I was 11, 12 years old. I'm 47 today, the same age Patrick Stewart was in the 80s. I'm mind blown by this. I saw him as an older man back then, very fit, but still an older guy. But hey I was in middle school. Though I thought of people in their 40s as "older" until I was mid or late 20s.
@@John-ct9zs His gray hair and posh voice gives him an older air… plus, he was supposed to be a 70 year old in TNG if I remember correctly. 70 years old doesn’t look so bad in the Star Trek Universe!
Smart by Picard. Allowing Riker to demonstrate his expertise and cool in a clutch situation to the bridge crew and win their respect right away. Also, a test of Riker to make sure his new first officer is, in fact, cool under pressure. Yeah, very smart by Picard.
Of course, if riker hadn't kept his cool they could have died. Picard's unrelenting trust in Starfleet protocol was in and by itself, incredibly risky.
Data: Who said anything about the Battle Bridge sir, I am headed to the transporter room and beaming over to the saucer section. Section 10 paragraph 5 of the Galaxy Class handbook states in the event of a catastrophe emergency the saucer section can be used as a life boat. Good luck sir, from my calculations you will need it.
One of the best things about TNG was the fact that they made the Enterprise into 2 sections. First time I saw it separate I got chillbumps. I remember when my parents bought me a model of this Enterprise, I used to separate the saucer and fly both sections around my room at night with the flashlight as my backdrop
I mean it would have been nice if they did it more than 3 times total in the whole show, but it was such a non feature I honestly forgot about it half the time.
@@markfox1545 are you talking to me? If so, I would think, being I was 8 in 1987 when this aired, getting laid and moving out of mom’s house wouldn’t be on my list of things to do at the time
@@bob1986 The saucer separation was hugely expensive in the special effects budget. ILM had to have double crews every time a separation sequence was filmed. That's why it was a rare occurrence.
Can I point out that, looking at where he crosses from and to, O'Brien seems to have had the Battle Bridge - making it very likely he had command of the federation flagship for a few moments
O'Brien was just taking commands. It's a test of his command-taking skills and a test of his pilot operation skills, of course, but *not* his skills of knowing exactly how to dock the saucer section in any scenario simply by looking at the viewscreen. Riker: "Adjust pitch angle....-3 degrees" Riker's precision is down to the *degree* here simply by EYEBALLING it. His temporal precision is down to the second. Not to mention his ability to correctly communicate all this to the crew verbally at the right times and in the right ways so that they can do the job simply by following commands. Not to be disrespectful, but everyone else involved, including O'Brien, were acting as inputs to a machine. Nothing more. Yes, their ability to do that well is commendable, but it is not more important than the ability of the person behind the machine in giving the correct inputs. P.S. O'Brien was not the only person putting in inputs. Note the entire crew working under Riker's leadership. This was a test for him, their only order was to follow exact instructions.
You've determined the computer layout of a system that's hundreds of years in the future? Here, let's go scene by scene with your theory that they buttoned-pressed a lot "without being ordered to": 1:11 - First beeps. Riker just told everyone he'd be taking it in manually, as ordered. Their job at this point was to approach the saucer section. 2 beeps. 1:15 - As they approach the saucer section but still at a safe distance, they need to turn towards it more and approach it along the correct heading, getting into position where the two sections are *relatively* aligned so that Riker can take over where the automatic program would have before. 5 beeps, (the first two of which are much fainter and could be argued as indicator beeps, not input) and later at 1:19, a double beep. Up until this point, a grand total of 9 beeps in order to do everything I just said, everything an acting helmsman should be able to do without micromanagement by the First Officer. This is when Riker takes over, when the stardrive section was already approaching the saucer section at a *relatively* correct heading. Again, relatively--doing it accurately at this distance would be near impossible without computer automation, that's why Riker has to make the corrections as the stardrive section approaches: 1:23 "Velocity to 1/2 meter per second" 6 beeps. 1:33 "Adjust pitch angle, -3 degrees" 5 beeps. 1:47 "Watch your roll angle, Conn." 2 beeps. 1:59 & 2:04 Three beeps. I'm going to assume this is Data and O'Brien switching over to different control panels as they approached much closer, in preparation for the minute and specific controls needed here. 2:07 "All stations, prepare for re-connection." 4 beeps. 2:23 One beep. Likely a new control panel. 2:24 "Thrusters to station-keeping. All velocities zero. The inertia should do the job now." 6 beeps. 2:33 "Lock up...now." ZERO beeps. Clearly they forgot to add this one in in post-production; at 2:36, O'Brien looks down at his display. We'll count this as a beep. Every single beep can be accounted for. None of the button presses after Riker takes over were "button presses they weren't ordered to do".
@@ChibiabosWolf Except inertia matters when their velocities are at zero. Which means they aren't moving, relative to each other, which means they have no relative inertia.
Picard: "Commander Riker will dock the saucer section manually!" Riker: "Fly towards the saucer section and dock! Remember the correct angle!" Data and O'Brien: Aye, sir! *sections dock* Everyone: Wow, this guy is good!
@Scottish Football Songs went right over your head huh? He didn't do anything. He couldn't even see a computer display. The people amazed by him are the ones that actually docked the ship
@@drflaggstaff9008 were you watching something different? He gave the precise velocity & pitch angles just by sight, amended O’Brien’s course, mitigated speed & inertia, and docked. Of course they were impressed.
