New Ground

Episode: s5, ep 10

This episode is relevant to me, as I'm a new parent myself. Going to have to figure out being a working parent in a few months.

What Happens
The Enterprise is helping test a new propulsion system which lets a ship surf on a big space wave rather than use a warp engine. Geordi is super excited. Worf gets a call from his mother, she wants to visit while he's near. She arrives with Worf's son, Alexander and it's soon clear that she and Worf's father want Worf to take his son. Worf is resistant to the idea, but doesn't say no. He tries to navigate being a working, single father, though he isn't keen to give up his duties. Troi asks Worf how things are going and pushes him to join in parent-child activities to socialise with other parents. On a trip to see some animal displays (turns out to be in one of the ship's labs, but that's not explained until later so I had no clue where they were at first. A holodeck? A planet?) Alexander and Worf are aloof and not socialising. The teacher tries to gently correct Alexander's behaviour when he takes something, but Worf makes a big thing out of it. Worf has a serious talk with Alexander about honour and then tells Troi that it's all sorted now. Oh no, dear sweet Worf, no.
Meanwhile the propulsion test means the Enterprise has to follow close behind the test ship on the wave. At first it works and the results are amazing, but it swiftly loses energy and the test ship explodes. They have to make minor repairs before they can follow the wave again. Worf is called to see Alexander's teacher, who says Alexander is very bright but also disruptive and bullying, plus he lies when he's caught misbehaving. The teacher suggests chatting together with Troi, but Worf goes off to find his son, who is using Worf's holodeck programme without permission. Worf tells him off and says he'll send him to a Klingon school. Troi talks to Worf about how he feels about sending Alexander away, and suggests he consider how Alexander might have felt when he was sent away the first time and how these feelings might explain the boy's actions. She also talks to Worf about Alexander's mother, and how Worf left things with her.
The space wave has grown bigger and stronger and will destroy a planet because it's too powerful to be stopped as planned. Geordi has 2 plans, the more likely one means going through the wave to get ahead of it. The shields are still damaged, so it'll be bumpy and risky. Worf is called to a meeting and tells Alexander to stay in their quarters. Alexander goes to look at the animals again (well, duh), and he's in the lab when the ship is damaged. There's a fire in the lab and the Computer reveals to the Bridge crew (including Worf) that Alexander is there. Worf and Riker are allowed to go save him, but Picard warns that they have 3 minutes before that part of the ship will be flooded with radiation when the wave is stopped. Worf has to lift a beam to saves his son, and Alexander persuades Riker to save some endangered animals. Picard deploys the torpedoes before he knows Riker, Worf and Alexander are safe.


Oh My Captain
Picard makes allowances for Worf being late to a meeting and being interrupted by calls about getting Alexander settled on board (I guess comm badges don't have a Busy setting and it's not standard practice to check where people are before hailing them). The Captain says Worf should care for his son ahead of security matters. It's nice that the Enterprise seems to be an encouraging and helpful environment for parents, and Picard is super understanding.
The other side of this is that space is dangerous, they encounter trouble all the time and in extreme situations Picard must prioritise lives accordingly. He can't delay stopping the wave, for Riker, Worf and Alexander, because a whole planet is in danger. He does warn Riker and Worf of the short timescale, and you can see he's worried and tries to hold off giving the order as long as he can.

Blind Engineering
Geordi is super excited about the space wave propulsion experiment and squees at Data and Worf. Neither are particularly responsive. Geordi compares it to when the sound barrier was broken, or the first warp drive test.* Geordi decides to find an engineer to geek-out with because his mates just don't get it. Later Geordi is super pleased that Riker points out this technology could make Engineers obsolete. In a utopian society like the Federation it seems people aren't afraid of how new technology will impact their livelihoods, because I guess everyone is taken care of. Plus there seem to be various ways to live your passion even if it's an old-fashioned skill, that's presumably why bars and restaurants still exist even though replicators can feed everyone.

