Controlled Procreation ... Selectively Bred

[@tjwparso]

Star Trek · The Next Generation · s05e13 · The Masterpiece Society Thanks for clicking, thanks for watching, hope you got what you came for. BuyMeSomeBeans: ko-fi.com/tjwparso / paypal.me/tjwParsoTV Intro Audio: Star Trek TNG: s03e06 'Booby Trap' & s03e12 'The High Ground' Outro Music: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gneYi2t8d5mjf7s & kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYu6goCsfbOCpKs Discord: discord.gg/2PAjZf8TeV Twitter: twitter.com/tjwparso Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/tjwParsoTV

[@DavidAWA]

What a pleasant people. I'm sure there's no dark underside to their society...

[@SP-sy5nq]

What wonderful weather we're having today o_o

[@richtea615]

As it turns out, no there isn't.

[@TheZetaKai]

It's actually pretty much as you see it: they've dug in, made what they consider a utopia, but it's kinda fragile, and won't withstand the disruption of the needed changes coming on the horizon.

[@TheFlyingZulu]

@@richtea615 Actually there is... Jordie says later in the episode somebody like him wouldn't have even been allowed to be born. He would have been terminated at inception (or when they discovered he was blind, as for being blind was an imperfection). So thus a brilliant Engineer such as Jordie (who's visor was the key to saving their planet) wouldn't have even been given the chance to live.

[@robinhodson9890]

A self-contradictory argument: What about the quadrillions of geniuses, which random chance and the limit on the number of births, has prevented normally?

[@bigmalletman9453]

i love how a supposed perfect society is completely inflexible and fragile. that's how perfection works, after all.

[@UndeadGhostGirl]

"We've evolved past you." "Yeah, well... your tech sucks."

[@Dowlphin]

Borg drone: _Hold my battery._

[@TheZetaKai]

Technology is a replacement for evolution. There is no need to adapt to your environment, when you can use tools to change your environment to suit you. Now you only need to evolve to use your tools better, and to make better tools.

[@augustday9483]

The Federation is an interstellar society with billions of citizens across hundreds of worlds, who also trade with other societies. Of course their tech will have advanced faster than an isolated colony with a population in the mere thousands. Lack of tech is not an indictment of this colony's way of life. They simply don't have the numbers to have an economy like the Federation.

[@jimwesteven2023]

"I apologize. But he is performing his function as he is designed to do." "And what function might that be?" "He is our colony's version of Worf."

[@TheZetaKai]

Exactly! I said the same thing in the comments for the previous clip.

[@Brian6587]

Riker wasn't pleased Troi stayed behind, lol

[@Archie2c]

I loved Geordi in this Episode

[@nnthayer]

That menace at 1:05 is so awesome coming from the normally-cordial Geordi

[@TheZetaKai]

He conveys a lot of nuanced emotions through just his reserved facial expressions. Great actor.

[@lennierofthethirdfaneofchu7286]

@@TheZetaKai Without the audience being able to see his eyes.

[@TheZetaKai]

The sad thing is the fact that their society is about as perfect as they could have made it, based on their own standards. They made their version of utopia, and they're pretty happy with it. If it weren't for this unforeseeable disaster looming, they would have been quietly doing just fine here indefinitely. It's an outside context problem that they could never have hoped to deal with that will disrupt their "perfect" way of life.

[@engasal]

It's funny how many dudes from Babylon 5 turn up in TNG

[@YD-uq5fi]

"We have evolved beyond other humans" "Yet, your face is like a toad's. Why?"

[@jeffreychongsathien]

Once again, having Data to do the job would solve a lot of problems... except the narrative.

[@taopilot2669]

Riker was about to hit that wall as they came through the door. Good thing he looked up at the last second.

[@TheFlyingZulu]

Ahahaha... he sure does. This happens at like 3:24 for peps wanting to see it.

[@yagsyags5694]

Luckily, he instinctively sensed the presence of a beautiful woman up ahead, and looked up to see her.

[@coffeeaddictexpress5038]

That’s the same chick that told Vivian from pretty woman she couldn’t shop at her store lol.

[@LordSpleach]

Love that Rimmer Salute!

[@Dowlphin]

Better than breeding a great poet is to learn not to subject a great poet to influences that completely stifle potential. But great aptitude can also be borne out of struggle, which is kind of the 'karmic con' that keeps the spectacle running. Arguably it follows from that that a truly more enlightened society would instead not strive, but just learn to go with things, endure pain if necessary, but without suffering from that pain, and thus without propagating it.

[@audreybuyrn8672]

Perfection should be robust, not fragile.

[@aggressiveattitudeera887]

Geordi wanted to smack that dude.

