[TNG] Lynch's Spoiler Review: "Face of the Enemy"
Jeff Foy
>WARNING: This review has been cosmetically altered to appear as a review of
>this week's TNG episode, "Face of the Enemy". In reality, it is a
>90,000-word essay on molluscs.
>
>Well, that's *much* better.
>
>The mollusc is ...
Rats! I was looking forward to it... :)
>Toreth holds a clear contempt for the Tal Shiar in general, and for Troi in
>particular. She takes great pleasure in attempting to put Troi ill-at-ease,
>demanding to know where Troi's guards are and the nature of the mission the
>ship is on. This rattles Troi early on, but she quickly settles into
>play-acting her role to the best of her ability, and threatens Toreth with
Play-acting? It looked more like N'Vek was feeding Troi the correct
answers via telepathy (at least that's how it looked). Seemed everytime
Toreth questioned Troi, N'Vek would look from Toreth to Troi and then Troi
would have a good answer. Too convenient for mere play-acting I think.
--
Jeffery Foy -- jf...@glia.biostr.washington.edu
1:343/58.206 or jeffe...@frenchc.eskimo.com
-*- Happy as a clam to be using Professional YAM -*- :)
Charles Lin
spoilers
At first I was wondering why no one on the Enterprise even noticed that
Troi was missing. I finally recalled that Troi had said that she was
at a seminar somewhere, and perhaps, for some reason, felt no need to keep
in touch with the Enterprise. It also must mean that if the Federation
had nothing to do with these plans, then there are Romulan dissident sympathizers
or Romulans that managed to get to Federation space.
It's also a mite peculiar that non-Romulans can fool Romulans so easily.
I suppose it's needed for the plot, but under normal circumstances, there
would be enough cultural differences (even forgiving the language barrier)
that it should be apparent when someone is not Romulan.
--
Charles Lin
cl...@eng.umd.edu
Timothy W. Lynch
this week's TNG episode, "Face of the Enemy". In reality, it is a
90,000-word essay on molluscs.
Well, that's *much* better.
The mollusc is ...
Oh. Sorry, my mistake. :-)
"Face of the Enemy" was a strong piece of work -- not without minor flaws
here and there, but only minor ones. More information follows, after this
synopsis:
Inside a Romulan Warbird, a groggy officer awakes, asks fruitlessly for the
computer to turn on the lights, and finally stumbles over to the dresser to
turn on a light herself. There, this "officer" is not what she appears --
she is, in fact, Deanna Troi altered to look like a Romulan!
The second-in-command of the ship, Sub-Commander N'Vek, arrives and quickly
explains to her the facts she needs to know after her abduction and
alteration. Troi is now Major Rakal of the "Tal Shiar", the Romulan
intelligence section, and as such need answer to no one. N'Vek tells her
quite earnestly that her help is needed, and that her only chance of survival
is to follow his advice. Troi acquiesces for the moment, and is taken to
meet Commander Toreth.
Toreth holds a clear contempt for the Tal Shiar in general, and for Troi in
particular. She takes great pleasure in attempting to put Troi ill-at-ease,
demanding to know where Troi's guards are and the nature of the mission the
ship is on. This rattles Troi early on, but she quickly settles into
play-acting her role to the best of her ability, and threatens Toreth with
Tal Shiar retribution well enough that Toreth decides, for the moment, to
follow orders and head to the Kaleb sector after taking on some secret cargo.
Meanwhile, in Federation space, the Enterprise takes on board one Ensign
DeSeve, a defector to Romulus who after twenty years is returning to his
original allegiance. He is, of course, arrested for treason and held for
court-martial, but he also insists on speaking to Picard. When Picard
arrives ("Commander!" "At ease -- and it's Captain, actually."), DeSeve
informs him that he is carrying a message from Spock, involving more "cowboy
diplomacy". DeSeve says that a Corvallen freighter will arrive shortly in
the Kaleb sector carrying important cargo for the Federation, and that the
Enterprise should meet it.
Picard, however, does not take this information at face value, and demands to
know something of the messenger before he can properly evaluate the message.
