UNCUT - Hero Worship (TNG S5E11) | Star Trek Journey 218

I enjoyed this WAY more on rewatch with you guys than I have previously. The direction really jumps out. The kid is actually "good" (not great) and it's just a good human story with a B-plot that ties in well and makes sense (plus technobabble)

I agree that Geordi's scene was nice to see. But I also have to say, I also like Geordi as a dorky science nerd. Not saying it's because I find that relatable but... I find that relatable.

It’s interesting that Timothy said the aliens were wearing helmets and they were discussing the Breen. 🤔

I’m only re-watching this episode for your reaction. D for me.

Yeah I'm convincd that if they can give this such high Marks and hate an episode like Darmok, they are gonna like NUtrek

Yeah after a rewatch i still think this is a snoozer of an episode, the kid was better than i remember, i just didnt care

surprised they liked this considering the kids wearing Wesley's sweater

1:00:58 there are stories that make you feel things and are scientific and yet do not involve trauma. Stories that invoke the sense of wonder and awestruck at the universe and the adventure in exploration of the frontier…thats peak star trek for many of us.

@44:53 jesus guys wtf…not this again🤦‍♂️. Americans have become so weirdly obsessed with pedo paranoia and just generally seem to work it into culture and conversations like 10x more than 15 years ago.

I love the casual use of "Dorf" in these discussions.

I was definitely surprised by that A+ given you guys have been tough on kid episodes in the past. Then again, the first kids' episode was that one from Season 1, which wasn't good at all.

This episode was being filmed on the day that Gene Roddenberry had died of heart failure at the age of 70, which was on October 24th of 1991. Rick Berman's wife, Elizabeth, was at a library when she ran into Leonard Nimoy's wife, Susan Bay, and Susan told Elizabeth about what happened and then Elizabeth told Rick, and that's when Rick came down to the set and told Patrick Stewart first in his trailer, and then they told the rest of the cast on set about what happened. Sad, but eerie, fact, but Jeri Taylor also died that same day, 33 years later, last year.

I know it was a joke, but with the Kirk trial, it wouldn't have affected anything as Kirk would have been an authorized user and would have legitimately been able to use the jettison button.

Going through the show again I'm noticing how much they gave Troi to do this season. Not all of it good, but a lot of it is. I would agree however that it was very unwise to let the kid pretend to be an android. I'd give this one a B or B-. The child actor wasn't bad, but not great either, but it's a Data heavy episode which always helps. A lot of similarities to The Bonding, but perhaps not as well executed in some ways.

I believe Gene Roddenberry died during the filming of this episode.

I see a lot of people ragging on the kids. But what about the teachers? They’re so judgy. In this ep and last. Too much side eye. You’d think they didn’t like children. Or didn’t understand them. Surely they know all kids aren’t perfectly happy little geniuses.

I imagine that Geordi is used to Data abruptly asking him deep questions 😉

Not sure how I rated this and not really concerned enough to go back and look. But I feel like it's better than I remembered it being on the rewatch with you guys.

This is better than the last one, and at least he is pleasant. In retrospect, the adding of live-in kids was a horrible mistake for the show, and even in narrative never made sense. They intentionally put kids in danger with a thinking that mirrors no thinking in real life. Anyone that has a kid would not subject them to the risks of living on a battleship just to make themselves feel better while they pursue their career. They needed to do a story where the Ent gets blown up, 300 kids die needlessly, and then someone calls them all idiots and rescinds that policy for the next ship.

I love that this really shows is that "on the enterprise, no one is alone" line from Picard in The Bonding. Buuuut... TNG kid episodes > TOS kid episodes Qpid > any kids episode Man, I remember seeing this as a kid, probably reall close to his age, and thinking he was a crappy actor. Tbh, he's really not that bad at all as far as kid actors go. He should tutor Dorf. Also, you can see that Stewart's grown as a director here with some interesting shots in this one too. Though I don't get why data is using two hairbrushes at a time. The first time I saw this when it aired and I was a dumb kid, it was a C episode to me. Now that I'm a dumb adult, it's an A episode.

