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Lynch's Spoiler Review: "Data's Day"

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Timothy W. Lynch

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Jan 10, 1991, 2:19:58 AM1/10/91
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WARNING: The following post contains spoiler information regarding this week's
TNG episode, "Data's Day", and should thus be avoided by all those parties of
the Nth part not wishing to be privy to said spoiler information (referred to
herein as...oh, the hell with it :-) )

One-word reaction: Pleasant.

That's right--"pleasant". This wasn't a show that had me on the edge of my
seat drooling for more the way that "Reunion" did, but it was very enjoyable.
I liked it.

But before I go on with that, on with the synop:

Data begins his "typical day" (one which he is recording commentary on through-
out for Bruce Maddox) with a conversation with Keiko Ishikawa, fiancee to one
Miles Edward O'Brien (and the wedding's today!). As Data is one of Keiko's
longtime friends (he introduced the two of them, in fact, and is also serving
as the father of the bride for the wedding), she asks him to tell O'Brien of
her decision to call off the wedding. O'Brien, to no one's surprise but
Data's, is not pleased.

Later, Data welcomes aboard T'Pel, a Vulcan Ambassador who immediately closets
herself away with Picard alone. Stranger yet, a chance comment from Worf
reminds Data that he must dance at the wedding. So, he turns to Bev for dance
lessons--but before they begin, he is called to the bridge and asked by Picard
and T'Pel to examine Romulan deployments along the Neutral Zone, as the Enter-
prise heads for the Zone. When his analysis reveals that little has changed in
Romulan policy, T'Pel insists that the "mission" still must go on as scheduled.

Later, in his quarters, Data talks to O'Brien, who apologizes for blowing up in
10-Forward earlier and asks Data to help Keiko "see reason". Data accepts, but
finds that Keiko isn't particularly receptive--and Deanna's advice is to simply
leave it alone. After talking to Deanna, Data is called to T'Pel, who asks for
security information about the Enterprise. When he informs her that his
safeguards are such that he would have to inform Picard, she says that she was
merely examining his security safeguards and withdraws the request.

Later still, Data takes dance lessons. He masters tap easily, but has problems
with the more traditional dancing Bev leads him to after he finally mentions
that it's for the wedding. Afterwards, the Enterprise reaches the Zone border,
and after receiving a message from a nearby Warbird, head into the Zone. There,
they speak with Admiral Mendak, who welcomes T'Pel's mission--but when T'Pel
beams over, an apparent transporter malfunction kills her. Mendak, upon
hearing of this, considers it a Federation plot "worthy of a Romulan", and
suggests that the Enterprise leave before there is a second "accident".

However, nothing is visibly wrong with the transporter, and Data's later
investigations (on Picard's orders) lead him to check the genetic code of the
traces on the pad with T'Pel's trace pattern. He and Bev find that the
material from the pad was NOT from T'Pel. What apparently happened is that a
Romulan transporter beam took T'Pel off the pad and substituted what they found
in her place--and when Picard hears of it, he orders the Enterprise back to the
Zone to find the D'Vorus.

They quickly catch up to the D'Vorus, but Mendak insists that no one is being
held captive. Before long, a second Warbird shows up--but Picard still demands
the return of T'Pel, who then comes into view and introduces herself as Sub-
Commander Selak, a Romulan spy. Mendak informs Picard that _now_, he must
leave...which Picard does.

Later, Data apologizes to Keiko, but Keiko just tells him to hurry up and get
dressed for the wedding, which confuses Data to no end. The wedding and
dancing go smoothly, and Data ends the day resolving "to continue learning,
changing, growing, and trying to become more than what I am".

Well, now, that wasn't so long, was it? Anyway, on to commentary:

First things first. An announcement for those who didn't know it (like me):
DATA'S GOT A KITTY!!!! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) For those of you who aren't so
fond of cats, my condolences--but Data's got a pet now. I like it. Anyway...

This type of format has been used before, though never on TNG. M*A*S*H used
it several times, from Hawkeye's numerous letters home to the one show seen
entirely from the perspective of a wounded G.I. there. I've always liked the
"here's a typical day/week/whatever" tone when it's used properly, and here
was no different.

Both plots were resolved as much as they had to be, in my opinion. While we
still don't know exactly what happened to make Keiko change her mind, that's
not surprising--Data would have problems figuring it out even if he *did*
hear it, I bet. :-) The plot that did need to be dealt with in more detail
was that involving T'Pel, and that was done, methinks.

There isn't much in the way of grand statements to be said about the show,
since it was somewhat..."eclectic", I suppose, is a good word--and also because
the show wasn't trying to make a grand statement itself. But that won't stop
me from saying a bunch of little things, right? Right. (Who said that?)

Apart from Data, one character who appeared a fair amount more than I expected
was Beverly. Now, I realize that for most people, this is a cause for groans
of anguish--but just listen for a second. Bev, I think, is finally being
written for decently. I mean, first we had "Remember Me", which I liked a
great deal, and now this, where Beverly had some very nice scenes. We're
starting to find out a few tidbits about her past apart from her marriage to
Jack Crusher. For example, the reason Data asks her specifically for lessons
is that she once won first prize in a tap/jazz contest years and years ago.
Her expressions throughout the entire conversation were just spot-on--the
perfectly reasonable "oh my god, don't tell me he found out about THAT!" look.
:-) The Dancing Doctor, indeed...

Probably the biggest drawback to the show was that it was a little...well...
cutesy. Data's affectations are often amusing, but not enough to have a whole
show devoted to them. Fortunately, this was overdone only slightly, and didn't
hurt much.

