Star Trek The Next Generation Ruminations S4E20: Qpid

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[@techno9991]

I do think the worf "Sir, I protest! I am not a merry man!" line may be one of the funniest in the whole series....Dorn plays it perfect and so quickly picks up on it as well. Also interesting that this feels like 2 episode scripts pushed together.......one last point, Vash reminds me of Marion from Indiana Jones....just interesting to me

[@jefferiestubeladd3261]

Sorry, I'm late here, but I read the end of your comment, and here is another scene from another movie. " The princess bride." The Captain's spoke back during a sword fight."I have something to tell you, I'm not from Nottingham," and proceeds with the sword fight at hand. Inigo Montoya : I ought to be, after 20 years. Man in Black : Oh, there's something I ought to tell you. Inigo Montoya : Tell me. Man in Black : I'm not left-handed either. As in, you are not much of a swordsman after all.

[@andrewkyriacou6405]

I'm of a similar opinion on this episode: It's not a very good one but there are some great moments in it. the two most notable for me are: Worf: Sir I must object I am NOT a merry man! - I love that line and the other is when Q leaves the ready room. Picard: I just had a visit from Q ... he wants to do something nice for me. And without missing a beat Riker goes: I'll alert the crew. I'm surprised you didn't mention that one. The episode is an ok one punctuated with some great lines which is a shame because anything with Q usually makes an episode better just inherently. The one sci-tech head canon I have to add is Data's explosive. My personal head canon is that I know certain materials can be explosive when heated so Data plucked a chip made of such material that wasn't too important and used that.

[@EnvisionerWill]

I actually hate that line; it makes no sense in context for him to say that. It's literally just shoved in to be a quotable quote and for no other reason. But the mandolin gag is perfect, especially the fact that he apologized for it.

[@self-transforming_machine-elf]

Robin Hood gets remade so often I wouldn't be surprised if they saw the latest holonovel adaptation.

[@arkemiffo]

Picard should've asked Q "Anything? I ask for anything at all, you give it to me and then go away?" Q: "Yes!" Picard: "Earl Grey. Hot. Now go away."

[@kylekullin2520]

😅

[@ohgoditshimrun1346]

The restricted access has always sounded to me like a religious restriction, similar to Dukat's explanation about the privacy requirements of Cardassian burial rituals.

[@TheV8Ninja]

Hi Lore! I've been a long-time viewer (from even before you started your Primus campaign) and I've recently gotten back into watching your stuff thanks to your TNG / DS9 ruminations. Even though I'm mostly listening to your Star Trek ruminations passively (while doing laundry, cooking dinner, etc.), I still appreciate the intellectual conversation you host with yourself. It's something that I've been missing from my life for a long time, and I'm glad that something is filling that niche now. As for this episode, I initially liked it when I did my own rewatch. Of course, 80% of that is my bias towards Star Trek ("Star Trek always strives to say something meaningful, ergo I should like it."), but I do really like the Nottingham bits when they get going. The twists that Vash introduce to the basic story are entertaining enough to be serviceable popcorn entertainment. In retrospect, the first half of this episode really does feel empty. A lot of time is spent on repeating the point of Vash being disappointed that Picard didn't mention her to anyone. Finally, if I may, I'd like to propose a question: Do you think Picard's refusal of Q's gift another limitation brought forth by the, "Roddenberry Box"? It's pretty well-established that the Roddenberry Box heavily suggests that humans don't grieve, but does it also place restrictions on emotions like greed and ill-intent?

[@Lorerunner]

Y'know I'll be honest, the whole 'no we have to earn it ourselves' 'no gifts' thing didn't even occur to me as a possible reasoning. Probably the intent though.

[@rafetizer]

I'm seriously, legitimately surprised Lore didn't find this episode memorable. I absolutely love Qpid - it's fully entertaining from start to finish. DeLancie's line delivery is on point as usual, but his reaction to Vash's letter is fucking priceless. "Oh this is WONDERful! What marvelous duplicity!" Obviously the Worf lines are comedic gold as well, and Geordi's look of pride as he pitifully plucks the lute is a great setup for Worf's bashing.

[@gcooper642]

I'm rewatching TNG and I completely forgot this episode existed. I hadn't seen this in about 20 years. It's not one that stuck out for me. Whereas I remembered other ones from this season.

[@Rasolisu]

What happened on Risa, stays on Risa.

[@Vandalia1998]

This was one of my favorite Q episodes

[@DrownedInExile]

WTF. Troi and Crusher fighting with swords would have been awesome!

[@wangbot47]

"Rescues Maid Marianne" is my #4 after "Fought in the Crusades with Richard the Lionheart"

[@ChocolatierRob]

Just looked this one up on memory alpha for a recap. Interestingly the reception section only talked about how much the cast enjoyed making it, not a thing on whether the episode was actually any good or generally on what viewers thought of it.

