stryke wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 2:21 pm
Probably the weakest ep of the season so glad that's out the way.
That's a weird thing to say about a season that also contains "The Serene Squall", "The Elysian Kingdom", "All Those Who Wander", and "A Quality of Mercy".
It was a shame the season started off, if not amazingly, then at least solidly but ended so weakly. Even "Ghosts of Illyria" was a solid attempt at a well-worn story, but simply did nothing new with it. The season started to pick up and things were looking good, but then the final four episodes were just awful.
I wish "Ghosts of Illyria" had been the weak spot of the season. A lackluster attempt at an old plot is better than the tortured final four.
Even the setup here for the Doctor's mystery was so much better than how it was dropped out an airlock a few episodes later.
I won't call it the weakest of the season, there are others far worse, maybe the weakest of the first half, possibly.
However the episode's plot doesn't make much sense:
-Apparently the Federation genetic ban also applies to other species, which doesn't make any sense, since each alien species has a different genome, so how could you even compare the human Augment modifications to those of aliens? It's already explained that the Augment's aggression was a consequence of the 20th century poor understanding of human genetics, and according to Arik Soong, it was possible to remove those anti-social traits from the Augment's genome, so why would more advanced aliens make the same mistakes? I mean, Phlox said that the Denobulans have already used genetic engineering on themselves for 2 centuries without issues, and I believe it was mentioned in ENT that the Denobulans have joined the Federation, so why were they allowed? The ban was already in effect before the Federation came into be, so there's no way the Denobulans would have been allowed on a technicality (aka being founding members of the Federation).
-Somehow, their genetic experiments caused them to turn into "ghosts", due to interference from a literal storm in space, at which point one it's clear that the Illyrian genetics went beyond biological. Since similar cases happened to other species in TNG's time, it's clear that putting a ban on genetics because "another Khan might be born" is incredible stupid since... well... you can literally create gods by sufficient genetic tampering, augments are basically child's play. And what about Darwin kids? They were clearly genetically augmented, as explained by the station's doctor, yet no one was bothered by this, and I believe that one of the theories going around is that the Station was outside the Federation space, to avoid the genetic ban, like how certain illegal activities are not illegal if done in international water. But based on this episode, somehow the Federation ban extends even outside the Federation space!
Also, the whole "light virus" spreading doesn't make any sense, since if the light somehow allowed the pathogen to transmit, then everyone on the ship should have been infected immediately, since there is some light source in every single corridor. It's clear that the writers were too lazy to think of an order of who gets infected next, so they just handwaved it in the laziest possible way.
Also also, Jesus Ortegas, you see some guy acting weird on one of the ship's systems and you decide to ignore him until he breaks a light? Ever heard of sabotage? Espionage? This is a spaceship not a back alley in Bradford where everyone does whatever they want.
If nothing else, this episode is very revealing about the degree to which individuals value coherent and well-written stories in their SF television shows.
"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals four. If that is granted, all else follows." -- George Orwell, 1984
Mabus wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 8:09 pmBut based on this episode, somehow the Federation ban extends even outside the Federation space!
The Illyrians can do whatever they want. They just can't join the Federation because they're filthy bio-engineers doing filthy degenerate bio-engineering.
It definitely feels like the kind of fear-based blanket law filled with loopholes ready to be re-examined by one of the main timeline shows, like Picard. Deep Space Nine did a pretty good job of establishing how inconsistent is, ENT showed more flaws, and now SNW is really going into it as well. Time for Picard to dismantle it, so that Discovery doesn't have to deal with it (or at least can show the positive consequences of the repeal).
… I can see where people might consider Elysian Kingdom the weakest episode (I disagree ultimately, but to be sure it’s basically a “holodeck forcing the crew to act out a story” episode before holodecks were invented and those don’t land for everyone) but I don’t get how multiple people can look at A Quality of Mercy or “how would Trek handle Xenomorphs” and say that sucked.
Mabus wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 8:09 pmBut based on this episode, somehow the Federation ban extends even outside the Federation space!
The Illyrians can do whatever they want. They just can't join the Federation because they're filthy bio-engineers doing filthy degenerate bio-engineering.
I can't wait for Chuck to reach the TNG episode with the genetically engineered kids that ages up Pulaski. Its possibly the single greatest ''Early Instalment Weirdness'' episode in all of Star Trek - an episode clearly made before the decision to outlaw genetic engineering was a glint in the writers' eye.
Deledrius wrote: ↑Tue Mar 28, 2023 9:58 am
It definitely feels like the kind of fear-based blanket law filled with loopholes ready to be re-examined by one of the main timeline shows, like Picard. Deep Space Nine did a pretty good job of establishing how inconsistent is, ENT showed more flaws, and now SNW is really going into it as well. Time for Picard to dismantle it, so that Discovery doesn't have to deal with it (or at least can show the positive consequences of the repeal).
I actually think its more likely that they'll repeal the ban only to have an army of augments attack the Earth. That just really seems to be the theme of Trek. TNG spent years teaching us not to be afraid of androids and that ''they are people too'' only for PIC to have armies of them rebel. VOY spent years teaching us not to be afraid of the Doctor and that ''he's a person too'' only to have armies of holograms rebel. And each time these androids, holograms or augments rebel, they WALK OVER the humans. We only ever beat them with Hail Mary Passes and technobabble. Star Trek does a good job of teaching you to be afraid of artificial intelligence and generically engineered creatures by virtue of the fact that there is a good 2/3 chance that they'll be evil.
Its like the Mutant Registration Act in X-Men. ''Don't fear mutants, even though there is OH SO MUCH to fear about them and will continuously prove why they are to be feared in every movie.''
clearspira wrote: ↑Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:12 am
Its like the Mutant Registration Act in X-Men. ''Don't fear mutants, even though there is OH SO MUCH to fear about them and will continuously prove why they are to be feared in every movie.''
To be fair, there's a certain real life idiocy to that:
1. Registration is a perfectly rational thing to want--except the government has people who plan to use any registration as a way to commit genocide and have even helped the evil government Canada build a mutant death camp.
2. Mutants are really the only people who can go after mutants as we see with the X-men being the onky people who can stop Apocalypse (The Avengers exist but they have their own problems). So pissing mutants off by treating them as second class citizens, is just not practical.
3. The primary fear of humans being replaced by mutants is the fear of parents being replaced by their children--and thus completely stupid.
