Weekend Trek “Manhunt”

Lwaxana Troi…a character that keeps appearing over and over, perhaps because she was played by the creator’s wife. Regardless of how fans may feel about her, it’s not like Jimmy and Tom to skip an episode. So, here we are with her again.

“Manhunt”

Lwaxana Troi returns with her sights set directly at Captain Picard!

jimmy: The one where Data takes 5 minutes to change into a 3 piece suit for no reason while no holodeck characters bat an eyelash at what Riker is wearing.

tomk: Oh, let Data have his fun.

jimmy: Couldn’t they have just messaged him with the communicator?

tomk: He’s hiding.

Do you have something against Picard doing his damnedest to avoid Lwaxana Troi?

jimmy: I can’t blame him at all. Though I don’t know why that means Riker had to go to the holodeck to talk to him.

And we get another case of unauthorized personnel having full access to the computer.

tomk: You mean a Federation ambassador?

jimmy: Maybe that one is ok then.

tomk: I think a better question is who in their right mind made Lwaxana Troi an ambassador.

jimmy: Probably one of the bluegills before they got discovered.

tomk: That makes a lot of sense.

When Lwaxana first appeared on DS9 as a Betazoid ambassador who decided to romance Odo, I kept asking who made her an ambassador since she doesn’t seem to be the slightest bit diplomatic. And now…well, I still don’t know. But at least I saw the episode where we found out it happened.

jimmy: At least her horny brain cleared long enough to stop Mick Fleetwood from blowing up the convention.

tomk: You know, I’m not a fan of the Lwaxana Troi character. She always feels like she belongs on a completely different show, and she’s often very obnoxious. But this episode wasn’t that bad. It had a good through plot, the pacing worked, we saw more of Wesley’s Space Racism, and it was even a little amusing when Picard called Data for help at dinner.

jimmy: And of course, Data had no idea what was going on.

tomk: Would it have been funnier if he did?

jimmy: No.

tomk: Well, I guess you’re right.

jimmy: I had a 50/50 shot.

tomk: Well, you get a cookie. And the Moose will bang the gong for you.

jimmy: That would be a nice change.

tomk: The cookie or the gong?

jimmy: The who’s doing what.

tomk: Usually you hit the gong when the Moose gets a cookie?

I now feel bad for the Ms. who gets neither gong nor cookie.

jimmy: That you know of.

tomk: Ah.

In that case, have another cookie.

jimmy: Better than whatever Mick the fish and his pal were eating.

tomk: Smaller fish.

jimmy: I wasn’t sure why Worf attempted to scoop some up for them…

tomk: He thought them handsome.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Troi did nothing but lob insults before she proved they were assassins. How diplomatic.

I likewise don’t understand why Wesley popped the lid on that tank of small fish as soon as he got up there.

jimmy: I was hoping they were a bunch of fish eggs like in The Mandalorian.

tomk: You thought that was their internship program or something?

jimmy: I just thought it would have been a funny coincidence as they had similar containers. And both were fish people.

tomk: Weren’t they frogs on The Mandalorian?

jimmy: Oh…right. Nevermind.

tomk: Eh, have a brownie for trying.

jimmy: Delicious.

tomk: The fish man who shares Watson’s office made ‘em.

jimmy: Uh…maybe I’ll pass. This time.

tomk: Cookies are for right answers. Brownies for near misses.

And the Moose can trade gold stars for holodeck time.

jimmy: Hopefully he makes better use of it than this Dixon Hill adventure. Which worked as a “Picard is just hiding away”, but had no real significance of its own.

tomk: Other than showing Lwaxana can’t recognize a holographic man when she sees one.

jimmy: She found it very erotic that she couldn’t read his mind.

tomk: Once again, why is this woman an ambassador?

jimmy: She’s the best Betazed has to offer?

tomk: I hope it’s not because she was the most stable person on Betazed.

Then again, maybe this was Betazed’s plan to get her to go away.

jimmy: That seems more likely.

tomk: And she can take Mr. Homn and his gong with her.

jimmy: Especially during “mating season”.

tomk: Riker sure looked pleased to learn that bit about the sex drive in Betazoid women. He was smiling for that entire meeting.

jimmy: Especially after the “or more”.

tomk: Troi didn’t want to frighten him. How well does she even know Riker?

jimmy: I don’t think we really know based on TV canon. We know they dated and both still have feelings for the other, but rarely act on them except in jealously when the other finds someone.

tomk: You answered a joke question with a serious response.

jimmy: That’s how you get a glass of milk to wash down those tasty baked goods.

tomk: Ok, you can have the milk, too.

jimmy: Nice.

