Was I the only one who thought that we'd see the mysterious interdimensional aliens again? I can even remember wondering at the time this episode first aired if they would be in the season finale.
For whatever reason, I never saw this episode until today. You're right, Benjamin, it seemed the aliens would be back, but they vanished like those parasites from the first season. The ending, which was heavy with hints of a return, left me dumbfounded because I was totally unaware these aliens ever appeared.
I thought it would be neat to see a TNG episode for the first time again, but I have to admit this one was disappointing. The story began with a survey mission so boring that we were supposed to believe that Data's poetry and Riker's inability to sleep was enough of a plot-hook to keep us watching. Then the weird sequence with Worf and the barber. Finally the descent into endless medical and scientific technobabble to describe the other-dimensional aliens. And through it all, Riker's hair looked terrible; it must have been his worse hair day in seven years.
The thing is, "Relics" was on yesterday -- a great episode, right up there with DS9's tribble episode as the best crossover story ever -- and I'm sure I'm being more critical because this show just happened to be next.
When they first discover the EPS (or subspace whatever it is) in the cargo bay, it is apparently supposed to be a big deal. But Worf and everybody else are just casually strolling down the hallway to investigate like it's no big thing.
Upon arriving at the cargo bay doors, Worf warns everyone to "Stand clear" before opening the doors, presumably because there is some danger of explosion or something. Yet Data just stands there right in the middle of the opening doors!
Geordi and Data go to the cargo bay to check up on the other guy doing some work in there. They ask him how it's going and he motions over his shoulder and says something like "look at that". There is a big subspace rift forming right in the middle of the cargo bay and he hasn't told anybody about it? Shouldn't he have given out a warning to the senior staff instead of just waiting for Geordi to show up sometime to check on his progress?!!
Two crew members are missing, presumed abducted by aliens. When one of them reappears, no one is standing by outside their quarters waiting for their reappearance? And when they do reappear only Crusher comes running down all by herself with no other medical staff?
The previous post about Rikers hair is funny because at the start his hair is all mussy, presumably to make him look all tired out from lack of sleep, but as the show progresses and he is getting less and less sleep, his hair gets neater!
This episode is like that movie "Communion" with Christopher Walken based on the book "Communion" based on the true Story of How Whitley Strieber was abducted by aliens . It was very Scary and the aliens in Communion were so UGLY especially the big black eyes. Did anyone see that movie ?
Is there more than one Observation Lounge or can anyone schedule meetings there? It just seemed odd that Counselor Troi was meeting all these people here instead of some room intended for group counseling sessions.
Actually, some of the descriptions of what to add to the table were pretty vague, however, the computer was able to guess what they wanted, but other times the computer asked them questions to be more specific. Why the inconsistency?
Geordi says, "I've been in this room before.", and Riker adds, "We've all been in this room before." Well, of course they've been in this room before, they're standing in the Holodeck!
Geordi thinks his modifications to the sensor array caught someone's attention, but Riker had been kidnapped 2 or 3 days before Geordi's modifications.
Both Worf and Dr. Crusher use the Deck and Section numbers to find the crew member's room.
However Sandy Anderson, in the NextGen Guide II, reports that the numbers on the door are 09-1947. So why not say "Go to room 09-1947" or "Deck 9, Section 19, Room 47"? If it is a matter of both Security and Medical wouldn't being specific be a good thing? Or do Security and Medical like going from room to room saying, "Do you have an emergency here?" (Just imagine a Police or Ambulance dispatcher saying, "Go to Seattle, Aurora Avenue." and then not mentioning the house or building number?)
The alien hands have an interesting way of working. They have two, big, clawed fingers, but when the alien is removing Riker's equipment it doesn't use those fingers, instead it somehow manages to pick up objects with the palm of its hand.
The mission of the Enterprise is to discover new life forms & new civilizations....yet no formal contact was made with the aliens....not even an attempt!
BEST SCENE: Data's "Ode to Spot" Someone DEFINITELY stayed up all night writing that.
John, the aliens were kidnapping, experimenting on, and in some cases killing the crew. Discovering a way to keep them from continuing to do so was the top priority. Where exactly do you think they should've tried to make "formal" contact? They had no way to communicate with them between the two dimensions, and when Riker managed to stay awake when there, the most important thing was to get him and Ensign Rager out of there.
You're correct. My oversight. I was kinda hoping however that Riker would ask "Who are you and why are you doing this?" and have taken along a Universal Translator to try & get some feeback from the aliens. I HATE not knowing that stuff!
I must note that this story reminds me of those old "alien abduction" movies & TV shows that were playing in the 50's thru the early 80's.
