UNCUT - Force of Nature (TNG S7E9) | Star Trek Journey 294

If Josh and Alex think this was too on the nose and too direct in its messaging…well you better brace yourselves for some sanctuary cities and racial discrimination stuff coming up in DS9 that is very very on the nose.

There is a certain depressing irony in the amount of people here who trash the episode for being too heavy handed with the messaging AND clearly dont accept that climate change is real…..yet here we are over 30 years later and we suffering the effects of climate change. There is currently a severe weather warning where I am in my city due to smoke from far away wildfires ….

I am honestly floored at the reaction of the guys and this comment section. Sure it was definitely a weaker episode, mediocre overall , could have had some shots of the Flemming or even their crew being transported over to add some tension etc. But wtf people ? Yes it’s a pro environmental message about the dangers of climate change..this is Star Trek. Did you all not watch the save the whales movie ???

Note: Ron Moore thought the warp 5 thing was ridiculous

This is definitely an E. It should be erased from canon (not as much as Up the Long Ladder, that one is E minor). I don’t recall the phrase Global Warming was used commonly yet. But we did have a nationwide speed limit of 55 which was awful. Not as much if you lived in an urban area - it made sense there. But in the west where there are hours of long drives on empty highways it was ridiculous. This was a virtue lecture episode. In my mind starfleet tried it for a month and said “nah this doesn’t work, screw it”

E-gregious!!! The intergalactic speed limit episode...

I liked it at the time but that was before I learned to drive and I realised that a load of unproven mathematical modelling was trying to get me out of my classic car collection. The problem is, the moody sister demonstrates the modelling is correct so they change their behaviour. You can’t do that on Earth - if anything happens, it’s gradual, and then you have to convince people it’s dangerous, caused by mankind, and that mankind can change enough to stop it, how much we have to change, convince other nations to change, put a price on it, and get politicians and the global elite to ensure it isn’t another “it’s good enough for thee, but not for me” hipocrisy. So, it sounded pious and forced at the time and has aged terribly. They could have livened it up though and had a crack in the bridge with an ensign sucked out into space or get a glimpse of the ship they’re rescuing. Instead it was boring scenes with that dirty cat, tuning sensors, and Ferengi ship with one crew member. Plot hole - how can they be members of the Federation and have a new weapon that can take out Federation and Ferengi ships for days with a single shot? Wouldn’t it be better to arm the ship with those instead of photo torpedos if it that’s effective.

Love your take guys. So glad I subbed!

Kurtzman Trek

I liked this episode, but yeah... it lacked a little subtlety. The way a sledgehammer lacks subtlety. Star Trek just... does this from time-to-time. There have been other unsubtle episodes in the past and there will be other unsubtle episodes in the future. Keep in mind that sometimes direction would come down from on high (from the Network itself on which the show was broadcast) that "you must address this problem or this issue in an episode of your series." I suspect that they may have been instructed to include a climate change episode. There are other episodes that deal with other issues according to instructions from the network. And you can nearly always tell them because they are usually required to make it virtually impossible for people to fail to make the connection.

the scenes mit data/geordie/spot was added afterwards because the episode was to short // production and director not like this episode. // I saw this episode maybe 30 times and I never thought hat they talked about climate change, but I saw this with 14 at the first time and I take the stories very literally, not metaphorically. I don't love this episode, but I don't hate it. you normally say that you don't care about what they try to say. but in this episode is that you criticized it most for?

'E'? HOW DARE YOU

I think here in the 7th season, they started looking in the back of desk drawers or file cabinets for unused scripts.

Definite E episode in my opinion.

Other than the warp speed limit, I forgot every single detail about this episode.

I can never remember what this episode is from the title. It basically makes zero impression on me.

I was debating or not if this would be the first TA reaction I don't watch because I just really dislike this episode so much. Still haven't watched. Do I keep it this way? 😂

No S tier? 🤣🤣

I warned you back when Spot first appeared that Data's cat was the black hole of continuity. Yes, Spot was male originally.

This is a terrible episode, but you guys loved Melora and it's the same exact cringe.

This episode is terrible. It's stated verbally in the episode that the reason they were disabling ships was to make people listen because if a rift opened up in the corridor, it would destabilise the environment on their planet. So what does she do to prove herself correct? deliberately cause a rift to open, singlehandedly becoming the cause for the climate change on her planet. She is easily the thing I find most annoying about this episode, how much of self entitled asshat she is. But the whole episode sucks.

Well at least the effects looked decent in this one even if the story was shit.