Klingon Warrior
Worf is totally not ready for parenting, and admits that he would rather face combat. Of course he's from a culture that praises fighting and he's trained for combat, whereas parenting isn't something Worf has prepared for. Also I have no idea how it's viewed in Klingon culture, but they don't strike me as nurturing folk. At least Worf doesn't push back on his mother, it's understandable that his parents didn't plan on another bout of child rearing when they were older. He tries to lecture her about raising a Klingon boy, though I expect no human woman knows more about that than Helena Rozhenko. Worf's parenting style is kinda confrontational, but again that's what he's prepared for. The teacher tries to gently correct Alexander's behaviour, giving him space to admit what happened and framing it as a misunderstanding; then Worf blunders in being stern with the teacher and Alexander. Worf thinks that a single lecture about honour will make Alexander behave. He's told that Alexander is smart but aggressive at school (after like day? timescales are unclear here) and continues to lie when caught misbehaving. Worf tracks him down to the holodeck and seems quietly proud of his son's physical skills. He doesn't let his pride show and tells Alexander off for lying and says he'll send him to a Klingon school. Shipping the kid off once seems to be his only threat, he needs to expand his repertoire. It's only after a conversation with Troi that Worf is able to consider Alexander's feelings and acknowledge his own. I'm not sure if ignoring your feelings is a Klingon thing or a Worf thing.

It's Not Easy Being Troi
Troi is in her primary role as Counsellor here, which is where she excels. She suggests Worf goes on a father-son field trip (I don't really understand why seeing animals is segregated by gender) to meet other parents. Later when she checks in with Worf she tries to warn him that kids don't usually change their behaviour after a single conversation, and offers her help. Worf doesn't resent her getting involved, and doesn't seem uncomfortable with her checking in. That said, he's not very forthcoming with his feelings, so even after the teacher suggests talking to Troi counselling isn't Worf's first instinct. After a confrontation where Worf tells Alexander he'll send him to Klingon school he finally goes to see Troi. She asks him if he discussed this with Alexander, but Worf doesn't think you discuss things with kids, you just tell them how it's gonna be. Troi asks questions in aneutral tone and says it's not her place to approve or disapprove of his parenting when Worf gets defensive. Troi asks Worf to consider Alexander's feelings when he was sent away right after his mother died, and Worf concedes that the boy might've felt abandoned. She points out children don't know how to deal with their feelings, so they just act on them. Then she switches to talking about Alexander's mother, and how Worf felt about her before she died. He admits that he was angry and they argued because she didn't tell Worf about their son. Troi validates Worf's feelings, of course he was angry, but that doesn't mean he didn't love her. She points out that both father and son have healing to do and should try to do it together.


Staff Meetings: 2
1. The Doctor running the propulsion test explains it to senior staff. The Enterprise will need to stay really close to the test ship to get the readings.
2. Geordi explains that wave is growing, Worf arrives late having been called from a discussion with Alexander. Geordi has 2 plans for stopping it: (a try and create an inverse wave with their engines, or (b get ahead of the wave and create an explosion in front of it. (a means they'd have to match the wave exactly and it keeps growing, so that would be very difficult. (b is more likely to work, but dangerous to the ship because they can't go over it, they can't go under it, they can't go around it, so they'll have to go through it. With the shields damaged from the explosion it will be risky.

