UNCUT - Disaster (TNG S5E5) | Star Trek Journey 212
Comments (94)
You don't have to revert your eyes from the childbirth, everything will be ok and you won't be harmed after seeing it lol
Come on guys, you know Chief immediately got Keiko pregnant on their wedding night!
Clear S from me. My second favourite of this Season. It's been compared to a 70s disaster movie, i love 70s disaster movie, especially The Towering Inferno, so this is my sort of episode. Humour, action, emotion, unusual pairings, and of course Ro back. A great team on the bridge, my 3 favourite characters together.
I'm guessing that once the series' TRUE "S-TIER" episodes show up, you'll drop these episodes down to something more... uh, moderate. There have indeed been S-Tier episodes already, mind you. I think many people consider Yesterday's Enterprise to be S-Tier. In my opinion, S-Tier has to be reserved for the best of the best. And "Disaster" just isn't that. To me, this is around a B+... not only when compared to other episodes, but unto itself.
I'm a sucker for a disaster movie. That kind of genre makes for a great framework to hang interesting character interactions on. This was a great episode because it really does the disaster genre well.
I know you guys don't like the "plot-disaster" method too much, but I think this episode is a good example of how to do it right. The disaster they presented wasn't the plot of the episode really... it was the setting where the plot took place. The plot was 1-Picard learning to deal with kids, 2-Troi learning to deal with leadership 3-Worf becoming a nurturing (kinda) midwife, 4- Geordi and Crusher working together to deal with the plasma fire. The weakest part of the episode was the Data/Riker arc... but that wasn't really bad in any sense of the word.
This is low key one of my favorite episodes... or shows so many little stories that deal with peoples fears. And yet again... Worf delivers comedy genius
Disaster is just a really solid episode. I will also rate it A tier as I don't think it's iconic or series/character defining(although it does provide some much needed growth for Troi). I won't belabor the criticisms of the cargo bay scenes as they've been covered by a lot of other comments, but in short decompression is very commonly overstated in scifi. About the only way the barrels would have been blown/sucked out the door is if they were stacked in a way that basically blocked off the air flow as completely as possible, or the artificial gravity was turned off, or both. With the gravity on, one of them could have stood by the atmosphere controls opposite the door and not even have needed to hold on. They would have felt a light breeze and a drop in pressure and that's it. Speaking of artificial gravity, you gotta wonder why that didn't fail. The answer of course is there wasn't room in the budget for all that wire work. Given that I have the official blueprints on my computer, I'm gonna geek out here for a bit. Troi should have had someone grab a tricorder and determine if the decks below them are pressurized. The bridge and part of deck 2(the egg shaped section around the bridge) is a separate module designed to separate from the ship and act like a large lifeboat. Directly below that on decks 3 and 4 is the main shuttle bay. Now I doubt a hand phaser could cut through the hull plating of the bridge module and then through the second layer of hull plating covering the recess the bridge module fits into, but the hatches covering access points might be another story. There are ramps on either side of the observation lounge behind the bridge that lead down to level 2 and those hallways converge at the front of the bridge module. There's a staircase there which, assuming they can cut through the hatch with a phaser, leads directly down to the upper level of the shuttle bay. The shuttles have they own sensors and transporter systems. Sure, some may have been damaged, but there's about 30 of them. They'd be able to determine the state of the ship and crew, and transport someone(O'Brien) to engineering to fix the antimatter containment. That would have been my approach anyway. One thing I really like about this episode is how unusual all the team-ups were. Data usually gets paired up with Picard or Geordi, but not Riker very often. Chief hardly interacts with Troi at all, and adding Ro to make a trio made for a very unlikely grouping of characters. Geordi and Crusher usually only have scenes together outside briefings and such if it's a medical situation(Identity Crisis) or their skills overlap(fixing Data in Deja Q). Worf having to serve as a midwife is one of the more hilarious situations he could be put in. Also I think standing there holding the baby, it really made Worf stop and reflect on......................what a fucking terrible parent he is🤣. And finally, Picard and a bunch of kids. I must say though, despite some early awkwardness, this episode shows a pretty drastic turnaround from where Picard was in S1 in terms of dealing with children. I also agree with one of the comments below that Troi shouldn't have been written quite so inept in this situation. Counselor or not, she still went through the academy. She may not have dedicated command training(hence why some random redshirt Lt. was in command despite Troi outranking her), but yeah, she shouldn't have to ask what happens if antimatter containment fails. Still, I'm proud of her for only "sensing" things once in this episode. Maybe not a perfect effort, but it's clear the writers were trying to branch out with her character. But yeah, it's a great episode.
Guinan doesn't wear pips because she's a civilian. She's not in Starfleet.
Josh looked so bored I was fully expecting a C rating.
I think it’s time for you guys to now continue with Battlestar Galactica!
