Star Trek Retro Review: "Tapestry" | Q Episodes
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ต.ค. 2023
- Donate to support the striking members of SAG-AFTRA!
▶The Entertainment Community Fund: entertainmentcommunity.org/
▶The Snacklist: actionnetwork.org/fundraising...
▶Join this channel to get access to perks:
th-cam.com/users/steveshivesjoin
▶Patreon: / steveshives
▶PayPal: www.paypal.me/SteveShives
▶Venmo: venmo.com/thatguysteveshives
▶Twitter: / steve_shives
▶Facebook: / thatguysteveshives
▶Instagram: / steve.shives
Listen to the Late Seating podcast:
▶RSS: / sounds.rss
▶Soundcloud: / late-seating
Listen to The Ensign's Log podcast:
▶RSS: / sounds.rss
▶Soundcloud: / the-ensigns-log-podcast
#startrek #startrektng #startrekthenextgeneration - บันเทิง
Picard woke to find himself trapped in the past facing mirror images that we 100% his own, and driven by an very known and annoying force to not change history for the better even the slight bit. His only guide on this journey is Q, a trickster demigod with a bald man fetish beyond time who appears in his bed to the delight of slash fiction writers everywhere. And so Captain Picard finds himself leaping from life to a mediocre version of his present striving to do exactly what went right in the first place and hoping each time that his next leap will be his last time he ever has to deal with Q GOD DAMN IT! Ba da da Daaah da da da daaa da da da da da
Can we get Stewart to give us an "Oh boy..." with that gee-shucks Bakulicious delivery?
I read that in her voice too. 👏
Jessie gets it.
Oh damn!!! Jessie beat me to it!!! Glad to know I’m not the only QL fan still around. ❤❤❤❤
This sounds like a variation of Voyager's Year of Hell (though, I guess it can be argued that that episode was modeled after QL and this TNG episode would have preceded VOY).
In Qpid, Q tells Picard that he owes Picard a favor for helping him when he was made into a mortal in Deja Q. Even though Q said that he repaid Picard at the end of Qpid, I think Tapestry is when Q really repays Picard.
Writer A: I have that awesome idea, Picard jumps into the past to relive it and discover how he became the man he is.
Writer B: Cool, so how do we make the time jump happen?
Writer A: They discover some alien device on a planet...
Writer B: Not enough time in an episode.
Writer C: Just bring back Q, needs little introduction.
Writer A: Done!
Writer B: But what is his motivation?
Writer A: I said DONE!
For all the faults of the Star Trek V movie, I always liked Kirk’s
“You know that pain and guilt can’t be taken away with the wave of a magic wand! They’re the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don’t want my pain taken away, I need my pain!”
It always resonated with me, the choices I’ve made haven’t always been good ones, but without them - would I have the job I have? The spouse I have? The life I have in any semblance I recognize? In the end, I’ve been pretty satisfied, and I don’t think a super-successful life would satisfy me the same.
This was a formative episode for me growing up. I saw it first when I was about 15 years old and was making some.... questionable decisions (with a capital Q). The timing of this episode couldn't have been better. It helped teach me that we learn FAR more readily from our mistakes than we do from our successes.
You cannot love yourself and hate the path that brought you to who you are. I can honestly say that, if given the chance, I would not go back to change a single thing. I would never risk becoming this person or meeting the man who has made me happier than I ever thought possible.
This episode was when Picard became more than just a captain to me... but a bit of a father figure. Thank you again, Star Trek. This is why you're so important to so many.
Someone else who gets it! I do my best to live without regrets because I wouldn't be who I am without my mistakes. "...unravelled the tapestry of my life" is a line that has stuck with me for 30 years.
Also John de Lancie's delivery of "He learned to play it safe… and he never, ever got noticed by anyone," might be the best line read of his life. It's certainly my favorite.
You nailed my sentiment exactly. It's too bad I had to be an adult before it sank in.
