prime directive Archive

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “Who Watches the Watchers”

– January 24, 2013 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“Who Watches the Watchers”
Written by Richard Manner & Hans Beimler
Directed by Robert Wierner

Season 3, Episode 4
Original air date: October 16, 1989
Star date: 43173.5

Mission summary

The Enterprise hurries to Mintaka III, where some Federation anthropologists secretly observing a proto-Vulcan race are in jeopardy. Their sooper sekrit compound blows up when the generator fails, exposing their little observation tower to the natives below–a girl named Oji and her father, Liko. The scientists and Liko are injured in the explosion, and Crusher decides to beam them onboard for medical treatment. Oji watches all this from a hiding place, wondering what the hell is going on…

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Tags: moral superiority, native americans, not everyone loves riker, picard moralizing, prime directive, religion, the picard, the prime directive: more like guidelines than actual rules, troi is useless

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “Symbiosis”

Torie Atkinson

– April 19, 2012 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“Symbiosis”
Story by Robert Lewin
Teleplay by Robert Lewin, Richard Manning, and Hans Beimler
Directed by Win Phelps

Season 1, Episode 22
Original air date: April 18, 1988
Star date: Unknown

Mission summary

This week, on a Very Special Episode of ST: TNG…

The Enterprise is investigating some unusual solar flare activity in the Delos system when they receive a distress call from an Ornaran freighter. The freighter turns out to be the galactic equivalent of a Volkswagen minibus and the occupants onboard seem awfully mellow for people whose lives are in danger. The Enterprise‘s bridge crew is dumbfounded by the Ornarans’ lack of initiative to solve their crisis or expertise about the basic ship repairs necessary to save their vessel. The freighter is going to be destroyed as a result of sheer incompetence. The Enterprise beams them over to save their lives, but the Ornarans beam over their cargo first. By the time Yar can lock onto the passengers, only four of the six made it: two died because their cargo got priority. Harsh, dude.

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Tags: drugs are bad, incoherent morality play, just say no, picard moralizing, prime directive, science!, very special episode, wesley needs to get out more, winners don't use drugs, yar moralizing

Star Trek Animated Series Re-Watch: “Bem”

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– July 26, 2011 8:00 amPosted in: Animated Series Re-Watch

“Bem”
Written by David Gerrold
Directed by Bill Reed

Season 2, Episode 2
Production episode: 22018
Original air date: September 14, 1974
Star date: 7403.6

Mission summary

Enterprise is hosting a very special guest: Ari bn Bem, a representative for the Federation’s new friends, the Pandronians. He’s there to observe the crew, but he seems fairly disinterested in their mission of exploration until they arrive at Delta Theta III to investigate reports of aboriginal life.

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