Literally.... the crew had the audacity to act like this wasn’t a work of absolute genius

@doubtingthomas6146

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed. It’s perfection. And bloody hilarious! I would have thought it would illicit more laughs from the crowd.

@jschram84

2 жыл бұрын

That’s how you know they had acting skills, acting bored when in reality it was magnificent

@xlitin

Жыл бұрын

It's a good poem on its own. Within canon, you have an android mimicking a human art form by reciting a poem about their cat. That's as facile as they come, so of course the crew is rolling their eyes. Picard seems to be enjoying it or putting on a show of being the supportive executive. Troi seems to recognize it's a heartfelt poem but her species is known for emotional connections so that isn't surprising. It's a well acted scene from everyone, and yes, the poem is great, and yes, I am a cat lover lol

@viceroybolt3518

Жыл бұрын

Honestly half the crew still looked starstruck to be hearing android poetry and I appreciate that touch. The people who interact with Data and his five syllable words constantly are tuning out but the lower decks will be reading Ode to Spot for weeks

@yellowrose0910

Жыл бұрын

That's TNG writing for you. And what's with Data completely BLOWING the first line?!

Cat owners, please rise to your national anthem

@5ynthesizerpatel

3 жыл бұрын

and if you don't ..... well just ask Riker how that worked out for him

@TommygunNG

2 жыл бұрын

Nobody "owns" a cat.

@Boxanadu

2 жыл бұрын

@@TommygunNG you don’t own cat. Cat owns you.

@michellelynnwright5366

2 жыл бұрын

Purrrfect! Bah dum dum.😽😹😹😻

@KatDoesCrime

8 ай бұрын

@@BoxanaduYup exactly!

the last part "although you are not sentient and do not comprehend, I nonetheless consider you, a true and valued friend" is actually really, really good.

@staffanekberg9607

9 жыл бұрын

chuckb11 Except that it's wrong. A cat is sentient, it's just that it isn't sapient. Data needs to replace his memory circuits, or what ever memory units he uses.

@paulh2981

9 жыл бұрын

chuckb11 But Data wouldn't make that kind of mista--OH SHIT, LOOK OUT! IT'S LORE!!

@loresoong8207

8 жыл бұрын

+Paul H Not MY fault he was too busy petting his cat to perform his own poem...

@ServiteJack

8 жыл бұрын

funny i just watched this episode and that 'Sentient Comment' threw me. i even came online now to check it's various definitions and for comments like these. ONLY Instincts - or thought as well. you decide after a true story of my cat, Obi. Often times when its late and and the dog must go outside, if im feeling extremely lazy.. i just open the automatic garage door, say "go boy, go potty" and just let the dog go out on his own. he just loves it and we live on a private road with maybe 4houses and lots of trees. but once in a while he lingers outside there longer than I feel comfortable with. SO.. during those solo dog-excursions i 'call for the cat'. (not a joke) this cat so adores his big brother! he brings all mice and any other 'gifts' straight to him. so whenever i start to worry i simply call out to the cat, and say " Obi, Go get Freddie, bring our Freddie home!". and as Im pointing to the opened garage door he without delay bounces out into the night. usually within 5 minutes. .. first will come the dog, and the cat right behind. He finds him wherever he may be then circles him back inside. it's beautiful to see! ! and he does many othet things learned and not merely instinctual. Obi the cat adores his older dog brother, despite Freddie's lack of returned affection or even attention of any kind. but the cat continues to do whatever he chooses to do. He will even go Against cat-wiring and dash outside into the rain - remaining out until his mission of retreval has been successful. at night when the dog is alrewdy asleep on the bed he will slowly inch by inches move himself closer to where the dog is as to sleep as close to the dog as possible. Without being detected and 'run off' by grumpy fred. I'd always thought sentient and non-sentient life was say, a squirel and then a tree. or a non-thinking flower to the thinking bee. must the thoughts be Above a certain grade to be considered Sentient? if that wete the criteria it wld seem my cat is more intelligent than a few humans I've known. OR does it somehow by definition, as some believe come down to the One Required Question: "Are they Aware of their Own mortality, that in time they themselves will die" . the line drawn between "intelligent life forms, sentient beings?- Some do believe that is the criteria. but It seems to me "I" Think, therefore I am" fits a great many species, 'my own Spot' included. all thoughts appreciated on the topic. Well, all honest thoughts and opinions. trolls nor bots need not apply. ** Peace to all creatures large and small, respect and empathy towards us all ** : )

@dropjawbertone

7 жыл бұрын

I would have to agree that animals are sentient. My cat Spike certainly is. Maybe more than I am, even LOL

I love cats, I love Data, and I fail to see how this isn't great.

