w00t! First post!

Okay, I don't have any nits, but I have to ask this.

Can someone come up with an X-Men joke from this episode (seeing how Famke Jannsen and Patrick Stewart had the chemistry together here...)?

Ironically, Patrick Stewart had feelings for Jean Grey in the early years of the comic.

Uhhh...you mean Professor Xavier had feelings for Jean Grey, right, Luigi?

Only two posts here so far? Sheesh, it's not like this ep is boring or anything...especially from the male perspective...

This was one of the earliest episodes I remember seeing. I remember wondering if the Enterprise usually carried miners.

Right, Kerri, thanks. It's late, and my brain is tired.

From the "Cat that Swallowed the Canary" Dept.:
Great Line: "Ambassador, have a safe trip home." -Picard to Briam, after the ambassador asks him how he resisted the temptation of Kamala.

The Perfect Ripoff
In the British-published Captain Britain comic book, a supporting character named Meggan, who later went on to become a cast member of the X-Men spinoff comic Excalibur, was an empathic metamorph, whose emotions and appearance shifted depending on the emotions of those around her. I don’t know for certain if the concept of empathic metamorphs were around before this character, who first appeared in the 80s, or if the writer/creators of this character, Chris Claremont and Alan Davis, were the first to come up with the concept, but I wonder if the writer of this episode were familiar with the character and based Kamala on her?
Beats the sh*t out of waterbeds
Why does Kamala’s stasis cocoon have to hover in mid-air?
It was manufactured by Firestone Tires
And why are the tractor beams holding it so weak that just touching one compromises it?
Yeah. He was the same guy who decided Troi should wear a standard Starfleet uniform, and we don’t need that kinda crazy talk in Trek.
Starfleet has stasis chambers, and the Enterprise has some, as mentioned in the beginning of Starship Mine, and Voyager had enough for EVERY CREWMAN in One(VOY). Did anyone ever think to just stick Kamala in one of them?
If she’s going to spend it chasing around a stuffed shirt like Picard, I know it’ll be REALLY long!
When Riker resists Kamala, she tells him that she knows her place in history, and that it will be "a long voyage." How does she know this? She knows that she has been brought out of stasis prematurely, but not how prematurely. She doesn’t know how long the trip is going to be.
Worf: "Ensign DeGeneres, Ensign Heche and Lieutenant O’Donnell, you will take turns guarding Kamala. That should take care of everything…"
In Act 3, Picard appoints Data as Kamala’s chaperone. Is he really the best choice? Sure, he can do the job, and he won’t be affected by her pheromones, but he’s third in command of the ship. Doesn’t he have other duties? Picard seems to pick that one man on whom Kamala’s empathy won’t work. Did it ever occur to him to appoint a woman? Why doesn’t he just have Worf appoint some of his female security guards to a rotating set of chaperones?
If Data waits for them to shoot their weapons first before firing back, I’m changing the channel
In all 178 episodes and three movies of NextGen, I’ve never seen men on the Enterprise that looked or acted like the ones who were coming on to Kamala in Ten Forward in Act 3. Everyone on the ship has always been polite, reserved, and friendly (the brawl in Sarek caused by Sarek’s telepathically transmitted Bendii Syndrome notwithstanding). Isn’t it convenient, that for this one scene in this one episode, that there just happened to be a bunch of rough-looking guys that acted brusque and unsophisticated, like pirates, or cowhands in an old western saloon, when the scene required it? They look like they were plucked out of the Creature Cantina from Star Wars.
If he’s taking her lightly, and she copies everything he does, shouldn’t she not be interested in him too?
When Kamala comes on to Picard in his ready room in Act 3, she tells him, "When a metamorph finds you interesting, do not take it lightly." Why not? Since an empathic metamorph becomes whatever the one around them likes, wouldn’t a metamorph like Kamala literally find anyone interesting? What’s so profound or flattering about that?
His HMO’s gonna love this
At the end of Act 3, after struggling with the two Ferengi, Ambassador Briam falls onto a glass table, severely injuring himself to the point of being unconscious for a length of time. In the shot of him lying unconscious after falling there is some blood at the top of his forehead. The implication is that he hit his head, and that he was both cut by the glass and rendered unconscious by the impact, but in the shot of him falling on the table (or rather his stunt double falling on the table), you can clearly see that his arms impact on the table, and his head never makes contact with it. He simply falls to the floor, hits with his forearms, breaking it, and puts his head down on the floor!

