PATRON TAKES - Star Trek TNG - Season 3 Episode 14

This is another favorite of mine that I suspect you won't enjoy as much as I did. I was 8 when the episode premiered and the notion of watching the same scene from different points of view was new and exciting. Now that I am 40+ and more jaded it seems like just another common trope.

The Star Trek Technical Manual lists the position Data sits in as Operations Manager. That’s likely what Wesley meant in Encounter at Farpoint during his impromptu tour of the Bridge when he referred to the backup Conn and Ops panels in Picard’s chair.

Just some terminology, now that we are far enough in that you are noticing details: the two seats in front are the HELM ☸️ (Sulu) and NAVIGATION 🧭 (Chekov). The navigator plots the ship’s course, and the helmsman steers. The person who is currently in charge of the ship and has the authority to issue orders to the helmsman and navigator is the person who HAS THE CONN. In TNG, because they often have Data sitting in front and doing the job of a science officer (even though he doesn’t wear blue), Wesley is often doing the jobs of both helm and navigation. Just because he is good at it beryghing.

In my opinion the weakest episode of season 3. It's not terrible, but it is absolutely not good. One of Trek's Strength is that it been shown to be able to do any type of story. TNG will shortly become a proven ground for an extremely young writing staff ) all of which have had successful careers after). And you ask them what is the one type of story telling they never did well. The mystery, who done it. Eventually if you ever watch the behind the scenes from the remastered blu rays of TNG, you will see them mock how poorly they handled the who done it, genre in TNG.

I thought Apgar died in a nursing home explosion.

Not this time. We made it up. Total fabrication. It never happened. Pure fiction.

In which #MeToo finally comes for Riker. Let's face it, he's been asking for it for a while now.

The third party testimony from giving the hear say from Apgar (which their courts allow) suggests they were both consensually making out with one another according to Apgar. That's probably the closest to the truth. Riker is a horny bird.

Something I'm unclear on. The early holodeck recreation has Geordi. So he saw the initial interactions. Was it his recollections of the wife saying something like (now my memory is failing me) "my husband is a great scientist but does come up SHORT in some areas"....ouch.

I'm very surprised how divisive this episode is!

Nice little bit of acting and direction. When Picard goes to his Ready Room with Krag, he says firmly to Riker "YOU HAVE THE BRIDGE", broadcasting his vote of confidence to the rest of the bridge crew.

It's odd to me how Picard goes from "convince me" to "here, let me defend Riker and convince YOU"

This episode demonstrates well how witness testimony is generally terrible.

I love this episode even if it's not one of the best. I just find the procedural stuff in a star trek setting fascinating and engaging.

I get what they were going for but it doesn’t rise to the level of other court episodes still it was ok

This one is going to be divisive. On the one hand, it's an interesting idea... that the holodeck could be used to recreate a crime scene to aid in an investigation. However, the plot is really muddied by the fact that none of us believe Riker did those abusive things... except Troi, who should be able to KNOW that those things didn't happen because she knows Riker. Interesting concept ruined by taking liberties with well established characters. Not a fan of this one.

Hated this episode. Boring all the way through

I absolutely detest this episode. Because it wasn't "a matter of perspective". It's just not possible for both versions of the events as presented to be true. It makes Riker, who previously had been characterized as a Kirk-style ladies man, suddenly look like a sexually abusive creep. Even Troi had doubts, which was awful. And I hated the guest actors who played the scientist and his wife and their assistant. Worst episode of the season. Dig a hole and throw it in.

Another court episode. And it’s done all in the holodeck shut the front door. Evil Riker vs evil wife vs evil husband.

On the one hand, I really like how the holodeck is used in this episode to see all the different perspectives and the way Picard and Geordi put all the pieces together at the end is very satisfying. On the other hand, dealing with possible sexual assault allegations requires far more care and nuance than what happens here. (We know Riker would not do that obviously.) It's a thread that's never really resolved and probably should not have been included at all.

But I like to be someone else ! Jk

"WE'RE GOING TO COURT!" Well, almost. But overall, one of those mid episodes.

I know you guys love a good courtroom drama, but this one just never clicked for me. I found the guest characters annoying.

I watched almost every tng episode as it aired for the first time every week, starting when it premiered when I was in 4th grade. There are 5 which I tuned off and never went back. This episode is one of them.

They didn't actually prove Riker didn't murder him, right? Obviously we know he didn't but what they showed on the holodeck was still a recreation based partly on things they knew and partly on things they assumed to be true (primarily Riker being innocent). They took the facts and then interpreted them in a way that was favorable to Riker, this would not work in an actual court because the accused murderers scientist friends aren't exactly impartial.