DeSeve talks briefly of his decisions to defect and then return. The
Romulans, he says, have a particularly rigid moral code that strictly defines
what is right and what is wrong; and this rigidity lends itself well to a
clarity of thought and of purpose. However, he continues, as he aged, he
discovered that clarity was perhaps not quite so ... clear-cut. Picard,
satisfied, immediately orders the Enterprise to the Kaleb sector.
Troi meets N'Vek in the Warbird's cargo bay, and discovers that the cargo is
in actuality some unconscious _passengers_. The three people in stasis are
Vice Proconsul M'Ret and two of his top aides, all of which intend to defect
to the Federation to protest Romulan policies and help the dissident
movement, of which N'Vek is a part, establish an underground railroad to help
dissidents escape. And while N'Vek agrees with Troi's protest that a Romulan
officer might have better served in her role, he says that if this phase of
the plan fails, a Starfleet officer will be required. For now, the plan is
that once the ship rendezvous with the freighter, both she and the cargo will
be sent to Federation space and freedom.
Troi and N'Vek, separately, head to dinner with the senior officers. There,
Toreth makes several attempts to break through Troi's guard, referring to
past intelligence errors that led to executions, asking Troi about her
educational background, and agreeing strongly with an assessment by a teacher
at the Romulan War Academy that the military and the Tal Shiar are
fundamentally at odds, with the former being based on trust and the latter on
deception. Troi, becoming Tal Shiar to the hilt, argues that they are the
only thing ensuring the loyalty of the Empire -- but this draws Toreth's
wrath even further, as she reveals that the Tal Shiar arrested and executed
her own father for nothing more than foolish idealism. Troi refuses to be
baited any further, however: "I don't need your devotion, Commander -- just
your obedience." "That's all you have," snarls Toreth, just as the meal is
adjourned.
The Warbird meets with the freighter, but all is not well. Troi senses that
the Corvallen captain has no intention of keeping his word, and
surreptitiously informs N'Vek of this. N'Vek immediately destroys the
freighter and tells Toreth he acted under Troi's orders. Troi, feeling
trapped, responds very harshly to Toreth's anger, citing broad discretionary
powers in carrying out her mission and dismissing the loss of life as
necessary. While Toreth makes a log entry deploring the unnecessary death,
Troi orders her to cloak the ship for protection and then to "hold position
and *wait*." Troi stalks out.
The Enterprise, meanwhile, arrives in the same sector, but finds no trace of
the freighter they were meant to meet. Picard quickly demands to know from
DeSeve what's going on, but DeSeve does not know. He admits that the message
he gave Picard did not come *directly* from Spock, but that the person who
did deliver it is one that DeSeve trusts implicitly. He reveals that the
freighter has a small speed, and thus must be no more than fifteen
light-years distant. Picard orders a search pattern.
Back on the Warbird, Troi and N'Vek argue about the loss of life on the
freighter and about the collapse of their initial plan. N'Vek calms Troi
down and says that the new plan is to proceed to the Starfleet base on Draken
Four, inside Federation space -- and that Troi will have to provide the
access codes to get past the Starfleet graviton "listening posts" along the
border.
Troi conveys these orders to Toreth, adding that the freighter was destroyed
because its captain was a known Federation spy. Toreth is utterly
contemptuous of the plan, citing gravitic sensors and possible tachyon "nets"
similar to those used during the Klingon civil war. Troi insists, calling
Toreth a coward. Toreth agrees, but not without getting in a parting shot:
"I think it is your kind that will be the death of us all." They prepare to
leave for Draken Four, but sensors pick up a vessel approaching -- the
Enterprise.
Toreth, seeing no need to provoke a confrontation, orders the Warbird to
quietly slip away under maneuvering jets (warp engines in the radiation field
of the destroyed freighter would make them detectable), as the Enterprise
crew finds the freighter's wreckage and deduces that it was caused by very
recent Romulan disruptor fire. Troi, sensing an opportunity to avoid
crossing the border, asserts her authority over *N'Vek*, threatening N'Vek
with exposure as a traitor if he does not help her find a way to somehow
enable the Enterprise to track them. N'Vek acquiesces, offering to work with
a sympathizer in Engineering to create a small magnetic imbalance in the warp
engines that may be detectable.
