FYI we're going to start watching DS9 very soon on Patreon! TNG Playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLQHhQlj8i5dqskzLNqeSNyMGa1rBWe3h1 Original Series: ruclips.net/p/PLQHhQlj8i5drsrCtQd-FDuZZ99vKlPTyZ
They not only made the right call in making Wesley screw up, they made the right call in making it serious. That's exactly the kind of mistake a wonderkid makes when they eventually DO screw up, because they haven't developed the intuition for thinking about consequences that someone who screws up frequently has.
Also, the instinct to cover-up the mistake: a combination of "I'm smart enough to fix this without help" and "Nobody can ever know that I made a mistake". That's an unfortunate companion to genius in the young.
*Yup! Many people hated the character of Wesley because, back when he was on the Enterprise, it was like he could do no wrong (He was the Male/Kid equivalent of a Mary Sue: Even the very few times when he would make a mistake, he’d be at the forefront of the solution; sometimes even being better at problem solving than professional and seasoned Starfleet officers!). This episode and the way they portrayed Wesley as having put himself into a situation where he was in over his head and going astray from everything he way suppose to aspire to **_finally_** humanized the character and made him more believable. So it was a smart decision on the part of the writers to throw this curveball of a story. And (without any spoilers) love how this episode will have echoes and repercussions in multiple future episodes!*
They made the wrong call by ignoring the fact Wesley served a number of years on the Federation's flag ship in deep space missions as an acting Ensign and then as a full Ensign, he fought the Borg as a bridge officer for crying out loud, twice, he met Q, the traveler, saved the Enterprise a number of times, and now they try to sell us he's so infatuated with that young Tom Paris kid's faulty leadership skills? sorry, but taking in consideration all of Wesley's experience around top officers he should have seen right through that.
@@E_y_a_l I think it's more that all of those experiences Wesley had at such a young age gave him a bit of an ego problem. He was on the best ship in the fleet with the best officers in Starfleet, and he frequently came up with a solution when they couldn't. It's less that he was amazed by Paris's leadership skills so much as when someone came along to tell him "Yeah, we're young, we're amazing, we're the best of the best", that fed into his ego. Combine that with the fact that he never had any friends of his own age and it's not surprising that he's rather desperate to fit in and be a member of his 'team'. I rather doubt it took all that much in the way of leadership skills or even pushing to get Wesley to go along with the plan because showing off is something he likely wanted to do anyway. And then once the accident happened, it again would be less about Paris's leadership skills as much as Wesley being ashamed of making such a major mistake, being afraid of losing the thing he's worked for his entire life (getting into Starfleet), and also losing the only friends his own age he's ever had.
"The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth: whether it scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth. It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based. If you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth, then you don't deserve to wear that uniform." - Captain Picard Easily one of the best moments to The Picard Song. If Worf is a call to honour, then Picard is a call to The Truth.
Ray Walston, who played Boothby, starred in a popular 1963 alien contact sitcom called _My Favorite Martian_ . He played an extraterrestrial from Mars (with antennas on his head) who crashlands his spaceship on Earth and is taken in by an American reporter.
He was also Mr. Hand in Fast Times at RIdgemont High where he actually plays a similar character, even if it might not seem like it on the surface. In both, he legitimately cares about the students and wants to help them, and isn't just a "mean spirited, vicious old man."
@@J4ME5_ Not dispute, as the creation of another writer, the writer of this episode would've been paid royalties for every episode "Nick" was in, adding to the expense of the show as opposed to creating a new character which wouldn't have the fee per episode.
We missed you last week Jen! Liked this one for giving Wesley more substance beyond finding the miracle solution to a problem. Picard putting his foot down and setting the ultimatum is always fun to watch.
This is probably my favorite Wesley episode. He isn't the supernerd who saves the day here. He's just a young man struggling with growing pains, loyalty to your friends versus doing the right thing. Something we all can relate to.
_...And he still does the right thing._ That's the important part. *He still does the right thing.* That's what's missing from today's entertainment, including star trek. The characters all do what they feel (no matter what the repercussions are down the road) in a short-sighted lack of principle. And the writers don't have the guts to actually write repercussions for characters acting on these short-sighted feelings.
@kerry-j4m with respect, *the poster stated exactly what he thought was relatable* in his post. You added to his post and then attacked your addition. That's straw-man arguing.
I don't think I have ever seen you so aggravated at a commercial break - which goes to show how much you were enjoying this! The kinds of questions raised here about integrity and, more importantly, how integrity is even defined in a given situation, are the same questions any military organization deals with constantly. I really admire how this episode tackles that head on.
Robert Duncan McNeill "Nick" also plays on Star Trek Voyager as Tom Paris, and if you are old enough to remember he also plaid in the movie Masters of the Universe as the teenage boy alongside Courteney Cox as his girlfriend :)
@@joestacey6185 my thoughts? The Truth doesn’t hurt, it can only heal. In fact I believe that The Truth is necessary for healing much in the same way as setting a broken bone is necessary to healing. Now, setting a broken bone can cause pain, but that pain is an unfortunate necessity because otherwise the bone wont heal properly. In that same way, acknowledging and telling The Truth will cause pain, but only if someone is living a lie.
@gawainethefirst The usual example of harmful truth is, in Germany during WW2, if asked "Are you hiding a Jewish family?", saying yes would be bad. Lying is the morally correct and least harmful response. The truth is not always the best course.
After 2 weeks without a Star Trek reaction, it was great to see this pop up in my notifications! Also, it is a very good episode for all the reasons that you said in your review at the end, Jen!
This episode, at least for a time, was screened to cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy during the introduction of the honor code. This is the kind of integrity they want their officers to have.