@@Shelsight half meter per second velocity when they are 1000 meters from the dish... yeah that'll dock up in a 3 minute video... Then he says velocity zero... inertia will do it... well if the velocity is zero... so is the inertia!
if you know anything about orbital mechanics, you'll know that you don't simply point where you want to go and increase speed to get there. of course, they don't represent this accurately in the show either, but a real life docking is very complicated. it took the entire Gemini space program to develop the basic techniques
I love the no-automation sequences, it's so fun watching them have to account for and do everything the computer would otherwise be handled by the computer. I wish there were more of them. At least DS9 had a whole no-automation episode.
@@erichanastacio9695 Not if he follows Riker's orders exactly. Meaning he won't hear Riker say "half impulse" and only do "one quarter impulse" if Riker was wrong.
Riker makes the saucer section reattach like he sits on chairs. Orders the saucer to come up from behind, go over the top, and then sink back down onto the lower half.
Meaney's character in the pilot docks the Stardrive section with the Saucer and in the DS9 pilot maneuvers the Station to the mouth of the wormhole...such an honour 🎖
@@don312000 Firmly establish ? Are you serious ? Rank is a matter of record, and Rank insignia is quite visible on the uniform, especially when you consider Rank issues oftentimes involve penalties, soooo.
@@carminemurray6624 Well, in "All Good Things" in the flashback scenes set during "Encounter At Farpoint" Picard addressed the character as "Mr. O'Brien." That's pretty firm.
I don't get why Data and O'brien look impressed after the manual docking. They were the ones at the controls who actually docked the ships. Riker's most important contribution was to make an announcement to the rest of the crew.
Been through a few navy ship evolutions, including mooring the ship (which is similar). I like the technical approach to rejoining both halves of the ship.
I really liked the battle bridge. I know it was tough for them to think of reasons to separate the ship but they could have done an episode where the ship was hijacked and crew gained control from the battle bridge or the main bridge had to be evacuated and the crew had to relocate to the battle bridge.
They didn't have access to the set all that often, as was one of the problems with the whole gimmick (the other was that the model that seperated was annoying to work with and the smaller easier filming model couldn't do it) was that the Battle Bridge set was not only used for the TOS movies (which were still filming for much of the shows early run) but was also frequently redressed for other things in the show itself.
I've always been annoyed by the fact that, the one time they DID do a story that required the bridge to be evacuated ("Brothers" in season four) they had the bridge crew go to engineering instead of to the battle bridge.
In Nemesis, Riker says the first time he saw Data was in the holodeck trying to whistle, which is a scene later on in this pilot episode. He seemed to have forgotten about first meeting him during this scene.
@@-RD After the saucer reattachment as Riker informs Data in the holodeck there's some puzzles down on the planet Picard wants answered. Which leads to Riker, Data, Geordi, Troi and Tasha beaming down to the planet AFTER Riker and Troi's reunion scene on the main bridge.
Since the star-drive section is basically it's own full ship, the saucer could be described as just a big mission module, this one fitted with crew facilities for long voyages. Imagine other 'saucer' modules that could be installed instead. Perhaps one with more hanger bays for shuttles/fighters. Or one with more weapons systems. Etc.
Not a crazy thought. That’s pretty much what the Nebula Class various modules were for. A weapons/torpedo module, science/sensor module and I believe there was a module with extra nacelles as well as one with an extra shuttle bay.
Having a bunch of attachable front sections would be like building a bunch of half-ships which will have to stay at a dock most of the time until called upon, why not just build full ships specifically designed their purpose. The enterprise is a long-term scientific, exploratory, and diplomatic vessel, so I'm guessing its engine design is made to be a balance between efficiency for long travel, resiliency in case of damage far from port, and maneuverability in case of hostilities. Why build a massive module that will gather dust until wartime to make a subpar warship when you can just build a full warship that can throw out everything to focus on quick maneuverability in its engine design, and be able to operate at the same time as the enterprise?
But apparently Starfleet considers the saucer section the actual ship, as the salvage of the Enterprise-D from Veridan and its restoration with a spare Galaxy-class stardrive section by Geordi LaForge demonstrates.
For me Picard was, of all ST captains, the most convincing one. Kirk was not a real capt, more of a buddy/friend, Cisko was fine too but Janeway was terrible. Patrick Stewart had really some authority.
Each ship had to have something. NCC: 1701 Fastest ship in the fleet (at its time), 1701 D: Could separate the saucer section, Defiant could cloak and had blade armor, and Voyager could land on planets.
Yes, Michael White, you're right! They all had something! NCC 1701-A, while faster and more advanced than her predecessor, was constantly falling apart. NCC 1701-B, though she had an impressive look and 2 torpedo launchers in front, had a gung-ho idiot for her first captain, who left spacedock for a trial run without a full crew or a tractor beam, and got Kirk killed. NCC 1701 C had a BOSS of a captain who sacrificed her ship kicking Romulan backside and stopping a war. NCC 1701 E was built to fight the Borg, and did a good job of it.
The original 1701 (and models A, B & C) also had saucer sections which could separate. But they could not reattach to stardrives on their own. Both sections had to fly to a Starbase for that.
The music in this scene is great! There's not that much happening on screen and yet it heightens the intensity of the operation and the grandeur of its success
I've always enjoyed the fact that in the very first episode they demonstrated the Enterprises capabilities. You got to see what she was capable of right off the bat.