Your bad reactions are always the most entertaining!

Folks, climate change wasn't even a thing in 1993 that anyone was talking about. This was loosely based on the ozone hole problem, which was definitely real, which was addressed with bans on CFCs, and which has actually turned into a pretty uplifting success story of how we can collectively make positive change by sharing a fundamental understanding of reality. This episode still sucks, but let's not lose perspective.

Same reaction as y'all...

I agree that this is an E for sure. However, to defend the message, when this was written and aired, most people didn't believe in climate change or global warming as it was called then. It seems preachy now, but I think the intention was to bring awareness. Still it was terrible.

I literally fell asleep and woke up for the conclusion. I will not go back to watch it again. Solid E.

This episode is the definition of ERASED from canon. What a boring, nonsensical, preachy, horseshit episode that if continually acknowledged would really screw up the future of star trek and warp drive. I think even the writers erased this from their personal canon. Feels more like contemporary crap trek (without all the emotional trauma and contemporary gen z speak) than classic TNG. Also this episode was shit even back in the 90s no one has ever liked this one.

I was dreading watching this episode again so thanks for that preview image so I don’t have to.

"Ode To Spot" was better than this shit

I never had this episode on my radar (because i keep forgetting it exist tbh), but now after rewatching it with you, I think it is in the top 5 of the worst TNG-episodes for me.

"Fuck this shit! Get rid of it!" lmao

This has been the first time I watched this episode in 30 years. At the time I remember having a brief two minute conversation with a friend who said it was interesting to think about the effects of warp on the fabric of space, so in my head I always thought this was gonna be a good episode. In reality, I wanted to chew my arm off like a rat in a trap to get away from it and that was after only 5 minutes. It didn't improve after that.

DATA: "We no longer have sufficient momentum to escape." Oh NO! Our crew is in DANGERRR!!!! Just 40 seconds later Geordi already has the solution that will get them out of danger. And what follows is the most cliche camera-shaking bridge sequence I've ever seen. What was the point of all of this? It wasn't exciting in any way. This was pointless, meaningless fluff that only exists to reach the 45 minute mark.

You guys have to keep in mind that back in the 90s this episode sucked then too.

I like Spot. That is all.

This was 1993 very early and the fact that we have people in charge disregarding science and scientists today in 2025 and saying that climate change is a political hoax tells me maybe the episode was'nt on the nose enough

definity not a highlight of the season. I think the boys won't like this as they arent big on technobable focused eps,

And, yet, this episode gave us DayJobOrchestra's "Happy in Paraguay". Look it up. You're welcome.

Aside from the obvious audio issue halfway through, has the audio in general gotten quieter again? A while ago I requested you boost the volume a bit and you did, and I was quite enjoying that, but it seems to be quiet again.

On the next episode, climate activists glue their hands to the warp core and throw cans of soup on Data’s paintings. 😂😩

By all accounts I've heard, it's rare that a TV writer gets "regular private jet travel" rich. Maybe the big name, studio backed, multi-successful showrun ones, but not staff writers, especially relatively fresh on the scene. The number kf commentaries I've heard that reminiced about dated, mouldy, tiny offices, driving to work in beaters abd contractual obligations, I don't think "TV writer" is as consistently lucrative as people think... at least not for these Trek writers. There are other writers I absolutely believe that to be the case for, but plenty I don't.

I didn’t write a patron take, but thankfully it sounds like people got it covered. The most E-tier episode of all E’s. I wasn’t even looking forward to watching it, so I’m SO GLAD that you guys shit all over it. The only way to make this episode any worse would be to have Al Gore guest star. 🤣

The writer thinks the audience is really stupid. So they just hammer it down. Its the same thing with modern genre stuff, where writers think there has to be some one liner millennial humor joke or explosion every few seconds or the audience will drift off to scrolling on their phones.

It's a big disjointed mess. The preachy messaging back in the '90s on social issues was very much a thing...though I don't think it got so outrageously heavy-handed that I couldn't cope until the last 10 years or so. This almost feels kind of quaint in comparison to something like She-Hulk. Where they practically look directly into the camera and scold me for having a Y chromosome.

this episode never made any sense, there have been warp capable empires for billion of years why has so little damage been seen till now? awful episode

Sometimes preachy works if it's executed extremely well. But it's one of the hardest styles to pull off. This one missed the mark completely and, if you don't pull it off, it's pure cringe.

What a ham handed way of making a climate change episode. Chuck this up with Code Of Honor. Definite E.

I hated this episode, and all that it did.

