Engage!

[tafadhali.livejournal.com]

So, I have, in true summer vacation fashion, begun the EPIC AND VERY IMPORTANT project of watching (mostly for the first time) the Star Trek spin-offs. (I'm pretty much promising that Enterprise won't feature, but if anyone has an episode they think I have to watch, just for a sense of the series, I might be open to that.)

Thus, also in true summer vacation fashion, I streamed the first six episodes (counting the first two-parter as two?) yesterday and now I have THOUGHTS.


I enjoy the show, but so far no episodes have blown me away (and I would say that the first disc of S1 TOS is one of my most-watched DVDs ever, so the same cannot be said about it). This is the spin-off I have the most familiarity with, however, and so I know that future episodes will probably grab me more. Especially ones with Q.

One of my problems with Trek spin-offs is that I'm used to knowing and loving every character -- I can't remember a time when I wasn't very familiar with the show, and I rewatched the whole series in 10th or 11th grade -- so now I'm like, "You are all so new! I don't know what your schtick is! Why is no one claiming that the Russians invented anything? WHY IS IT THE EIGHTIES? Treeeeek."

I am such a TOS girl.


Jean-Luc Picard: It is no secret that I think Picard is a stone cold fox, and that I would happily listen to him read technical manuals. That said, I never realized how serious Picard was -- I mostly watch the Q episodes, and, I mean, everyone is grouchy when they're dealing with Q -- and I keep wanting to be all, "Cheer up, emo Starfleet captain!" (An aside: "Cheer Up Emo Professor" -- an awesome 10th Doctor song?) I was hoping to get to see him lighten up a little in the "Naked Time" episode, and he did ("Okay. Bev.") but there were no satisfying Shatner-esque monologues. (More on that episode in the next section, because, seriously, I found it lacking.) I was much more pleased with his interactions with his Maman in "Where No One Has Gone Before" (cute title, btw).

My favorite things about the character so far have to be (a) how completely wretched he is with children ("WILL RIKER SAVE ME"), (b) how good a delegator he is and how thoughtfully he listens to the input of his various officers, (c) but how quickly he will SHUT THEM DOWN when he thinks they're being morons (see: Tasha Yar in "Encounter at Farpoint"; she got told), and (d) his AMAZING bouts of French patriotism which Data never fails to misunderstand. ♥

Will Riker: I feel like I haven't gotten to see much of him so far, though I haven't disliked him in future episodes that I've seen. I'm bored by Riker/Troi and I MISS THE BEARD. WHERE IS IT.

Deanna Troi: Oh god haaaaaate. I just. I don't want to hate her? But I find her boring as hell and, frankly, fairly annoying. They give her a chance every episode to be Captain Obvious ("the man who just said really arrogant shit to you is giving off a vibe of arrogance"), and I think it's a bit condescending to the viewers. Her empathic abilities can of course be useful the plot -- but they aren't always useful. I do like that Picard needs a counselor around to do what Kirk did naturally. (Yes, I just read K'Sal's A Logical Look at Amok Time and found her views on Kirk fascinating.) (But, I mean, dude looks at a rock and knows what it's thinking. He's got skills.) (Um, this is about Deanna Troi and not how much I think Kirk rules. Except for everything is about how awesome Kirk is.)

Tasha Yar: I want to like Yar, and I mostly do, but I feel that she...isn't terribly well acted. I need her to be more than outbursts of poorly thought out aggression and occasional kickass fighting skills. Those things are great, but still! Please to be thinking through things! Also, um, not to be disrespectful of her trauma, but how many times are you going to mention that you were chased by rape gangs? And can I never hear the term "rape gangs" ever again? Please?

Worf: Has been given nothing to do. I loved his moment with his childhood pet. ♥

The Crushers: Still annoy the heeeeeell out of me, though Wes' youthful enthusiasm is almost charming on occasion. But still, it's all: "I AM FOURTEEN I AM A PRODIGY LET ME SAVE THE ENTERPRISE WHILE DRUNK." C'mon! (As far as I can tell his mother exists to support him in his prodigiousness and to have tension with Kirk. Also, to dump people when they turn out to be female. I am not a huge Beverly Crusher fan.)

Geordi LaForge: Also has been a sort of non-entity. But is played by freakin' LaVar Burton, a.k.a. MOTHERFUCKING KUNTA KINTE BITCHES. So, yes. Cool.

Data: I was saving Data because he is the only character on whom I can unreservedly heap nothing but LOOOOOOVE. So. Much. Love. I love everything Data does! Trying to tell jokes, getting caught in finger traps, everything. How can he be so adorable. (UM, one thing that I DID NOT WANT was when Tasha Yar made him her personal sexbot. "I am skilled in many pleasuring techniques." Awwwwwk. I did like that he was able to get drunk, though.)

Q: Still the prettiest.