Episode title: “Encounter at Farpoint”
Season: 1
Importance: Pilot episode; double
Crisis point(s) if any: The Enterprise’s encounter with the Q, who puts mankind on trial for being a savage race (no contest, your honour!); the race to uncover the mystery of Farpoint Station, to say nothing of the need to make a good impression on the ratings!
Original Transmission Date: September 28 1987
Writer(s): D.C. Fontana, Gene Roddenberry
Director: Corey Allen
Stardate:* 41153.7
Destination: Farpoint Station, Deneb IV
Official Mission (if any): Find out how Farpoint Station was built, and rob the tech for Starfleet I mean make a deal with the engineers so Starfleet can replicate it. And prepare some extremely large fish tanks, the kind that make the ones Kirk used in The Voyage Home look like matchboxes.
Unofficial Mission (if any): Prove humanity is not still a savage race (or convince Q of it anyway); kidnap Groper sorry Groppler Zorn (alien beats them to it)
Character(s) in main plot: Picard, Riker, Q
Main character(s) in Subplot (if any): Picard, Data, Troi
Villain/Monster (if any): Not really; Q could be characterised as such I guess, as could the greedy Grabber sorry Grappler I mean Groppler Zorn, but there’s kind of no real enemy to fight here.
Alien(s): Q, Groppler Zorn, Jellyfish aliens, Ferengi (mentioned)
Deaths: 1 (see Bodycount below)
Lives saved (episode): 1 (Zorn; surely the alien would have killed him?)
Lives saved (cumulative): 1
Locations:
Shipboard:
Picard’s Ready Room
Bridge
Holodeck
Transporter Room
Sickbay
Space:
Alien vessel
Other
Zorn’s office, Bendy I mean Bandi CIty, Deneb IV
Farpoint Station
Mock-up of 21st century courtroom ++
Ships/vessels: 1 (Q’s probey thing is considered a vessel of some sort)
Space battles: 0 (They just run away from the Q thing, big babies)
Bodycount
Historical
0
Incidental
1 (Soldier in the courtroom scene set up by Q)
Note: It’s possible, even likely that people are killed when the creature’s mate starts zapping the city, but no figures are mentioned and I don’t see any actual casualties, so I can’t add them. This is probably going to happen quite a lot; you can’t keep track of every piddling death.
Direct
0
Total: 1
Running total: 1
Lives saved2 :alien who was trapped as the Farpoint Station/ Zorn, whom the other alien would surely have killed.
Make it so: 1
Engage! 1
Combat factor: 0
Planets visited: Deneb IV
Planets referred to: Earth
Mysteries: The construction of Farpoint Station; the secret behind the alien ship later bombarding the city
Patients in sickbay: 1 (Geordi)
Holodeck simulation(s): Basic forest
Data v humanity: n/a
Character scores:
Picard 30
Riker 30
Troi 15
Bev 10
Geordi 15
Data 15
Worf 10
Wesley 10
O’Brien 10
Yar 25
Q 55
Earl Grey: 0 (I think he has a cup of it when he talks to Riker, but it’s not identified as such)
Shuttlecraft: 1 (mentioned, as Data shuttles McCoy on board)
Admirals: 1 (McCoy)
Starbases: 0
First contact: 1 (Jellyfish aliens)
Humour: 0 (later every Q episode will guarantee laughs a-plenty, but no, here he’s as serious and dour as a Supreme Court judge dealing with an advocate of Roe v Wade).
Episode score: 250
Episode rating: A++ (Well it would have to be, wouldn’t it?)
Okay, just before we get going, I need to get this off my chest. Whose bright idea was it to make Picard French, and why? Was this a form of lipservice to some disgruntled French viewer who wrote in complaining (sorry for the exaggerated French, and I don’t mean to insult anyone but this is parody so take it in that spirit or feel free to suck it) “Meester Rodenbairrhy! We see zat you ‘ave ze Chinese, ze Russian, even ze Scottish in your Star Trek show but - zut alors! No Frenchmen or women! C’est que’cest? (or something) Is eet because we fought against you in zee war of 1812? Please conseeder a Frenchman for your new series. Merci.”