I like the sentiment. For myself though, I'm far too aware of how many of my past mistakes had negative consequences for other people. Makes it difficult to unabashedly embrace them or unilaterally claim I'd never change them. Reality is a complex place & the weave of causality behind it is hard to appreciate in it's totality (have I beat this metaphor to death yet?).
I'd push back gently on the idea that we always learn more from mistakes than successes. I think people are just more likely to be genuinely reflective about their failures. While reacting to success by just assuming that current thoughts and strategies are "working well enough". If intentionally thoughtful about examining your life, you can learn a lot from either!
…”the moving finger writes, and having writ moves on , nor all thy piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line…..nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.”
The past is not a revolving door, what has passed is past. I ……can not say that my life was fun, I can not say that there was not pain enough to go around, but I can say that I am grateful to be who I am today. Tapestry is my favorite episode.
“Dom-jot… Human play Dom-jot.”
I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved that line. It makes me smile every time I think about it. 😄
Steve once said that Catspaw was the closest Star Trek has ever got to a holiday special.
To me, it's Tapestry: It's A Wonderful Life: starring Q and Picard.
Picard: Merry Christmas, Ten Forward!
Merry Christmas, Holodeck 3!
Merry Christmas, you wonderful old off-screen bathroom!
Wesley: Look captain, teacher says every time the yellow alert rings, the Enterprise gets its wings.
Picard: Shut up, Wesley!!
This episode made me wonder if the random gray-haired JOs wandering around the ship were all actually other captains of the Enterprise who decided to take Q's bargain.
I understood the thrust of "I'd rather die as the man I was," but you're absolutely right that it can also be read as "I'd rather be dead than be a junior officer. "
I wonder if we had it to do again, if we couldn't have a slightly less problematic alternate Picard. What if instead of losing his rank and privilege, material things, he lost something more abstract.
I would cast him as an admiral. From the outside, he has a higher rank and a cushy desk job. From the inside, he realizes he's become an uptight rule-stickler, still just as competent and dedicated as the Picard we knew, but always playing it safe. A career as a personnel officer, an administrator figuratively shoving down his fellow officers to keep them inside the line. So he ends up in a job that has all the outward trappings of success... but it's horrifically boring. He's a pencil pusher, bereft of the adventure and autonomy of a starship captain, and the closest he gets to the Enterprise is a subspace call about some kind of disciplinary action. He can't take it.
"I'd rather die as the man I was than live the life I just saw."
I think they missed an opportunity by not giving a family to his alternate life and balancing the two halves.
Make it a harder choice to go back
That would undermine the point of the episode
I think the Inner Light did a good job handling that scenario.
I do think that that would set up Jean-luc as the “bad guy”. Choosing his career and ambition over a family would leave a bad taste in the mouths of most viewers after the episode. In “Inner Light” he has the family and he is lovingly devoted to them but leaves them only when he has no choice. I think they made the right decision to have his choice only be about his career. I like the idea though
This episode and "The Inner Light" are, to me, the two best philosophical episodes, and both focus on Picard. The detached diplomat, reluctant warrior, and curious scientist is forced out of his comfort zone to confront his emotions, something that became easier for him over seven seasons, though he was never comfortable doing so.
As you describe it, this is also among John de Lancie's best work as Q. His delivery is perfect throughout this episode.
Of the captains we've had as main characters in Trek, most aren't ideal carriers of deep philosophical thoughts. Kirk and Sisko seem always too busy, stuck in the "men of action" mold. I still haven't figured out Burnham's approach, but maybe she's a younger version of those two. Archer and Janeway never felt like they really took the time to philosophize. Pike is philosophical, but he has one big question that overwrites all the others in his life. Only Picard has the age and experience to see the wisdom in actually taking the time to read and think about deeper questions. That makes him the go-to captain for these kinds of stories. And even with him it takes a weird sci-fi concept story to really bring it out of him. Maybe Starfleet just isn't a good career if you want to have time for deep thoughts.
@@SingularityOrbit Well said!