Won't Somebody Think of the Children?
Been a while since I used this heading, but as the episode focuses on a child it's appropriate. I understand Worf's concern about having Alexander on board, space is really dangerous, but Star Fleet is fine with it and lots of crew have their kids with them. I think my main query is, who's looking after Alexander when he isn't in school? Despite Picard giving Worf time to be with his son it seems that being Chief of Security involves being on duty outside school hours. (What are the school hours? There are obviously different shifts, but there's no natural day and night, so are there shofts of crew/families/classes that operate on different times to others? Or is there an arbitrary day/night shift, so some folk are forced to be a bit out of sync? Based on [night shift in Data's day - link?] I suspect it's the latter.) Is there a creche or childcare service that allows crew with unpredictable hours to leave their children with someone qualified/familiar? There's no sign of such a thing, though could be that Worf doesn't use it. When Worf is called to an important meeting he instructs Alexander to stay, even though he's just been told the child is defiant. How often are kids just left unsupervised? Or is this just Worf being careless? There doesn't seem to be a Computer setting or AI that monitors children and lets parents know where they are or what's happening. Alexander took his father's weapon to a holodeck unaccompanied, and Worf wasn't alerted until he asked where Alexander was. Plus Alexander was in a lab that should have been evacuated, and had a fire in it and the air was almost vented before Data noticed there was a life sign there. Shouldn't the Computer have flagged up that there was a person -a child- in there? Seriously all this future tech and young kids are just wandering around unsupervised, armed and able to wander into dangerous places.

The End
In sickbay Crusher confirms Alexander has few injuries. The boy asks if his father is in trouble, and then if he's in trouble. Worf gently tells him not to worry about that now. Alexander promises to behave at Klingon school and make his father proud, but Worf suggests that it could be a greater challenge to live on board but they can face it together. Alexander agrees. It's a sweet scene.

* Geordi even mentions what it would be like to actually see Zephram Cochrane and the first warp drive. Sound familiar? I recall that a few episodes ago Spock did a brief compare and contrast between Picard and Kirk. Is this the series where they got the ideas for the films? What next? Will Romulans "unsucessfully" try to clone Picard? Or... y'know, something about Insurrection?

A Matter of Time

Episode: s5, ep 9

What Happens
The Enterprise is going to help a planet that has climate problems after being hit by an asteroid, when they encounter a temporal disturbance and a strange, small vessel. A gangly, eccentric man beams onto the Bridge and introduces himself as a Professor from 200 years in the future. He's fascinated by everything, makes odd comments and has frenetic energy.* Picard expresses surprise that he's of interest and others ask the Professor why he's there, but the time traveller tells them he can't give hints because he must preserve the timeline. He wants them to fill out questionnaires for his historical research.
Unlike in many episodes they get to the place they were originally going, the planet is rapidly cooling as dust from the impact (which was luckily on an uninhabited continent) fills the atmosphere, blocking heat from the sun. Geordi's plan is to use the ship's weapons to release underground carbon dioxide pockets, creating a purposeful greenhouse effect. It seems the Professor is there to witness this mission, and he asks Geordi various things before sneakily stealing a pad. Later the Professor hangs around the Bridge watching Picard with a weird intensity while orders are given and the planet's atmosphere is monitored. The mission seems to be successful as the planet warms again.
Troi tells Crusher that she doesn't trust the Professor. He knows Troi is suspicious of him and cheerfully talks to her about it. He then flirts with Crusher, but she isn't buying what he's selling. On the Bridge they realise that they've created geological instability resulting in eruptions that will make the atmospheric problems worse. After running the numbers by Data, Geordi reckons the only viable plan is to burn off the dust and use the Enterprise to vent it, but if the calculations are slightly off they could burn away the entire atmosphere. Picard is tortured by decision, which could save thousands or kill millions, and tries to get the Professor to tell him the outcome. They have a long discussion about timelines and ethics. The Professor seems serious and emotionally distant for once. Picard decides to try and takes the decision to the planet's leaders.
Geordi stays on the planet while they do the thing, it works! The Professor is keen to leave; Picard and Worf confront him outside his vessel, they've noticed things have been stolen and want to look inside. The Professor agrees that only Data can go inside, where he sees that the Professor has stolen various small things. The Professor pulls a phaser on Data and reveals that he's actually from the 22nd century; he encountered a real 26th century time traveller and stole his ship and outfit. He plans to take things back and "invent" them, but now that he has Data he can figure out cybernetics. The phaser doesn't fire and Data makes the "Professor" leave the ship. Data explains the truth, Picard reveals that the sensors couldn't penetrate the time vessel until the door was opened, when the Computer disabled everything inside.