Every time messaging is put ahead of story, it sucks in a very cringy way. Every time. I don't care what the message is, if its heavy-handed or preachy,, its boring and just plain bad.

Just a note about the cold open: All three of my cats come when I call them. One of them comes when I call the other two as well 🤣😹

I immediately pissed myself laughing from the title card, could Alex have made that E any larger? This will be a fun reaction to watch😋

I kinda like it. It is one of my favorites 7th season. There is issues of course and executing is lacking but I enjoyed this episode. And being preachy is totally fine. Actually Star Trek has always been preachy. Saving the whales. Working against racism. Also Vulcans do have thing called IDIC(Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations). And every now and then Picard or Kirk makes speech about humanity, morality or something profound. And they have done for any subject what you can think. So I think it has always been socially progressive and very preachy about it. I understand there is issue how you write good story about these issues and people are likely more open for message of story.

*sees the thumbnail* Oh yeah. This is gonna be good. Lock in.

It's not even the same cat. Data just calls every orange cat Spot.

I don't like this episode, but the on the nose environmental preaching isn't even the worst part. Sister lady is dumb. The story is all over the place. We start with Geordi and Data and Spot, which turns into Georgi trying to beat USS Intrepid guy on optimizing the engines, then turns into a rescue mission, then Ferengi show up, then warp engine nonsense.... It's a mess. This episode feels like they had a bunch of plot points on cards, threw some on a table and tried to connect them all into an episode.

Man, i am so glad that they put the Message before the Story. Such a great Concept! I hope the Shows in the Future will follow this amazing Technique! -Ironie off-

the episode screenshot is hilarious

"Do you support Shankar?"

I don’t think it would have been better if to make it about another planet. The only commendable factor about this episode is that they made it something that our main cast was doing wrong. It wasn’t “look at them”, but “look at us.” I don’t feel the hate that others feel about this episode. There were tons of preachy and ‘very special episodes’ in the 90s. Some better than others, I suppose. I appreciate preachy over fan service. At least one starts with something to say while the other feels lazy. But yeah the execution does matter, and this one missed the mark.

I still really like Michael Corbett's voice.

Kind wild in retrospect that TNG aired in a time span of Ronald Reagan's flag waving 'Murica to patronizing Greenpeace. That felt like a bigger gap at the time.

The main problem with the "science" of this episode is that a warp-core breach is a matter-antimatter reaction. It isn't a huge overload of warp energy, which is what was stated would be necessary to actually generate a rift.

3:55 Nope, she doesn't like blind people. Especially those with odd shiny robotic visors!

I must have watched this épisode 5 or 6 times over the years and still dont remember most of it 🤡

Maybe it would have been better if the episode was all about Geordi and his friend competing against each other, maybe even Enterprise and Intrepid crossing this corridor together and they race, just for friendly competition. Their revving the warp drive causes the rift. No preachy morals. The crew comes to the conclusion themselves. Better?

Rabal "My sister is a fuckin genius. I've never met anyone smarter" His sister "what do you mean 'more research'? In the time it takes you to prove the problem is real, a subspace rift could form and destroy my world. I know, I'll create the rift myself. The only way to save my world is to destroy it." Rabal "You see? Brilliant."

In retrospect, they probably could have kept the metaphor without the episode being QUITE as abhorrent if they kept it to this one region of space.

its hard for me to evaluate season 7 objectivly because I was 12 and just getting int Trek so all the tropes were new for me. Reading on Memory Alpa, the production staff were not happy with how this turned out but the writer felt it was important to have a "message" episode where people were hesitant to believe climate change as a result of industrialization which at the time had seemed to do so much good with little drawbacks. The early 90s was definitely a time of environmental awareness being a thing (and some of those issues not really being issues) but it was when the "data was in" about climate change. The connection between the Spot stuff and the main episode was supposed to be an idea that they were both "forces of nature" but the production staff admitted it didn't really come across well.

That thumbnail is all I needed to know. Cheers, gents!

"whats the point to being in the federation?" Much more then protection, the economic and technological benefits are enormus, plus the resources if you encounter any major problems. Giving up warp drive for them is giving up a lot, especially economically

When the highlight of the episode is the camera following Geordi as he rolls his chair a few feet to the right…

Zero point to this episode in every single way. No reason, no meaning, no entertainment value, and bland insufferable guest stars It can be summed up as: Star Trek Gets a Speed Limit It sucks. E. Erase this from canon.