A couple of my gripes about this episode: 1. Holding your breath in a vacuum is terrible advice. 2. Geordie should have seen that hot spot on the wall with his visor LONG before Beverly touched it. 3. Take Data's head off with him standing in front of the arc, then push his body in. 4. Picard, climb higher on that damn ladder before trying to hoist yourself onto the deck surface. That's about it though. Great episode all around.
5. Stop storing fireworks in the helm/navigation console. Why is there still no regulations on this?
Petition to get the boys to watch the classic disaster flicks of the 70s: Towering Inferno, Posiden Adventure, etc.
The Poseidon Adventure was a Bridge Crew pick so we will be watching it in the coming months
“We will need to perform a c section, I will get my Bat’leth.” That was the hardest I’ve laughed at your reactions in a while!
The Idea of Worf being the most unhinged midwife also gave me this mental image when he said he was going to smack the baby of just full sending it and smacking the baby into the next season
By the way, Beverley gave ABSOLUTELY THE WRONG advice when about to be blown out of an airlock. EXHALE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE! Aside for that, I'd give it a B for Banger
Exactly. Your lungs will overpressure and rupture inside your body. Exhale everything. And I also love that Geordie had to have someone point out to him where a wall was extremely hot, as if his visor wasn't a thing any more.
Just throwing in my 2¢... If I wanted to watch STNG for the umpteenth time in silence, I wouldn't be paying to "watch with you." I love the real-time dialog!
I know right. I don't know how anyone can enjoy watching two guys just staring at a screen for 45 minutes without saying a word. Like where is the entertainment value in that?
Great ep!! Star Trek's version of the Poseiden Adventure!
I think once the cargo door was open, events in the bay were treated correctly -- you don't instantly die or explode or anything in a vacuum, assuming you DON'T hold your breath, you can survive in space for.. a short time. They started walking before the cargo door was closed again because they were in a vacuum at that point so didn't need to hold on, and had to get to the console to repressurize the bay. And the bay and the door's opening is big, so while there would be wind, the decompression wouldn't be SO fierce that you just can't hold on against it.
When the technobabble plot arrived, seemingly to end all these great little stories, I knew you were gonna love it.
If Data would have been present, he would have corrected Geordi: BLOWN out not SUCKED out!
And he would have been wrong. At the time of Data's line there was a push by the intellectual elites to get that changed, but it failed. Given that space is so much larger than the cargo bay, "sucked" is the appropriate term.
I recorded episodes on VHS when they first aired and must have watched this one countless times cause I had a crush on that girl. Bear in mind I was 11 at the time. But I always loved this episode. I thought they did a good mix of drama with comedic moments throughout.
Just a thought to my fellow Patreons: Yes, this may be the only time they see this show for the first time, but it's also not the LAST time they'll watch the show. They like the show. They'll rewatch the show. If they miss something in a reaction now, it doesn't mean they won't pick up on it later. Stuff they complain about initially may not hold up at a later date. Heck, I've been rewatching the Back to the Future movies all my life, and I STILL pick up on stuff all these years later. That's why I like em so much. Let's try to avoid robbing them of that joy too much, eh? We're all just here to watch Trek with the boys. Sometimes this is how the boys watch Trek.
Its okay they did too many riffs and missed a lot. They'll learn
As far as 'being sucked out' into space, Kyle Hill did a great vid talking about how that pressure is actually not all that great, and if you're sufficiently far from the door it's not that big of a deal at all, as most of the air that would PUSH you out of the door, is on the other side of you from it. This is a fan-focking-tastic episode, IMhO. One of my faves. Season 5 the whole production crew knows their business very well now and they don't seem to put out bum episodes very often.
The size of the door is indirectly proportional to the pressure of the air escaping it. A little tiny hole, possibly explosive. A big-ass door, a tortoise race.
Loved the chatter throughout this episode, in contrast to a lot of the other comments. It's not like you missed a ton and you guys cracked me tf up during the birth scene XD
Imagine what Jay Gordon ("We're going to die!") was like during the Borg incident...
Heck, that's probably WHY he's so cynical. Probably looked out a window and saw a field of broken up ships when he was 4.
You guys talked over Beverly explaining the tension for the cargo bay scene. They only had a few seconds once the barrels were sucked out, to close the doors again and make it over to the panel across the room to restore the oxygen before they suffocate. Geordie falls down halfway there and Bev barely makes it. I think the scene is fine the way it is. I don't mind you guys discussing stuff, but I do find it funny when you complain about something you missed.
“Here, let me explain the tension to the audience”
I love chatty J & A. More, considering I've seen sttng many times over. Feels like what I'd be doing. Also this is one of my fave episodes.
BTW Alex and Josh…. No spoilers, dont worry. You are about to watch Star Trek VI. Most agree its darkest in tone of all the films, Right from the opening titles you feel it. but I have a feeling it’ll be your favorite. That is all. Chris out.