Gene Roddenberry put that into the pilot to make sure they could do that in the series . That was supposed to be a feature in the original series, but they hadn't put that in the pilot it would have cost way too much to do in the series
There was no real cost issue, because all of the footage for doing it is stock footage. The problem was coming up with story reasons that didn't seem stupid.
During the war they didn't have nearly as much crew on board, so the saucer was likely unstaffed. That said, the saucer DOES have additional phaser arrays, which would of boosted the firepower, and a mostly empty saucer would work well as a 'bullet sponge'. Doesn't help when the Dominion's drug addicts decide to just ram the thing, but the logic is there.
@@OpenMawProductions Well, yes. In reality, the Galaxy class starship shouldn't ever need to separate. As for story reasons... there are many plausible reasons why it would need to do so. A planet on the Federation/Klingon border needs medical aid - ok, the saucer section docks with a station to deliver the supplies, whilst the stardrive section does patrol duty. Diplomats need transport to some location, but a convoy of ships also needs escorting to some location near the Romulan border. Fine, the saucer section can be used for the diplomats, and the stardrive section plays 'escort' for the convoy. Both sections are perfectly capable of defending, but the stardrive section is better suited to 'combat' roles. I think TNG lost much in trying to have everything done 'by the book'. Too many rules and regulations, there was simply no room for imagination?
Sections out of alignment, doesn't connect properly. Picard "Will, what the hell are you doing !?!" Riker "Will? My name is Thomas. I've never done this before, I've been on a marooned on a Space Station for the last 8 years."
With a computer with a voice like Majel Barrett why is that surprising in the future ? When I had My first advanced computer I was wowed at the music 🎶 I could access on the Internet and how it sounded with a digital sound system.
Obrien wears the rank of an ensign, but later we learn he was formerly a soldier and on DS9 he was an enlisted man, not a commissioned officer. Even Wesley Crusher gets and acting ensign commission.
I think the writers were impressed with Colm Meany's acting ability, and the flexibility was there in the episodic nature of Season 1 to allow for intentional gaps in continuity.
I would love to see them two more episodes in the Battle Bridge every time they had a serious problem they would always transfer everything to engineering
Sulu would have done the job himself. Reversed the saucer with one hand on the wheel and the other demonstrating some sweet ass fencing moves... How else do you think he was promoted to captain?
Something I would do on the Holodeck. "Position the ship in front of the saucer rear haul. Ahead thrusters on ahead full, Data lock phasers on target and fire when I give the word."
Early Data seems so out of character with all these reaction shots and his pointless dialogue. In a later season, Data would have communicated his concerns. Instead of saying "you say you will be doing this manually?" As if he is having trouble believing it, he would say something like "Commander, I advise against performing a manual reattachment of the saucer section."
After Data's question to Riker about doing the docking manually I still can't get over that little head jerk he does before he goes over to his station.
Just docking a very large boat at a marina is scary to me. Manual saucer re-connect ? Gives me chills to even think about it, I expect full telemetry data in real time, and view screen markers and cross hairs to indicate you are on target, all zero indicators and velocity, a Manual docking is an unwarranted risk.
Even today, piloting 'manually' with 'no automation' doesn't mean no electronic readings or cues for visual operations. Transposing modern methods to future fiction can be erroneous I know (TOS), but logic dictates a human would still be looking at readings to instruct such a maneuver - at least the same readings his helmsman is seeing. Not just eyeballing a screen
Basically they have to tell the commands that the computer usually does automatically when performing reattachment. No different than landing a jet on an aircraft carrier back in the old days.
Crew morale and trust in the command chain is so important on these ships that are so far away and in an ocean of the vacuum of space just as it was in the age of sail and early age of steam.
Riker: dang it I hate driving manual. Years later, in the Briar Patch: what the hell, it's not like I am crashing the saucer section into a planet or anything. Gimme the joystick of doom.
The writers are treating the crew as rank amateurs where they are tried and tested space pilots and operatives. The tension is there but you know that it will end well.
I think that Picard ordering Riker to do it sucks the drama out of the scene. Because it's just routine. If it came up more organically in the story, when Riker has to do something heroic such as manually docking the two sections, despite all the odds. Then you show how calm under pressure he is, and how skilled he is as a pilot. Rather than Picard just doing it because....well, because the Script Gods ordered him to do it.
0:52-1:00 When Riker said "As ordered." thats his way of saying "Look. I don't like it either, but I have orders, so if we mess this up know it wasn’t because I wanted to show off."
35 years ago. I was 19 when this aired and now I'm approaching my mid 50s. And Patrick Stewart is still playing Picard
I was 14, and Patrick Stewart has aged a heck of a lot better than I have!
I was 11, 12 years old. I'm 47 today, the same age Patrick Stewart was in the 80s. I'm mind blown by this. I saw him as an older man back then, very fit, but still an older guy. But hey I was in middle school. Though I thought of people in their 40s as "older" until I was mid or late 20s.
me too brother, mid 50s...was not crazy about it, but it grew on me, and I'm still loving it.
@@John-ct9zs His gray hair and posh voice gives him an older air… plus, he was supposed to be a 70 year old in TNG if I remember correctly. 70 years old doesn’t look so bad in the Star Trek Universe!
The spice does extend life.