@@moondog3056 But Wesley could've shut the hell up and walked. They had already beaten the allegations. They were basically in the clear. It is true that Picard laid an epic guilt trip on him, but Wesley made the decision AFTER they had effectively gotten away with it, to tell the truth anyway.
@@3Rayfire Bingo. Picard didn't have anything but a theory that happened to fit the facts. He had no proof, though the audience knows he is right. Even if Picard came forward, the cadets just needed to deny the allegations to walk with a reprimand. We want those who serve to tell the truth, even at cost to themselves, don't we? We're human. It's natural to try to hide but when push came to shove, Wes did the right thing on his own early enough for it to matter.
It is all together fitting that the gardener of Starfleet Academy is filled by My Favorite Martian, Ray Walston played one of the first aliens on regular prime time television in 1963.
Jen, Yes Starfleet Academy is in San Francisco. You can see the Golden Gate Bridge in the background of the last scene, where Wesley and Picard say goodbye.
This was a great episode for sure. Not because it brought Wesley down a peg, but because it finally humanized him and made him a real person and not just some one note caricature of a person. This was the first time I realized that the issue with Wes wasn’t Will Wheaton, it was just a character written in a way I didn’t care for. And reminded me how much I liked him in stand by me. But I was young and judgey, one of the things the best of trek does. Puts us in a place to see things from another perspective.
The Nick Locarno character was supposed to come back as a main character on a later series, but instead of paying royalties to the writer of this episode, they decided to keep the actor but rename the character with a similar backstory.
@@Nimbus1701 People have got to stop being little whiny bitches about spoilers. Not everything is spoilers. "This actor plays another character in another show" is *NOT* a spoiler, ffs! Bunch of whiny babies! 🙄
They named the "Yeager Loop" after test pilot Chuck Yeager, first man to break the "sound barrier" in 1947. He commanded the USAF test pilot school at Edwards AFB in the 1960s. He's played by Sam Shepard in The Right Stuff (1983) and plays a cameo role himself.
And Chuck Yeager has had an impact on the accent American pilots often use to this day. The drawl a lot of commercial pilots use when giving their initial briefing to passengers is based on his mannerisms. Amusingly, it has spread (to a lesser extent) to other countries. I’ve heard imitations from German, Indonesian, and Ghanaian airline pilots, and it’s a trip.
@@chrisnielsen9885 it’s not that they chickened out, they would have had to pay royalties to writer of this episode every time Locarno/Paris showed up on screen. The show runners expected at least five seasons, so they had to pare down some cost where they could.
Ray Walston! My favorite Martian, Starfleet Academy gardener and teacher at RIDGEMONT High for student Jeff Spicoli! Born 1914, married 58 years until death in 2001! R I P Mr. Hand! Peace 🕊️☮️♾️😎🎸🤟🏼
I always enjoyed the fact that despite the fact that Wil Wheton (and Wesley Crusher) took a lot of crap from some of the "fans", the episodes in which Wesley returns are all bangers, and Wil Wheton kills it with his guest performances. When I was a kid it was also fun, as a Calgarian, that Wes and Josh will someday visit my hometown in the 24th century for some skiing. Presumably, this was written into the script as a nod to the, then recently concluded, 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary.
Star Trek writers always had a problem writing kids (I think the only exception is Naomi on Voyager), and this really handicapped Wil Wheaton trying to play Wesley, he just wasn't given much to work with. In the later episodes when he returns (or even in his last regular episode) the authors wrote Wesley as a young adult, and they did that quite well.
It's an interesting episode that shows young cocky people who made a big mess and how they tried to get away with it... an honest and very real story. Re: a trek teen series, the nearest to date is 'Star Trek Prodigy', though I recommend you watch that after you've seen Voyager as the show is set after the end of Voyager.
Robert Duncan McNeill played Nick on this episode, a brash cadet, pretty much played the same character in Star Trek Voyager Tom Paris. On this show he was buddy to Wesley, on Voyager to Harry, both guys under the influence of him. I wonder if Wesley became a forever ensign, just like Harry was?😅😊
2:59 Fun Fact: Robert Duncan McNeill (This new guy) goes on to play a series regular in "Star Trek: Voyager" (totally different character) and when we first meet him, his character is similar to his character in THIS episode. So I RE-edited this episode using AI to recreate everybody referring to his as Cadet Tom Paris instead of Cadet LeCarno.
To answer your question jen, yes starfleet is in san fransico right next to the golden gate bridge. You saw in the stat trek movies: the motion picture, and 4 the voyage home, also in the tng first season episode conspiracy.
Looking at the angle of the Golden Gate Bridge, Starfleet Academy is somewhere in the bay. Either it's part of a land reclamation project or the droughts are going to get a hell of a lot worse.
There's old military base ruins on the northeast side of the Bridge, below the hill. Definitely land reclamation. 😅 The real land is too steep. Could be a landslide from the Big One. Or a result of WW3...
The academy has facilities in the Presidio of San Francisco and at Fort Baker on the north (Marin County) side of the bridge. The view here looks more like what you'd see from the Fort Baker side.
The "gardening guy" is the legendary Boothby. Picard references him a number of times as the one constant of Starfleet Academy, and one of the stabilizing influences on reckless cadets with more potential than wisdom. 8:35 The "Yeagar Loop" sounds like it would be very familiar to today's aerobatic pilots as an Immelman. Vertical upward pull into a half loop and a 180 degree roll and exit above the path of entry.
@MGower4465 Bravo. You hit both points that I was going to mention, except you didn't add that he was also Uncle Martin, a.k.a. My Favorite Martian. This once again confirms that the best practice is to look through the comments to see if anyone has already mentioned it. 😉
Another fun point is that this is one of the only times in the whole series that we see, in present day, a real, honest-to-god, functioning doorknob. (In Wesley's dorm room.)