One thing which I simply must mention, because it was so absurd: the first
time we see Deanna in the show. Data's voiceover is discussing how enigmatic
he finds Ms. Troi, and the camera shows Troi's hands pouring tea...and then
slowly pans up to her head, lingering for quite a while on her breasts. Now,
I don't know about you, but that just seemed a little silly to me. I mean,
okay, her appearance is probably the main reason she's still on the show
(though personally I can't quite figure the attraction), but let's try to be
a little less blatant, okay? Yeesh.

Another semi-quick point: I liked Mendak. Finally, a Romulan leader who
manages to beat Picard in intrigue--figures that he's an Admiral. While I'm
still holding out hope for Tomalak's eventual return (in real life, thank you
very much, not another bloody illusion), I wouldn't be at all averse to seeing
Mendak again either.

Since the episode mostly consists of little bits, as I said, there's not a
whole lot that can be said about the show as a whole. But then, I guess I've
talked enough already. So, I'll just leave you with some numbers:

Plot: 8. In the words of "History of the World, Part I": "Nice. Not
THRILLING, but nice."
Plot Handling: 9.5. Very well put together...would've been a 10, but the
Troi-shot knocked that down a bit.
Characterization: 10. No complaints here. T'Pel seemed a little unconvin-
cing, but her being a Romulan explained it.
Technical: 9. Fine with me.

TOTAL: 36.5/4---> 9. That's more like it.

NEXT WEEK: A rerun of "Legacy". Well, at least this means I can watch "The
Wonder Years" instead...

Tim Lynch (Cornell's first Astronomy B.A.; one of many Caltech grad students)
BITNET: tlynch@citjuliet
INTERNET: tly...@juliet.caltech.edu
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!tlynch%juliet.ca...@hamlet.caltech.edu
Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side?
R.I.P. Jim Henson, 1936-1990; we shall never see your like again.
--
Copyright 1991, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...

Michael Rawdon

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Jan 12, 1991, 5:36:29 PM1/12/91
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In <1991Jan10....@nntp-server.caltech.edu> tly...@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
Spoilers for "Data's Day"

>
>First things first. An announcement for those who didn't know it (like me):
>DATA'S GOT A KITTY!!!! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) For those of you who aren't so
>fond of cats, my condolences--but Data's got a pet now. I like it. Anyway...

I liked it too, though the cat looked very unhappy being petted by Data! :-)

>Both plots were resolved as much as they had to be, in my opinion. While we
>still don't know exactly what happened to make Keiko change her mind, that's
>not surprising--Data would have problems figuring it out even if he *did*
>hear it, I bet. :-) The plot that did need to be dealt with in more detail
>was that involving T'Pel, and that was done, methinks.

I'm more interested in why she wanted to call of the wedding in the first
place. The "cold feet" explanation is FAR too weak for my tastes; there has
to have been more concrete reasons, and I don't think it would have been
out of place for Data to try to pry them out of her.

>Probably the biggest drawback to the show was that it was a little...well...
>cutesy. Data's affectations are often amusing, but not enough to have a whole
>show devoted to them. Fortunately, this was overdone only slightly, and didn't
>hurt much.

But you have to love Data's grin while he's dancing, right? :-)

>One thing which I simply must mention, because it was so absurd: the first
>time we see Deanna in the show. Data's voiceover is discussing how enigmatic
>he finds Ms. Troi, and the camera shows Troi's hands pouring tea...and then
>slowly pans up to her head, lingering for quite a while on her breasts. Now,
>I don't know about you, but that just seemed a little silly to me. I mean,
>okay, her appearance is probably the main reason she's still on the show
>(though personally I can't quite figure the attraction), but let's try to be
>a little less blatant, okay? Yeesh.

My girlfriend and I chuckled at that, too. And I agree with you: I don't find
her very attractive either, though she looked good in "Future Imperfect"...

>Plot: 8. In the words of "History of the World, Part I": "Nice. Not
> THRILLING, but nice."

I found the wedding plot to be pretty much useless, which would knock this down
to probably about a 5 for me.

>Plot Handling: 9.5. Very well put together...would've been a 10, but the
> Troi-shot knocked that down a bit.

That sounds nearly right, though a little less exposition would have helped.

>Characterization: 10. No complaints here. T'Pel seemed a little unconvin-
> cing, but her being a Romulan explained it.
>Technical: 9. Fine with me.

Take off 2 or 3 points for the usual no-cal music, I'd say.

>TOTAL: 36.5/4---> 9. That's more like it.

Wouldja believe 7.25? :-)

--
Michael Rawdon Internet: raw...@rex.cs.tulane
Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana Bitnet: CS6FECU@TCSVM

"...I trusted [Ganelon] like a brother. That is to say, not at all."
- Roger Zelazny; _The_Guns_Of_Avalon_

I should probably be working anyway...

Deborah Brown

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Jan 12, 1991, 8:23:06 PM1/12/91
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In article <56...@rex.cs.tulane.edu> raw...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:
>In <1991Jan10....@nntp-server.caltech.edu> tly...@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>Spoilers for "Data's Day"

>>First things first. An announcement for those who didn't know it (like me):
>>DATA'S GOT A KITTY!!!! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) For those of you who aren't so
>>fond of cats, my condolences--but Data's got a pet now. I like it. Anyway...

>I liked it too, though the cat looked very unhappy being petted by Data! :-)

Well, if kitty jumps up on one's lap, it should expect to be petted. :-)

I for one am dying to know what kitty's name is. Anyone care to speculate?

To add my .02 regarding this episode, I couldn't find anything to complain
about, but I did notice the boob shot in Troi's office (didn't do a thing
for ME :). I thought this ep was wonderful. I loved Data in it (but I
already did, so that's nothing new). Great exchange with Worf in the store.
Data's calling Geordi a "lunkhead"! Experimenting with friendly jibes and
insults is fine, but "lunkhead"???? I thought that was hysterical, but where
did he get "lunkhead"? Great.