It's a real hard pick for me between 2 and 6... both are masterpieces
After watching this episode several times, my only question is what happened to the rest of the engineering crew? I would assume like the bridge, engineering would be staffed at all times. But I love this episode and also give it an "S".
Thrown down the warp core shaft when the ship shook. The real tension for Geordi is all the paperwork he's about to file. And having to hire a whole new shift.
Wow. You guys really talked over the whole episode. But I get it. There were many silly points. Its a C for me. But I thought because of the kids stuff, you would have given it a lower grade. But hey, sometimes we surprise each other!
In the Patron Takes, I wrote an entire post saying how much they were probably going to hate this episode. I'm pleasantly surprised.
Crusher is a full commander (3 pips) same as Riker. Sometimes her pips aren’t visible if she’s wearing her lab coat. Troi was established as a Lieutenant Commander in the very first episode when she was wearing the “skant” uniform variant, seen mainly in season 1.
Its a Good Episode and they made the drama with RO realistic without being insubordinate, something future trek won't do. Plus the Kids werent insuffereable either . A+ from me
being trapped in an elevator with kids. i'm not sure whose nightmare that is. Picard's or Josh and Alex's....
I'm surprised you both gave it such high marks... given how much you talked over many of the absolute golden moments of the episode.
I mean, Josh is gonna rewatch it for the reaction, Alex likes the show enough he'll rewatch it too... It's not like this is their ONLY chance to watch the episode, then NEVER AGAIN.
You guys were channelling your inner 7th grader selves with this EP. ;)
Keiko is a background character to me, so I don’t care at all that there was no “set up” for her pregnancy.
My one nitpick… I wish they hadn’t written Troi to be completely oblivious to the workings of the Enterprise. In fact, I would’ve preferred it if Ro and the Chief were surprised at Troi’s technical knowledge. Show that she can keep up with the rest of the bridge crew. I love the personal growth but they didn’t have to “dumb” her down. I mean, c’mon, everyone aboard the Enterprise should know what a containment breach means.
I smell what you're doing there. 😏
I'm sorry for saying, but the level of chat throughout was frustrating. You remarked you "didn't feel much tension" over a scene you'd talked over and that elicited an eye roll from me. Just offering my honest take. I absolutely do want to watch you reacting, but there was a lot of hypothesising what characters might have said and other off-topic stuff. Maybe save that for after the watch? Brevity would be good.
They tried riffing so much 😭🤣
Y'all sure did talk a whole lot and laugh during this episode... I like to think that means that you had fun (and enjoyed the episode). This is peak content. Wild tangent: for a fun rabbit hole, go and Google "Stephen Ratliff" and the "Marissa Picard" fanfics. TL;DR - Back in the day, someone on the Internet aimed for the stars and made an entire epic fanfiction series based on the the kids in this episode. If that sounds potentially cringe, it was a huge topic of online nerd riffing in the late 90s/early 00s MSTings culture (Mystery Science Theatre 3000 meta fanfiction community). Star Trek has been a source of agony and ecstasy for as long as the World Wide Web's been around~
I found the MOST tension was with crusher and la forge , the narrative explanation about how the chemicals will explode and the explanation felt the most real and dangerous to me
I agree, glad I'm not alone.
TA talking during an episode means they're either engaged with the ep and having a good enough time to riff, or they hate it an need to riff to make it palatible. There is NO in between. (They also sit quietly enraptured when they are bought in - but those are different episodes)
Talking means they're not engaged. If they're quiet then they're hanging on every word.
Dr. Crusher’s mention of hyronalin as a treatment for radiation sickness is a callback to (of all things) “The Deadly Years.”
was also mentioned in Final Mission
Lets be sure to put the "restore air" button on a different panel, all the way across the room from the "close the door" button.
Dr Crusher wears pips she's a commander and part of the crew. The only reason Troi doesn't wear pips is because of her weird uniform, but she's a lieutenant commander. When she was wearing a more normal uniform during "The Wounded" you saw he lt commander pips, but dont recall if they mentioned her rank explicitly before this episode.
I’ve think the only non-direct reference would be from Encounter from Farpoint when Troi wore a uniform.
You guys talked a lot on this one. Not complaining, we've seen this episodes and your reactions are what we're here for, just hoping you can pay attention to the captions and what's going on while you're talking. The disaster was caused by the ship hitting two "quantam filaments" a fictional thing. Troi asked if they were cosmic strings, which they seemed to be modeled after, but apparently they're something similar but different. Nice call back though, having Troi ask that, since the episode where the 2 dimensional beings that were trying to get back to a cosmic string is what caused her temporary lapse in her empathic abilties, so cosmic strings would be memorable to her. By the way, people might say there was too much "technobabble" here but everything was logical, made sense, and was easy to follow, unlike the constant non-sensical technobabbl of Voyager where they didnt even try to make it line up with anything scientific or remotely understandable.