The Enterprise picks up that distortion intermittently, and with the help of
Ensign DeSeve concludes that it's from a Romulan ship. They set a course for
it. Toreth's reaction to the Enterprise tracking them is understandably
surprised, and she also reacts in a way DeSeve warns the Enterprise is
likely; she plans an attack. She orders a course set to directly below the
Enterprise's hull, saying that if the Enterprise *can* detect them, they'll
move to avoid an attack -- and if so, "I will destroy them."
The Enterprise crew notice the distortion approaching them and back off.
Toreth prepares to attack, but is prevented by Troi, who declares Toreth
unfit to command and relieves her of duty, threatening the crew's families to
get their assistance in making Toreth step down. She tells Toreth to "watch
and learn", claiming that she will use diplomacy to get the Enterprise to
lower their shields and *then* attack.
The Enterprise answers the Romulan hail, and the bridge officers show
understandable shock at seeing their counselor commanding the Warbird.
"Rakal" promises no more incidents such as the destruction of the freighter,
and offers to beam aboard to work things out. Picard agrees, ordering a
transporter lock on her and telling Worf privately to keep it active no
matter what happens.
Troi and N'Vek fire on the Enterprise, but with only minimal power. The
Enterprise shudders, but takes no significant damage -- and the three
dissidents, beamed over simultaneously with the disruptor fire, appear on the
bridge.
Toreth discovers the disruptor sabotage on the Warbird and accuses N'Vek and
Troi. "I see two traitors in our midst." She reaches for her weapon,
forgetting that N'Vek had confiscated it earlier on Troi's orders. N'Vek
reaches for his own weapon, and is killed by the ship's pilot. Toreth
threatens Troi with interrogation and execution, and orders shields dropped
and the cloak re-engaged for a return home. At the instant shields are
dropped, however, the Enterprise beams Troi home and leaves the area at
breakneck speed. Troi has her "old face" returned to her, and Picard
reassures her that thanks to her efforts, N'Vek's sacrifice will not be in
vain.
Whew. It's been a while since I wrote a long synopsis like that; I'd
forgotten how much time they took. (Thank heavens for three-day weekends.
:-) ) Now, onwards:
I have one minor plausibility objection to "Face of the Enemy", so I'll get
it out of the way first. I find it hard to believe that something as crucial
as the access codes for Federation border stations would be something that
Troi (or, by implication from N'Vek's statements, any Starfleet officer)
would have. Had she ever had to actually *use* them, I'd be much more
concerned -- as it is, it's just a small glitch.
That said, I thought "Face of the Enemy" was a marvelous piece of work, both
on the Warbird half and on the Enterprise half. Both Marina Sirtis and
Deanna Troi had their best episodes in ages (perhaps ever), we got some very
intriguing insights into Romulan culture, the guest stars ranged from decent
to superlative, and the plot rolled along without ever stalling or seeming
rushed. I'm quite impressed.
To start with, let's take the Warbird side, since it's probably the one more
people focused on. The most obvious point concerns Troi's situation and how
she dealt with it -- and she dealt with it well. Placed in a situation that
almost anyone would consider out of their league, *Troi* (not just Sirtis)
had to give the acting performance of a lifetime [literally, since it
would've been the _last_ such performance of her lifetime had she failed] to
not only escape herself, but to aid her kidnappers. And against all
expectations, she pulled it off.
Part of my concern before seeing the show had to do with the fact that
Sirtis's usual method of having Troi show anger (rare, I know, but it's
happened) is to make her rather shrill and vocal (much as she was the one time
she utterly lost her cool with N'Vek here). That sort of demonstration is
decidedly *not* Romulan so far as I'm concerned, and I was worried that she
might not be able to pull off the clipped, contemptuous style more akin to
Romulan dynamics. (In retrospect, given "Clues" and "Power Play", I probably
shouldn't have worried.) However, she took to it nicely, displaying at least
as much arrogance as needed -- and probably overdoing it a bit here and
there, which for a Tal Shiar representative might not be so bad.