A fun thing I realized upon this rewatch is, the harmonic amplification effect is a metaphor for Data and Timothy.

Season 5 goes a little overboard with the kid-focused shows.

It’s a B.

I enjoyed this episode more than I thought I would. It’s pretty slight but always enjoyed it as a kid. Kid was better than I thought as well.

I rated this one C tier in the poll based off my memory of it, but after this watch along I appreciate a lot of aspects of the ep I hadn't previously noticed. It's a B+ or A- now, based on the solid direction and performances. Good reaction, fellas. Thanks.

Regarding the trauma episodes... I have a doozy of one to talk about later, lemme tell ya.

Not sure if you guys have worked much time if at all in retail, but my experiences have told me that yes, sometimes the obvious spelling-outs ARE needed. 5 signs pointing out the Self-Checkouts can't take cash, and yet without fail everyday, someone tries. Still better than the modern trend of repeating plot points and explanations 5 minutes later for goobers on their phones throughout the show. Now THAT is annoying.

This is one of my main disliked episodes mainly for the kid they cast who is beyond awful

This episode is the epitome of one that I forget exists, enjoy it while watching it and then forget it exists again shortly thereafter. It might just be that this part of s5 is just so.. middling? Thankfully, there are some bangers in the latter half of the season.

As I’m watching you debate the ratings, here’s my thought. I’m not advocating that you do this. I’m just contemplating perhaps a more objective way of rating these. Scrap the tier system. How well did the episode explore its subject matter and theme? Interest-wise, I could watch this once before wanting to move to something else. That’s purely because the subject matter doesn’t fascinate me as much. It should not affect my estimation of the quality of the episode, though.

My biggest issue here is with Troi. She's doing fine for the most part, but the unfortunate reality is her abilities are just a stumbling block that writers have to work around, and here it's like... The kid is lying, and she just... cna't figure it out. For some reason. Him being emotional is a cop out, she deals with people who are emotional all the time. That's her fucking POWER. So that part is ridiculous. The other thing that is absolutely dated to the time is the new-age pseudo-psychology of "Let the person explore their delusional state." That is absolutely *not* a healthy way to deal. More often than not, most people do not come back out of those states without help and being made to confront reality. Yes, it hurts. The hurt is part of the process of healing, though. You have to feel your emotions to be able to get passed them and into the next stage. Especially in a child, it can lead to a corrosive form of social dysfunction. Imagine the kids at school, for example, when confronted with Timothy acting like a dork. Kids are going to make fun of him for that, which is going to cause him to be more a-social. Which is going to feed the delusion. Which is going to lead to even more reclusivness. It's just not a good place for Troi to start. Strongest aspects of the episode are definitely the four main scenes with Data and Timothy. The kid does a servicable job, I wager he struggled with the moments where heavy emotion is required, but Staewart's direction does a good job of leaning on the adults in those scenes to keep the pressure off the kid.

Jonathan Frakes has said in at least 1 interview I've seen that all of the directors, especially him and Stewart, loved it when they got a Data episode to direct because they were generally so rich and easy thanks to Brent Spiner.

Probably poorly placed in the season, directly after New Ground, but I don’t mind this one, it’s kinda charming B or C nothing too offensive but nothing stand out.

I enjoy lots of individual scenes in this episode, but the overall affect is still a little so-what for me.

The kid that played Timothy had just got done on a hit drama series when they made this. When they wanted to do a reunion movie for that show five years later this kid was no longer working as an actor so they cast the kid from Future Imperfect to replace him.

Well, that was anice way to spend my Sunday morning.

But he was lying, and she didn't sense it. The writing of Troi was rather poor in this episode. Encouraging Timothy to bury his emotions though his "android persona" is not something a psychologist would encourage.

It's a B episode for sure imo

The palette an artist uses is called an artist’s palette. Or a paint palette. Usually just a palette.

Star Trek has a weirdly strong tendency of characters to get close with orphans through some kind of Bonding...

Pretty mid, c+ because it featured data

My vote for most improved character this season: Deanna Troi. Most under used characters this season: tie between Geordi and Beverly, with honorable mention to Will Ryker.