Star Trekking - The Next Generation - Season 1 - "11001001"

And we're back with another edition of Star Trekking, my blog's regular outpost for all things Star Trek.   

After two weeks in the relative present with Starfleet Academy and other modern series made by Alex Kurtzman and Secret Hideout, I thought today I would turn to the past.

But not as you might expect to the original series. 

Instead I'm going to dedicate a series of these posts to Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

The approach I've decided to follow in this exploration is to turn to one single episode per season for this and the next 6 posts.

The episode I select each week is not necessarily and objectively the best of that season but one that I particularly liked. It is very much a selective subjective perspective.    

The first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation was a bit of a mixed bag, to put it politely.  

For a show made 20 years on from the original series, TNG still managed to look chintzy and cheap. 

Instead of wry commentary on the modern human condition, TNG stories frequently offered ham fisted parables on par with an after school special.

Even with an English Shakesperean AcTOR at the top of the call sheet, performances felt flat and perfunctory.  Dialogue was stilted recitations of scripts lacking in nuance or character.

It didn't help that Gene Roddenbery really doubled down on the ideal that by the 24th century, pesky little human foibles like hate, jealousy and some other 3rd thing would be behind us. Which might make for an ideal future but does not make for ideal television drama.

Paramount was prepared to go forward with a new Star Trek TV series.  But studio execs felt that doing it without Gene Roddenberry would be a deal breaker for the Star Trek fandom whose support Paramount desperately needed for any new Star Trek TV show.  This did a lot to feed Roddenberry's ego.

An ego that was causing turmoil backstage with a revolving group of writers flummoxed by Gene's restrictions and his continual interference in their scripts.  

There were some episodes that survived this critical crucible that hold up as strong installments from season 1.

"Where No One Has Gone Before" which was introduced the Traveller and a raison d'être for the irritating Wesley Crusher.

And "The Big Goodbye" which gave us that frustrating trope of the holodeck glitches out and tries to kill you but the episode does it with humor and style.

But the episode I wanted to spotlight today was the 15th episode of the 1st season, airing on February 1, 1988.

"11001001" was written by Maurice Hurley & Robert Lewin and directed by Paul Lynch. 

The Enterprise's arrival at Starbase 74 looks epic and almost cinematic. That's because the Starbase was lifted from Star Trek III: The Search For Spock.  

The Enterprise is there for some minor repairs and a retrofit of the ship's computers led by an alien race known as Bynars. The Bynars are a race interconnected with each other and their homeworld's master computer, making them really super good at computer stuff. 

With the Enterprise docked at Starbase 74, that leaves some down time for the crew.  

What to do? What to do? 

Capt. Picard and Commander Riker have a conversation about that. 

PICARD: Well, I have a little work to finish up, then I'm going to my cabin. I'm going to put my feet up, I'm going to turn on my personal relaxation light and I'm going to lose myself in the pages of some old novel. What about you, Number One? You've earned a rest.

RIKER: I've never been very good at organizing my time off. Something'll turn up. It always does.

Up until this point, Riker felt too stiff, too strictly adherent to his sense of duty. The sly twinkle in Riker's eye when he says "something'll turn up. It always does" is good indicator of the warmer, more relaxed approach Jonathan Frakes would bring to the role when he grew his beard for season 2.  

With the crew not dealing with the alien thingy of the week, the crew finds other ways to occupy their time.

Riker catches up with Tasha Yar and Worf who are off to play some form of sportsball. 

TASHA: We've been challenged to a friendly game of Parrises Squares by some of the maintenance personnel. Want to join us on the starbase?

RIKER: You've already got all the players you need.

TASHA: We can switch off.

RIKER: No, you know if you do that in Parrises Squares you lose the rhythm of the game.

TASHA: I can't talk you into coming with us?

RIKER: No. But win, all right? The pride of the Enterprise goes with you.

WORF: Rest assured, Commander, we will be victorious. At whatever the cost.