However, nearly as critical to the success of the story as Troi's role was
that of Commander Toreth. Here, I expected good things initially owing to
Carolyn Seymour's excellent showings in both "Contagion" and especially
"First Contact". What I saw, however, surpassed my expectations
significantly. Toreth was revealed very strongly as a person akin to Picard
-- in fact, had "Balance of Terror" been a TNG episode I could very easily
see Seymour assuming Mark Lenard's role. Her concern for her ship, her crew,
and her *ethics* was far beyond that we've been led to believe is typical for
Romulans in this era, and made for quite a different look at Romulan culture.
A great deal of that was due to Seymour's superb job at walking the tightrope
between seeming so sympathetic that you wondered what she was doing in
command and seeming so cold-hearted that you didn't care or dismissed her as
one-dimensional. There are only a couple of TNG Romulans who've managed
that, the actor playing Admiral Jarok in "The Defector" being one of the
others. Bravo to Ms. Seymour.
Scott MacDonald as N'Vek was quite adequate in his role, but not a standout.
N'Vek was present primarily to help explain the plot to Troi (often a
thankless or unnecessary task, but not here) and in that, he worked
beautifully. I didn't find him a particularly sympathetic character, however
-- and my concern when he was killed was far more how Troi would avoid that
fate than any feeling I might have for N'Vek.
One of the most fascinating things to come out of the "Warbird" side of the
show was the discussion of the Tal Shiar and how it related to the military.
I was reminded of two things, only one of which relates to Trek. First, the
depiction of *Romulan* intrigues here reminded me a great deal of certain
_Klingon_ codes of ethics as depicted in John Ford's _The Final Reflection_
from way back. (In fact, the Tal Shiar was even mentioned once as "Imperial
Intelligence", which rang a *big* bell.) Secondly, I was reminded somewhat
of "The Hunt For Red October", in which some of the Navy/KGB interplay is
significant early on in the course of the film. I think Toreth's point about
trust vs. deception was very well made, and I will be *very* curious to see
what kind of fallout this episode's events will lead to in Romulan space and
on Romulus itself.
Which leads me to something else: this show, finally, depicted some of the
aftermath of "Unification". Over a year has passed since we've seen evidence
of a Romulan underground movement and political dissidents, and I was
beginning to wonder if we'd ever see it mentioned again. Well, at least
*someone* (two someones, actually -- Rene Echevarria of "The Mind's Eye" and
"I, Borg" fame wrote the story here and Naren Shankar of "The First Duty" and
"Ship in a Bottle" did the teleplay) remembered it and built on it. Spock's
efforts are beginning to bear some fruit, and M'Ret's defection should add a
little momentum. I'm starting to wonder if events closing out TNG's
television run or beginning its film run will deal with the
Federation/Romulan rapprochement, or some desperate Romulan acts to avoid
"sharing the fate of the Klingons". Hmm...
In a show like this, I usually expect the Enterprise role to be secondary
(much as it was in "Chain of Command, Part II"), and it would have been were
it not for Barry Lynch's [no relation, honest :-) ] wonderful work as the
repatriated Ensign DeSeve. This, I'm convinced, was the true "Face of the
Enemy" referred to in the title, not Troi's plastic surgery. DeSeve's
difficulty in readjusting to Federation life (such as that it is *not*
dangerous to volunteer information) was delicately handled, and his remarks
about Romulan modes of thinking had me absolutely fascinated. Even after
having seen a rerun of "The Defector" just hours before this, I still found
myself extremely impressed by how well DeSeve was shown. (When I think about
it further, he struck me as a very *defeated* person. He gave up everything
to follow one code of ideals, and then found the ideals he worshipped were
flawed. No wonder he seemed so tired.)
The direction was very nicely done, and among the best work I've ever seen
from Gabrielle Beaumont. (Given that two of her early pieces for TNG were
"The Bonding" and "Disaster", though, I was rather worried before seeing the
show.) The dinner scene on the Warbird, for example, positively oozed
tension, and the chase scenes late in the show had me rather concerned for
the safety of all involved. I think just about everyone was at their best
here.
There are a couple of things to say about the music as well. I don't know
who Don Davis (the composer) was, but he has some interesting new ideas. The
teaser's music seemed positively *eerie*. I'd probably be a good deal more
impressed than I was were it not for hearing Ron Jones's *fantastic* work on
"The Defector" just slightly earlier, though. TNG music has always been good
at being unintrusive, but for a while it was dynamic at the same time.
