Sfdebris.net

The Youtube channel Spacedock just posted a video I thought a lot of people here would enjoy, critiquing the writing of Star Trek:

youtu.be/ouw-ncp1ntg

I posted a thread with his video about his sterning on Riker. I disagreed with it, but it's apparently a controversial topic.

If only they remembered to reverse the polarity!

BridgeConsoleMasher wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:09 pm I posted a thread with his video about his sterning on Riker. I disagreed with it, but it's apparently a controversial topic.

Chain of Command seems to be a polarizing topic. I've not watched in it forever because I don't enjoy it, so I don't take a strong stance on it. Best I recall, I thought Riker was acting a bit the prima donna, while the temporary Captain came across as too much of a stern tight-ass to engender loyalty, trust, and ready cooperation from his own crew. That is not a good captain. However, Riker being too often a smug, arrogant, closed-minded jerk who might bed anyone who didn't have a dong, as far as we saw, is a harder thing to argue with when I've had discussions about him. I don't think that was the intended character. It just comes down to bad writing in my view. In Tin Man, someone needed to be in conflict with the guest star. Hey Riker! In Up the Long Ladder, someone needed to deal with their own clone. Hey Riker! In Ensign Ro, someone needed to be the hard-ass who wouldn't tolerate a fraking earring. Hey Riker! And anything else that was too brash for Picard to say or do... Hey Riker! Because they never gave Riker a distinct character to play, they slotted him into whatever attitude they needed from episode to episode. As a result, it is only Jonathan Frakes performances and smile that make Riker seem likable.

As far as this video, yes, all too often its point is true. Of course that also pretty much misses the larger point. Often if not usually, the problem of the week is a dramatic backdrop through which to tell a human story. So the solution to the problem is typically secondary, and brother have the writers often treated it that way! Would I, and many others probably, liked better resolutions in many cases? Sure.

Koshundheit wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2019 2:09 am

BridgeConsoleMasher wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:09 pm I posted a thread with his video about his sterning on Riker. I disagreed with it, but it's apparently a controversial topic.

Chain of Command seems to be a polarizing topic. I've not watched in it forever because I don't enjoy it, so I don't take a strong stance on it. Best I recall, I thought Riker was acting a bit the prima donna, while the temporary Captain came across as too much of a stern tight-ass to engender loyalty, trust, and ready cooperation from his own crew. That is not a good captain. However, Riker being too often a smug, arrogant, closed-minded jerk who might bed anyone who didn't have a dong, as far as we saw, is a harder thing to argue with when I've had discussions about him.

Well as I see it, the points of concern for the captain about Riker was that he didn't confirm things and acted on good faith. The first time I had a boss like that it was a little weird, but I get it. Riker was doing exactly what he was supposed to as per being Picard's commander, and I really can't fault him for not getting online with the protocol of Jellico, like, twice.

As I was saying though, I get the micromanaging etc... that came with the new captain. He wants things done his way, and I'm bored with it. Though in agreeance with Riker, here's my thing. Jellico admitted when he came aboard that he was taken aback by getting to command a galaxy class vessel, he had never done it before. And Riker runs it under Picard. The bigger the ship, the more complex number one's job is concerning the crew and the goings on with all operations. Enterprise is like a town and Jellico should have respected Riker a bit more.