I loved the new sets, and the shots of the alien crewmembers, I'm glad to
see Worf and Data aren't the only non-humans on the ship.

>I'm more interested in why she wanted to call of the wedding in the first
>place. The "cold feet" explanation is FAR too weak for my tastes; there has
>to have been more concrete reasons, and I don't think it would have been
>out of place for Data to try to pry them out of her.

I think "cold feet" as an explanation made perfect sense. I've gotten cold
feet about certain intended changes in my life with no logical reason other
than the anxiety I had about the change. Marriage is a big step, and I think
Data hit the nail on the head when he told her that he thought she hadn't
fully analyzed her decision.

>>Probably the biggest drawback to the show was that it was a little...well...
>>cutesy. Data's affectations are often amusing, but not enough to have a whole
>>show devoted to them. Fortunately, this was overdone only slightly, and didn't
>>hurt much.

>But you have to love Data's grin while he's dancing, right? :-)

YES! If he didn't look like the Joker in that shot..... :-)

>>Technical: 9. Fine with me.

I loved the shot of the E through the Warbird. They are getting innovative
with their filming of the E, and it's refreshing, let's get some different
views of our favorite star ship.


***************** "I'm not finished." Edward Scissorhands *******************
Quote: "I'm here to stop the big sister from noogie-ing me to death?" Sam QL
Disclamer: "Disclaim THIS, pal!" (my employer thinks I'm working)
Debbie Brown: Internet: d...@cci.com | GEnie: D.BROWN89
UUCP: uunet!ccicpg!cci632!deb| Prodigy: NCNX32A
********** It's 1997: do you know where your quantum physicist is? ************

Robert J. Granvin

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Jan 13, 1991, 12:15:19 AM1/13/91
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>>Spoilers for "Data's Day"

>I for one am dying to know what kitty's name is. Anyone care to speculate?

Well, considering all the speculation on O'Brien's name, and with ideas
such as "Potatoes", I'm expecting to hear suggestions such as "Dukakis",
"Litter" or "Atonic."

>I loved the new sets, and the shots of the alien crewmembers, I'm glad to
>see Worf and Data aren't the only non-humans on the ship.

The first thing that struck me was the "barber" in the background with the
tool that looked like a Ghostbuster Sensor. I was half expecting that
hair to come to life and eat Geordi's face. Either that, or they were
searching for lost children, buried coins and bottlecaps, or something.

--
Robert J. Granvin \\\\\\\\ r...@sialis.com : INTERNET
University of Minnesota \\\ ...uunet!rosevax!sialis!rjg : UUCP
School of Statistics \\\\\\\ rjg%siali...@uunet.uu.net : BITNET
"A witty saying proves nothing." -Voltaire

Howard Chu

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Jan 13, 1991, 1:58:51 AM1/13/91
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In article <2...@sialis.mn.org> r...@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin) writes:
>>>Spoilers for "Data's Day"

>>I for one am dying to know what kitty's name is. Anyone care to speculate?

>Well, considering all the speculation on O'Brien's name, and with ideas
>such as "Potatoes", I'm expecting to hear suggestions such as "Dukakis",
>"Litter" or "Atonic."

Who cares, no matter what you name it it won't come when you call. }-)
(But sure, it'll come running when you've got a dish of feline supplement
in your hands... }-)

>>I loved the new sets, and the shots of the alien crewmembers, I'm glad to
>>see Worf and Data aren't the only non-humans on the ship.

>The first thing that struck me was the "barber" in the background with the
>tool that looked like a Ghostbuster Sensor. I was half expecting that
>hair to come to life and eat Geordi's face. Either that, or they were
>searching for lost children, buried coins and bottlecaps, or something.

Well, that certainly was a pretty tall coiffure, but you missed the point.
(I thought this was a very nice touch, good attention to detail...) The
barber was "dying" the hair - it was silvery at first and became kind of
coppery/golden as the wand passed over. Very slick.
--
-- Howard Chu @ University of Michigan

Flame all you want - we'll take more.

Ralph P Carpenter

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Jan 13, 1991, 10:38:31 AM1/13/91
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In article <2...@sialis.mn.org> r...@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin) writes:
>>>Spoilers for "Data's Day"
>
>
>
>The first thing that struck me was the "barber" in the background with the
>tool that looked like a Ghostbuster Sensor. I was half expecting that
>hair to come to life and eat Geordi's face. Either that, or they were
>searching for lost children, buried coins and bottlecaps, or something.

I was wondering about Geordi's barber -- was he a member of
the "seamed" race that's appeared twice before ("Allegiance" &
"Conspiracy"). I couldn't quite tell if his "cranial seam" extended
below the point of his nose. As I type this, I realize I can't recall
what skin color the earlier "seamies" had, either.

--
| Ralph P Carpenter | InterNet: Ral...@acc.fau.edu | Blake's 7: |
| Sr Programmer/Analyst | Bitnet: Ralpho@FauVax | The |
| Florida Atlantic Univ | Ci$: 74015,644 GEnie: Ralpho | Motion |
| at Boca Raton | Vox: 407/367-2616 Fax: -2749 | Picture |

Michael Rawdon

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Jan 13, 1991, 1:10:55 PM1/13/91
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In <2...@sialis.mn.org> r...@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin) writes:
>>>Spoilers for "Data's Day"

>>I for one am dying to know what kitty's name is. Anyone care to speculate?

>Well, considering all the speculation on O'Brien's name, and with ideas
>such as "Potatoes", I'm expecting to hear suggestions such as "Dukakis",
>"Litter" or "Atonic."

How about "Datum"?

Steven J Flynn

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Jan 13, 1991, 1:41:39 PM1/13/91
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Small spoiler ahead.