That's not always the case any more...
That said, I think I'm through the major points. Some smaller ones:
-- Worf's changed his look again. I'm not sure where that ponytail came
from, but I think I like it.
-- Worf also displayed his longstanding prejudice against Romulans very
quietly here; his simple "Was he a Romulan?" to DeSeve about his contact made
it obvious that if the answer was yes, the contact wasn't to be trusted.
Nicely done.
-- A "forced quantum singularity" as a power source? Let's cut the
technobabble *out* from here on in. N'Vek's explanation to Troi was more
than adequate; we didn't need to bring this in besides. Sigh...
-- On that distortion, however, that bit also reminded me slightly of "The
Hunt For Red October". "One ping only" kept surfacing in my brain...:-)
That's about it. *Very* nicely done this week -- it more than made up for
the debacle of "Aquiel". Now, if we can keep this up, things will definitely
be looking up.
So, the numbers:
Plot: 9.5. The "access codes" glitch is minimal, since it was merely an
option.
Plot Handling: 10. Superlative.
Characterization: 10. Strong kudos to Sirtis, Seymour, and Lynch.
TOTAL: 10. Way to go.
NEXT WEEK:
Q makes up for "Q-Less", I hope.
Tim Lynch (Harvard-Westlake School, Science Dept.)
BITNET: tlynch@citjulie
INTERNET: tly...@juliet.caltech.edu
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!tlynch%juliet.ca...@hamlet.caltech.edu
"But I will not risk my crew because you think you can *dance* on the edge of
the Neutral Zone."
-- "The Defector"
--
Copyright 1993, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...
Scott Amspoker
>[review deleted]
I missed a total of about 1 minute of this episode while I answered the
phone and I have no idea how Troi ended up abord a Romulan ship. There
was a mention of her being kidnapped. However, in the opening she was
genuinely surprised at her situation. Kidnapped from where? Did they
quietly take her off the Enterprise? What did I miss?
--
Scott Amspoker |
Basis International, Albuquerque, NM | Too bad ignorance isn't really
| bliss. Then it could be outlawed.
sc...@bbx.basis.com |
Paul Brinkley
>In article <1ll380...@mojo.eng.umd.edu> cl...@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin) writes
>:
>>
>>spoilers
>
>> [...]
>> It's also a mite peculiar that non-Romulans can fool Romulans so easily.
>>I suppose it's needed for the plot, but under normal circumstances, there
>>would be enough cultural differences (even forgiving the language barrier)
>>that it should be apparent when someone is not Romulan.
Well, at least such fooling is done both ways. Remember "Data's Day", where
the Enterprise delivers a Romulan spy right back into the very hands of her
nation.
"Face of the Enemy" draws a LOT of analogs from Russian/American relations
during the 1980s. I'd imagine it's quite possible for a foreigner to fool
one of us into thinking he's a full-blooded American. Likewise there are
most likely a good number of CIA agents who "live fluent Russian"....
Tim Lynch now makes at least three people here who said this episode reminds
them of "The Hunt for Red October". It IS uncanny. Warbird = Red October;
Enterprise = U.S.S. Dallas; there ya go. :-) Probably the way the scene
switched back and forth more than anything else, to me.
>This is the only problem I had with the premise of this story. Troi had
>been *kidnapped*, she wasn't on an undercover mission where she would have
>been trained in the subtleties of Romulan interactions. For the most part
>Troi's empathic abilities made her navigating these treacherous waters
>quite believable for me, but there were a couple of places where it
>stretched credibility -- the dinner scene for example. I had trouble
>believing that Troi could successfully imitate Romulan table etiquette
>without training, and being able to sense the other officers' reactions
>to her behavior would have been no help until it was too late.
Who knows? If you've lived all your life being able to read emotions like
road signs, you might be able to pull off some very considerable feats.
Could this be Deanna Troi's new niche on the Enterprise? Perhaps to give
up her drama-wise boring role as counselor and take up espionage/
reconnaissance?
"Intriguing."