Mother Troi’s picking out her daughter’s ex to marry seems a little uncool.

tomk: Not as uncool as considering Wesley for about a minute.

jimmy: Ugh…yeah…why did you have to remind me of that?

tomk: Because he was being a Space Racist.

jimmy: He told Worf he was handsome…for a Klingon.

tomk: Wes should learn to keep his big mouth shut, or in thirty years, he’ll be his generation’s Lwaxana Troi.

jimmy: But he’s special.

tomk: Especially Space Racist, yes.

jimmy: Lol, nicely done.

tomk: The Traveler will be very disappointed in that kid eventually.

jimmy: She also kind of hit on Worf, but she’s not into Klingons.

tomk: Or fish people. She’s a bigger Space Racist. But get her a hologram that looks vaguely like Jorah Mormont, and she’s like melted butter.

jimmy: Your comment had me wondering if it was Iain Glen. Surely I would have recognized him.

tomk: It wasn’t. He just reminded me of him.

jimmy: You forgot the “And don’t call me Shirley.”

tomk: D’oh!

jimmy: Was it cruel for Picard not to tell her what Rex was right away?

tomk: He tried. She wouldn’t listen.

jimmy: But after that he said to let her have her fun or something like that.

tomk: It kept her out of his lack of hair.

jimmy: No small task.

tomk: He should have tried the holodeck sooner.

jimmy: Like, beamed her straight there.

tomk: With a holographic version of himself if necessary.

jimmy: Sure. Why not. Let her have her fun.

tomk: Do you think Riker would approve of his near mother-in-law being treated that way?

jimmy: Riker? Yes. Troi…maybe?

tomk: I dunno. Riker is about consent. Holograms can’t give it unless we’re talking Moriarity and certain medical holograms.

jimmy: What about harp girls?

tomk: Those are for looking at.

jimmy: Wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more.

tomk: He has his own claims.

jimmy: That was just clips from the last episode when they asked Riker to be a clone donor.

tomk: Really? Why does he only have a beard in some of those clips?

jimmy: I blame bad late 80’s CGI.

tomk: You always do.

jimmy:

tomk: Those effects are practical!

jimmy: Are they? Or are they bad 80’s CGI?

tomk: No, those are practical.

I mean, look at these great CGI effects from Flash Gordon. That movie was ahead of its time.

jimmy: Haha, well done.

tomk: Regardless, Mama Troi does seem to think she can just pick out a man like she’s shopping for groceries.

jimmy: Maybe things are different on Betazed.

tomk: Like making rude people diplomats?

jimmy: Maybe there’s something to your “make her a diplomat so she leaves the planet” theory.

tomk: You may be right about my being right.

jimmy:

tomk: In Britain, they call cookies “biscuits”.

jimmy: I see.

I just call them delicious.

tomk:

jimmy: Never gets old.

tomk: You and Worf have a lot in common. Wes thinks you are both handsome for a Klingon.

jimmy: …I’ll take it.

tomk: I think you could be Riker-level handsome.

jimmy:

tomk: Well, all things being equal, Mama Troi came and went again, leaving a trail of embarrassed crew members in her wake once again.

jimmy: Even Riker?

tomk: Riker is incapable of shame, so no.

jimmy: Judges?

They’ll accept, but were expecting: “Especially Riker. But especially Troi.”

tomk: Normally I would have gone with that, but Riker is incapable of shame.

jimmy: Troi on the other hand…

tomk: Oh, Troi feels enough embarrassment for eight people.

jimmy: Seems to be her only real purpose in episodes that her mother shows up in.

tomk: That’s the default for anyone forced to spend time with Lwaxana Troi. Then again, as I have said before, it always feels like Mama Troi comes from a completely different show.

jimmy: Just a bit of comic relief. The crew was pretty stressed from dealing with those Irish stereotypes.

tomk: And the Pakleds.

The Borg.

Klingon exchange programs.

Extra Picards.

Bruce Maddox.

And Data delivering eulogies where to know the dead man was to love him and to love him was to know him.

jimmy: Man, season 2 has been…something.

tomk: Look, Jimmy, we need to go forward, not backward. Upward, not forward. And be twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom.

jimmy: Lol

Shall we twirl ourselves forward then?

tomk: Had enough, eh?

You probably want something involving Worf now.

jimmy: Well, not much happened outside of Mamma Troi trying to find a man and Picard trying to get as far away as possible. We had cut scenes to the fish guys that were in stasis 90% of the episode, and their reveal as assassins come completely out of nowhere.

tomk: Well, in that case, I guess we can move on to something involving Worf.

jimmy: Delicious.