The Most Toys, Gallifrey Gals Get Warped! S3Ep22
Added 2021-03-30 17:01:01 +0000 UTCComing up on another Data episode! This season has really cemented Katrina in the Trekkie Fandom! Engage!
https://vimeo.com/807702045/09e12f65fd
PAULA DEMING
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PaulaDeming
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paolobandita/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulaDeming
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2984865/
KATRINA ALYSHA
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KatrinaAlysha
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrina_alysha
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katrinaalysha
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8371578/
Intro Song by: Pixel Pig by Di Young https://youtu.be/TiC7_167hQ0
Creative Commons Attribution license
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/di-young-pixel-pig
All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel does not claim any right over them.
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Comments
Certainly, few bad guys compare...
Dan Williams
2023-11-15 03:00:05 +0000 UTCThe on-the-nose nature of Riker and O'Briens dialogue really lessens the impact for me of the previous scene. His deceptive(?) response to Riker is at least interesting. But I would have been in favour of greater show-not-tell emphasis on Data's logical(?) decision to kill Fajo, given he has been stripped of all power and agency, by this same abuser and heinous criminal, and now wields the power to stop him, and possibly dole out righteous justice?. It's the core of anything/everything worthwhile about Data; 'humanity' is the sum of many parts not the complete, and exclusive, output of some bags-of-mostly-water component which Data's positronic brain lacks. Data comes to 'human' conclusions via his difference and every utterence of 'bUt He Is aN AnDrOiD' is a call of the unimaginative and a form of audience surrogate that I actually find often grating (particularly because I feel like some writers are using it unironically)
Pirateman
2021-04-01 12:13:57 +0000 UTCI barely remembered this one, it does cover some interesting ground but I think I haven't really liked it because it has the problem a great many episodes do; it is readily tiresome when the crew is written as the 'john smith' every-man rather than their regular characters. None of the characters would witness the opening events and just say 'oh well, guess hes dust', they would (as Geordie sort of did eventually) question what happened and why it was out of the ordinary. But for plot's sake they are written to have a 'normal' 'stoic' 'stiff-upper lip' reaction and to view questioning as some 'emotional' 'can't handle the tough realities of starfleet(military)' human flaw. If the episode was internal-universe consistent pretty much everyone would be going "woah that was weird, what happened here? Why didn't that go as it normally does and what DID happen?" instead of watching a distant explosion and going "tut tut, fate sure is fickle. well byeeeee"
Pirateman
2021-04-01 11:43:43 +0000 UTCThank you for this perspective and opening my eyes to that! It's something I still will reference without thinking sometimes so I really do appreciate this. - Kat <3
Time Lord
2021-04-01 03:23:27 +0000 UTCI wonder if it would have been the better artistic choice for O’Brien to have transported Data before he pulled the trigger, letting the audience come to the realization that Data had made the decision to kill Fajo without Riker’s expositional hand-holding. Just the look in Data’s eyes and the fear in Fajo’s would have been enough. +1 to Paula for the Beastie Boys reference. +1 to Katrina for correctly guessing it was a Data-centric episode. +2 to share for such an awesome episode.
Artemis Zeidman
2021-03-31 22:38:22 +0000 UTCYears later, Brent Spiner would have a recurring guest role on Saul Rubinek's (Fajo) show Warehouse 13. Co-workers on that show thought their friendship began when Saul guest starred here, but they have been friends since working together on-stage in New York in the 70s. It was Brent's idea for him to fill in at the last minute.
David Brown
2021-03-31 09:32:57 +0000 UTCAny time I see season 2 I think, "Oh, Pulaski."
Ken Quick
2021-03-31 04:30:01 +0000 UTCFagio got lucky he was dealing with Data because Lore would have been a different story. The final conclusion would have been sooner!
Lamar Bradford
2021-03-31 04:23:34 +0000 UTCAlso, who thinks Katrina should be promoted to Ensign?
Brett Whittaker
2021-03-31 02:28:08 +0000 UTCAny time I see Pulaski I think “oh season 2”
Brett Whittaker
2021-03-31 02:05:12 +0000 UTCThe comment "I love [Patrick Stewart] reading Shakespeare" reminds me that he and David Tennant did a wonderful performance of Hamlet together. Seems the perfect for the two of you!
