From: 01fortec@ac.dal.ca
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: TNG Grade Report: "True Q"
Date: 5 Nov 92 03:10:20 GMT
Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

In article <rawdon.720598535@cs.wisc.edu>, rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:
> Spoilers for the TNG episode "True Q"...
> 
> One of the two most annoying and useless characters in the Star Trek
> universe returns... to a decidedly dull story.  A quick character rundown:

Who's the other one?

> 
> Q:  Acting an even bigger boor than usual, pompously full of himself and
> peculiarly returning to his "Encounter At Farpoint" days of ostensibly
> having no interest at all in humanity, and having nothing but contempt for
> Picard and company.  (Never mind that this attitude directly contradicts
> his character as presented in "Q Who", "Deja Q" and "Qpid".)

It is Q's nature to be a boor and a bully. He wouldn't be Q otherwise.

> 
> Amanda Rogers:  Nothing much to say about her.  A schoolgirl struck by
> omniscience (and by Will Riker) who goes through some angst before finally
> deciding that Q is right.

Kinda cute.

> 
> Captain Picard:  The best line in the episode was Q's put-down of Picard's
> sometimes annoying tendency to pontificate.  Along with the rest of the crew,
> Picard was never really able to get a word in edgewise here.  They were
> mainly just bystanders.

One thing I like about this series is that the main characters is that they
ARE the main characters, not the only charaters, like its predecessor.

> 
> I'm not really sure what TNG's obsession with omnipotence in the form of Q
> is, but it really *doesn't* work, guys!  Q is far too much of a blowhard to
> pull it off regularly (the "omnipotent blowhard" routine having been done
> oh-so-much better in Classic Star Trek's "The Squire Of Gothos").  The only
> time he was really used to good effect was in "Q Who", where his character
> acquired a bit more depth and his actions were more deliberate, less
> capricious.  I think it's long past time he be jettisoned from the Star
> Trek ouvre (even if it means losing the pleasure of seeing John De Lancie
> act once a year; it's just not worth it).

Oh sure it is. What, would you give up an opportunity to regularly dump on
an episode?

> 
> Amanda's dilemma was not especially innovative, nor cleverly handled.  The
> last five minutes where she comes to her decision in a flash was truly
> rushed and completely unconvicing.
> 

I've rarely seen a Star Trek episode whose roots couldn't be found in some
other story. 

> The area where this episode showed promise was in the question, "What right
> does the Q have to kill Amanda, or her parents?"  And not only are we given
> any answer to this question (or even a proposed answer), but there's not
> even any real debate over it.  There are at least two other omnipotent
> races in the cosmos (Trelayne's people and the Organians, and possibly
> the Excalbians and the race of the title character of "The Survivors" as
> well); by what authority are the Q the policemen of omnipotence?  And if
> the Q care so damned little for humanity, why should they give a fig if
> Amanda is unleashed into the universe?  There's a fundamental inconsistency
> here, which this episode doesn't even TRY to address.
> 

Inconsistency, probably. However, to badly paraphrase someone : No sufficiently
powerful race of beings is distinguishable from a spoiled child or a school
bully. Neither feels the need to explain himself.

> No, this wasn't an outright BAD episode like "Qpid" (which has the "honor
> of being IMO the worst Star Trek story ever broadcast), as it certainly
> didn't make me squirm waiting for it to be OVER.  But it was just, well,
> *dumb*.  Annoying, shallow characters, asinine plot, unbelievable resolution,
> and poorly handled themes.  It could have been worse, but, lord, it
> wasn't good.
> 

Not so bad, really. I always thought the first series episode with the mock
nazis was the worst of either series. I also thought the idea of the captain
beaming down on every bloody landing party was really stupid.

> Now I guess we get to look forward to this season's Lwaxana Troi episode...

hip hip hooray!

> 
> Grade: D-
> 
> SEASON SIX AT A GLANCE:
> Time's Arrow II: B-
> Realm Of Fear: C
> Man Of The People: C
> Relics: B+
> Schisms: B-
> True Q: D-
> ---
> Total Points: 13 1/3
> Season Average: 2.222 (C+)
> (Fall of 0.311 from last episode)
> 
> -- 
> Michael Rawdon				 rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
> University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Department, Madison, WI
> 
> "...I guess I'd rather have mediocre Star Trek then none at all."
> 				- A friend, about the ST:TNG episode "Legacy"


How does your rating system work, by the way?  Me, I never rate critique
TV shows. They're rarely built for critical analysis.

Enjoy. :-)

Joe Chiasson
01fortec@ac.dal.ca