[@robertmartinu8803]

Robin Hood and Marian - it is actually one of the first things that come to mind. After the arrow splitting and a snake desperately trying to stay airborne. :) Because my first exposure to the material was Disney's adaption, and at least in this localization the closing sentence touches just that. It is on of the scenes that come up without actively thinking about the movie. I always assumed the Q fx was more of a mental thing, drawing the attention of whomever the Q wants to be noticed by. Makes it easier to ignore all the inconsistencies, and considering the power levels of the Q I'm sure they have control over it. (Next to the obvious real life reasons to involve the effects department.) No foreigners allowed in these ruins isn't implausible. We have sites with such access restrictions here and now, finding the same idea somewhere else as well, it's bound to happen. The whole Robin Hood-part on the other hand always felt contrived to me, like a holodeck episode born out of the lack of stories that fit the setting. Having the cast play in a glorified school theater because Q is bored, well, such things don't work for me. Such a break from reality should have a proper payoff.

[@Bnio]

I think Q would have prevented the executions somehow. He likes Picard. Picard likes Vash. Like when he caused the warp core breach to see if Amanda was a Q and casually cool-guys a "Well then I would have known she was not a Q" when asked what if she hadn't stopped the breach.

[@Kapitaen_Flauschbart]

I want to give a thousand likes for all your great word in terms of star trek ruminations, just looked drumhead, and now this .... I fear i have to settle with a big fat thank you! :-)

[@newfontherock]

This reminds me of Seinfeld, and George worrying about Susan entering into his friend group. Relationship George and normal George. But I digress...

[@paulscott2037]

I never really questioned why the ruins would be closed off. Presumably if these ruins are as renowned as Picard says then there have probably been dozens if not hundreds of expeditions over the years and after a while that might have taken its toll on them. I can completely buy that Picard wouldn't have mentioned Vash to Crusher. After all they are quite intimate with each other as well as unrequited as their romance might be.

[@FlyingKipperEh]

I love this episode. Worf shines in this episode. "I am NOT a merry man!"

[@jamespepper8671]

How about asking for the ability to defend against the borg?

[@vesuvanprincess]

For me the list of Robinhood famous goes: 1) Rob from the rich 2) Split an arrow/good with a bow 3) Rescuing maid Marian

[@BrickIntyre]

Oh my gosh...after 30 years...I never caught "The Princess Bride" reference until now... 😲

[@jjcastaldo4125]

What was it? I messed it

[@permeus2nd]

14:40 its always been my thought that the Q flash is as obvious as the Q in question wants it to be or as subtle, if they want it to be completely unnoticed it will be or it will come with full on surround sound inception bwahm.

[@francoislacombe9071]

Didn't Q say that he gave that particular fantasy a life of its own, and that it would unfold at its own pace with very little, if any, influence from him?

[@Schmirrgl]

So he's not almighty then? If he is almighty, he can create a scenario that he cannot influence. But then he isn't really almighty

[@Ozzy_2014]

@@Schmirrgl congratulations you just stated why God can't exist. Or 1 of many logical reasons.

[@francoislacombe9071]

@@Schmirrgl In Voyager's episode Death Wish, Quinn did tell Tuvok that he should not think of the Q as "omnipotent", just as very powerful but still limited beings.

[@gcooper642]

I understand why Picard would want nothing from Q. Have you never had a manipulative narcissist in your life? Whatever they do for you they hold it over you: "ah, but don't you remember I did this for you. See how good I am. That thing excuses what a pig I'm being today." I never let my old flatmate's overbearing Mum do anything for me because I knew it would lead to more trouble down the road. I wanted nothing from her and nothing to do with her. My Spidey senses told me it wasn't worth it.

[@jjcastaldo4125]

I now make a point of listening to your ruminations after watching many episodes. Love you commentaries. Could I trouble you to point out the Princess Bride reference? I am not connecting and I've seen that move a dozen times or more. Thanks.