Smart by Picard. Allowing Riker to demonstrate his expertise and cool in a clutch situation to the bridge crew and win their respect right away. Also, a test of Riker to make sure his new first officer is, in fact, cool under pressure. Yeah, very smart by Picard.
I'm sure that Picard has his hand on "abort" button in the ready room, just in case.
I know I would.
It would be funny if it cut right away to "all hands abandon ship, I repeat all hands abandon.... *explosion*"
I see some scratches on the ship's hull :/
Also for the joke, Picard wanted to know if Riker ever played Kerbal Space Program. lol
Of course, if riker hadn't kept his cool they could have died. Picard's unrelenting trust in Starfleet protocol was in and by itself, incredibly risky.
You can almost see Riker's beard growing up
After the docking was complete, Yar gives a look that clearly states: "Riker, you can dock me anytime you want."
I believe that Data managed to "dock" with Tasha Yar later in the series!
Walter Dayrit “I am fully functional. . .programmed in multiple techniques.” - Data to Yar
From day one Picard knew he had the best crew in the fleet and thoroughly enjoyed letting them prove it.
Except for Worf
a Captain is only as good as his crew.
best captain (arguably) requires the best crew.
@@beardedcasual5120 especially on the fleet's flagship.
Data "You say you will be doing this manually sir, no automation?"
Riker "As ordered."
Data "Very well sir. I will be in the break room."
LOL!
Riker: There is no break room on the battle bridge.
Data: Who said anything about the Battle Bridge sir, I am headed to the transporter room and beaming over to the saucer section. Section 10 paragraph 5 of the Galaxy Class handbook states in the event of a catastrophe emergency the saucer section can be used as a life boat. Good luck sir, from my calculations you will need it.
@@backupplan6058 That's something Isaac would say if Gordon and Kelly attempted a saucer reattachment!
Was that anxiety in Data's face? I thought he couldn't feel emotion.
Little did O'Brian know at the time, this was in fact, not the worst day of his life lol
O'Brien must suffer.
O'Brian definitely suffered a little bit.
One of the best things about TNG was the fact that they made the Enterprise into 2 sections. First time I saw it separate I got chillbumps. I remember when my parents bought me a model of this Enterprise, I used to separate the saucer and fly both sections around my room at night with the flashlight as my backdrop
I mean it would have been nice if they did it more than 3 times total in the whole show, but it was such a non feature I honestly forgot about it half the time.
and then only used it once or twice in the whole series again...
truly amazing
Lovely story but as a 23 year old, shouldn't you have got laid and moved out of your mom's house by then?
@@markfox1545 are you talking to me? If so, I would think, being I was 8 in 1987 when this aired, getting laid and moving out of mom’s house wouldn’t be on my list of things to do at the time
@@bob1986 The saucer separation was hugely expensive in the special effects budget. ILM had to have double crews every time a separation sequence was filmed. That's why it was a rare occurrence.
Captain Picard: I seem to have spilled my Earl Grey.
Riker: I recommend a saucer reattachment, Captain.
Nice !!
Ooohhh, that's a zinger. I too my hat to you, good sir!
LMFAO.
Captain Picard : Make it so !
Data looked back at riker saying “ you go ahead with your bad self”.
he didn't even touch the controls. I'd hardly call that a test for Riker. more a test for O'Brien
While you are right it was more the fact that if anything went wrong it be Rikers fault no O'Brien. That's how it works with command positions.
Can I point out that, looking at where he crosses from and to, O'Brien seems to have had the Battle Bridge - making it very likely he had command of the federation flagship for a few moments
O'Brien was just taking commands. It's a test of his command-taking skills and a test of his pilot operation skills, of course, but *not* his skills of knowing exactly how to dock the saucer section in any scenario simply by looking at the viewscreen.
Riker: "Adjust pitch angle....-3 degrees"
Riker's precision is down to the *degree* here simply by EYEBALLING it. His temporal precision is down to the second.
Not to mention his ability to correctly communicate all this to the crew verbally at the right times and in the right ways so that they can do the job simply by following commands.
Not to be disrespectful, but everyone else involved, including O'Brien, were acting as inputs to a machine. Nothing more. Yes, their ability to do that well is commendable, but it is not more important than the ability of the person behind the machine in giving the correct inputs.
P.S. O'Brien was not the only person putting in inputs. Note the entire crew working under Riker's leadership. This was a test for him, their only order was to follow exact instructions.
Well they did a lot of button pressing that they weren't ordered to do then.
You've determined the computer layout of a system that's hundreds of years in the future?
Here, let's go scene by scene with your theory that they buttoned-pressed a lot "without being ordered to":
1:11 - First beeps. Riker just told everyone he'd be taking it in manually, as ordered. Their job at this point was to approach the saucer section. 2 beeps.
1:15 - As they approach the saucer section but still at a safe distance, they need to turn towards it more and approach it along the correct heading, getting into position where the two sections are *relatively* aligned so that Riker can take over where the automatic program would have before. 5 beeps, (the first two of which are much fainter and could be argued as indicator beeps, not input) and later at 1:19, a double beep.
Up until this point, a grand total of 9 beeps in order to do everything I just said, everything an acting helmsman should be able to do without micromanagement by the First Officer. This is when Riker takes over, when the stardrive section was already approaching the saucer section at a *relatively* correct heading. Again, relatively--doing it accurately at this distance would be near impossible without computer automation, that's why Riker has to make the corrections as the stardrive section approaches:
1:23 "Velocity to 1/2 meter per second" 6 beeps.
