From: jacob@plasma2.ssl.berkeley.edu (Jamey Jacob)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: TAII * POSSIBLE SPOILERS *
Date: 27 Sep 1992 09:48:45 GMT
Organization: UCB Space Sciences Lab
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: plasma2.ssl.berkeley.edu


	Okay, so here are my beefs with TAII:  While I enjoyed
	the episode overall as long as I kept from thinking too
	much about it, there was one thing that bothered me.
	Why--whenever the intrepid cast goes back in time--do
	the writers feel that it is necessary to throw in real
	historical figures?  Can't they leave well enough alone
	without screwing everything up?  First off, London;
	I agree with Lynch's review on this one.  It would
	have been much more to my liking if London had been
	dealt with subtly and then let us wonder if it was him,
	or just muse that it might have been.  Instead, in
	TAII, they have him jumping out at us.  "I've had
	a hankering to go to Alaska.  Don't know why, maybe
	it's just because I'm JACK LONDON.  JACK LONDON, the
	writer, except I haven't written anything yet.  There
	is Twain, and then me, JACK LONDON, before I am
	famous.  Get it?  Foreshadowing and clever historical
	inclusion into the plot; the sign of excellent
	script writers."  Hmmph.  This is besides the fact that
	if London ever actually met Twain, he would have
	mentioned it (although I don't know if this is the
	case, I doubt the script writers would have bothered
	to check.) Now, Twain;   He was annoying, this is
	true, but it fits with what he was supposedly like
	in real life.  But the incongruities arise as to how
	they deal with him after he is on the Enterprise. He
	is cynical throughout both episodes until Troi shows
	him how great the future is and then viola, Life is
	wonderful! and Man will work things out beautifully!  We
	the viewers are led to believe that Twain had become much
	more optimistic about mankind.  To the contrary, Twain's
	works during the 1890's and up to 1910 (his death) were
	by far the most cynical and bleak of his entire life.
	This is due mainly to the fact that he was penniless
	from poor financial speculations and his wife and children
	had died, but nonetheless, unless TNG is professing
	to change history in its episode (which it surely would
	have with the way they treated this miscreant from
	the past--get real!--why all of the sudden is there an
	anything goes attitude with people from the past when
	they've griped throughout every other time travel episode
	that they can't change the past, hell, why not just give
	Twain the rest of the books he was supposed to write so
	he wouldn't wast time!, but I digress), they misrepresented one
	of the major characters of the show. Did the writers
	do any research, or was this as I fear, just thrown
	in because they didn't know how to wrap things up?
	Oh, well, I still enjoyed it, but AS LONG AS MY BRAIN
	WAS IN LOW GEAR.  Enuf bitching....

	PS - I too like how Troi managed to find time to hit
	the Cliff Rocks and get a tan while the rest of the crew
	were finding clothes.

	
____________________________________________________________________
"common human laws and interests     "I wouldn't exactly call it a
 and emotions have no validity        a happy dogma, but it makes me
 or signifigance in the vast          feel better about not 
 cosmos-at-large..."                  getting laid..."
		-HP Lovecraft                 -R. Carter
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