This episode is great. It balances serious stuff with comedy. Also has one of the best Picard to Q lines "I cannot believe the universe is so poorly constructed YOU are in charge of the afterlife!".
Speaking of John DeLancie's excellent delivery, don't forget the way he munched on that celery. Hilarious punctuation on that line
Reminded me of Bugs Bunny, really. Or maybe Clark Gable. In style that is.
I'm pretty sure that was bok choy
The hilarity of Picard being like a 60-year-old Junior officer
We actually don’t see enough of the older junior officers…. They all can’t quit.
Well that's standard for any Vulcan
They typically are shoved into the replicater. Soylant Green. It's People!!!!!
@@robertt9342 nobody of the red shirts survived the Kirk era.
@@robertt9342To be fair, we don't see much of the junior officers at all
I interpret Picard’s rejection of his new life as centering on his experiencing more than the few minutes we see, and having access to a lifetime of new memories. He tells Q in the turbolift “I can't live out my days as that person. That man is bereft of passion, and... and imagination! That is not who I am!” and “I would rather die as the man I know is truly within me - with a full life, a *real* life, behind me - than have my name on the biography I just listened to.”
I really needed this today. I’m in the process of going through a tough time in my life with health problems both mental and physical and it’s a struggle to see if I am going to come out the other side of it at all. This is a nice reminder than if I can get through it, I can be stronger than I was before and gives me some hope I can come out of it because it’s tiring to keep fighting a seemingly endless battle. You had some really comforting words here.
Stick it out man. You can get through it. I got through seven years of misery a better person, in a better situation.
Hope you’re doing better five months later
My brother and I always used to quote our favorite lines from ST:TNG back and forth to each other cuz this is the Star Trek we grew up with. The "flower scene with "John Luck Pickerd" was always one of our favorites 😂This is my favorite Q episode too. 😃
Poignant review! Q is quite literally portrayed as a whole throughout the series as a simultaneous Devil/Angel on Picard's shoulders. Q laughs in the face of tragedy, and emits hopeful quips in the face of unassailable oblivion. Q manifests the weight Jean Luc carries. Philosophically, psychologically, emotionally, viscerally (best felt in Q Who, which also checks aforementioned boxes).. In the long run, despite the advertisement vibe of fan service in Picard, it has redeeming qualities. The snake does eat its own tail, in a sense. Artificial heart does become artificial body. The opening scene Picard's first ep and the thrust of the first season echo this idea of following one's original inclinations as opposed to regretting the results as they currently stand. The moment we are in and the path we take to get here is not always flavored with as much joy as our final retrospective might reflect :)
I like to imagine that the only reason Q is ever a 'Good guy' to humanity is because Picard is the only being in recent memory for him (in relative terms, considering the fluidity of time to a Q) to be able to stand up to Q without flinching. He finds Picard intriguing at first, then amusing, then he actually appreciates Picard. I don't think he ever goes so far as respect, I'm not sure that Q is capable of respect, any Q, even; but I think that it's out of appreciation for Picard and what he would've wanted that Q gives a hand to the Federation. It's a cause to direct his cosmic power towards, anyway.
And of course, we can't forget about the time in the episode "Q Who?" where Q lost his powers and Picard, though he had every reason to not believe Q, nevertheless helped him and provided him sanctuary when the rest of the universe would gladly see him burn for all that he'd done to them. I think, more than anything, that THAT was the moment where Q decided to actually put his might behind Star Fleet.
We think it adds to Q being a chaotic godlike being that he sometimes acts kind or helpful for his favourites. It also makes him crueler in a way since it highlights how much he could help if he felt like it - he just straight up doesn’t feel like it 90% of the time.
Funnily enough, Tapestry is the kind of episode that makes us think Picard Season 2’s story for Q and Picard might have worked as a single, or maybe two-part, episode that could actually stay focused on what it wanted to say and do.
Loved this episode. My life was changed by using a blue pen on a Visa application to Japan instead of black. A small misstep in 2005 that made a huge fork in the road.
