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Lynch's Spoiler Review: "Ensign Ro"

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Timothy W. Lynch

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Oct 11, 1991, 3:50:01 PM10/11/91
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(Finally...the server comes back up. Sorry for the delay, and sorry if the
server problems cause this message to repeat. --TL)

WARNING: This article contains heavy spoiler information for this week's TNG
episode, "Ensign Ro". Those sentients who've not yet seen the episode and who
don't wish foreknowledge of it are advised to depart now.

"Darmok" it wasn't...but it wasn't too bad, either..

This one's going to be tough to grade, no doubt about it. I suppose I'll
puzzle it out somehow...but first, a synopsis:

After the Solarion 4 settlement is destroyed, and a race called the Bajora
claims responsibility, Picard meets with Admiral Kennelly, who tells him that
the Bajoran responsible is a terrorist leader named Orta. (The Bajorans'
homeworld was annexed by the Cardassians generations ago--they've been
refugees ever since.) Picard's mission is to find Orta, and to get him back
to the Bajoran settlement camps "any way he can". Kennelly offers amnesty to
Orta, but nothing more than promises beyond it.

A possible snag in this mission is the very thing Kennelly proposed to help
it: the presence of one Ensign Ro Laran, a Bajoran. Her past record is such
that virtually no one on board wants her there (including Picard), but
Kennelly insists she can be of help. She comes on board, with a sour
disposition light-years across.

Despite her attitude, she manages to be of some help. Due in large part to
her suggestions and efforts, Picard manages to locate Orta, and they head to
the third moon of Vallor 1, his base. After Guinan takes an interest in Ro
(despite Ro's opposition, and to the extent of calling her a friend), however,
Ro receives a private communication from Admiral Kennelly. Everything is
"going as [he] predicted," she tells him...

The next morning, the away team (Picard, Troi, Worf, and Data) prepare to beam
down, and find that Ro did so six hours ago. They follow her, and are
promptly captured by Orta and his people. Orta, horribly disfigured as a
result of Cardassian torture, tells them that he felt abducting them was
necessary, and says that the Bajora were _not_ responsible for the attack.
(Ro had beamed down early to try to stop the bloodshed she was convinced the
mission will eventually come to.)

Picard is somewhat inclined to believe Orta, especially since Troi sensed no
deception from him. However, he confines Ro to quarters for her unauthorized
beam-down. She broods in her quarters, but Guinan again comes to the rescue,
coaxing enough out of her to find that much more is going on than originally
thought, and she convinces Ro to talk to Picard (and convinces Picard to
listen, equally importantly).

Ro reveals that she was given a different mission by Kennelly: to offer Orta
Federation weapons in exchange for returning to the camps. (He also gave her
authorization for her beam-down.) However, with Orta's revelation, she no
longer knows what to do or whom to trust. Picard decides that the best course
might be to actually _take_ Orta back to the camps, and then "see what
happens"...

As the Enterprise escorts a Bajoran cruiser [at half impulse, the cruiser's
top speed] to the camp, however, two Cardassian ships cross the border and
forcefully "request" that the Enterprise leave this "terrorist" ship to them.
Picard initially refuses, and is given an hour. Kennelly, far from helping,
insists that the Cardassian treaty is the more important issue, and orders
Picard to withdraw--even after Picard openly states his belief that Kennelly
was working with the Cardassians to draw Orta out so that they could destroy
him.

Picard withdraws, and the Bajoran cruiser is destroyed. However, Kennelly is
surprised to hear that no one was on board! (Picard and Ro, suspecting a chain
of events like this might occur, planned it.) Picard informs Kennelly that
the Bajoran ships are so old and obsolete that they were incapable of
attacking the Solarion 4 settlement, and suggests that the Cardassians staged
everything, hoping to find someone like Kennelly, naive enough to help them
solve their problems. All is well--and Ro, after Picard challenges her to
stay in Starfleet, stays on.

There, that should do. Now, some thoughts, such as they are:

I started off _extremely_ skeptical. Apart from the first minute, a truly
awful scene with the barber we've seen in the background once or twice [and
which made me believe the "beauty salon" set has really been a waste of
effort--the only half-decent scene we've had in it so far was in "Data's
Day"], the first 10-15 minutes virtually *screamed* "This is TNG's take on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict" at me. I wouldn't fault TNG for trying to
tackle the issue--but this was looking poorly executed, and was looking about
as subtle as a live grenade. Bleah.

However, somewhere in there...it changed. Radically, and for the better. I
think it must've been around the time Ro had her private communication from
Kennelly--suddenly, it looked like this *wasn't* just a poorly-done "TNG
moralizes until half the audience retches" show. (I don't think there've been
quite as many as some seem to think, but there've certainly been a
few--"Symbiosis" comes to mind as a vivid example...) Suddenly, there was
something more to it--and something much more interesting.

The main thing that kept me interested early on (as interested as I was,
anyway) was Ro herself. She originally looked like something of a plot
device, but man, she was a *feisty* plot device. Michelle Forbes did a vastly
better job here than she did as Timicin's daughter in "Half a Life," I must
say. (And TNG's definitely getting a better class of guest stars--first
Winfield's performance last week, and now hers. Keep it up, folks...) I
wasn't hugely interested in her background (although I *did* want to know more
of the details of what she did that got everyone so pissed, and I'm a little
miffed we didn't get them), but something about her kept me watching.

The second half of the show was vastly better. Ro's turnaround was slightly
forced (as my wife put it, she and Sela really should get together for a major
angst-wrestling match sometime :-) ), but it was fairly believable, thanks
mostly to Guinan's presence. And for once, TNG avoided its too-common "rushed
ending" problem, and had the fifth act as the *best* one of the episode. As
in "Redemption II" [although it's about the only thing the shows share],
Picard's strategizing is one of the more interesting things to watch.

Some bits didn't ring true, though, mostly early on. For example:

--Once again, Riker was *too* hostile and bullying. I had no problem with him
voicing lots of distaste for having her on board to Picard in private, or with
his reminder about "proper uniform code" when she first came on board. But
his little spiel (bellowed, of course) about how lots of officers wait years
to serve on this ship, and she doesn't care, etc., has simply got to go. As
with "Darmok", I'm not sure the problem was hugely in the writing, so much as
in Frakes's playing of it. Someone get this man back to directing! :-)

--Most of the scene with Keeve Falor completely failed to hold my interest.
[Well, all right, *after* Michelle Forbes takes off her jacket. She *was*
rather attractive, after all. :-) ] The arguments are ones I'd heard before
(and more interestingly), and Picard's eventual solution struck me as buying
his way out of the problem, which I found a little distasteful.

--This started out as a major objection, and was fortunately improved upon
later. I originally thought "wait a second...here we have this ensign whom
virtually no one on board likes or trusts, and yet she manages to beam down by
herself without authorization and the transporter operator *doesn't tell
anyone about it*? What?" Fortunately, at least the "authorization" bit was
cleared up, thanks to Adm. Kennelly. I still think Riker would have set
something up to keep a closer eye on her movements, though.

--The conference itself was fine (especially Ro's points), but Bev's
statements about the diplomat being a good dancer seemed a little incongruous.
This is a delicate negotiation we're heading into...

