Star Trek The Next Generation Ruminations S4E08: Future Imperfect

Website: www.lorerunner.com
Help Support Lorerunner: / lorerunner
Twitch: / thelorerunner
Stream Uploads: / @lorerunnerstreamarchives
All original works are the property of respective owners.

[@harpercole5321]

I like the "deception inside the deception" idea, and the little hints that were dropped throughout. Some great lines, too: "You're incapable of that level of incompetence!"; "I said shut up! As in close your mouth and stop talking". A good premise, well executed.

[@ashnackDEblogspot]

Barash could have been a character building moment for Riker, trying to help Barash and explaining why he stays on the Enterprise, to give that kid a home. If you don't want it in every episode, he can be part of the kids of the enterprise, having fun at school, having actual surrogate parents, but having Uncle Will around helping him adjust.

[@JoanieDoeShadow]

I love nurse Ogawa.

[@DrownedInExile]

Your rumination of this episode reminds me of a Justice League episode, where the heroes found themselves in an illusory world. Every time they got close to the truth, they'd literally have a busload of nuns to save.

[@BrotherLeon2010]

15:00 - ...So then Tomalak shows up and of course the music's like, "Daah Naaa Naaa Naaa...DEATH AND DOOM...It's TOM-A-LAK!!!" Haha! I Loved That! :)

[@williamozier918]

Barash is hanging out somewhere with Jeremy Aster.

[@CzechMirco]

I believe that the "music lessons" bit was actually a blooper that they simply kept in the show. His delivery, their laughter and Troi's body language (e.g. slapping his arm lightly when he paused) it all is too natural and "real life".

[@AdamCollings]

I really can't comprehend people who are against continuity. I'm not saying they're bad, I just can't comprehend them, because I too love continuity.

[@nickokona6849]

I didn't mind Data in Red TBH. I don't actually love him in Gold. The pigment of his "skin" makes it look like his gold uniform when standing next to Geordi look completely different colour. The thing about Barash' casual approach for me is that especially in the TNG era, they kinda of allude to the idea that Federation society has pretty much figured out how to build and maintain strong mental health. They've said multiple times that they now understand the brain. So when I saw Barash being well adjusted about the whole thing, I figured "ah. So he's probably been spending time with Federation counselors and medical professionals who are family friends preparing him for the situation and how as a team, they should approach Riker's "recovery". It made sense to me. The ending of this episode just fell completely flat for me. One of the things I've noticed is that Star Trek does Human-like aliens reasonably well. But it's never done the really weird aliens that well. Barash was VERY meh. Farscape would be an example of doing weird aliens well.

[@clouds5]

It's been a while since I was able to listen to your ruminations. Busy busy... So I just wanted to say, it feels like coming home, hearing your soothing voice talking about visions of a better future (and by that I mean StarTrek).

[@1300l]

What do you mean by no one was promoted? Data and Worf was too

[@andrewkyriacou6405]

This episode predicts the future it's crazy! I never actually appreciated that until you pointed it out, mostly because I haven't watched it in quite a while. And yes I know it's probably all coincidence but it's still funny to think about. It is a fun episode and I like the subtleties included to actually make it feel like Riker's not an idiot, he does notice those little things. I think the episode should have ended with the Romulan plot though, have the kid turn out to be a hologram or something and the cavalry ride in to break him out or 'diplomacise' him out.

[@shootingreal5945]

I agree..a fun epi. I loved the point where riker kinda figured it out and calls everyone to task( esp geordi in regards to the diagnostic and telling Picard to shut up...gold lol moments..great fun with this epi)

[@nicholassterling8483]

The line "Music lessons" from Riker may have actually been a blooper by Jonathan Frakes who forgot his line, with the editors leaving the scene in. Glad Lore makes such excellent reference to it. Nick :-)

[@mr51406]

Comment 2*: You’re definitely NOT a moron for wanting continuity. It’s simply good writing and respect for fans who will watch episodes over and over. Comment 3*: it’s always amazed me how the bad shows and the “it’s a dream” shows have a great effect on canon or continuity. The fantasy shows are like trial balloons. *I don’t know what is good KZbin etiquette for making a 2nd comment like a year later. Editing the original? Another separate comment? Replying to one’s self?

[@davidlyttle1919]

I agree there could have been a great follow-up episode if the enemy chasing Barash's people cross paths with the Enterprise and Barash was still on board and in fact is befriended with the kid Worf adopted putting both in danger. Two follow-ups for the price of one. Giving Picard a chance to forge a peaceful resolution.

