{"id":6583,"date":"2016-12-26T19:55:23","date_gmt":"2016-12-26T19:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/75-Gambit-Part-II"},"modified":"2016-12-26T19:55:23","modified_gmt":"2016-12-26T19:55:23","slug":"75-gambit-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relivethemajesty.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/26\/75-gambit-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"7.5 — \u201cGambit, Part II\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n

7.5 — \u201cGambit, Part II\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Plot:<\/strong> Riker and Picard\u2019s undercover sojourn as space pirates continues as Baran orders Riker to kill Galen (Picard) at the first opportunity. The Romulan mate reveals herself as a secret Vulcan interested in stolen historical artifacts that combine to form the Sword of Voltron or some other deadly thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thoughts:<\/strong> It’s a Holodeck LARP. That’s the only reasonable explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion<\/em> by Larry Nemecek quotes director Alexander Singer as being thankful for a change of pace that \u201ctook the onus off of being deadly earnest, deadly serious, and deadly complicated.\u201d That\u2019s one way to look at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another way is that some folks had grown tired of the show they were making, and were dreaming about working on a different kind of show. No one is protecting the characters, or it wouldn\u2019t make sense for Brent Spiner to play Acting Captain Data as having such keen intuition that he jumps on behavioral subtleties missed by every other person on the bridge (including the empath) and uses these inferences to play risky hunches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We see Data visibly settle himself after his confrontation with Worf–why? They aren\u2019t trying. It’s not “Let’s think about what it would mean for an android without emotion to be thrust into the Captain’s role.” It’s “Let’s watch Brent play at being Captain Kirk for a while. That’ll be fun!” And it is fun, but it’s also sloppy. They’ve invested a lot of energy over the years making Data almost unfailingly cuddly and nonthreatening, against all logic, with rare exceptions (“Descent”). And even I, nitpicky curmudgeon TOS fan, like Data, and can enjoy his confrontation with Worf. But the character is no Spock. Not even close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So many other opportunities are missed. Crusher could have shown how savvy she is during the trumped up inspection of the captured Klingon shuttle. Instead they have her just act like a dork, underlining what we already know (that the inspection is based on false premises), and giving other unintended information (Crusher can’t be trusted in a clutch situation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Back on the pirate ship, someone can\u2019t stop smirking. Riker! Go to your room!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The best part is the guest stars. Richard Lynch as Baran, Robin Curtis as Tallera, and even James Worthy as the very tall Klingon are all engaging. Evidently they aren’t tired of working on the show! Although our Vulcan triple-crosser could have exhibited a greater commitment to logic in her final scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Perhaps thanks to the teleplay by Ronald D. Moore, I did find the second part more entertaining than the first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2 of 5 resonator weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n

http:\/\/memory-alpha.wikia.com\/wiki\/Gambit,_Part_II<\/a>