Was the ship that delivered the ``Vulcan'' ambassidor a Galaxy Class Ship?
I checked my tape twice and the two ships looked almost the same. Previously I
pointed out that in `Family' Worf's father stated that he had all the
blueprints for the Galaxy class ship*s*. Could the Enterprise have more
sibings?


Steve Flynn
University of Delaware

John Stanley

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Jan 13, 1991, 1:22:29 PM1/13/91
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r...@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin) writes:

> >>Spoilers for "Data's Day"
>
>
> >I for one am dying to know what kitty's name is. Anyone care to speculate?
>
> Well, considering all the speculation on O'Brien's name, and with ideas
> such as "Potatoes", I'm expecting to hear suggestions such as "Dukakis",
> "Litter" or "Atonic."

How about Cat'o? As in Cat'o'Data? Or, NotTheOnlyNonhumanHere?

> The first thing that struck me was the "barber" in the background with the
> tool that looked like a Ghostbuster Sensor.

There is a common rule in going to the barbershop -- get your hair cut
by the barber with the worst haircut. (The logic is, that they cut each
other's hair.)

New rule in the 24th century: use the barber with NO hair.

Now, just what WAS that poor creature in the other chair?

Ralph P Carpenter

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Jan 13, 1991, 2:13:47 PM1/13/91
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In article <56...@rex.cs.tulane.edu> raw...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:
>In <2...@sialis.mn.org> r...@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin) writes:
>>>>Spoilers for "Data's Day"
>
>>>I for one am dying to know what kitty's name is. Anyone care to speculate?
>
>>Well, considering all the speculation on O'Brien's name, and with ideas
>>such as "Potatoes", I'm expecting to hear suggestions such as "Dukakis",
>>"Litter" or "Atonic."
>
>How about "Datum"?

I think the kitty's name should be CAT, pronounced "Kate".

"One is its name, the other is not."

Timothy W. Lynch

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Jan 13, 1991, 3:35:06 PM1/13/91
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>Spoilers for "Data's Day"

>>First things first. An announcement for those who didn't know it (like me):
>>DATA'S GOT A KITTY!!!! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) For those of you who
>>aren't so fond of cats, my condolences--but Data's got a pet now. I like it.
>>Anyway...

>I liked it too, though the cat looked very unhappy being petted by Data! :-)

Cats are trained to look unhappy no matter where they are...it's in the manual.
As a cat owner, you should know that...;-)

>>Both plots were resolved as much as they had to be, in my opinion. While we
>>still don't know exactly what happened to make Keiko change her mind, that's
>>not surprising--Data would have problems figuring it out even if he *did*
>>hear it, I bet. :-) The plot that did need to be dealt with in more detail
>>was that involving T'Pel, and that was done, methinks.

>I'm more interested in why she wanted to call of the wedding in the first
>place. The "cold feet" explanation is FAR too weak for my tastes; there has
>to have been more concrete reasons, and I don't think it would have been
>out of place for Data to try to pry them out of her.

I think it would have been--his reasoning seemed pretty clear-cut throughout,
in that she was supposedly acting on reason, and she believed that calling off
the wedding would make her happy. That's all Data needed to hear.

>But you have to love Data's grin while he's dancing, right? :-)

Check.

Tim Lynch

Timothy W. Lynch

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Jan 13, 1991, 3:37:13 PM1/13/91
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d...@cci632.UUCP (Deborah Brown) writes:


[about Data's new cat]

>I for one am dying to know what kitty's name is. Anyone care to speculate?

I like the "Doyle" or "Conan Doyle" ideas that came up earlier...maybe
"Watson" would work even better? :-) Or "Tasha", perhaps?

Tim Lynch

Timothy W. Lynch

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Jan 13, 1991, 3:42:18 PM1/13/91
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ral...@cs.fau.edu (Ralph P Carpenter) writes:

>>>>Spoilers for "Data's Day"

> I was wondering about Geordi's barber -- was he a member of
>the "seamed" race that's appeared twice before ("Allegiance" &
>"Conspiracy"). I couldn't quite tell if his "cranial seam" extended
>below the point of his nose. As I type this, I realize I can't recall
>what skin color the earlier "seamies" had, either.

I'm pretty sure he was (and I think the race is called the Boleans, but it's
been a while...)--the other times we've seen said race, they were blue. I
meant to mention that on Wednesday, but forgot. Oh, well.

Tim Lynch

Arnold Gill (visiting astrophys phd std)

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Jan 13, 1991, 11:20:25 PM1/13/91
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In article <1991Jan13....@nntp-server.caltech.edu> tly...@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:

>d...@cci632.UUCP (Deborah Brown) writes:
>
>>I for one am dying to know what kitty's name is. Anyone care to speculate?
>
>I like the "Doyle" or "Conan Doyle" ideas that came up earlier...maybe
>"Watson" would work even better? :-) Or "Tasha", perhaps?

After I read Tasha, I thought to myself, not Tasha, but the name that
Tasha used for *her* cat. Unfortunately, I don't remember what she said
on the bridge -- and there is no name given in the novel Survivors.