Also in season 1TNG in Conspiacy they went to star fleet headquarters which was on earth in san francisco. I cant remember if they showed any of the background in that episode. Wow season 1 tng is so long ago from when we were watchimg it on the channel.
There was a series of books going over each Next Generation character having one adventure at Starfleet academy. LeForge's was on a capture the flag tournament.
Second time I heard cahoots in over 40 years, when my dad was talking about 'The Nixon Tapes' lol Other time is when @LiteWeightReacting said it in LotR! Ya both making me feel old! Love Sito, Jaxa!!!
On this episode there was a real behind the scenes fight about what the correct decision for Wesley to make, to tell the truth or be loyal to his group. A number of writers still disagree with what was decided.
Great reaction yes Wesley lost all his credit for the years and all the extra bones Credit got for being on serving on the enterprise. That’s why he was going to graduate early from the Academy because a service on the enterprise but now because of this he has to finish out his full academy training And after year with the first one and this kind of position to become this chance, usually you’re thrown out once thought of the Academy there’s no place to go unless you want a civilian transport ship or an earthbound job fixing broken starships or whatever or hover cars to have to you when you fail the Academy the best of the best if you do that, they don’t trust you anymore I hope you had a good Christmas and have a happy new year. Thanks for the fun until next time.
Yes, Starfleet headquarters and starfleet academy are in San Francisco. You can see the Goldengate bridge on all those establishing shots lol. Also, you don't remember Boothby? Picard mentioned him to Wesley in a previous episode. The Game I believe it was. Where Wesley was telling Picard how Boothby didn't remember him, and about Picard carving a girls name in his prized trees.
Notably Starfleet is in SF, but the civilian aspects of the Federation are based in Paris on Earth. (I've always assumed both Starfleet and the UFP have facilities on each of at least the four founder worlds.)
@@gaz-l621 for sure. Based on Star Trek VI in the very least. The president and federation headquarters (or whatever it would be called) is in Paris. Starfleet based in the Bay area for the films and Berman era trek at least
In star trek 4 a voyage home. The trial of the enterprise with the TOS crew Kirk and co.was at starfleet in San Franciso. You can see the golden gaye bridge in the back ground.
Very good episode and a great reaction, Jen! 👍 There are also so many familiar faces in it as well.😁 Looking forward to seeing some characters / actors again later.. also in Voyager !
5:59 Granted, the speeds are dramatically different, but today's flight demo teams, the Blue Angles, Thunderbirds, Snowbirds, Red Arrows, and others fly in formations that *start* with 18 inches (45 cm) of separation between aircraft, and get tighter as a season progresses. The aircraft often overlap to such an extent the canopies of the left and right pilots are undernesth the wingtips of the lead aircraft.
@@3Rayfire once in space, there's no real meaning to 80k kp/h - it depends on your reference frame (I assume it was using saturn as a reference frame here). What would matter is only how quickly they accelerate in the turn away from one another. While they were flying parallel beforehand, assuming no acceleration, their speeds were 0 to each other. It only doesnt seem this way on earth because we have a planet and atmosphere around us at all times
@@liaxnoelle I disagree. At that velocity minute changes to course can have huge consequences. Turning one degree can shift a person kilometers in an instant, as you said in relation to the people you're flying next to. Their speeds are 0 relative to each other until they're not and with much less response time when someone moves out of formation. We're talking a velocity to range difference of with the Blue Angels versus Nova Squadron where Nova Squadron is going 44,777 times faster versus how far apart they are.
@@3Rayfire I think it's unclear based on how it's shown in the ep. if they are at constant speed and parallel before the maneuver, there's literally no difference between them being arranged like that flying at 80k kph vs 0 kph. Their engines would not be providing any thrust until the maneuver (as none is required in space to maintain speed), and how much they will accelerate when the maneuver starts isn't shown to us in real time I think. Unlike in a plane, changing heading 1 degree wouldnt rob the vehicle of its original momentum at all, because theres no friction with air theyre pushing against. The ISS is moving at 20,000 kph along with everyone on it, and an astronaut jumping away from it at 1 degree would only separate from the space station at a small fraction of human jump speeds. If they're flying parallel under constant acceleration, then as you said, any small turn would turn a fraction of that acceleration into a dangerous situation depending on how much they're accelerating - which isnt told to us. The simulation they show does make it seem it could be like (relative to each other) they're maneuvering at jet plane velocities once the maneuver begins. Theres really not enough information for either of us to be 'right' and it could be interpreted in many ways. All this being said, star trek is pretty notorious for not bothering to deal with space flight velocities acccurately anyway, often representing them like in naval or air battles.
If you want to see a young Captain Picard in action, becoming the man you know and love, I highly recommend watching the excellent "Hornblower" show (just eight episodes made from 1998-2003) made by A&E. Gene Roddenberry based captain Kirk and Captain Picard on him, and it's exactly what you would want from a young Picard series: a great main character (Horatio) who embodies the best things about Picard and Kirk. Think Star Trek in the "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" universe, with a young Picard getting in all kinds of dangerous situations, but working his way up the ranks in the British Navy.
Locarno's actor and character's misadventures, sorta, are gonna be back in a series you'll see after DS9 but for intellectual property and money reasons, they had to change the name and some details. Starfleet HQ and Academy are in Frisco, Federation political center is in Paris You had glimpses of Starfleet HQ in Motion Picture, Voyage Home and Undiscovered Country.
4:10 -- RE: Is there a show where Patrick Stewart is Young and Has Hair?; A: I'm trying to remember if he was rocking any hair in "I, Claudius". He certainly didn't have much on the top for Lynch's "Dune".
17:51 You're in luck, Jen. They are currently working on a show called "Starfleet Academy". So, maybe you'll get your wish. I believe it takes place during the earlier years...during the years of Kirk and Spock.
