#tng fans: i wish the crew had more developed and complex dynamics :(

[homewrecking-lore]

The thing about the fandom’s interpretation of Data and Pulaski is that it makes both characters extremely flat and boring while also erasing their whole relationship. Data’s made into this flawless, naive baby that can’t defend himself (when he does - when Pulaski mispronounces his name, he tells her exactly why she should pronounce it correctly), while Pulaski is an ugly bitch-hag who is morally reprehensible. Most fanfics portray Data as being uncomfortable or scared of her, while Pulaski’s chomping at the bit to break him into parts. Their whole relationship in season two is based around the fact they both have flaws, and that Data is still learning about what exactly he is capable of as an android.

In “Elementary, My Dear Data”, the big question of the episode is if Data can solve a narrative mystery without it being based on his knowledge of the original stories. Geordi doesn’t know the answer. Pulaski doesn’t. Data doesn’t. From what they know of Data, Pulaski outright dismisses the possibility that Data can, which sparks the episode’s plot.

So when Geordi goes back later and prompts the computer to alter the program to be more challenging, both Data and Pulaski are excited! They want to see where this goes! They are openly having fun with this.

In her first episode, Pulaski dismissed Data when he tried to stay during Troi’s labour, and only relented when Troi said she wanted him there. But by “Penpals”, she assures Sarjenka that Data will be at her side the whole time. When Data expresses doubts, she assures him that this is what’s best for Sarjenka, but that his memories of her will still be important. This is also the same episode where Pulaski defends both her and Data’s personal involvement in the situation to Worf.

In “Measure of A Man”, the game opens with some of the crew playing a poker game. Data and Pulaski are obviously friendly and comfortable enough to socialize together outside of professional circumstances. And again, the scene shows Data calling the game simplistic and assuming he will win, but he turns out to be wrong.

Later in “Peak Performance”, Pulaski sets up Data to compete in Strategema, only for him to end up losing, to everyone’s surprise. The reason why Data’s confidence falls is because he had the exact same assumption about his computational abilities as Pulaski. They were both wrong! When she sees how much losing has affected him, she apologizes:

Data says that he must be malfunctioning. It’s not until Picard tells him that failure can happen even when you do everything right that Data accepts he can make mistakes - and that making mistakes is okay! By the end of the episode, they both know that Data is not infallible, and that he can be affected by failure as much as any human.

Pulaski makes assumptions and mistakes, and so does Data. They learn and grow from them, and their relationship is overall a very positive one despite their very different personalities. It’s an interesting dynamic that gets rewritten by fans entirely, despite the fact that it’s weirdly one of the more developed dynamics in the show.

#tng #st tng #data soong #data tng #katherine pulaski #star trek next generation #i promise this is my last rant post about data and pulaski #tng fans: i wish the crew had more developed and complex dynamics :( #also tng fans: no not like that #anyway my point is data and pulaski were pretty rounded characters in this season #and their relationship is really interesting! #and i dont think its a coincidence that a big chunk of data's growth drops after season 2 #which sucks because its interesting to see him learn about what being an android means! #him and geordi and pulaski on the holodeck was so fun #anyway in this house we love and respect pulaski in both data related and not-data-related matters

[calliecat93]

Star Trek Beyond. Since it looks like a fourth will will forever be stuck in Developmental Hell, this is currently the final part of the Kelvin Timeline. So far, haven’t been a fan. The Timeline has potential, but the character decisions must... fail. So dod Beyond manage to salvage anything?

In my opinion... yes. 100% yes. This film was great and I loved it~!!!

It DOES feel a little too late for me, but not too little. It’s still action heavy, but it’s still very good action. All the pros pf the first two films are still there. Effects, cinematography, acting, diversity in casting, and I failed to mention how all three have fantastic music. All of these continue to be highs, but the lows for me have been their lack of understanding the characters and TOS’ philosophy. This film had a new director and writers, which included Simon Pegg (Scotty) and while IDK how much into ST J.J. Abrams was (or I see conflicting accounts), it’s clear that the filmmakers this time DID understand and care for the original spur e material.

Kirk is FINALLY Kirk. There’s no womanizing. No cockiness, or at least not the same level as last time. He’s got the experience. He’s got the level-head. He’s got the strong will that made him such a great captain in TOS. It was good to place him during the Five Year Mission since that gives justification for his newfound maturity, though it means we don’t get to see it. But still, Kirk is so much more likable and competent. His crisis about his place as captain after going through the same thing over and over is a little out of place, it helps keep him differentiated from TOS Kirk while still honoring that incarnation and showing what was so great about him. They FINALLY got it right. Them also allowing him to reminisce about not getting to know his father also added so,e emotional depth that the first was lacking for his arc. It’s very much correction that may be too late, but is appreciated and finally I can call this man Captain James T. Kirk.