RIKER: Worf, it's just a game. A little friendly competition, You work up a sweat, you have a few laughs, and you make new friends.

WORF: If winning is not important, then, Commander, why keep score?

Yeah, that sounds like the Worf we'll come to know better over the course of the next few years.  That intensity, that feeling of pride and a desire for victory sound like (and I don't want to insult our favorite Klingon here) those human foibles that Roddenberry was wanting to avoid.

I'm gonna take this opportunity to pile on with a bunch of other Trekkers to complain about Tasha Yar.  But... damn! 

Nobody seem to know what to do with Tasha Yar. Maybe we can chalk it up to Denise Crosby not being that good of an actor? Or the mostly male writers in the 1980's were clueless how to write for a strong woman in charge of a starship's security who might also be... interesting? 

It would be a  shame if Tasha Yar died before things got better for her character.

SPOILER: Tasha Yar died before things got better.  

NO! Not in this episode. Parrises Squares is not that dangerous.

Riker keeps wandering the ship.

"Something'll turn up. It always does."

Riker runs into Dr. Beverly Crusher who is all twitterpated over meeting some brilliant cyberneticist on the Starbase to compare notes. 

Is "compare notes" a euphemism for sex?

Listen, this is Star Trek. What it really means is the Crusher is meeting some brilliant cyberneticist on the Starbase to compare notes. 

Riker also checks in with Geordi (a blind man) who is teaching Data (an android) how to paint. Riker thinks this is an exercise for the history books.

Riker goes to the bridge where Wesley Crusher is watching the Bynars who are acting squirelly.

Or the Bynars are just acting like Bynars? Who knows?

Who are we to judge how an alien culture behaves? 

(It's a TV show. And yes, they are being squirelly. More on that later.) 

Riker tells Wesley to keep an eye on 'em and he continues is journey through the ship. 

When he arrives at the holodeck where some Bynars have finished some upgrades.  And the computer linked aliens ask if he would like to take the new and improved holodeck for a spin.

"Something'll turn up. It always does."

Riker says sure and orders up a made to order holographic fantasy.

RIKER: Jazz.

COMPUTER: Era?

RIKER: Circa 1958.

COMPUTER: Location.

RIKER: Kansas City. No, wait. New Orleans. Bourbon Street Bar, New Orleans. Around two a.m.

COMPUTER: Programme complete. Enter when ready.

(A nightclub with a slightly raised stage, tables with candles for light)

RIKER: Very good. Very good indeed. Now I'll need someone to play with. A trio. Piano, bass and drums, and a 'bone for me.

(The musicians appear)

RIKER: Now an audience. Whoa. Too many. I was thinking of something a little more intimate.

(A single blonde in a red dress)

RIKER: Great job, boys. But, computer, blondes and jazz seldom go together. (a red-head) Now that is truly exceptional. But more sultry.

Now I am going to confess my real reason for coming to this episode for today's Star Trek post.

Director Paul Lynch takes his own sweet time moving up a long pair of legs (and they go ALL the way up!) and we finally get to the beautiful face of a sultry brunette sitting at the bar.

Say hello to Law & Order's Carolyn McCormick as Minuet who is just dripping with sexual allure.

Riker looks upon this and is well pleased.  

RIKER: Gentlemen, if this is what you call enhancement, you've got a gift for understatement. What's your name? Tell me you love jazz.

MINUET: My name is Minuet and I love all jazz except Dixieland.

RIKER: Why not Dixieland?

MINUET: You can't dance to it.

RIKER: My girl. What's a knockout like you doing in a computer-generated gin joint like this?

MINUET: Waiting for you.

RIKER: Waiting for me? You can't be serious.

MINUET: Oh yes, Will. I've never been more serious in my life.

"Something'll turn up. It always does."

BOING!!!

So Minuet cranks up the sultry to "11" and Riker is getting all wobbly and wondering if he can fuck this hologram.