@Brandon-ew8mr

4 жыл бұрын

You fail because it’s more than great, it’s amazing.

@motherofpearlmusic2015

4 жыл бұрын

I've just seen this scene for the first time and collapsed with laughter. It IS amazing.

@ralphreinert

3 жыл бұрын

Well, it was clever. But in me at least, it did not produce an emotional response beyond simple amusement at how, well, clever it was. Without the humorous clever word play, it was little more than the roses are, violets are blue, you are my sunshine, and I love you type of poem. There nothing wrong with humorous poetry. Indeed, poet's such as Ogden Nash and Edward Lear are primarily known for their funny poetry. But, rightly or wrongly, they are not generally counted among the "greats" of poets.

@billygowhoop

2 жыл бұрын

@@ralphreinert you must not be a cat owner.

@I_leave_mean_comments

2 жыл бұрын

cats are gay, weirdo

I like how both Picard and Troi are behaving like proud, doting parents while everyone else is bored out of their mind

As a kid with undiagnosed ASD and a true adoration of cats, there were few characters on television that I related to as well as Data, and this was one of his undisputed crowning moments in my eyes.

@tablescissors

Жыл бұрын

I am very glad that you could have that moment, Trek was always meant to be thus.

They're all nuts, this is one of my favorite poems.

What's really neat about this poem is, in a world where Data is under-appreciated and his very sentience is called into question, he nonetheless embraces a creature whose sentience has been disproven, and calls him "friend" anyway. You can see it in Deanna's face, it's like, "Look, guys... even I can show compassion... why do humans have such a hard time with it?"

@user-nv1cc1tt7m

2 ай бұрын

wow, I hadn't thought of that. I'm so glad you pointed it out. It really gives the poem more meaning

Ode to Spot by Data Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature, An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature; Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses. I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations, A singular development of cat communications That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection. A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents; You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance. And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion, It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion. O Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display Connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array. And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend, I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

Whoever wrote that poem, deserves a medal.

In German the lyrics: Felis Catus ist deine taxonomische Nomenklatur, ein endothermischer Vierfüßler, fleischfressend von Natur. Deine Seh-, Geruchs- und Gehörsinne sind umfassend, und zu deinem Jagdgeschick und deiner natürlichen Verteidigung passend. Ich bin fasziniert von deinem vielfältigen schnurrenden Ton, eine einzigartige Entwicklung von Katzenkommunikation, durch die du deine prinzipielle hedonistische Vorliebe unterstreichst, wodurch du ein rhythmisches Streicheln deines Felles aus Zuneigung erreichst. Ein Schwanz ist ganz wesentlich für dein akrobatisches Talent. Du wärst nicht so geschmeidig, fehlte dir sein Gewicht am anderen End'. Und nutzt du ihn nicht zur Fortbewegung unter gewissen Konditionen, so dient er dir häufig zum Ausdruck deiner Emotionen. Oh Spot, die komplexen Verhaltensweisen, die man an dir sieht, suggerieren eine kognitive Vielfalt auf großem Gebiet. Und auch wenn du nicht fühlen kannst, Spot, und du ein Streuner bist, sehe ich dich als meinen Gefährten an, der ein wahrer und hochgeschätzter Freund ist

@LokianEule2

2 ай бұрын

Im amazed you made it rhyme

I wonder which member of the writing team wrote this, or if perhaps a fan sent it in. It's really quite brilliant.

@mirinbrah739

4 жыл бұрын

@@gelsen888 No you didn't. Visual Effects Artist named Clay Dale wrote it. I doubt you are Clay, since you recently uploaded a video claiming to be you and it's of a female. Delusional, perhaps?