Also guys for the record this might be my all time favorite reaction. The shitty episodes tend to be great viewing in this context

Yeah, not the worst IMO, but pretty damned bland and not in the least bit subtle. Interesting idea about warp drive damaging space, but no nuance. The stuff with Data and Geordi is pretty great though.

Decades later this is one of a handful of episodes that sticks with me - plot aside. And it's less the mere existence of climate change - I'm not someone for whom that's controversial, so it doesn't make me pouty - but the idea of this backwater species paying the price for all these other dickhead empires (the federation included) riding high on the technological hog. That kind of haunted me and whenever I'd hear about climate displacement over the years, particularly in the global south - I'd think about this episode. So for me I wish the episode had really been about that. I think also as a hobbyist writer, I appreciate the need for this episode in correcting the handwaving of warp - this introduces some stakes and makes "Maximum warp" a little bit of an - oh shit - moment, instead of a - wait why the fuck weren't we already going that speed? - moment.

It's weird to categorize it like this, but I always think of this episode like background noise on a Sunday afternoon. Very little story or anything to focus on, just super generic sci-fi TNG.

I think the worst thing about this episode (and there are plenty of candidates) is that nothing happens for about 40% of it? At one point I was watching you guys react to Geordi and Data crawling around the ship fixing sensor clusters and you can see your faces waiting for something to happen...and then nothing happens. Bizarre episode, all things considered.

A respectable episode with a good theme about caring for the environment but unfortunately a rather thin plot that only engages about halfway through the episode. I give this one a C+.

I remembered nothing about this episode other than the 'global warming is bad' message. I spent more time scrolling through my phone than actually rewatching it during the reaction. Therefore I still remember nothing.

Terrible writing and horrible execution. Regardless of whether you agree with the messaging or not, this is not how you do it. EEEEEE-rase from canon, please.

Yeah it's an E. Whether anyone agrees with the message/metaphor or not, none of us had any idea what the episode is doing for the first half or more, and then it's just technolobabble. And wasted Data/Geordi time that could have been a lot more meaningful.

I really enjoy how the three plots don't relate to each other at all. It's like we get three episodes in one!

Just cut this down to the last 10 seconds: "It sucks, fuck you!"

Check out Nimoy’s “In Search of” episode about the coming ice age. It’s on YouTube.

Not to defend this episode, which I think is terrible, but I will say it's not the preachiness per se that bothers me. If the episode were just as preachy BUT HAD A GOOD STORY, I'd probably like it. That's what it all comes down to for me. Anyway, I stand by my comment that the episode should've been all about Spot. Just give me 45 minutes of Data, Geordi, and a cat.

I'll admit this episode definitely isn't a favorite and I agree the messaging is way too blatant, but I'd rate this more a D, maybe low C.

From the TNG Companion book, there's some stuff about why this episode ended up the way it did. Joe Menosky had tried to do an environmental themed story in season 6, which Naren Shankar revived for season 7. Shankar wrote it with a focus on Geordi, exploring his grief over his mother's death and featuring a visit from his sister. Shankar's premise was that the warp drive stuff shook Geordi's belief in the one thing in his life he feels like he can control - his engines - and led to him exploring his feelings about his mom. But Jeri Taylor and Michael Piller didn't think that story was working, so with the deadline for shooting coming up, they dropped it and filled out the episode with the stuff about Spot. Shankar said, "It wasn't one of my finer moments."

This episode's metaphors have all the subtlety of a steel chair shot to the back of the head. Nice stuff with Data and Geordi; the rest is garbage.

But did you guys get the message? Did you get it?

I think you guys jumped the gun with the thumbnail meme, this episode doesn't even make the bottom 3 of the season (although it's probably in the bottom 5)

Yeah.. This was cringeworthy in the 90's as well!

Everyone hates this episode.

I new this was going to be questionable when thy spent almost 10 minutes of screen time with Geordi and Data crawling around talking about cat training...

"I feel we're on peak Star Trek right now.." - ladies and gentlemen that's what we call a jinx

Yeah, it really should have just been an episode of data trying to train spot. At least it would have been more entertaining overall.

Here is the example of how NOT to do episodes about "issues" on Star Trek. Gotta make the analogies more vague, tackle more universal topics... Oh and also, just don't make the episode bad! As I think was suggested here many times, an outrageously bad episode is better than a boring one.

I laughed out loud so hard at that thumbnail I woke up my dogs XD

Ah a heart warming tale of a cat owner trying to train his cat. And some nonsense about warp drive 🤷‍♂️

😴

Oof. This is a rough one.

Yep, this one is a foul ball. Next.

Climate change..... IN SPACE!