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episodicnostalgia · 7 months

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Star Trek: The Next Generation, 111 (Jan. 9, 1988) - “The Big Goodbye”

Written by: Tracy Torme Directed by: Joseph L. Scanlan

The Breakdown

Picard is prepping for an especially stressful diplomatic mission wherein he is required to recite a specific speech in a complex alien language with a species that is deadly serious about grammar; Empasis on the word ‘deadly’. Noting his mounting anxiety, Beverly Crusher writes Picard a prescription for… a play date on the holodeck, and amazingly Picard takes the doctor’s orders to heart. In fact, Jean Luc has such a good time playing a noir private-eye thriller that he invites Beverly, Data, and the ship’s 20th century literary buff along with him (his name isn’t important, because we’ll never see him again). Unfortunately, this transpires at the same time that our Grammar-specific aliens arrive, pre-emptively scanning the ship, which accidentally locks the holodeck and takes the safety protocols offline in one fell swoop (which seems like a pretty substantial design flaw).

While Picard misses every single advance that Crusher makes towards Picard (and folks I gotta tell you, she’s REALLY not being subtle about it), the holo-adventure begins to take a turn for the worse as the program’s mobster-villains show up with fully lethal weapons, which they happily use on Picard’s history-nerd friend (who remarkably survives, but barely). Meanwhile the literal-grammar-nazi-aliens are getting impatient with Riker’s inability to produce Picard for their scheduled meeting (apparently explaining that a ship malfunction has Picard temporarily incapacitated isn’t a viable option). Thankfully the holodeck door eventually opens, and Picard is able to convince the mobsters to walk through first, causing them to disappear (since there are no holo-emitters in the corridor). And so Picard is free to deliver his nonsense speech to the grammar enthusiasts, and the day is saved.

The Verdict

Finally! A holodeck Episode!

‘The Big Goodbye’ gives us our first “just-for-fun” episode and it’s about goddamn time. Oh don’t misunderstand, the episode is exactly as ridiculous as what I’ve described above, but for the most part it’s intentional, and in this case it makes all the difference. I’ve always had a soft spot for holodeck stories, because it gives us a look into what the crew get up to when they aren’t spouting techno-babble, debating the prime directive, or dealing with transporter disasters.

Picard also gets to have some fun here, meaning this might be the first time he doesn’t come across as a total buzzkill. Aside from some clunky pacing and a slightly anticlimactic ending, this is a pretty fun episode. Superior holodeck adventures would follow, but this one had to walk so the others could run.

3 stars (out of 5)

Additional Observations

Based on what we've seen this season, it would seem that the holodeck is still a fairly new technology, especially considering how Picard marvels at what it can do.

Right off the bat, this episode clearly establishes that holodeck characters are/can become self aware, and are capable experiencing fear (and likely pain). This is just the first of many times that Star Trek will play at this across multiple shows. As fun as these episodes are, it’s always struck me that there should be a greater ethical consideration for Holo-people and their rights.

I have always wondered why the ability to remove safety protocols was ever an option, especially on a holodeck that’s accessible to both crew and civilians alike.

Picard has no business being so clueless about women. In fact when it comes to relationships and courtship the entire crew seems to possess the emotional intelligence of an average 14-year-old.

I gotta hand it to Patrick Stewart, even when he’s spewing absolute nonsense alien gibberish, he commits 100%.

I never mentioned the set design, but this episode also looks great. Really fun to see the noir aesthetic on Star Trek.

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elsbridgestation3d · 2 years

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | EPISODE 8 | REVIEW

My Review of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 8: The Elysian Kingdom

Watch Now via YouTube or via Utreon

#star trek #star trek strange new worlds #strange new worlds #paramount #paramount plus #trek #review #youtube thumbnail #youtube #youtube upload #youtuber #utreon #utreon video #SNW #doctor m'benga #the elysian kingdom #holodeck episode #captain pike

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iftadwascool · 7 months

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It's not cheating if it's on the Holodeck

#star trek #tng #reginald barclay #holodeck episode

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thresholdbb · 16 days

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I can fix him

Except he is a beloved 58-year-old science fiction franchise being smashed into the ground for profit and I am a potato

#Star Trek #paramount+#bring back the shoe string budget and the bottle shows #give us 'filler' aka CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT #don't bring back the 26 episode season but please the 10 episode season isn't enough #give us little legal dramas and silly holodeck episodes #take some risks give us some bad episodes but try something out #and don't cut corners by using AI pay your writers actors and artists for the love of q #idk maybe ask what people like about the older shows and do more of that #I absolutely could not fix him but damn paramount #smdh #idk if he is the best pronoun but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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lykegenia · 8 months