Okay. As to the rest of the performances...hmm. Stewart did a good job, as
usual (although not stellar; nothing close to last week, certainly). Whoopi
did an excellent job--if I'm ever a starship captain, I definitely want a
quirky Time Lord on staff. :-) Cliff Potts was interesting as Kennelly--at
first, I was annoyed that he seemed to be so rash, but it turned out that that
was completely intentional, so he's covered. :-)

The direction was...mixed. More specifically, some of the scenes themselves
seemed a little poorly done (I'd really have liked a little background music
during Ro's big "why I had to do this" speech, for example--it dragged
horribly), but some of the cuts between them were excellent. (The two I'm
thinking of are Ro's "and he won't ask you to dance"/cut right to the
beam-down, and Guinan's trust of "one man"/cut right to Picard.)

That would seem to cover that. :-) Some more random thoughts...

--That was a very weird-looking Cardassian. Small problem with the makeup?

--I also noticed that the Cardassian's name was *Gul* Dolak. Is "Gul" a
title, a la the Ferengi DaiMon? I didn't think so before, but now it's
looking likely.

--Picard's jacket returns. :-)

--Nice work, Worf, getting yourself and Picard captured like that without a
struggle. :-)

--The Cardassians are still being portrayed as somewhat subtle, scheming
backstabbers. Suits me fine--I was worried that they'd come back as a more
peaceful race.

--Mike Shappe mentioned this to me back around "Redemption II", but it's a
reasonably valid point here, too. All of Picard's strategizing definitely
makes me think that like Kirk, Picard will one day become an Admiral--and that
unlike Kirk, Picard will take to it like a duck to water. He's a chess
player--and that's the stuff Admiralty is made of. (Good thing, too--seems
that everyone else of that rank is either obnoxious, stupid, or both. :-) )

That would mostly seem to be that, I think. It starts off slow (and doesn't
look promising), but it definitely improves. Thus, the numbers...

Plot: 7. It wasn't clear at all what sort of tack the show was taking at
first, and it should have been.
Plot Handling: 5. Too ssssssslllllllllllllooooooooooowwwwwwwww at the
beginning, by a long shot.
Characterization: 9. A bit off for Riker (again), but everyone else was
strong, especially Stewart and Forbes (the two most visible).

TOTAL: 7. Music and FX were about average, so no rounding up or down.

NEXT WEEK:

Tim has candidacy exams, and thus doesn't see the show or write a review until
Friday or Saturday. Oh...the show?

The "giant snowflake" from Data's past is back, and it's pissed. Film at 11.

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
"Mind if we join you?"
"Yes."
--Troi and Ro, "Ensign Ro"
--
Copyright 1991, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...

Dave Roy

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Oct 11, 1991, 11:56:35 PM10/11/91
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The following is from Tim Lynch's spoiler review of 'Ensign Ro':

>--The conference itself was fine (especially Ro's points), but Bev's
>statements about the diplomat being a good dancer seemed a little incongruous.
>This is a delicate negotiation we're heading into...

I definitely agree with this also. Is it just me, or does all of Bev's lines
seem forced when the episode is just trying to give her something to do. I
posted about this last spring. Sometimes it appears that characters are just
given a line to say so they can appear in the episode. It really gets
annoying when it's this blatant though.

>--Nice work, Worf, getting yourself and Picard captured like that without a
>struggle. :-)

That's not suprising. Isn't that the way it always happens? :) (No
flames, please. I'm also a big Worf fan. But sometimes it's just too
easy. :) )
Seriously, thought. Worf does do a good job against that Romulan in
Redemption II. (Even though he hurts his hand. Owwwwww!!! :) )
(Sorry, I meant though up in that line.)

Dave

****************************************************************************
* Disclaimer: All opinions expressed above are mine and do not represent *
* the opinions of Iowa State University. However, they are *
* for sale. Write or post for a free catalog. *
****************************************************************************
* Dave Roy "I'm just sitting here waiting for the next life" *
* ISU TREKKERS UNITE!!!!! *
****************************************************************************

Dave Roy

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Oct 11, 1991, 11:48:54 PM10/11/91
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In message <1991Oct11....@cco.caltech.edu>,
tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) says:
>--Most of the scene with Keeve Falor completely failed to hold my interest.
>[Well, all right, *after* Michelle Forbes takes off her jacket. She *was*
>rather attractive, after all. :-) ]

Yes, I totally agree. She was very attractive. But what I found interesting
was that we finally find out what many officers wear under their uniforms.
This reminds me of the black shirt that the original crew wore in the series.
I thought the black was the collar of the uniform until I saw somebody (I
think it was Spock) wearing the black T shirt alone.

Dave Roy

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Oct 12, 1991, 12:07:11 AM10/12/91
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This is my own mini-review of 'Ensign Ro,' but I do want to reply to one
of Tim's lines at the end, thus the subject line. (When one steals ideas,
why not steal from one of the best?)
I personally liked this show. Yes, it did start out slow and was
obviously about the Palestinian situation in the real world. However,
there was something more to it. With the conspiracy, it went from the
realm of moralizing about our world to commenting on a possible action
in our world. Can anybody else see what would happen if the CIA (Admiral
Kennely) started secretly funding the PLO? I think it would be quite
similar to this situation. (With Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan figuring
everything out, right? :) )
I know the Israelis are not our enemies like the Cardassians are the
Federation's, but the situations could be similar could they not?
I also liked Ro's character. Hopefully, she'll keep the edge that she
had here. I saw signs of this in her insistence on wearing earrings.
With a little development, she could be an awesome character, and a very
good foil for our beloved, vanilla characters. :)

Now to quote Tim. (God, I feel honored to be doing this. :) )


>Tim has candidacy exams, and thus doesn't see the show or write a review until Friday or Saturday. Oh...the show?

Can you post the review of your candidacy exams as well as your review of
Silicon Avatar? We're all dying to know how you did. (Especially Stephen,
so he can make bad puns about you.) ;)

Mr. Smiley Face

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Oct 12, 1991, 1:02:07 PM10/12/91
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tw...@isuvax.iastate.edu (Dave Roy) writes:

:)In message <1991Oct11....@cco.caltech.edu>,
:)tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) says:

Spoiler warning? What's that... oh...
Well, this isn't much more on Ro, so don't worry...
:)>[Well, all right, *after* Michelle Forbes takes off her jacket. She *was*
:)>rather attractive, after all. :-) ]
:)
:)Yes, I totally agree. She was very attractive. But what I found interesting
:)was that we finally find out what many officers wear under their uniforms.
:)This reminds me of the black shirt that the original crew wore in the series.
:)I thought the black was the collar of the uniform until I saw somebody (I
:)think it was Spock) wearing the black T shirt alone.

It was him, but, I don't know that all officers wear anything underneath.
I think even Spock only sometimes wore it. Otherwise it would be inconsistent
with uniform tears revealing bare skin and blood.

-Josh Laff :)
--
_______________________________________________________________________________
| Josh Laff: e-mail to: |
This is nothing but a consistently | smi...@uiuc.edu | # #
pathological display of inconsistent |smi...@gnu.ai.mit.edu____| _ _
consistencies. |_____________________| | |#\_____/#|
| (217) 384-6227 | \#######/

Gym Z. Quirk

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Oct 12, 1991, 10:39:14 PM10/12/91
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In article <1991Oct11....@cco.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>WARNING: This article contains heavy spoiler information for this week's TNG
>episode, "Ensign Ro". Those sentients who've not yet seen the episode and who
>don't wish foreknowledge of it are advised to depart now.

>"Darmok" it wasn't...but it wasn't too bad, either..

Uh huh...considering that I wasn't quite as enthusiastic about
"Darmok" as you were, my grade for "Ensign Ro" still reflects
this...;-)


>This one's going to be tough to grade, no doubt about it. I suppose I'll
>puzzle it out somehow...but first, a synopsis:

>[Synop deleted for space's sake.]


>There, that should do. Now, some thoughts, such as they are:
>
>I started off _extremely_ skeptical. Apart from the first minute, a truly
>awful scene with the barber we've seen in the background once or twice [and
>which made me believe the "beauty salon" set has really been a waste of
>effort--the only half-decent scene we've had in it so far was in "Data's
>Day"], the first 10-15 minutes virtually *screamed* "This is TNG's take on the
>Israeli-Palestinian conflict" at me. I wouldn't fault TNG for trying to
>tackle the issue--but this was looking poorly executed, and was looking about
>as subtle as a live grenade. Bleah.

No argument here. Maybe they should Get Floyd from "The Andy Griffith
Show"...;-)

As far as subtlty (or lack thereof) goes, I think "155mm Howitzer"
is a better fit than a mere "hand grenade". ;-)

>However, somewhere in there...it changed. Radically, and for the better. I
>think it must've been around the time Ro had her private communication from
>Kennelly--suddenly, it looked like this *wasn't* just a poorly-done "TNG
>moralizes until half the audience retches" show. (I don't think there've been
>quite as many as some seem to think, but there've certainly been a
>few--"Symbiosis" comes to mind as a vivid example...) Suddenly, there was
>something more to it--and something much more interesting.

Nothing like a good conspiracy to spice things up. ;-)

>The main thing that kept me interested early on (as interested as I was,
>anyway) was Ro herself. She originally looked like something of a plot
>device, but man, she was a *feisty* plot device. Michelle Forbes did a vastly
>better job here than she did as Timicin's daughter in "Half a Life," I must
>say. (And TNG's definitely getting a better class of guest stars--first
>Winfield's performance last week, and now hers. Keep it up, folks...) I
>wasn't hugely interested in her background (although I *did* want to know more
>of the details of what she did that got everyone so pissed, and I'm a little
>miffed we didn't get them), but something about her kept me watching.

I was somewhat reminded of Peter David's Cmdr Stone from _A Rock and a
Hard Place_. Too bad Ro wasn't quite as intense. ;-)

>The second half of the show was vastly better. Ro's turnaround was slightly
>forced (as my wife put it, she and Sela really should get together for a major
>angst-wrestling match sometime :-) ), but it was fairly believable, thanks
>mostly to Guinan's presence.

Well...I'm still wondering what's going on with Guinan. I'm
beginning to agree with those who would have her completely replace
Troi. For most intents and purposes, she already has.

> And for once, TNG avoided its too-common "rushed
>ending" problem, and had the fifth act as the *best* one of the episode. As
>in "Redemption II" [although it's about the only thing the shows share],
>Picard's strategizing is one of the more interesting things to watch.

Well...it wasn't quite as interesting this time around. (I've
probably been reading too much Clancy and Deighton. ;-)

>Some bits didn't ring true, though, mostly early on. For example:
>
>--Once again, Riker was *too* hostile and bullying. I had no problem with him
>voicing lots of distaste for having her on board to Picard in private, or with
>his reminder about "proper uniform code" when she first came on board. But
>his little spiel (bellowed, of course) about how lots of officers wait years
>to serve on this ship, and she doesn't care, etc., has simply got to go. As
>with "Darmok", I'm not sure the problem was hugely in the writing, so much as
>in Frakes's playing of it. Someone get this man back to directing! :-)

Well...maybe someone read up on the 'typical' role of Exec: he who
handles disciplinary problems so that the captain doesn't have to.
But I agree that ol' Will has been somewhat tight-assed of late...;-)

(Maybe he needs to get laid again...;-)

>[snip]


>--The conference itself was fine (especially Ro's points), but Bev's
>statements about the diplomat being a good dancer seemed a little incongruous.
>This is a delicate negotiation we're heading into...

Well...we need *someone* to provide useless bits of trivia. ;-)

>[more snipping...]


>
>That would seem to cover that. :-) Some more random thoughts...

Hold it...I've got a little gripe of my own. ;-)

Unless I misheard, the Cardassian 'border' goes *through* the system
(name eludes me right now--the one with all the refugee camps).
13,400 km is *not* a lot of space when you're dealing with
interstellar governments.

[And now back to Tim.]


>--That was a very weird-looking Cardassian. Small problem with the makeup?

Hmmm...maybe something akin to the "white klingons" in "The Trouble
with Tribbles"? ;-)

>--I also noticed that the Cardassian's name was *Gul* Dolak. Is "Gul" a
>title, a la the Ferengi DaiMon? I didn't think so before, but now it's
>looking likely.

Considering that we've only had two examples, i'm not quite prepared
to go with it. But it is a distinct possibility.

>--Picard's jacket returns. :-)

Hmmm...I'm still having problems with its sudden appearance...oh
well...;-)

>--Nice work, Worf, getting yourself and Picard captured like that without a
>struggle. :-)

Nary a growl...maybe he's been sick. ;-)

>--The Cardassians are still being portrayed as somewhat subtle, scheming
>backstabbers. Suits me fine--I was worried that they'd come back as a more
>peaceful race.

;-) So let's get things straight. TNG Klingons are behaving like TOS
Romulabn, TNG Romulans are behaving like TOS Klingons, and Cardassians
are behaving like Orions. I wonder if they've still got Vulcans
characterized correctly. ;-)

>--Mike Shappe mentioned this to me back around "Redemption II", but it's a
>reasonably valid point here, too. All of Picard's strategizing definitely
>makes me think that like Kirk, Picard will one day become an Admiral--and that
>unlike Kirk, Picard will take to it like a duck to water. He's a chess
>player--and that's the stuff Admiralty is made of. (Good thing, too--seems
>that everyone else of that rank is either obnoxious, stupid, or both. :-) )

Either that, or dead. Remember "Best of Both Worlds"? ;-)

>That would mostly seem to be that, I think. It starts off slow (and doesn't
>look promising), but it definitely improves. Thus, the numbers...
>
>Plot: 7. It wasn't clear at all what sort of tack the show was taking at
> first, and it should have been.
>Plot Handling: 5. Too ssssssslllllllllllllooooooooooowwwwwwwww at the
> beginning, by a long shot.
>Characterization: 9. A bit off for Riker (again), but everyone else was
> strong, especially Stewart and Forbes (the two most visible).
>
>TOTAL: 7. Music and FX were about average, so no rounding up or down.

About right, but tick off a tad for minor technical gripes. I'll call
it a 6.5: Watchable, but not particularly great.