[@askthepizzaguy]

"What do I want, Q? How about you return the lives that the Borg killed since you introduced us to one another." - That I can't do. The Q Continuum has rules against that specific kind of meddling, at least by me... But very clever, Picard, and that gives me a fascinating idea... How about I bring you to Wolf 359, the site of the battle against the Borg, and see if *you* can reach that goal.... by defeating Locutus of Borg yourself. Just remember, if you kill him, everything you would have been from that moment onward will be completely undone, and the being you have become will cease to exist, as you will be dead. But then, you might save thousands of ordinary pathetic lives in the process. Can you make your own wish come true? How much are you willing to give up to make that happen? And best of all, no matter the outcome, my debt to you will be repaid. Now show me how much you value those ever so significant lives. En garde, Picard, and au revoir. "Wait! Q! No!" - *snaps fingers*

[@rmsgrey]

Robin Hood... Robbed from the rich to give to the poor Outlaw Former noble Lived in Sherwood Forest Most direct enemy the Sheriff of Nottingham Rival Guy of Gisbourne Romantically involved with Maid Marian Duelled on a bridge with Little John Raised a ransom for Richard the Lionheart to keep Prince John from claiming the throne Was buried where his last arrow fell to ground I guess he might have rescued Marian from captivity at some point - a number of his associates, and Robin himself, got captured and rescued on various occasions...

[@malvane8061]

Next is Drumhead. Ho boy, do we expect you to have lots to pontificate on that episode.

[@joluoto]

Oh yeah, I slightly remember the LARP episode.

[@hotblackdesiato3022]

Looking forward to next week's rumination.

[@insylem]

I protest! I am NOT a merry man!

[@EnvisionerWill]

Much as I disagreed with you on Hide and Q, where you were like "well Riker should just take the deal, but Picard doesn't want to lose his bet!", I again think you're missing the entire point. Picard knows, and I 100% believe he's correct, that if he plays along with Q's game and accepts the favors that Q wants to give him, he'll never hear the end of it, and he will have totally validated Q's attitude of "I can just show up and screw with these stupid mortals whenever and it doesn't matter". Asking why Picard won't let Q grant him (or Riker) a wish is like asking why Superman doesn't get Mxyzptlk to vanish all the kryptonite in the universe. Sure, it would mean Supes would be safe from Kryptonite forever - but he would now OWE Myxy for that, and nothing could keep him safe from Myxy.

[@GosuZer0]

Worf destroying the lute :)

[@jerryharris876]

4:25. They probably don't want outsiders to raid it.

[@1300l]

The name of the episode say it will be a bad ride for me

[@athrunzala6919]

You're full of good points on this one.

[@harpercole5321]

Stewart dated Hettrick? I either forgot or never knew that. Worf smashing Geordi's instrument then saying, "Sorry" was my highlight. The episode in general felt trivial and rather silly, the worst TNG Q episode. I don't think out-and-out comedy episodes were TNG's strength, really. I don't actually think it unrealistic that the human characters would be familiar with Robin Hood. The stories have already survived for 500+ years, so another three centuries seems plausible.

[@Norvo82]

Two observations: One: the reasons for keeping the ruins off limits to outsiders may well be religious. All the training and preparations wouldn't change the fact Picard was still an alien and "unworthy" to their culture. Two: why would Picard talk about Vash with Troi? Does Starfleet require its commanders and captains to discuss their romantic entanglements? With counselors taking confessions? Riker's backlog alone would have Deanna swamped. And as for not mentioning Vash to Beverly, well... They may be close and (mostly) platonic friends, but as we'll see in Attached there's an undeniable romantic connection. You just don't discuss your flings with people you also sorta fancy.

[@Tuning3434]

Jef Willemsen on point #2: The point is, Picard does, he's will do it later on in the series. And Jean-Luc / Beverly have been friends, with some backlog of history, for over 2 decades: you are either full on close-friends, or you end up as a failed-fling that actively try to avoid each-other. This might have been a concern in the early days, with Beverly just getting into a relationship with Jack Crusher, but Jean-Luc must have been able to give it a rest at that time, else he would have never been able to handle staying close with the Crushers. Attached seems more like Jean-Luc and Beverly realizing that their might be something more, even after all those years.

[@rafetizer]

Riker's backlog cracked me up

[@KainiaKaria]

I am not a merry man!

[@dark1810]

iv always said that if its one thing that could of made tng better its proper representation of female sword fighters >_>

[@EnvisionerWill]

This is the Nineties. If they'd shown women fighting with swords, they couldn't show the women LOSING that fight, or they'd have been instantly condemned for sexism. So their choices were to utterly ruin the climax by having Boring Invincible Heroines curbstomp everyone, or to just keep the women out of the fight (which is arguably sexist, but in a more passive and harder-to-pinpoint fashion, which enabled them to dodge that argument for decades). And even if the actresses are sword-fighters, the characters are not; nothing about Beverly Crusher, the Hippocratic healer, or Deanna Troi, the empathic therapist, suggests that either one of them should be competent with a sword. The only way this sort of thing could have worked would be if Q had specifically granted sword skill to the characters they were playing in the Robin Hood simulation, and while I wouldn't put it past Q to do that, he had no particular reason to do it either.

