Torture does typically fail as a means of extracting information. Just because you can get someone to believe something doesn't mean it's accurate or true. Whether it's the number of lights or the number of ships in a star system, torture probably isn't getting anyone good information. From what little I know, a more accurate representation would have been Picard "breaking" and telling the Cardassian that there 47 ships, 5000 troops, 38.6 Cuisinarts...ANYTHING in the hope they'll stop pressing that damned button.
Jason Nichols
2025-05-13 13:19:08 +0000 UTC
Jellico is a butthole, but he is within the range of the kind you have to learn to deal with in a job or out in the world. Was he dancing on the borderline of inappropriate and unreasonable with Riker (everyone, really)? Sure. But Riker reacted poorly, much moreso than you'd expect from him. It worked as a one off. Who among us hasn't had someone, even a boss, just hit us the wrong way and cause us to react in ways normally wouldn't? But Jellico was no angel. I sometimes wonder if he hadn't just explicitly told the bridge crew, "There are some things I can't tell you, but there are reasons for why I'm pushing everyone so hard. I regret that it's necessary, but you're going to have to trust me that it is," would have gone a LONG way. Instead, it was closer to, "Do it because I said so." That's allowed and fairly common...but most of the time it's not as effective as other approaches.
Jason Nichols
2025-05-13 13:13:52 +0000 UTC
Apparently Commodore Decker was supposed to have a dramatic entrance with arms raised yelling at his Moby Dick, but apparently Shatner stopped that as he didn't want anyone, especially an important officer, to appear so strong. Thus, Decker was discovered slumped over.
Chtphr Rrr
2025-05-13 00:20:19 +0000 UTC
I never thought about Jellicoe and Decker being the same kind of personality, but I think you're right. Listening to Decker's log entry from before the doomsday machine attack, he does sound a little like Jellicoe, tonally.
tyranusfan
2025-05-12 23:48:45 +0000 UTC
I don't think we could tell you when you reacted to it, but that bar where they meet Solok is just the DS9 promenade (the Replimat, specifically), shot from very tight angles so you can't see the rest of the set.
tyranusfan
2025-05-12 23:46:05 +0000 UTC
Koenig once told an interviewer in the 80s "you scream once, you're a screamer forever."
tyranusfan
2025-05-12 23:44:09 +0000 UTC
1. One messed up thing in the first episode is that they gave Solok the Ferengi a Vulcan name. Originally all Vulcan were supposed be given 5-letter names that start with an S and end with a K -- Spock, Sarek, Surak, Selek, Sybok, Sonak, Sepek, Sofek. Did the writer think that only Vulcan names sounded alien now? Was the Ferengi raised by Vulcans?
2. Edward Jellico was probably named for Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO, SGM, DL (1859–1935), a Royal Navy officer who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 during World War I and was later governor-general of New Zealand. I heard his name during a World War I podcast, and I kept thinking of the Star Trek guy.
3. When it was announced that David Warner was going to be in Star Trek VI, he had just been in Star Trek V. Apparently he was a Star Trek fan. I kept thinking how are they going to do an entire movie largely about St. John Talbot, the drunk guy from Star Trek V?
4. Jellico's actor Ronny Cox as a regular near the end of the TV series St. Elsewhere. It seems as if many St. Elsewhere actors were on Star Trek, including Norman Lloyd who lived to age 106, William Daniels, Ed Begley Jr, Bruce Greenwood, Kavi Raz, Chad Allen, Ellen Bry from the season's episode "The Quality of Life", and France Nuyen who looked like a serious doctor instead of the titled brat from "Elaan of Troyius" while Christina Pickles auditioned for the role of Dr. Pulaski and was married to a Star Trek director.
5. While I guess Picard is the tortured character in this series, Chekov was the tortured character in the original series and in Star Trek II -- and I guess Star Trek IV too. Walter Koenig must have had a good scream or something that the writers liked.
Chtphr Rrr
2025-05-12 21:10:51 +0000 UTC
everyone loves jelico
David Marcoot
2025-05-12 21:10:26 +0000 UTC
waiting for part 2 of this was a long week
David Marcoot
2025-05-12 21:09:33 +0000 UTC
This episode had me crying and shouting at the screen... like it always does.
Counting both these parts as a single episode, this is in my top 3 for best TNG episodes.
Loved your reactions.
Knights Who Say Sledge
2025-05-12 16:34:19 +0000 UTC
I've been waiting for you guys to get to this one. I'm glad you appreciate all it has to offer. And I'm even more excited for the next thing: DS9!
FrankandStein
2025-05-12 15:28:36 +0000 UTC
I remember on first viewing hating Jellico, but as I've seen it in repeated viewings, he's such a god character for this show.