LogFAQs > #970436314

Episode 2: The Ensigns of Command

More suicidal colonists to be babysat. Cool alien, though.

Picard's initial attempt at negotiations fails miserably. Deliberately being obstructive in his reading of the treaty and the righteously furious way he stomps around the bridge whilst making the Sheliak wait is brilliant.

Riker loves watching Picard be willfully annoying.

La Forge straight up lies to a barely interested Picard without any hesitation. Very snarky about his work.

Worf does not appreciate legal documents.

Crusher enjoys Data's recitals.

Troi has a pretty great discussion with Picard over language.

Data is supposedly the focus character for this episode, yet, apart from a few funny lines, there's very little of interest here. It's a very standard Data learns a lesson plot, but the bizarre insistence on Data being unemotional is a bit daft after previous episodes clearly solved that issue. Worse yet, he's clearly disheartened when he thinks Picard walked out of his concert. Even the episode can't keep its story straight, and if we're meant to take it as some sort of irony, well, they're playing it far too straight for that and, more importantly, there's no doubt that Data has emotions by this stage. The final discussion over music is decent and does suggest the irony reading.

Wesley exists.

O'Brien plays.

The Sheliak have a nice TOS inspired design. A race of people who's obsession with precision in language makes for a sort of anti language is a pretty great idea. Sort of wasted, though, even if their plot is the best part of the episode.

No love for the colonists. They're the standard, stupid homesteaders who are begging for an extinction event. A lot of hand wringing over the pride they have in their home and how it's their land is never going to make me particularly sympathetic to them. Making them easily led sheep who fall in line with a complete moron of a leader leaves me wanting to see the Sheliak win. Data is far too kind for his own good.

McKenzie is a love interest. A very standard stock character made mildly interesting only because her outfit is so different from the other colonists that she may as well be carrying a neon sign saying "main character". They can't even do a love interest right, though, because the need for Data to be a caricature of himself leaves him with no emotional investment in a plot about him. If we are going to end on "Data does actually have emotions", the kiss is the perfect place to do it, but the focus is on Data imitating a practice rather than believing it himself. The way he treated the little girl at the end (well, all, really) of Pen Pals is how you do this.

Which highlights my biggest issue with this: Data's story is boring. It's the most obvious plot one can do with him and it concerns an issue that should have been put to bed by The Measure of a Man at the latest. The stuff on the Enterprise is good, if a little standard, but potentially interesting discussions on language and/or music are given token scenes, but mostly ignored so Data can learn... how to lie? Except that doesn't work, so, how about....how to threaten? I mean, it vaguely links to the theme of language, I guess, but there's no coherency towards what it's saying and it's wrapped up in a tedious idiot plot. I suppose the shots of the mountain are quite nice and there's decent lighting on the planet and the Sheliak ship.

One hell of a step backwards after the last episode. A part of me wants to type more, but, what about? There's practically nothing here.

I'll check in with The Survivors tomorrow.