Weekend Trek “Parallels”

The multiverse is all the rage these days, but it’s hardly a new concept.  And who better to explore it than series MVP Worf?

Jimmy and Tom have some thoughts.

“Parallels”

Worf finds himself sliding into alternate timelines.

jimmy:  Another of Evil Wesley’s science experiments run amok I see.

tomk:  I think it’s more like Wanda Maximoff thought Troi was a variant of her that she could take over.  But that would require making a Dr. Strange 2 reference.

jimmy:  I don’t mind MOM, but this was probably better.

tomk:  That’s because this was about Worf.

jimmy:  He would have stopped the Scarlet Witch.  Or Data would have since he’s really the one that saved the day here. Worf was mostly just along for the ride.

tomk:  Yeah, I mean, this plot could have been about anyone.  It just happened to be Worf.

jimmy:  Good point. That’s true.

tomk:  The one sort of advantage of using Worf is, of the main cast, he seems to have the least amount of scientific knowledge, so he might be the one least equipped to deal with all this.

jimmy:  What about Troi who needed quantum physics explained to her?

tomk:  Well, she’s a counselor, so she probably knows a little science.

jimmy:  Little may be the key word there.

tomk:  Psychology is a science.

jimmy:  Sure. But I doubt she took many physics courses.

tomk:  Do you think Starfleet Academy has a Phys Ed requirement?

jimmy:  Hmm. Probably. It’s basically the military, so I would think there would be some aspect of fitness required.

tomk:  Worf probably ruled the dodgeball court.

jimmy:  Depends on which parallel universe it is.

tomk:  What about the one where he was your best friend in high school?

jimmy:  That would be interesting. Am I in the future or have Klingons arrived on Earth in 1993?

tomk:  It could be just Worf in the 90s. With his flannel shirts and ankle length, high-waisted jeans.

jimmy:  That doesn’t sound very Klingon.

tomk:  It was 90s Newfoundland.

jimmy:  I don’t remember any Klingons around here.

tomk:  That’s why it was an alternate timeline.

jimmy:  Man, these parallel universes can get wacky.

tomk:  Like the one where you and Worf went to high school together in the future?

jimmy:  There are endless possibilities really.

tomk:  Like the one where the proposed Gotham High animated series was made?

Still.

jimmy:  Some are too tragic to think about.

tomk:  That’s probably the same universe where the Borg won.

jimmy:  Riker only survived by growing an even more kick ass beard.

tomk:  There are better.

jimmy:  That’s impressive.

tomk:  He’s Borg-proof.

jimmy:  We menitoned earlier that it could have been anyone in the Worf role.  Apparently this was originally conceived as a Picard episode, but they changed it to Worf as they felt Picard’s relationships wouldn’t differ enough across “near universes”.  Plus, you know, there was a bunch of them where Picard was dead.

tomk:  Those would have been awkward when Picard realized he was in a coffin.

jimmy:  Or a Borg.

tomk:  Again?

jimmy:  Still.

tomk:  Damn.

jimmy:  And if Picard died, and Riker became Captain, wouldn’t Data be First Officer?  The Worf of that universe must really be an MVP.

tomk:  He married Troi. That probably helped.

jimmy:  Helped him become First Officer?

tomk:  She gave Captain Riker this doe-eyed glance and asked him to pretty please promote Worf instead…

jimmy:  …that might have worked.

tomk:  Indeed.  And that’s probably the universe where you are the Chief Engineer.

jimmy:  The multiverse is awesome!

tomk:  It can be. Granted, you live in this universe.

jimmy:  For now.

tomk:  Jimmy, you don’t want to go to every universe. There’s at least one where this swept the Oscars:

jimmy:  Worst.  Universe. Ever.

tomk:  Worse than the one where that guy lives next door to your house and replaced the Beaver as the Moose’s disreputable friend?

jimmy:  There’s a lot of ties for worse.

tomk:  Like the one where it’s him instead of me here?

jimmy:  That would be bad.

tomk:  Just be careful in the multiverse, Jimmy. You won’t always have a Worf there to guide you.

jimmy:  Or a blue-eyed Data.

tomk:  Or a benevolent Wesley.

jimmy:  Who was originally supposed to be Tasha but they thought that was too much like Yesterday’s Enterprise.

tomk:  Well, both characters will be back before the series ends.

jimmy:  Spoilers, Tom!

tomk:  Fine.  They won’t be.

jimmy:  Spoilers, Tom!

tomk:  Both are true…in the multiverse.

jimmy:  Oh…I see what you did there!

tomk:  And in another timeline…you don’t.

jimmy:

tomk:  But this is about Worf.

jimmy:  Right. So did the other Worfs know what was happening as well?  The few we saw when all the Enterprise’s showed up were pretty chill. Even 616 Picard was all “What’s up Riker?  Yeah, our Data thought the same thing. Catch you on the flip side!”

tomk:  Even if the Worfs couldn’t figure things out, there were still plenty of smart people hanging around.

jimmy:  And Troi.

tomk:  She has…other traits.

jimmy:  Worf noticed.

tomk:  Lots of people have.

jimmy:  Also true. But now we have a budding romance that started off as a joke in the writers room.

tomk:  There are worse potential pairings.

jimmy:  There’s not a lot of potential pairings amongst the main cast.

tomk:  I meant the universe where they paired Troi with Jared Leto’s Joker.

jimmy:  Another one tied for worse.

tomk:  Like the one that paired Picard with Jared Leto’s Morbius?

jimmy:  Yes. So many.

tomk:  I mean, this one here only has people like Watson.

jimmy:  Ok, that one wins at being the worst.

tomk:  But what about the ones Worf visits?  Each one just seems to be a slight variation from the one before it.

jimmy:  Yeah, very little difference. Always funny on shows like this how everyone still all ends up on the same ship. The biggest variations were Wesley, which totally made sense and Picard being dead, which could have easily happened.

tomk:  The ship’s interior design seemed to change too.

jimmy:  Only slightly as well…but that was more budget constraints.

tomk:  Well, it was a syndicated sci-fi show.  The budget was never going to be that high.

jimmy:  But it worked. I liked the alteration to the comm badges with the bars showing their rank. Made the collar pips redundant, but still.

tomk:  The brighter version of the bridge probably anticipated JJ Abrams.

jimmy:  Bit no lens flare.

tomk:  Worf doesn’t need flare.

jimmy:  Not with that luxurious hair.

tomk:  It’s what drew Troi to him.

Also what led to that scene in Picard where Riker was a little miffed that Worf came to rescue him and Troi.

jimmy:  Because Riker is jealous of Worf’s hair.

tomk:  Why else would he grow that beard?

jimmy:  Because it’s awesome?

tomk:  Do you do everything you do because it’s awesome?

jimmy:  Well, yeah.

tomk:  It doesn’t quite work that way. If you are awesome, like Worf, everything you do automatically becomes awesome.

jimmy:  Are you saying I’m not awesome like Worf?

tomk:  Well, 1) no one is as awesome as Worf but 2) you don’t need to do things because they are awesome because they are awesome by virtue of the fact you do them.

Even when it’s just this:

jimmy:  Understood.

tomk:  The way you understand things is awesome.

jimmy:  🙂

tomk:  Not like the Jimmy from that timeline where Worf came in sixth place. He’s best friends with three Jared Leto characters and the Garbage Day Guy.

jimmy:  Are you trying to segue with all the Jared Leto references, or is he just garbage?

tomk:  No segue. I just think he’s the best sign a universe has gone wrong, like the one where he was the Batman Who Laughs.

jimmy:  That might make more sense than just the regular Joker in our universe.

tomk:  Lots of things make more sense in the multiverse. Troi could be married to all kinds of people.

jimmy:  Don’t tell Riker!

tomk:  There may be universes where she married Data, Geordi, Beverly, Wesley, O’Brien, Captain Jake, you, Thomas Riker, the Borg Queen, Gowron, Popeye, Herman Munster, John, Paul, George, Ringo, herself, and all of those people at the same time…but never Picard.

jimmy:  Poor old Picard.

tomk:  He doesn’t mind.

jimmy:  Does he marry Troi’s mother in any of them?

tomk:  Oh dear God, no!

jimmy:  Picard doesn’t mind.

tomk:  Though there may be one where he is Troi’s mother.

jimmy:  Uh…multiverse!

tomk:  Worf is lucky he never got to that one.

jimmy:  As are we.

tomk:  He did have that moment when he asked Troi to basically be Alexander’s back-up parent when Troi said the whole thing made Worf Lwaxana’s stepson.

jimmy:  It was a necessary evil.

tomk:  But despite the fact we barely see the kid, it was a nice touch that Worf realized he had to go back when he was in a world where Alexander died.

jimmy:  Died?  I just figured he never existed.

tomk:  Troi seemed to know what Worf was talking about.

jimmy:  Did she?  I never got that.

tomk:  I may have been mistaken.  The point is, there was no Alexander.

jimmy:  And two kids we never see.

tomk:  Well, Worf is such a bang-up parent already, I’m sure some half-feral, half-Klingon telepathic kids would have been just fine for the make-up department to figure out.

jimmy:  And they already spent all the budget on those paintings Data did.

tomk:  Plus the extras at Worf’s surprise party that most distinctly did not include Alexander.

jimmy:  He was visiting his grandparents, the Keatons.

tomk:  Not the Russians?

Or you finally noticed Worf’s son was on Family Ties?

jimmy:  I noticed before.

tomk:  Then you finally said something.

Very smart, saving that reveal until the final season.

You win a major award.

jimmy:  Excellent.

tomk:  Here it is:  the Silent Night, Deadly Night blu-ray box set from the universe where Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for playing the Garbage Day Guy.

jimmy:  Multiverse!

tomk:  It’s full of shenanigans.

jimmy:  And for Worf’s sake, luckily his universe was one of the ones that appeared near the anomaly.

tomk:  Yes, he only had to take an overcrowded shuttle back with him.

jimmy:  So many Worfs, so little time.

tomk:  One is fine.  You can’t have more than one MVP.

jimmy:  And “ours” was the only one to actually win the tournament.

tomk:  Yes, but his trip did inspire him to ask Troi out.

jimmy:  And she didn’t seem to mind.

tomk:  She likes his big…bat’leth.

jimmy:  Yeah she does.

tomk:  But that’s probably something for another time. Did Worf’s Magical Mystery Tour work for you, Jimmy?

jimmy:  I enjoyed it. You?

tomk:  An episode focused on the MVP?  Of course I did!

jimmy:  MVP!  MVP!  MVP!

tomk:  But are we ready to move on?

jimmy:  I think so.

tomk:  Good. Apparently, Riker served under another bald guy before Picard.

jimmy:  Really?  I’m surprised in 400 years there are any bald guys.

tomk:  Hasn’t the Fast & Furious series taught you anything about men’s hair styles?

jimmy:  Are they still making those 400 years from now?

tomk:  Specialized holodeck versions.

jimmy:  At least then it will make sense when they go into space.

tomk:  Dom’s Vulcan heist is a series highlight.

But that has nothing to do with Riker’s former commander.

jimmy:  Hey, you brought it up.

tomk:  You asked about bald guys.

jimmy:  Then I guess we better see who bald Captain #1 is.

tomk:  And he was on Ryan’s favorite show.

Next:  “The Pegasus”