Well, if not then what the hell were they doing? Patrick Stewart is an Englishman, speaks cultured Shakespearan English, and is supposed to be French? His so-called French heritage rarely if ever impinges on a storyline (other than the godawful “Family”, which was the comedown from “Best of Both Worlds Part 2,” itself a comedown from the first part, and is best forgotten about, except on those nights when you wake in a cold sweat screaming “He has a brother!”) and he seldom references it, so why? Surely, if for reasons best known to themselves, they wanted a French captain, they could have hired, oh, I don’t know, a French actor? But no. They get an English guy. Who, to be fair, was pretty much unknown at the time, so they can’t even use the excuse he was a star and they needed him to pull in the punters.
It’s always annoyed me. Never since, in the field of human Star Trek, has a European, never mind a Frenchman or woman, captained a starship, or at least been the main character. DS9? American. Black,yes, but still American. Voyager: god knows, but probably American. I think she refers to it at some point, though I was probably nodding off at that stage. Which episode, you ask? Take your pick. Enterprise? American. Discovery? American. The only Europeans we’ve seen since TNG - excluding Miles (“Oi’m Oirish, y’know!”) O’Brien, who is already established here though he transfers over to DS9 - is yer man from Enterprise, Malcolm wotsit, who’s English, and I think that’s it. An Indian/Egyptian (?) in DS9 too, but the main bulk of the cast has been American. Not a Frenchman to be found. Sacre bleu! And other racist French exclamations.
I’ve never seen any justification or logic for it and I have never understood it. It comes across to me as the most basic pandering to a PC audience who may or may not have demanded European representation on the bridge of the new ship. Well, they may not have been too happy with what they got, cos Picard is English in all but name.
Okay. That will be the last I’ll say of it, is a complete lie. I will be ranting further about it as we go along, you may be sure. But there are so many other characters worthy of my scorn, it may be a while before I get back to him. Just wanted to lay that out before you from the start.
What’s that? You couldn’t give a pair of foetid dingo’s what? Get on with the show you skinny, balding what?
Meh, okay then.
First thing I noticed about this new show at the time was the lack of what you might call an introductory scene. I know this was more a product of the late sixties and early seventies, an attempt to hook the audience before the show started, but I kind of missed it. Mind you, this would become the norm from now on, so I quickly got used to it, and anyone who does it now - a few do, though I don’t think any science fiction shows - seem out of step. But back then it was odd. Also strange to hear the new, PC-world-adjusted intro: now it’s no longer “Where no man has gone before” but “where no-one has gone before.” Also, there’s no “five-year mission”, as there was rather optimistically in the original, which only got three. Ironically, this ran for seven. The new theme is cool though. While we had all got used to the original theme, let’s be honest, it was never indicative of a science fiction show, was it? Sorry Alexander: at least your original spooky intro was kept in. As I noted in the thread earlier, this was actually based - almost completely copied from, in fact - the theme to the first Star Trek movie, stunningly originally titled The Motion Picture.
It is good to see they kept the grammatically incorrect but well-known and loved “to boldly go”, though I note they changed the ship to a sexless one. Whereas in TOS it was “her five year mission”, now it’s declared to be “its continuing mission”. Boo. TNG would also pioneer the sort of reverse of TOS credits, where in the latter the ship would flash across the screen at the end, um, of the beginning, if you know what I mean, and vanish as it came towards you. From now on all ships would move away from the camera. Here, the Enterprise goes into warp. In DS9 a runabout vanishes into the wormhole, Voyager goes into warp too, unfortunately though it does come back, and Enterprise the series can vanish into whatever orifice it finds most handy. I can’t remember but I think Discovery does the same. It did become standard. Good that they also kept the “Captain’s log” voiceover.
Roddenberry obviously held on grimly to his vision of how women would dress in the 24th century! I see mini skirts and boots, and indeed Deanna Troi is dressed like some sort of throwback from the 1960s, the only one of the female crew to be so dressed, probably because she’s not a real crewmember as such, being the ship’s counsellor. It’s interesting to me that they chose to begin by not having everyone present, with Riker and Crusher (with Wesley in tow, sadly) to meet the Enterprise at Farpoint. Data is there though, and man is he stiff! They dropped his syntax after one episode, and no wonder. Could you stand someone who kept prefacing their remarks with the description of the form he used? “Inquiry”, “Possibility” etc? You’d have given him a slap. Very annoying. As, in fact, is Picard’s rather smug stealing of every scene, though he’ll be upstaged later by Riker. For now though, as he never stops telling us, as if we hadn’t heard the first time, this GALAXY CLASS starship is his stomping ground, and he’s the head cheese.