1:33 "Adjust pitch angle, -3 degrees" 5 beeps.
1:47 "Watch your roll angle, Conn." 2 beeps.
1:59 & 2:04 Three beeps. I'm going to assume this is Data and O'Brien switching over to different control panels as they approached much closer, in preparation for the minute and specific controls needed here.
2:07 "All stations, prepare for re-connection." 4 beeps.
2:23 One beep. Likely a new control panel.
2:24 "Thrusters to station-keeping. All velocities zero. The inertia should do the job now." 6 beeps.
2:33 "Lock up...now." ZERO beeps. Clearly they forgot to add this one in in post-production; at 2:36, O'Brien looks down at his display. We'll count this as a beep.
Every single beep can be accounted for. None of the button presses after Riker takes over were "button presses they weren't ordered to do".
Given the relative size of the 2 sections, Riker is flying a hell of a sight faster than "1 half metre per second"...
Yup, /and/ it flip flops between engines determining speed and ignoring inertia, and then suddenly inertia matters.
* pace
@@ChibiabosWolf Except inertia matters when their velocities are at zero. Which means they aren't moving, relative to each other, which means they have no relative inertia.
1/2 meter per second isnt even walking speed
@@theduke7539 Cue spongebod "2 Hours Later..."
Kerbal Space Program. Eyeballing 101.
Kata : "Are you saying we're doing this manually, sir? No Mechjeb?"
@@PaiSAMSEN Fully stock because new update is out and mods aren't updated yet...
Riker is a triple threat, great with the ladies, great pilot and great commander.
Picard: "Commander Riker will dock the saucer section manually!"
Riker: "Fly towards the saucer section and dock! Remember the correct angle!"
Data and O'Brien: Aye, sir!
*sections dock*
Everyone: Wow, this guy is good!
@Scottish Football Songs went right over your head huh? He didn't do anything. He couldn't even see a computer display. The people amazed by him are the ones that actually docked the ship
@@drflaggstaff9008 were you watching something different? He gave the precise velocity & pitch angles just by sight, amended O’Brien’s course, mitigated speed & inertia, and docked. Of course they were impressed.
@@Shelsight half meter per second velocity when they are 1000 meters from the dish... yeah that'll dock up in a 3 minute video... Then he says velocity zero... inertia will do it... well if the velocity is zero... so is the inertia!
if you know anything about orbital mechanics, you'll know that you don't simply point where you want to go and increase speed to get there. of course, they don't represent this accurately in the show either, but a real life docking is very complicated. it took the entire Gemini space program to develop the basic techniques
I love the no-automation sequences, it's so fun watching them have to account for and do everything the computer would otherwise be handled by the computer. I wish there were more of them.
At least DS9 had a whole no-automation episode.
There's still automation in this. Data is a walking computer. He'll compensate Riker's order to successfully dock with the saucer section.
@@erichanastacio9695 Not if he follows Riker's orders exactly. Meaning he won't hear Riker say "half impulse" and only do "one quarter impulse" if Riker was wrong.
Actually Riker had a small undetected remote control device hidden in his hand.😅
Riker makes the saucer section reattach like he sits on chairs. Orders the saucer to come up from behind, go over the top, and then sink back down onto the lower half.
Meaney's character in the pilot docks the Stardrive section with the Saucer and in the DS9 pilot maneuvers the Station to the mouth of the wormhole...such an honour 🎖
And in the TNG finale they did firmly establish that this character was in fact Chief O'Brien.
@@don312000
Firmly establish ?
Are you serious ? Rank is a matter of record, and Rank insignia is quite visible on the uniform, especially when you consider Rank issues oftentimes involve penalties, soooo.
@@carminemurray6624 Well, in "All Good Things" in the flashback scenes set during "Encounter At Farpoint" Picard addressed the character as "Mr. O'Brien." That's pretty firm.
Why would it not be Chief O'Brien?
For a manual docking, Riker sure didnt have to say much.
Donald Williamson yeah right?
Yea, it was like turn -3 degrees, adjust, slow down, lock up.
You could argue it's like being a spotter for a sniper. Be able to adjust as you go and let physics do the rest.....
Donald Williamson i was thinking of a sex joke
Of course not, Deanna Troi would have said it all for him. Repeatedly.
I don't get why Data and O'brien look impressed after the manual docking.
They were the ones at the controls who actually docked the ships.
Riker's most important contribution was to make an announcement to the rest of the crew.
Been through a few navy ship evolutions, including mooring the ship (which is similar). I like the technical approach to rejoining both halves of the ship.
Yeah youre in space..... why not just use a winch at a meter per second
never did mooring I was always down in the Engineroom!
I served on a USCG cutter and this scene always reminded me of mooring, line handling , ship handling …
Riker's got gold-pressed latinum space balls.
As we would later see, Picard has balls the size of asteroids and made of solid neutronium
@Great Man I noticed that as well. That little smile she does, the wet panties,.Ect.... LOL!!
Still badass 30 years later
Looks even better in HD on the remastered Blu-Ray.
I really liked the battle bridge. I know it was tough for them to think of reasons to separate the ship but they could have done an episode where the ship was hijacked and crew gained control from the battle bridge or the main bridge had to be evacuated and the crew had to relocate to the battle bridge.
