From: pettypi@gaul.csd.uwo.ca (Carl Pettypiece)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Yet more comments on TA2
Date: 29 Sep 92 21:05:50 GMT
Article-I.D.: julian.1992Sep29.210550.1503
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Univ. of Western Ontario, London, Canada

<SPOILERS>





















Well, I wouldn't call this a review but I thought there were a
few things that need to be said that have not been said before
(hard to believe, 'tis true, I think :-)

First is the problem of killing the aliens.  Although I think it
was the right choice to attack the two aliens who were, in our
heroes' eyes, destroying Earth; why then blow up the entire
colony for the crimes of two possible renegades.  In fact, if the
race as a whole are 'evil', what good is it to destroy the
colony: they'll just build another one, some other place, some
other time.  Or is the entire race based in this cave/planet?
In this case, our heroes are destroying an entire species, something
they couldn't do with the Borg, whom arguably have more reason (at 
least more dealings with) to destroy.  It could be argued, of
course, at various levels, and MAYBE they'll follow up on it
later: the man takes revenge for the death of his wife, for
instance.  This to me was the most frustrating part of the show.

There are many other problems, many of which I can excuse for the
sake of the general public.  Not every one who watches TNG reads
news.  Not every one knows Jack London's history.  Although I
grimmaced at the mention of his name, maybe this was necessary
for the masses (although I still don't see why he's mentioned at all).

One point I haven't seen mentioned here is it's inconsistency
with "Yesterday's Enterprise".  Somebody correct me if I'm wrong
with ST's version of time travel but in YE, as soon as
Enterprise-C comes out of the time-rift from the past, the entire
timeline has changed.  OK, fine.  But here, Mark Twain comes out
of the time-rift from the past and sees he's got more books to
write!  Come on!  At least he should have seen from the records
that he 'disappeared' in the year 18blah and didn't write any
books after that.  Hell, after his disapperance, some serious
side-effects could have occured (don't know what, I don't know
Mark Twain's history too good), but at least there would've been
a massive search for him that may have led to the cave, they find
the head, etc, etc.  This part bugs me.

After all this, I quite liked it actually.  If you're in a room
watching this episode with a bunch of non-trekkers (read casual
watchers of the show) these details don't matter, the show blew
most of my friends away.  And this is the audience Paramount is
targetting after all.

To be fair to the writers, I was really given the impression that
they just didn't have enough time to do all the things they
wanted to do.  Even without the landlady, it would've been
rushed.  I quite liked her, it gave our minds a welcome break
from keeping track of all the possible paradoxes (it was quite a
heavy episode, detail-wise).  I would've liked to see interaction
between Twain and Guinan on the Enterprise.  It seemed like the
natural thing to do.  In fact, one of the first things he'd say
would be "Where's Madam Guinan?".  Even if he didn't, where's the
most natural place for Troi to take him?  Why, to 10-Forward, of
course.  Why didn't they do this?  They just didn't have the
time.  Maybe they should've had a Time's Arrow III.

Wow, this is MUCH longer than I anticipated.  Well, see you in
500 years!

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl Pettypiece (pettypi@gaul.csd.uwo.ca)        Disclaimer:  Hell, I don't
Department of Computer Science                   even know if these are MY
University of Western Ontario                    opinions!
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current