[@matthewcaughey8898]

While I’m sure it’s nice knowing what you were intended for, it takes the elements of chance out of it. Me? I’m infinitely adaptable, I’ve done all manner of jobs and while I was only ever good at security work I got bored doing it. There are moments I hate my current job but it drives me to keep looking. I think that everyone is supposed to be always looking

[@SP-sy5nq]

Good take

[@Dowlphin]

That's what the ruling class wants; society's nemesis. Emerged out of their unresolved issues to form the elite of unmet emotional needs.

[@TheZetaKai]

I hope that you find your dream one day. This episode tries to make the point that these people were made to know their roles in society, be well-suited for them, and to enjoy fulfilling them.

[@davecrupel2817]

I don't want to spend my entire life looking.

[@caterinadc5567]

I'm as genuinely glad that you enjoy "always looking", as I am horrified by the idea of "always looking." Haha. Different people are built different, and I personally flourish when I can put down roots somewhere and build upwards from a stable location and set of activities. I do NOT seem to be infinitely adaptable, and the amount of delay and distress it causes me to be pushed rapidly between things to adapt to, unravels me mentally and physically. This 'designer society' where people grow up their whole lives knowing exactly what role they'll fill (and it's a role that aligns with their genetically predisposed skillset and preferences) is the kind of thing I IMAGINE I'd love. I say "imagine" because of course, this is a sci fi episode that is starting off by painting a society in a rosy light, and that means the story arc for them probably has nowhere to go but down, haha. And the real world parallels (i.e. eugenics) are obvious in their dystopian potential.

[@wtfa2910]

I guess trying to discover what you'll like to be in life is the exciting part of having a life

[@kehindeomolaoye8020]

Their philosophy sounds like the Illyrians

[@shep9231]

I'm not meant to have all my life's efforts chosen for me. I'm meant to scratch and claw my way up, I'm meant to fight for it!. I am not meant to be coddled and have it all handed to me when I don't need it.... I'd rather go and fight for it!.

[@klaxoncow]