Paul Brinkley
brin...@cs.utexas.edu
Dale Atems
>I suppose it's needed for the plot, but under normal circumstances, there
>would be enough cultural differences (even forgiving the language barrier)
>that it should be apparent when someone is not Romulan.
been *kidnapped*, she wasn't on an undercover mission where she would have
been trained in the subtleties of Romulan interactions. For the most part
Troi's empathic abilities made her navigating these treacherous waters
quite believable for me, but there were a couple of places where it
stretched credibility -- the dinner scene for example. I had trouble
believing that Troi could successfully imitate Romulan table etiquette
without training, and being able to sense the other officers' reactions
to her behavior would have been no help until it was too late.
the best (really the only good) Troi episode so far, and it showed
real imagination on the writers' part to take an underused character
like Troi and build a story around her that not only used her special
talents in a new and interesting way, but would have been completely
implausible without them.
------
Dale Atems
Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Department of Physics and Astronomy
at...@igor.physics.wayne.edu
Gerald W Katz
Spoiler for "Face of the Enemy"
>
>The second-in-command of the ship, Sub-Commander N'Vek, arrives and quickly
>explains to her the facts she needs to know after her abduction and
>alteration. Troi is now Major Rakal of the "Tal Shiar", the Romulan
>intelligence section, and as such need answer to no one. N'Vek tells her
>quite earnestly that her help is needed, and that her only chance of survival
>is to follow his advice. Troi acquiesces for the moment, and is taken to
>meet Commander Toreth.
When I watched this episode and heard the term "Tal Shiar", or however
it is spelled, I was sure I heard the term before.
It suddenly dawned on me what is was.
In "Journey to Babel", TOS, the Tellerite ambassador is mudered
by a Vulcan assasination method, the Tal Shaya.
I wonder if the similarity is just a coincidence or on purpose.
gkatz
Gerald W Katz
>I suppose it's needed for the plot, but under normal circumstances, there
>would be enough cultural differences (even forgiving the language barrier)
>that it should be apparent when someone is not Romulan.
>
>--
>Charles Lin
>cl...@eng.umd.edu
It's been done before. TOS "The Enterprise Incident".
This message is protected by Federal Law.
>In article <1ll380...@mojo.eng.umd.edu> cl...@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin) writes:
>
>>
>> It's also a mite peculiar that non-Romulans can fool Romulans so easily.
>>I suppose it's needed for the plot, but under normal circumstances, there
>>would be enough cultural differences (even forgiving the language barrier)
>>that it should be apparent when someone is not Romulan.
The difference here is that Troi had to interact w/ the Romulans on many
other levels other than saluting and walking, and sending in your stunt
double to fight off a Romulan.
*******************************************************************************
"Or watch Richard Gere follow the Dalai Llama across the world, and then do
those oh-so Zen-Like movies with those oh-so Zen-Like messages like 'Hey, it's
fun to be a prostitute!'" - 'Folk Song' - Bongwater
*******************************************************************************
Jef Kolodziej Cliche Dude The KaTeFan(tm)
v129...@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu State University of New York at Buffalo
History Major #(716) 834-2606 611 LaSalle Ave. Buffalo, NY 14215
bay...@force.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com
>In article <1ll380...@mojo.eng.umd.edu> cl...@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin) writes
>:
>>
>>spoilers
>> [...]
>> It's also a mite peculiar that non-Romulans can fool Romulans so easily.
>>I suppose it's needed for the plot, but under normal circumstances, there
>>would be enough cultural differences (even forgiving the language barrier)
>>that it should be apparent when someone is not Romulan.
>
>This is the only problem I had with the premise of this story. Troi had
>been *kidnapped*, she wasn't on an undercover mission where she would have
>been trained in the subtleties of Romulan interactions. For the most part
Actually, there is an old principle of disguise that says, "When you
can't fit in, stand out." Deanna wasn't trying to be "a Romulan",
she was trying to be "A member of the Tal Shee'aar" [ok, so I can't
spell it]. This wasn't ONLY so she'd have authority over the commander;
it was also because the Tal Shee'aar were not subject to the same
social constraints as "normal" folk. (I.e. they are known to be SOBs).