What makes this episode the perfect sequel to "Samaritan Snare" is not a Pakled in sight to somehow outsmart the crew of the flagship of the Federation. 😁
An all time favourite episode - maybe my most faved.
I don’t think it was the low level astrophysics job that upset him, it was Riker’s and Tori’s assessment of him. He couldn’t live with being that meek and indecisive man.
And yes, this was probably deLancie’s best work.
Jean-Luc always defined himself in contrast to his cautious, boring, ordinary older brother. Though we see in "All Good Things" he's learning to appreciate a simple life.
Political or philosphical - ST is at its best when it's inspirational. This episode inspired me to change. Years ago, stuck in a dead end job, I had an opportunity for something better (but temporary); it was very risky. Getting advice from a friend, she accidentally quoted Q talking about why Lt. Picard never got noticed by anyone. The scene resonated in my head and I knew I had to take that risk! And it paid off. I'm not captain of a Starship, but I am in command of my own life, making a meaningful contribution, and better able to be there for the people I care about - exactly where I want to be. Who knows? Maybe my friend had the spirit of Dr. Beckett nudging her to nudge me.
This was a masterpiece of sci fi. Due to his desire for a real heart. Q actually did Picard a favor giving him the choice. Making him the man he became.
With the Quantum Leap comparisons in this review, I've got a little story to share. In the early 90s, I went to a local Star Trek Convention, and one of the vendors had a bumper sticker for sale that read "Mr. Data, why did you just say 'Oh Boy'?" I chuckled at it, but ended up buying a different bumper sticker. About a decade later I find out who they cast as the captain on Enterprise, and feel a twinge of regret for not buying the prophetic sticker instead.
(Ok, that's barely a story, and I never promised it'd be a good one.)
Honestly, this episode has had the greatest transformative effect on me as a human being. I had lived my life as the Picard in the blue uniform. Unsatisfied, never truly reaching my potential. The potential I knew I was capable of. A little over five years ago I had a near death experience, and when I came around, I had been changed. I couldn't be who I was anymore. That person had died. I was left with was a question, who am I? Who am I to be?. The lessons I had learned from Star Trek, specifically this episode altered me, altered my perceptions and perspectives forever after. For what it's worth, today I do command my own "ship", and I am greatful for the lessons I've learned.
Q is a perfect example of what Pelia said to Spock in Strange new worlds. The worst thing about living an incredibly long life isn't losing those you care about, it's boredom.
Picard is a great source of entertainment for Q. That's why he keeps showing up. And when the rest of the continuum is like "Hey, test them again!" Q does help. Not because he has good intentions, but because without Picard, he wouldn't have anyone to surprise him.
An introspective episode exploring Picard’s early regrets and lifetime of growth? That’s great! Let’s do a whole season!
Remember Kirk's line in Generations:
"Don't let them promote you. Don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do anything that takes you off the bridge of that ship, because while you're there... you can make a difference."
"Tapestry" is one of my favorite Star Trek series episodes. The message is direct and a humbling reminder that our lives are more than the sum of its parts. Yes, the delivery, the zingers, the sarcasm, and the lampooning are classic. As always, great installation, Steve. Thank you.
I am so glad you did this episode and actually pointed out the non reactionary take regarding Picard's...reaction to his "new life." So many people still look at his "I'd rather die the man I was than live the life I just saw" moment as elitist, like he's shitting on junior officers and every time I ask "What fucking episode did you just watch?"
"Q" is Loki. Not the movie Loki, but the original. Sometimes he helps, sometimes he hurts, it's a roll of the dice.
When Stewart laughs at the end after he’s been stabbed, it’s a laugh of gratitude and joy - he thinks he’ll die but he’s restored the man he was. Brilliantly done
Interesting how one of the better Q episodes is actually ambiguous about whether Q is directly involved, or if he just appears as part of Picard's near-death experience.
TNG has addressed this issue with both Riker and Picard and I think did it well both times in showing how a huge part of our personality comes from our past experiences.