While I do know that was an idea for a show for a while the one being filmed has a character from Discovery confirmed to be in it so unlikely to be Kirk and Spock years
2:35 -- I quite liked this episode for a bunch of reasons but the one which compels me to comment is currently on-screen. I really like how the father of the cadet who died is presented especially since he's wearing a Starfleet uniform too. The necessary understanding which is subtext to this episode is that Wesley completely understands that him losing his father isn't as tragic as this father losing his son who was apparently quite close to Wesley. Therefore, Wesley had an additional "duty" which he completely fulfills despite any adversity that comes with it, one of the most adult depictions of his character ever.
Boothby is played by Ray Walston who stared in the 1963 TV comedy My Favorite Martian. So, he has some Sci-fi Bonafide's. Starfleet Academy makes several more appearance in Deep Space 9 and Voyager.
Lol, totally forgot that Tom Paris makes an appearance here under a different name 😂they sure loved re-using actors. Hope you'll react to ST Voyager too at some point.
REALLY GOOD EPISODE 👏 Very subtle. The team leader thinks they might as well cover up what they did because the other kid is already dead, and there's nothing to be gained by hurting themselves with the truth. Except justice matters to the rest of us, and we would like to know who we can't trust. "A lie of omission is still a lie." Some people don't learn that, and you'll trust them until you learn their truth. 🖖
Patrick Steward has had a bare scalp since his early 20s. iMO, the best hair he wore foe a role was as Roman soldier Sejanus in the mini-series 'I. Claudius'.
Here's an interesting trivia note: according to the expanded universe, that starburst maneuver that killed five people and led to its banning by cadets, that ban was based partially on the eyewitness testimony of one Cadet James Tiberius Kirk. He was leading his own squad on maneuvers at the same time, and they got caught in the blast and nearly died themselves. One of the causalties had even been one of Kirk's old roommates. Others have alrrady hinted that this is not the end of the line for Locarno or Sito, and on a similar note, Starfleet isn't done with the idea of an elite squad of cadets yet, either. And I'm sorry to say that the later iteration will end in even greater tragedy.
First time we see Sito (the young Bajoran)! She'll be in TNG again someday. And Lucarno (the actor will return to Trek in a future role with another name).
There are other instances in Trek that call back to this episode, and an actor that pops up again later as a different character. I'll be interested to see if you can recall if/when you get to those callbacks later on!
A great episode that connects to one of the best in season 7. One thing i always chuckle about is the big plothole in this episode. The Starburst maneuver is banned by Starfleet Academy and those cadets were attempting to perform it in front of thousands of guests. How do they think Starfleet would react if they performed it publicly? The second they touched down they'd be carted off to the Admiral's office for the repirmand of their lives, most likely a permanent entry into their records and depending on the details have possibly their careers in Starfleet endangered. Barring that it was a good Wesley character episode dealing with one of the core aspects of Starfleet and Star Trek in general.
Vanity. Nick was so certain the Powers That Be would be so amazed at their success. He assumed the Academy would be too dazzled to dare punishing them. He was obviously the leader of their group.
@@happybkwrm He sure was and probably very charismatic but as the saying goes - Safety rules are written in blood. There's a reason it's banned and he was i believe a senior cadet ( 4th year?), so he should have known better. Ego can be a hell of a thing though and if i were the head of Starfleet i'd have serious thoughts about his character suitability to become a Starfleet officer.
FYI we're going to start watching DS9 very soon on Patreon!
TNG Playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLQHhQlj8i5dqskzLNqeSNyMGa1rBWe3h1
Original Series: ruclips.net/p/PLQHhQlj8i5drsrCtQd-FDuZZ99vKlPTyZ
How are you watching DS9? Original DVDs?? Upscaled A.I.?? Any form of high definition?
The start is a bit slow going, but you're going to love it. At its best, the most sophisticated storytelling in Trek.
Nice voting Patreons 🙂 Hope that means it will be on youtube eventually
OMG OMG, i cant wait, you will love it, it starts slow, like TNG it takes a little while to find itself, though its still great from the start
You're going to love it, the character development alone is the best of the franchise.
Ray Walston will always be my most favorite Martian. RIP, sir.
Uncle Martin with the sage advice!
When I was a kid I couldn't wait to see his antenna go up!
They not only made the right call in making Wesley screw up, they made the right call in making it serious. That's exactly the kind of mistake a wonderkid makes when they eventually DO screw up, because they haven't developed the intuition for thinking about consequences that someone who screws up frequently has.
Also, the instinct to cover-up the mistake: a combination of "I'm smart enough to fix this without help" and "Nobody can ever know that I made a mistake". That's an unfortunate companion to genius in the young.
Great point!
*Yup! Many people hated the character of Wesley because, back when he was on the Enterprise, it was like he could do no wrong (He was the Male/Kid equivalent of a Mary Sue: Even the very few times when he would make a mistake, he’d be at the forefront of the solution; sometimes even being better at problem solving than professional and seasoned Starfleet officers!). This episode and the way they portrayed Wesley as having put himself into a situation where he was in over his head and going astray from everything he way suppose to aspire to **_finally_** humanized the character and made him more believable. So it was a smart decision on the part of the writers to throw this curveball of a story. And (without any spoilers) love how this episode will have echoes and repercussions in multiple future episodes!*
They made the wrong call by ignoring the fact Wesley served a number of years on the Federation's flag ship in deep space missions as an acting Ensign and then as a full Ensign, he fought the Borg as a bridge officer for crying out loud, twice, he met Q, the traveler, saved the Enterprise a number of times, and now they try to sell us he's so infatuated with that young Tom Paris kid's faulty leadership skills? sorry, but taking in consideration all of Wesley's experience around top officers he should have seen right through that.