@MtnNerd

4 жыл бұрын

That blog is scary. I think Gina may have schizophrenia.

@samlincoln

4 жыл бұрын

@@gelsen888 please go and speak to a professional psychiatrist

@Cutesticles

4 жыл бұрын

@@gelsen888 Riker is not amused by your writing :P

@mr.depressed886

3 жыл бұрын

What the actual fug is this reply section

As a languages student I'd love to see how the translators managed this scene without going completely insane!

this is the greatest moment in all of star trek

Troi’s faces as she reacts to Riker are so great. Some excellent acting from Sirtis.

As an english major I must say this poem is wonderful.

@AgentSapphire

10 жыл бұрын

***** I do believe something of that magnitude would break the internet dear sir.

@CybershamanX

9 жыл бұрын

I've always had a problem with both Brent Spiner's and Jonathan Frakes' (in a future episode titled "A Fistfull of Datas") recitation of the first line of this poem. They phrase the line "Felis catus: is your taxonomic nomenclature An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature" as a question when it is actually a statement. As a card carrying nerd it makes me cringe and pull my hair out every time I hear it. :P en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Ode_to_Spot#Background

@TheLordAnnatar

7 жыл бұрын

CybershamanX perhaps spot showed signs of omnivorous behavior and that put to question its carnivorous nature?

@NannyYnez

7 жыл бұрын

yes!! CybershamanX, that has always bothered me too, in fact I came here just to check the Comments and see if anyone else had ever thought the same thing. I was beginning to think I must be the only person in the world who noticed , glad I'm not the only human to pick up on that error.

@CybershamanX

7 жыл бұрын

Darwinian Ape Mmmmm...not buyin' it. heheheh. ;) :P memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Ode_to_Spot

Always cracked up when Riker starts clapping.

Data continues to be the most relatable character in Trek. (Seriously, I did this exact thing - albeit with less complex wording - whenever I had to write poetry in school as a child.)

This was so pure.

Okay but the audacity of the crew to look bored while he was reciting his poem. Was genuinely so good.

I could imagine the entire crew thinking "he means me doesnt he" Then he begins talking about his cat.

The best writing tells the truth about its author. This does just that. Can't believe Geordi didn't like it. :-/

@loopyfrog

8 жыл бұрын

+James Stewart Geordi has no soul! lol

@allpossibleworlds

8 жыл бұрын

Because despite how much many of the crew members love Data, none of them really make the effort to fully connect with him. He is constantly trying to improve his understanding of human experiences and interactions, but they spend far less time trying to improve their understanding of him.

@jamesstewart7095

8 жыл бұрын

allpossibleworlds You know, I actually agree with that statement. (There was that one episode where Picard says that Data should examine his own culture instead of human culture in order to divine a solution to a problem, but that's the only example I can think of offhand.) A lot of the time, Data is treated like an irritating child that no one wants to interact with.

@allpossibleworlds

8 жыл бұрын

I find a lot of the time the other crew members act as if they just met Data. I understand part of the charm and humour of his character is the differences and misunderstandings he has with others. But some of those misunderstandings could be easily avoided if people in his life would just be honest and direct with him. Like that woman he briefly dated who said, "Don't let me interrupt you painting," and expected him to know she meant the opposite of what she said. It's not complicated to understand Data's unique needs and adapt to them. As far as his poetry goes, it's true it doesn't evoke emotion the way great poetry does. But his poems are unique: they are the artistic expression of a being who wasn't designed to be creative. They reflect the experiences and perceptions of the only android in existence (well, with the exception of Lore, but he's a renegade). It's like you said, it tells the truth about Data. What Data chooses to write about is indicative of what's important to him (i.e. his cat) and how he writes it is indicative of how he relates to the world. For anyone who knows and cares about Data, his poetry should evoke some emotion, because it is an extension of him.

@mdcraig62

6 жыл бұрын

I think that I was all the poems before this, and the promise of more to come. Even in an enlightened society a little poetry goes a long way.

This is a real vocaloid right here.

@rogerborg

5 жыл бұрын

@Mizuki Hanako You're a unique snowflake, just like me!