Spock and Bones are together for most of the film, and they’re both great! Spock was the one I was the most fine with and that continues here. Prime Spock’s death of course was sad, but with Nimoy’s passing it was inevitable and best not ignored. They used this to have Spock question his path and wanting to follow his predecessor and his legacy, which both in the films and in RL is VERY understandable. In the end, this isn’t Prime Spock. This Spock is his own being and needs to chart his own course. Which I’m glad that he decided to do in the end. Also t he ‘tracking device joke had me laughing SO hard XD Uhura relationships still unnecessary, but I’ve just accepted it at this point and it didn’t irk me the same way here as before.

Bones, compared to the last two films got it SO much better. He doesn’t really have an arc, but his character is allowed things to so. They pair him with Spock, allowing THAT dynamic to finally shine. While it’s not as emphasized as int he series, it feels like Bones is back in his proper place: the heart to Kirk’s body and Spock’s mind. He’s completely sympathetic to Spock’s loss and is supportive for Kirk, understanding how much his dad’s death and in turn his birthday affects him and being that emotional support that he needs. He is that emotional support that the two need and he is the one who keeps them alive, saving Spock’s life with his medical skill and limited resources. I still wish we had more but he didn’t feel left out and he feels like he freakin’ mattered.

Hell all the main crew felt like they mattered. Scotty got such great material and his friendship with Jaylah was really nice. Which I LOVE Jaylah BYW, a badass character who is smart, competent, and adorable without may unnecessary sexualization. Uhura was also a badass. I mean she ALWAYS has been but she got to kick ass here and was just fantastic. Chekov and Sulu were great as always, and of course it’s only appropriate to mention that this would be Anton Yelchin’s final performance as Chekov due to his passing. It’s sad especially because he was doing so well as the character and had so much ahead of him. But for the work he did in bringing this incarnation of Chekov alive, he did it beautifully and I thank him for it. The whole film felt like an ensemble piece, not just ‘Kirk and Spock and those other guys’ which even TOS was guilty of. I really love these characters and I enjoyed seeing them all be such a fantastic team.

The story is basic, but it didn’t need to be this complex piece about say... Starfleet turning into a military organization. Another major issue with the other two cause GDI just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Villain is fine enough for this film, though so far I feel like the films REALLY need to work on improving that part. But I also forgive it because they keep the focus on our heroes. This is a character driven film. The only real complaint is The Triumvirate still feels non-existent, but it IS greatly improved especially since we flesh out Spock and Bones’ dynamic. We now have the pieces and can imagine things for this incarnation and whenever the three were together, it just felt right. The three of them in the transporter room with Bones hating them all so much is PERFECT. It may not have been fully showcased, but they understood it. I don’t doubt that at all. The ending also had me smiling big and felt deserved. It marks that optimism for the future and for whatever awaits in the universe. Just as Star Trek was meant to mean.

So yeah, Beyond was a major improvement. This is what you get when you care less about getting those summer blockbuster box office numbers (IDK when this came out outside the year but still) and care about your characters and plot. What you get with people who care about the property you are rebooting, retaining the spirit but doing something new and more inclined to today’s values. I still like The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, and The Undiscovered Country more and still haven’t seen the TNG films, but this is a good film that deserves to stand along those three. It’s the best reboot film for sure. If we get a fourth film, I truly hope that they keep the same care that went into this one. You don’t need flashy effects and action or plot complexity for a good film, you just need good characters, a good story, and people who care for and know what they are doing. This one honored TOS while being it’s own thing, as any good reboot should, and I respect that greatly.

So for rankings... I’ll give 2009 a 2/5 for good cinema elements, but otherwise an only okay plot and the characterizations/relationship establishments being poor. Into Darkness is a 2.5/5 for being better in the latter case, but still not great and for trying to cash in on elements and developments of the past without putting int he work that made the, great then. Beyond? 4/5. It’s not the best ST film (though again gotta do TNG), but a marked improvement over the other two with characterization, plot, and just felt like something made bu fans for fans. May be too little, too late but I am still happy that it happened a d was so welcomed after how I felt about the other two. The Kelvin Timeline has potential and this showed it, but whether it’ll have the chance to continue it remains to be seen. But the fans have something that they can get creative with. I want it to continue to end on a better note and see these characters more, but if it ends here, it’s not a bad place at all.

#st watchthrough