From: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu (Michael Rawdon)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc
Subject: Re: Was TOS really that bad? (Re: TOS actors)
Date: 7 Sep 92 22:10:54 GMT
Reply-To: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Dept., Madison, WI

In <1992Sep7.192637.7358@cco.caltech.edu> tlynch@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu (Michael Rawdon) writes:
>>In <1992Sep3.224324.13089@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> johnnyp@HALDI.LCS.MIT.EDU (Johnny Piscitello) writes:
>>>	At the same time, no one will say Patrick Stewart is anything but
>>>a tour de force on TMG - The Inner Light should have made hime worthy
>>>of an *Oscar* (much less an emmy), IMHO. And Data is an *excellent*
>>>character as well. 

>>Stewart and Brent Spiner are both excellent actors, but I would balk at
>>calling Picard a great character (especially over the last two seasons or so;
>>I would not say that "The Inner Light" was any sort of a character study).

>Here's another bit that confuses me just as much as your insistence last
>article that Picard doesn't have strength of character.  You've been on 
>record saying that you thought TIL was a very good show, yet here you claim
>it wasn't "any sort of a character study".  Those two aren't mutually exclusive
>by any means, but I have to ask what you thought it *was*.

>Curiouser and curiouser...

A plot show.  (A mostly good plot show, though the technological rationale
is a bit of a fast one.)  The specific natures of the characters involved
did not have any real bearing on the show.  I'm also on record as having said
that "The Inner Light" would have been just as good if the characters (though
not necessarily the actors) of Data, Worf, Riker, Geordi and maybe Dr.
Crusher had been in Picard's place.  (In fact, it might have been *more*
interesting with one of the first two in his place.  If it had been "a Data
story" instead of "a Picard story" then it *might* have turned out to be a
character study.)

For that matter, it would have worked fine with Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu
or Chekov (though perhaps not Spock).

>>TNG's best stories are plot-focused rather than character-focused, 

>I tend to disagree.  "The Measure of a Man", "Darmok", "The Inner Light", and
>shows of that nature strike me as rather intensely character-focused, and
>quietly superb.

Well, "MoaM" was a misfire all around, I think.  Character-focused, yes, but
basically a botch of a story anyway.

But I see neither "Darmok" nor "The Inner Light" as being character-focused.

>>(Ever notice how Trek Classic had much wittier
>>and intelligent dialogue than TNG?)

>This one I'm taking, Mr. Rooney.  :-)  No, actually, I didn't.  Not when I was
>in my teens, and certainly not now.

You need to switch on the TV to be able to notice it, Tim. :-)

-- 
Michael Rawdon				 rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Department, Madison, WI

"If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the
contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one
person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
                                                      -John Stuart Mill
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc