Weekend Trek “Clues”

So, after a bit of unexpected time off, that just means Jimmy and Tom had time to finish off a couple Next Generation chats in advance.  So, what’s up first?  Some classic appearance by a memorable Trek villain like the Borg?  More of the Klingon civil unrest?  That blob thing or the sex ghost that Dr. Crusher hooks up with?  Nah!  We got a mystery with a lot of…clues.

Yes, the episode is simply titled “Clues”.

“Clues”

Picard wants answers after most of the crew wakes up from a black-out event, particularly since Data seems to be hiding something.

jimmy:  I’m not sure this second attempt is going to go any better than the first seeing that Picard almost tripped Data up 10 seconds into it with one of the most obvious scenarios that should have been covered.

tomk:  You ask that like that was the second attempt.

jimmy:  Whatever attempt it was, Data and the guys made of green light who for some reason needed an M class planet where not very good at covering things up. Even in this case, all the clues are still probably there. Hopefully they at least switched out the moss in Crusher’s experiment.

tomk:  Those green light guys were conscientious enough to change Troi out if her pajamas before she went out to argue with Data.

Because “conscientious” is the nice way to describe aliens that take over Troi’s mind and then make her change clothes.

jimmy:  They’ll blow up your ship for stumbling on their planet but they’re not animals.

tomk:  Usually they just mindwipe everyone.

The Pakleds have found that planet 18 times.

jimmy:  They’re smart.

tomk:  It’s why they are the main villains on Lower Decks.

jimmy:  I wouldn’t know.

tomk:  You might. You’re smart.

jimmy:  I am?  I am!

tomk:  You are. You get to go on the Away Team now to New Vegas.

jimmy:  Hopefully that’s not the New Vegas from Fallout.

tomk:  No, this is a different one. This one has blackjack and hookers and no hockey.

And a Spider-Man themed casino.

jimmy:  You had me at casino.

tomk:  The last word got you?

jimmy:  I’m a tough crowd.

tomk:  You’re a crowd?

How many of those green light aliens are inside you right now, Jimmy?

jimmy:  A lot.

tomk:  Is time spent with Watson why they hate strangers in the future?

jimmy:  Yes. They visited Earth and were here 6 minutes.

tomk:  No wonder they hate all outsiders.

jimmy:  And maybe they need a better tactic, like a giant “Planet is Closed” sign.  I’m sure Data won’t be the only being that will come along that their Stunhole doesn’t work on.

tomk:  What?  Like a Borg cube or something from the android planet from Star Trek Picard or just some planet full of Watsons?

jimmy:  All of the above.

tomk:  Huh. I guess those guys didn’t think of that.

jimmy:  Maybe it’s one of those things we shouldn’t think about too much.

tomk:  No one wants to think about a planet of Watsons.

jimmy:  A plant with a Watson is bad enough.

tomk:  Like a Watson Tree?

jimmy:  Stupid typo. Planet. Though a Watson Tree would be bad too.

tomk:  Sounds more like a weed. Or one of Beverly’s spores, molds, and fungi.

jimmy:  Growing and spreading out of control in 24 hours.

tomk:  Not like Geordi’s beard.

jimmy:  Yeah, did Data run around the whole ship shaving people?

I guess if they knew they were going to be stunned, they could just shave themselves.  But what an odd command coming from Picard to the whole crew.

tomk:  It’s that or blow the ship up.

jimmy:  Well, when you put it that way…

tomk:  There are not a lot of options for Picard.

jimmy:  So if Picard orders Data to not tell anyone the truth, including Memory Wiped Picard, but then Memory Wiped Picard orders him to tell him the truth, Data can ignore that order?

tomk:  Yes.

jimmy:  Makes sense.

tomk:  And if she weighs as much as a duck, she’s made out of wood and is therefore a witch.

jimmy:  Are you talking about Possessed Troi now?

tomk:  I’m not talking about Janeway.

jimmy:  We can talk about her on the Voyager rewatch.

tomk:  Are we doing one?

jimmy:  Probably not. So we’ll stick with Troi.

tomk:  When she’s strong enough to break Klingon bones?

jimmy:  Getting possessed by green energy entities greatly enhances your strength. Everyone knows that.

tomk:  Jimmy, there are worse energies than green.

https://youtu.be/Tu9_C90lTfA

jimmy:  I got no Power Rangers dukes.

tomk:  Me neither, but I know about the dangers of pink energy.

jimmy:

tomk:  See?  Flanders learned the hard way.

jimmy:  His shirt is pink!

tomk:  Shirts are not energy.

jimmy:  It used to be white!

tomk:  That was Homer.

jimmy:  And a lucky red hat.

tomk:  Picard should get one of those to go with his blue gun.

jimmy:  A lucky red hat or a pink shirt?

tomk:  A red hat would cover his bald head and match his uniform.

And then he could borrow Data’s Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat and look for…clues.

jimmy:  Clues eh?  A little foreshadowing with the Dixon Hill cold open I guess?

tomk:  Guinan got to borrow the blue gun.

jimmy:  And not appear again after.

tomk:  She was looking for her own clues.

jimmy:  Knowing Guinan she figured it out from the beginning and just let them follow the clues on their own.

tomk:  She is a good listener.

jimmy:  Seemed like a bit of a waste for your biggest guest star.

tomk:  Yeah. I mean, it was neat that Harrison Ford voiced the green light aliens.

jimmy:  He’s grumpy enough to.

tomk:  Well, yes. And as Indiana Jones, he took a lot of time looking out for…clues.

jimmy:  Nice.

tomk:  I do what I can. It’s not like we have much to talk about aside from how maybe Riker didn’t help much here.

jimmy:  Much or at all?

tomk:  Well, Troi had headaches. Worf had his arm. Crusher had her mold. Geordi found tampering with the computer. Guinan solved the whole thing over lunch. O’Brien did stuff with the transporter. The Night Crew stayed out of everyone’s way with a hangover. Picard gathered the clues and led the investigation. Data acted suspiciously. Riker…went off to practice playing the bone, I guess.

jimmy:  Riker probably figures he might have done something inappropriate and engineered the one day memory loss himself.

tomk:  Maybe something he wanted to forget…like hitting on the same woman Geordi was in Ten-Forward and watching her leave with him.

jimmy:  Unlikely, but could be that. I mean, who’s leaving with Geordi over Riker?

tomk:  That ensign who spilled hot chocolate on Picard?

jimmy:  Riker got her transferred after like 3 episodes.

tomk:  Must be how she later made Captain.

jimmy:  That popped up in my news feed the other day.

tomk:  I can confirm.

Unlike Data.

jimmy:  He could neither confirm nor deny.

tomk:  Well, I can neither confirm nor deny that Picard may go back to Angry Planet a few more times.

jimmy:  I can confirm that I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

tomk:  Well, would you like to confirm maybe some alien lifeforms?

jimmy:  Sounds like something we should do.

tomk:  Like, maybe see if Picard can do better with first contact with some other aliens?

jimmy:  Hopefully a race that doesn’t immediately want to kill you.

tomk:  No, they might only want to do that as a secondary idea if Riker gets involved.

jimmy:  Oh that Riker.

tomk:  Ready to see how Riker might screw it up again?

jimmy:  Ready.

tomk:  Engage!

Next:  “First Contact”