Discuss Star Trek: The Next Generation
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The Big Goodbye
posted by sukhisooSTAFFMOD on February 20, 2018 at 9:20 AM
PIcard tries to be Sam Spade.
When I last saw this (sometime in the 90s I'd guess), I was not highly familiar with the 40s noir detective story, but familiar enough with the attendant cliches, so I could appreciate what this was trying to do, even if I wasn't completely enthralled with the story. In the intervening years, I've watched and read many entries in the genre. Would it increase my appreciation of the story?
As is seeming to generally be the case, this outing featured two plots. Unfortunately, as it happens too often, the two plots don't relate to each other very well. There is a plot involving the establishment of diplomatic relations with an alien race that I don't believe is ever shown on screen. This serves as sort of a weak ticking time bomb for the primary plot, which is that Picard is trapped in a Chandler/Hammet type story involving an imaginary fictional character Dixon Hill.
The latter story involves some fish out of water humor which kind of grated. Picard is supposedly a fan of the genre. Shouldn't he be more comfortable in the setting than he is portrayed? He also spends some amount of time in a conference excitedly talking about the holodeck scenario like a three year old kid who just got a new toy. Yeah, okay, it was an upgrade I guess, but keep it in your pants, Captain. It couldn't have been that exciting.
Anyhoo, he and Data and Beverly and a redshirt get trapped in a knockoff of the Maltese Falcon. Wesley, Geordie and the Geek Squad rescue them in the nick of time.
A standout is the appearance of Lawrence Tierney, who nails the Sidney Greenstreet role. His character is civilized with an undertone of one capable of ordering extreme violence. I could rewatch it just for his one or two scenes.
Reply by revengine
on February 21, 2018 at 11:59 AM
I never understood how the two holodeck characters were able to walk out at the end and only slowly disappear instead of just instantly de-materializing the way other holodeck objects have been shown to do.
Reply by sukhisoo
on February 21, 2018 at 1:21 PM
There are several possibilities:
1) This was a feature of the "upgrade."
2) The scan that caused the glitch also caused this change.
3) Wesley's fix resulted in a change of behavior.
Reply by Knixon
on February 21, 2018 at 4:34 PM
Or the good old "Because Plot."
Reply by revengine
on February 24, 2018 at 5:58 PM
I'm going to go with #2.
Reply by wonder2wonder
on January 11, 2020 at 11:51 PM
It's scary when you think you're real, and then you realize that you're not, and you slowly start to disappear.
Reply by Knixon
on January 12, 2020 at 12:28 AM
Except it's not REALLY scary, because YOU'RE NOT REAL.
Reply by Knixon
on January 12, 2020 at 12:29 AM
Unless the scan somehow created holo-emitters outside the holodeck, the correct answer is "Because Plot."
Reply by znexyish
on January 12, 2020 at 4:52 PM
Ok My answers
Because it looked cool. It was a striking image for them to slowly vanish. The idea of them fading away held onto the emotion of the scene. They weren't just any holodek characters they were special. Because they believed they would still exist outside. Their belief for a moment made them real for a moment. They were also characters reacting to their demise. If there was ever a reason to turn off that crazy machine that was it. Holo-Murder Deck.
Reply by Knixon
on January 12, 2020 at 6:21 PM
Except it wasn't murder, because they were never alive to start with.
Reply by znexyish
on January 12, 2020 at 7:10 PM
You're just being life-ist. Holo characters will be recognized as Photonic life forms by the Federation one day. Picard will prove the case just like he did for Data. What of those photonic beings that Voyager found in that Protostar?
Reply by Knixon
on January 12, 2020 at 7:15 PM
Well, assuming photonic beings could evolve naturally - which I doubt - then they could be considered genuine. But Data and the holo-doctor and all the other holo-"people" are created artificially and only sustained by outside technology. Even the holo-doctor's "mobile emitter" is still outside technology. Holo-doctors, and the holo-miners we're shown being used "back home," did not and could not evolve naturally. And they only exist so long as their power source is supported.
Reply by znexyish
on January 12, 2020 at 7:45 PM
Life as defined by you carbon-ites. The silicon based Horta was considered a mere pest until Spock was able to communicate with her/him/it. Carbon based life forms like yourself are sustained by food which the Holos might argue is outside technology. But it's not your decision. It is for the HoloPeople to decide and fight for. Now that would make for a good Trek movie "Star Trek: The Rise of the Holos"
Reply by Nexus71
on January 14, 2020 at 9:23 PM
Is it going to be like Jem and the Holograms? Maybe they could change it into Jem'Hadar and the Holograms?
Reply by wonder2wonder
on January 14, 2020 at 10:32 PM
If you're not real, you can't feel scared? Does that mean that you don't have any feelings at all?
Reply by Knixon
on January 14, 2020 at 10:46 PM
Not real feelings, of course not.