@@E_y_a_l I think it's more that all of those experiences Wesley had at such a young age gave him a bit of an ego problem. He was on the best ship in the fleet with the best officers in Starfleet, and he frequently came up with a solution when they couldn't. It's less that he was amazed by Paris's leadership skills so much as when someone came along to tell him "Yeah, we're young, we're amazing, we're the best of the best", that fed into his ego. Combine that with the fact that he never had any friends of his own age and it's not surprising that he's rather desperate to fit in and be a member of his 'team'.
I rather doubt it took all that much in the way of leadership skills or even pushing to get Wesley to go along with the plan because showing off is something he likely wanted to do anyway. And then once the accident happened, it again would be less about Paris's leadership skills as much as Wesley being ashamed of making such a major mistake, being afraid of losing the thing he's worked for his entire life (getting into Starfleet), and also losing the only friends his own age he's ever had.
"The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth: whether it scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth. It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based. If you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth, then you don't deserve to wear that uniform." - Captain Picard
Easily one of the best moments to The Picard Song. If Worf is a call to honour, then Picard is a call to The Truth.
I would argue that's the first duty of every human being.
I wish she had left that quote in the edit.
Right now we need to hear that message more than ever.
@@ammaleslie509 👏👏👏
"Oh hey, Paris!"
"This is my squad leader, Nick Locarno."
"Ssssssuuuuuuuure" ¬.¬
yeah we all know thats tom
🤣
"I was convinced you could be an outstanding officer. I never questioned that conviction.
Until now."
Only just noticed that convinced and conviction have the same root! If you are convinced about something it's a conviction, cool!
Brutal. We all felt that because Picard is space dad.
Ray Walston, who played Boothby, starred in a popular 1963 alien contact sitcom called _My Favorite Martian_ . He played an extraterrestrial from Mars (with antennas on his head) who crashlands his spaceship on Earth and is taken in by an American reporter.
He was also Mr. Hand in Fast Times at RIdgemont High where he actually plays a similar character, even if it might not seem like it on the surface. In both, he legitimately cares about the students and wants to help them, and isn't just a "mean spirited, vicious old man."
Oh sure, he says his name is "Nick", but he sure looks a lot like an alpha quadrant doppelganger of Tom Paris. LOL
would have been the same character if not for a royalties thing
Did you know that Tom Paris was supposed to be Nicole but for some kind of writer dispute they had to change the name
Sorry, I don't see it 😑
@@J4ME5_ Not dispute, as the creation of another writer, the writer of this episode would've been paid royalties for every episode "Nick" was in, adding to the expense of the show as opposed to creating a new character which wouldn't have the fee per episode.
@@IAmTheAce5 🤣🤣🤣
We missed you last week Jen!
Liked this one for giving Wesley more substance beyond finding the miracle solution to a problem. Picard putting his foot down and setting the ultimatum is always fun to watch.
This is probably my favorite Wesley episode. He isn't the supernerd who saves the day here. He's just a young man struggling with growing pains, loyalty to your friends versus doing the right thing. Something we all can relate to.
_...And he still does the right thing._ That's the important part. *He still does the right thing.* That's what's missing from today's entertainment, including star trek. The characters all do what they feel (no matter what the repercussions are down the road) in a short-sighted lack of principle. And the writers don't have the guts to actually write repercussions for characters acting on these short-sighted feelings.
Their friend died in that little stunt they knew was illegal and dangerous,then lied about in open court,that's not something we all can relate to.
@kerry-j4m with respect, *the poster stated exactly what he thought was relatable* in his post. You added to his post and then attacked your addition. That's straw-man arguing.
@@kerry-j4mTrue, rarely to this degree, but I think most of us have a lower stakes thing in our pssts.
@@odiumgeneris729 I stated my opinion,that's all.
I don't think I have ever seen you so aggravated at a commercial break - which goes to show how much you were enjoying this! The kinds of questions raised here about integrity and, more importantly, how integrity is even defined in a given situation, are the same questions any military organization deals with constantly. I really admire how this episode tackles that head on.
Robert Duncan McNeill "Nick" also plays on Star Trek Voyager as Tom Paris, and if you are old enough to remember he also plaid in the movie Masters of the Universe as the teenage boy alongside Courteney Cox as his girlfriend :)
In my opinion, the speech that Picard gives about the First Duty is the best in all of TNG. Our first duty should always be to the truth!
There are times when telling the truth can be harmful. But this episode isn't one of them.
@@joestacey6185 my thoughts?
The Truth doesn’t hurt, it can only heal. In fact I believe that The Truth is necessary for healing much in the same way as setting a broken bone is necessary to healing.
Now, setting a broken bone can cause pain, but that pain is an unfortunate necessity because otherwise the bone wont heal properly. In that same way, acknowledging and telling The Truth will cause pain, but only if someone is living a lie.
@gawainethefirst The usual example of harmful truth is, in Germany during WW2, if asked "Are you hiding a Jewish family?", saying yes would be bad. Lying is the morally correct and least harmful response.
The truth is not always the best course.
After 2 weeks without a Star Trek reaction, it was great to see this pop up in my notifications!
Also, it is a very good episode for all the reasons that you said in your review at the end, Jen!
I loved your monologue at the end. I was thinking similarly. I’m loving joining you on this Trek journey Jen. Thanks so much!
Thank you! Glad you're here for the Trek journey 🖖
You have a very pleasant demeanor and are covering series people enjoyed with large followings. Congrats on all the views, subs and patreons! Respect!
This episode, at least for a time, was screened to cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy during the introduction of the honor code. This is the kind of integrity they want their officers to have.
Integrity? Wesley only came forward because Picard called him out on it
@@moondog3056 But Wesley could've shut the hell up and walked. They had already beaten the allegations. They were basically in the clear. It is true that Picard laid an epic guilt trip on him, but Wesley made the decision AFTER they had effectively gotten away with it, to tell the truth anyway.
