I think it was worth putting the effort into the Ferengi precisely because they ARE such a mistake, but it's a mistake that actually undermines some of Trek's central premises. It's supposed to be this progressive, inclusionary, broadminded series, but then it goes and creates this group of characters who we're openly…

I agree that serialization isn't inherently great, and that a lot of shows take it too seriously to the detriment of individual episodes. But one of the downsides of old-school, rigidly episodic TV is that it can be hard to engage with it when you know that nothing that happens is going to matter. There'll either be a…

I really think that it should have happened when he was a solid, since that would have justified that whole plot thread. As it is it seems kind of random and pointless.

Then the question becomes: why the hell do the FOUNDERS have the same muddy-faced look as Odo, when we know they *can* take on whatever form they choose?

And it's not even an actual holodeck malfunction in "Our Man Bashir", it's more like an "everything else malfunction".

The protagonists in these kinds of movies are always meant to stand in for the audience, so in that sense the movies are trying to show you metaphorically how to "wake up".

Even the more straightforward slabs of exposition in The Matrix are handled very well, precisely because the movie is so well-structured. The whole first act is meant to bewilder you; most relatively intelligent people at least had an inkling about what was going on, but you don't understand the exact rules, who the…

You're entitled to your opinion, but I think the Dark City vs. Matrix thing is a rare example of the popular, mainstream hit movie being better than the cult flop that covers the same territory. Thematically, and in terms of ideas, the Matrix blasts through most of what Dark City is doing in the first twenty minutes…

Yeah, I'd always assumed he was actually mentally impaired in some way. I'm kind of surprised people think there's more leeway for him to have just been slow, honestly. "Not being able to tell a dog from a cat" seems pretty major.

If we're going to fanwank it, let's just pretend that she wants to put the onus on him to ask her out to prove that he *really* likes her and has the lobes to do so. I can easily see that kind of thing happening in real life, actually—"I like you, but if you can't work up the nerve to talk to me, I'm not going to…

It's funny, because TNG mentioned the Breen a few times and I always thought, "Hey, "Breen", that sounds kind of cool and alien. I'd really like to see them on the show, even though they'd probably just end up being guys with weird noses." Imagine my delight when they end up getting fleshed out on DS9 and are actually…

Even WoK may have been engaging in some retcon, since it came out in, what, 1980? 82? They were probably reluctant to claim genetic overloards ruling the world in a decade's time.

Trek's resistance to genetic engineering is blinkered (and a bit un-Trek like, actually) but they are coming from a future where genetic supermen were their superiors, briefly. It's not like they were just knee-jerk luddites.

Someone in this thread needs to come up with a list of good Voyager episodes to spare everyone a slog through all the lame ones.

Maybe you could try reviewing the first season, Zack, and if it's not leading to anything productive you could stop? Or hand it off to someone else?

That's a perfect example of how this kind of storytelling actually works better on a pre-Sopranos, pre-Lost show like this one. On a modern show that twist would probably have been carefully set up weeks in advance, if not an entire season beforehand, and the writers would have been dropping hints left and right.…

Actually there isn't a HUGE TWIST to be spoiled, but there is definitely at least one episode that seems to continue the theme here (and it's one of the show's best). You're *probably* OK as long as no one decides to be an asshole about it.

OK, seriously, this complaint about "IT'S SO UNREALISTIC THAT PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THEIR CITY COUNCILWOMAN ERMIGEEEEEERD" has to stop. This is Comic Book Guy-level missing the point/nitpicking. THE WHOLE FUCKING PREMISE OF THE SHOW is that stupid, trivial local politics keep getting blown up to ludicrous satirical…

I was kind of nodding along with this thread, but somewhere along the line it got its head jammed up its own ass.

You Got Served! Silver Linings Playbook, sorta!