Star Trek TNG - Season 1 - Episode 24
Star Trek TNG - 1x24 - We'll Always Have Paris
Originally Aired: 1988-5-2
Synopsis:
Captain Picard is reunited with an old flame. [DVD]
Problems
- During the multiple Datas scene, one of them says, "It's me!"
- Data says the mad scientist guy's experiments were causing time ripples with a radius of 1000 light years or more, yet nobody seems concerned about the implications of such a thing being true.
Factoids
- For some reason, Denise Crosby is still credited as Tasha Yar for the rest of the season, despite her death in the prior episode. I guess they couldn't be bothered to alter the opening credits.
Remarkable Scenes
- Picard's fencing match in the beginning.
- Picard: "Enough of this self-indulgence." Regarding his time on the holodeck.
- Picard's strange behavior on the bridge when he reaches his old girlfriend before anyone else know just who's down there.
- Picard, Data, and Riker meeting themselves from 5 seconds ago is awesome.
- Picard confronting his lost love regarding their unfinished business.
- Beverly fantasizing about Picard.
- Data navigating the obstacle course lab.
- Data talking to his three selves.
My Review
What this episode lacks in its attempts to be profound it makes up for in being a great character story for Picard with a wonderful action sequence for Data. Even by now, stories about characters being reunited with "old flames" are becoming something of a cliche on Star Trek. It's not necessarily unrealistic that in the course of scampering across the galaxy that some of the characters would meet up with people they used to spend a lot of time with, but at the same time it strikes me as a somewhat unimaginative way to force character development out of an episode. I can't help but roll my eyes and say "oh, of course there's somebody Picard used to know on that planet!" Despite this, the episode was solid and entertaining, if a bit unrealistic at times.
The following are comments submitted by my readers.
- When the Enterprise receives the first distress call from Dr. Manheim, he gives only two coordinates to his location. How were they able to travel to the correct location? Three coordinates are needed for three-dimensional space.
- Jenice tells Picard she waited for him all day. She also comments that it was raining. Their rendezvous was at an open-air cafe! Did Jenice sit in the rain all day and wait for Picard?
- During the time rift, the multiple Datas question each other as to who is in the correct position. The middle Data says, "It's me!" In addition to the fact Data cannot use contractions, Data's response is also bad grammar. The correct response should be, "It is I!"
The character development was amusing to watch. The other plot was too perfunctory, with unnecessarily huge implications that were ignored.
At the end, Dr. Mannheim asks to return to the research lab, and Picard says OK. I was flabbergasted. They should be hauling him off to prison for Reckless Endangerment of the Galaxy!
@DSOmo: I notice the rain issue as well, but I assumed the cafe was open-air from the sides, not from the top. I don't think the camera ever panned up to show whether or not there was a roof or canopy above them.
I think the real mistake was deciding that Data wouldn't be able to use contractions. It makes no sense other than to make Data more identifiable as an automaton - which they try so hard to disprove throughout the series - and they obviously couldn't keep up with their own rule.
In which Data gets to be a hero. Win!
The guest star who plays the prof also plays Sigmund Frued on Bill and Ted's excellent adventure.
If riker is to buy a round at the blue parrot how is he to do this? I thought currency in the federation was obsolete?
Some interesting outfits worn by the female guest stars in this episode. That is all I have to say!
The scene at the lift where they meet themselves is fantastic, I love it.
Great episode, could have done without the Cafe scenes.