Showing empathy as a strength. Probably my favorite part of TNG and Star Trek in general.

@ransom182

3 жыл бұрын

SJW! Liberal commie Marxist.

@joelbizzell1386

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed.

The episode where Picard is trapped in the elevator with the three children, "Disaster", could be another example of the theme Steve is on about. It was a more temporary situation, but it still placed Picard in a mentor role to children.

@lcflngn

3 жыл бұрын

That one I remember easily 😅

@TubbysExplorationsYT

2 жыл бұрын

"Fa re ja ka, fa re ja ka..." 🤣

@tonoornottono

2 жыл бұрын

@@TubbysExplorationsYT “Frère Jacques.” Brother John.

@GothamClive

Жыл бұрын

@@tonoornottono This episode always makes me wonder how the universal translator works. Shouldn't it translate French? (Or Klingon terms like Qapla?)

@travismoore7938

Жыл бұрын

That was a great episode. I like the character arc of Picard and the children as they progress through the disaster that has taken place and where they end up at the end of the episode.

Can we just all appreciate for a moment the gem that is Brent Spiner.

@colinmontgomery1956

3 жыл бұрын

He's a fine actor. I especially like his arc on "Enterprise".

@Rkenton48

3 жыл бұрын

yep. My favorites are the recurring character he played in Night Court

@cheapenstein

3 жыл бұрын

@@Rkenton48 haha I remember that

@bobjason7540

3 жыл бұрын

Look up Dreamland. It's a concept album in a musical style. He's a good vocalist

@CassandraHouse

3 ай бұрын

I will never not appreciate the gem that is Brent Spiner

"The kid's never seen again." Well, yeah, he became part of Worf's family and Worf is a terrible parent.

@Mrdest211

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe the kid became a brave warrior and died in a space battle because he couldn't find his way in a poorly lit Klingon ship. Why are all the alien ships so dark?

@duskyrc1373

3 жыл бұрын

The O'Briens are pretty good parents, though we see that mostly after they jump ship at DS9

@TechGroupF430i

3 жыл бұрын

This raised a few questions for me. Has anyone else noticed that we don't see any of Worf's human family members in DS9? Okay, sure, Alexander had that picture with his grandparents, but neither they nor his adoptive brother Nikolai (played by Paul Sorvino) physically appears at Worf's wedding or at all in the series. Now I'll admit that I totally forgot about Jeremy, but what's the DS9 writer's excuse? "It was a ceremony that didn't have any actual documentation to back it up"? I'm just asking... are Jeremy and Alexander technically adoptive brothers? If so, how would that meeting have taken place (if at all), or if not, does that mean the ceremony was bullshit? I know there's a consensus about Worf being a terrible parent, but to the point where a child _he practically adopted_ disappeared on his watch? If it happened on Veridian III, that would give us some kind of closure (while again highlighting the weirdness of having kids on the Federation flagship), but then why no mention of this to literally anyone? I mean Martok did seem kinda blindsided when Worf revealed that Alexander was his son, but c'mon man... Jeremy wasn't even worth an *honorable* mention?

@BioGoji-zm5ph

3 жыл бұрын

@@TechGroupF430i Nikolai stayed with the surviving Boraalans on their new home since he'd impregnated one of them and also wanted to replace that one guy who committed suicide when he left the holodeck... because Picard was too busy sucking the Prime Directive's dick to recognize that saving people from extinction was more important than potentially changing their culture by exposing them to the reality that they weren't alone in the universe.

@jmoney9494

3 жыл бұрын

@@Mrdest211 so they can hide how cheap the sets are lol

I attended a convention when STNG was still being produced where Jonathan Frakes appeared and answered questions. He was asked what happened to Barash from "Future Imperfect" and he did not remember the episode. The plot was described to him and he said, “Oh you mean the kid who stabbed Patrick Stewart?” Which was Jono from "Suddenly Human" and not Barash and despite being told more of the plot Frakes could not recall the episode but told us, “He’s probably still on the ship, it’s a big ship.”

@PatBrownfield-TheRainmaker

3 жыл бұрын

🤣

@001SpecialAgent

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah the conventions tend to be disappointing to anyone expecting these people to remember in-depth every story they work on. They spend most of their time learning their lines, getting hair and makeup on, acting tiny bits of story over and over again, and it moves fast shooting 26 hour-long shows a year.

@brianjlevine

3 жыл бұрын

He's an actor doing a job. He's not a fan.

@Dilandau3000

3 жыл бұрын

@@001SpecialAgent I don't really understand why people ask those kinds of questions. I was at a convention in the 90s and James Doohan was there, and someone asked him how many ships Starfleet has. Why would he know that!?

@tayzonday

3 жыл бұрын

Many people can’t specifically remember six days of work thirty years ago 😀 I wonder if Chris Demetral (Riker’s “son,” now 43) remembers more?

“Pen Pals” which has Data talking to a young girl on a dying planet has some similarities to these episodes too. She is not orphaned but Data takes a parent-like role.

@thomasjenkins5727

2 жыл бұрын

That was my first thought when Steve mentioned the theme.

@GoddessPallasAthena

10 ай бұрын

What I loved about that episode is, we have this emotionless Android, logical, and you'd think by-the-book and yet all through the episode, he's DETERMINED to help the little girl (breaking the Prime Directive a few times) and even making sure she feels emotionally comfortable. If the characters were simply described to a non-ST (or even just not TNG) fan, you would think that Data would be the LAST person to do that, and yet, it makes sense in the show, because of the kind of person he is, despite WHAT he is.

Also: MIND. BLOWN. I never thought that "The Bonding", "Suddenly Human", "Future Imperfect", "Hero Worship" and a slew of others were the same episode! I've pored over that show to an unhealthy degree and that totally escaped me. Good job, Steve!

@Spike-Prime

3 жыл бұрын

That's because they're really not the same. They're not even all that similar, really. Every one of them is thematically and tonally different, and each focuses on a very different central story idea. The only similarity is "grown up looks after child" and that's such a generic idea, of course it's gonna be done more than once. That it was only done 4 times over the course of 7 years and over 200 episodes by different writers is more surprising than if the basic concept hadn't been done more than once.

Regarding Jeremy’s fate: He moved back to Earth. Specifically, New Detroit, where he started working for the drug lord Cain. He assumed control of Cain’s operation when it was presumed he was killed, only to eventually get blasted down by Cain’s mutilated body as OCP’s RoboCop 2 project. He died the way he lived, laying in a pile of money covered in blood.

@SiriusMined

3 жыл бұрын

What?

@robinburt5735

3 жыл бұрын

@@SiriusMined It was the same actor in both hehe

@sctrgs3207

3 жыл бұрын

I'll buy that for a dollar

@michelleshouse6490

3 жыл бұрын

Epic! Forgot that was the same kid

@Seb1l

3 жыл бұрын

@@SiriusMined He's watching Robocop 2 air on ITV4 in the UK right now?

You have missed the most important cast member. In the episode Galaxy's child the Enterprise herself becomes mother to an orphaned space creature. It seems they were absolutely determined to show every cast member as a parent in some form. Even Troi had a child, although not an orphan. If Tasha had survived beyond the first season she definitely would have had such an episode as well. Oh wait... She had a child too. Sela.

@PaulTheSkeptic

Жыл бұрын

Troi's mom lost one of her children too. Maybe that's not precisely on topic but it has to do with themes of loss and kids and all that. Then Data had a kid or more precisely, made one.

@searchingfororion

Ай бұрын

​@@PaulTheSkepticAnd lost her. The scenes where Lal is describing her love for him (which they both know this miraculous ability is a side effect of a fatal cascade) is poignant, fantastically acted by both parties, and positively wrenching. "I'll feel it for the both of us."

Riker had to be somewhat prepared to be a father because, at any time, one (or more) of his female conquests could show up with a kid he didn't know he had.

@shinyagumon7015

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe he pulls a Kyle Riker and just leaves

@zyme4569

3 жыл бұрын

The Riker manoeuvre lol

@icwiz

3 жыл бұрын

no way, he never forgets his monthly birth control hypo.

@justincoleman3805

3 жыл бұрын

He could just say it was the other Riker.

@shepwillner7507

2 жыл бұрын

@@artman2oo3 Riker taught that chair sitting method to Wesley Crusher, who appeared in the ST TNG novel 'Imzadi," by Peter David.

I want a Star Trek show called _Orphans of the Enterprise_ where all the now adult kids that were adopted and then dropped by the Enterprise bridge crew band together to get revenge on the system that failed them.

@Grizabeebles

3 жыл бұрын

I've been dreaming for years of a time travel-centric Trek series where the ship is full of characters that only ever existed in a single episode and their job is to protect the "continuity" of the timestream. "Time, beyond all frontiers. These are the voyages of the timeship Continuity. It's eternal mission - To ensure those who boldy go got where they boldly went exactly the way they're boldly well supposed to."