FUN FACT about the holodeck: Whatever is created by the holodeck will vanish when the program ends.

Whatever is brought in to the holodeck will NOT vanish when the program ends.

Which is why ensigns on the lower decks dread holodeck clean up duty, especially after Riker uses it.

Let's continue...

RIKER: How far can this relationship go? I mean, how real are you?

MINUET: As real as you need me to be.

(They kiss for a long time, then the holodeck doors open and)

PICARD: Astounding.

RIKER: Captain!

Yes! It's Captain Cockblocker just as Riker was getting ready to get some with the hot babe made of photons and force fields.

Note to self: Remember to lock the holodeck!  

PICARD: Oh, I'm sorry, Number One. I didn't mean to interrupt.

RIKER: No, it's all right. Come on in.

PICARD: You picked a wonderful locale. This is something I might have chosen myself.

MINUET: Aren't you going to introduce me?

RIKER: Captain Picard, this is Minuet. Minuet, Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

MINUET: Enchantee. Comme c'est merveilleux de vous voir ici.

PICARD: Incroyable! Vous etes Parisienne?

MINUET: Au fond, c'est vrai, nous sommes tous Parisiens.

PICARD: Oui, au fond, nous sommes tous Parisiens. The spirit of that city can always enchant my soul.

First season weirdness: Because Jean-Luc Picard is a French name, there was a habit of having our English Shakespearean AcTOR get all Frenchy, spouting shit in French, proud of his French heritage, you know like Chekov on the original series would get all prissy that Russians ("Wussians") invented everything.  

So early scripts would shoe horn some French stuff into Picard's dialogue.  It was a habit lost in subsequent seasons.   

Meanwhile and elsewhere from this computer-generated gin joint, the anti-matter containment on the warp core is breaking down. Unable to locate Picard or Riker (the holodeck has isolated them from communications and bio-scans), Data orders the evacuation of the Enterprise and sets the ship to auto-pilot itself away from the Starbase before it goes ka-boom!

Once the ship is apparently empty and it has cleared the Starbase, the anti-matter containment restores itself and the ship flies away.

Various plot contrivances keep the Starbase commander from sending any ships to go after it.

By way, where is Picard? Or Riker? Or the Bynars? Or Perry the Platypus? (Whoops! Wrong show.) 

Meanwhile back in the computer-generated gin joint, Picard and Riker try to leave to check on the ship but Minuet is really urgently, desperately pleading with them to stay with her.

• They need to dance!
• They need to play darts! 
• They need to do some other 3rd thing!

Which just makes Picard and Riker all the more determined to leave. And what they find is an abandoned ship under a red alert flying to the Bynars' homeworld.

Minuet provides the scoop.

• The Bynars are dying.
• Their homeworld computer was whammied by radiation from a nearby supernova.
• The Bynars need the computers on the Enterprise to reboot their planet.
• Minuet's job was to keep Riker and Picard out of their way.

The Bynars on the ship are nearly dead but Riker and Picard save the day by completing the program to reboot the Bynars and their planetary computer.  

Then Picard gets all cocky that he can fly the Enterprise back to Starbase 74.

(I need to remind you that Data earlier set the damn thing to fly itself so hey, Jean-Luc, maybe flying it is not the big deal you're making it out to be.) 

Without the Bynar's influence, Riker is not able to re-create Minuet on the holodeck.  

(Minuet will make a surprise appearance in the 4th season.) 

I'm not going to oversell "11001001" as a great episode. It has difficiencies common to the first season of TNG. But among the scattershot quality of those 1st season episodes, I find "11001001" to be an enjoyable re-watch and something of a harbinger of the better quality seasons to come out of TNG.

Next week on Star Trekking: 

It's season 2 of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the show is still contending with back stage chaos and uneven quality on screen. 

But there are some gems from that season and I'll pick one for next week's post. It may surprise you. 

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Later today we go from science fiction to science fact with a post about the Artemis II mission to the moon. 

We're gonna go Moon Trekking!