Oh Captain My Captain
Picard wants to go back and look at the temporal disturbance after Worf notices it. He delays their arrival at the beleaguered planet by about an hour, which doesn't seem like the best choice, even if Geordi says it's OK. He's so easily distracted by shiny space phenomena, he's like a cat or something.
When faced with the difficult choice Picard tries to get the Professor to tell him the outcome. They debate time travel philosophy and ethics with the Professor pointing out he can't do what Picard wants. The Captain tries arguing that this is a real situation involving people's lives, not a hypothetical and references his own prime directive breaches as examples of doing the right thing. It's all very eloquent and impassioned, naturally. The Professor points out that everyone already died from his point of view, then accuses Picard of trying to manipulate the future. This line will be parroted ironically back to him when Picard learns of the truth of the Professor's plan.

Does Not Compute

The Professor refers to Data as the Gutenberg Bible or Model-T of androids, suggesting there are more in the future. Data corrects him as he's actually the second prototype, not the first. Then Data asks if he's still around in the future, seeing as how he doesn't have a limited lifespan the way everyone else does. The Professor chides Data for curiosity, while also getting him to dry his hands like a servant, it's a very weird moment. Though this does tie in to my theory that everyone who meets Data knows he's an android (rather than an alien) even if they have no reason to think androids are possible, like in this case. Also curiosity about his future existence seems like a pretty human instinct on Data's part.

Doctor Doctor
Dr Crusher is fascinated by meeting someone from the future. She doesn't ask about herself or her future, but wants to know if a plague is ever cured. Later she invites the Professor to join a group in 10 Forward and is friendly towards him (though I'm not sure everyone else is necessarily talking about him, the regular crew mostly haven't met this guy and no doubt have their own stuff going on). He's attracted to her, but either she doesn't notice or ignores it. He observes that she sees history throw the filter of medical advances. Later she's eager to help with his research and gives him a neural scanner, but when he starts flirting she shuts it down straight away, suggesting she could be his ancestor (super unsexy).**

It's Not Easy Being Troi

She knows the Professor is hiding something straight away, but not even Crusher thinks that means much. Later she gets even more suspicious, sensing purposeful misdirection, but doesn't tell anyone besides Crusher, who's still not taking her concerns seriously. The Professor confronts Troi cheerfully and tries to disarm her with charm and vague references suggesting that her reaction is predictable and of no real concern to him. He also calls her "Picard's empath" not entirely wrong, but not her title nor necessarily how she would wish to be addressed. It all seems to me like a way of diminishing her and putting her down. He suggests they're similar, then he pulls the "some of my best friends are empaths" nonsense. This is not a good idea for convincing people and soon after this Troi decides to stop being polite and leaves.


Staff Meeting: 1
Near the start the Professor sits down with senior crew and explains that he can't tell them anything about the future, before giving them their assignments. Everything seems friendly and cordial. After Data takes the Professor to his quarters the conversation becomes more cautious with Picard seriously listening seriously to Worf and Riker's concerns. Picard says he's checked the Professor's credentials (as someone who has to check the authenticity of documents for a living I don't know how you could verify something from the future) and says everyone should treat the Professor well. Worf is dismayed about the questionnaires, clearly he does not respond well to surveys.

Future Is Better
Picard mentions that the climate/atmosphere issues on the planet could be like the nuclear winters of the 21st Century. This is not what I want to hear, that's where I live! Though honestly now warming is a greater threat than cooling, it's the only global measurement that is currently looking really bad for humanity. It's interesting that the scientist on the planet said they'd been so careful to avoid a greenhouse effect.