@JosephDavies

3 жыл бұрын

That sounds depressing enough you just might get your wish, Osiris.

@protoborg

3 жыл бұрын

@@Grizabeebles Well, Voyager did meet the timeship relativity.

@jkjerbdhetheth

3 жыл бұрын

Kurtzman and Co are almost certainly working on it on the off chance their third (Lower Decks), fourth (Strange New Worlds), fifth (Prodigy), and sixth (untitled Section 31) attempts at creating a palatable series don't pan out... "Wesley and the Traveller adopt nine bitter orphans and seek profanity-laden vengeance against the Kazon for the scalping of Beverly Crusher in ORPHANS OF THE ENTERPRISE only on CBS All Access Prime Pro Plus!"

@shepwillner7507

2 жыл бұрын

@@jkjerbdhetheth Even better: Wesley and the Traveler use the Guardian to go back in time to adopt those supercharged kids from the ST TOS episode "And the Children Shall Lead" and leads them in battle against the Breen, the J'em Hadar, the Founders, and anybody else from the Dominion. Then they all join Q and destroy the Borg. That sounds like fun, especially the time traveling via the Guardian.

I think Picard in the turbo lift with the 3 kids is the start of his evolving attitude toward children

@MHLegacy

3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely! And remember that part after the turbolift "falls" (for no logical reason) where Picard cuts the rope, kicks the blonde haired boy on the head and screams "I...(kick)...have had...(kick)...enough of...YOU (kick)!" and then laughs maniacally as they also fall (illogically) to their fate in the oblivion that is the writers room? That was really wild. Especially tragic how the power was restored right after. Picard looked pretty sad, did the "Picard Maneuver" and went about his day whistling a little song. Just kidding, obviously, but yes, I genuinely agree about your point with the kids in the turbolift. They might have been the impetus for Captain Picard Day later on.

You'd think they'd have a CPS officer.

@MoonMoverGaming

3 жыл бұрын

In the unexplored reaches of space?

@BioGoji-zm5ph

3 жыл бұрын

Considering Picard's hatred of children in the early seasons, I'm pretty sure he secretly did everything legally within his power to make sure that his ship had as few people who wanted to protect children as possible.

There's a trope that is used more, for the subject of empathy, which is when one of our heroes is made to believe they are someone else, the episode where Riker ends up in the alien asylum, where Picard lives and entire life after being zapped by an alien probe, where Riker joins a Klingon crew for a bit, when Troi is made to think she's a Romulan, when Kira is made to believe she's a Cardasian, when the Doctor is made to think he's a flesh and blood human, when Neelix and Tuvok become Tuvix...

@protoborg

3 жыл бұрын

The self is a powerful part of a human's psyche. Playing on that is a great way to really expose who someone actually is. That is why therapy will often delve into such things.

Another great episode, Steve. My favorite moment in "Future Imperfect" is when Riker learns that his (imaginary) wife was Minuet, a holographic character from the S1 episode "11001001". That touch of continuity was amazing for such an episodic series. PS All the ads YT placed in your show were for religious movies and conspiracy theories. Thought you might appreciate the irony. 🙂🖖

After Worf leaves kid it became junior drug lord under Kane on the streets of Detroit in RoboCop 2...

I admit, I still to this day get "The Bonding" and "Hero Worship" mixed up when either episode starts because of how similar the premises are. Edit: also, the boy from "Future Imperfect"'s true form was probably the most Roswell-ass looking alien ever to appear in the franchise

@Seal0626

3 жыл бұрын

I had them mentally filed away as the same episode. I was remembering that the kid who tried to turn into an android ended up being adopted by Worf as a brother instead.

@BogeyTheBear

3 жыл бұрын

Must gave been the last (and the only child) of the Vanir from _Stargate_

Worf reaching out to Jeramy and not so much with Alexander is saddening. Ever consider a pure Alexander video? Touch on his chrono-suicide attempt... I dunno. Was the Dominion war in his timeline, can I blame him for that?

@Tareltonlives

3 жыл бұрын

I was hoping that would be used in a later episode, with Alexander feeling unloved and Worf feeling guilty

@Grizabeebles

3 жыл бұрын

@@Tareltonlives -- I think with all 4 of these boys Steve hit on a good premise for episodes in a future Trek series - especially if they can convince the grown actors to come back after 30+ years. In a very real way, these boys are "collateral damage/human debris" and seeing them all grown up would give fans a chance to see something teachers have known forever - you can't control the things kids learn from you. You can only hope and pray you pass on something useful.