Chris Neumann
2021-03-31 00:45:52 +0000 UTCI agree with pretty much all Katrina's sentiments and opinions in this episode, Data is also my favorite, especially as an autistic person! But as disability & mental health activism are very important to me, I do feel the need to say that "sociopath" isn't a diagnosis, it and "psychopath" are colloquialisms for Antisocial Personality Disorder. It's pretty ableist to use these terms, as it demonizes the (in most cases, theorized) mental illness, not the choices and actions of the individual causing harm. Not all people who lack or struggle with empathy are 'sociopaths' or even harmful or callous people. The problem with Fajo is he IS a harmful abusive person. It's a lot more clear and helpful to talk about what the problem is with a person or character's behavior (which you did do as well! I loved your discussion) than to use ableist terms. I do REALLY love your TNG reactions, I just wanted to speak up with some food for thought. Much love to both of you!
Raq Miller
2021-03-30 22:32:59 +0000 UTCThe "Sabotage!" reference made me chuckle a little since that song is actually in the Star Trek universe (from Star Trek Beyond).
Chris Nowak
2021-03-30 22:17:35 +0000 UTCSaul Rubinek is so damn good here!! He is a real scene-stealer of an actor. He had a few-minute role in the 1995 TV movie Hiroshima playing the physicist Leo Szilard that were amazing to watch. I read a terrific fanfiction that was the best example I’ve seen of crossover fic, with a frozen Buffy Summers also being held in Fajo’s display cases. The writer tied in the Genetics War with the Buffyverse, and even brought in unexpected cameos from other TNG episodes, as well as spread the story over the rest of the third season episodes. It’s titled “Legend”: https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-24717/ShayneT+Legend.htm
Kathy A
2021-03-30 22:15:36 +0000 UTCConsidering Saul Rubinek came in on a moment's notice his performance is excellent. For my money he's one of the best guest actors in the Trek canon. I never actually got the impression that Varria was a child when she became part of Fajo's crew. I figured that in her naive youth she was excited by Fajo's riches and adventurous criminal lifestyle without at first realising how deeply sociopathic he was. By the time she realised how far he was willing to go it was too late for her, she knew too much and was stuck in his crew. The actress was 42 when she played the role, so I feel the scriptwriter's intent was that she would have been in her early twenties. Every time I watch this episode I wonder at how innocent she was herself, the impression I had was of a woman who has deliberately tried to blind herself to the danger of Fajo's nature, and finally allows herself to realise when Fajo threatens her life directly on a whim. I think there's a certain amount of leeway allowed by the script and performance to let the viewer fill in their own blanks. All that being said it's still desperately sad that she was killed by the monstrous Fajo, and in such a horrible way. It's a cruel death and he's one of the worst in Trek's great rogue gallery because he's not committing violence out of a survival instinct, or a misguided ideology but out of sheer petty greed and sadism. It's odd though because I can't get as angry as you two do watching it... I think maybe it's because I'm so familiar with it and it's just sheer admiration at all the performances at play - especially Spiner and Rubinek's back and forth - that prevent me from getting too worked up. And I guess it's odd too because it's not like I haven't broken down and blubbed at stuff on TV before. I walked out the house and went on a five mile walk blinded by angry tears after a scene in the British 90's TV series 'The Warriors' where Ioan Gruffudd and his fellow young British peacekeeping soldiers in Bosnia stand by helpless as a massacre off-road in the woods is unfolding because of their strict non-interference orders. But there's just something of a really gripping stage-play in the face-off between Spiner and Rubinek. It's the same sort of kick I got out of two personalities fighting (the added fascination being that Data isn't even fighting exactly) that I got out of all the confrontations between No. 6 and No. 2 in the original TV series The Prisoner. By the way, another cry-my-damn-eyes-out moment I remember involves another collector in the 60's movie 'The Train', where a Nazi general steals the art from the Louvre before Paris falls to the allies as he feels no one can appreciate it but him. There's a scene at the end of that which kicks the legs out from under me. There's lots of great character stuff in this one, such as the suppression of feeling the crew of the Enterprise engage in to complete their mission. You suspect that Picard has lost people before in previous commands, as have other Starfleet captains. It's an occupational hazard the crew understands and one that you can't allow to affect you too deeply. Regarding Data, it's fascinating placing him outside of his usual context - that of being surrounded by friends - and seeing the results that occur when you place him with enemies. You begin to realise how dangerous Data could be if his logic circuits argued a certain way. When it comes to Fajo his analysis is that the man has killed before and will kill again. He cannot apprehend him to prevent further death so there is only one course apparent. To Fajo Data is just a toy, and it's a real moment when you see him realise the dangerous mechanism that Data is. "I am an android." And so Data keeps saying but there's ever that question of why he lied to Riker through omission. There's a number of reasons why he could logically tell a falsehood. I like to think that with a complete lack of ego he could even have logically reasoned that in admitting his decision to kill he would be reclaimed for study by starfleet, taking him off duty and out of a role that was in a regular position to prevent more deaths in future on other missions. Hence the lie was saving lives. By the way, "Sabotage!!!" should totally be the thing Data plays on his speakers if he were to methodically trash Fajo's collection to teach him a lesson.
