Examining Star Trek: TNG's Favorite Premise

[@michaelolsen2760]

Showing empathy as a strength. Probably my favorite part of TNG and Star Trek in general.

[@ransom182]

SJW! Liberal commie Marxist.

[@joelbizzell1386]

Agreed.

[@silentotto5099]

The episode where Picard is trapped in the elevator with the three children, "Disaster", could be another example of the theme Steve is on about. It was a more temporary situation, but it still placed Picard in a mentor role to children.

[@lcflngn]

That one I remember easily 😅

[@TubbysExplorationsYT]

"Fa re ja ka, fa re ja ka..." 🤣

[@tonoornottono]

@@TubbysExplorationsYT “Frère Jacques.” Brother John.

[@GothamClive]

@@tonoornottono This episode always makes me wonder how the universal translator works. Shouldn't it translate French? (Or Klingon terms like Qapla?)

[@travismoore7938]

That was a great episode. I like the character arc of Picard and the children as they progress through the disaster that has taken place and where they end up at the end of the episode.

[@DahVoozel]

Can we just all appreciate for a moment the gem that is Brent Spiner.

[@colinmontgomery1956]

He's a fine actor. I especially like his arc on "Enterprise".

[@Rkenton48]

yep. My favorites are the recurring character he played in Night Court

[@cheapenstein]

@@Rkenton48 haha I remember that

[@bobjason7540]

Look up Dreamland. It's a concept album in a musical style. He's a good vocalist

[@CassandraHouse]

I will never not appreciate the gem that is Brent Spiner

[@bentoth9555]

"The kid's never seen again." Well, yeah, he became part of Worf's family and Worf is a terrible parent.

[@Mrdest211]

Maybe the kid became a brave warrior and died in a space battle because he couldn't find his way in a poorly lit Klingon ship. Why are all the alien ships so dark?

[@duskyrc1373]

The O'Briens are pretty good parents, though we see that mostly after they jump ship at DS9

[@TechGroupF430i]

This raised a few questions for me. Has anyone else noticed that we don't see any of Worf's human family members in DS9? Okay, sure, Alexander had that picture with his grandparents, but neither they nor his adoptive brother Nikolai (played by Paul Sorvino) physically appears at Worf's wedding or at all in the series. Now I'll admit that I totally forgot about Jeremy, but what's the DS9 writer's excuse? "It was a ceremony that didn't have any actual documentation to back it up"? I'm just asking... are Jeremy and Alexander technically adoptive brothers? If so, how would that meeting have taken place (if at all), or if not, does that mean the ceremony was bullshit? I know there's a consensus about Worf being a terrible parent, but to the point where a child _he practically adopted_ disappeared on his watch? If it happened on Veridian III, that would give us some kind of closure (while again highlighting the weirdness of having kids on the Federation flagship), but then why no mention of this to literally anyone? I mean Martok did seem kinda blindsided when Worf revealed that Alexander was his son, but c'mon man... Jeremy wasn't even worth an *honorable* mention?

[@BioGoji-zm5ph]

@@TechGroupF430i Nikolai stayed with the surviving Boraalans on their new home since he'd impregnated one of them and also wanted to replace that one guy who committed suicide when he left the holodeck... because Picard was too busy sucking the Prime Directive's dick to recognize that saving people from extinction was more important than potentially changing their culture by exposing them to the reality that they weren't alone in the universe.

[@jmoney9494]

@@Mrdest211 so they can hide how cheap the sets are lol

[@markgrindol859]

I attended a convention when STNG was still being produced where Jonathan Frakes appeared and answered questions. He was asked what happened to Barash from "Future Imperfect" and he did not remember the episode. The plot was described to him and he said, “Oh you mean the kid who stabbed Patrick Stewart?” Which was Jono from "Suddenly Human" and not Barash and despite being told more of the plot Frakes could not recall the episode but told us, “He’s probably still on the ship, it’s a big ship.”

[@PatBrownfield-TheRainmaker]

🤣

[@001SpecialAgent]

Yeah the conventions tend to be disappointing to anyone expecting these people to remember in-depth every story they work on. They spend most of their time learning their lines, getting hair and makeup on, acting tiny bits of story over and over again, and it moves fast shooting 26 hour-long shows a year.

[@brianjlevine]

He's an actor doing a job. He's not a fan.

[@Dilandau3000]

@@001SpecialAgent I don't really understand why people ask those kinds of questions. I was at a convention in the 90s and James Doohan was there, and someone asked him how many ships Starfleet has. Why would he know that!?

[@tayzonday]

Many people can’t specifically remember six days of work thirty years ago 😀 I wonder if Chris Demetral (Riker’s “son,” now 43) remembers more?

[@doctadave]

“Pen Pals” which has Data talking to a young girl on a dying planet has some similarities to these episodes too. She is not orphaned but Data takes a parent-like role.

