From: ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: My beef with TIME'S ARROW II **SPOILERS**
Date: 28 Sep 92 00:57:07 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

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

>Well, I, for one, was very disappointed with the sequel to an episode
>I found very disjointed.  Spoilers follow.

Just a few comments.



>Specifically, these points struck me from TAII:

>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!"

Yeah, I was really wondering about this one....  First, the head shouldn't
have functioned.  Second, what the hell did Picard do to that head
to send a message?  In binary?  With in iron filing?

>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.

Yes, let's....  When he said that they were "more than just good friends"
I kept wondering "What the hell else are they????"  Is there a secret
Jean-Luc / Guinan relationship, like the Jean-Luc / Beverly relationship?

>Jack:  "That's Mark Twain?"  Twain: "The name's Clemens.  As in the
>name I never use.  As in the name that is not the one you will see
>in print.  For this one moment, I want to make sure all the stupid 
>viewers hear me say that."  What's the point of this?

Well, Samuel Clemens probably used Samuel Clemens in his day-to-day life,
and used Mark Twain only when he wrote.  I don't think it's unreasonable
to assume he went by Samuel.

>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.

No kidding!!!  In the first, what was it he said?  They were discussing
people who would think of the human race as a precious stone.  He said
something like "This increasingly hypothetical person, would not be
me." Then, suddenly, he has to save all of humanity from the invaders from
the future....  

In the first, he was saying how the world had gotten by without man, and
man was not necessary for the world to continue, and in the second, it's
like well, the end of the world. :-)

>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.

Well, what do you want?  The man never wrote a book about travelling
to the 24th century, there's not really a whole lot we can do (except
to travel back in time and convince him to right one :-).  They can't
say in the story that he wrote one, because he never did, and they can't
make him have written one.

>"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.

Didn't they mention that they were beginning to pick up more distortions?
The aliens were on the move again?

>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.

Yeah, I thought this was ridiculous.  Boy, good thing that explosion
acted just like a saw and severed his head clean off....  Not even
any damage to his clothes!


-- 
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