Okay, time for the first of many, many, many bad jokes. As they sit together on the bridge (why is it called a bridge anyway? I don’t see any water!) Troi says to Picard “I detect a powerful mind.” Picard, grinning and running his hand over his bald head, replies “Well, now, I don’t know that I’d say powerful, counsellor. Though I am awaiting my IQ score from MENSA and I think we’re all going to be pleasantly surprised!” Yeah, get used to it: there’s, unfortunately for you, plenty more where that came from. A very Indian looking helmsman, who, in a sort of reversal of American industrial policy, was soon outsourced to an Irish one, seems on the verge of panic as Q makes his first appearance. Probably why Mr. No-Name got fired: Picard muttering “I’m not having anyone shit themselves at the console just because a godlike, omnipotent entity appears from nowhere! What would he do if Roddenberry walked in?”
Q, of course, not to be confused with Q and definitely not to be confused with Q, went on to become one of the most popular characters in the series, and appeared in others of the franchise, though only after he changed, or was changed, from an evil omnipotent god into a mischievous, omnipotent trickster god, and became somewhat the butt of the joke of the series, as did the Ferengi, of whom more later. Here he does his very best to be menacing, and, to be fair, succeeds. Nobody could imagine that in the future Picard would greet his arrival on the ship in the same way as you do when you open the door and it’s drunken old Uncle Kevin there again, whom you (thankfully) haven’t seen since last Christmas when he tried to roger the turkey in front of grandma. Yeah, he becomes total comic relief, but here he plays his role well and everyone seems to be shitting their pants. Mind you, he will, soon enough, do humanity less than a solid and introduce them to the Borg, who will say “Thank you very much. Resistance is futile” and a legend will be born.
But I get ahead of myself. That’s what happens when you let your clones run free. The forcefield Q throws up bears a staggering resemblance, does it not, to a web in which Kirk’s ship got trapped in, woven by some Tholians? Oddly enough, Picard’s main worry is the “damn noise” of the red alert. Well yeah, captain: that’s what it’s supposed to do, alert you. Wouldn’t be much point if it was silent, would it? Q fancies a takeaway, but a frozen Indian? Never heard of that one. Hey, never realised that before! The guy’s name is Lieutenant Torres. Anything to B’elenna, chief engineer and gigantic PMS pain in the arse from Voyager?
Now, help me out here. Q tells Picard, in the guise of an army general and talking about commies - so presumably we’re talking twentieth century here - that four hundred years prior we were killing each other over tribal gods. Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but four hundred years back from the twentieth century gives us the sixteenth, and I think men were fighting over more than tribal gods then. War of the Roses? Agincourt? Crowns and kings and thrones? Wanna do a little more research on your history there, Gene. Oh, and I would also remark that Q mentions that humanity “progressed” to the point where they controlled their military with drugs. Isn’t this how the Dominion controlled the Jem’Hadar in DS9, through the Vorta? Coincidence? I wonder.
First speaking part for Worf, and in fact first speaking part for a Klingon in the brave new world of TNG. The lion’s share of the dialogue has certainly been given to Picard, that’s for sure, though Q is matching him well. Probably why he looks so annoyed. Not quite so much though as when he mentions “prosecute and judge” and Q grins “What a great idea!” No doubt he thinks “Fuck! Me and my big mouth!” Advice from his crew tends to recall the Spanish Inquisition. Worf says “Our only choice is to fight!” while the never-liked-and-soon-to-be-dead-though-not-soon-enough-for-me Tasha Yar adds “Fight, or try to escape!” Picard must surely think, “Um, that’s two choices.” So we have “Our only choice is to fight. Fight or try to escape. Two choices. Our two choices are to fight, or try to escape. Or (in Picard’s words) contact the Q (not a good idea, says Troi). So our only choice is fight. Fight or try to escape. Two choices. Our two choices are fight or try to escape. Or contact the Q. Three choices. Our three choices are to fight, try to escape or contact the Q. Or, turn tail for home. Four choices. Among our choices are…”
And when he says “the only other option is to tuck tail between our legs and go back to Earth” he doesn’t even take a vote! I bet Mr. Indian Frozen Guy would be for it. Go on Picard! Who’s for tucking tail? You, you and you? And you. I see. Well I’m captain and I’m damned if I’m returning this shiny new GALAXY CLASS starship back to space dock without a scratch. The other captains would never let me live it down. No, though it may be suicidally dangerous, and though we may, in the end, come close to dooming all humanity after seven years of warping through the galaxy sticking our noses in where they’re not wanted, I say we - try to outrun it! Yes! That’s the last thing they’ll be expecting! Sigh. So, among the choices open to us are: fight, try to escape, contact the Q or outrun it.”