>NEXT WEEK:
>
>Tim has candidacy exams, and thus doesn't see the show or write a review until
>Friday or Saturday.

May random factors align in your favor.

>Oh...the show?

>The "giant snowflake" from Data's past is back, and it's pissed. Film at 11.

Hmmm...nothing about the preview lept out as particularly good or
bad...guess we'll know in a week. ;-)

>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

>--
>Copyright 1991, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...


--
Capt. Gym Z. Quirk (Known to some as Taki Kogoma) tko...@triton.unm.edu
Veteran of the "Grand sf-lovers fiasco" of July '91-???.
Secret Master of rec.arts.startrek
-= Insert witty quote here =-

Timothy W. Lynch

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Oct 13, 1991, 1:01:13 AM10/13/91
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tko...@triton.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk) writes:

>>WARNING: This article contains heavy spoiler information for this week's TNG
>>episode, "Ensign Ro". Those sentients who've not yet seen the episode and
>>who don't wish foreknowledge of it are advised to depart now.

>Hold it...I've got a little gripe of my own. ;-)

>Unless I misheard, the Cardassian 'border' goes *through* the system
>(name eludes me right now--the one with all the refugee camps).
>13,400 km is *not* a lot of space when you're dealing with
>interstellar governments.

Whoops. You're right--damned stupid of me to miss it.

Tim Lynch

Dave Schaumann

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Oct 12, 1991, 10:05:26 AM10/12/91
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In article <1991Oct12.0...@news.iastate.edu>, twb88@isuvax (Dave Roy) writes:
>[...]

>obviously about the Palestinian situation in the real world.

I disagree. I think much better fits are the Iraqi/Kurds situation,
or perhaps even the Chinese communists/Chinese students.

The reason I feel this is the case is that the Bejorans are presented as
being a very small community (esp in relation to the Cardassians). You
may recall that they don't even have warp-capable ships.

==Just MHO...


-
--
_
_ //\miga! | The persons and events in this post are fictitious. Any
\X/~~\ | similarity to actual persons or events is unintentional.

Jim Omura

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Oct 13, 1991, 11:44:01 AM10/13/91
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In article <d84...@lynx.unm.edu> tko...@triton.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk) writes:
>In article <1991Oct11....@cco.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:

...

>Uh huh...considering that I wasn't quite as enthusiastic about
>"Darmok" as you were, my grade for "Ensign Ro" still reflects
>this...;-)

I rank "Ensign Ro" about average for episodes of the last
couple of years. That's very good for television, but not the
best they've done.

...

>>Israeli-Palestinian conflict" at me. I wouldn't fault TNG for trying to
>>tackle the issue--but this was looking poorly executed, and was looking about
>>as subtle as a live grenade. Bleah.

It wasn't that pointed to me. I saw ever "armed conflict" since the
60's about equally. You've forgotten about South Africa and the conflicting
claims over the decades? The Greco-Turkish Cypriot problem? Any predictions
on the Yugoslav/Croatian situation? Most of these didn't involve the USA
in fairly direct ways, so you might have felt something special for the
Arab-Israeli problem but I expect if we could quiz the writers on it, they
probably didn't feel it was "supposed to be" a gloss on that situation.

>>Tim Lynch (Cornell's first Astronomy B.A.; one of many Caltech grad students)

>>Copyright 1991, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...

I really don't like to see copyrighted material on the Net. If
you just put the Copyright notice on as a joke, it's a bad one. If not,
I hope you reconsider it. I'ved edited out as much as possible of your
material from my quotes. I claim "fair use" for the little that I
quoted.
--
Jim Omura, 2A King George's Drive, Toronto, (416) 652-3880
lsuc!jimomura
Byte Information eXchange: jimomura

Horowitz, Irwin Kenneth

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Oct 13, 1991, 12:55:00 PM10/13/91
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In article <1991Oct13.1...@lsuc.on.ca>, jimo...@lsuc.on.ca (Jim Omura) writes...

>>>Tim Lynch (Cornell's first Astronomy B.A.; one of many Caltech grad students)
>>>Copyright 1991, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...
>
> I really don't like to see copyrighted material on the Net. If
>you just put the Copyright notice on as a joke, it's a bad one. If not,
>I hope you reconsider it. I'ved edited out as much as possible of your
>material from my quotes. I claim "fair use" for the little that I
>quoted.
>--
Jim,
As I understand it, Tim's copyright is intended for his episode
synopses which are part of the TNG Episode Guide that Mike Brown (Vidiot)
has put together. In that sense, the copyright is simply against the
publishing of his synops by anyone else. Tim has never had a problem with
folks on ras responding to his posts and including relevant passages from
his reviews.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Irwin Horowitz |"Suppose they went nowhere?"-McCoy
Astronomy Department |"Then this will be your big chance
California Institute of Technology | to get away from it all!"-Kirk
ir...@iago.caltech.edu | from STII:TWOK
i...@deimos.caltech.edu |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Constantinos A. Caroutas

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Oct 13, 1991, 2:14:50 PM10/13/91
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>>--Nice work, Worf, getting yourself and Picard captured like that without a
>>struggle. :-)

Not to mention that Troi had not sensed anything... Yet later she
said her usual line regarding the Bajoran claim that they had not
attacked the Federation outpost: "I sensed no deception."

Constantinos A. Caroutas -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
"It's like I'm blowing kisses in the wind | from
Giving you love that you haven't been given | "Blowing Kisses In The Wind" I cross my heart and hope to die | Paula Abdul I'm only wishing you'd love me like I" | SPELLBOUND (1991)

Timothy W. Lynch

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Oct 13, 1991, 3:17:33 PM10/13/91
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ir...@iago.caltech.edu (Horowitz, Irwin Kenneth) writes:
>In article <1991Oct13.1...@lsuc.on.ca>, jimo...@lsuc.on.ca (Jim Omura) writes...

[at the end of my review]

>>>>Copyright 1991, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...
>>
>> I really don't like to see copyrighted material on the Net. If
>>you just put the Copyright notice on as a joke, it's a bad one. If not,
>>I hope you reconsider it. I'ved edited out as much as possible of your
>>material from my quotes. I claim "fair use" for the little that I
>>quoted.

>Jim,


> As I understand it, Tim's copyright is intended for his episode
>synopses which are part of the TNG Episode Guide that Mike Brown (Vidiot)
>has put together. In that sense, the copyright is simply against the
>publishing of his synops by anyone else. Tim has never had a problem with
>folks on ras responding to his posts and including relevant passages from
>his reviews.

Precisely. I've had the copyright notice on the reviews for over a year now,
and I've never once quibbled with r.a.s people following them up with as many
excerpts as are relevant. (Nor have I had any problem with people writing me
and asking me if they can repost it elsewhere--as long as they (1) ask, and (2)
keep the copyright notice intact, I've always been amenable to it.)

Sorry if it troubled you, Jim. Irwin's reasons above are exactly the reason
for the notices.

Tim Lynch

Michael Rawdon

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Oct 13, 1991, 8:58:19 PM10/13/91
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In <1991Oct11....@cco.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>WARNING: This article contains heavy spoiler information for this week's TNG
>episode, "Ensign Ro". Those sentients who've not yet seen the episode and who
>don't wish foreknowledge of it are advised to depart now.