Excellent review, enjoyed every moment of this review. Tapestry is for me , among Top 10 TNG episodes. And probably among Picard Top 5 episodes in entire TNG ( Inner light, Measure of man , Family , I Borg , and especially Drumhead). Q , John de Lancie , absolutely brilliant. But, I love every one of his appearances.
This episode doesn't convince me that Q is a secretly benevolent good guy. It does however convince me that Q also isn't a wholly evil malevolent force who only exists to obstruct and irritate. Q can be cruel and harmful, or he can be caring and kind in his own sort of way. He has many harmful qualities but these don't wholly define who he is. He's very human.
Q's behaviour is very true to type for a trickster god or an iago. they prove themselves useful when their subject is at rock bottom (in Picard's case literally dead) to purposefully contrast the trouble they cause and make one doubt whether or not they're really all that bad when it comes time to sow chaos. surely even wormtongue gave good advice sometimes...
One of the few things in all the seasons of PICARD I enjoyed was the line Q tells Jean-Lucabkut "The gods always having a favorite".
Q is arguably too powerful to be “evil.” He demonstrates early on that he keeps his word. He has a harsh view of humanity at times but he is also impressed by them (especially Picard).
I’d argue that we are placing the morality of his actions here, when in fact we may not have any real idea why he is doing it. The “he’s very human” part of your comment tells us that we are judging him by and attributing motives to the alien know as Q based on our own Human view… that or it’s just a sci-fi show written by humans for humans.
@@robertt9342 That, and also Q could very well have changed over the years. He was nothing but a jerk in "Encounter at Farpoint," but he wound up becoming fond of Picard in his own way. He went from calling humans mere primitives and making fun of humanity in TNG, to allowing Janeway to pass judgement on a Q's future and become involved in a Q Continuum war on Voyager. This isn't to say that he became any less alien in his thoughts. It just means that analyzing Q's behavior across seven years of TNG voyages as if he was unchanging makes as much sense as analyzing Riker, Worf, or Troi the same way. Yes, Q goes everywhere and meets everyone he cares to across the universe; when he's with any one person in their limited timeframe, though, his relationship to them can change, and so does his way of thinking in relation to them.
Picard: Wait, am I wearing a blue uniform? Oh god, I'm a NEEEEERD!
Love it. This is George Bailey and Discord's number one episode together.
I always found it funny that not only do these huge Nausicaans, who you think would be right out of the Klingon playbook, not only play billiards with a tiny stick, they also cheat at it.
Big and imposing does not mean being above pettiness.
I also love this episode and FWIW I didn't take your description as slamming it. Your love for the episode was still clearly apparent to me. :)
There's a small lost opportunity in this episode. Instead of Thomas Halloway being the captain in the revised timeline, it should have been Edward Jellico. And he should have been on the bridge. It would have been very ... interesting. But that's probably just me.
Maybe he was married to a hot ensign... but they had a kid so he "noped" out of there asap.
Picard + Robin Lefler?
...
I'm gonna nope my way right outta that thought. Just ain't right.
@@andrewklang809 *shudder*
It might just be coincidence, but the way the episodes go, this happens not long after "Qpid." In that episode, Q is trying to repay Picard for his reinstatement in the Continuum. The way I see it, "Qpid" doesn't really have anything where he repays Picard, and neither does "True Q." "Tapestry" is the actual gesture of kindness from Q. Picard saved his life, Q saves Picard... now they're even. The next time we see Q at all is "Q-Less," which you already know we don't talk about, then "All Good Things..." which is more of a bookend to the key Q episodes where he introduces a part of exploration that the crew isn't ready for just yet. Q might be a trickster god, but he's not necessarily evil, just chaotic. At least "Tapestry" is the balance to Q's general persona, and shows that there's more to his character than just making jokes and causing mayhem. And really, causing mayhem was what got him booted from the Continuum to begin with. Maybe he is just playing it safe while Q is keeping an eye on him.