[@thomasjenkins5727]

That was my first thought when Steve mentioned the theme.

[@GoddessPallasAthena]

What I loved about that episode is, we have this emotionless Android, logical, and you'd think by-the-book and yet all through the episode, he's DETERMINED to help the little girl (breaking the Prime Directive a few times) and even making sure she feels emotionally comfortable. If the characters were simply described to a non-ST (or even just not TNG) fan, you would think that Data would be the LAST person to do that, and yet, it makes sense in the show, because of the kind of person he is, despite WHAT he is.

[@edapplederry5888]

You have missed the most important cast member. In the episode Galaxy's child the Enterprise herself becomes mother to an orphaned space creature. It seems they were absolutely determined to show every cast member as a parent in some form. Even Troi had a child, although not an orphan. If Tasha had survived beyond the first season she definitely would have had such an episode as well. Oh wait... She had a child too. Sela.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Troi's mom lost one of her children too. Maybe that's not precisely on topic but it has to do with themes of loss and kids and all that. Then Data had a kid or more precisely, made one.

[@searchingfororion]

​@@PaulTheSkepticAnd lost her. The scenes where Lal is describing her love for him (which they both know this miraculous ability is a side effect of a fatal cascade) is poignant, fantastically acted by both parties, and positively wrenching. "I'll feel it for the both of us."

[@chipch9667]

Regarding Jeremy’s fate: He moved back to Earth. Specifically, New Detroit, where he started working for the drug lord Cain. He assumed control of Cain’s operation when it was presumed he was killed, only to eventually get blasted down by Cain’s mutilated body as OCP’s RoboCop 2 project. He died the way he lived, laying in a pile of money covered in blood.

[@SiriusMined]

What?

[@robinburt5735]

@@SiriusMined It was the same actor in both hehe

[@sctrgs3207]

I'll buy that for a dollar

[@michelleshouse6490]

Epic! Forgot that was the same kid

[@Seb1l]

@@SiriusMined He's watching Robocop 2 air on ITV4 in the UK right now?

[@patrickdodds7162]

Also: MIND. BLOWN. I never thought that "The Bonding", "Suddenly Human", "Future Imperfect", "Hero Worship" and a slew of others were the same episode! I've pored over that show to an unhealthy degree and that totally escaped me. Good job, Steve!

[@Spike-Prime]

That's because they're really not the same. They're not even all that similar, really. Every one of them is thematically and tonally different, and each focuses on a very different central story idea. The only similarity is "grown up looks after child" and that's such a generic idea, of course it's gonna be done more than once. That it was only done 4 times over the course of 7 years and over 200 episodes by different writers is more surprising than if the basic concept hadn't been done more than once.

[@roy1701d]

Another great episode, Steve. My favorite moment in "Future Imperfect" is when Riker learns that his (imaginary) wife was Minuet, a holographic character from the S1 episode "11001001". That touch of continuity was amazing for such an episodic series. PS All the ads YT placed in your show were for religious movies and conspiracy theories. Thought you might appreciate the irony. 🙂🖖

[@Mallory-Malkovich]

I want a Star Trek show called _Orphans of the Enterprise_ where all the now adult kids that were adopted and then dropped by the Enterprise bridge crew band together to get revenge on the system that failed them.

[@Grizabeebles]

I've been dreaming for years of a time travel-centric Trek series where the ship is full of characters that only ever existed in a single episode and their job is to protect the "continuity" of the timestream. "Time, beyond all frontiers. These are the voyages of the timeship Continuity. It's eternal mission - To ensure those who boldy go got where they boldly went exactly the way they're boldly well supposed to."

[@JosephDavies]

That sounds depressing enough you just might get your wish, Osiris.

[@protoborg]

@@Grizabeebles Well, Voyager did meet the timeship relativity.

[@shepwillner7507]

@Picard is Wesley's Father Even better: Wesley and the Traveler use the Guardian to go back in time to adopt those supercharged kids from the ST TOS episode "And the Children Shall Lead" and leads them in battle against the Breen, the J'em Hadar, the Founders, and anybody else from the Dominion. Then they all join Q and destroy the Borg. That sounds like fun, especially the time traveling via the Guardian.

[@jeannebrady2600]

Riker had to be somewhat prepared to be a father because, at any time, one (or more) of his female conquests could show up with a kid he didn't know he had.

[@shinyagumon7015]

Maybe he pulls a Kyle Riker and just leaves

[@zyme4569]

The Riker manoeuvre lol

[@icwiz]

no way, he never forgets his monthly birth control hypo.

[@justincoleman3805]

He could just say it was the other Riker.

[@shepwillner7507]

@@artman2oo3 Riker taught that chair sitting method to Wesley Crusher, who appeared in the ST TNG novel 'Imzadi," by Peter David.

[@philipjay2099]

Worf reaching out to Jeramy and not so much with Alexander is saddening. Ever consider a pure Alexander video? Touch on his chrono-suicide attempt... I dunno. Was the Dominion war in his timeline, can I blame him for that?

[@Tareltonlives]

I was hoping that would be used in a later episode, with Alexander feeling unloved and Worf feeling guilty

[@Grizabeebles]

@@Tareltonlives -- I think with all 4 of these boys Steve hit on a good premise for episodes in a future Trek series - especially if they can convince the grown actors to come back after 30+ years. In a very real way, these boys are "collateral damage/human debris" and seeing them all grown up would give fans a chance to see something teachers have known forever - you can't control the things kids learn from you. You can only hope and pray you pass on something useful.

[@Ertwin123]

@@Grizabeebles They sort of did that in Picard with Elnor. They had flashbacks to Picard befriending him as a kid, then disappearing for well over a decade. Both Elnor, and Raffi are bitter about Picard abandoning them and going to live at his vinery. Seven's story arc also has shades of that with the fridging of Icheb, and her guilt over it. Raffi is also estranged from her son, and briefly meets up with him. So yeah, Picard definitely explores those themes.

[@protoborg]

@@Ertwin123 The word is vineyard.

[@michaelnewell1969]

I always liked Alexander because he's so relatable for people that also have shitty fathers.

[@sinswhisper9588]

Those episodes ALWAYS brought me to tears ... having had to grow up without a mother, and even growing up as somewhat the 'black sheep' of the rest of the family ive always felt like an outcast and even created my own fantasy worlds as a kid in order to cope

[@ericposter8608]

As someone who started playing the trombone when I was 9 and now teaches music for a living, the comment about Riker's son wanting to play the trombone stings a little bit...but I can also recognize sarcasm (I think). Anyway, all that being said, you mention how Riker is revealed to be one of Star Trek's best parents in Picard, and we see a preview of that through the illusion in this episode when Riker is watching home movies to try and jog his memory. He has a very close relationship with his "son." Wouldn't it make sense for that son to want to emulate his father? Musical talent tends to run in families and it's not that uncommon to find families where everyone plays an instrument.

[@Docsharpie]

I think Picard in the turbo lift with the 3 kids is the start of his evolving attitude toward children

[@MHLegacy]

Absolutely! And remember that part after the turbolift "falls" (for no logical reason) where Picard cuts the rope, kicks the blonde haired boy on the head and screams "I...(kick)...have had...(kick)...enough of...YOU (kick)!" and then laughs maniacally as they also fall (illogically) to their fate in the oblivion that is the writers room? That was really wild. Especially tragic how the power was restored right after. Picard looked pretty sad, did the "Picard Maneuver" and went about his day whistling a little song. Just kidding, obviously, but yes, I genuinely agree about your point with the kids in the turbolift. They might have been the impetus for Captain Picard Day later on.

[@charleschapman3418]

I suppose the proto-episode these look back on could be TOS' "Charlie X," and the further expression/expansion of this theme is Seven of Nine's and Janeway's relationship in VGR.

[@fisk0]

Voyager had a few other episodes very much in this vein too - the Naomi Wildman episodes, when they find the Borg kids and I think there were a few more.

[@pufthemajicdragon]

I'm suck a trekkie that I read your comment as "V'ger" and my first thought was "But Seven and Janeway weren't in The Motion Picture".

[@kirkdarling4120]

You might check KZbin for "Of Gods and Men" for a star/fan flick (a number of TOS and later actors are in it). The acting is rather stodgy, but the premise is fascinating. An adult Charlie X (the actual original actor) has gone back in past through the time ring ("City on the Edge of Forever") and killed Kirk's mother before Kirk was born. The universe--lacking Kirk--suddenly transforms dramatically for the worst. The reason it changed so dramatically is quite novel. And Ston, who married badly the first time, marries much better the second time around.

[@Rkenton48]

wasn't there also a child later on in Voyager? A young girl?

[@devenscience8894]

@@fisk0 nice pull. The Naomi Wildman arc is a better example in many ways, as she doesn't magically disappear. She's still seen from time to time thereafter, which was nice for continuity.

[@kaitlyn__L]

And of course there's that DS9 episode with the orphaned Cardassian boy,.. his adoptive Bajoran family go to DS9 to sightsee or for business or something, and end up having their child removed from their custody by Sisko! Great video as always :)

[@shibolinemress8913]

It's fascinating to compare Rugal's fate with Jono's. Rugal's parents obviously loved him, but they were unwittingly psychologically abusing him because of their own prejudice. Still, they were the only family he knew. Was it right for Sisko to send him to Cardassia against his will, or should they have let him return home to Bajor? Or could they have found a 3rd option, like letting him stay with someone on the station? The answer is much less clear cut than with Jono, but I love comparing the two.

[@MHLegacy]

Steve, you might as well throw Wesley Crusher into that trope too. He lost his father and later bonds with Picard because his father was both a Starfleet officer AND Picard's friend (and Picard even steps into the step-dad role with his relationship with Beverly). Is he an orphan? No...BUT he was temporarily "orphaned" during Season 2, when Gates McFadden had been replaced and her character was at Starfleet Medical (why Dr. Crusher wouldn't bring her child with her still doesn't make sense; the storyline of him staying on board simply doesn't cut it). Wesley also has the whole Traveler storyline of him finding his place and eventually deciding NOT to pursue a career in Starfleet (until Star Trek X: Nemesis, I guess). In that thread, he moves away from being like Picard, similar to how Timothy moves away from being like Data. I know, I know, lots of people hate Wesley...but his storyline is very similar to the ones you listed. Also, now that I think about it, Worf and Riker were both orphaned as children. Worf's biological parents were killed and Riker lost his mother and was abandoned by his father. Riker's losses were replicated in Alexander, whose mother died and was essentially abandoned by Worf, who kept sending him away to his adoptive parents' home for them to raise because he was too busy having his ideas and suggestions shot down by the Next Gen crew ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5XJnaBtfc1mntU ).

[@BaronVonYolo]

After Worf leaves kid it became junior drug lord under Kane on the streets of Detroit in RoboCop 2...

[@ChristyAbbey]

You'd think they'd have a CPS officer.

[@MoonMoverGaming]

In the unexplored reaches of space?

[@BioGoji-zm5ph]

Considering Picard's hatred of children in the early seasons, I'm pretty sure he secretly did everything legally within his power to make sure that his ship had as few people who wanted to protect children as possible.

[@kevinjordan1146]

Don't forget "The Offspring" in which Data has a daughter. I forget the episode in which Data saves a young girl. All about parenting which resonates with me.

[@johnpotts8308]

Pen Pals (and he breaks the Prime Directive to do it, too)

[@Bastion90]

Pen Pals

[@BioGoji-zm5ph]

@@johnpotts8308 Not quite. In Pen Pals, that little girl's parents were still alive, and Data convinced Picard to actually do the right thing and save the girl's people from extinction. Although it is sad that Data had to manipulate Picard in the first place to get him to help save those people from extinction.

[@starclone4]

Being a child who lost both parents during my teen years... It was so comforting to have an adult step into my life, and assure me that things were gonna be alright, and that I wasn't alone !!!! Thank you for discussing this topic... 😊

[@MissingSirius]

I can't even listen to a vague description of the Data episode without tearing up. I love that one so much.

[@carycharlebois5965]

I know this was focusing on TNG, but as I watched this, my mind kept going back to 'Charlie X' from TOS. Kirk was (VERY reluctantly) shoved into the father figure role with Charlie, and a few of these concepts were explored in that episode, as well. Perhaps also 'Miri', now that I think of it. I think parenthood and family are major themes in the various Star Trek franchises (to different extents, certainly) because the crews of the various ships / space stations are very much families in their own way. The members of the crews aren't just co-workers, doing a job (kind of like how the crew of the Nostromo were portrayed in 'Alien') - the Star Trek crews cared for each other in ways that transcended mere friendship. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it, but I have always gotten that impression. Anyway, great episode, as always. Thanks, Steve!

[@AceOfSevens]

Geordi is the only man in the main cast who didn't get an orphan episode. They should make a Geordi spin-off about that.

[@Tarvok]

Hey now, don't be hating on the trombone. :p Actually, Riker breaks through multiple layers of fiction to discover reality is a common trope I enjoyed. The one in this episode, Frame of Mind (my favorite episode), and to a lesser extent that one with the subspace alien abductions all illustrated this character trait of his.

[@mantramoon9]

I always really enjoyed the altered reality Riker going crazy episodes!

[@nacnuDsuperb]

The favorite premise might be even wider than these 4 episodes. The orphan aspect is an easy way of putting a character in a parental role for 1 episode, but there are plenty of none orphan examples. Troi in The Child, Beverly in Brothers (yes she is already a mother to wesley, but he isn't a little kid any more) and Picard in The Inner Light. Worf in Reunion actually had the same premise, but is retroactively excluded from this list for receiving several follow up episodes.

[@Ertwin123]

Also in Birthright part 2 where Worf thinks it's a great idea to impose his cultural ideals and hatreds on the children of a colony of Klingons living peacefully with Romulans.

[@AzaleaJane]

One of my favorite continuity moments in TNG was where, in Future Imperfect, Riker sees a picture of himself and Minuet and realizes everything is fake.