@dragonscale46

3 жыл бұрын

My god it’s Data with a beard.

Through out the whole time , I was smiling like crazy for the clever rhyme and for the beauty of using these descriptive and creative terms to show love to a cat .

The writing of this poem seems to be better than all the episodes of Star Trek Picard combined. I don’t think the writers of that show would be able to comprehend the vocabulary being used here.

@wylieecoyote

2 жыл бұрын

"A-men" or should I say "a-meow".

@dessertstorm7476

Жыл бұрын

the fucking hubris

@KatDoesCrime

8 ай бұрын

Yup, agreed!! I'm very sure at least the writers of that poem understand that cannon is not something to be controdicted at one's pleasure! It's a shame that picard spiraled downwards and began to kill off characters simply for the sake of it.

SO HE CAN WRITE A POEM ABOUT A CAT AND EVERYONE LOVES HIM AND I TRY TO, OH, I DUNNO, _DO_ SOMETHING OTHER THAN SHIT RAINBOWS ON A STARSHIP AND _I'M_ THE BAD GUY. I SEE HOW IT IS, BROTHER.

@loresoong8207

8 жыл бұрын

+Mizuki Hanako Data-niisan is my enemy

@loresoong8207

8 жыл бұрын

+Mizuki Hanako Tru

@HQMatt

8 жыл бұрын

Lore you unhinged positronic wreck. Your brother and your dad love you. Are you alive in google cloud?

@loresoong8207

8 жыл бұрын

you call me unhinged and then try to tell me the guy who refused to fix me and the guy who tried to kill me love me. mmhmm. yeah buddy friendo pal. ur not my buddy, my friendo or my pal by the way i hate you. and why should i tell you where i live

@HQMatt

8 жыл бұрын

+Lore Soong K sorry dude chilI it was a prank crying irl now. Have a nice a day.

The only scene which stands out in memory decades after watching this series. I'm not saying it was bad, it's just that my memory is fallible. This style of poetry reminds me of Ogden Nash.

Last year in my English class we had to recite a poem and I learned this one. It was a lot of fun and I got an A!!! For short clips, what about all of the scenes in the holodeck from hollow pursuits? I don't think anyone has put all of them together yet.

Love Troi's little reaction at 0:45

Lol, Riker clapping is one of my favorite scenes in the series. We've ALL been there at one point

I remember how fans fought to get this poem on the air. I'm surprised they won.

This is a good poem.

What I always wondered about this scene: Is Picard on some awkward date with that ensign?

@wikieditspam

9 жыл бұрын

He sure seems to be enjoying himself.

@pikkuadi

6 жыл бұрын

Picard enjoys the ladies.

@rogerborg

5 жыл бұрын

Did you just assume zer rank?

LMAO, it's so weird to listen to the normal rendition after hearing the "rap" version of this.

@illuminutteh_2033

10 жыл бұрын

wait, there's RAP version of this??? O_o

@vanellopemint

9 жыл бұрын

Ховард Хендриксон It gets sped up and replayed in the middle of "Positronic Pimp" by the Futuristic Sex Robotz.

@jayhenener8367

3 жыл бұрын

I didnt know of the rap version. Thank you!

People always think I'm weird for having this memorized. It's so funny & the crew's reactions are priceless! 💗💗💗😝😎🙃

Brannon Braga is a very talented script writer in the right environment

The clapping is funny, but troi's reactions are subtle "straight-man-conedy-duo" gold setting it up.

Still enjoying this, 14 years after it was uploaded ❤

This series has many funny moments, but I don't recall laughing as hard as when I heard this poem. "Ode. . . . . . . . .to Spot"

It makes me sad that there aren't any more episodes to watch...

just anything involving data and spot...absolutely adorable...thank u so much for uploading this gem

They did a really good job of making Riker look haggered as hell in this episode. And he pulled it off really well to.

I met Brent Spiner at a convention and got to complement his delivery of this poem. =D

I like Data's poem about the lady from Venus. "There was a young lady from Venus, whose body was shaped like a...

