This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“The Vengeance Factor” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Defector” See this for a plot summary.
This could have been a really good episode, if the defector had been commenting on the grip of the Tal Shiar (like the KGB) on Romulan society or more generally democratizing the Romulan state. It’s still good (the defector wanted peace between the Romulan state and the Federation), but would have been better if the cause was democracy.
At one point there was some brief dialogue which sounded supportive of the US Army when it was fighting/massacring Indians in the 1800s. That’s disappointing, but is the exception to the rule with ST.
I give it three stars out of five.
“The Hunted” See this for a plot summary.
What the state was doing with their soldiers, programming them, is extremely questionable. What’s even worse is how those soldiers were treated after the war. The state didn’t even try to reverse the programming.
When the Prime Minister tells Picrad that it’s a matter of internal security, Picard describes that as “the age old cry of the oppressor.”
“The High Ground” See this for a plot summary.
This episode looks at what is often called “Terrorism.”
Some of my thoughts about this are here, towards the bottom of the review for the episode “Defiant.”
Some other parts to point out:
1. Picard says “history has shown us that strength may be useless when faced with terrorism.” If he was talking about the sort of people who are better called Freedom Fighters instead of terrorists, I like that statement.
2. The Rutians were keeping track of people who took part in marches and general strikes in support of the goals of the Ensada(??) (the "terrorists"). Riker doesn’t seem too worried about that, which is unusual for ST.
3. When bombs accidentally kill civilians, for example republican bombs in N. Ireland, the fact that they were not intended to kill civilians should be considered when judging the organization responsible. It doesn’t make it less of a tragedy- those people are dead and their family and friends have suffered a great loss.
4. Data, after surveying armed rebellions, says that “terrorism” (his word, apparently for any kind of armed rebellion) is often effective at forcing political change. He refers to Irish unification in 2024. The Brits didn’t like that very much as this explains
I give it three stars out of five.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Star Trek: The Next Generation Reviews M
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“The Bonding” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Booby Trap” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“The Enemy” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“The Price” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. But it does lay the basis for a Voyager episode about 5 years later.
I give it two stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“The Bonding” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Booby Trap” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“The Enemy” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“The Price” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. But it does lay the basis for a Voyager episode about 5 years later.
I give it two stars out of five.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Star Trek: The Next Generation Reviews L
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Peak Perforrmance” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Shades of Gray” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Evolution” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Ensigns of Command” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Survivors” See this for a plot summary.
One bit of politics when Picard says that refusing to fight is a right, sort of a statement in favor of conscientous objectors, and maybe could be seen more broadly as anti-draft.
I give it two stars out of five.
“Who Watches The Watchers” See this for a plot summary.
This episode contained a fair amount of anti-religious stuff, although it could be interpreted as only being hostile to fundamentalists. I think there’s probably a large minority of religious people who do NOT take their religious beliefs that seriously- among the Christians they rarely if ever ask themselves “what would Jesus do?” (a lot of those asking that question would be progressives thinking about politics (I’ve even read something by an atheist who talked about this sort of thing from a progressive standpoint)). And they don’t beliieve in creationism (they probably believe in Intelligent Design, which is different from Creationism, or something else similar).
So, to whatever degree ST was using that episode to bash any form of religion (and it’s not very clear how far they were taking it) I disagree with that. I’m basically the sort of Christian I described above.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Peak Perforrmance” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Shades of Gray” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Evolution” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Ensigns of Command” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Survivors” See this for a plot summary.
One bit of politics when Picard says that refusing to fight is a right, sort of a statement in favor of conscientous objectors, and maybe could be seen more broadly as anti-draft.
I give it two stars out of five.
“Who Watches The Watchers” See this for a plot summary.
This episode contained a fair amount of anti-religious stuff, although it could be interpreted as only being hostile to fundamentalists. I think there’s probably a large minority of religious people who do NOT take their religious beliefs that seriously- among the Christians they rarely if ever ask themselves “what would Jesus do?” (a lot of those asking that question would be progressives thinking about politics (I’ve even read something by an atheist who talked about this sort of thing from a progressive standpoint)). And they don’t beliieve in creationism (they probably believe in Intelligent Design, which is different from Creationism, or something else similar).