Arnold Gill --- astrophysician in training

Vidiot

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Jan 13, 1991, 9:32:33 PM1/13/91
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In article <56...@rex.cs.tulane.edu> raw...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:
<In <1991Jan10....@nntp-server.caltech.edu> tly...@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
<
<>Probably the biggest drawback to the show was that it was a little...well...
<>cutesy. Data's affectations are often amusing, but not enough to have a whole
<>show devoted to them. Fortunately, this was overdone only slightly, and didn't
<>hurt much.
<
<But you have to love Data's grin while he's dancing, right? :-)

The grin was the BEST. It was absolutely perfect. It made my night.
--
harvard\ att!nicmad\ spool.cs.wisc.edu!astroatc!vidiot!brown
Vidiot ucbvax!uwvax..........!astroatc!vidiot!brown
rutgers/ decvax!nicmad/ INET:<@spool.cs.wisc.edu,@astroatc:brown@vidiot>

Richard Yaker

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Jan 14, 1991, 11:56:20 AM1/14/91
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I thought it was a great episode, the p[oint was not about the wedding, or
even about the Romulans, it was about what goes on in Data 's Head
which was fantastic, the character development continues to
be excellent in fact even better than the original show.--
"Crystal Flame Richard Yaker
I'll do anything you say rya...@uts.amdahl.com
you're my heart and my mind and ri...@skinny.masa.com
my soul amdahl!skinny!rich
at least you fill them when I play"
Blues Traveler

Michael Rawdon

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Jan 14, 1991, 1:02:04 PM1/14/91
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Incidentally, it would be helpful to include a brief quote of the article
you were responding to, as well as WHO you're responding to.

In <35I=012P0...@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> rya...@uts.amdahl.com (Richard Yaker) writes:
>I thought it was a great episode, the p[oint was not about the wedding, or
>even about the Romulans, it was about what goes on in Data 's Head
>which was fantastic, the character development continues to
>be excellent in fact even better than the original show.--

The thing is: I didn't see anything NEW going on in Data's head. There WAS
no character development in this episode. We know Data's trying to become
more human, but we really don't need to see every little detail of how he
goes about this. A stronger plot than the wedding might have accomplished
more. As it was, it was pleasant light entertainment (comedy, mostly), but
nothing more. Sort of like a less funny "A Piece Of The Action".

--
Michael Rawdon Unofficial
Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana lightning rod of
Internet: raw...@rex.cs.tulane.edu rec.arts.startrek
Bitnet: CS6FECU@TCSVM

"...I guess I'd rather have mediocre Star Trek than none at all."
- A friend, about the TNG episode "Legacy"

Deborah Brown

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Jan 14, 1991, 12:11:12 PM1/14/91
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I had thought of "Tasha" too. Or Sherlock, or Holmes. And Watson would be
perfectly in character too. Data's admiration for Conan Doyle's character
could prompt him to name his feline companion after Homes' human companion.


I only hope they just don't let this drop cold - I want to see more of kitty.

Timothy W. Lynch

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Jan 14, 1991, 2:06:45 PM1/14/91
to
gi...@physics.ubc.ca (Arnold Gill (visiting astrophys phd std)) writes:

> After I read Tasha, I thought to myself, not Tasha, but the name that
> Tasha used for *her* cat. Unfortunately, I don't remember what she said
> on the bridge -- and there is no name given in the novel Survivors.

I think she just said "kitty", but I'm not sure. (Damn--I should've put my
followup bit about kitty's name here...)

Tim Lynch
Worshipper of things feline

Vicki Holzhauer

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Jan 14, 1991, 3:10:21 PM1/14/91
to
In article <1991Jan13....@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
tly...@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>raw...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:

>>I liked it too, though the cat looked very unhappy being petted by Data! :-)
>
>Cats are trained to look unhappy no matter where they are...it's in the manual.
>As a cat owner, you should know that...;-)
>

Actually, I think that the cat looked unhappy only because it wanted
to go right from Data'a lap onto the computer console. If he's had
this cat for a while, Data would know that the cat would instantly
hit some keys that would cause something potentially disastrous
to happen. She tried at least twice to head in that direction. As
any cat owner knows :-), a cat will immediately head for the keyboard,
book you are reading, or newspaper ... in other words, *anything* to
which you are paying attention that is *not* the cat ... :-)

I've been corresponding with someone from rec.pets (where there is
a simultaneous discussion about this cat in progress). He suggested
that the cat might have a brain implant (a la the ones on Yonada in
"For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky") that senses
when the cat is about to leave Data's cabin and stops it. I had
suggested a little kitty forcefield at the base of the door to
Data'a cabin.

Of course, then there's the litter problem. My rec.pets correspondent
suggests hololitter ... :-)


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"It's difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent." --Q
"Quoth the Raven: `Eat my shorts!'" --E.A. Poe/J.E. Jones/B. Simpson

Timothy W. Lynch

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Jan 14, 1991, 3:38:53 PM1/14/91
to
vi...@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Vicki Holzhauer) writes:

>Actually, I think that the cat looked unhappy only because it wanted
>to go right from Data'a lap onto the computer console. If he's had
>this cat for a while, Data would know that the cat would instantly
>hit some keys that would cause something potentially disastrous
>to happen. She tried at least twice to head in that direction.

Hadn't noticed that, but it only stands to reason. After all, not only is
it something "to which you are paying attention that is *not* the cat" :-),
it might even respond when you touch it. Put a cat in a room with a machine
that goes "bing!" and you're all set.

>As
>any cat owner knows :-), a cat will immediately head for the keyboard,
>book you are reading, or newspaper ... in other words, *anything* to
>which you are paying attention that is *not* the cat ... :-)

Bingo.

>Of course, then there's the litter problem. My rec.pets correspondent
>suggests hololitter ... :-)

"On the next exciting episode of STTNG, Data's cat gets loose and uses the
intermix tube as a litter box, with hilarious results"...:-)

Tim Lynch
Worshipper of Things Feline (or is that "Felinoid"?)

David A Guidry

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Jan 14, 1991, 12:56:29 PM1/14/91
to

I'm pretty sure that the Zhukov (after Marshall Georgi Zhukov, the defender
of Moscow) was a Galaxy class. However, it seemed to have a wider spine on
the secondary hull. Perhaps this is one of the "newer" Galaxys mentioned
in previous episodes (where they were talking about how engine performance
had been upgraded, etc.... I don't remember the exact episode)

Also, Who played Data's dance partner? It almost looked like Denise, but
she had hair.