@@3Rayfire Bingo. Picard didn't have anything but a theory that happened to fit the facts. He had no proof, though the audience knows he is right. Even if Picard came forward, the cadets just needed to deny the allegations to walk with a reprimand.
We want those who serve to tell the truth, even at cost to themselves, don't we? We're human. It's natural to try to hide but when push came to shove, Wes did the right thing on his own early enough for it to matter.
That’s interesting
@@moondog3056that's pretty much the point, right?
It is all together fitting that the gardener of Starfleet Academy is filled by My Favorite Martian, Ray Walston played one of the first aliens on regular prime time television in 1963.
Ray Walston, My Favorite Martian
I love that always sing the opening theme. I’m glad I’m not the only one that does that. Every time you start, I throw in the harmonies.
Good to have you back, Jen! Sundays are more fun when they're Star Trek Sundays. :)
Jen, Yes Starfleet Academy is in San Francisco. You can see the Golden Gate Bridge in the background of the last scene, where Wesley and Picard say goodbye.
Jen, your reaction to the possibility that Wes had died was priceless and very appropriate. 😀
“I’d watch a teen drama set at Starfleet…” In production now is a new show set at Starfleet Academy (although not in the same time period as TNG)
This was a great episode for sure. Not because it brought Wesley down a peg, but because it finally humanized him and made him a real person and not just some one note caricature of a person. This was the first time I realized that the issue with Wes wasn’t Will Wheaton, it was just a character written in a way I didn’t care for. And reminded me how much I liked him in stand by me. But I was young and judgey, one of the things the best of trek does. Puts us in a place to see things from another perspective.
The Nick Locarno character was supposed to come back as a main character on a later series, but instead of paying royalties to the writer of this episode, they decided to keep the actor but rename the character with a similar backstory.
Thank you for not spoiling that.
In my head, it's the same character. I just ignore the name conflict.
@@Nimbus1701
People have got to stop being little whiny bitches about spoilers.
Not everything is spoilers.
"This actor plays another character in another show" is *NOT* a spoiler, ffs!
Bunch of whiny babies! 🙄
Well, people like to say things. If this was the same guy where is the father who also happened to be an admiral?
@@Nimbus1701it's hardly a spoiler
7:39 "Where _is_ Starfleet on Earth? San Francisco?" Yes! Go back to 2:00 and you can see the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
It's technically in 2 cities. The headquarters are in SF on the Presidio, but the training facilities are in Marin.
The actor playing the groundskeeper stared in a TV a long time ago called My Favorite Martian...he was the Martian.
An excellent episode! I love Picard reading Wesley the riot act! "You don't deserve to wear that uniform Mr. Crush-sha!"
They named the "Yeager Loop" after test pilot Chuck Yeager, first man to break the "sound barrier" in 1947. He commanded the USAF test pilot school at Edwards AFB in the 1960s. He's played by Sam Shepard in The Right Stuff (1983) and plays a cameo role himself.
And Chuck Yeager has had an impact on the accent American pilots often use to this day. The drawl a lot of commercial pilots use when giving their initial briefing to passengers is based on his mannerisms. Amusingly, it has spread (to a lesser extent) to other countries. I’ve heard imitations from German, Indonesian, and Ghanaian airline pilots, and it’s a trip.
Picard's speech to Wesley boils down to;
"You're. With Starfleet. You don't lie."
The dude playing Nacholas Locarno is on 'Star Trek: Voyager' as Tom Pairis
I wish they’d just kept the same character, I mean it seems like they wanted to but chickened out
@@chrisnielsen9885 it’s not that they chickened out, they would have had to pay royalties to writer of this episode every time Locarno/Paris showed up on screen. The show runners expected at least five seasons, so they had to pare down some cost where they could.
@ ok maybe what I should have said was they wanted the same character so made just enough changes to avoid paying. A middle finger if you will
@@chrisnielsen9885 in a nutshell, that’s basically what they did.
Ray Walston! My favorite Martian, Starfleet Academy gardener and teacher at RIDGEMONT High for student Jeff Spicoli!
Born 1914, married 58 years until death in 2001! R I P Mr. Hand! Peace 🕊️☮️♾️😎🎸🤟🏼
He's also Matt the Bellhop at the Mountain View Inn... where a certain Ralph S. Mouse, who loves to ride a motorcycle, resides.
And Judge Henry Bone in ‘Picket Fences’ where he won 2 Emmy Awards.
@TheBTG88 Never seen that! Seems he was also a judge in a movie,, maybe a Western? ☮️
He’s in one of my favorite movies ever, The Sting.
@kathyastrom1315 Seen it as a kid (50+ years ago). Not since. ☮️
I always enjoyed the fact that despite the fact that Wil Wheton (and Wesley Crusher) took a lot of crap from some of the "fans", the episodes in which Wesley returns are all bangers, and Wil Wheton kills it with his guest performances.
When I was a kid it was also fun, as a Calgarian, that Wes and Josh will someday visit my hometown in the 24th century for some skiing. Presumably, this was written into the script as a nod to the, then recently concluded, 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary.
Star Trek writers always had a problem writing kids (I think the only exception is Naomi on Voyager), and this really handicapped Wil Wheaton trying to play Wesley, he just wasn't given much to work with. In the later episodes when he returns (or even in his last regular episode) the authors wrote Wesley as a young adult, and they did that quite well.
The actor playing Boothby the Gardener, played the lead in "My Favorite Martian."
I will never get tired of seeing Jen sing the Star Trek theme 🖖
Have you seen RollyPollyOllie? Or similar spelling... He sings the DS9 theme. 😂
@@wrdreacts4247Yes. He... "sings".
Ah, can’t wait to watch your reaction to this one! The TRUTH speech from Picard is iconic! One of his best scenes ever.