Actually the reason was expenses. They had plenty of opportunities
They didn't have access to the set all that often, as was one of the problems with the whole gimmick (the other was that the model that seperated was annoying to work with and the smaller easier filming model couldn't do it) was that the Battle Bridge set was not only used for the TOS movies (which were still filming for much of the shows early run) but was also frequently redressed for other things in the show itself.
I've always been annoyed by the fact that, the one time they DID do a story that required the bridge to be evacuated ("Brothers" in season four) they had the bridge crew go to engineering instead of to the battle bridge.
Always kind of pictured a star fleet battle with a bunch of saucers sitting behind while warp drives run circles around everyone.
@@don312000ahhh damnit. Now im mad about that too
With Lt. Yar smiling at Riker, she had more than respect for him.
"Dripping" with respect 🤣🤣
@@1993bahamut
To what end ?
@@carminemurray6624 🤣🤣🤣
I wonder if Data was sitting there making his trillion calculations per second and cringing.
I’m laughing hard at your comment
1:02 Yar: "Would you like a tranquilizer?" Data: *shakes head*
Set episode padding to full.
She canna take it, Captain!
christosvoskresye
Set pathetic dramatic fill in music the shite factor 7
Well, to be fair, it is episode padding because Roddenberry originally wrote the pilot as a one hour episode and Paramount insisted on it being two.
Accurate.
In Nemesis, Riker says the first time he saw Data was in the holodeck trying to whistle, which is a scene later on in this pilot episode. He seemed to have forgotten about first meeting him during this scene.
No, that holodeck scene happened earlier in this episode, before this scene.
@@-RD After the saucer reattachment as Riker informs Data in the holodeck there's some puzzles down on the planet Picard wants answered. Which leads to Riker, Data, Geordi, Troi and Tasha beaming down to the planet AFTER Riker and Troi's reunion scene on the main bridge.
@@AndrewChapman You're right, the reattachment scene takes place before the holodeck scene. My bad, must've misremembered!
@@-RD No sweat, it's cool.
I was trying to figure out what room Picard was in at first. Then I realized it was the battle bridge ready room.
(Enterprise latches onto the saucer section)
Riker (😏)...That’s right...I’m William T. “Bad ass, hold my beer” Riker.
Since the star-drive section is basically it's own full ship, the saucer could be described as just a big mission module, this one fitted with crew facilities for long voyages. Imagine other 'saucer' modules that could be installed instead. Perhaps one with more hanger bays for shuttles/fighters. Or one with more weapons systems. Etc.
Not a crazy thought. That’s pretty much what the Nebula Class various modules were for. A weapons/torpedo module, science/sensor module and I believe there was a module with extra nacelles as well as one with an extra shuttle bay.
Having a bunch of attachable front sections would be like building a bunch of half-ships which will have to stay at a dock most of the time until called upon, why not just build full ships specifically designed their purpose. The enterprise is a long-term scientific, exploratory, and diplomatic vessel, so I'm guessing its engine design is made to be a balance between efficiency for long travel, resiliency in case of damage far from port, and maneuverability in case of hostilities. Why build a massive module that will gather dust until wartime to make a subpar warship when you can just build a full warship that can throw out everything to focus on quick maneuverability in its engine design, and be able to operate at the same time as the enterprise?
I seem to recall there was a tng book based around that idea
But apparently Starfleet considers the saucer section the actual ship, as the salvage of the Enterprise-D from Veridan and its restoration with a spare Galaxy-class stardrive section by Geordi LaForge demonstrates.
I was in my early teens when I first saw TNG. It taught me a lot about issues of morality and ethics
And how to reattach the saucer section
Picard's leadership style is outstanding!
For me Picard was, of all ST captains, the most convincing one. Kirk was not a real capt, more of a buddy/friend, Cisko was fine too but Janeway was terrible.
Patrick Stewart had really some authority.
Each ship had to have something. NCC: 1701 Fastest ship in the fleet (at its time), 1701 D: Could separate the saucer section, Defiant could cloak and had blade armor, and Voyager could land on planets.
Yes, Michael White, you're right! They all had something! NCC 1701-A, while faster and more advanced than her predecessor, was constantly falling apart. NCC 1701-B, though she had an impressive look and 2 torpedo launchers in front, had a gung-ho idiot for her first captain, who left spacedock for a trial run without a full crew or a tractor beam, and got Kirk killed. NCC 1701 C had a BOSS of a captain who sacrificed her ship kicking Romulan backside and stopping a war. NCC 1701 E was built to fight the Borg, and did a good job of it.
The original 1701 (and models A, B & C) also had saucer sections which could separate. But they could not reattach to stardrives on their own. Both sections had to fly to a Starbase for that.
The music in this scene is great! There's not that much happening on screen and yet it heightens the intensity of the operation and the grandeur of its success
I've always enjoyed the fact that in the very first episode they demonstrated the Enterprises capabilities. You got to see what she was capable of right off the bat.
Gene Roddenberry put that into the pilot to make sure they could do that in the series . That was supposed to be a feature in the original series, but they hadn't put that in the pilot it would have cost way too much to do in the series
I was searching for "docking" on the internet: This is what turned up.
I have no regrets....
Riker can dock, maintain eye contact and still be straight.
You did far better than most.
Yes, that right. this IS space porn!😜
@@simonriddick Was he thinking about docking onto Yar? LOL!!!
Even Data looked impressed, like "Not bad, for a human."