Peter Evans
2021-03-30 21:02:54 +0000 UTCI don't think it's that Geordi cared for Data more than anyone else did, it's more that Geordi is the engineer and engineers in general have a really hard time letting go of unsolved problems.
Jarrod Wild
2021-03-30 20:27:16 +0000 UTCIt does really seem to be a love or hate episode. Me, I love it, but then there's other episodes people really love that annoy me. Interestingly in comments I've seen overall it seems pretty much 50/50.
Peter Evans
2021-03-30 19:55:45 +0000 UTCMan, I haven't watched this episode in probably 20 years. I remember it being a very good episode, but I forgot how truly awful Fajo was. The manipulation, the gaslighting, the abuse. This was... rough to get through.
Eric
2021-03-30 19:42:24 +0000 UTCIt was Brent. They worked together before as well.
Malcolm Wolf
2021-03-30 19:33:36 +0000 UTCThe title is a referenced to the phrase "He who dies with the most toys wins".
Neil McRae
2021-03-30 19:27:56 +0000 UTCSomebody on Youtube actually uploaded those scenes fairly recently, and it's interesting to see the different interpretations of the character and what might have been.
Brooke Hill
2021-03-30 19:21:46 +0000 UTCFrom what I recall, Saul Rubinek was friends with a TNG cast member and was visiting the sets when word came down that David Rappaport had attempted suicide. Although, declining television work at that time, he accepted the role when approached by the producers.
Mark Chrisco
2021-03-30 19:08:08 +0000 UTCBetween her love of Data and the nature of the antagonist, I knew this would be an emotional one for Katrina. And to follow up this episode with "Sarek"? Ohhhhh man....
Firefly24601
2021-03-30 17:57:44 +0000 UTCDavid Rappaport (perhaps best known as Randall in "Time Bandits") was originally cast as Kivas Fajo. But he attempted suicide over the weekend during filming, so the role was quickly recast with Saul Rubinek. Footage of Rappaport in the role appears on the Blu Ray set (with no context given for the recasting.)
Ken Quick
2021-03-30 17:55:11 +0000 UTCLittle known fake fact: Nextel was the Starfleet contractor for manufacturing badge communicators. ;)
Firefly24601
2021-03-30 17:55:09 +0000 UTCI’ll be skipping this episode, it irritates me to to no end.
Andrew Hogan
2021-03-30 17:52:21 +0000 UTCWow that episode. Fajo was so much fun as a villain. The actor DID do a phenomenal job. "Perhaps something occurred during transport" remains one of my favorite lines, even if it seems slightly out of character for Data. And of course "he was a man, taken for all in all." The various methods of grief shown by the different characters is so interesting.
Arek Schneyer
2021-03-30 17:52:18 +0000 UTCYou do know the communicator pins don't work like a walkie talkie, right? Have you seen them used on the show before? :p
John
2021-03-30 17:24:53 +0000 UTCOh boy, this is going to be fun. (Before watching) I can only imagine how angry Katrina is going to be in this episode.
TB
2021-03-30 17:13:17 +0000 UTC