@Ertwin123

3 жыл бұрын

@@Grizabeebles They sort of did that in Picard with Elnor. They had flashbacks to Picard befriending him as a kid, then disappearing for well over a decade. Both Elnor, and Raffi are bitter about Picard abandoning them and going to live at his vinery. Seven's story arc also has shades of that with the fridging of Icheb, and her guilt over it. Raffi is also estranged from her son, and briefly meets up with him. So yeah, Picard definitely explores those themes.

@protoborg

3 жыл бұрын

@@Ertwin123 The word is vineyard.

@michaelnewell1969

3 жыл бұрын

I always liked Alexander because he's so relatable for people that also have shitty fathers.

Don't forget "The Offspring" in which Data has a daughter. I forget the episode in which Data saves a young girl. All about parenting which resonates with me.

@johnpotts8308

3 жыл бұрын

Pen Pals (and he breaks the Prime Directive to do it, too)

@Bastion90

3 жыл бұрын

Pen Pals

@BioGoji-zm5ph

3 жыл бұрын

@@johnpotts8308 Not quite. In Pen Pals, that little girl's parents were still alive, and Data convinced Picard to actually do the right thing and save the girl's people from extinction. Although it is sad that Data had to manipulate Picard in the first place to get him to help save those people from extinction.

As someone who started playing the trombone when I was 9 and now teaches music for a living, the comment about Riker's son wanting to play the trombone stings a little bit...but I can also recognize sarcasm (I think). Anyway, all that being said, you mention how Riker is revealed to be one of Star Trek's best parents in Picard, and we see a preview of that through the illusion in this episode when Riker is watching home movies to try and jog his memory. He has a very close relationship with his "son." Wouldn't it make sense for that son to want to emulate his father? Musical talent tends to run in families and it's not that uncommon to find families where everyone plays an instrument.

Those episodes ALWAYS brought me to tears ... having had to grow up without a mother, and even growing up as somewhat the 'black sheep' of the rest of the family ive always felt like an outcast and even created my own fantasy worlds as a kid in order to cope

And of course there's that DS9 episode with the orphaned Cardassian boy,.. his adoptive Bajoran family go to DS9 to sightsee or for business or something, and end up having their child removed from their custody by Sisko! Great video as always :)

@shibolinemress8913

3 жыл бұрын

It's fascinating to compare Rugal's fate with Jono's. Rugal's parents obviously loved him, but they were unwittingly psychologically abusing him because of their own prejudice. Still, they were the only family he knew. Was it right for Sisko to send him to Cardassia against his will, or should they have let him return home to Bajor? Or could they have found a 3rd option, like letting him stay with someone on the station? The answer is much less clear cut than with Jono, but I love comparing the two.

I suppose the proto-episode these look back on could be TOS' "Charlie X," and the further expression/expansion of this theme is Seven of Nine's and Janeway's relationship in VGR.

@fisk0

3 жыл бұрын

Voyager had a few other episodes very much in this vein too - the Naomi Wildman episodes, when they find the Borg kids and I think there were a few more.

@pufthemajicdragon

3 жыл бұрын

I'm suck a trekkie that I read your comment as "V'ger" and my first thought was "But Seven and Janeway weren't in The Motion Picture".

@kirkdarling4120

3 жыл бұрын

You might check KZread for "Of Gods and Men" for a star/fan flick (a number of TOS and later actors are in it). The acting is rather stodgy, but the premise is fascinating. An adult Charlie X (the actual original actor) has gone back in past through the time ring ("City on the Edge of Forever") and killed Kirk's mother before Kirk was born. The universe--lacking Kirk--suddenly transforms dramatically for the worst. The reason it changed so dramatically is quite novel. And Ston, who married badly the first time, marries much better the second time around.

@Rkenton48

3 жыл бұрын

wasn't there also a child later on in Voyager? A young girl?

@devenscience8894

3 жыл бұрын

@@fisk0 nice pull. The Naomi Wildman arc is a better example in many ways, as she doesn't magically disappear. She's still seen from time to time thereafter, which was nice for continuity.