Hes probably the descendant of that Enterprise security officer with the "glass elbow" in "Day of the Dove."

When Kamala comes on to Picard in his ready room in Act 3, she tells him, "When a metamorph finds you interesting, do not take it lightly." Why not? Since an empathic metamorph becomes whatever the one around them likes, wouldn’t a metamorph like Kamala literally find anyone interesting? What’s so profound or flattering about that?

Mmmmph. I think (given the events of the ep) what she was probably trying to get across was that she, personally, found Picard interesting. In other words, over and above her instinct to mould her tastes to his, she wants to get to know him better.
Which would actually be highly flattering; she can more or less just coast through personal contacts on those instincts, but she wants to pause and think more deeply about Picard.

Unfortunately for my lovely explanation, you're right, that's not what she says...

Those Ferengi must have had real faith that the Enterprise would beam them off their ship before it exploded. What would have happened if the Enterprise said, "Sorry, we are experiencing technical difficulties with the transporters at the moment..."

Leading the Ferengi away from the Captain and the Ambassador, Geordi says, "Have you seen the Dolphins, yet?" Does this mean that the Enterprise has an aquarium or was he referring to a Holodeck program? (And did he mean the animal or an ancient sports team?)

My mom wondered why Picard needed to remove the tea bag from his tea when the replicator could just produce tea without using a tea bag?

Throughout the show there is much made about the issue of slavery, prostitution and how Kamala has no choice in what she does because she is a metamorph, etc. However, earlier in the show it was explained that male metamorphs are quite common, so shouldn't these same issues be addressed to the male metamorphs who are forced to become the perfect mate to some woman?
(Hmm, I wonder what would happen if a male metamorph and a female metamorph were put into the same room? Two people with no personalities, each trying to become the other's perfect mate?)

When the Ferengi are attempting to bribe the Ambassador they show him some coins that are supposed to be pure gold, but they sound like pewter instead. (This is another thing that bothers me. Every metal or combination of metal has a different ring when it is dropped or clinked together, but in TV and movies the metal always sound like pewter. I haven't complained when they call it "Gold Pressed Latinum" because what does Latinum sound like? And while the Comm Badges have Gold in them they also combine other materials. However they do refer to the coins in this episode as "Pure Gold" so they should sound like pure gold.)

Why does Picard need to learn to play those instruments? This is the Holodeck, just program a musician to play the right music.

Earlier in the show Dr. Crusher was upset by the idea of Kamala being treated as an object, but later when talking to Picard she refers to Kamala as "the metamorph." Someone should tell Dr. Crusher that "the metamorph" is not some nameless object, but is a person named Kamala.

Throughout the show Kamala tells people what it is like to be a metamorph, but female metamorphs are born once every seven generations. There were no living female metamorphs to tell her what it is like. If she is referring to her own experiences, why not just say that?

KAM: about the dolphins. I seem to remember reading somewhere (Tech manual?) that the ship used dolphins to assist with navigation because they are good at 3 dimensional thinking. This is the only time I've heard a reference in an episode.

Sounds as if somebody has been reading the 'Uplift' books by David Brin...

However, earlier in the show it was explained that male metamorphs are quite common, so shouldn't these same issues be addressed to the male metamorphs who are forced to become the perfect mate to some woman?

All she said was that metamorphs were born commonly, she never said they were setup into arranged marriages.

Here we are: TNG Technical Manual page 44:

"In the Galaxy class starship, ongoing Guidance and Navigation system research tasks are handled by a mixed consultation crew of twelve Tursiops truncatus and T. truncatus gilli, Atlantic and Pacific bottlenose dolphins, respectively. This crew is overseen by two additional cetaceans, Orcinus orca takayai, or Takaya's Whale. All theoretical topics in navigation are studied by these elite specialists, and their recommendations for system upgrades are implemented by Starfleet."

