They refused these things themselves.

Darth Sarcasm: In Deja Q, Data fears that Q intends to show his gratitude for Data saving his life by turning him human.
Luigi Novi: He guesses that Q intends this, but never has a chance to tell Q whether or not to do it (though we can surmise he was going to ask him not to, based on this episode).

Luigi Novi: And yet, on other occasions, he tries to be more human.

Darth Sarcasm: His refusal to allow Riker to transform him shouldn't be construed as contradictory.
Luigi Novi: I didn't say they were. I was merely agreeing with constanze in questioning why Data doesn't take on human skin tone and eye color, and pointing out to Chris that on many other occassions, he has strived to be more human. I can understand him not wanting to lump all the experiences of being human together in one instantaneous change, but I would think small incremental things like skin color or eye color might be something he'd consider, especially after trying it out for the mission.

Again, unless I'm misremembering, I think Data says in an episode that he chooses to maintain his appearance as a reminder that he has not achieved his goal.

Do you remember which one, Darth? I don't recall that.

Unfortunately, no... which is why I wonder if I'm misremembering.

It sounds familiar, Darth, but I can't remember a specific episode either.

Thank you, KAM... I was beginning to think I just invented this. (Of course, maybe I did invent it, and it sounds so rational that it only seems familiar to you... sort of like people who "remember" seeing Chapter IV: A New Hope when Star Wars first premiered... or those who "remember" the ending of Back to the Future having To Be Continued... in its theatrical release (which it didn't)...)

Could it have been part of Data's dialogue with the boy in Insurrection?

It didn't say Episode IV in the original theatrical run?

If it was in Insurrection, I don't remember it.

Nope, the original theatrical run was just "Star Wars".

Thank you, KAM... I was beginning to think I just invented this.

Nope, Darth, I remember it too...it has that frustrating half-remembered quality in my mind also, that it just can't be pinned down.

And yeah, Scott's correct about Star Wars. Then again, so is Darth; the number of people who insist that that 'Episode IV' tag really, truly was there, even in the face of SW experts telling them otherwise, is a nice advertisement for the oddities of homo sapiens memory.

sapphire:The Zakdorn called Troi "handsome" to butter her up in hopes of getting future favors from the crew...So it wasn't all that flattering. Remember Kirk in "The Man Trap" calls that middle-aged lady "handsome".
Take it either way you want, I dunno.

Right. 'Handsome', when applied to females, is one of those concepts that really change from situation to situation. Basically, though, it means a style of good looks slightly less obvious - or just slightly less in general, this is where the ambiguity comes in - than 'fabulous babe'.

John A.:Poor Sarek in lying in bed, suffering and dying, and the physicians can't even provide the man with a descent BLANKET to help keep him warm. Sarek didn't die from Bendaii Syndrome...he probably died from pneumonia!

John, those blankets are supposed to be made of a futuristic version of thermal fabric, very light but warm. Nearly every single time we see a blanket in NextGen, in a crisis or otherwise (Picard in bed, etc.) we see similarly flimsy blankets; the only exception I can think of is 'The Big Goodbye', and that was meant to be a 20th-century model.

sapphire: The Zakdorn called Troi "handsome" to butter her up in hopes of getting future favors from the crew.
Luigi Novi: No, he didn't. They were trying to butter him up to get him to help them.

Troi, the Zakdorn & a tub of butter... kinky.

Other possible episodes to check for Data's line might be Hero Worship (with the boy who wanted to be an android), or maybe Inheritence (his 'mom').

Kerriem: You misunderstood. The physicians on Vulcan left Sarek lying on the bed in his PJ's with no blanket whatsoever.

Ah. My bad. Score another one for screwed-up memory cells, I guess, 'cause for some reason I remember Sarek rising from a tangle of blankets in that scene.

Meanwhile, alternate explanation: Vulcan's a real hot planet, right? Maybe Sarek himself didn't need blankets - or maybe he didn't want them. Maybe the doctors left him all sensibly tucked in, and the instant they left Sarek tossed them aside or otherwise had them removed.

Picard asks for a Klingon ship, offering only the Federation's gratitude. He also threatens to go to Gowron's enemies if Gowron won't lend him a ship. The clear threat is that the Federation's gratitute would be transferred from Gowron to his enemies.

In this context, Patrick Stewart delivers a line that always sounds wrong to me. He says (from memory):

...and then they would have our gratitute.
Surely it should be:
...and then they would have our gratitute.

I just saw that scene tonight, and it sounds like Stewart put emphasis on the word "they" in that particular sentence.

Also, there's a good reason why Dokachin would refer to Troi as "handsome." She is not likely to match the Zakdorn's standard of beauty. However, he did seem to recognize that by human standards, she is quite attractive, and was able to figure out Riker's very obvious ploy.