Steve, you might as well throw Wesley Crusher into that trope too. He lost his father and later bonds with Picard because his father was both a Starfleet officer AND Picard's friend (and Picard even steps into the step-dad role with his relationship with Beverly). Is he an orphan? No...BUT he was temporarily "orphaned" during Season 2, when Gates McFadden had been replaced and her character was at Starfleet Medical (why Dr. Crusher wouldn't bring her child with her still doesn't make sense; the storyline of him staying on board simply doesn't cut it). Wesley also has the whole Traveler storyline of him finding his place and eventually deciding NOT to pursue a career in Starfleet (until Star Trek X: Nemesis, I guess). In that thread, he moves away from being like Picard, similar to how Timothy moves away from being like Data. I know, I know, lots of people hate Wesley...but his storyline is very similar to the ones you listed. Also, now that I think about it, Worf and Riker were both orphaned as children. Worf's biological parents were killed and Riker lost his mother and was abandoned by his father. Riker's losses were replicated in Alexander, whose mother died and was essentially abandoned by Worf, who kept sending him away to his adoptive parents' home for them to raise because he was too busy having his ideas and suggestions shot down by the Next Gen crew ( kzread.info/dash/bejne/l5iazs9weMuZmNY.html ).

Data almost feels bad that he can't feel bad

It's interesting that you point out how so many of the main characters have lost or been estranged from their parents. As a child, I watched TNG regularly. While not a fan, my mother would occasionally pick up plot points because of this. One day while I was watch, out of the blue she said, "Everyone in that show has father issues. It seems like that's what they're talking about in every episode." I started paying closer attention to this aspect and realized that, obviously not every episode is about this, there ARE a lot of episodes in which someone's father issues comes up, whether due to their father being dead, or just a dick (I'm looking at you, Riker's dad.) While I'm not super into psychodynamic theory, it does seem appropriate to suggest that the writer's room contained some people with daddy issues.

@Scuzzlebutt142

3 жыл бұрын

Won't say I agree, but it may just be a bit of confirmation bias, as we simply don't hear about people who have parental issues. And we do get at least one of the opposite, with Family, and Worf with his adoptive parents, who he seems to absolutely adore.

@sbvera13

3 жыл бұрын

@@Scuzzlebutt142 People with flawless, happy lives tend to make poor subjects for a drama.

@ryane3703

2 жыл бұрын

Holodeck Freud would have something to say about all of this

I love your content. Keep making great stuff :) Fun, unsolicited, idea I had for a video: "How would Sisko have likely handled major "two parters" better (or worse) than the captains that faced them in TNG /Voyager/TOS?

@RolandWolf

3 жыл бұрын

Or pick a two parter and set each captain in the main role

I can't even listen to a vague description of the Data episode without tearing up. I love that one so much.

The favorite premise might be even wider than these 4 episodes. The orphan aspect is an easy way of putting a character in a parental role for 1 episode, but there are plenty of none orphan examples. Troi in The Child, Beverly in Brothers (yes she is already a mother to wesley, but he isn't a little kid any more) and Picard in The Inner Light. Worf in Reunion actually had the same premise, but is retroactively excluded from this list for receiving several follow up episodes.

@Ertwin123

3 жыл бұрын

Also in Birthright part 2 where Worf thinks it's a great idea to impose his cultural ideals and hatreds on the children of a colony of Klingons living peacefully with Romulans.

Being a child who lost both parents during my teen years... It was so comforting to have an adult step into my life, and assure me that things were gonna be alright, and that I wasn't alone !!!! Thank you for discussing this topic... 😊

Hey now, don't be hating on the trombone. :p Actually, Riker breaks through multiple layers of fiction to discover reality is a common trope I enjoyed. The one in this episode, Frame of Mind (my favorite episode), and to a lesser extent that one with the subspace alien abductions all illustrated this character trait of his.

@mantramoon9

9 ай бұрын

I always really enjoyed the altered reality Riker going crazy episodes!

One of my favorite continuity moments in TNG was where, in Future Imperfect, Riker sees a picture of himself and Minuet and realizes everything is fake.

I thought the favorite plot for all Star Trek was "seemingly benevolent culture is secretly exploiting or persecuting minority or other species." That one is reused from TOS all the way through ENT (I haven't seen STD or Picard, so can't say if it made it into those.)

@sobertillnoon

3 жыл бұрын

I thought its favorite premise was: In a situation a conflict is arises, it is delt with, and then rarely or never spoken about again

@shinyagumon7015

3 жыл бұрын

A variation of that is "seemingly benevolent culture has one fatal flaw that could destroy it whole existence and try to force the heroes to fix it."