Somehow this went all but unmentioned for 7 years, apart for Geordi's comment in this episode.

Someone how I think they were just kidding arround, as how would they communicate with them? I suposse the UT could translate their beeps and squeaks (hmmm I wonder if it could translate what a dog's barking says by the 24th century)

I can just imagine the Ferengi standing over the dolphin, holding a UT saying "Can you understand me?"

I suspect someone had been reading David Brin's 'Startide Rising', about a spaceship crewed by dolphins which had been genetically enhanced (or 'Uplifted') by humans. In that book, communication was possible between humans and Uplifted dolphins.

Larry Niven had a novel (the name escapes me at the moment) that had a couple who communicated telepathically with dolphins.

And don't forget Douglas Adams' HHGTTG and how it protrayed dolphins

Don't forget the talking Dolphin in Sea Quest.

And Flipper always seemed pretty sharp. ;-)

Hwi'ii, a sentient dolphin astrophysicist, is a major character in Diane Duane's NextGen novel Dark Mirror.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

NANJAO: This episode reminds me a lot like "Elaan of Troyius" (TOS)

If the "gift" was so old & fragile, why didn't someone put a forcefield around it?

I thought I recogonized Ambassador Briam before....he's Doctor Elias Huer from "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" Gil Gerard played Buck. (Anyone remember THAT dumb show?--I thought it was dumb because it resembled "Battlestar Galatica" so closely, the simularites were too close to be accidental.)

It was created by Glen Larson, the same guy who created Galactica, about a year after the galactical shows were taken off the air.

All I remember from Buck Rogers was Wilma Deering's lip gloss - it mesmerised me from the get-go!

What about little Twiki? He was awesome! (and voiced by the great Mel Blanc in most of the episodes).

[uses both hands to turn the mighty helm, steering the ship back on topic]

I agree- Twiki was the only redeeming character on the show

Wilma was HOT!

If the "gift" was so old & fragile, why didn't someone put a forcefield around it?

IIRC, they did - or at least they implemented other security measures - and the Ferengi simply (with, it's implied, an ease born of long practice) evaded them.

Not having a forcefield up seems to be the least of the weirdness. Considering the situation, wouldn't the Kriosians have either requested security personnel to guard their cargo (if they were determind not to tell them the nature of it), or brought there own. Presumably, when they got to Valt, the guards could be dismissed as Briam beams down with Kamala still in stasis. If they were Starfleet, they could go back to other duties. If they are Kriosians, they could be ferried home by the Enterprise on their way out of the area. Also, the Ferengi ought not to have been allowed anywhere near the cargo bays no matter what, considering their (shall we say) unique view of larceny. Remember, the first official contact between the Federation and the Ferengi involved the latter taking equipment off a Federation-claimed planet.
As for similarities between this episode and Elaan of Troyius, you are not the only one to see them. Farrand cited some in his review of this episode. I'm not trying to burst your bubble, just to say you are in pretty good company on that point.

Just wondering...I think this is the first episode to have absolutely no scenes shot on the bridge. I could be wrong...

I think "Family" was the first one to not show the bridge at all. This could well be the second (but I haven't seen this one for a loooong time).

The Perfect Mate features a bridge scene. Family was the only episode in the entire runs of either TOS or TNG to not feature one.

Didn't All Our Yesterdays(TOS) feature absolutely no scenes on board the Enterprise?

See the first post on the Classic Trek:Season Three:All Our Yesterdays board.

I don't have that ep on tape to verify, but the info I posted comes from The Star Trek The Next Generation Companion from Larry Nemecek.

Apparently, Mr. Nemecek made a mistake.

Assuming this talk of a squad of dolphins and whales working as consultants on Galaxy-class ships is canon, is that really practical? They live in a very different environment and use a very different method of communication than our own, and would need a lot of special facilities just for them (and possibly for aquatic lifeforms from other worlds, if any). How would they interact with the rest of the crew? How do they operate equipment? What happens to them in an emergency? I will admit that this idea leaves me with a funny image. Dolphins using a universal translator would hear humans and other lifeforms talking like dolphins (picture Worf making dolphin sounds).