--
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Academic Computing and Network | Guaranteed security measures
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gui...@casbah.acns.nwu.edu Wishing the best to the 256th of the 5th Division

Michael Rawdon

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Jan 14, 1991, 4:56:35 PM1/14/91
to
In <25...@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> gui...@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (David A Guidry) writes:
>In article <41...@nigel.ee.udel.edu> sfl...@udel.edu (Steven J Flynn) writes:
>>Was the ship that delivered the ``Vulcan'' ambassidor a Galaxy Class Ship?
>>I checked my tape twice and the two ships looked almost the same. Previously I
>>pointed out that in `Family' Worf's father stated that he had all the
>>blueprints for the Galaxy class ship*s*. Could the Enterprise have more
>>sibings?

>I'm pretty sure that the Zhukov (after Marshall Georgi Zhukov, the defender
>of Moscow) was a Galaxy class. However, it seemed to have a wider spine on
>the secondary hull. Perhaps this is one of the "newer" Galaxys mentioned
>in previous episodes (where they were talking about how engine performance
>had been upgraded, etc.... I don't remember the exact episode)

It looked Excelsior-class to me, but then again, it sometimes seems like
EVERYTHING looks Excelsior-class to me. :-)

The only episode where I remember hearing about engine performance being
upgraded was in "Where No One Has Gone Before", and that was a clearly
temporary measure. The ships they performed the "upgrades" on were
Excelsior-class anyway (and THAT I'm sure of). Which episode are you thinking
of here?

>Also, Who played Data's dance partner? It almost looked like Denise, but
>she had hair.

I looked very closely to try to figure it out, but I couldn't tell. She
was either always in the background, or else not facing the camera
(without Data in front of her). Well, it's a trivial matter. I'm not a
Crosby fan anyway.

Mark Lent

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Jan 14, 1991, 6:11:29 PM1/14/91
to

1. Glad to see Troi's breasts again.

2. Data's smile cracks me up.

3. The outfit on the blonde dancer was nice.

4. Data's uniform covered with cat hair???

5. (And something no one has mentioned yet)

Was there a mention at the beginning list of the day's events
some kind of Hindu celebration? Is this the first occurrence
of a specific religious belief of the 24th Century?

Richard Mossman

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Jan 14, 1991, 9:07:41 PM1/14/91
to
I still occasionally feel like someone from the TNG production staff is
reading this net.

No one has mentioned (that I have seen) the very ending of the show. "Worf
is sitting in the Captain's chair. Data walks in, gets a status report,
formally accepts "the Bridge", and announces the beginning of "Nightwatch".

There have been a lot of discussions about having the regulars always on duty
or on the bridge, and about others being in command, and about off-duty
hours, etc. It's great to see extras in the communications, navigation, and
other positions.

I guess we should just continue to "comment" on the shortcomings of this show
and they will be heard.


--
Richard K. Mossman {att,bellcore,sun,ames,decwrl}!pacbell!rkm
415/823-0974
=========================================================================
"I need to put some distance between overkill and me!" -- E. John (1988)

Michael Rawdon

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Jan 14, 1991, 11:20:52 PM1/14/91
to
In <59...@ptsfa.PacBell.COM> rkm...@PacBell.COM (Richard Mossman) writes:
>No one has mentioned (that I have seen) the very ending of the show. "Worf
>is sitting in the Captain's chair. Data walks in, gets a status report,
>formally accepts "the Bridge", and announces the beginning of "Nightwatch".

>There have been a lot of discussions about having the regulars always on duty
>or on the bridge, and about others being in command, and about off-duty
>hours, etc. It's great to see extras in the communications, navigation, and
>other positions.

Personally, it doesn't mean a thing to me unless they do it on a regular
basis. It's just a throwaway bit.

Jim Jagielski

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Jan 15, 1991, 9:00:54 AM1/15/91
to
In article <25...@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> gui...@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (David A Guidry) writes:
}In article <41...@nigel.ee.udel.edu> sfl...@udel.edu (Steven J Flynn) writes:
}
}>
}>Was the ship that delivered the ``Vulcan'' ambassidor a Galaxy Class Ship?
}>I checked my tape twice and the two ships looked almost the same.
}
}I'm pretty sure that the Zhukov (after Marshall Georgi Zhukov, the defender
}of Moscow) was a Galaxy class. However, it seemed to have a wider spine on
}the secondary hull. Perhaps this is one of the "newer" Galaxys mentioned
}in previous episodes (where they were talking about how engine performance
}had been upgraded, etc.... I don't remember the exact episode)


The support pylon between the primary and secondary hulls was also different:
seemed much smaller. In fact, the entire other ship did seem "smaller" than
the Big-E.

PS. I also thought the comments about upgrading engine performance were
something like ... "when they get around to redesigning the engines" or some-
thing similar... who knows?
--
=======================================================================
#include <std/disclaimer.h>
=:^)
Jim Jagielski NASA/GSFC, Code 711.1
j...@jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov Greenbelt, MD 20771

"Exploding is a perfectly normal medical phenomenon. In many fields of
medicine nowadays, a dose of dynamite can do a world of good."