[@dark1810]

@@EnvisionerWill ya i was joking honestly if its one thing that matters less to me at this point its yet more pandering to the idea of the infallible yet somehow constantly oppressed and offended female and their lackies

[@bobwill]

Well, I mean, knowledge of Robin Hood has stood up to about 500 years of tellings and retellings. And, Beowulf and King Arthur to around 1,000. But, if you handed a flintlock musket from 1800 to a random person on the street, how many people are going to know how to load and use it? A few enthusiasts; but, it's probably not going to be many. The average person could look it up on the smartphone if you pressed them; but, it's not going to be first hand experience. Or, more appropriate to this episode, you hand a person a sword, or an english longbow and expect them to be able to use it the way that people did during the Crusades, well, if you can't play dirty and pull out a handgun, you're probably going to die, quickly.

[@Tuning3434]

Both Qpid and Vash are weirdly forgettable. And I blame the episodes where Vash is in, cause the character and the actress are great. But it took reviews like your channel and SFDebris to shove the existence of a 'serious' and dynamic romantic interest for Picard into my face.

[@nemesis9022]

Seems appropriate for the times lol

[@gallendugall8913]

Ira Steven Behr doesn't understand anyone with post high school levels of maturity. He knows how to use character dynamics to move a story, but the story is always dumb and the characters childish, because that's all he knows how to do.

[@nefdsnet]

Quite q-rious.

[@Ozzy_2014]

Skip ahead to after Nemesis 10 years on ( yes I know it wasn't cannon originally then when book written it was alpha cannon then not cannon after that. In the book Q & A at the end of the book in the aftermath Q and Picard are having a chat. They're discussing the reasons for all the visits and actions he took from Q's perspective. After all that Picard asks "And what was the purpose of the Robin Hood fantasy?" " Why Jean-Luc I just wanted to see you un tights!" Now that's funny. Nice writing on the Author's part. This fantasy serving no purpose to advancing the plot of the series. Yes I know the concept of a narrative behind the series is cannon only in novels but it does work for a explanation of the plot holes. Benefit of novels being written over months not days or weeks. Give credit where its do for enriching the tapestry. Best inventikn of the books was the introduction of parallel realities. Gets around so much contradictions of writers not syncing details of stories. Like Kirk's middle name on the grave stone carved by Gary. R for rhinoceros. As his nickname was in the academy. Stubborn. The organization behind starfleet is it United Earth Space Agency or the United Federation of planets? Did this event occur though a later episode doesn't mention it or outright negates it? It was a similar but different quantum reality. Some times they cross over. It might be cheap out but it's clever if used well. Q & A for example benefits from this. Parallels as well. The reality where Riker as Captain of the Enterprise survived the Borg encounter at sector 001 but didn't rescue Picard meeting our ship and crew 10+ years on.pulling from Remember me where Picard is wired into a robot Enterprise ship. The only crew member on board. He may just be a brain in a box we're not told. The Picard who saved Captain Garret and the Enterprise C from the Klingons at the cost of his ship being taken. The federation gone. It's people slaves to the Klingon Empire. Regent Worf taking the ship as his flagship and Picard as his slave. Well used .

[@SchneeflockeMonsoon]

Yeah… this episode… wasn’t great. Honestly, I’d love it if Q played a car salesman here. Like the whole episode is him trying to sell Picard on bad gifts, despite Picard having said he had to think about it. And the lesson ends up not being for Picard but for Vash, who’s always been taking the quick and certain reward instead of the more hearty ones that take commitment and patience.

[@nickokona6849]

This episode is on my skip it list.

[@quasimodojdls]

"The person who is Vash, regardless of their gender, happened to be wrong this time." Don't worry so much. It is okay to say "the woman is wrong".

[@TheMarcHicks]

Surprised this isn't a lamentation, to be honest.

[@Ozzy_2014]

@@EveryDooDarnDiddlyDay bad comedy.

[@Tuning3434]

@@EveryDooDarnDiddlyDay This is not good comedy. In any show this would be a lack-luster episode. Being Meme-worthy does not save an episode, just makes good use of the few dialogue highlights. Heck, the first few minutes sitting in the camp was basically only generating meme-like material!

[@TheMarcHicks]

@@EveryDooDarnDiddlyDay I love comedy, & The Magnificent Ferengi & Trials & Tribblations are examples of *good* comedy. This episode, however, is not good.

[@rafetizer]

I love this episode, didn't expect to see so many haters. It's odd, to say the least.

[@corssecurity]

So Q is warning Picard about women and love. "women weaken legs" Then the whole story arc of Picard season two is penance. Picard has suffered enough and he should open himself up to love. After being A) retired B) 90 why not. So a reverse face for Q or just that Picard is not important enough anymore so go ahead and settle down?