>I started off _extremely_ skeptical. Apart from the first minute, a truly
>awful scene with the barber we've seen in the background once or twice [and
>which made me believe the "beauty salon" set has really been a waste of
>effort--the only half-decent scene we've had in it so far was in "Data's
>Day"],

I'd forgotten about the Barber scene. The inane dialogue and the fact that the
barber has to be one of the WORST barbers I have ever seen is probably why I
forgot the scene. :-)

(Of course, the comment that he's the "best barber in Starfleet" had me in
proverbial stitches!)

>However, somewhere in there...it changed. Radically, and for the better.

[...]

>The main thing that kept me interested early on (as interested as I was,
>anyway) was Ro herself. She originally looked like something of a plot
>device, but man, she was a *feisty* plot device.

I thought she was passable, but if she never returns I probably won't care
a smidgen.



> Michelle Forbes did a vastly
>better job here than she did as Timicin's daughter in "Half a Life," I must
>say. (And TNG's definitely getting a better class of guest stars--first
>Winfield's performance last week, and now hers. Keep it up, folks...)

Winfield, yes. Forbes didn't seem special here, though.

[...]

>Some bits didn't ring true, though, mostly early on. For example:

>--Once again, Riker was *too* hostile and bullying. I had no problem with him
>voicing lots of distaste for having her on board to Picard in private, or with
>his reminder about "proper uniform code" when she first came on board. But
>his little spiel (bellowed, of course) about how lots of officers wait years
>to serve on this ship, and she doesn't care, etc., has simply got to go. As
>with "Darmok", I'm not sure the problem was hugely in the writing, so much as
>in Frakes's playing of it. Someone get this man back to directing! :-)

I agree with you, but just barely. Riker IS a bit of a taskmaster, and this
has been established before. But dramatically, it was all too over-the-top
for me. (When I start saying, "enough, already" to the screen, it's time for
them to stop. :-)

>--Most of the scene with Keeve Falor completely failed to hold my interest.
>[Well, all right, *after* Michelle Forbes takes off her jacket. She *was*
>rather attractive, after all. :-) ]

Eh. Much too skinny for my tastes. :-)



>--That was a very weird-looking Cardassian. Small problem with the makeup?

It looked more like a strange facial structure. I thought it rather neat,
myself.

>--Picard's jacket returns. :-)

Seconded! :-)

>--Mike Shappe mentioned this to me back around "Redemption II", but it's a
>reasonably valid point here, too. All of Picard's strategizing definitely
>makes me think that like Kirk, Picard will one day become an Admiral--and that
>unlike Kirk, Picard will take to it like a duck to water. He's a chess
>player--and that's the stuff Admiralty is made of. (Good thing, too--seems
>that everyone else of that rank is either obnoxious, stupid, or both. :-) )

I think you're probably right, although I would have disagreed during the first
season when lust for exploration was a more integral part of his character
(which helped IMHO make him a more interesting character back then).

>TOTAL: 7. Music and FX were about average, so no rounding up or down.

I'd give it a (lethargic) 5 or so.

>NEXT WEEK:



>The "giant snowflake" from Data's past is back, and it's pissed. Film at 11.

I was interested in the preview until the "snowflake" showed up. Then I
lost all interest. What a stupid-looking creature. Oh, well.

--
Michael Rawdon
raw...@cs.wisc.edu

(Nothin' left but Stephen Dennison's .sig. Hit `n' to skip it!)

Just kidding!

Felan shena Thoron'edras

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Oct 13, 1991, 9:10:35 PM10/13/91
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(No one's perfect. :-))

I sorta caught that myself, actually, although the real significance of
the numbers went by me.. I did think it was a little small. Now, if they'd
said a larger (much larger) number, it would have been okay..
At least this time they were _close_ (26 minutes? I'm not quite sure...
something small) to the place that was calling for help... None of this
"How long?" "3 days." "We need to get there faster, they're having an
emergency over there..." stuff. Although, after BoBW, I'm at least accepting
that the Enterprise is that far away and the closest ship to the problem..
(Pardon the digression, folks.. :-) )

Felan shena Thoron'edras
"Do not meddle with the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick
to anger." (I don't want to hear other versions. I've heard them all before.)
"Courage can be found in the strangest places."
Words to live by: "Violence is the refuge of the incompetent."
(Yes, I know it isn't right; it's deliberate.)
"Variety is the spice of life, and I don't want to die." - Scott Borst

Just another theatre geek.....

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Oct 14, 1991, 11:56:55 AM10/14/91
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In article <1991Oct14....@spool.cs.wisc.edu> raw...@cs.wisc.edu writes:
>In <1991Oct11....@cco.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:

>>--Most of the scene with Keeve Falor completely failed to hold my interest.
>>[Well, all right, *after* Michelle Forbes takes off her jacket. She *was*
>>rather attractive, after all. :-) ]
>Eh. Much too skinny for my tastes. :-)

Not compared to Denise Crosby (first season).

Ms. Forbes does just fine with me...('tis obvious she does a LOT of
work in the gym and the aerobics program...).

(Ah yes, still another disagreement with the trek.net.critics...)

--
Roger Tang, gwan...@milton.u.washington.edu; Uncle Bonsai Memorial Fan Club
"Originally, I got into theatre to pick up girls. Unfortunately, all
I found were women."

Timothy W. Lynch

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Oct 14, 1991, 12:25:36 PM10/14/91
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raw...@cabrales.cs.wisc.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:
>In <1991Oct11....@cco.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:

>>WARNING: This article contains heavy spoiler information for this week's TNG
>>episode, "Ensign Ro". Those sentients who've not yet seen the episode and who
>>don't wish foreknowledge of it are advised to depart now.

>>--Once again, Riker was *too* hostile and bullying.

[...]

>I agree with you, but just barely. Riker IS a bit of a taskmaster, and this
>has been established before.

Key phrase here: "a bit". This was more a couple of megs. :-)

Tim Lynch

David W Kimball

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Oct 14, 1991, 3:43:27 PM10/14/91
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In article <1991Oct11....@cco.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>(Finally...the server comes back up. Sorry for the delay, and sorry if the
>server problems cause this message to repeat. --TL)
>
>WARNING: This article contains heavy spoiler information for this week's TNG
>episode, "Ensign Ro". Those sentients who've not yet seen the episode and who
>don't wish foreknowledge of it are advised to depart now.
>
>"Darmok" it wasn't...but it wasn't too bad, either..
>
>This one's going to be tough to grade, no doubt about it. I suppose I'll
>puzzle it out somehow...but first, a synopsis:
>
(synopsis deleted)

>There, that should do. Now, some thoughts, such as they are:
>
>I started off _extremely_ skeptical. Apart from the first minute, a truly
>awful scene with the barber we've seen in the background once or twice [and
>which made me believe the "beauty salon" set has really been a waste of
>effort--the only half-decent scene we've had in it so far was in "Data's
>Day"], the first 10-15 minutes virtually *screamed* "This is TNG's take on the
>Israeli-Palestinian conflict" at me. I wouldn't fault TNG for trying to
>tackle the issue--but this was looking poorly executed, and was looking about
>as subtle as a live grenade. Bleah.
>

I too got this impression at first, too, and had a barf bag all ready.

