TNG: Gambit

[Durandal_1707]

^ Well, I mean, this is the sort of thing Data uses for a password:


youtu.be/rAUVUUhf7U0

Of course the ship's going to be more secure when he's running it.

[Enterprising]

This 2 parter demonstrates best the whole “we ran out of ideas” thing that Chuck has alluded to in nearly all his S7 TNG reviews. Even watching this originally in the 90s as a teenager I knew the whole “Picard is dead” thing was a very cheap tease. Made even more obvious from not even bothering with the whole giving Riker the 4th pip this time, or Data the red uniform. It was as if Riker and Starfleet read the script in advance knowing everything would be all tied back again in a neat bow by the story’s end.

It had nothing on the previous season’s “Chain of Command” from watching that there is at least SOME tension (on your first viewing) that one of Picard/Riker could be for the chop. I honestly thought at the time something big was going to change as soon as I seen Data in that red uniform.

While I do still love TNG overall, they really did miss some big opportunities for some potentially great changes that could have really refreshed things. Maybe even extended the shows life a couple of years, but they seemed unable (or unwilling) to make such big changes.

[SFDebris]

^ Well, I mean, this is the sort of thing Data uses for a password:


youtu.be/rAUVUUhf7U0

Of course the ship's going to be more secure when he's running it.

It seems impressive, but in the 24th century it's actually machine code for "PASSWORD"

[SpacePaladin]

I feel like there was a missed opportunity for Psycho!Janeway commenting about the Mindbomb with the Stone of Gol.

[J!!]

ok, so the weapon doesn't work. but vulcans are supposed to be what, 3 times stronger than humans on average? so shouldn't she be able to just kick his ass?

[Madner Kami]

How the fuck did he get access to the controller, when the fuck did he temper with it and why didn't he keep it in the first place?

Forget these perfectly valid and obvious questions, the far more interesting question there is: Why the flying fuck is Baran wearing one of the shock collars?! Was he afraid he might mutiny against himself at some point?

[J!!]

if i wanted to be generous, i might rationalize that he probably didn't install it on himself. it could've been done by a previous captain, whom he mutinied against & took the remote. or the pirates may have started out as escaped prisoners from somewhere.

but i don't feel like being generous at the moment, so i'm gonna say he's a big fan of david lynch's Dune.

[bronnt]

Forget these perfectly valid and obvious questions, the far more interesting question there is: Why the flying fuck is Baran wearing one of the shock collars?! Was he afraid he might mutiny against himself at some point?

I remember in the episode it was explained that he wasn't the original captain, and that he'd mutinied and seized control from the previous captain, who installed the shock collars. This still doesn't explain why he couldn't just remove his during the ample time he seems to have been in charge of the ship.

As for the ending, the climax really doesn't work for me. The story is called "Gambit" and it seems to be referring to the twisted turns and plots among the crew of the pirate ship. So you think it's building up to some payoff when all the plans have reached their conclusion, except Baran dies due to Picard pulling some off-screen deus ex machina. All that build-up is gone, and the payoff is about using peaceful thoughts to defeat a weapon. It doesn't thematically flow from the story. There's NO build-up for that conclusion, even though you could easily have written in story beats showing Picard as a peacemaker on board the raider.

It just seems that it's thematically out of sync with the episode. You need your end beat of the story to capitalize on the elements that you've built up, and instead there's an out-of-nowhere Aesop about peace being stronger than war. I was really getting drawn into the drama but it goes limp once they beam down to the planet.

[AlucardNoir]

"Hmm, must be brand new. I mindmelded with Sarek so if he ever ran into isolationist Vulcans I would know" oh, you are so funny, just so very... FUCK DISCOVERY!!! FUCK IT WITH A JJ ABRAMS AND A FULLER IN IT'S KURTZMAN... sigh, what were we talking about? oh, right, how funny you are. Very funny.

[PapaPalpatine]

Gambit, Gambit, Gambit...
I'm playing with fire. (You're about to win the game...)

For those of you who didn't the above reference, you clearly aren't a fan of Micheal Cretu.