@Tarvok

3 жыл бұрын

@@sobertillnoon Nah, that isn't Star Trek in particular, just television in general, at least during that era.

@krim7

3 жыл бұрын

@@sobertillnoon Only the cool bits are referenced again.

I spent three hours this morning trying to set up CBS on my television to watch "Lower Decks" and failed. Then I come on KZread and there's this video. Thank you Mr. Shives, you may have actually saved me from self-harm.

Thank you Steve. Your videos had not been in my feed for a while. And after listening to your analysis while searching my feelings I find I needed this. Thank you once more and may you live long and prosper.

The idea that the Enterprise isn't just a war ship and a convention center but also an orphanage is hilarious .

I was just watching "Cardasians" which includes a child adopted by Bajorians and his fate is basically a c plot in the episode. He's been kidnapped, raised by loving foster parents and then almost off screen he's just shipped back to Cardasia. The deep and emotionally problematic issues he faces are never resolved or even acknowledged, the episode feels like a political drama.

@lorcannagle

3 жыл бұрын

There's a novel - The Never-Ending Sacrifice - that tells the story of the boy after he's shipped back to Cardassia, and it's pretty much the best Trek novel I've read.

Can we just talk about my favorite thing with future imperfect? When Riker figures out the sim is fake the first time, it’s because they made his wife Minuet, and he’s like she’s fake. The way the Romulans are like “she’s real to you, bro.” Love it.

The slick back trio

Steve, thanks for another interesting analysis. I always enjoy the Trek Actually (& Not Actually...) videos. I don't disagree with any of the points you made, but noticed there seemed to be one that wasn't mentioned (or just didn't work with this episode/script?). As I watched those episodes as a teenager (when they originally aired), I felt as though they were allegories for the "step-family". Growing up in the 80's-90's, it felt like the topic of step-families were often being addressed socially and in media. In some ways it's similar to the way we're discussing same-sex parenting today. While my parents weren't divorced many of my friends were in single-parent and/or step-families. Episodes like the ones you mention helped me understand the issues my friends were going through. They showed some of the struggles that parents and children experience, and proposed a "what's best for the child" approach. (which just so happens to be today's accepted approach, go figure)

Amazing video. So grateful I stumbled across this channel!

"And then he's never seen again, because it's [Worf]."

@krim7

3 жыл бұрын

Worf is a devoted husband but a terrible father.

I know this was focusing on TNG, but as I watched this, my mind kept going back to 'Charlie X' from TOS. Kirk was (VERY reluctantly) shoved into the father figure role with Charlie, and a few of these concepts were explored in that episode, as well. Perhaps also 'Miri', now that I think of it. I think parenthood and family are major themes in the various Star Trek franchises (to different extents, certainly) because the crews of the various ships / space stations are very much families in their own way. The members of the crews aren't just co-workers, doing a job (kind of like how the crew of the Nostromo were portrayed in 'Alien') - the Star Trek crews cared for each other in ways that transcended mere friendship. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it, but I have always gotten that impression. Anyway, great episode, as always. Thanks, Steve!

He may not have been in the core cast, but Miles O'Brian had kids and a spouse, and he was in 52 episodes.

@stein1919

3 жыл бұрын

and was kind of a reluctant father figure to a Cardassian orphan on DS9 (or at least, eventually tolerated him)

Steve Shives Let's not forget Jason Vigo who for a minute was thought to be Picard's son in "Bloodlines".

The “crew member playing surrogate parent to an orphan” plot is to TNG what the “Enterprise crew comes across an omnipotent being” plot is to TOS. I did a mini-TOS marathon when this pandemic began and my wife -a novice Trekkie- asked me after watching “The Squire of Gothos,” “Arena,” and “An Errand of Mercy” back to back “Do they come across an omnipotent being in every episode?”

@krim7

3 жыл бұрын

They did the same thing in TNG and Voyager, the writers just realized it was easier if the omnipotent being was just the same dude each time :P

every time i watch one of your videos i'm compelled to rewatch TNG episodes you bring up... all of these episodes fell into the cracks in my memory but when you bring them up I remember how they were great and your analysis gives a good angle to rewatch them on!

Absolutely fascinating analysis! 👏 The way TNG explored the theme of chosen family through these episodes shows the depth and heart of the series. Love how you broke it down!

Wasn't there an episode where there's a Borg they named Hugh? doesn't that fit in with this premise?