>However, somewhere in there...it changed. Radically, and for the better. I
>think it must've been around the time Ro had her private communication from
>Kennelly--suddenly, it looked like this *wasn't* just a poorly-done "TNG
>moralizes until half the audience retches" show. (I don't think there've been
>quite as many as some seem to think, but there've certainly been a
>few--"Symbiosis" comes to mind as a vivid example...)

Also "The Hunted", which I actually sat through a rerun of last week (with
*two* barf bags).

> Suddenly, there was
>something more to it--and something much more interesting.
>

Yes, there were a few curve balls, unlike in, say, "The High Ground", which
for a few awful moments (when Picard and Co. were captured) I thought we were
going to be subjected to a rehash of.

>The main thing that kept me interested early on (as interested as I was,
>anyway) was Ro herself. She originally looked like something of a plot
>device, but man, she was a *feisty* plot device. Michelle Forbes did a vastly
>better job here than she did as Timicin's daughter in "Half a Life," I must
>say. (And TNG's definitely getting a better class of guest stars--first
>Winfield's performance last week, and now hers. Keep it up, folks...) I
>wasn't hugely interested in her background (although I *did* want to know more
>of the details of what she did that got everyone so pissed, and I'm a little
>miffed we didn't get them),

Me too.

> but something about her kept me watching.
>
>The second half of the show was vastly better. Ro's turnaround was slightly
>forced (as my wife put it, she and Sela really should get together for a major
>angst-wrestling match sometime :-) ), but it was fairly believable, thanks
>mostly to Guinan's presence.

This was one of my biggest problems. I thought Guinan took to Ro way too fast
and for no apparent good reason other than to annoy Geordi by playing devil's
advocate.

> And for once, TNG avoided its too-common "rushed
>ending" problem, and had the fifth act as the *best* one of the episode. As
>in "Redemption II" [although it's about the only thing the shows share],
>Picard's strategizing is one of the more interesting things to watch.
>

I had to laugh at the way he was smart-alecing the Cardassian captain.
We should see more of him playing mind games with some of the duller and
more humorless opponents he runs into, he's good at it.

>Some bits didn't ring true, though, mostly early on. For example:
>
>--Once again, Riker was *too* hostile and bullying. I had no problem with him
>voicing lots of distaste for having her on board to Picard in private, or with
>his reminder about "proper uniform code" when she first came on board.

I thought this was just petty, and it made Riker look silly to me to have to
resort to that to try to bully her around.

> But
>his little spiel (bellowed, of course) about how lots of officers wait years
>to serve on this ship, and she doesn't care, etc., has simply got to go. As
>with "Darmok", I'm not sure the problem was hugely in the writing, so much as
>in Frakes's playing of it. Someone get this man back to directing! :-)
>
>--Most of the scene with Keeve Falor completely failed to hold my interest.

Only Patrick Stewart's acting got me through this bit. For once Picard isn't
on the moral high ground, but instead of apologizing or grovelling around he
holds his head up high and essentially tells the guy that that's the way the
cookie crumbles. Very well done on his part.

>[Well, all right, *after* Michelle Forbes takes off her jacket. She *was*
>rather attractive, after all. :-) ]

How'd she do that? It surprised me the first time because I didn't realize that
it *was* a jacket! I looked closer when I watched it again the next day, and
I never did see any obvious way that it opened. One minute she's standing there
with an apparently normal Starfleet uniform on, and the next she's wrapping
the jacket around the kid! BTW, her communicator\insignia is on the outside of
the jacket when she beams down, then when she straightens up after giving the
jacket away, it's on her undershirt (or whatever), without her apparently having
touched it - quite a feat of legerdemain!

> The arguments are ones I'd heard before
>(and more interestingly), and Picard's eventual solution struck me as buying
>his way out of the problem, which I found a little distasteful.
>
>--This started out as a major objection, and was fortunately improved upon
>later. I originally thought "wait a second...here we have this ensign whom
>virtually no one on board likes or trusts, and yet she manages to beam down by
>herself without authorization and the transporter operator *doesn't tell
>anyone about it*? What?" Fortunately, at least the "authorization" bit was
>cleared up, thanks to Adm. Kennelly. I still think Riker would have set
>something up to keep a closer eye on her movements, though.
>
>--The conference itself was fine (especially Ro's points), but Bev's
>statements about the diplomat being a good dancer seemed a little incongruous.
>This is a delicate negotiation we're heading into...
>
>Okay. As to the rest of the performances...hmm. Stewart did a good job, as
>usual (although not stellar; nothing close to last week, certainly). Whoopi
>did an excellent job--if I'm ever a starship captain, I definitely want a
>quirky Time Lord on staff. :-)

I suppose her TARDIS is in her hat, eh? :-)

> Cliff Potts was interesting as Kennelly--at
>first, I was annoyed that he seemed to be so rash, but it turned out that that
>was completely intentional, so he's covered. :-)
>
>The direction was...mixed. More specifically, some of the scenes themselves
>seemed a little poorly done (I'd really have liked a little background music
>during Ro's big "why I had to do this" speech, for example--it dragged
>horribly), but some of the cuts between them were excellent. (The two I'm
>thinking of are Ro's "and he won't ask you to dance"/cut right to the
>beam-down, and Guinan's trust of "one man"/cut right to Picard.)
>
>That would seem to cover that. :-) Some more random thoughts...
>
>--That was a very weird-looking Cardassian. Small problem with the makeup?
>

Yeah, he looked lopsided to me.

>--I also noticed that the Cardassian's name was *Gul* Dolak. Is "Gul" a
>title, a la the Ferengi DaiMon? I didn't think so before, but now it's
>looking likely.
>
>--Picard's jacket returns. :-)
>
>--Nice work, Worf, getting yourself and Picard captured like that without a
>struggle. :-)

Maybe he's getting afraid to resist guest-baddies-of-the-week, as they usually
kick his butt hard. :-)

>
>--The Cardassians are still being portrayed as somewhat subtle, scheming
>backstabbers. Suits me fine--I was worried that they'd come back as a more
>peaceful race.
>
>--Mike Shappe mentioned this to me back around "Redemption II", but it's a
>reasonably valid point here, too. All of Picard's strategizing definitely
>makes me think that like Kirk, Picard will one day become an Admiral--and that
>unlike Kirk, Picard will take to it like a duck to water. He's a chess
>player--and that's the stuff Admiralty is made of. (Good thing, too--seems
>that everyone else of that rank is either obnoxious, stupid, or both. :-) )
>
>That would mostly seem to be that, I think. It starts off slow (and doesn't
>look promising), but it definitely improves. Thus, the numbers...
>
>Plot: 7. It wasn't clear at all what sort of tack the show was taking at
> first, and it should have been.
>Plot Handling: 5. Too ssssssslllllllllllllooooooooooowwwwwwwww at the
> beginning, by a long shot.
>Characterization: 9. A bit off for Riker (again), but everyone else was
> strong, especially Stewart and Forbes (the two most visible).
>
>TOTAL: 7. Music and FX were about average, so no rounding up or down.
>

I'd say the music was infinitely unnoticeable, but for TNG that unfortuneately
*is* about average.