So, to whatever degree ST was using that episode to bash any form of religion (and it’s not very clear how far they were taking it) I disagree with that. I’m basically the sort of Christian I described above.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Star Trek: The Next Generation Reviews K
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Samaritan Snare” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Up The Long Ladder” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Manhunt” See this for a plot summary.
I hate saying this because the actor has been a significant part of ST, but I don’t like the episodes with the character Lwaxana Troi.
“The Emissary” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one. I like the idea of Klingons returning from a deep space assignment and not knowing about the peace between the Federation and the Klingons.
I give it four stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Samaritan Snare” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Up The Long Ladder” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Manhunt” See this for a plot summary.
I hate saying this because the actor has been a significant part of ST, but I don’t like the episodes with the character Lwaxana Troi.
“The Emissary” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one. I like the idea of Klingons returning from a deep space assignment and not knowing about the peace between the Federation and the Klingons.
I give it four stars out of five.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Star Trek: The Next Generation Reviews J
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Time Squared” See this for a ploy summary
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Icarus Factor” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Pen Pals” See this for a plot summary.
One small political thing. At the beginning, Picard, who is a horse enthusiast says: “the Arabs believe that Allah gathered the south wind and made the horse.” Considering the multiculturalism of ST, this is a good statement against anti-Arab and anti-muslim bigotry.
Besides that it’s one of the worst episodes I’ve seen (it’s possible that’s because of the little alien girl). I give it one star out of five
“Q Who?” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. But it is the first time the Borg are encountered, so that’s good. I give it three stars out of five
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Time Squared” See this for a ploy summary
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Icarus Factor” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Pen Pals” See this for a plot summary.
One small political thing. At the beginning, Picard, who is a horse enthusiast says: “the Arabs believe that Allah gathered the south wind and made the horse.” Considering the multiculturalism of ST, this is a good statement against anti-Arab and anti-muslim bigotry.
Besides that it’s one of the worst episodes I’ve seen (it’s possible that’s because of the little alien girl). I give it one star out of five
“Q Who?” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. But it is the first time the Borg are encountered, so that’s good. I give it three stars out of five
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Star Trek: The Next Generation Reviews I
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“The Measure of a Man” See this for a plot summary.
This could be a political episode, but I’m not interested in the rather philosophical question- is Data sentient?
I give it three stars out of five.
“The Dauphin” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Contagion” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Royale” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“The Measure of a Man” See this for a plot summary.
This could be a political episode, but I’m not interested in the rather philosophical question- is Data sentient?
I give it three stars out of five.
“The Dauphin” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Contagion” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Royale” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Star Trek: The Next Generation Reviews H
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Loud as a Whisper” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“The Schizoid Man” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, although I missed about half because of the DVD having problems. I give it two stars out of five.
“Unnatural Selection” See this for a plot summary.
Could barely watch because of problems with the DVD. Might try again later.
UPDATE 1/6/12 I have now seen this episode (for the first time since about 6 years ago). It's non-political, although there is one thing to mention. It partly involves genetically created (not engineered) children. I imagine that genetically created is the sort of thing that the movie Gattaca is about. Is that considered acceptable in the Federation when genetic ENGINEERING isn't?
I give it four stars out of five.
“A Matter of Honor” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I like the idea of Riker serving on a Klingon ship. I give it four stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Loud as a Whisper” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“The Schizoid Man” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, although I missed about half because of the DVD having problems. I give it two stars out of five.
“Unnatural Selection” See this for a plot summary.
Could barely watch because of problems with the DVD. Might try again later.
UPDATE 1/6/12 I have now seen this episode (for the first time since about 6 years ago). It's non-political, although there is one thing to mention. It partly involves genetically created (not engineered) children. I imagine that genetically created is the sort of thing that the movie Gattaca is about. Is that considered acceptable in the Federation when genetic ENGINEERING isn't?
I give it four stars out of five.