The ship really hit the fan..
This episode shows an evolution of Picard's character from "why are there children on my bridge" to being able to manage the kids fears and welcome and appreciate them on the bridge.
I’m not sure who the kids were in this - the ones trapped in the turbolift with Picard or the two guys reacting to the episode! 😉
Why not both?
Troi wore her rank insignia in Season 1, she was a Lt. Cmdr. then as well.
Regarding ranks, Dr Crusher has Commander rank the same as Riker does. Data, Geordi and Deanna have Lieutenant-Commander. Worf is Lieutenant.
Here's a link to a picture of Dr. Beverly and her commander's pips from Season 1 Episode 3. https://startrekcostumeguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TNG-1x3-Naked-Now-combined-1-1.jpg
About the woman-giving-birth-in-a-disaster trope: Highly stressful situations can trigger early childbirth, so it's not that far off reality. My wife and I were in a dire situation when she was 7 months pregnant with our first child and she was feeling some minor labor pains. Luckily the situation was resolved quickly and and my son was born on time 2 months later.
Didn’t say it was unrealistic, I’m aware it happens irl, but regardless it is still a common tv trope. Which is fine. I’m glad everything worked out for you with your child
Yes, an instant loss of pressure would kill you before you knew what was happening. The nerve impulses telling Geordi that his finger touched the button wouldn't even have reached his brain before he died.
Damn what a visual 💀
Responding to your comment about what if TNG focused on a "big three" the way TOS did, I'd actually go with Riker, Data, and Worf. Picard's professional detachment doesn't make him a good fit for a "big three" format in my opinion. In that format, you focus on the characters working just under him, with Picard's role as "the boss" driving the plot as necessary, but not being the center of the story.
That’s a great point and now a part of me wishes that was the case
Yeah, this is a great one. It has the hallmarks of being a bit cringey with the kids but pulls up and has a number of 'true trek' moments.
Got to meet Marina Sirties at a Star Trek convention. She said she would not have been as gracious as Deana when Ro apologized for bring wrong. Instead of saying you could have been right. She would have said I'm right you're wrong na-na-na-na na.
Well, that's why I'd recruit Troi for my bridge crew, but not Sirties.
Its fan tradition that Marissa was inspired to attend Starfleet Academy and years later Admiral Picard had the honor of personally promoting her to Captain of her own starship.
That’s sweet
I feel that the Crusher/La Forge section wasn't impactful for you guys for two reasons. One, switching to their scenes was (in my opinion) something of a pallet cleanser. Their situation dire, but wholly different. Maybe "pallet cleanser" isn't the right way to describe that. But anywho... The second reason was during the final moment when they evacuated the air. The two of you were chatting away SO egregiously during Dr. Crusher's warnings of what was going to happen. That was because they couldn't really film capillaries blowing on their skin, and whatnot. So, she described the very limited time of consciousness that they would have after the air was evacuated to reach a panel at the end of the bay to be able to refill and pressurize the bay with air again. It was with that knowledge provided, that when the scene plays out, that tension is in your head. But again, y'all just were cracking up with each other over something totally non-related and completely missed it. Other than that irritant, which in my opinion, was because you were extremely chatty during this episode (don't get me wrong, your reactions and insights are what makes watching you guys experience this show so much fun, but it was seriously a bit much this time), I also would give this episode an A. I've rewatched this episode many times during the past 30yrs... It's a fun and very different episode with great moments, as you've mentioned. But crying children and simply seeing our main heroes reduced to "damage control teams" slightly reduces this for me. Still a fantastic episode. Simply not "S-tier" epic for little old me.
That medical dialogue felt so unnecessary and unnatural to me. Why say all that? To scare Geordi? Was she having an anxiety attack? My actual belief is that particular dialogue was there to fill time.
The guys in Redlettermedia own the burnt uniform Brent Spiner is wearing after getting electrocuted, they got it at an auction. Mike thinks this is one of the best episodes of the series.
He wasn't electrocuted. Electrocution is death by electric shock.
Always loved this episode when it first aired, still find it fun just for some of the pairings Also love the fact that after over 100 episodes they finally do something with Troi’s rank…
I'm with Alex - I'd be happy never to see another childbirth scene in anything. Have to look away.
Haha oh you poor babies 🤣
When Josh goes to sleep i'm going to draw explosions on his forehead.
"You know how strong you have to be to fight against the vacuum of space?" Not very. It's only one atmosphere to zero. Now, a diving bell that is highly pressurized? You aren't holding on, you're getting squashed.
This was the last episode to air during Gene Roddenberry's lifetime. He passed 5 days later on Oct. 24, 1991
R.I.P. Gene R.