This is my very first memory of Star Trek: as a 7 year old, I remember seeing the trailer for this episode and actually thinking there was a possibility that he could in fact die 😂
TNG, and Star Trek as a whole, taught me a lot. I am who I am in part because of TNG and Trek. And this episode is perhaps one of the bigger influences on who I am and decisions I make. To this day, despite some regrets, I have no desire to go back and change things, largely because of this episode.
It's especially telling that, being trans, I could've transitioned earlier, had better effect with the HRT, maybe have in person parental support instead of the distant support I have now. Etc etc etc. And yet I still have no desire to change any of that.
It was not an easy road, I suffered a lot, but I like where I am, who I am, who I'm with, because of all that. To change even the slightest, smallest thing would be too great a risk.
Ah Dom-Jot... “billiards game that Nausicaans are terrible at yet love to bet on for some reason.” - Mariner
I assumed it was his secondary science career in exo-archeaology, still disappointing his family galavanting across the stars to dig up alien temples when he could be at home studying horticulture.
Hi Steve! Great video, you always crack me up! As someone who was suddenly disabled in 2010 AND has been assaulted more times than I can count on both hands... I also never felt the episode was about him needing the heart problem or get in a fight to be who he was. I can see its possible to read that now, but it always felt more like a choose your own adventure to me.
Picard got to read the endings and decide what path to take. Should he take pain now to prevent emotional pain later. Should he be himself as he was then, or should he use his knowledge to change the future! Classic time travel conundrum.
Him throwing the first punch is a super important distinction too, I think. If he didn't, the episode could have easily made it seem like the heart problem and assault were necessary.
Now that im thinking about it though, I do feel comforted.
Maybe I AM living my best life! All I can do is live as best as I can today and keep hope for a cure tomorrow. Maybe things could have been even worse for me.....
LOL NAH.
Kind of hilarious Picard winds up dating a crew member who has basically the exact life he thought was so terrible in the alternate time line.
But she played the piano.
Each fate is balanced: The Universe itself deprives the Captain of exciting tea blends.
This episode really lays out the wisdom that we learn from every event in our life. It could even be argued that the negative experiences can drive the biggest lessons.
Tapestry is one of my favorite TNG episodes. Nice review and recap.
The aesop of this episode is the same as Star Trek V, deliveres by Kirk, paraphrased: "I NEED my pain! Our pain makes us who we are!"
What I like about Tapestry is that it's entirely possible that none of it actually happened. That while he was dying his brain formulated a scenario where Q reviewed his memories with them. But Q wouldn't have actually had to have been involved. Picard wasn't religious but Q sure fit the bill of someone to expect to see in place of God. The episodes never referenced again by Q or Picard so there's no confirmation that Q is even aware that it happened.
I was going to post a very similar comment. This a great response to Steve’s point about this episode being the turning point for many people saying that Q is actually a benevolent trickster god. Maybe it really wasn’t Q at all, just the “white light” experience people seem to manifest during near-death experiences? So, purely a figment in Picard’s oxygen-starved brain?
There are two things that bother me about this episode. First, we only see a glimpse of Picard’s alternate life. Was he married? Did he have kids? The episode never says, though I guess we’re meant to infer that he doesn’t. That makes it a lot easier for him to want his old life back. Second, it isn’t clear if Q reset everything that happened before the fight. If not, that means Picard still slept with Marta and forever changed their relationship. It’s a shame there was never a follow up episode with Corey and Marta in the present.
"They applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a response from the patient".
Looking forward to the inevitable Lower Decks/ lieutenant Picard crossover.
I always thought that Beverly just swapped the old heart for the cortical stimulator because it turns out it does that too, gave him a shot of inaprovoline, and sent him on his way.
Great character study. Love how "Q" handles things.
This is my favourite episode of tng and 8ve been looking forward to this video. I take great comfort in the message as its presented and it helps me recontextualise the choices I've made that, in my low moments, I might regret. I don't have regrets, I'm curious about the paths not taken but I don't envy any of the other mes I could have been.
I think we all ponder the paths not taken sometimes, we all look at the stars and dream what might be, could have been or never was. It can feel painful and we could never really know for sure what it would truly have been but I think its one of the most human things we could do, feel.