LOL, Chris, that is funny.

Actually, Diane Duane (a specialist in offbeat characters; another of her Trek novels features the first Horta in Starfleet) springs the notion of a dolphin 'consultant' very comfortably to life in Dark Mirror.
She postulates a sort of force-field/anti-grav envirosuit in which Dr. Hwi'i 'swims' through the air, and a multi-pronged implement he uses as hands. (And her take on the porpoisean mindset/philosophy of life, incidentally, is hilarious.)

Welcome to Star Trek: DSV!

The TNG Blueprints of the Enterprise-D show the dolphin area in detail: several large, almost holodeck-sized water tanks with specially designed lifeboats attached (so the dolphins can escape in an emergency along with everyone else).

Presumably Starfleet started using cetacean crew after Star Trek 4, when the 'Whale Probe' showed how intelligent they are (and possibly, how to communicate with them).

At the risk of stating the obvious, the whole backstory of this episode is a ripoff of the Trojan War... we even have an ambassador named "Briam," only one letter off "Priam."

The TNG Blueprints of the Enterprise-D show the dolphin area in detail: several large, almost holodeck-sized water tanks with specially designed lifeboats attached (so the dolphins can escape in an emergency along with everyone else).

Presumably Starfleet started using cetacean crew after Star Trek 4, when the 'Whale Probe' showed how intelligent they are (and possibly, how to communicate with them).


Woulden't they have already learned that from the Xindi aquatics? Hmmm, maybe they really are part of starfleet and reside in those tanks :D

Josh Gould: At the risk of stating the obvious, the whole backstory of this episode is a ripoff of the Trojan War... we even have an ambassador named "Briam," only one letter off "Priam."

Or, this episode was a remake of Elaan of Troyius (TOS) which was an even more obvious ripoff of the Trojan War.

Except that Helen of Troy was kidnapped, whereas Kamala went willingly.

Weeell...that depends if you believe Homer. (See the Discworld book 'Eric').

What the hell does Bart Simpson's dad have to do with this?

Seriously, why wouldn't we "believe" Homer? It was his story.

History is written by the victors.

Seriously, why wouldn't we "believe" Homer? It was his story. - Luigi Novi

Wanna hear Scott Peterson's story? Or how about O.J.'s? Then there's Michael Jackson's story...

In any case, should we also believe that Poseidon was out to get poor Odysseus? To say nothing of his encounter with the cyclops!

Except that Helen of Troy was kidnapped, whereas Kamala went willingly.

I dunno, I read somewhere (don't ask where, 'cause it was years back) that Helen was disappointed in Menelaus, and so when she got the chance to go with Paris (a hot young sexy thing, compared to Menelaus, the dried old up old man), she went willingly. And that Menelaus (when he found out) said that she'd been kidnapped (cause how else was he gonna get all of his allies to go 'rescue' her if she was just a runaway?).

Wanna hear Scott Peterson's story? Or how about O.J.'s? Then there's Michael Jackson's story..
Luigi Novi: Except that those are matters of fact about real people and places that exist. Homer's stories are not history, at least in the sense that they have not been confirmed.

RE:All the stuff about dolphins navagating and stuff brought up in this thread.

Whichever writers came up with that stuff need to be flogged. What next? Warp drives replaced by reindeer?

Ho ho ho.

Warp factor 6, Mr. Rudolph.

"In all 178 episodes and three movies of NextGen, I’ve never seen men on the Enterprise that looked or acted like the ones who were coming on to Kamala in Ten Forward in Act 3... Isn’t it convenient, that for this one scene in this one episode, that there just happened to be a bunch of rough-looking guys that acted brusque and unsophisticated, like pirates, or cowhands in an old western saloon, when the scene required it?"

-These were the stranded miners that Picard mentions in one of the early scenes - he apologizes to the Ambassador for being late because they had to save some stranded miners. So yes, obviously the writers put them there so they could come onto Kamala in this scene, but they were properly set up earlier.