Billy Corgan wrote a song about his cat ("Lily my one and only" on Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness).

although i prefer the original enterprise crew, i love the data character. he's almost like a child in a way, learning what life is from his point of view

This was a beautiful poem. Data is so awesome.

No matter how many time I watch this I cannot stop laughing

This is quite possibly the greatest poem ever written.

This is the greatest poem ever written

1:01 picard: "yes cleaver..."

I wept a tear to hear this lovely poem again. Thanks Data! Thata!

0:22 That look Geordi and Worf exchange though...

For someone that isnt human, he knows how to put emotions towards a living creature

I just watched this last night. I love how at the end Riker is snoring and everyone is quiet and then it fades out to black for the opening credits

This powem is so beautiful I actually do tear up a bit thinking about it and then thinking about my own cat. Data acts like he doesn't have feeling sbut god damn it anyone could see how much he loves Spot.

"That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection" The word "obviate" means to render unnecessary, so I'm pretty sure that's not right.

The way Worf and Geordi look at each other is the most hilarious part of this

Episodes that spotlighted Data were some of the best. Was there one particular writer more than others that loved to "write in" Data doing his thing?

Thanks for the upload . Quality poem and great delivery by Brent

Watching this video with the captions on never gets old.

This is actually amazing.

To all the people getting upset because he said cats aren't sentient: It's called poetic license. Just shut up and enjoy the adorableness.

@V1kte

8 жыл бұрын

As a non-English speaker I assumed that "obviate" is "to make obvious". This is a serious screw-up, kind of ruins the poem for me :(. Good thing I read your comment, because if I didn't, I'd almost certainly used that word wrongly and confused some people. I didn't really understand your note about first stanza though.

@Gj23jk2

8 жыл бұрын

Tests show cats and dogs aren't consciously aware of their individual identity the way primates, elephants and dolphins are. Thus, by the most common and oldest definition of "sentience", they are non-sentient. It doesn't mean they're not intelligent or higher-order lifeforms (which they are), but they can't use tools, their communications are very simple, and they cannot identify themselves in a mirror even when uniquely marked within their eyeshot first (they, like most animals, assume the image is another animal and ignore the marking; dolphins, primates and elephants will do things like rub off the mark, make faces in the mirror, etc. thus proving they know it's "them").

@PhillipRaymondGoodman

5 жыл бұрын

Actually they are excellent tool users, they use us! ;)

i'm autistic and a cat lover and i fucking love data/this scene lmaooooo

The scansion on this poem is *chef's kiss*

One of my favorite scenes and scripts from TNG. It goes a long way to showing Data's humanity but to whoever in real life wrote it, gives us chuckles galore. Just the juxtaposition of Data naming his cat Spot not understanding that would be a name normally given a dog is hilarious in itself. Watching the crews reactions as Data recites his Ode is priceless as well. I adore this little scene from TNG and the series as a whole. Brent Spiner as Data is simply acting at its finest as he totally has you believing he is an android rather than an actor playing an android. Brilliant.🎉❤❤

Always remember this when running my cat through his morning and evening routines

@SpiritStiff even for being used in such a way, it still is a very beautiful poem; one of my favorites.

Just as wonderful now as when I first saw this scene back along about 1988 or whenever it was. Bravo, Data!

The way Worf and La Fourge looked at each other when Data says: Ode to Spot😂😂😂😂

I could listen to this all day

People do not understand how funny this show is sometimes! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I admire whoever wrote that poem. It's really very clever and intelligent and funny too.

this is a great poem. jesus christ. i need more spot stuff.

Spiner actually misinterprets the first few lines of the poem as a question. In fact, it's a pair of statements.

@CptSchmidt

7 жыл бұрын

Alec Eisenbison that's not true. If Spiner had misinterpreted the poem, the director would have corrected him. If you mean Data misinterpreted the poem, that would also be incorrect because he wrote it.

@Eisenbison

7 жыл бұрын

The director didn't write the poem himself, and probably missed it as well. The episodes' scripts and the actual meaning of the words indicate the first line to be a self-contained statement. They make no sense as a question. Frakes made the same mistake in a later episode. " _Felis catus_ is your taxonomic nomenclature, An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature; " You also have to keep in mind that this was a weekly TV show, not a multi-million movie production.

