Is Troi a tough critic, or just tough on Data?
Consider, she is in an art classroom with elementary school children, she is playing schoolmarm. Data is in there, for what reason, who knows? Perhaps he's serving detention. Troi tells him to mold MUSIC [make her think of music] with his clay. A task that, for a child, may be more difficult to grasp. So Data sculpts a treble clef and all she can say is, "It's a start."
"IT'S A START??!" If Troi had told a child to mold music and he/she thought of, and had made a treble clef, even half as elegant as Data, she would've gushed praise and encouragement. So why is Data not worthy of praise?
Good point, BrianB. Troi might have known that a treble clef is something that Data would have had "memorized" in his positronic net. She might have wanted him to use his "imagination" more.
To stretch him in his process to become more human.
Plus, since Data has no emotions, it seems everyone else is really critcal of him. I guess that would make the most sense, since you can't hurt the guys feelings, might as well let him know every little thing he's doing wrong so he can fix it. *shrug*
Just wanted to add in a great moment in this episode. During the meeting out on the semi-transformed bridge, Picard points to the main viewer, and the shot cuts to it with a huge Musaka symbol glaring on it. It was really chilling and eerie, and created an excellent effect!
Troi is in the classroom to help them learn to convey their feelings in art. (Or something like that.) Is this part of the normal duties of a Ship's Counselor?
Is this a school class or just a general art class? Except for Data all the students are kids. (But then there don't seem to be too many things for kids to do on this ship, so parents sending them off to an art class probably helps the parents keep their sanity.)
Data makes some kind of PADD or control panel in clay, then states that it is point something, something, something percent accurate, but those lines on the sculpture appear less than straight and even change widths.
On page 51 of the NextGen Guide II, Phil points out that Korgano's mask forms, but only has ties after Geordi hands it to Picard. At the beginning of the episode, when Crusher and Troi discover the artifact in Deanna's room, it only develops the sign of Masaka after Crusher and Troi leave. So it is possible that the cloth ties formed on the mask after the camera cut away.
Later when Data creates a clay mask of Masaka, Deanna notices that it has the same symbol as the object in her room. The symbol which formed after she left the room. I suppose it's possible that this scene took place a few hours afterward and she could have seen the symbol when she took a closer look at the object.
When talking about the comet being a rogue and coming from two sectors away, they show a graphic which shows an oval orbit that just extends past the farthest planet. Is this supposed to be the orbit of the comet? Is this solar system two sectors wide? The dialogue seems to indicate that this comet has been traveling in a more or less straight line for 87 million years. I suppose they could estimate an orbit for it should it get caught in the star's gravitational pull, but this hardly seems to be an appropriate time to display it.
Picard looks at the symbol of Korgano on a small plate, and it shows the symbol under the horizon line. If Korgano is the moon, then how could they see it under the horizon?
I liked the way the little 'chest plate' on Data's shirt would change with each personality.
Except for Masaka, Data's shirt shows a different chest plate for each personality. However, after Picard gets the symbol for Masaka's temple from her father, Data switches to the little scared child personality. The level camera shot clearly shows the chest plate, but when the camera switches to an overhead shot Data's shirt is back to normal.
Picard goes into Data's room to learn more information, but instead of trying to get some information from the current personality, Picard asks for Eahut. Surely an archeologist like Picard should recognize that Eahut is some kind of trickster being and getting information from him could be difficult and possibly untrue.
Earlier in the show Picard allowed the archive to keep transmitting so they could learn about the culture, but the only person to speak to the various personalities in Data is Picard. Every archeologist on the ship should be talking to Data to learn all they can about the belief systems of these people. (But then, when it comes to archeology, Picard is a bit of a dilettante.)
Did those snakes just stay in the photon torpedo or what?
So the moon of Betazet continually stays on the dark side of the planet?
On page 50 of the NextGen Guide II, Phil stated that the mask of Masaka is the one Data made out of clay, but is it? At the end of the episode Data's dialogue implies that there was another mask, presumably formed when Masaka's temple was created. I suppose the only way to be certain is to study the shelves in Data's room and see if the mask is setting there before the temple is created.
Did the temple of Masaka have a back door or was that rumbling the result of the archive ripping open the wall and letting 'Masaka' come through?
Picard talks to 'Masaka' and puts her to sleep. Was this a self deprecating comment on how talkative the show can seem to someone who just wants to watch exciting space battles?
In the NextGen Guide II, Phil wondered why Picard and Data don't tumble down to the deck when Masaka's temple reverts to normal. Maybe the upper part of the temple was actually on the next deck?
At the end of the episode, Picard is talking to Data and he comments that Dr. Crusher told him that Data may have had dozens of personalities in him. How would she know? We never saw her examine Data while he was 'possessed.'
Did the ship seem seriously undermanned in this episode? La Forge and Worf are, apparently, the only people in Engineering, we don't see any extra's wandering the halls in the second half of the show, and just because their stations have turned into stone blocks is that any reason for the crew to abandon their posts?
This archive would make one hell of a weapon. Just turn all attacking ships into stone temples and wait for them to surrender.
So what was the archive trying to teach the Enterprise? Was it just a case of the sensors accidentally triggering the Masaka/Korgano myths or what?
The myths lead to some interesting interpretations about the world the archive came from.
"Masaka spends most of her time sleeping." Can this mean that night is longer than day on their world?
The various personalities fear Masaka because of heat and drought. Although Masaka's father continually complains of the cold.
The most interesting statement is. "Korgano no longer pursues her." Why not, has something happened to the moon?
Is this part of the normal duties of a Ship's Counselor?
As much as directing plays is part of the normal duties of a Ship's CMO. What crewmembers do in their off-duty hours is their own business.
Quote:The most interesting statement is. "Korgano no longer pursues her." Why not, has something happened to the moon?
KAM quote: This archive would make one hell of a weapon. Just turn all attacking ships into stone temples and wait for them to surrender.
So would that make the helmspeople on those ships Stone Temple Pilots?
After the aliens possess Data, they put some kind of embossing on his head. It stays there for most of the episode UNTIL Data decides to put on the mask...then it's GONE!
GREAT CAMERA ANGLE: I just LOVE the way the camera follows Troi (Marina Sirtis) up the stairs. YEOW-ZA!
The Masaka mask is not created by the archive (see the closing scene). So what happens to it when everything reverts to normal? Data is wearing it in the temple, and when things revert, he's not wearing it, nor is he holding it.
Phil caught that one in the NextGen II Guide, ScottN.
IMHO, one of Next Gen's worst episodes.
Are all the shuttlecraft blocks or something? Worf and LaForge only try to configure one photorp for manual launch, in main engineering for some reason, but couldn't somebody get a shuttlecraft or runabout to deactivate the beam?
Appearntly the few second blast of ship's phasers was enough to melt the entire shell of the archive. Is it normal for something drifting through space to collect all that hydrogen and helium to become what looks to be a comet? Did that species seem advaced enough to build such a structure? The archive looked like it stoped moving when locked on to the E-D.
IMHO, one of Next Gen's worst episodes.
I'm sorry, but there are a number of episodes in the first and second seasons which are way worse than anything in any of the other seasons.
I love this episode. All the mythology was great. When it came time for the problem to be solved, the answer was very simple...the sun and the moon.