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I've said this already in the tags on a different post but I can't stop thinking about Janeway after the Pathfinder project is successful and she starts getting reports from Starfleet HQ about the Dominion War. How inexorable a force the Jem'Hadar seem. How world after world is falling. How the casualties mount. The Maquis have already been destroyed and she can feel the grief from those of her officers who lost friends, but beyond that there's the knowledge that the destruction didn't end with a few rebels on the edge of Federation space. The entire Alpha Quadrant is tearing itself apart, and it's all so far away. Yes, her little ship has face Borg and alien power struggles and a Void without stars - they've lost friends too - but as the numbers keep coming in, day after day, impossibly high, what goes through her mind? Does she wish harder that she hadn't destroyed the array, so that she could have stayed to fight and do her part to save the home she so desperate to get back to? Or is some part of her soothed about her decision, knowing that by putting the needs of the Ocampa before her own, she likely saved the lives of many of the people now under her command? How do you deal with loss on such an abstract yet personal scale, and how do you sit and read the reports of lost battle after lost battle, knowing that it might mean the home you were so desperate for might no longer exist by the time you get there?

What if Voyager ends up being all that's left?

#star trek #star trek voyager #janeway #kathryn janeway #captain janeway #dominion war #i really would have loved to see some impacts of the dw on voyager's crew #not just one episode of b'elanna having depression before it goes away again #because how many of the crew are losing friends in the war?#does it bring the starfleet and the maquis crews closer in shared grief?#anyway this is a fancy way of saying voyager really should have invested in a counsellor program for the holodeck #my dudes you don't need irish stereotype village you need a psychologist

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pacificsaury · 1 year

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welcome to the enterprise!

we have: tiny tormented captain, android emotion crisis, klingon rock band

#slice of life animated episodes concept #also:#daforge #(implied)#daforge engineering/holodeck shenanigans would make up most of the episodes #tng #star trek #data soong #geordi laforge #beverly crusher #jean luc picard #will riker #deanna troi #worf #my art

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grissomesque · 2 months

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Oh we in it now

#this trip sure was a holodeck malfunction episode #computer arch #star trek voyager #fairhaven

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kilgarraghforever · 1 month

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Starfleet officers: [use the holodeck, a machine which has tried to kill them multiple times and breaks on the regular]

Starfleet officers: [shocked, flabbergasted, stunned when the holodeck breaks and tries to kill them]

#star trek #this is mostly refering to tng #but im sure it happens often enough elsewhere #i havent seen enough to know #however #i do question the continued wisdom of using the holodeck #which tried to kill them as minuette #made a sentient moriarty to try and kill data #shot at them in the 1940s #set a load of fake datas on them #and has several articles detailing every time the damn thing broke #good episodes though #always very fun

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scribefindegil · 3 months

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Every couple of seasons TNG goes 'Hang on, we have some super talented actors here; we should give them something to really sink their teeth into!' And then they give Brent Spiner some fun villainous camp and Patrick Stewart a full agonized King-Lear-on-the-moor psychological breakdown.

#sometimes in very quick succession!!#which is. disorienting.#currently reeling from the whiplash of going from 'haha the holodeck is full of Datas!'#to 'oh. so this episode has. like. a LOT of torture.'#to boldly split infinitives #tng liveblog

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themostfinalofpams · 3 months

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TNG is wild for going from a two-parter where Picard is captured and tortured by the Cardassians to the return of holodeck Moriarty

#I guess they felt like they needed some cushioning from the intensity of the previous two episodes but like I want to see Picard recovering #from his ordeal before we get back to fairly lighthearted shenanigans #I say even though I love holodeck episodes and holodeck Moriarty #star trek #star trek tng #star trek the next generation #captain picard #jean luc picard #holodeck Moriarty #torture mention #holodeck

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giffingthingsss · 1 year

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#enterprise things #tatv #marina cute here #why does tng feel so out of place and weird in ent #but i do love the holodeck idea as a standalone fun ep #that has nothing to do with a finale #RIP that non-existent episode

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usstrekart · 7 months

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"The Killing Game, part II" (S04E19, Stardate 51715.2) wraps up almost as strongly as it started, though it does rush the finale. The story beats are pretty predictable but they are enjoyable.

My episode poster for part two mirrors part one, this time featuring an allies helmet with a Voyager com badge tucked inside the strap.

#episode poster #episode art #star trek #star trek art #star trek poster #star trek fan art #fan art #star trek voyager #pirogen #allies #the killing game #holodeck

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tgaiii · 2 months

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Prodigy understands what Trek is about and executes it perfectly...

#watching the holodeck episode rn and its. insane #this is what trek should be always #i fucking adore this show #star trek #star trek prodigy

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thresholdbb · 9 days

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