From: cward@Think.COM (Christopher)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: My beef with TIME'S ARROW II **SPOILERS**
Date: 28 Sep 1992 20:26:11 GMT
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: godot.think.com

The episode runs very tight to handle a lot of lose ends and information
at a pace slightly higher than normal TV shows.  Apparently too fast for 
some minds to follow...

In article <1992Sep27.190513.26069@cbnewse.cb.att.com>, gmark@cbnewse.cb.att.com (gilbert.m.stewart) writes:

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|> The aliens, mysterious and intriguing in part I, were not developed
|> at all.  Bummer.  The possibility of developing them as "angels of
|> mercy, taking the suffering" seemed only hinted at.  I supposed I
|> could have missed the little hints or some dialogue, but I would
|> have preferred it if Picard were to be faced with a choice to leave
|> them be, as they are part of history, and their preying on the suffering,
|> stopping this suffering, was fully developed.

You must have been out of the room when they explained this.  Even in part
I there was no hint they were ever "angels of mercy".  They looked like
space vampires from the start.  They were not developed because that would
make it harder to blow them up at the end.  Notice how they didn't even
have a name?  Picard had to hurry through the logic here but basically
he tried to see if there was some substitute for the neural energy they
were stealing from the humans (using a plague as a cover).  These are
time travelers who we can assume could travel to the future as well.  They've
already killed thousands and no substitute so, it's them or us.

|> "Okay, here's a sophisticated time-travel device.  Can't figure out
|> how to work, let alone how to get it to go to a particular moment
|> in history."  Geordi & Data:  "Well, <babble, babble, babble> shoot
|> it with a phaser!"  I'm the first to defend hard science fiction
|> that is somehow consistent.  I like Trek's occasional "techno-babble"
|> when it is internally consistent or at least consistent with an
|> extension on known science.  But this was really stretching it.

Not really, Geordi had scanned it with his tricorder to determine there was
a containment field holding the Ophidean in it's cane-form.  He determined
the right frequency to disrupt the field.  This was done many times before
when people were being held in various containment fields (e.g. Encounter
at Far Point, and the episode about the war toys salesman).

|> Data: "Yes, I've studied this head.  I've got it hooked up to the
|> frammistron.  I know the level of degradation is 12%.  I've opened
|> it up."  Geordi: "Hey!  There's a piece of metal in there!"  I
|> wonder about Data being able to be programmed by a guy in a cave with
|> a piece of iron filing.  I wonder about the durability of an android
|> that could get a piece of dirt in his hair and malfunction.  "Oh, 
|> but you see, the port only opens when...  and Picard is real smart...
|> and the head is off... so..."  Man, this is really stretching it.
|> Then, "Oh, 12% isn't so much!  See?  Data's just fine, now!"

They never did try to power the thing up.  Geordi didn't notice anything
was wrong until he did.  Now I wonder that they didn't try to power the
thing up in TA1 but then we'd have a much less interesting story.  As for
the iron filing wedged in Data's circuits, that's a lot different than 
"a piece of dirt in his hair".

As for Data being fine now, well I would have liked to see at least some
mention of aging. 

|> They must have run out of time.  Picard and Guinan's "special"
|> relationship, beyond friendship and family?   "Well, Guinan and
|> he spoke for several minutes, so you can see what a strong
|> bond that would develop!"  Well, let's hope there's a lot on
|> the cutting room floor.

That was only the start.  They discussed in vague hints about how close
they would be in the 24th century.  Could it actually be a little
self fulfilling prophecy?  Picard tells Guinan how close they are in
the future so when they meet 500 years later, Guinan assumes they will
become close friends so they do so Picard can tell her on this away
mission so ....

|> Twain changes from a philosophizing intellect in part I to a
|> bumbling idiot in part II.  They were both good characters,
|> but a tad inconsistent.  Further, we all got the connection
|> between Twain's futuristic adventure and his "Connecticut
|> Yankee" story.  But these were written before his STNG
|> adventure.  So what's the point?  And after his "Greatest
|> Adventure", to use his words, he never writes anyting about
|> it again?  Sure, this could be explained.  "He was bored with
|> timetravel after that, see?"  Right.

I didn't see any change in character between episodes.  From nosey, crotchety
old man to even nosier crotchety old man.  Putting the watch back plus his
earlier comments on people from the future making a mess by interfering in
the past, shows he not about to repeat the mistakes of his protagonist
in aCYiKAC.  He may have steered very far from "science fiction" to 
avoid mentioning anything of his adventure.  Maybe he went to visit with
his good friend Jules Verne :-)

|> Twain's speech at the end was so slapped on with the bluntness
|> of a sledge on the neck that it made me cringe.  And the idiot
|> crew pondering how to get Picard back.  "So, if only one can
|> return... hmmmm...  Someone would have to stay in the 19th century...
|> Who could it be.... hmmmmm."  Inconspicuous Time Traveler Standing
|> in Back of Ryker: "Gosh.  Umm...  I don't know...  How about...
|> um... me?  See, I've got more books to write.  Not about this,
|> my Greatest Adventure, however.  Just.. stuff..."