-8 Otto Hack-Man Heuer 8-

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Jan 15, 1991, 7:25:01 PM1/15/91
to
tly...@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>d...@cci632.UUCP (Deborah Brown) writes:

>[about Data's new cat]
>
>>I for one am dying to know what kitty's name is. Anyone care to speculate?
>
>"Tasha", perhaps?

ooooooh... I'm not going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole. ;-)
--HACK-MAN
"Transmit the following in all languages and on all frequencies:
'We surrender'." --Jean-Luc Picard/Encounter at Farpoint
--
_____ _________ _ Ignor missng charctrs, as pnet's edtr tends to eat thm
| ___|| _______|| | INET: hac...@pnet51.orb.mn.org"
| |__ | |___ ___| | crash
| __| |___ || _ | UUCP: >-------->!orbit!pnet51!hackman
| | _______| || |_| | tcnet Otto E. Heuer, CEO
|_||_________||_____| "The innovator for software solutions." FSD, Inc.
It would have worked too, if it weren't for those meddling kids...and that dog

-8 Otto Hack-Man Heuer 8-

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Jan 15, 1991, 7:05:03 PM1/15/91
to
h...@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu) writes:

>In article <2...@sialis.mn.org> r...@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin) writes:
>>>>Spoilers for "Data's Day"

>>>I loved the new sets, and the shots of the alien crewmembers, I'm glad to
>>>see Worf and Data aren't the only non-humans on the ship.
>
>>The first thing that struck me was the "barber" in the background with the
>>tool that looked like a Ghostbuster Sensor. I was half expecting that
>>hair to come to life and eat Geordi's face. Either that, or they were
>>searching for lost children, buried coins and bottlecaps, or something.
>
>Well, that certainly was a pretty tall coiffure, but you missed the point.
>(I thought this was a very nice touch, good attention to detail...) The
>barber was "dying" the hair - it was silvery at first and became kind of
>coppery/golden as the wand passed over. Very slick.

Hmmm... there's something I apparently missed (alert Ted Koppel).

Michael Rawdon

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Jan 15, 1991, 5:57:38 PM1/15/91
to
In <1991Jan13....@nntp-server.caltech.edu> tly...@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:

>raw...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:
>>I'm more interested in why she wanted to call of the wedding in the first
>>place. The "cold feet" explanation is FAR too weak for my tastes; there has
>>to have been more concrete reasons, and I don't think it would have been
>>out of place for Data to try to pry them out of her.

>I think it would have been--his reasoning seemed pretty clear-cut throughout,
>in that she was supposedly acting on reason, and she believed that calling off
>the wedding would make her happy. That's all Data needed to hear.

I didn't find it very realistic. He knows humans don't often act on reason,
and it seems that he would take this into account and wonder what her
reasons were, especially since he should have known (and someone else
pointed out) that calling off a wedding is NOT generally considered to be a
good thing.

And regardless, I think the viewer needs to be informed of her reasons if
he's to care about the character in the least (I certainly didn't), and there
was ample opportunity to get Data to try to figure out what her reasons were.

Timothy W. Lynch

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Jan 15, 1991, 7:12:21 PM1/15/91
to
raw...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:
>In <1991Jan13....@nntp-server.caltech.edu> tly...@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>>raw...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:

>>I think it would have been--his reasoning seemed pretty clear-cut throughout,
>>in that she was supposedly acting on reason, and she believed that calling
>>off the wedding would make her happy. That's all Data needed to hear.

>I didn't find it very realistic. He knows humans don't often act on reason,

Oh, he does? I'll call you on this one--prove it.

>and it seems that he would take this into account and wonder what her
>reasons were, especially since he should have known (and someone else
>pointed out) that calling off a wedding is NOT generally considered to be a
>good thing.

"But," he said, playing Devil's Advocate to the hilt, "perhaps the 'general
public' who do not consider it a good thing are not so clearly devoted to
their partner's happiness as O'Brien is to Keiko's."

>And regardless, I think the viewer needs to be informed of her reasons if
>he's to care about the character in the least (I certainly didn't), and there
>was ample opportunity to get Data to try to figure out what her reasons were.

If she'd been just a throwaway character, then I wouldn't have based solely on
this show. But she's going to be around rather a lot--definitely in "The
Wounded", and probably well beyond. I'll take my chances before condemning
her.

As for "ample opportunity", perhaps--but can you think of ANY way to have
made such an encounter not look forced? I can't.

Tim Lynch

Greg Goebel

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Jan 14, 1991, 10:13:25 AM1/14/91
to
I really did like this episode. The plot was sheer contrivance, but it
wasn't an obtrusive one ... except maybe for Troi's boobs. (Her boobs
are just as tiresome as the rest of her.)

But Data is such a fascinating character (particularly as rendered by
Spiner) that plot hardly matters. There is the great argument over whether
Data is an Asimovian robot ... maybe not in the strict technical sense, but
when I see him in action it is like Lije Bailey (sp?) gone 3D. (I did think
his mangling of the "wild goose chase" was gratuitious ... if he was
familiar with the phrase, why would he mangle it? Nitpick.)

Dr. Crusher was good in this episode: "I do NOT want to be known again
as 'The Dancing Doctor'!" (Or something close to that.) The tapdance scene
was clever, and the cat was a nice touch. (WORK HER INTO A SCRIPT! WORK
HER INTO A SCRIPT!)

Senor Coyote
--
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| Hewlett-Packard HP DESK: GREG GOEBEL / HP0900 / EM |
| MSO Marketing PHONE: Telnet/303 679-3424 |
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Janet Christian x2054

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Jan 15, 1991, 7:24:13 PM1/15/91
to
In article <14...@milton.u.washington.edu> le...@mica.UUCP () writes:
>
>
>
> Was there a mention at the beginning list of the day's events
> some kind of Hindu celebration? Is this the first occurrence
> of a specific religious belief of the 24th Century?

I'm glad that they mentioned this. To me, it indicates that, in the future,
all faiths and beliefs are recognized, accepted, and celebrated. None on
this "only one true way" bs. I'd like to see them occasionally mention
festivals and celebrations from other faiths as well.
--
____*_ Janet Christian jchri...@indetech.com
\ / / Independence Technologies {sun,sharkey,pacbell}!indetech!jchristian
\/ / 42705 Lawrence Place FAX: 415 438-2034
\/ Fremont, CA 94538 Voice: 415 438-2054

James K. Huggins

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Jan 16, 1991, 10:11:46 AM1/16/91
to
Somehow the attribution has gotten fouled up here. Oh, well ...