[@emmanuelkotei649]

That’s the only problem with episodic story telling, it tends to rehash already done ideas. Not to take away from these episodes, cause I love them Trekkie through and through but that’s why I prefer the serialized nature of DS9 and some of the other series. Right now watching Vouyager season 4 and the Herorojan saga , really enjoying this

[@Euroflounder]

I spent three hours this morning trying to set up CBS on my television to watch "Lower Decks" and failed. Then I come on KZbin and there's this video. Thank you Mr. Shives, you may have actually saved me from self-harm.

[@fionavalkyrie]

I love your content. Keep making great stuff :) Fun, unsolicited, idea I had for a video: "How would Sisko have likely handled major "two parters" better (or worse) than the captains that faced them in TNG /Voyager/TOS?

[@RolandWolf]

Or pick a two parter and set each captain in the main role

[@beaker8706]

Steve, thanks for another interesting analysis. I always enjoy the Trek Actually (& Not Actually...) videos. I don't disagree with any of the points you made, but noticed there seemed to be one that wasn't mentioned (or just didn't work with this episode/script?). As I watched those episodes as a teenager (when they originally aired), I felt as though they were allegories for the "step-family". Growing up in the 80's-90's, it felt like the topic of step-families were often being addressed socially and in media. In some ways it's similar to the way we're discussing same-sex parenting today. While my parents weren't divorced many of my friends were in single-parent and/or step-families. Episodes like the ones you mention helped me understand the issues my friends were going through. They showed some of the struggles that parents and children experience, and proposed a "what's best for the child" approach. (which just so happens to be today's accepted approach, go figure)

[@questioner1596]

Another episode with an surprised parent features Troi impregnated by an alien. The child gestates and grows to adulthood within weeks, while Deanna parents it.

[@KKellyMeine]

It's interesting that you point out how so many of the main characters have lost or been estranged from their parents. As a child, I watched TNG regularly. While not a fan, my mother would occasionally pick up plot points because of this. One day while I was watch, out of the blue she said, "Everyone in that show has father issues. It seems like that's what they're talking about in every episode." I started paying closer attention to this aspect and realized that, obviously not every episode is about this, there ARE a lot of episodes in which someone's father issues comes up, whether due to their father being dead, or just a dick (I'm looking at you, Riker's dad.) While I'm not super into psychodynamic theory, it does seem appropriate to suggest that the writer's room contained some people with daddy issues.

[@Scuzzlebutt142]

Won't say I agree, but it may just be a bit of confirmation bias, as we simply don't hear about people who have parental issues. And we do get at least one of the opposite, with Family, and Worf with his adoptive parents, who he seems to absolutely adore.

[@sbvera13]

@@Scuzzlebutt142 People with flawless, happy lives tend to make poor subjects for a drama.

[@ryane3703]

Holodeck Freud would have something to say about all of this

[@lozpycock12]

There's a trope that is used more, for the subject of empathy, which is when one of our heroes is made to believe they are someone else, the episode where Riker ends up in the alien asylum, where Picard lives and entire life after being zapped by an alien probe, where Riker joins a Klingon crew for a bit, when Troi is made to think she's a Romulan, when Kira is made to believe she's a Cardasian, when the Doctor is made to think he's a flesh and blood human, when Neelix and Tuvok become Tuvix...

[@protoborg]

The self is a powerful part of a human's psyche. Playing on that is a great way to really expose who someone actually is. That is why therapy will often delve into such things.

[@shoresean1237]

It's not much, but in DC Comics' TNG run, Jeremy meets Alexander after he moves to Earth and he helps Alexander overcome a distrust of Klingons using a story from Klingon culture. One vast weakness of 'Suddenly Human' was in my eyes that, while his explanations were ultimately true and correct, Jono's Telarian father's reasons for Jono's past injuries sounded a lot like excuses that actual vicious abusers use to cover up and get away with it. It also brings up another seemingly frequent later Trek trope: Our entire fleet to retrieve one person. I count at least 3: this one, Half A Life, and the Voyager ep with the resurrected crew member now a member of another species. I think there may be more.

[@Stettafire]

I agree, that relationship seemed like a "oh let's return the kid to the abusive parents cus the kid wants to be with their abusive parent" a yikes from me

[@shoresean1237]

@@Stettafire There was once (I think it's somewhat tempered and diminished now) for authorities to 'keep a family together' no matter what condition that family was in, even to being Family In Name Only. But again, when the Telarian captain talks, it almost sounds like a Family Guy cutaway for how awkward it comes out, particularly in retrospect, but even at the time.

[@dheisey1014]

Can we just talk about my favorite thing with future imperfect? When Riker figures out the sim is fake the first time, it’s because they made his wife Minuet, and he’s like she’s fake. The way the Romulans are like “she’s real to you, bro.” Love it.

[@SiriusMined]

Data almost feels bad that he can't feel bad

[@Nerdbomber586]

Thank you Steve. Your videos had not been in my feed for a while. And after listening to your analysis while searching my feelings I find I needed this. Thank you once more and may you live long and prosper.