In perhaps the most pointless display of pointlessness ever in Star Trek until someone unwisely suggested Voyager should have its own in-house cook, Picard considers separating the saucer section. Data is asked how dangerous is it, but perhaps may not have heard the question properly, or as a human would anyway. “Oh easy peasy Captain” he doesn’t say but could and should: “The saucer will be fine. It’s made to sep - oh. Hang on. You don’t mean the humans inside it do you? Ah. Well there you see you have a problem. You guys are so soft and squishy - I constantly have to be careful shaking hands in case I crush your fragile bones. Hmm. No. No I don’t think it would be a good look for Starfleet, would it, hundreds of you lads tumbling out into space? I mean, you can’t survive in space like us - well, that is, me, as I am, without question, the only android in this universe there is or ever will be and I definitely do not have a brother and if I did he would definitely not be evil. No, no, on balance sir, I’d say it’s a bad idea. I’d rethink it if I were you. Oh, you’re captain and you’re going to do it are you? Well, don’t come crying to me when they’re filling up the chapel with distraught relatives and asking what idiot thought splitting the ship in two was a good idea.”
Or something like that anyway.
But Picard, as we will find out, is no Kirk, and what he says goes. No underling will tell him what to do, and so the plan is set. I wonder if the saucer separation thing was insisted on by the makers of the later Enterprise models to be sold to fans? Look! Separates just like the real ship does. Um, twice, in the series. Completely idiotic. It can’t even defend itself. A massive glorified escape craft is all it is, and remember, a certain woman driver who shall remain nameless crashed the damn thing. You have to ask though: if he is completely omnipotent, why did Q have to wait to “make arrangements” for the court? Couldn’t he just have, you know, snapped his fingers and they’d be there? Are there forms to be filled in? Venues to be booked? Staff to hire? And let’s not forget the health and safety issues: those are going to be live weapons, people! The Q Continuum can’t afford another big fucking lawsuit! Seems unlikely, does it not? But there must be tension, and De Lancie probably had to go get a sandwich anyway I guess.
“Women and children first, you say?”
As Spock would say, fascinating. There appears to be a Vulcan on board, though he obviously put in for a transfer when he witnessed the illogical actions of Captain Picard, as he’s never seen again. He’s just in the one scene, not mentioned, never speaks, but unless he was in a freak accident with a combine harvester as a child, he’s definitely from the planet of logic. I suppose this was a weak attempt to pay some sort of vague homage to the pointy-eared star of the original series. It’s quite funny too how, when Worf is ordered to be a big yellow-bellied coward and command the sissy saucer section, in charge of a load of women and screaming kids, and maybe a few crewmembers who prefer escaping dressed as women to going into glorious battle, the changeover shows Worf leaving the helm, and another officer appears from a doorway and takes his place at his station. What do they have? A whole bunch of spare officers there, waiting to be called up when needed? What do they do in the meantime? Play cards? Listen to music? Paint? A holding area for spare crew - and this is a ship that hasn’t got its full complement, according to Picard! So why has he spare crewmen knocking around?
You have to wonder too: is Worf insured to fly the saucer section? I mean, do you imagine Picard had time before the ship launched to go through all the clauses in the insurance policy to see if a helmsman is legally allowed to fly part of the ship without the other part? That could be the end of his no-claims bonus. And what if he gets the saucer damaged? Surely Starfleet Command are going to want the ship back in one piece, the way they handed it over to Picard? Bit of an embarrassment if you lose half your ship on your maiden voyage! They’ll be calling him Piecemeal Picard. Oh dear.
- either the stardate mentioned at the start (Captain’s Log etc) or the first time one is mentioned, if none is noted at the beginning. No other stardates mentioned will be used once there has been one already noted.
(and that’s only because I can’t give it a higher rating!)
(
Oh hey, there’s that Vulcan again. I was wrong. Still no name or line for him though. And a dwarf. Oh no that’s just a very small woman, eyeline almost on Riker’s crotch.
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