In article <1991Jan16.0...@nntp-server.caltech.edu> tly...@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
|raw...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:
|>In <1991Jan13....@nntp-server.caltech.edu> tly...@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
|>>raw...@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:

|>>I think it would have been--his reasoning seemed pretty clear-cut throughout,
|>>in that she was supposedly acting on reason, and she believed that calling
|>>off the wedding would make her happy. That's all Data needed to hear.

|>I didn't find it very realistic. He knows humans don't often act on reason,

|Oh, he does? I'll call you on this one--prove it.

The dialog in "The Defector" between Geordi and Data in Engineering,
when Geordi attempts to explain 'gut feelings' and instinct to Data
comes to mind as the most prominent example.

Jim Huggins, Univ. of Michigan

Timothy W. Lynch

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Jan 16, 1991, 3:13:44 PM1/16/91
to

It _could_ (not necessarily should, but could) be argued that that particular
conversation focused highly on instinct/gut feelings being used only when all
the facts are not available...they are used to fill in the gaps.

Probably the best thing to say here is that Data _should_ know by now that
the average human doesn't act on reason, but he hasn't quite figured it out
yet.

Oh, and an addendum--it varies considerably from person to person, yes?
Certainly, in my experience, I've found some people who seem to nearly always
act on reason, and some who in my opinion have never had a reasoned thought
in their lives. Having never seen Keiko before, we don't know whether she's
known to Data previously as a very reasoned person, which she may be.

Tim Lynch
Hanging onto this point for dear life :-)

Ward Griffiths

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Jan 16, 1991, 12:35:31 PM1/16/91
to

vi...@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Vicki Holzhauer) writes:

>Actually, I think that the cat looked unhappy only because it wanted
>to go right from Data'a lap onto the computer console. If he's had
>this cat for a while, Data would know that the cat would instantly
>hit some keys that would cause something potentially disastrous
>to happen. She tried at least twice to head in that direction. As
>any cat owner knows :-), a cat will immediately head for the keyboard,
>book you are reading, or newspaper ... in other words, *anything* to
>which you are paying attention that is *not* the cat ... :-)

Yes, I have to I consider just how much time I've
spent over the years trying to remind my cats that
"Kitten on the Keys" is supposed to be a piano
exercise, not a word processing document. They
have extremely selective memories concerning such
lessons.

Then again, the fact that my old Tandy Model 16
gets pretty warm after it's been on a few days,
and they love relaxing on top of it, shedding
soft little hairs down into the floppy drives
through the vents, has been known to strain my
patience. "Boot sector not found", etc.

If I didn't love the two of them so much, I'd
have me a nice pair of mismatched fuzzy slippers.

--
Ward Griffiths, Unisys NCG aka Convergent Technologies The people that make Unisys' official opinions get paid more. A LOT more.
=========================================================================== To Hell with "Only One Earth"! Try "At Least One Solar System"!

How many years must some people exist, before they're allowed to be free? PP&M If they have to wait until they're allowed, they never will be. Me

Russ Poffenberger

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Jan 16, 1991, 6:10:11 PM1/16/91
to
In article <25...@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> gui...@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (David A Guidry) writes:
>In article <41...@nigel.ee.udel.edu> sfl...@udel.edu (Steven J Flynn) writes:
>
>Small spoiler ahead.
>
>>
>>Was the ship that delivered the ``Vulcan'' ambassidor a Galaxy Class Ship?
>>I checked my tape twice and the two ships looked almost the same. Previously I
>>pointed out that in `Family' Worf's father stated that he had all the
>>blueprints for the Galaxy class ship*s*. Could the Enterprise have more
>>sibings?
>
>I'm pretty sure that the Zhukov (after Marshall Georgi Zhukov, the defender
>of Moscow) was a Galaxy class. However, it seemed to have a wider spine on
>the secondary hull. Perhaps this is one of the "newer" Galaxys mentioned
>in previous episodes (where they were talking about how engine performance
>had been upgraded, etc.... I don't remember the exact episode)
>

It looked to me that while similar, there were differences. For one, it looked
smaller than the E. Maybe it was the perspective though.

Russ Poffenberger DOMAIN: pof...@sj.ate.slb.com
Schlumberger Technologies UUCP: {uunet,decwrl,amdahl}!sjsca4!poffen
1601 Technology Drive CIS: 72401,276
San Jose, Ca. 95110 (408)437-5254

Robert Duff

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Jan 15, 1991, 1:42:55 PM1/15/91
to
In article <59...@ptsfa.PacBell.COM> rkm...@PacBell.COM (Richard Mossman) writes:
>No one has mentioned (that I have seen) the very ending of the show. "Worf
>is sitting in the Captain's chair. Data walks in, gets a status report,
>formally accepts "the Bridge", and announces the beginning of "Nightwatch".
>
>There have been a lot of discussions about having the regulars always on duty
>or on the bridge, and about others being in command, and about off-duty
>hours, etc. It's great to see extras in the communications, navigation, and
>other positions.

I would like to know, from someone who knows, exactly how are the different
stations manned throughout the day on a naval vessel?
Is it 2 12 hour shifts?
Is it 3 8 hour shifts?
How long is the captain on the bridge?
The first officer?
How often are they assigned to the bridge at the same time?
Who is in charge during captain's and first officer's off hours?

And last and least, How closely does Star Trek follow this or a
similar pattern.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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who said: | Automation & Robotics Research
"I Drank WHAT!?" | Institute - (817) 794-5957
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