No-one is "meant" to do anything. Otherwise, this would assume a universe that has "intent" or "purpose". Having some ultimate "goal" in mind. But no scientific observation of this universe has ever even come close to revealing any such thing. Indeed, the only thing that could even qualify as an "end goal" for the universe would be entropy - the ultimate heat death of the universe - and that's, in fact, the permanent and complete destruction of all meaning and purpose. But lest we fall into a Nihilistic depression about this, it's worth noting that this only dooms the concept of a singular global "meaning" to the universe and it does nothing to invalidate the infinite variety of localised, personal meanings that could exist within this universe. So, you know, if writing poetry or music gives you some personal meaning to your life, that's fine. If raising children is your own personal "meaning", then that's good. If you would wish to devote your life to scientific progress or the accumulation of wealth, knock yourself out. Absent a singular global "meaning" for all of this - no yardstick against which to measure these localised "purposes" - any and all of them are equally valid. None could be said, in a universal sense, to be better nor worse than any other. The universe that has no singular universal "meaning" is the universe that has, in fact, the most meaning of them all. A universe that contains a singular universal "meaning" - some grand "42" hanging above it all, as the "ultimate answer" - is, in fact, the greatest destroyer of meaning there could ever be (and, behind the comedy, this was, of course, the philosophy that Douglas Adams was getting at, through a joke). For example, a universe where "raising children" is the ultimate meaning to life, the universe and everything, then what's the purpose or meaning of all those who never have children? Those who can't have children, those who die early and never have the chance, those parents who experience the tragedy of outliving their children. In such a universe, what's the point of mountains? What's the "meaning" behind the colour blue? Why does the Andromeda galaxy exist in such a universe? If having and raising children is the ultimate "meaning", then what's the point in the 99.999% of the rest of the universe that has nothing whatsoever to do with that? And this logic holds whatever "ultimate meaning" you choose. Be it the accumulation of wealth, human progress, the creation of art, praising some god or gods, collecting stamps or, indeed, even just "42". If the ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything is "X", then what's the point in all the non-X that's out there? All the stuff that's not X, not in service to the goal of X, acts as a mere distraction to the fulfilment of X. If the ultimate "meaning" is X, then what's the point in the 99.9999% that's "not X" / has nothing whatsoever to do with X? The problem with "ultimate meanings" is that they end up invalidating the vast, overwhelming majority of absolutely everything as being fundamentally meaningless. The universe that lacks any "ultimate meaning" - which I would contend that, from all observation, appears to be the universe we currently exist inside - is the most meaningful of universes. As it can be full to the brim, in all directions, with an infinity of localised meanings - all 7 billion of us can all have our own personal and unique "meaning" that's meaningful to us (and the same could be said for all the animals and all the aliens that might be out there in the trillions upon trillions upon trillions of other worlds that could support them) - and any and all of these "meanings" are as equally valid as any other. There is no grand universal yardstick against which to judge any of them as better nor worse than any other. This universe of no grand meaning is the universe where you can ascribe and pursue any meaning you like to your comparatively short few decades of existence. Whatever you like, knock yourself out. Because we're not in a universe of "ultimate meaning" against which every person and action could be measured to be successful or a failure in achieving that purpose - whatever the "universal purpose" might be - as those universes would be a cage to meaning. The ultimate destruction of all meaning (that isn't specifically the grand purpose "X" to which it's all about). So this Nihilism should not depress us, it should liberate us. We're not required to fulfil anything. If your own personal localised "purpose" is to sit on your arse and do nothing, then that can't be said to have any less "universal meaning" than anything else. It's all good in this universe. But though, universally, there's a lack of meaning, there absolutely can be an infinity of local meaning. No man is an island, so within our human society, we can judge that actions benefiting us personally are to be considered "to the good" by us all. Currently stuck on this planet as we are, we could see that actions benefiting this planet's further survival are in our interest. We can, from first principles, construct our own local universe of immense meaning and purpose, if we like. And it can mean everything to us, if we want it to. The universe doesn't care. It has no capacity to care, as it's not sentient. Without sentience, "meaning" or "purpose" is not a thing it could ever experience. I'd argue that the Nihilistic universe is, by all observation, the one we exist within and this is actually a good thing, as it's the universe with the most potential for "meaning" that could ever be available. The singular purpose universes are the ones devoid of any meaning for 99.99999% of its contents or events - those are the universes that contain the least possible amount of "meaning" overall (as it is literally only one universal meaning and everything else, therefore, is a pointless and doomed endeavour). Or, put another way, "meaning" is a thing we create in our own heads. It doesn't really exist as a thing out there in the universe itself. And if you list out all the possibilities and look, this is actually the universe that grants us the most possible "meaning" of them all. If the universe had its own singular universal meaning, then any localised meaning would be subservient to it. Only that singular universal meaning would have any universal meaning - tautologically so. One should not despair at a Nihilistic universe. It's actually the best possible outcome, if you stop to consider the alternatives. How meaninglessly boring would a universe where the only purpose to it all is grovelling at the feet of some god for eternity be? To what purpose? To what ultimate aim? Inflating the ego of a god - who's already definitionally omnipotent, so what's the point in doing that? Why would an omnipotent being have such a low self-esteem problem in the first place? Nah, seriously. Rejoice. You're actually in the best universe, if having "meaning" is your thing. Because you have an infinity of choices and they're all equally valid and good, with no oppressive "universal meaning" judging them inadequate. You're not in the totalitarian universe with a tyranny of some singular "meaning" hanging over it all. Which is good. Be happy about that. Knock yourself out. (And if you're the sort of person who needs other people to give them a "meaning" - you hate making choices and such total liberty scares you - then, ah, just "borrow" someone else's. Why not? Again, it can't be judged better nor worse than anything else. So even if you don't want that infinity of choice then you can, indeed, just choose to go along with the collective "praise god" meaning, if you like, and be happy with that. It's all good. This is the universe with no "wrong answers", as I was saying.)

[@TheZetaKai]

That internal drive would have been excised from your genetic code during your conception. You would have been progammed at the genetic level to be satisfied with your lot in life, and not go running off to find yourself. Your perfect society needs you here, processing files or repairing air conditioners or building domes or somesuch.

[@The1stDukeDroklar]

The blonde scientist is a very attractive older woman.

[@Waterlooplein1]

As usual they use the scientific setting for a morality story. But such a colony could not possibly exist in isolation, unless they can turn rocks into anything they want.

[@gordoncamacho8649]

If people are free to pursue their interests due to no one having to work, why are poets doing labor they would rather not do?

[@robinhodson9890]

Some disturbing confusion with eugenics there - not in the story; in the minds of those who wrote the story. North American society is so racist, they frequently object to non-racist concepts as racist, eg "cultural appropriation".

[@marving0mez]

Didn’t the nazis try to do a similar thing?

[@evabailey3860]

Yes, look up "eugenics" that's what it's called when people try to select for specific genetic traits and control who can have children and who can't. It's horrible

[@jameslong9564]

When democrats have their way.

[@RobinPM86]

It seems some people use any and every platform for political bashing. The truth is, we're all different, and so long as there's more than one person in any setting, there will be conflict.

[@ensignmjs7058]

I don't think you realize the irony of your comment.