What we learn about 26th Century:
-They have time travel
-The time craft is very metallic and shiny on the inside, like it's trying to look even more futuristic
-There are still garments that look like they're made from old curtains (no idea how fashionable the time traveller was), but they have big pockets which are useful for stealing things
-A time traveller went back 400 years but didn't think to take precautions against crime

What we learn about 22nd Century:
-Humans don't have medical scanners, quarantine fields, phasers, androids, warp coils or  pads (What happened to Apple et al? Did all those nuclear winters destroy tablet technology?)
-Earth still uses the Western, Christian-based way of counting centuries.*** As opposed to whatever star dates are.

Security Breach
Oh look, another troublesome visitor. The Professor is an accomplished con artist, so even when he's explaining the truth to Data I don't believe that he was an actual inventor, that's just the persona he's now stepping into. What I don't understand (though I admit it's a niggle that could ruin the fun of the episode) is how the Professor knows who everyone is. It's fun the way he acts knowledgeable and excited about everything, whilst cleverly not having to give any definitive "future" info. He could have read the name and number of the ship on top of the saucer section, but that doesn't explain how he knows to be there at that point or who Picard is. I'm sure he's a quick thinker, skilled at picking up on things and improvising, but even so he knows a hell of a lot already. Also where was Guinan? There;s even a 10 Forward scene and she's not there, she would have seen through him super quick and probably said something awesomely cutting.
I wonder if the 26th Century guy was even more susceptible to deception than the Enterprise crew? Maybe people get less suspicious over time? It's far from the first time the crew assumed good intentions; though I think they're getting better. Riker asks about him being an imposter, because they've dealt with that before. Picard tells Worf he shares suspicions and has the Professor medically scanned to determine he's human (which they also could have done with Q at one point, so that's no guarantee of anything and it's not as though humans are inherently honest) plus the time vessel is put under guard.
Wait, the Computer can disable phasers and other devices remotely now? Picard says that they couldn't scan inside the time vessel until the door was opened, but then everything could be disabled. It seems like having the Computer disable phasers or other weapons is super useful and surely something that may need to happen again. Though I suppose there may be wiggle room there if you assume the Computer can only disable phasers belonging to the ship.

The End
The fake Professor is distraught as the auto-timer on the time vessel triggers and it returns to the 22nd century. He argues that he doesn't belong there and Picard says that actual historians will be fascinated by his 22nd Century perspectives. He ends by welcoming him to the 24th Century, which is kinda badass.

* There aren't a lot of staid and sober time travellers are there? This guy, Doc Brown, various incarnations of the Doctor, a whole lot of oddballs.
** Surely time travellers need to check their family tree carefully before going back in time. That just strikes me as good sense.
*** I get that BCE/CE (Before Common Era/Common Era) is a way of secularising BC/AD (Before Christ/Anno Domini - the year of our Lord), but it's still based on a presumed birth date of Jesus.
2017 AD is 5777/5778 AM in the Hebrew calendar (which sounds futuristic) and 1438/1439 AH in the Islamic calendar (which sounds historical). It's just occurred to me that I only know anything about calendars based on Abrahamic religions, obviously there are various other ones around the world. Time's a funny old thing, really.

Ghostbusters (2016)

I was going to do a more general film catch-up post, but it turns out I have a lot to say about this film. I saw Ghostbusters a while back when it was in the cinemas and I very much enjoyed it (I didn't go to the loo during the screening even though I was pregnant). It's one of those rare films where the more I think about it the more I like it and notice stuff that was clever (usually it's the opposite way round and reflecting upon a film exposes its flaws).


The film is a fun, action-packed summer blockbuster, with lots of humour and great chemistry between the characters. There are strong themes of friendship, which feel very solid and some of the performances are incredibly fun, the portrayals of Holtzman and Patty especially. I loved the characters, and even though the comedy was goofball at times I always enjoyed it (goofy stuff can be kinda hit and miss for me). The only thing I didn't enjoy so much was how much Kevin was mocked for being stupid, and how his stupidity got very over the top at times, but that's a minor niggle and I know that that characterisation was included for a reason. Plus it looks like Chris Hemsworth is having a lot of fun with the part and that does shine through. The film absolutely works on this fun, entertaining level, but it also does more than that if you want to look deeper.

The story is about a group of scientists (and a colleague without a science background) struggling with credibility who discover that ghosts are real and then work to capture them both for their own research and to help the people of New York. Put like that it is similar to the original film, and features a lot of nods to the originals with loads of cameos, in fact there were more references than I was expecting. What I want to talk about though is the differences, because I found them very revealing.

There are some spoilers below, but I'm talking about themes more than plot points.

First off, the main characters are all women, that this was a point of contention shows just how messed up some things still are. In fact the way women are treated becomes a massive theme in the film, in both subtle and obvious ways. The first act feels a bit choppy in places, like it was heavily edited, and there were reshoots to include scenes which poke fun at some of the real-life, misogynistic detractors. It's a funny and creative reaction to awfulness. Erin is terrified of her past indiscretion -publishing a book about ghosts being real- destroying her serious, academic career, which it absolutely does. While a male academic who's close to tenure might well be as nervy and awkwardly eager to please, depending upon his personality. But would he have his entirely-appropriate outfit choices critiqued by a superior? Almost certainly not! This is just the setup and background for Erin's character, but it occurs to me that she's in a precarious position that perhaps a man in her position wouldn't need to worry so much about. She's made sure to fit in and stick to what is mainstream and ignore her past findings/research/belief in order to get ahead.

"Too sexy for academia?"

Secondly, I've heard people say that the villain isn't very epic, which is true. He's just an angry little man who's disappointed in his life, got obsessed with ghosts and enacted a plan to destroy the boundaries between worlds in order to make himself feel big (both physically and emotionally). The thing is, women have to deal with small-minded men all the time, the reaction to this film just existing is proof of that. Maybe they aren't fighting a gribbly, extra-dimensional being because their time and energy is filled by the enmity of an angry guy and they have to deal with that before they're able to get much else done. Also Rowan isn't shown to be specifically a misogynist, he's generally unpleasant because he has no joy. His life didn't turn out the way he felt it should and he decided everyone else must be to blame and therefore deserved punishment. Patty is the only character who is nice to him early on. She doesn't mock him for being weird and off-putting towards her, and though that is a requirement of a public-facing job (believe me!) Patty is very genuine in her interactions. We see that she tries to be friendly to everyone even though she's ignored and rebuffed she doesn't let it get to her (she's like an anti-Rowan). Later on the Ghostbusters try to save Rowan from himself and the sad thing is that he actually shares a major interest with them and was inspired by Erin and Abby's work. In fact he probably took it more seriously than anyone, so even in the execution of his plan he's inspired by/relying on the work of these women. Had they met under better circumstances the Ghostbusters would have probably seen him as a valuable collaborator.

The other big difference in this film is that although the authorities (the Mayor and the FBI especially) believe the Ghostbusters and already know that what they're saying is true, they absolutely will not acknowledge this publicly. Compare this to the reaction towards the original Ghostbusters team, the respect they receive, and the difference is massive. A PR lady from the Mayor's office makes very clear that all attempts to publicise their work and the existence of ghosts will result in them being derided and called crazy. All they are offered is the opportunity to continue their work discreetly and give the results to the authorities, who will of course disavow them while benefiting from their research. Basically doing useful and important work entirely for others while receiving no credit and being mocked in the process. Hmm, I wonder if this is based on real things that have happened?

While characteristion is a big factor within the story I found that parts of the plot stem from these differences in the character's status, respect and the treatment they received. IIRC the original Ghostbusters were laughed at, these ones are threatened and suppressed. It's a great example of how taking an existing story and changing significant things about the main characters can give you a very different tale and one that examines more things.

I just hope that the sequel moves the story along from here, expanding the ideas and letting us really see what these ladies can do.