I keep picturing colm meaney being like his character from the van. "What doya want,world peace"? You're barred
This seen proves through Picard that humanity still hadn't evolved beyond a little trolling.
im pretty sure that even if the human race downloaded their conscience's into robots or computers we still would troll each other
If humanity ever uploads our consciousness into computers we will simply become more efficient at trolling each other.
he was just testing riker
Scene
"This seen"
The word is spelled "scene", not "seen".
The battle bridge is kind of underused.
They planned to have the Enterprise separate more often, but the cost of doing so prevented that.
There was no real cost issue, because all of the footage for doing it is stock footage.
The problem was coming up with story reasons that didn't seem stupid.
During the dominion war, Star Fleet just included the Saucer section and not even bothered with the battle bridge.
During the war they didn't have nearly as much crew on board, so the saucer was likely unstaffed. That said, the saucer DOES have additional phaser arrays, which would of boosted the firepower, and a mostly empty saucer would work well as a 'bullet sponge'.
Doesn't help when the Dominion's drug addicts decide to just ram the thing, but the logic is there.
@@OpenMawProductions Well, yes. In reality, the Galaxy class starship shouldn't ever need to separate. As for story reasons... there are many plausible reasons why it would need to do so. A planet on the Federation/Klingon border needs medical aid - ok, the saucer section docks with a station to deliver the supplies, whilst the stardrive section does patrol duty.
Diplomats need transport to some location, but a convoy of ships also needs escorting to some location near the Romulan border. Fine, the saucer section can be used for the diplomats, and the stardrive section plays 'escort' for the convoy. Both sections are perfectly capable of defending, but the stardrive section is better suited to 'combat' roles.
I think TNG lost much in trying to have everything done 'by the book'. Too many rules and regulations, there was simply no room for imagination?
Rendezvous and docking - a part of spaceflight since 1965 :)
Riker definitely went from Ensign Baby Face to Man Beard.
He was more fun before the beard.
This beauty should never be cloaked!! We would miss seeing her splender!!!!
Sections out of alignment, doesn't connect properly. Picard "Will, what the hell are you doing !?!" Riker "Will? My name is Thomas. I've never done this before, I've been on a marooned on a Space Station for the last 8 years."
you tried
The thing that's so cool about the future is how they figured out how to make dramatic violin music play in the middle of space
With a computer with a voice like Majel Barrett why is that surprising in the future ?
When I had My first advanced computer I was wowed at the music 🎶 I could access on the Internet and how it sounded with a digital sound system.
just imagine if the saucer section goes gliding over the top of the ship because it wasn't perfectly lined up.
all ya gotta do is hit the yellow tennis ball and then you know you got it right
Still one of the greatest!
LOVE IT!
timing and orders are everything
That awkward moment when even the android looks nervous.
Obrien wears the rank of an ensign, but later we learn he was formerly a soldier and on DS9 he was an enlisted man, not a commissioned officer. Even Wesley Crusher gets and acting ensign commission.
I think the writers were impressed with Colm Meany's acting ability, and the flexibility was there in the episodic nature of Season 1 to allow for intentional gaps in continuity.
@@brettthomas7038 Yet he shows absolutely no range whatsoever.
His true official rank is *Most Important Person in Starfleet History*
@@LtFoodstamp John Lennon.
o'brien is an enlisted man, he actually works for a living
I would love to see them two more episodes in the Battle Bridge every time they had a serious problem they would always transfer everything to engineering
I can imagine the person in charge of the saucer, saying: "You're docking manually? Bugger that for a joke... We're out of here... Goodbye!!!"
EarlJohn61 Worf was left in command of the saucer.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Blair Brown Just what I thought! To be scared by that wouldn't be very Klingon, would it.
OK I'll accept Worf would have a different reaction...
But had it been someone like Sulu (TOS)... ... ... !?!
Sulu would have done the job himself. Reversed the saucer with one hand on the wheel and the other demonstrating some sweet ass fencing moves... How else do you think he was promoted to captain?
Oh my.
I was 8 when I saw this. And seeing the dynamic between Picard and Riker over the years, from this episode to Picard S3, is amazing.
Everyone...close your eyes...imagine Troi doing the saucer reattachment.
Troi!! Aw hell no way!! Abort!! Abort!!
I could imagine a reattachment with Troi . . .
@@markreeter6227 I’m pretty sure Riker “manually docked” with Troi on several occasions 😜
Riker knows how the pieces fit
He's used to fitting pieces in tight spaces ;-)
A pilot episode that showed several capabilities of the newer series, the ship, her crew, her greatest adversary, and her first triumph.
Something I would do on the Holodeck. "Position the ship in front of the saucer rear haul. Ahead thrusters on ahead full, Data lock phasers on target and fire when I give the word."
2:53 when Tasha looked at you like that .. you were in for trouble . :)
Early Data seems so out of character with all these reaction shots and his pointless dialogue. In a later season, Data would have communicated his concerns. Instead of saying "you say you will be doing this manually?" As if he is having trouble believing it, he would say something like "Commander, I advise against performing a manual reattachment of the saucer section."
That was the fastest 1/2 metre per second I've ever seen!
Ted Smith that was the fastest 0 velocity (no movement) I’ve seen too,
Not when you realize the model is only a meter long.
1:25 *MILES O'BRIEN!!!*
I know! I forgot that Colm Meaney was with ST: TNG from the VERY beginning!