Contrived, but you know how Star Trek loves the 10 minute drill at
the end of the show!

|> Let's ponder the significance of the serpent-head cane creature/
|> machine.  All kinds of biblical imagery could have been evoked.
|> Maybe it was...  Suprise!  It doesn't mean anything!  "Oh, it
|> did, but it was VERY subtle!"  Sure.  It had so much potential.
|> The Angels of Mercy.  The Temptation of timetravel to save lives
|> by the good guys.  The whole schmear.  I can envision the writers of
|> Part I going, "So, here's all this Good Stuff.  Man, Go Crazy!!
|> Use it!!  Capitalize on all this setup!!  So?  What are you going
|> to do?!?"  Part II Writers:  "Nothin'.  We got other stuff to do."
|> Wonder how many arguments and fists on tables there were?"

They've done this all before in other time episodes.  Angels of Mercy
again?  Biblical imagery?  Sure there were a few side opportunities
the writers left themselves in Part 1 but I think they did a nice job 
with Part 2.

|> Hey, here's Troi with the Famous Visitor from the Past!!  What's
|> she going to show us??  A  HALLWAY!?!?    "No, Mr. Twain.  You
|> don't understand.  This is a SPACE HALLWAY!!  Get it?!?  Besides,
|> you don't want to change the future!  We KNOW you won't remember
|> being in SPACE!   But we figure that if you see a holodeck or a
|> replicator, you'll figure out how to build one out of that pocket
|> watch and some iron filings! "

You are on drugs aren't you?

|> Now, it occurs to me that Picard is watching Guinan all the while
|> knowing that her entire race is going to be almost destroyed by the
|> Borg.  Picard is just smiling away.  Sure, what can he tell her?
|> But shouldn't there be even a hint of sadness?  Stewart's probably
|> the best actor on television.  Why did the director or writers not
|> do SOMETHING with this?

How do you know when the Borg assimilated Guinan's homeworld?  Besides
the cardinal rule of time travel is not to tell.  Picard looked very
concerned quite a bit.  I suppose you need a voice over to clue you
in on all the thoughts racing through his mind.

|> The watch?  "With love, SLC"?  Who does he love?  Are they really
|> his initials.  I assume so.  Doesn't seem to have much of a point
|> in the show, tho'.

Sometimes a prop is just a prop.

|> "We have to get Picard out of there, NOW!!  We have to Destroy the
|> Evil Aliens, PRONTO!!  Even if Picard is in there!!"  Why is it
|> so suddenly urgent?  I'm sure we could come up with something.
|> The rubber band is snapping as we speak.

The rubber band running your brain?  Time travelling aliens with a 
taste for humans are not something you want to allow to slip away.  This
discussion was also handled in the show.  You may disagree with their
decision but they did explain this.

|> "Picard was whacking Data's head with this rock.  This is what he
|> coded into the positronic brain:  Picard is concerned that the 
|> shape of the framilotric waveform would not be conducive to...
|> Hmmmm.  Whack-thud-whack-whack.. Ahh.  The efficient trans
|> mogrification of the indulent incoming sensory pulse."
|> Yeah, I've booted computers in binary.  But I've never been
|> able to convey a sense of "concern" or ideas the complexity of
|> these in the loader file.  "Well, Picard had studied Data's
|> Special Morse Android Code, and he spent several days without
|> sleep tapping in those codes, and..."  Possible, I guess.

Data's boot up showed he only had a few pieces of info from which he 
figured out the complete information.  For dramatic purposes, Data
elaborates on the message for the more feeble brained members of the 
audience.

|> "Geordi!  Take off that VISOR!  It would look suspicious that you have
|> a metal screen over your eyes!  No one would suspect the BLINKING
|> LIGHTS STICKING OUT OF YOUR TEMPLES!  NOW STAND NEXT TO THE
|> FRENCH ALBINO WITH BLACK HAIR."  Of course, the thing that makes
|> Sam Clemens suspicious is that a guy from France plays poker
|> well...  There's that Razor-Sharp Twain Mind.

Geordi's dark glasses covered the visor mounts rather well.  Plus,
nobody's going to pay much attention to a black man, a blind black 
man at that, back in those days.

|> "Yes, the name's London.  Jack London.  As in Jack London. As in
|> [deleted]
|> Say, London?  Or can I call you Jack?  Did this great adventure
|> of being in contact with space travelers from the future and
|> befriending an android make an impression on you and Change The
|> Direction of Your Life?

You made more out of the few seconds at the door than the show did.
Sure the jack London thing was an attempt at humor in the show, just
like having Geordie reading from an upside down script.  Jack didn't
know nor did SLC let him in on the aliens from the future theme.

|> Here's a Big Energy Discharge.  Data's body and head look intact.
|> It focused on his neck.  Again, this is possible.  But this
|> list is getting out of hand.

Actually, the scene shows the opening ripping right across Data's neck
right at the level he was holding the cane.  It throws his body into
the 24th century with a rather nasty explosive side effect.  Look at
how he's holding the cane when they find his body.  Right at neck level.

|> It looks like there was such great potential, but maybe too many
|> cooks spoiled the broth, or there wasn't enough time to serve it.
|> I enjoyed the acting and the smorgasbord of good ideas.  But they
|> might have been spread out among other episodes to be able to
|> explore them better.  Much better.  In fact, I'd have a blast
|> just writing up any one of them.  But then, no sequels are 
|> accepted by the folks at Paramount, so they might be more
|> Tears in Rain, so to speak.

I'll give you that TA1 had a lot of threads to follow which you may
or may not have wanted to see in TA2 but I suspect they were just
giving themselves room for just about anything.  For every thread
you would follow up in your own version, it would create a few more
and those would create more until you get a story that takes a whole
season to complete. 

I hope to see some ramifications to Data's 500 year old head in later
epsiodes but overall I'd say TA2 was great entertainment.