17:55 You may get your wish a Strafleet Academy series is in production. It is set in the 32nd century though.
It's an interesting episode that shows young cocky people who made a big mess and how they tried to get away with it... an honest and very real story.
Re: a trek teen series, the nearest to date is 'Star Trek Prodigy', though I recommend you watch that after you've seen Voyager as the show is set after the end of Voyager.
YAY! TNG Sunday with Jen (on Monday)! Woohoo!!!!
Glad you're back!
Commercial break!
Patrick Stewart was in the BBC serial "I, Claudius" where he played Sejanus...with hair.
Robert Duncan McNeill played Nick on this episode, a brash cadet, pretty much played the same character in Star Trek Voyager Tom Paris. On this show he was buddy to Wesley, on Voyager to Harry, both guys under the influence of him. I wonder if Wesley became a forever ensign, just like Harry was?😅😊
2:59 Fun Fact: Robert Duncan McNeill (This new guy) goes on to play a series regular in "Star Trek: Voyager" (totally different character) and when we first meet him, his character is similar to his character in THIS episode. So I RE-edited this episode using AI to recreate everybody referring to his as Cadet Tom Paris instead of Cadet LeCarno.
To answer your question jen, yes starfleet is in san fransico right next to the golden gate bridge. You saw in the stat trek movies: the motion picture, and 4 the voyage home, also in the tng first season episode conspiracy.
Jen is inching closer to "The Inner Light". That is the episode reaction I'm most interested to see.
Aye! Same. I can barely wait!!
que the flute solo
Oof the feels
I'm looking forward to "Relic".
Will she cry?
My favorite episode and Wil Wheaton's best performance, in my opinion. I slightly teared up seeing Ensign Sito.
Looking at the angle of the Golden Gate Bridge, Starfleet Academy is somewhere in the bay. Either it's part of a land reclamation project or the droughts are going to get a hell of a lot worse.
There's old military base ruins on the northeast side of the Bridge, below the hill. Definitely land reclamation. 😅 The real land is too steep. Could be a landslide from the Big One. Or a result of WW3...
The academy has facilities in the Presidio of San Francisco and at Fort Baker on the north (Marin County) side of the bridge. The view here looks more like what you'd see from the Fort Baker side.
Missed you last week! I love these TNG posts. One of my favorite days!
The "gardening guy" is the legendary Boothby. Picard references him a number of times as the one constant of Starfleet Academy, and one of the stabilizing influences on reckless cadets with more potential than wisdom.
8:35 The "Yeagar Loop" sounds like it would be very familiar to today's aerobatic pilots as an Immelman. Vertical upward pull into a half loop and a 180 degree roll and exit above the path of entry.
@MGower4465 Bravo. You hit both points that I was going to mention, except you didn't add that he was also Uncle Martin, a.k.a. My Favorite Martian.
This once again confirms that the best practice is to look through the comments to see if anyone has already mentioned it. 😉
If Harry Kim was on Tom Paris' team they would have completed the maneuver.
Harry would still be a cadet though
harry was too much of a horn dog, his mind wouldnt have been in it
@beankounter3923 no, he would be the only ensign in Starfleet Academy
How would playing the Clarinet help?
@@KingApeiron I have no idea how wood clarinet wind the situation towards better out come either.
I've watched this whole playlist a couple times now, and Jen's energy perfectly matches the tone of the Next Generation. Thanks for this!!
Another fun point is that this is one of the only times in the whole series that we see, in present day, a real, honest-to-god, functioning doorknob. (In Wesley's dorm room.)
The Yeager loop is Trek's version of an Immelman turn.
I was thinking "wait, aren't teddy describing an immelman turn?"
Also in season 1TNG in Conspiacy they went to star fleet headquarters which was on earth in san francisco. I cant remember if they showed any of the background in that episode. Wow season 1 tng is so long ago from when we were watchimg it on the channel.
A great reaction to a great episode, Jen. It has an important message too.
"You knew what you had to do, I just made sure you listened to yourself."
Data and Geordi are already analyzing, there. That moment 9:03 that look says, "I'm Cooked."
There was a series of books going over each Next Generation character having one adventure at Starfleet academy. LeForge's was on a capture the flag tournament.
Second time I heard cahoots in over 40 years, when my dad was talking about 'The Nixon Tapes' lol Other time is when @LiteWeightReacting said it in LotR! Ya both making me feel old! Love Sito, Jaxa!!!
On this episode there was a real behind the scenes fight about what the correct decision for Wesley to make, to tell the truth or be loyal to his group. A number of writers still disagree with what was decided.
Great episode. No doubt. One of my top 10.
For those interested, the "Yeager Loop" they describe here is a real thing; for us non-spacefarers, it's called the Immelmann turn.
Yes, Starfleet Academy is located in San Francisco
This is one of the strongest episodes. In my opinion.
This episode and “The Game” are what made me actually interested in Wesley’s character.
Great reaction yes Wesley lost all his credit for the years and all the extra bones Credit got for being on serving on the enterprise. That’s why he was going to graduate early from the Academy because a service on the enterprise but now because of this he has to finish out his full academy training And after year with the first one and this kind of position to become this chance, usually you’re thrown out once thought of the Academy there’s no place to go unless you want a civilian transport ship or an earthbound job fixing broken starships or whatever or hover cars to have to you when you fail the Academy the best of the best if you do that, they don’t trust you anymore I hope you had a good Christmas and have a happy new year. Thanks for the fun until next time.
"Wow, Lacarno looks a lot like Lt. Paris..."
"I don't see it."
@@colonelquack "They have the same face, they're like identical."
@@pravusprime "I still don't see it."
Really he was accurate to Tom Paris' character at this time in his life
@@deathbysnoosnoo8640 (We're quoting Lower Decks.)