Unnamed crewman, you mean. The character wasn't given a name until several seasons in. ; )
@@MilesLougheed Ha! And he's in command red!
@@EMSpdx But at a later date he changed from a command red to an engineering golden uniform and became the transporterchief of the Enterprise.
@@MilesLougheed according to All Good Things, that is indeed O'Brien
Nice test Picard. Riker did that so well he was your XO for 15 years.
2:57 That face! "That's right skanks! Soak it in, I call the shots now! 😂
Respect on Bridge , within 10min.of boarding!! 👍👍👍Riker is kool!!
Watched this clip a number of times now, and I'm still waiting for that classic helm order 'Left hand down a bit...'...!😜
I liked the ending of the show when Picard said,"I left you with a whole ship, I will take it back the same way."
3 years later, they will be looking at Locutus through that same screen.
Tasha Yar's face at 2:53 - "Sploosh!"
Admittedly, for what could technically be described as a ship-to-ship collision that went rather smoothly.
a.k.a. A controlled collision. Kind of like flying. All good landings are controlled crashes.
They were scared as fuck. lmao. Lookin like "we all gone die!"
The automated version is the drive section uses two small tractor emitters to pull the saucer into place then clamps onto it incase anyone wondered
Almost forgot how quasi-emotional series 1 Data was, and how utterly emotionless, distanced and borderline martinet series 1 Picard was.
After Data's question to Riker about doing the docking manually I still can't get over that little head jerk he does before he goes over to his station.
Just docking a very large boat at a marina is scary to me.
Manual saucer re-connect ?
Gives me chills to even think about it,
I expect full telemetry data in real time, and view screen markers and cross hairs to indicate you are on target, all zero indicators and velocity, a Manual docking is an unwarranted risk.
@@carminemurray6624
This is a poorly executed homage to Saavik piloting the Enterprise out of spacedock.
Good thing someone in the saucer section didn't have to press any buttons or anything. Not even a verbal communication with the saucer section.
All hands report to your evacuation stations in case this doesn't go as planned.
The cheeky grin on Riker's face 😂
Even today, piloting 'manually' with 'no automation' doesn't mean no electronic readings or cues for visual operations. Transposing modern methods to future fiction can be erroneous I know (TOS), but logic dictates a human would still be looking at readings to instruct such a maneuver - at least the same readings his helmsman is seeing. Not just eyeballing a screen
Basically they have to tell the commands that the computer usually does automatically when performing reattachment. No different than landing a jet on an aircraft carrier back in the old days.
itd be like driving a car with a manual transmission
Riker: “This will be a piece of cake, every time.”
Crew morale and trust in the command chain is so important on these ships that are so far away and in an ocean of the vacuum of space just as it was in the age of sail and early age of steam.
No automation? I wouldn’t call having Data with me “No Automation!”
Good job Riker
I don't remember O'Bryan being a crew member that early
Good to see Enterprise come back together.
Data "You say you'll be doing this manually sir? No automation?
Riker "As ordered."
Data and Yar look at each other.
Yar "That's it-we're dead."
She was, in a few months, anyway.
@@calanon534 ouch...too Soon
@@beepthemeep12 That's probably the last thought she had when that energy ball hit her.
@@calanon534 no her last thought was ffs why do I die with cow splat fake red paint on my head
I have to believe that even this far into the future someone at least channeled, "Ahhh like a glove!"
Imagine being the 1st officer on a commercial airliner and the captain tells you to land with all the instruments turned off.
the music at the end is epic
2:54 Tasha thinking about a manual docking later on...
😝
at 2:13 the starboard bussard collector is out
Good catch. I've never noticed it.
Well hats off to Commander Ricker and his lost planet airmen for the successful saucer docking
That would be nerve wracking.
"They say you will be doing this ... *manually*, sir."
"That's what she said!"
Meanwhile, Picard is in his ready room waiting to hear metal crushing together followed by an explosion and being sucked out into space. 😆
Riker: dang it I hate driving manual.
Years later, in the Briar Patch: what the hell, it's not like I am crashing the saucer section into a planet or anything. Gimme the joystick of doom.
The writers are treating the crew as rank amateurs where they are tried and tested space pilots and operatives. The tension is there but you know that it will end well.
colin Paterson , you wanna try docking ships efficiently in orbit? Go try KSP and find,out how fucking hard it is.
Err this is scifi not the real world. I was being ironic or rather where is this really going on today?
I think that Picard ordering Riker to do it sucks the drama out of the scene. Because it's just routine. If it came up more organically in the story, when Riker has to do something heroic such as manually docking the two sections, despite all the odds. Then you show how calm under pressure he is, and how skilled he is as a pilot. Rather than Picard just doing it because....well, because the Script Gods ordered him to do it.
it's their first time even meeting, he's giving riker a chance to show some skills
Obsidian Pixels It was organic, Picard had a purpose and that purpose is palpable in the scene and is the source of the drama.
Miles was diverse and versatile AF. Piloting engineer.
0:52-1:00 When Riker said "As ordered." thats his way of saying "Look. I don't like it either, but I have orders, so if we mess this up know it wasn’t because I wanted to show off."
Data sure does seem to be showing emotions in this first episode.
The battle section reached Farpoint by Warp. How should the saucer section get their in time with just Impuls drive? I‘m wondering for 30 years now.