This episode is bad for a number of reasons. The first being that we immediately know Riker isn't guilty simply because his character would never do something like what he was accused of. It goes against the very essence of what his character is. The second being the complete lack of suspense or tension over the possibility of Riker being convicted. We know they aren't going to write Riker out of the show halfway through the season in a throwaway episode. This episode is just a near total miss. The only positive is that some of the acting in the reenactments is so bad that it makes me laugh out loud. Love season 3 but this episode is definitely in the bottom three for me.

I hated it as a teenager. But I learned with you guys to look at some episodes differently now. ('The Royale' anyone?) So I am curious if my opinion changes on this as well.

Welcome to the Jonathon Frakes tribute to the soap operas he used to star in before Star Trek!!!!!

I like the premise of this one, I just don't think it's well executed. People remembering things differently is good in concept with the holodeck, but pushed to it's logical extreme when the lady thinks Riker tried to rape her. One more draft could have fixed this episode. Anything with Hector Salamanca get's a few free points in my book.

I think you guys will like but not love this. It is interesting to see Riker have some potential blowback for his "playboy" reputation

This one is not bad, but it is not good.

A weird episode. Great use of the holodeck, and it is a trial episode, but I just don't get the Enterprise crew thinking "Yes, that is EXACTLY the way Riker acts ALL THE TIME so these scenarios by people who don't know him are utterly believable in the slightest." Now if Kirk had been on trial...maybe. But there is still far more good than bad in this episode. Is this the episode where they get all of the PIcard and Riker meme pictures from? Those are hilarious.

An interesting look at the falacy of memory, but the repetition bores me to tears.

Not sure if you guys ever watched Breaking Bad and/or Better Call Saul. Dr. Nel Apgar played by the recently passed (well last year) Mark Margolis of Hector Salamanca fame. Trained under Adler when young. One of those actors who was probably a better actor than 90% of the actors more famous/richer than himself.

One of the weaknesses episodes of second half season 3 (IMO). But still pretty good....

Possibly my favourite "courtroom" episode of trek, simply because we get to SEE everyone's perspectives one after another, and I find that fascinating. But it sounds like most people found that format repetitive/boring. What about you?

One of my favorite uses of the holodeck in any episode!

“We’re going to Holodeck Court”

I wasn’t aware of the inspiration so I thought this was a pretty original concept for Star Trek, though it reminds me of Wolf In The Fold - both only worked because in part the plots seem plausible because both Riker and Scotty are known to make potentially unwise romantic choices, albeit Riker is more succcessful.

You would think Investigator Krag could easily verify that Riker made arrangements to stay on the planet as he said, thus catching Mrs. Apgar in a lie.

In this episode we have another inventive use for the holodeck. Do you think, if it existed today, holodeck recreations would be permissible in court?

The episode in which the based alpha chad Riker reminds us not to hashtag-believe-all-women.

This is one of my favorite middle tier episodes. I love the concept of showing how different people can interpret the same events completely differently. I find it hard to believe though that Riker would misinterpret the wife's intentions that badly. Do you guys think she was actually all over him?

I really felt Riker was very off in this episode. There were a number of his regular (i.e. non-holodeck record) scenes that just didn't feel like it was the same character to me. The one interesting part of the episode to me was that holodeck replicated a good enough copy of Dr. Apgar's equipment that it was able to create Krieger waves as well. All this time I thought the holodeck was just holograms and force fields.

This is my least favorite of this season, just beating out The Vengence Factor.....dang, both Riker episodes too. Maybe this just isn't his year. Hope he finishes it out strong

The millionth retelling of Kurosawa’s Rashomon on network tv. Mid at best.

This is a pretty average episode, all things considered, but it's probably my FAVORITE of the average episodes. Yeah, because it's a clever use of the holodeck, and it's Trek's take on the Japanese film Rashamon (which I've FINALLY seen last month), its lesson about understanding others' viewpoints is great and well demonstrated, but I mostly love this episode for Frakes' hammy overacting in the Dr. Apgar re-enactment. It's so hilariously over the top. "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN APGAR! A dEaD mAn!" Frakes knew the assignment.

This is one of the only TNG episodes I almost always skip. I’ll watch it with you guys, but I never like when tv series do Rashomon and completely miss the point (that everyone views things based on their own experiences and preconceived viewpoints..not “they’re all lying but here’s what REALLY happened)

"VENTURAAAA!" "...Yes Satan?"

Plot summary: "Rashomon ....IN SPAAAAAAAAACE". I really enjoy this one. Solid Ron Jones score, and fun subtleties in versions. Notice only in her version, Riker cites Rapunzel in her tower while seducing her, likely not something an alien would know to make up. Hmmm

The birth of the double (Picard and Riker) facepalm meme!