The dinner was a perfect example. The commander suggested Deanna
try a particular dish. As a Romulan, she couldn't ask, "Which one is
that?" so she reached for one at random. If it had been the right one,
there'd be no problem. Since it wasn't, Deanna had to supply
a reason that did not point to herself as an alien. The obvious
reason: she's being deliberately rude. [Tal Shee'aar can do that, and
frequently do.] The Romulan who kidnapped Deanna did a perfect
job of setting up her cover.
christopher stone
> It's also a mite peculiar that non-Romulans can fool Romulans so easily.
>I suppose it's needed for the plot, but under normal circumstances, there
>would be enough cultural differences (even forgiving the language barrier)
>that it should be apparent when someone is not Romulan.
Remember that in the first season episode when the Romulans reappear after
30 or so years? Troi did the analysis of Romulan culture for Captain
Picard. Perhaps she is more familiar with Romulan culture than most officers
because of this. Also, she's empathic, so she could probably get a sense
of when she's doing something culturally wrong from other people's
emotions.
Chris
christopher stone
from my post a minute ago. I accidently deleted it along with
the attribution. Please accept apologies.
Chris
Scott J Gorcey
I would definitely agree with this. The alienated ex story editor
Melinda Snodgrass was oft to point out that Troi's position of
counselor necessitated she be an expert in many many alien
cultures.
It's clear that this series is not willing to address the
language barrier, with the nominal exception of the terrible
Klingon language [as opposed to a very nice job done with the
Klingon language in ST VI]. I think we should just accept that
and fervently hope its sister series, DS9, addresses this in
more detail (judging from "A Man Alone" this will not be the
case). But I think a lot of emphasis, subtlely, has been
placed on Troi's empathy in the situation: her being empathic
is clearly a big plus and is probably a primary reason why
she was chosen... It was evident especially in the officer's
mess that Troi was using her empathy as an effective way to
be both evasive and adversarial with the Commander, thus
preserving her identity. This is backed up by her knowledge
of Romulan culture, and her familiarity with Romulan ethics.
Scott Gorcey
Dale Atems
In article <1993Feb15....@iscnvx.lmsc.lockheed.com> bay...@force.ssd.lms
c.lockheed.com writes:
>In article <1993Feb14....@cs.wayne.edu>, at...@igor.physics.wayne.edu (D
ale Atems) writes:
>>This is the only problem I had with the premise of this story. Troi had
>>been *kidnapped*, she wasn't on an undercover mission where she would have
>>been trained in the subtleties of Romulan interactions. For the most part
>
>Actually, there is an old principle of disguise that says, "When you
>can't fit in, stand out." Deanna wasn't trying to be "a Romulan",
>she was trying to be "A member of the Tal Shee'aar" [ok, so I can't
>spell it]. This wasn't ONLY so she'd have authority over the commander;
>it was also because the Tal Shee'aar were not subject to the same
>social constraints as "normal" folk. (I.e. they are known to be SOBs).
about culture-specific behavioral nuances like the meaning of gestures,
body language, interpersonal distance, etc. Troi had to pass herself
off as not just a SOB, but a *Romulan* SOB, over an extended period.
If it had been anyone other than someone like Troi whose job involves
observing people closely (and is an empath to boot), I wouldn't have
bought it. Even so, to bring it off -- especially under pressure --
would take acting ability and a self-discipline we'd never seen in
Troi before.
>The dinner was a perfect example. The commander suggested Deanna
>try a particular dish. As a Romulan, she couldn't ask, "Which one is
>that?" so she reached for one at random. If it had been the right one,
>there'd be no problem. Since it wasn't, Deanna had to supply
>a reason that did not point to herself as an alien. The obvious
>reason: she's being deliberately rude. [Tal Shee'aar can do that, and
>frequently do.] The Romulan who kidnapped Deanna did a perfect
>job of setting up her cover.
of handling food and utensils than dinner conversation. As an officer
giving orders on the bridge, moving very little, Troi could more easily
hide her alienness than at a dinner table, where every stroke of the
fork could draw attention to itself if it was outside the normal range
of Romulan behavior.
BTW, I don't think Troi would have picked the venarine even if she
had known what it was. It didn't take an empath to sense that the
commander was trying to expose a green Tal Shiar officer, used to
fine Romulan cuisine, to the less appetizing fare served on warbirds.