[@Tvirus12]

Rick and Morty basically lifted the premise from this episode for M. Night Shaym-Aliens!

[@mr51406]

Head canon: Mirasta (1st Contact) stays on the Enterprise and becomes foster mother to Barash, Jeremy Aster, Alexander Rozhenko often, Timothy (Hero Worship)... and almost Jono (Suddenly Human). The Admiral Berman Home for continuity discards on deck 13. 😜 Seriously, Ronald D. Moore in his writings totally agrees with you.

[@stargazer4683]

The 30% of TNG shows were on a Klingon cargo ship at Wolf-359

[@1300l]

Plot twist, riker was really in the future and Minuet was alive using the Doctor from Voyager technology. Little Jean-Luc was adapted or was generated matching Riker DNA with a extrapolation of what Minuet DNA would be. And the enterprise had a Ramsonware who really took 36 hours to restore and affected Data :P

[@davidkoritan1692]

I'd like to imagine that there's a starbase somewhere that's researching holographic technology where Barash is acting as a consultant. As to the continuity thing, I forget where I read it but apparently, the only reason that TOS had as much continuity as it did was because the fans demanded it.

[@Eelco_de_Boer]

Mem-summary: After an away mission to Alpha Onias III interrupts Commander Riker's birthday party, the first officer suddenly awakens in sick-bay sixteen years in the future where he is the captain of the Enterprise and about to negotiate a peace treaty with the Romulan Star Empire.

[@jamesdenofantiquity]

Really just thought that the alien child was re-located off the Enterprise and helped out to someone else. Not totally sure he should have been a recurring figure or mentioned.

[@GreenCauldron08]

Barash and Barclay could be great friends, I bet!

[@athrunzala6919]

This is one off my VHS favourites! The biggest flaw in the charade is not doing enough to explain why Data's processing speed is so slow. How bout another battle with the Borg affected Data recently and triggered Rikers memory lapse and the Roman treaty.

[@LandonErp]

Huh I'm running a Star Trek Adventures campaign in the year the fantasy part of this episode. Weird coincidence

[@andrewthorne3570]

While we never Barash again Jeremy Aster is easier to explain. Although not stated in the episode he went to live with his Aunt and Uncle

[@awkie]

"they" is a perfectly good gender neutral pronoun, lore. it's kinda funny watching you stumble around it almost as if deliberately avoiding it

[@ohgoditshimrun1346]

I know exactly what you mean about large segments of the fanbase utterly despising the idea that smart things continuing to be smart would be something that smart people care about.

[@bobkilla430]

Before you started about continuity I felt like one of the biggest missed opportunities within the show for this episode was the riker/Enterprise not taking that hologram like tech with them. Then you talked about continuity and it probably wouldn't have been talked about again or used if they beamed it up anyways.

[@ThisVideoAnnoyedMe]

Hopefully, like 10 years from now, there will be some videos on this channel destroying that disgusting Picard show and Discovery.

[@malvane8061]

Lol @ the Data hologram not able to calculate c * warp factor / distance, converted to Earth days-hours-minutes, but can calculate c / distance, converted to Earth days-hours-minutes.

[@alancharlton3867]

One thing which aggrevates me is the illiteracy of pronunciations of prefixes ending in the letter "i" by North Americans & not the correct Ancient Roman Latin pronunciations. "ANTI" should be pronounced as it is in "ANTICIPATION", not as "ANT-IE" or "ANT EYE". It is a 2 syllable word, not 2 separate words. Other prefixes North Americans pronounce incorrectly are "DEMI, SEMI & MULTI". Not sure about "HEMI", as I have yet to hear it spoken. The Romans only ever pronounced the letter "i" one way. In the time of English, Irish, Scottish & Welsh colonisation of North America, the only people who mispronounced the letter "i" were the poor, convicts & soldiers, most of whom were illiterate. There are, of course, those in North America, who are well educated in pronunciations, of many languages. One such actor, Johnathan Harris, made a point of being able to speak "perfect English", despite being brought up in the Bronx by Jewish parents. I wish more would endeavour to become "word perfect" in their pronunciations & reduce the illiteracy of "the spoken word".

[@silkwesir1444]

While I partly agree, pronouncing "anti" as in "anticipation" still doesn't quite cut it, if you want to go for the correct Ancient Latin pronunciation. The _a_ should sound like the _u_ in "but", instead of like the _a_ in "agree".

[@thefuppits]

The only thing worse than a root canal, is a Ryker episode.