I had thought I noticed a nit. It involved Data and Picard having to leave the Klingon ship to go to the surface of Romulus. I thought I had a solution, that they landed, decloaked long enough for them to debark, then cloaked and scrambled back to orbit quickly before being noticed. However, just as I thought of that, Data mentioned having picked a location for their transport. The whole point of a Klingon ship carrying them is that it's got a cloaking device. They wouldn't be able to decloak anywhere near Romulus to beam down, or the ship would be detected and destroyed. They might be detectable if they dropped a shuttle, and what sort of shuttle would they use? Klingon and Federation ones would be obvious and would be picked off well before landing, and they didn't stop off to get a Romulan one if the Federation had one to use. So, how the heck did these two get to the surface? Another thing, did that ship stay uncloaked until it hit the border, then cloaked where Romulan outposts could pick it up and their patrols could collapse on them? Maybe they let them in, so they could grab Picard, since Neral seemed to think he was coming.

Why would the Klingon ship need to decloak to beam Picard and Data down? People were beaming on and off a cloaked Klingon ship throughout STIV.

All those transports were over short distances, at most a few miles. Perhaps it can sustain its cloak and transport people short distances. Perhaps they didn't have to take the precautions on 20th Century Earth that would be necessary over 24th Century Romulus. Perhaps it's easier to stay cloaked and work a transporter while sitting on a planet's surface than when in orbit or moving through space. In short, the Bounty, sitting in Golden Gate Park in 1986, is not similar to that ship over Romulus in the 24th Century. The former seems a lot less taxing to a ship's power supply than the latter, so there could conceivably be a lot more energy available for the transport.

With all due respect to the makeup department, Mark Lenard's (Sarek's) pointed ears look 100% fake. They don't even match his skin color! I point this out because TPTB did a MUCH better job than this in previous episodes. (TOS & STTNG)

Re the above argument: There is absolutely no evidence that Klingon cloaks have to be dropped for transport. In fact, the only shred of evidence that any cloaks have to be dropped for transport is in The Search [DS9] and anyway that was a Romulan cloak.

There is a very big name guest at the end of this episode. I think he was one of the Little Rascals.

Stephen Root (K'Vada) is a very familiar face, possibly best known as the stapler-obsessed Milton in "Office Space," wacky boss Jimmy James on "NewsRadio," and the voice of Bill on "King of the Hill."

Erick Avari (B'iJik) is also very familiar, ranging in parts from Kusaf in "Stargate" to Elektra's dad in "Daredevil" to the museum curator in "The Mummy." He was in the very first episode of "Law and Order" as the Pakistani doctor.

And Daniel Roebuck played Jay Leno in The Late Shift.

There is a very big name guest at the end of this episode. I think he was one of the Little Rascals.
Wasn't he on Mission: Impossible & the In Search Of... shows? Not sure what else he's done.

Steven Root also played the fat Ferengi in "Unification".

If Klingons can transport while cloaked, why wouldn't they put bombs in their tranposters and beam them next to the enemy ship. Scotty used this trick in one novel.

Uh, ccabe, this *is* the Unification board!

When Picard and Data are looking for the spot where Spock and Pardek were seen, outside the intercessor's(?) office. Data says, "It's here".

He should have said "It is here." If anyone has a DVD or VHS, can they confirm this nit?

I just checked. He says, "It is here."

Thanks. I caught it on Spike the other night, and I couldn't tell... He kind of slurred it.

The one thing that confuses me is how Starfleet even THOUGHT that Spock defected to the Romulans.

Given Spock's record for LOYALTY to Starfleet and to his former Captains, one would think he had a VERY GOOD REASON to be on Romulus...I mean, he's an Ambassador for God's sake! Didn't Starfleet even THINK he MIGHT be on Romulus on a PEACE MISSION?!

Somebody disappears to an enemy power's planet & you think they should remain optimistic???

They might have considered the possibility, but they had to consider the worst possible scenario.

Also Spock's mission has no official backing, he is not the Ambassador to Romulus nor does he have any authority to sign a peace treaty with them.

Ambassadors are assigned, they don't decide on their own where to go & what to do there, they must get authorization.

John, IIRC, they did think there may have been another reason for Spock's presence there. Defection was simply one possibility that they were obligated to note. When Picard first speaks to Spock in the beginning of part II, in fact, doesn't he immediately assume that Spock's presence there is another example of the "cowboy diplomacy" of Spock's era? I don't recall Picard ever asking Spock, "Ok, just for the record, you're not defecting, right?".

With all the talk by you guys about Gene and Sarek dieing, you seem to have forgotten that Mark Lenard has been dead now for nearly 10 years.

ANIMATED SERIES SALUTE:

At one point Sarek mentions how Spock wandered off into the mountains on Vulcan on a regular basis. This was seen in "Yesteryear"

From what I'm lead to understand the animated series was considered non-cannon apart from the episode Yesteryear.

Something like that. Roddenberry forbid any references to TAS in official works when they signed the deal for TNG. But season 5 was after he had passed away so they put in the reference.

---

quote:

Erick Avari (B'iJik)...was in the very first episode of "Law and Order" as the Pakistani doctor.

---

---

quote:

Also, it may have been the first new episode that aired after Roddenberry's passing...

---

"Unification I and II" are available on a separate Blu-Ray release, with commentary by Jeri Taylor, Mike and Denise Okuda. Ms. Taylor stated on the commentary track that this episode was the first to air after Gene Roddenberry's death. Again, it wasn't. "The Game" was the first; this was the second. Although IMHO, this was a better episode to dedicate to Mr. Roddenberry.