“A Matter of Honor” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I like the idea of Riker serving on a Klingon ship. I give it four stars out of five.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Star Trek: The Next Generation Reviews G
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Conspiracy” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Neutral Zone” See this for a plot summary.
As far as politcs go, there’s some talk about how humans in the Federation are very different from many humans in the last century. It’s explained that hunger has been ended, greed is no longer an issue, etc.
I also like this episode because it’s the first time we hear about the Borg (I’m certain that it’s the Borg who are responsible for the destruction along the Demilitarized Zone).
I give it three stars out of five.
“The Child” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Where Silence Has Lease” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give two stars out of five.
“Elementary, Dear Data” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give two stars out of five.
“The Outrageous Okona” See this for a plot summary.
This is fairly non-political. I give it three stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Conspiracy” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Neutral Zone” See this for a plot summary.
As far as politcs go, there’s some talk about how humans in the Federation are very different from many humans in the last century. It’s explained that hunger has been ended, greed is no longer an issue, etc.
I also like this episode because it’s the first time we hear about the Borg (I’m certain that it’s the Borg who are responsible for the destruction along the Demilitarized Zone).
I give it three stars out of five.
“The Child” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Where Silence Has Lease” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give two stars out of five.
“Elementary, Dear Data” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give two stars out of five.
“The Outrageous Okona” See this for a plot summary.
This is fairly non-political. I give it three stars out of five.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Star Trek: The Next Generation Reviews F
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Arsenal of Freedom” See this for a plot summary.
Generally non-political, but could be interpreted as hostile to the defense industry.
Another aspect of it is one of the funniest things I’ve heard in an ST episode. When Riker is asked about his ship (the Enterprise) he says it’s the “Lollipop”- and then adds “it’s a good ship.”
I give it three stars out of five.
“Symbiosis” See this for a plot summary.
This reminds me of the allegations that the CIA was involved with crack flooding black communities in the 80s. I read a pretty convincing book by Gary Webb called “Dark alliance: the CIA, the Contras, and the crack cocaine explosion.” That is significantly different from what happens in this episode but it still reminds me of the CIA/crack story.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Skin of Evil” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but it’s also the one where Tasha Yar dies. Since she died before the show got better, I can’t say I really care about her being killed.
I give it two stars out of five.
“We’ll Always Have Paris” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Arsenal of Freedom” See this for a plot summary.
Generally non-political, but could be interpreted as hostile to the defense industry.
Another aspect of it is one of the funniest things I’ve heard in an ST episode. When Riker is asked about his ship (the Enterprise) he says it’s the “Lollipop”- and then adds “it’s a good ship.”
I give it three stars out of five.
“Symbiosis” See this for a plot summary.
This reminds me of the allegations that the CIA was involved with crack flooding black communities in the 80s. I read a pretty convincing book by Gary Webb called “Dark alliance: the CIA, the Contras, and the crack cocaine explosion.” That is significantly different from what happens in this episode but it still reminds me of the CIA/crack story.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Skin of Evil” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but it’s also the one where Tasha Yar dies. Since she died before the show got better, I can’t say I really care about her being killed.
I give it two stars out of five.
“We’ll Always Have Paris” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Star Trek: The Next Generation Reviews E
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“When the Bough Breaks” See this for a plot summary.
There’s a little bit of politics in this one, as it refers the depletion of the Ozone layer on Earth in the 21st century.
Overall I give it two stars out of five.
“Home Soil” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Coming of Age” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
”Heart of Glory” See this for a plot summary.
This episode discusses how Worf was treated poorly by the Federation residents of the planet he grew up on. On the other hand, the two Klingons gave him a hard time because of his associating with the Federation.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“When the Bough Breaks” See this for a plot summary.
There’s a little bit of politics in this one, as it refers the depletion of the Ozone layer on Earth in the 21st century.
Overall I give it two stars out of five.
“Home Soil” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Coming of Age” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
”Heart of Glory” See this for a plot summary.
This episode discusses how Worf was treated poorly by the Federation residents of the planet he grew up on. On the other hand, the two Klingons gave him a hard time because of his associating with the Federation.
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