This story takes place in the Amargosa Diaspora. I can't help but wonder if the Amargosa Obsevatory is somewhere nearby. (From "Generations")
One thing I noticed just now (just finished watching it on DVD)...right at the end of the show during the last ship shot, Picard has a voiceover where he says that all the Enterprise crew is "safe and accounted for". In the next scene in the Observation Lounge, Riker makes a comment abount Lieutenant Whateverhisnamewas having died (the one who had his blood turned to 10W30 or whatever with Crusher outside his quarters). I didn't think being dead was considered being "safe and accounted for"; accounted for maybe, but certainly not safe!
Spoke Too Soon Syndrome. ;-)
I believe Phil commented on this in one of the Guides.
I must add this episode reminded me of "The X Files" movie
There are a couple of really nice details for La Forge in the holodeck scene, I noticed - he has to touch the table and hold his hand in the light from the lamp, since he would have been in bed at the time of his abduction. This just seems like something that would have been so easy to overlook.
Also, shades of the first-season autodestruct in the uberretro keypad Riker is given. That would have looked old-fashioned even in 1987!
I can understand Data standing right in front of the door, because he might not be affected by whatever they thought might arc through. But Crusher, another main character (LaForge?) and some guy in a blue shirt also stand in the way of the opening door. . .and then they and another one peer through. The only one who really seems to take Worf's warning seriously is Worf!
The "interdimensional invasion" idea would appear again with Species 8472 in Voyager and the Sphere-Builders in Enterprise. However, neither appear to have any connexion* with the aliens depicted in this episode.
*Cool spelling, eh?
Everyone looks bored out of thier skulls at Data's reading. Yet the first one is quite subtly sad once you get the subtext, and "Ode to Spot" is exceptionally cool and witty. I frequent poetry readings, and perform at them twice a week. Trust me, I've heard a lot worse.
Mot the barber seems to be unsure if he wants to describe Klingon hair as "luxurious" or "luxuriant" and ends up with something along hte lines of "luxurian", which sounds to me like a reference to someone or something from teh planet Luxor, Luxurus, or Luxuria.
Here it is: "Ode To Spot"
Felis Cattus,
is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped carnivorous by nature?
Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.
I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.
A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.
O Spot,
the complex levels of behaviour you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient,
Spot,
and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.
(I found this on the internet!)
Two things I've noticed...
Mind you, I'm new to nitpicking and have never read any of the Guides, so forgive me if any of my comments are old news :-)
While attempting to recreate the table on the holodeck, there is a strange leap between Worf's version of the table and Riker's. Riker only mentions the table to be metalic and when the holodeck complies, it immediately adds some torture equipment instead of simply converting the plain wooden table into a metalic one.
When Riker is escaping from the alien realm, he grabs the unconscious ensign and fires at one of the aliens (there's a group of them at the back of the room). However, in the next shot, they escape and the room is empty.
Yes, Phil mentioned the first nit in his Guide. I don't know about the second.
Good!
Might be my very first own nitpick! Thanks, Luigi.
When Data notes the explosion in the Cargo Bay, EVERYONE WALKS to the site.
I guess saving human lives that might be injured by an explosion just ain't important enough to RUN!
I must note also that Marina Sirtis looks very ill in this episode. There's a couple of moments where it looked like she just vomited.
Troi asks the computer in the holodeck to attach the restraining arm to the right side of the table, but the computer attaches the arm to both sides.
In the poetry reading, Picard is sat next to a short-haired woman (an extra who is seen a lot throughout the series and the movies). They're very close, leaning towards one another and almost touching! No rumours about this?
The tables in this other universe aren't inclined as they indicate they were in the holodeck.
Which is good- I liked that the holodeck didn't get it perfect, just similar.
Just WHO was that woman on the Holodeck with the Senior Officers, talking about what they remembered about being abducted? Was she ever referred to by name? And how come she wasn't wearing her uniform? (Anti-nit: she could have been a civilian, like Christi Henshaw!)
Those lizard-like Solanagan-based aliens from the "subspace domain" located somewhere within the Amargosa Diaspora globular cluster were, well, awfully *clicky*, don't you think? Apparently they didn't have any of the attributes of traditional humanoids, and maybe they were so alien that maybe they didn't need to eat, sleep, or breathe!
Also, Riker seemed to imply that the aliens would eventually return and conduct more experiments on unsuspecting victims. Well, if they did, it wasn't on anyone in Starfleet, because just like the Bluegill parasites from "Conspiracy", they were never heard from again!
As the subspace fissure is about to close, Riker grabs the other abductee and steps through the opening back to the Enterprise. Moments later, something from the other universe also comes through, escapes the ship and goes away into space. However, a strong containement field is in place around the fissure, to try to stop its expansion and protect the ship. How did Riker and that strange entity pass through the field so effortlessly?
One scene I love in that episode is Riker's expression when Dr Crusher injects him with the stimulant. Looks like that stuff really hits the spot!