[@ExploringFate]

Steve Shives Let's not forget Jason Vigo who for a minute was thought to be Picard's son in "Bloodlines".

[@katelafontaine7119]

"On the starship Enterprise, no one is alone...no one"...unless you're Geordi.

[@Ertwin123]

Geordi and Data are bros, Geordi ain't alone

[@greggarciajr.1906]

The “crew member playing surrogate parent to an orphan” plot is to TNG what the “Enterprise crew comes across an omnipotent being” plot is to TOS. I did a mini-TOS marathon when this pandemic began and my wife -a novice Trekkie- asked me after watching “The Squire of Gothos,” “Arena,” and “An Errand of Mercy” back to back “Do they come across an omnipotent being in every episode?”

[@krim7]

They did the same thing in TNG and Voyager, the writers just realized it was easier if the omnipotent being was just the same dude each time :P

[@Spatula007]

every time i watch one of your videos i'm compelled to rewatch TNG episodes you bring up... all of these episodes fell into the cracks in my memory but when you bring them up I remember how they were great and your analysis gives a good angle to rewatch them on!

[@andrewmurray1550]

I thought the "turn off that damn noise" was from that Michael Jackson music video featuring John Goodman, and MacCauley Kulkin (Black or White, I think the song was).

[@abqmagic]

Absolutely fascinating analysis! 👏 The way TNG explored the theme of chosen family through these episodes shows the depth and heart of the series. Love how you broke it down!

[@FuelDropforthewin]

Picard quietly spaces the kids after their episode is over. It's cleaner that way. :P

[@MyMagnificentOctopus]

I thought the favorite plot for all Star Trek was "seemingly benevolent culture is secretly exploiting or persecuting minority or other species." That one is reused from TOS all the way through ENT (I haven't seen STD or Picard, so can't say if it made it into those.)

[@sobertillnoon]

I thought its favorite premise was: In a situation a conflict is arises, it is delt with, and then rarely or never spoken about again

[@shinyagumon7015]

A variation of that is "seemingly benevolent culture has one fatal flaw that could destroy it whole existence and try to force the heroes to fix it."

[@Tarvok]

@@sobertillnoon Nah, that isn't Star Trek in particular, just television in general, at least during that era.

[@krim7]

@@sobertillnoon Only the cool bits are referenced again.

[@VelocityTheory]

Fantastic analysis. Future Imperfect is actually one of my favorite episodes.

[@thewhiskeybends]

I wonder if Hugh the borg might also fit into this premise. His companions are killed in an accident. Laforge and Crusher heal Hugh physically and begin to introduce individuality, everyone grows.

[@protoborg]

It's interesting that Voyager also tackled the "individual Borg" thing with 7 of 9.

[@FreulerAZ]

I'll have to check your past episodes, Steve, but I'm sure you've explored the episode where Data creates Laal(?), his android 'daughter'. One of my favs, and always has me a little teary-eyed.

[@CassandraHouse]

I think if they ever do Star Trek Legacy they need to go back and revisit all the planets we never see again and check in on these poor kids 20 year later

[@jeffc5974]

He may not have been in the core cast, but Miles O'Brian had kids and a spouse, and he was in 52 episodes.

[@stein1919]

and was kind of a reluctant father figure to a Cardassian orphan on DS9 (or at least, eventually tolerated him)

[@maxwellschmidt235]

Data never actually needed the emotion chip. In a number of episodes, we see him demonstrate response to stimuli that are in effect, emotional. The idea that his lack of emotion makes him less human was always false, because he merely lacks emotional expression. One could argue that he lacked abstract thought to begin with, but I think his protestations that he lacks emotion were always meant to ring false.

[@jacobroswell8185]

I guess that's one episode we can look forward to in the future. Does Data actually need an emotion chip?

[@protoborg]

@GozerTheTraveller Not really.

[@protoborg]

As someone who has hidden emotions, I think I can safely say Data had no actual emotions.

[@maxwellschmidt235]

@@protoborg does not follow. Emotions are a chemical response to stimuli. Our brain is basically a sophisticated chemical computer designed to seek things which expand our lives, and reject those things which harm our lives. The lack of abstract thought and physiological response merely simplify data's emotions, not invalidate. It is arbitrary to negate his emotions, the same way it would be arbitrary for someone to assume you lack emotion because you suppress outward physiological response to emotional events.

[@poitter82]

coming after the guidance counselor episode, addressing some of the episodes about trauma, brilliant.

[@scottyj2221]

Definitely a go to trope, and I never really thought about it, that it was to give these parentless characters an episode to be a parent. Keep up the good work, I love your videos.