I think it's not so much that Q has humanities best interests at heart so much as he's just very fond of Picard specifically.
Always loved this philosophical episode ever since i was a young star trek fan :3
This is one of my favorite episodes. "It's a Wonderful Life But Also Star Trek" gives me the giggles.
The inverse of *It's a Wonderful Life* really.
Picard ending "Tapestry" as profoundly disabled would be an excellent "Twilight Zone" episode.
I've long held the philosophy to regret your past you regret who you are now.
I've faced many trials in my life, most of which have marked me physically, mentally and emotionally.
You can't live life and come out unscathed.
The utter distaine Picard has for Lt jg himself is so well done by Patrick. But, while the brunt of the venom is clearly aimed at the man not the job/rank...it's hard to not take it that, perhaps without realising it, Picard is in his way also throwing some poop at 'jobson' lower level officers like that version of himself. Which shows a slight ST version of class discrimination on his part (and says something about the wider Starfleet attitude towards such rank and file members perhaps?).
I'm so glad Death Wish is still in the Q roster despite being in the euthanasia video. :D Really looking forward to hearing what else you have to say about it
The best line from this episode is Picard saying "I refuse to accept the universe is so badly designed" to the revelation thrat Q is God and the only afterlife he'll get.
"Tapestry" is amazing. It, and "The Inner Light", sit eternally on my Top 10, if not Top 5 episodes of all Trek I have ever watched. To this day, I still cannot fathom how BOTH episodes got shafted to the second volume of a disc series called "THE BEST of Star Trek TNG Vol 2". On the other hand, at least they were both together on the same disc, and I only had to buy one disc.
I'd never really thought about the question of the formative nature of tough things in this episode. I got the idea of the balance of caution and taking riaks, especially as being an explorer means a certain amount of risk-taking is needed.
When you said the bit about misery being formative, it made a connection for me between this episode and dear old (or dreaded old) Star Trek V and Kirk's line 'I need my pain!'
I'm fascinated by that connection between this great episode and that ... not great movie.
In Q Who when Picard finally asks Q to save them from the Borg, Picard says that if they die then Q will not be able to gloat. This episode however shows that Picard's comment didn't age well!
My only problem with this episode is that the young Picard looks *nothing* like a bald Tom Hardy
Another fun video. Thanks!
Also, I kinda hate to mention it because I absolutely know you didn't mean it in a bad way, but some people who were disabled by their traumatic experience would also chose not to change things, their disability being part of who they became as people.
Picard's dislike of the junior officer's job and life I read as being one way in which he is like Kirk - they are both, in their own ways, thrill seekers.
I loved this episode so much I told my mom about it and she thought I had gone crazy or something. It really does make you think all those things in your past that you hated at the time or regretted, what effect did it have on you now. Where did it take you? Were you strengthened? DId it make you humble? Did you meet and new situation or person that became part of your life today?
I always found it interesting how, in one of their exchanges, Q said to Picard that his never having been given command of the Enterprise didn't effect things very drastically, perhaps even causing the destruction of the Federation because Picard wasn't in the Center Seat. Q says to Picard: "Frankly, you just weren't that important."
I mean, this was in the Season 6, after the Borg invasion. How were they beaten back? How did all that come out. Did Q ever even confront the Enterprise with Riker in command? Did he challenge them in the first episode, putting humanity on trial? Did he not send the Enterprise hurtling thousands of lightyears toward the Delta Quadrant, to encounter the Borg, thereby sending the Borg on a beeline for the Federation?
Hmmmmmm,
Q promised that only Picard would be changed, so someone else had to have done all the things our Picard did... and I'm pretty sure Riker's still not the actual Captain
After this I always pictured Picard walking around the Enterprise looking at the science officers thinking “fucking useless nerds”
A really great video. As always your commentary highlighted stuff I hadn't given much thought to before.
I like the idea that getting nearly killed in his youth is what made Picard grow up to be more circumspect.