>NEXT WEEK:
>
>Tim has candidacy exams, and thus doesn't see the show or write a review until
>Friday or Saturday. Oh...the show?
>
>The "giant snowflake" from Data's past is back, and it's pissed. Film at 11.
>
>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
>"Mind if we join you?"
>"Yes."
> --Troi and Ro, "Ensign Ro"
>--
>Copyright 1991, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...

Dave W. Kimball
Snark Hunting major at UNH

Timothy W. Lynch

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Oct 14, 1991, 6:46:23 PM10/14/91
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dw...@kepler.unh.edu (David W Kimball) writes:
>In article <1991Oct11....@cco.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:

Spoilers for "Ensign Ro"...


[after the focus changed...]

>> Suddenly, there was
>>something more to it--and something much more interesting.

>Yes, there were a few curve balls, unlike in, say, "The High Ground", which
>for a few awful moments (when Picard and Co. were captured) I thought we were
>going to be subjected to a rehash of.

I appear to be in that rather vast minority which enjoyed THG (in fact, I
think I probably liked it better than "Ensign Ro"), but the two weren't
particularly similar, true.

>This was one of my biggest problems. I thought Guinan took to Ro way too fast
>and for no apparent good reason other than to annoy Geordi by playing devil's
>advocate.

Guinan's always taken to outcasts--she championed Barclay, too. This seemed
consistent enough to me.

>I had to laugh at the way he was smart-alecing the Cardassian captain.
>We should see more of him playing mind games with some of the duller and
>more humorless opponents he runs into, he's good at it.

I wouldn't want to see this *too* often--Captain Wise-Ass isn't what I had in
mind. :-) But once in a while, it's great fun.

>>Okay. As to the rest of the performances...hmm. Stewart did a good job, as
>>usual (although not stellar; nothing close to last week, certainly). Whoopi
>>did an excellent job--if I'm ever a starship captain, I definitely want a
>>quirky Time Lord on staff. :-)

>I suppose her TARDIS is in her hat, eh? :-)

Absolutely. I said that as far back as "Evolution".

>>--Nice work, Worf, getting yourself and Picard captured like that without a
>>struggle. :-)

>Maybe he's getting afraid to resist guest-baddies-of-the-week, as they usually
>kick his butt hard. :-)

Could be. :-)

Tim Lynch

John H. Jenkins

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Oct 14, 1991, 11:49:11 AM10/14/91
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There are spoilers here, so beware:


In article <d84...@lynx.unm.edu>, tko...@triton.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk) points out a
minor flaw in "Ensign Ro" which the usually astute tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch)
had managed to overlook in article <1991Oct11....@cco.caltech.edu> (his review), viz.:

> Unless I misheard, the Cardassian 'border' goes *through* the system
> (name eludes me right now--the one with all the refugee camps).
> 13,400 km is *not* a lot of space when you're dealing with
> interstellar governments.
>

There was one other point that had me groaning, "Aw, c'mon people!" at the screen. I had
a hard time believing that Picard of all people didn't know that the Bajorans put their
surname first and their given name last. He seems pretty aware of their general situation
and their recent history and yet he knows virtually _nothing_ about their culture? Surely,
if nothing else, Picard is sufficiently aware of Earth's past to know that not every culture
uses the "given name" "surname" algorithm. ("Ensign Mao Tse-tung reporting for duty, sir."
"Welcome aboard, Ensign Tse-tung." Bzzzzt.)

(In general, I'm suspicious that everybody in the TNG universe seems to follow modern
Western naming conventions.)

On the whole, I enjoyed the show a lot less than other people seem to have, largely because
I didn't buy Ro's sudden rehabilitation at the end. I found Picard's "Gee, Ensign, you may
have a place in Starfleet after all" speech embarassing and her, "Gosh, Captain, you're
right--but can I wear my earring?" response even worse. Still, it was much better than
I'd expected from the preview.

John H. Jenkins
jenk...@apple.com

Mike Batchelor

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Oct 14, 1991, 10:07:26 PM10/14/91
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cc43...@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu (Constantinos A. Caroutas) writes:


> >>--Nice work, Worf, getting yourself and Picard captured like that without a
> >>struggle. :-)
>
> Not to mention that Troi had not sensed anything... Yet later she
> said her usual line regarding the Bajoran claim that they had not
> attacked the Federation outpost: "I sensed no deception."

Yeah, she's pretty useless, huh?


Worf: They are arming photon torpedoes!
Riker: Red Alert!
Picard: Sheilds up. Steady.
[The alien ship fires a spread. The Enterprise rocks from the
impact]
Worf: Direct hit on shield number four!
Riker: Damage report all stations!
Worf: They are firing again!
Troi (dreamily): I sense hostility...

wo...@kaplaah.UUCP || Mike Batchelor
ism!wilbur!kaplaah!worf || Long Beach, California
-----------------------------------------------------------
"We want peaceful relations, or we'll blow up your planet."

Kevin D. Quitt

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Oct 15, 1991, 1:18:38 PM10/15/91
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In article <1991Oct14.1...@nic.unh.edu> dw...@kepler.unh.edu (David W Kimball) writes:
>I suppose her TARDIS is in her hat, eh? :-)

As I've said since her first (time aware) appearance, it *is* her hat.

--
_
Kevin D. Quitt srhqla!venus!kdq k...@3D.com
3D systems, inc. 26081 Avenue Hall Valencia, CA 91355
VOICE (805) 295-5600 x430 FAX (805) 257-1200

96.37% of all statistics are made up.

5N6E

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Oct 13, 1991, 5:15:52 PM10/13/91
to

>tko...@triton.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk) writes:

>>>WARNING: This article contains heavy spoiler information for this week's TNG
>>>episode, "Ensign Ro". Those sentients who've not yet seen the episode and
>>>who don't wish foreknowledge of it are advised to depart now.
>
>>Hold it...I've got a little gripe of my own. ;-)

>>Unless I misheard, the Cardassian 'border' goes *through* the system
>>(name eludes me right now--the one with all the refugee camps).
>>13,400 km is *not* a lot of space when you're dealing with
>>interstellar governments.

Actually, my first thought when I heard the distance given, was, "Hey, that
is awfully close. There is definitely going to be trouble if they don't go
around it." When they didn't go around it, it became apparent Picard intended
to go the obvious route, to encourage someone to tip his hand. I didn't feel
there was any inconsistency to the small distance. After all, if their are
borders in space, someone has to be on it, or it's going to be a very twisted
border. I would chalk it up to a bad choice for placing camps, not an
inconsistency. It is possible that the border runs right up to the edge of the
sytem in question or even cuts through it to the edge of the orbital path of the
inhabited planet(s). Just my HO.

Rick
--
|Rick D. Shepherd |Space Station Freedom| "Some use sharp remarks like|
|PRC c/o Lockheed |Software Environment | sword thrusts, but the words|
|1150 Gemini |Work = 1-713-282-6443| of the wise bring healing." |
|Houston TX 77058 |Home = 1-713-388-2907| Proverbs 12:18 <>< |

John T. whelan

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Oct 17, 1991, 7:43:43 PM10/17/91
to
tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:

>WARNING: This article contains heavy spoiler information for this week's TNG
>episode, "Ensign Ro". Those sentients who've not yet seen the episode and who
>don't wish foreknowledge of it are advised to depart now.