[@scottcomber]

I was just watching "Cardasians" which includes a child adopted by Bajorians and his fate is basically a c plot in the episode. He's been kidnapped, raised by loving foster parents and then almost off screen he's just shipped back to Cardasia. The deep and emotionally problematic issues he faces are never resolved or even acknowledged, the episode feels like a political drama.

[@lorcannagle]

There's a novel - The Never-Ending Sacrifice - that tells the story of the boy after he's shipped back to Cardassia, and it's pretty much the best Trek novel I've read.

[@neptunethemystic]

You forgot Beverly and the Q girl and Troi and Ian!

[@RapidCityJM]

I also think there's another thread - you see it in DS9 when Odo refers to the Founders sending baby changlings out into the universe as 'seeing how societies treat the most vulnerable' - that lost children, or children in general, are the responsibility of everyone not just the parents. 'It takes a village to raise a child' = 'On the starship Enterprise, no one is alone.'

[@paleiko811]

You do so much better than contemporary Star Trek, actually, Steve. At least when it comes to entertaining me, for what it's worth. Thanks for the continiously great content. Cheers!

[@baitbait65]

Great video. I'm just discovering your channel. I would include two Wesley episodes under this theme. When the Bough Breaks: In the episode Wesley and some other children are kidnapped by an alien species that can't have their own children. Wesley's forced to take on a leadership/big brother role. I'd also highlight Wesley and the Traveller. It's very much the inverse of this theme: Wesley encounters a father like figure. Also, the episode where Data builds Lal could be included here.

[@LookyLoon]

Wasn't there an episode where there's a Borg they named Hugh? doesn't that fit in with this premise?

[@krim7]

Definitely does.

[@elaniarkady7351]

I never thought about how many kid episodes there are. Thank you for the mash up it's wonderful!

[@laurasetchell7212]

I'm surprised the episode featuring Q and Amanda didn't feature here. Crusher mentored her, but so too did Q. Her parents were tragically killed, and she was never heard from again. It bears a lot of similarities to these four episodes.

[@killerecho]

Shades of this theme in I, Borg as well. Even Perfect Mate has that born sexy yesterday thing going on.

[@christanprice5720]

One of my favorite episodes is DS9's "Children of Time" episode where the crew of the defiant discover a fully developed society of their own descendants in the Gama Quadrant. This episode kind of drove home the point to me that Odo's motives were really a mystery to me even though he was very clear about them in hindsight when he chooses Kira over several generations of the society he'd actually been apart of for over a century by ensuring that they'd never be born all so he could be with Kira.

[@n.l.g.6401]

Hey, popped over from Jesse Gender's channel, have been binging that Hot Trek Content for a few hours and enjoying the hell out of it. You've got great insight, passion, and humor. Really happy to have found you. Peace!

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

I'm not surprised that Steve found something good about Star Trek V. It's becoming his calling card.

[@sobertillnoon]

The slick back trio

[@MadTheDJ]

A further good bit of continuity strung through from "Skin Of Evil" to "The Bonding" also ties to "Ethics," where, when Worf asks Riker to kill him, Riker at one point berates Worf by listing lost crewmates who died while serving, including both Tasha Yar and Marla Astor. I always liked touch. Yar was a main character many in the audience would remember, while fewer at the time would recall Astor by name. Yet, the writers put her in there as another example of a pointless death that affected them, and Worf in particular.

[@wintermute7378]

This was rather brilliantly done, especially at the beginning.

[@John-ct9zs]

I always felt these episodes dated TNG more than any other episodes. They felt very, very late 80s/early 90s American TV. I just said that knowing fully well that this concept was brought back a decade later in the late 90s/early 2000s with Voyager and that kid that Seven of Nine was looking after. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, so I'm allowed to criticize this cheesy 80s and 90s, even 70s TV Trope of an abandoned kid being raised by the crew. If TNG had a run of 1977 to 1984 instead of 1987 to 1994, you just know Gary Coleman or Emmanuel Lewis would have shown up as a lost kid that needs help.

[@TheTroutkitty]

Gosh, I'd think they're favourite premise is when they treat the prime directive like a guideline at best.

[@andrewmurray1550]

I got it mixed up too... the kid who starts acting like Data I thought was this one where the boy's mother dies.....which would make sense, his disconnection from emotion surrounding his mother's death, and the episode concluding with Worf stepping in to essentially be a foster-father figure - if only in action.

[@joshdaniels2363]

"And then he's never seen again, because it's [Worf]."

[@krim7]

Worf is a devoted husband but a terrible father.

[@ermixonscraziesttheories]

Without his parents Jeremy moved to Earth and became a drug dealer, going by the alias "Hob" and sadly was gunned down by drug addicted cyborg.