More likely she copied the other officers instead of reaching for
something "at random".
Robert Hearn
W. Lynch) wrote:
>
> Inside a Romulan Warbird, a groggy officer awakes, asks fruitlessly for the
> computer to turn on the lights, and finally stumbles over to the dresser to
> turn on a light herself. There, this "officer" is not what she appears --
> she is, in fact, Deanna Troi altered to look like a Romulan!
no, No, NO!!!! This is not what happened at all! Should read:
Inside a dark cabin, a groggy Troi awakes, asks fruitlessly for the
computer to turn on the lights, and finally stumbles over to the dresser
to turn on a light herself. There, Troi is not what she expects --
she is, in fact, a Romulan!!
> -- Worf's changed his look again. I'm not sure where that ponytail came
> from, but I think I like it.
Yuck! If he was on his home planet, someone would beat him up for
looking like a sissy. And how did he grow it so fast?
Now, why would Picard & the bridge crew assume it was Deanna they were
seeing in the warbird? They'd already seen Tasha as a Romulan, and it
wasn't Tasha. If I were Picard, I'd have been *extremely* freaked out.
"Oh, God, don't tell me, I sent your mother back to the Enterprise-C,
right?"
Troi made up for quite a bit here. The ultimate Troi epsiode:
The Enterprise Incident, Mark II. A lot of people have called it the
best episode of the season (the best since The Inner Light, in fact,
although that's one of my *least* favorites; very un-Star Trek), but it's
going to be awhile before "Ship in a Bottle" loses its luster for me.
I'd put the two episodes on a par, I guess, and I'd say that both are far
superior to anything we've had since the fourth season.
Bob Hearn
Spartacus Software
Opinions expressed here are those of my employer, since that's me.
Janet Christian
>In article <1993Feb14....@cs.wayne.edu> at...@igor.physics.wayne.edu (Dale Atems) writes:
>>In article <1ll380...@mojo.eng.umd.edu> cl...@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin) writes
>>:
>>>
>>>spoilers
>>
>>> [...]
>>> It's also a mite peculiar that non-Romulans can fool Romulans so easily.
>>>I suppose it's needed for the plot, but under normal circumstances, there
>>>would be enough cultural differences (even forgiving the language barrier)
>>>that it should be apparent when someone is not Romulan.
>
>Well, at least such fooling is done both ways. Remember "Data's Day", where
>the Enterprise delivers a Romulan spy right back into the very hands of her
>nation.
>
>
believable that "everyday" Romulans wouldn't know too much about them and therefore
Troi could get away with a little more. If I was suddenly thrown into a situation with,
say, a monk or a guru, they might not behave as I would, but then I wouldn't know
enough to question them, either.
Janet
--
Janet Christian jchri...@indetech.com
My boss agrees with everything I say - well, actually, he thinks I'm working.
"Never argue with a Scorpio - it's frustrating and you'll lose, anyway..."
Daniel Harrison
In Lynch's Spoiler Review, the music was noted as a plus, especially in
the opening scene.
For what it's worth, the "lick" used there seems taken directly from
Richard Strauss's _Ein Heldenleben_ [A Heroic Life]. The allusion here
I thought was exquisite -- the episode was filled with heroic actions
by N'Vec, Troi, even the defecting Romulan leader.
In particular, the lick alludes to the portion in Strauss's tone poem
that treats the Hero's Works of Peace. (It's right after the famous
"battle" music.)
Check it out!
Daniel Harrison
Eastman School of Music
.
--
Daniel Harrison
hr...@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
Hi ho -- Kermit the Frog here...
Face SPOILERS:
>Now, why would Picard & the bridge crew assume it was Deanna they were
>seeing in the warbird? They'd already seen Tasha as a Romulan, and it
>wasn't Tasha. If I were Picard, I'd have been *extremely* freaked out.
>"Oh, God, don't tell me, I sent your mother back to the Enterprise-C,
>right?"
Somehow, I don't think Picard would be too horrified at the thought of
sending Lwaxana Troi back in time to her death...
(Sorry, it had to be said. :-)