Wanderlust

1.14 — “Angel One”

1.14 — “Angel One”

Plot: The Enterprise comes to Angel One in search of survivors from a disabled Federation freighter. The survivors, all male, are fugitives from justice, for the crime of somehow agitating for the rights of males in this matriarchal society (actually, it’s about ethics in game journalism). Riker’s away team finds the survivors, but they don’t want to leave the planet, although the government plans to execute them. Meanwhile, the crew left on board the Enterprise get colds.

Thoughts: I can’t even. This is a very lame hour of television. I don’t think it’s worth trying to take it apart, because it isn’t really put together in the first place. Misogynist writers are still misogynist. Next?

Wesley’s skiing costume looks like a recreation of a package of Jiffy Pop stove top popcorn. With a foil headband. I have never seen clothes more ridiculous.

I kind of like the costume used for the males on Angel One, however, on the grounds that it subversively exposes how degrading the outfits are that we routinely accept attired on women. Dress the women in the same clothes, throw on a shiny bra, and who would blink? Sadly, I don’t think this was the point the producers were intending to make.

Riker proves he is no Captain Kirk. Meanwhile, the dumb B plot contains a few nice character moments involving Geordi and Worf where I feel like we get to know them better. Geordi’s joy at being placed in command is sweet.

Wikipedia claims that this episode caused an insurrection of the cast against the script and the director. IMDB elaborates by saying that Gates McFadden’s complaints about the script’s sexism (worse, apparently, in the original draft) got her fired from second season. The story I’m piecing together is that TNG’s head writer for the first two seasons, Maurice Hurley, developed a strong dislike to McFadden (maybe because she complained about the writing?). Hurley’s departure at the end of season two coincides with the moment that the series started to improve. A new head writer, Michael Piller, was brought on who stayed through the end of the series, and Rick Berman, newly promoted to executive producer, brought McFadden back to the show.

Now I’m just trying to distract myself from having to write about this episode. Grade: Fail.

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Angel_One

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4 responses to “1.14 — “Angel One””

  1. sunny jim Avatar
    sunny jim

    AHHH!  THE COSTUMES (and hair)!  THE STUPIDITY!  THE MYSOGINY!  IT BURNS!  MAKE IT STOP!

    That’s my review of this episode.

    (Also, if I never have to see Riker’s chest hair in all it’s glory, ever again, it’ll be too soon.)

    Reply
  2. Randi Cohen Avatar
    Randi Cohen

    Way more fun reading your comments on this episode than actually watching it.  

    I have always found “reverse sexism” plots to be highly boring.  Mainly because I don’t really need the device of sex reversal to understand how wrong sexism is.  I mean, perhaps in the 1950’s or something this kind of plot would feel interesting or shocking to some.  But not in the 1980’s.

    Also, I just don’t think Riker needs any more love interests on the show.  Ever.  It does nothing to illuminate his character, it just makes him more smug.  I would like to see Worf or Data or Giordi have a love interest.  That would be much more interesting.

    Finally, does anybody know what these supposed rebels were actually doing on Angel One that was so terrible?  I never quite understood that.  And, other than the vote and having to wear those outfits, in what other ways were the men oppressed?   And, why do these shipwrecked guys get to stay on Angel One when the government doesn’t want them?  I mean, if a bunch of folks from England got shipwrecked in the US, but the U.S. government didn’t want them to stay, wouldn’t they wind up shipped back to England?  Shooting ducks in a barrel here, but just thought I’d spell out some of what does not make sense.

      

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  3. sunny jim Avatar
    sunny jim

    I think the implication is that the men were insisting on equal rights – not just suffrage, but probably  the kinds of things that women have been historically denied.  And they were being really subversive with their “alternative” relationships, where the man had the power, and the woman was subservient – god only knows what might happen if we let that continue! 

    And for some reason, it was important to them to stay on Angel One, with their wives, to be an example to other men of this radical other way of living.  Because the writers thought they were doing a “sexism is wrong, and all genders are equal” episode, when they really they don’t believe that, so they fumbled the execution.

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  4. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    Yes, that whole business about the Prime Directive only applying to Starfleet rang very false to me.  The show bible–that is, the 1987 Writers/Directors Guide, written by Gene Roddenberry–describes the PD accurately on page 37: “The prime directive prohibits meddling with other worlds’ destinies . . . we do not have the right to interfere with the natural process of evolution on any planet.” The only exceptions are when the safety of the starship is jeopardized, or interference is absolutely vital to the needs of the Federation. http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Star_Trek/2_The_Next_Generation/Star_Trek_-_The_Next_Generation_Bible.pdf To say that Starfleet can’t do this themselves, but also can’t prevent “private citizens” from doing it, is ridiculous, and undermines their role as enforcers. It also contradicts the TOS episode “Patterns of Force,” where they found a planet where a famous Earth scientist (or historian?) had turned a whole culture into Nazis.

    Reply

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