[@mr51406]

Head canon: Mirasta Yale (1st Contact) stays on the Enterprise and becomes foster mother to Barash (Future Imperfect), Jeremy Aster (the Bonding), Alexander Rozhenko often, Timothy (Hero Worship)... and almost Jono (Suddenly Human). The Admiral Berman Home for continuity discards on deck 13. Connected to the David Marcus-Kirk Institute on Miri’s Planet. 😜

[@FrontDeskMatt]

I always got “The Bonding” and “Hero Worship” confused with each other, though I never realized how similar the other two were. I feel kinda dense now. lol I like the idea of admitting we have stock answers to things... My favorite episode was always and will always be “The Measure of a Man”, but my favorite easily forgotten episode was “The Next Phase” despite never coming to terms how a phased person that can walk through walls can somehow breathe phased air and not fall through the floor into space... regardless, I’ll always love that one.

[@krim7]

This was definitely one of your best written episodes!

[@FinalFerak12]

You should do an episode on DS9s favorite premise; having someone live another life. (Far beyond the Stars, Second Skin, Most Dax episodes, Things Past, Paste Tense, ETC.)

[@BogeyTheBear]

They're Pa-Rental episodes, with the kids handled on a lease basis.

[@SkunkWerks7]

I loved that Data episode. I really identified with the kid at the time... probably because I wasn't too far from being his age, among other things.

[@joeofhells]

Also, bigger meta-theme for me is that most Hardcore Trekkies have probably felt like an outlier one way or another in their lives...These episodes perhaps, a light at the end of the tunnel for them? Certainly was for me growing up.

[@staumahn]

Amazing video. So grateful I stumbled across this channel!

[@kmc16]

Another great video! Thank you Steve for your insight. I would Love to have your take on my personal fave TNG episode "Who Watches the Watchers?" The dynamic of Science & Superstition is if huge interest. Clearly DS9 tackled that subject quite well but this single TNG episode and that amazing Picard speech about why he refuses to send this civilization back into the dark ages was so epic!

[@Kae6502]

The Third season episode "The Offspring " also comes to mind, although it lacks several of the criteria you chose for this video. In this case parenthood wasn't suddenly thrust on Data, it was actively pursued by the character. Still, another emotional episode featuring the role of parenthood as experienced by one of the crew members.

[@sgt_s4und3r54]

Except "The Inner Light" comes after "The Bonding" . Two totally different experiences for Picard. One is as Captain and the other is a life of 20 years that is "real" to him as he stated to Neela Darren.

[@lemonherb1]

I have long maintained that Star Trek in general recycles about a dozen plot or so in some fashion, but this is one I did not pick up on. Probably because it isn't as over used as some others, such as the spacial anomaly, evil duplicate etc. Great analysis!

[@Scott-J]

NIce video, Steve. Solid critical observation. I enjoyed it.

[@justarandomgothamite5466]

The idea that the Enterprise isn't just a war ship and a convention center but also an orphanage is hilarious .

[@jayteegamble]

I've always really liked "The Bonding". We assume that the antagonists are malevolent but it turns out that they are well intentioned. Jeremy's mother was killed in basically an accident and the aliens feel guilt and responsibility for it and are trying to make amends. And it raises the question of whether you'd want to live in a fantasy with your lost loved one or in reality when it's "the cold, hard, reality that his mother is dead." I also like how Worf is mourning and feeling guilty about the death of a crewmate that died under his command.

[@Walrus1701D]

And DS9 turns this trope on its head with “Cardassians,” “The Abandoned” and the Ziyahl arc.

[@pupozkar]

Wait a minute, is this ACTUALLY how all the lost boys ended up in Neverland?

[@krim7]

Turns out, all of the lost boys were kids Worf adopted and then abandoned! :P

[@nathanrevercomb6073]

The "Rubber Ducky Room" is the ship's orphanage.

[@oxylepy2]

"On the Starship Enterprise no one is alone. No one." Is contrasted by the population density of space ships in 40k, where you could actually spend months not seeing another living being, and it's almost effortless to spend a lifetime alone.

[@ryanmiller6605]

We could also include “Disaster” as dipping into this well of tropes.

[@Tim3.14]

I thought TNG's favorite premise would be "the holodeck has decided to try to kill us all again."

[@ShawnRavenfire]

The premise of "Suddenly Human" was basically rehashed in the DS9 episode "Cardassians," when they find out that a teen Cardassian is being raised by a Bajoran after his parents were killed, but he has a biological grandfather, and O'Brien reluctantly has to take him in. The main difference being that the boy's adopted father is actually present, and they only took him away because of some random guy who insinuated that he was probably being mistreated.

[@brianyoung157]

Pen pals as mentioned before, the one with the alien pretending to be girls imaginary friend, rascals where the crew become kids, the Alexander eps, picard and the kids in that elevator, tng had a lot of eps about kids

[@michaelstenger5411]

Great video, Steve. I hope you enjoyed the DNC last week - it's given me hope. Keep rocking!