#redblock

[gnomelord]

Cleaning up da brick and a little bee came by to say hello. A good omen

[jonfucius]

Great Star Trek Rewatch - TNG Season 1

Originally posted on Twitter 17 March 2021 - 6 April 2021

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1 is up next in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. As with ENT, DSC, STX, TOS, TAS, and TOS FF, mini-reviews will document my progress.

Encounter at Farpoint: TNG's pilot is the weakest of the various series premieres. Saving graces are John DeLancie's fully-formed Q, the McCoy cameo, the visual effects, Patrick Stewart's commanding performance, and the greatest tag line: Let's see what's out there, indeed. 5/10

The Naked Now: This episode would have worked better once we knew our heroes a little better (perhaps after "The Arsenal of Freedom"). Since we're still getting to know them, this rehash of a superior TOS episode is flat on arrival. Fully functional, it ain't. 4/10

Code of Honor: It's a racist piece of dogshit. Next. 0/10

The Last Outpost: Man, these Ferengi that allegedly eat their enemies must be as bad the Klingons or the Romulans! Uh, no. They're bad, but not in the way we've been expecting. The T'Kon Empire is worthy of follow-up. 5/10

Where No One Has Gone Before: TNG’s first great episode. Reality powered by thought is a classic Trek idea. Kosinski and the Traveler are excellent guest characters. I’m not the biggest Wesley fan but I cheer every time he calls out Riker. 8/10

Lonely Among Us: There’s just not enough story here to sustain an entire episode. Also, justice for Engineer Singh, reduced to a wig on a chair in one scene. The Antican and Selay makeup, however, are very well done. 5/10

Justice: 90% of this episode is hot garbage. The remaining 10% goes to Picard’s speech about absolute justice (something governments still struggle with), and Crusher’s grief over losing her son. If the Edo really were this primitive, would Picard have stopped there at all? 3/10

The Battle: Wesley’s smugness (and the weak writing for Crusher and Troi) drags the score down a bit, but this is a fairly good first season effort. Learning more about the otherwise enigmatic Picard through a Ferengi’s quest for revenge works. 8/10

Hide and Q: Q’s return so soon after the pilot tries to do something interesting, but it’s not an engaging story. 6/10

Haven: Lwaxana Troi is a love her or hate her character, and I adore her. Wyatt’s chemistry with Troi makes him a believable rival with Riker for Troi’s affections. The Tarellian ship is a striking design. 7/10

The Big Goodbye: While this episode is responsible (for better or worse) for holodeck malfunction stories, this one has a reasonable amount of tension. The reaction to Whalen’s shooting is an excellent in-universe touch. Redblock is effortlessly malevolent. 8/10

Datalore: I would imagine this was the first time people really took notice of just how damn good Brent Spiner is. Evil twin plots aren’t new to Trek, but this is a good one. Glad to see both villains again at later dates. 7/10

Angel One: It’s a sexist piece of shit. Next. 0/10

11001001: The visuals are striking, as are the Bynars. The holodeck scenes with Picard, Riker, and Minuet are worth the price of admission. A solid mid-season installment. 7/10

Too Short a Season: Fountain of Youth episodes are corny at best. A combination of makeup and casting dooms this one from the start. The Iran-Contra parallels come through loud and clear. 4/10

When the Bough Breaks: The Aldeans' plight is sympathetic. I just get the feeling that there's not enough plot to sustain an entire episode each time I watch this one. It's not objectionable but it's not oustanding, either. It just is. 5/10

Home Soil: Some very subtle commentary on the ravages of colonization gets lost in the "ugly bags of mostly water" scene at the very end. Malencon's death is somewhat gruesome for Trek (at least until the airing of the season finale). 6/10

Coming of Age: An excellent first season effort, with Wesley's exam and Remmick's investigation serving as the impetus for the title. Will we see Quinn and Remmick again? Time will tell. 8/10

Heart of Glory: A strong Klingon episode that sows the seeds for RDM’s sublime “Sins of the Father”. All killer no filler. 8/10

The Arsenal of Freedom: Confining this episode to a soundstage limits the scope and stakes of this one, but I do enjoy Crusher and Picard’s scenes. I especially love the Lower Deckers on the bridge. Some good commentary on the military-industrial complex here. 7/10

Symbiosis: Did Nancy Reagan write this stinker? A bummer that this was one of Merritt Butrick’s final roles before his too-early death from AIDS. It could’ve been a great one, but it’s just mediocre. 5/10

Skin of Evil: The first time a series regular dies…for good. The behind-the-scenes tales are legendary, but aside from the goofy oil slick monster, Yar’s senseless death (randomly, in the line of duty) and touching funeral elevates this episode. 7/10

We’ll Always Have Paris: I don’t know why, but this one works for me. I like the sense of isolation as our heroes track down Manheim; and the time distortions are fun, even if the science doesn’t make sense. 7/10

Conspiracy: This episode's shocking climax still hits hard over thirty years later. The unnerving feel of the episode kicks in from the jump and is sustained through to the chilling tag. A shame that this wasn't followed up in live-action. 8/10

The Neutral Zone: The return of the Romulans is dramatic, but the best scenes for me are in the 5th act and the tag. Picard's speech to the refugees is an inspiring summation of Star Trek, and even after an uneven season, it's hard not to be energized for what's to come. 8/10

And with that, TNG Season 1 comes to an end in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. Final score: 5.84/10. Highest score(s): “WNOHGB,” “The Battle,” “The Big Goodbye,” “Coming of Age,” “Heart of Glory,” “Conspiracy,” “The Neutral Zone.” Lowest score(s): “Code of Honor,” “Angel One.”

[sukkanen]

Hey so I've been following you for a few years and I also started following you on Twitter like a lonk while ago but I'm not really on Twitter that much so I don't really check it often. But like tonight I went on your blog and I was like oh yeah and they also have other poggers stuff on their twit but when I went to check I realized that you have me blocked and like that's fine and stuff obviously (I'm not asking to get unblocked especially if I said something that made you uncomfy) but like I don't really know why I got blocked and wanted to know what reasons like could've gotten me the boot buttoned

i use redblock to block the followings of people who harass others or have really bad takes, it could be you got caught in one such a redblock chain!

if you send me your @ i can unblock you!

[fuck-this-shit-lets-ride]

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[redblocksociety]

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[kiltedphoenix]

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[mintpigeon]

We REALLY need a redblock like plug-in but for Tumblr.

[chrislanier]

#redblock https://www.instagram.com/p/CYFJaqtvWly/?utm_medium=tumblr

[oichiminh-blog]

Street action

[vintageantiqueshop]

Chippy? You would be too if you were from 1892. Antique Red Block lidded bowl by US Glass. #redblockusglass https://etsy.me/3eAbLYF #usglass #eapg #antiquedecor #redblock https://www.instagram.com/p/CA1JSpLJviz/?igshid=13t8w912p4qe0

[neckdeep--in--realfriends]

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[filmjunky-99]

s t a r t r e k t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n created by gene roddenberry The Big Goodbye [s1ep12]

[borvooven]

Cyrus Redblock from Star Trek TNG is 1940s Reservoir Dogs AU Joe Cabot change my mind

[selevaldo]

This huge and beautiful #artwork #is made from #recycled aluminum packaging, it's called #redblock #artwork by #elanatsui - - - - - #thebroad #art #red #losangeles #museum #la #texture #reuse #creative #creativity (en The Broad)

[redblocksociety]

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[thegreaterlink]

Reviewing Star Trek TNG - S1E11 “The Big Goodbye”

THE PREMISE

The Enterprise is en route to open diplomatic ties with the Jarada, an insectoid race who are unusually strict in protocol, to the point where even a single mispronunciation in their complex language could start a war.

Eager to take a break from the understandably stressful preparations, Captain Picard immerses himself in a holodeck program, taking the role of fictional detective Dixon Hill. On a subsequent visit he is joined by Dr Crusher, Data and visiting historian Dr Whalen. However, a scan from the Jarada causes the holodeck to malfunction, preventing the doors from opening and cutting off any communication, trapping Picard and the others inside.

MY REVIEW

Holodeck episodes are usually good fun - "Our Man Bashir" and "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" from DS9 come to mind - and this episode is no exception.

I have to give massive credit to the production team for doing such a thorough job on the film noir style of this episode's set and costume design - the episode's costumes even won it an Emmy. It often felt like I was watching an entirely different series which just so happened to feature a lot of the Next Generation cast... as long as you ignore Brent Spiner's android makeup.

Picard and Co's almost childlike sense of wonder and curiosity at the unfamiliar setting is a lot of fun to watch. While being interrogated on suspicion of murder, Picard can't help but marvel at the accuracy and detail of the program. Data also has fun getting into character, dressing the part and speaking the 1930s lingo.

Even when Whalen gets shot, the others applaud him at first for his performance... until they realise that he's actually been severely wounded due to the holodeck's safety protocols being disabled.

This episode also does a good job of maintaining tension - the ship's captain is trapped right when important negotiations are set to begin, Whalen gets shot and will die if they can't get him to sickbay, the others are held at gunpoint by a mob boss and his goons, and even when a solution is found (by Wesley Crusher, to give credit where it's due) there's a danger of the holodeck's occupants being outright disintegrated - a bit far-fetched if I'm being honest, but it gets the job done as a threat.

The holodeck's mob boss, Cyrus Redblock (a bit cheesy, but the program is based on a series of pulp novels) is played by what was probably Star Trek's biggest guest star at the time: Lawrence Tierney. He absolutely steals the show, almost making you forget that he's just a hologram... something which he and his lackey find out the hard way.

Speaking of guest stars, we also get a brief appearance from the always welcome Dick Miller. Good stuff.

The negotiations with the Jarada are little more than a plot device for the Enterprise to be heading somewhere important and to get the characters into the holodeck, but fortunately they're not the focus here. Hell, the Jarada never even appear onscreen!

This is the second episode written by Tracy Tormé, who previously wrote "Haven." I'm glad to see such an improvement from his first outing.

7/10 - Fun episode. Would recommend.

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