>The main thing that kept me interested early on (as interested as I was,
>anyway) was Ro herself. She originally looked like something of a plot
>device, but man, she was a *feisty* plot device. Michelle Forbes did a vastly
>better job here than she did as Timicin's daughter in "Half a Life," I must
>say. (And TNG's definitely getting a better class of guest stars--first
>Winfield's performance last week, and now hers. Keep it up, folks...) I
>wasn't hugely interested in her background (although I *did* want to know more
>of the details of what she did that got everyone so pissed, and I'm a little
>miffed we didn't get them), but something about her kept me watching.

It occurred to me that what they might be trying to do with Ro
is to do Tasha right this time. (i.e., a woman with psychological
scars and a chip on her shoulder.) Pity she doesn't appear to be a
new regular. Ensign McKnight's cuter, but she's little more than
window dressing. Maybe we should take out a "Help Wanted" ad in
Memory Alpha: "Wanted: Ensign with a personality. Conn experience a
plus."

>--Once again, Riker was *too* hostile and bullying. I had no problem with him
>voicing lots of distaste for having her on board to Picard in private, or wit

>his reminder about "proper uniform code" when she first came on board.

Speaking of which, how does all this relate to Worf's sash.
Yet another exception made by Picard, I guess.

>--Most of the scene with Keeve Falor completely failed to hold my interest.
>[Well, all right, *after* Michelle Forbes takes off her jacket. She *was*
>rather attractive, after all. :-) ]

I kept asking myself "How'd she _do_ that?", what with the
communicator ending up on the tank top and all. I realize now that
the answer is "Who cares?" The important thing is that she did. :-)
BTW, was anyone else reminded of Kirstie Allie with her red turtleneck
and no Class-A jacket in ST2:TWOK? <Insert appropriate wolf-like
sounds>

>--That was a very weird-looking Cardassian. Small problem with the makeup?

And the actor looked damned familiar. Wasn't he a Romulan?

>--Nice work, Worf, getting yourself and Picard captured like that without a
>struggle. :-)

The tactics of that whole scene were terrible! Did anybody
else notice how naked (Stephen, Anne -- no jokes or you'll get sent to
bed without your supper!) Troi looked without a phaser? I mean,
really, the other three away team mambers beam down with phasers
drawn, and the fourth isn't even _armed_! I know they weren't
expecting it when they went to the transporter room, but you'd think
Riker could have tossed her a type I or something. Maybe Life
Sciences personell don't get enough combat training (except of course
how to bash pots over people's heads :-)). When Data and Troi got
captured, it really looked like he'd expected her to cover his back.
Oops!

>--The Cardassians are still being portrayed as somewhat subtle, scheming
>backstabbers. Suits me fine--I was worried that they'd come back as a more
>peaceful race.

I'm glad they came back at all -- there are too many ad hoc
races on TNG.

>player--and that's the stuff Admiralty is made of. (Good thing, too--seems
>that everyone else of that rank is either obnoxious, stupid, or both. :-) )

What about Admiral Haden? (He was the example I used when
someone complained that all flag officers go renegade.)

John T. whelan

unread,
Oct 18, 1991, 1:26:19 PM10/18/91
to
DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!!
A pretty big spoiler for "Silicon Avatar" (_not_ just "Ensign Ro") follows



tko...@triton.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk) writes:

[about "Ensign Ro"]


>But I agree that ol' Will has been somewhat tight-assed of late...;-)

>(Maybe he needs to get laid again...;-)

Overheard while watching "Silicon Avatar":
"Riker's gonna get laid!"
[later]
"Well, maybe not..."

Seriously, tho, did _anybody_ expect Carmen to survive the
episode? Might as well give her a red shirt!
John Whelan

"You pull no punches / You need a damsel in distress
Who'll play your hunches / Who'll be a virgin more or less
You'll spring for candy / You'll have some secrets to confess
You'll pour the brandy / And pull the body from my dress"
--Uncle Bonsai, "Bedroom Eyes"

Chengi Jimmy Kuo

unread,
Oct 18, 1991, 6:19:40 PM10/18/91
to
whe...@sbphy.physics.ucsb.edu (John T. whelan) writes:

>A pretty big spoiler for "Silicon Avatar" follows



>tko...@triton.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk) writes:
>[about "Ensign Ro"]
>>But I agree that ol' Will has been somewhat tight-assed of late...;-)

>>(Maybe he needs to get laid again...;-)

> Overheard while watching "Silicon Avatar":
> "Riker's gonna get laid!"
> [later]
> "Well, maybe not..."

Seems no one has mentioned what I think is one of Star Trek's classic lines:
(or no one has as raunchy a mind as I do)

Carmen: I provide the best dessert!
--
cj...@locus.com
"The correct answer to an either/or question is both!"

Timothy W. Lynch

unread,
Oct 19, 1991, 7:19:23 PM10/19/91
to
whe...@sbphy.physics.ucsb.edu (John T. whelan) writes:
>tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:

Spoilers for "Ensign Ro"

> It occurred to me that what they might be trying to do with Ro
>is to do Tasha right this time. (i.e., a woman with psychological
>scars and a chip on her shoulder.) Pity she doesn't appear to be a
>new regular.

Umm...John, she *is* a new recurring character. She'll be around more.

They might be trying to "do Tasha right" with Ro, but I hope they do something
a little more interesting than what Tasha became. (Not to mention that they
still seem obsessed by her.)

>>--That was a very weird-looking Cardassian. Small problem with the makeup?

> And the actor looked damned familiar. Wasn't he a Romulan?

Nope. That was the head Cardassian in their *last* appearance. I don't
recall the actor's name here, but he's never appeared before on TNG.

>>player--and that's the stuff Admiralty is made of. (Good thing, too--seems
>>that everyone else of that rank is either obnoxious, stupid, or both. :-) )

> What about Admiral Haden? (He was the example I used when
>someone complained that all flag officers go renegade.)

This is a point. All right, call it _almost_ everyone else. :-)

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

"Travel, Arrival...years of an inch and a step toward a source..."
--Suzanne Vega, "Pilgrimage"

Michael Rawdon

unread,
Oct 19, 1991, 6:49:53 PM10/19/91
to
In <whelan.6...@sbphy.physics.ucsb.edu> whe...@sbphy.physics.ucsb.edu (John T. whelan) writes:
> It occurred to me that what they might be trying to do with Ro
>is to do Tasha right this time. (i.e., a woman with psychological
>scars and a chip on her shoulder.) Pity she doesn't appear to be a
>new regular.

This occurred to me, too. Unfortunately, there are only two things about
her that I like better than Yar: 1) She's cuter, and 2) She appears to be
an average actress rather than an average-to-poor actress (though, to be fair,
it's tough to get a handle on her ability and range based on < 1 hour of
performance).

--
Michael Rawdon
raw...@cs.wisc.edu

Stephen Dennison's life is a sine wave, and we're all trying to get the
amplitude up.

(We'd try to get the frequency down, too, except you can't go below zero!)

(Sorry, Stephen. :-)

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