Also. Watching Lieutenant Picard's interaction with Geordi, Troi and Riker made me feel really sorry for him. The way he was perceived by his friends really bothered him. The actors were great in these scenes too.
One of my favorite TNG episodes! Seeing this as a kid on syndication it was one of the first things that really got to me and made me see how the decisions we make can have various, possibly unseen consequences (I hadn't seen any of the Back to the Future movies at the time).
Maybe my most favorite episode in all of Trek, certainly my favorite Q one and that's a tall order considering some of the others.
definitely top 5 of all the TNG episodes, maybe top 3 depending on what really floats your boat for interests
the way i always saw Q and picard's relationship was an owner playing with their pet. sometimes he's trying to teach him a new trick and is even happy with him when it works, other times he's more in the mood for tormenting the poor bugger. not a friend, not a villain. the uncategorizable whims of a higher being.
This is my favorite episode of any star trek
There’s a TH-cam channel called Target Audience, where two friends have been watching for the very first time, Trek in its original air date order- series and films. It’s a lot of fun to watch them experience trek for the first time….. though i am concerned that the first 2 seasons of TNG might seem a little jarring for them, having been only accustomed to the Kirk Trek… it’s a fun channel, tho, if anyone is interested
I remember digging this and the twist on the "It's a Wonderful Life" conceit is very well done but it never stuck with me because they didn't do anything too interesting with the alternate reality and I get that's the point but yeah I wish they did something interesting with it like him being stuck on the farm or not have the proviso Q gave, with him putting his thumb on the scale here.
Much like the Inner Light it really works once you don't ask too many questions.
I would've prefered if they went full "It's a Wonderful life/Yesterday's Enterprise/Parallels and explored things more like who's the captain this time around or how did the situation with the Borg work out..etc
Another great review, Steve! Q is a fascinating character, and I love this niche review series.
I don't know why but I always fuse this episode and the one where Pulaski had to do some heart surgery on Picards heart. I can't say why but the combination of the two episodes is actually pretty good the way it happens in my head.
The reason you associate these episodes is because in Samaritan Snare*, Picard first tells Wesley the story about being stabbed in the heart while en route to getting it regularly maintenanced, and it's Pulaski who ends up having to do the surgery necessary to repair his artificial one.
* - Ron Moore considered this episode so bad that it inspired him to write his own script, which became "The Bonding". That's how he got on the show.
@andrewklang809 It wasn't a great episode that's for sure. Despite how much I like Pulaski and her antagonistic relationship with Picard.
Why do I always think of this as "It's a Wonderful Life" for TNG?
Of course they reworked this episode in ST: Picard with the entire second season being a version of a "What if?" or Quantum Leap narrative.
One of the best scifi episodes ever.
Friendly reminder the actress that played Marta (J.C. Brandy) was 17 at the time of shooting. A fine actress but you’re telling me in all of Hollywood they couldn’t find an age appropriate female cadet. Makes you wonder??
Alternate way they could've handled how the future changed: What if without experiencing the near death experience he lost some caution, empathy and became more reckless and cold person in the future?
You know more stories from Picards past could be cool. I'd love. Picard second hand Naussicans.
I was just discussing this episode with some friends this morning. What a nice surprise.
Absolutely the best Q episode ever. I know there are many things in my past that I would love to change, but this episode always reminds me that those poor choices made me who I am.
I never connected it to this episode before today but recent coincidental self-reflection has me contemplating my arc from fearless (not in a cool way, in a "gonna get someone else hurt" way) teen to a very cautious middle-ager*... to a nondescript blue shirt.
Thinking about "Tapestry" suddenly has me wondering if maybe I can reach back and bring some of the more positive aspects of my younger self forward.
*being a better parent played a big role, no regrets there
AGREED. One of my favorite TNG episodes for sure. Good work, Steve!
Thanks!
Tapestry is a bit like a reverse version of The Visitor. You go back to past events of your life but have to experience again and again how one different experience in your past changed all the following events.