tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400152815785368447.post5140997019246953277..comments2024-03-15T07:28:47.064-05:00Comments on Treknobabble: The Next Generation, Season 4: The WoundedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400152815785368447.post-31294723996350897592015-03-14T22:20:16.780-05:002015-03-14T22:20:16.780-05:00I love this episode on so many levels. From the br...I love this episode on so many levels. From the breakfast and dinner conversations between O'Brien and Keiko to the subtle things, like when the Cardassians beam on board and the look Troi gives O'brien as they are about to step out, sensing his disdain and negative feelings for them. I love how they developed the O'Brien character and explored the roots of his distrust of Cardassians (all of which we will get to revisit later on in DS9). <br /><br />I found Maxwell to be very likable and truly understood why O'Brien was loyal to him and held him in high regard, despite all that was precipitating. I rooted from him a lot and as a kid never liked how Picard made him surrender, even though Maxwell was right about the Cardassians. <br /><br />It was hard to watch but that's the point, right? Politics and governance (good politics and good governance that is, not the failures we see in the political landscape of today) are all about hard decisions - making them and executing them and peace - both acquiring and maintaining it - is especially about making the hard choices. <br /><br />I liked how this episode really tied it all back to the core principle of the Federation, an organization which is all about diplomacy, cooperation and finding common ground. Picard is not just an explorer, he is a trained diplomat because going out there and meeting new life forms you have to be. You cant be a cowboy about it. That is recipe for war and conflict. And among other things, diplomacy in the realm of peace-keeping is about not letting disputes - petty or seemingly serious ones- escalate to the point where everyone is in a continued state of war (as we are today as a nation).<br /><br />So achieving and maintaining peace is hard. It is damn hard. It is the hardest thing ever as far as foreign policy is concerned because the powers (and industries) that be tend to gravitate toward war and conflict. Peace is not a natural state humans gravitate towards, it has to be created and forged. In other words, a world free of conflict, adversity and war is not created by magic and good will alone, it is created through hard work and hard decisions. Decisions that cannot be made with the heart but have to be made with the head. <br /><br />And Picard did just that. he made the tough call even though it was damn hard and even though he KNEW the Cardassians were damn liars using the outpost to smuggle weapons. But he had to becasue the cost of not working to preserve that peace was unacceptable. So, while as a kid i was annoyed with him about it, I so much respect him now and realize how important (and hard) what he did was, even if it resulted in disgrace for Maxwell. <br /><br />I love that Star Trek took on this very important issue, the backbone of the Federation really and something that is very relevant to us today on many levels, and solidified it into an episode. This is why I love Star Trek, instead of just merely liking it a lot. poppyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09064123327462038174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400152815785368447.post-12319580888949837782013-08-05T23:48:54.530-05:002013-08-05T23:48:54.530-05:00Matt likes to watch them in order, but I am impati...Matt likes to watch them in order, but I am impatient and I tend to skip around on the Blurays. I watched this one the other day, and the transfer is gorgeous. A couple of highlights include <br /><br />-The Phoenix herself, which looks stunning.<br /><br />-The Cardassian make-up has a lot more detail and you can see fine vein in the actors faces. Something I learned from the special features is that Marc Alaimo was cast first as Macet before the makeup was designed and Westmore had a cast of his head when he started on the design. He noted Alaimo's long neck and designed for it. So, part of the reason that Alaimo is the quintessential Cardassian is that the species is modeled for his features. The More You Know.<br /><br />-If you were concerned that the battle scene done on the viewscreen would little chintzy or dated in HD, let me assure you that the sharper text and deeper blacks make everything even better.<br /><br />-In the scene with Maxwell in his ready room, you can actually see his eyes water just slightly when he stumbles over the words "children who never got the chance to grow up." <br /><br />We've been singing the technical praises for ages, but I'm increasingly realizing how much the transfer meaningfully increases the drama as well. The cast and crew worked on fine details that TV just couldn't transmit, and seeing the show the creators made as they saw it increases my enjoyment in a way I hadn't planned on.Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05582237401541322274noreply@blogger.com