@krim7

3 жыл бұрын

Definitely does.

“On the starship Enterprise no one is ever alone.” Me: Computer, locate Lt. Reginald Barclay. Computer: Lt. Barclay is in holodeck 3.

Without his parents Jeremy moved to Earth and became a drug dealer, going by the alias "Hob" and sadly was gunned down by drug addicted cyborg.

Hey, popped over from Jesse Gender's channel, have been binging that Hot Trek Content for a few hours and enjoying the hell out of it. You've got great insight, passion, and humor. Really happy to have found you. Peace!

NIce video, Steve. Solid critical observation. I enjoyed it.

That was a really great video. Very well done.

I wonder if Hugh the borg might also fit into this premise. His companions are killed in an accident. Laforge and Crusher heal Hugh physically and begin to introduce individuality, everyone grows.

@protoborg

3 жыл бұрын

It's interesting that Voyager also tackled the "individual Borg" thing with 7 of 9.

This was rather brilliantly done, especially at the beginning.

"And then he's never seen again because TNG" is a mood.

Data never actually needed the emotion chip. In a number of episodes, we see him demonstrate response to stimuli that are in effect, emotional. The idea that his lack of emotion makes him less human was always false, because he merely lacks emotional expression. One could argue that he lacked abstract thought to begin with, but I think his protestations that he lacks emotion were always meant to ring false.

@jacobroswell8185

3 жыл бұрын

I guess that's one episode we can look forward to in the future. Does Data actually need an emotion chip?

@protoborg

3 жыл бұрын

@GozerTheTraveller Not really.

@protoborg

3 жыл бұрын

As someone who has hidden emotions, I think I can safely say Data had no actual emotions.

@maxwellschmidt235

3 жыл бұрын

@@protoborg does not follow. Emotions are a chemical response to stimuli. Our brain is basically a sophisticated chemical computer designed to seek things which expand our lives, and reject those things which harm our lives. The lack of abstract thought and physiological response merely simplify data's emotions, not invalidate. It is arbitrary to negate his emotions, the same way it would be arbitrary for someone to assume you lack emotion because you suppress outward physiological response to emotional events.

Wait a minute, is this ACTUALLY how all the lost boys ended up in Neverland?

@krim7

3 жыл бұрын

Turns out, all of the lost boys were kids Worf adopted and then abandoned! :P

You do so much better than contemporary Star Trek, actually, Steve. At least when it comes to entertaining me, for what it's worth. Thanks for the continiously great content. Cheers!

I'll have to check your past episodes, Steve, but I'm sure you've explored the episode where Data creates Laal(?), his android 'daughter'. One of my favs, and always has me a little teary-eyed.

I'm surprised the episode featuring Q and Amanda didn't feature here. Crusher mentored her, but so too did Q. Her parents were tragically killed, and she was never heard from again. It bears a lot of similarities to these four episodes.

Again a great video. Thank you.

Fantastic analysis. Future Imperfect is actually one of my favorite episodes.

coming after the guidance counselor episode, addressing some of the episodes about trauma, brilliant.

I never thought about how many kid episodes there are. Thank you for the mash up it's wonderful!

Great video, Steve. I hope you enjoyed the DNC last week - it's given me hope. Keep rocking!

I also think there's another thread - you see it in DS9 when Odo refers to the Founders sending baby changlings out into the universe as 'seeing how societies treat the most vulnerable' - that lost children, or children in general, are the responsibility of everyone not just the parents. 'It takes a village to raise a child' = 'On the starship Enterprise, no one is alone.'

Another well done video! Great job; no notes!

Gosh, I'd think they're favourite premise is when they treat the prime directive like a guideline at best.

Great video. I'm just discovering your channel. I would include two Wesley episodes under this theme. When the Bough Breaks: In the episode Wesley and some other children are kidnapped by an alien species that can't have their own children. Wesley's forced to take on a leadership/big brother role. I'd also highlight Wesley and the Traveller. It's very much the inverse of this theme: Wesley encounters a father like figure. Also, the episode where Data builds Lal could be included here.

Just wow. Thank, Steve ❤

Definitely a go to trope, and I never really thought about it, that it was to give these parentless characters an episode to be a parent. Keep up the good work, I love your videos.

Another good video and excellent sign off!

I'm not surprised that Steve found something good about Star Trek V. It's becoming his calling card.

This was definitely one of your best written episodes!