@CptSchmidt

7 жыл бұрын

Alec Eisenbison As much as it must feel good to think you're smarter than the entire production team, quoting word for word from Memory Alpha, there really is no problem here. There are multiple explanations covering the ifs and whys it was read the way it was, but the easiest explanation is that you're reading far too much into this for the sake of self-gratification. The way Data reads the poem does not require the first stanza to be a question. Considering how he reads several of the poem's other stanzas in exactly the same style and intonation, it stands to reason that his intonation is a stylistic choice which is consistent throughout the entire poem. If it were a standalone occurrence in the poem, then you might have ground to stand on, but it's not and you don't because it is consistent throughout. And I know the director didn't write the poem. It was written by Brannon Braga. Do you honestly think that Braga wasn't on set for the production of the episode? The lead writer is usually present during filming. For it to have happened twice in the same episode without the writer noticing is near impossible.

@Eisenbison

7 жыл бұрын

CptSchmidt Wow, went from a 0 to 10 on the salt scale right away, didn't you? I don't know where you got your information, but the writers for tv scripts are rarely on the shooting sets themselves, as it's rarely part of their job duties and each episode takes many hours of shooting to complete. It's the director's job to see the script interpreted and carried out as he sees fit. As for the actual reading itself, it's plainly clear that he reads and enunciates it as a question, rather than stating it as a fact. I checked and he doesn't improperly enunciate anything else throughout the poem, indicating it was only the first two lines that he misinterpreted. That's really all there is to it.

@CptSchmidt

7 жыл бұрын

Alec Eisenbison He pronounces the opening lines with the same intonation that he pronounces the rest of the poem. One thing you have to understand is that writers in TNG were not separate from the production, which is why in the credits writers aren't credited as writers, but rather as the one in charge of the teleplay. TNG writers played a significant role in the production and worked alongside the production crew to make sure the scripts were interpreted the way they were meant to be. I think you should look up how these kinds of poems are typically read. There is no mistake here at all, except your false sense of judgement. It's actually shocking how confident you are in your own ignorance.

For a moment... Troi was feeling it.

@kalynlambert6889

Жыл бұрын

I would think so, considering Troi is an empath.

This is beautiful.

This was the cutest moment in the whole damned series.

Tears falling. I feel fully touched.

Master class in holding laughter acting.

the crew don't deserve Data. That was a magnificent poem.

This was and has been the only poem I have ever enjoyed. I enjoyed it so much that I sonehow manged to Memorized it.

@radicalazic7636

7 жыл бұрын

Me too. It's the easiest way to make new nerdy friends - whether they are "trek aware" or not.

this is beautiful *teara* just beautiful!

Perfect poem for a perfect friend .

Spiner is such a good actor I never view data as someone playing an android

@Omni0404

2 жыл бұрын

I couldn't agree more

total genius. I love thiis ode

Absolute masterpiece

This is actually one of my favorite poems. ❤ Especially the last stanza. I have actually cited this as a loving cat owner… or should I say, someone owned by my cats…

@jonbap426 I always loved the inter relationships that Data, Geordi and Worf had with each other.

The acting is 1st class, but how many takes did this take with all the laughter there must have been.

Truly a masterpiece of poetry, i love it so much lol

wasn't it Data who also suggested they were taking part in an "untamed ornothological pursuit" ?

@susieok2732

5 жыл бұрын

Yes it was, otherwise known as a wild goose chase 😂 script humor like that is what made TNG so special for me !

I have some bad news for Trekkie fans. Data is an actor & the poem was written by a writer for the show. He's gets full credit for delivering those lines absolutely perfectly.

the ending is so beautiful.

The biggest crime is Data saying Spot isn't sentient. Part of the meaning of sentient is feeling emotions and cats certainly are sentient. Good rhyme tho

I snorted when Troi elbowed a dozing Riker and he woke up clapping. 🤣

Picard is the standin for thr audience. This was awesome.

Tough crowd. That was amazing :D

1:39 Riker does a good impression of the Enterprise-D warp core sound effect😅

I for one actually liked this poem, and got a smile out of it.