Picard quietly spaces the kids after their episode is over. It's cleaner that way. :P

I got it mixed up too... the kid who starts acting like Data I thought was this one where the boy's mother dies.....which would make sense, his disconnection from emotion surrounding his mother's death, and the episode concluding with Worf stepping in to essentially be a foster-father figure - if only in action.

I really enjoy your content Thanks😄

This is a fascinating breakdown! I'm really glad I found this video (and yes, I just subscribed to your channel as well). I grew up on TNG, so this type of stuff really hits home. Did you/do you have plans to do a breakdown like this of voyager? The ep where the doctor creates a holographic family ("Real life")jumps to mind...and yeah, that one was a gut punch I wasn't ready for.

Another great video! Thank you Steve for your insight. I would Love to have your take on my personal fave TNG episode "Who Watches the Watchers?" The dynamic of Science & Superstition is if huge interest. Clearly DS9 tackled that subject quite well but this single TNG episode and that amazing Picard speech about why he refuses to send this civilization back into the dark ages was so epic!

Hey Lord Shives, don't know how much control you have of this but there were *a lot* of ads breaking up this episode. Even one fewer would have helped the flow. Thank you good sir

Shades of this theme in I, Borg as well. Even Perfect Mate has that born sexy yesterday thing going on.

Fun and well done!

"On the Starship Enterprise no one is alone. No one." Is contrasted by the population density of space ships in 40k, where you could actually spend months not seeing another living being, and it's almost effortless to spend a lifetime alone.

And DS9 turns this trope on its head with “Cardassians,” “The Abandoned” and the Ziyahl arc.

Re:view - two amazing TNG recaps btw. Steve if you wanna talk about every TNG episode , we will watch it.

I am surprised when making a ToS comparison you didn't bring up Charlie X

That was a fun opening. I twigged something was up when you couldn't immediately name the episode in question 😉

The Third season episode "The Offspring " also comes to mind, although it lacks several of the criteria you chose for this video. In this case parenthood wasn't suddenly thrust on Data, it was actively pursued by the character. Still, another emotional episode featuring the role of parenthood as experienced by one of the crew members.

BTW very incisecive observations Steve. A great post.

You should do an episode on DS9s favorite premise; having someone live another life. (Far beyond the Stars, Second Skin, Most Dax episodes, Things Past, Paste Tense, ETC.)

It's not much, but in DC Comics' TNG run, Jeremy meets Alexander after he moves to Earth and he helps Alexander overcome a distrust of Klingons using a story from Klingon culture. One vast weakness of 'Suddenly Human' was in my eyes that, while his explanations were ultimately true and correct, Jono's Telarian father's reasons for Jono's past injuries sounded a lot like excuses that actual vicious abusers use to cover up and get away with it. It also brings up another seemingly frequent later Trek trope: Our entire fleet to retrieve one person. I count at least 3: this one, Half A Life, and the Voyager ep with the resurrected crew member now a member of another species. I think there may be more.

@Stettafire

2 жыл бұрын

I agree, that relationship seemed like a "oh let's return the kid to the abusive parents cus the kid wants to be with their abusive parent" a yikes from me

@shoresean1237

5 ай бұрын

@@Stettafire There was once (I think it's somewhat tempered and diminished now) for authorities to 'keep a family together' no matter what condition that family was in, even to being Family In Name Only. But again, when the Telarian captain talks, it almost sounds like a Family Guy cutaway for how awkward it comes out, particularly in retrospect, but even at the time.

Imagine if Worf’s adopted kid had shown up on DS9 with Alexander

Except "The Inner Light" comes after "The Bonding" . Two totally different experiences for Picard. One is as Captain and the other is a life of 20 years that is "real" to him as he stated to Neela Darren.

Head canon: Mirasta Yale (1st Contact) stays on the Enterprise and becomes foster mother to Barash (Future Imperfect), Jeremy Aster (the Bonding), Alexander Rozhenko often, Timothy (Hero Worship)... and almost Jono (Suddenly Human). The Admiral Berman Home for continuity discards on deck 13. Connected to the David Marcus-Kirk Institute on Miri’s Planet. 😜

I loved that Data episode. I really identified with the kid at the time... probably because I wasn't too far from being his age, among other things.

They should do a series of movies where Jonah becomes the caption of a ship with a ragtag crew of misfits who go on whacky adventures. They could even guard the galaxy.

We could also include “Disaster” as dipping into this well of tropes.

Geordi is the only man in the main cast who didn't get an orphan episode. They should make a Geordi spin-off about that.