Yes, Starfleet headquarters and starfleet academy are in San Francisco. You can see the Goldengate bridge on all those establishing shots lol.
Also, you don't remember Boothby? Picard mentioned him to Wesley in a previous episode. The Game I believe it was. Where Wesley was telling Picard how Boothby didn't remember him, and about Picard carving a girls name in his prized trees.
It was Final Mission
Notably Starfleet is in SF, but the civilian aspects of the Federation are based in Paris on Earth. (I've always assumed both Starfleet and the UFP have facilities on each of at least the four founder worlds.)
You’re both right, Picard told Wesley about Boothby in “Final Mission”, & then Wesley reported back to Picard what Boothby told him in “The Game”.
@@gaz-l621 for sure. Based on Star Trek VI in the very least. The president and federation headquarters (or whatever it would be called) is in Paris. Starfleet based in the Bay area for the films and Berman era trek at least
@@augiegirl1 yep of course. Sorry forgot to mention Final Mission
Jen, you might be interested to know that there is indeed a
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
series currently filming in Toronto.👍
This is my favorite episode centering around Wesley. I wish they'd made this good use of him when he was still a regular.
Banner episode. The ones that are just Picard talking to people can be so compelling.
In star trek 4 a voyage home. The trial of the enterprise with the TOS crew Kirk and co.was at starfleet in San Franciso. You can see the golden gaye bridge in the back ground.
Alsothats why when they wentback in time they were in San Francisco in that movie
The Golden Gaye Bridge? Freudian slip, perhaps? 😏
Very good episode and a great reaction, Jen! 👍 There are also so many familiar faces in it as well.😁 Looking forward to seeing some characters / actors again later.. also in Voyager !
5:59 Granted, the speeds are dramatically different, but today's flight demo teams, the Blue Angles, Thunderbirds, Snowbirds, Red Arrows, and others fly in formations that *start* with 18 inches (45 cm) of separation between aircraft, and get tighter as a season progresses. The aircraft often overlap to such an extent the canopies of the left and right pilots are undernesth the wingtips of the lead aircraft.
Still, as a matter of scale, even the elite teams aren't moving at 80,000 kph. 10 Meters is insane at that velocity.
@@3Rayfire once in space, there's no real meaning to 80k kp/h - it depends on your reference frame (I assume it was using saturn as a reference frame here). What would matter is only how quickly they accelerate in the turn away from one another. While they were flying parallel beforehand, assuming no acceleration, their speeds were 0 to each other.
It only doesnt seem this way on earth because we have a planet and atmosphere around us at all times
@@liaxnoelle I disagree. At that velocity minute changes to course can have huge consequences. Turning one degree can shift a person kilometers in an instant, as you said in relation to the people you're flying next to. Their speeds are 0 relative to each other until they're not and with much less response time when someone moves out of formation.
We're talking a velocity to range difference of with the Blue Angels versus Nova Squadron where Nova Squadron is going 44,777 times faster versus how far apart they are.
@@3Rayfire I think it's unclear based on how it's shown in the ep.
if they are at constant speed and parallel before the maneuver, there's literally no difference between them being arranged like that flying at 80k kph vs 0 kph. Their engines would not be providing any thrust until the maneuver (as none is required in space to maintain speed), and how much they will accelerate when the maneuver starts isn't shown to us in real time I think. Unlike in a plane, changing heading 1 degree wouldnt rob the vehicle of its original momentum at all, because theres no friction with air theyre pushing against. The ISS is moving at 20,000 kph along with everyone on it, and an astronaut jumping away from it at 1 degree would only separate from the space station at a small fraction of human jump speeds.
If they're flying parallel under constant acceleration, then as you said, any small turn would turn a fraction of that acceleration into a dangerous situation depending on how much they're accelerating - which isnt told to us.
The simulation they show does make it seem it could be like (relative to each other) they're maneuvering at jet plane velocities once the maneuver begins. Theres really not enough information for either of us to be 'right' and it could be interpreted in many ways.
All this being said, star trek is pretty notorious for not bothering to deal with space flight velocities acccurately anyway, often representing them like in naval or air battles.
If you want to see a young Captain Picard in action, becoming the man you know and love, I highly recommend watching the excellent "Hornblower" show (just eight episodes made from 1998-2003) made by A&E.
Gene Roddenberry based captain Kirk and Captain Picard on him, and it's exactly what you would want from a young Picard series: a great main character (Horatio) who embodies the best things about Picard and Kirk. Think Star Trek in the "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" universe, with a young Picard getting in all kinds of dangerous situations, but working his way up the ranks in the British Navy.
Never heard of anybody suspicious of a commercial break. 😂
Calgarian in the house, never recalled this reference back in the day.
Locarno's actor and character's misadventures, sorta, are gonna be back in a series you'll see after DS9 but for intellectual property and money reasons, they had to change the name and some details.
Starfleet HQ and Academy are in Frisco, Federation political center is in Paris
You had glimpses of Starfleet HQ in Motion Picture, Voyage Home and Undiscovered Country.
4:10 -- RE: Is there a show where Patrick Stewart is Young and Has Hair?; A: I'm trying to remember if he was rocking any hair in "I, Claudius". He certainly didn't have much on the top for Lynch's "Dune".
Yep,he had hair (or a wig) in I, Claudius. Curly Grey locks.
@@qam2024 it was a wig. He went bald in his early 20s from a form of alopecia
I think the Vulcan guy used to work at Pendant Publishing.
I recall that he worked for some guy named Larry Sanders.... 🤔
17:51 You're in luck, Jen. They are currently working on a show called "Starfleet Academy". So, maybe you'll get your wish. I believe it takes place during the earlier years...during the years of Kirk and Spock.
While I do know that was an idea for a show for a while the one being filmed has a character from Discovery confirmed to be in it so unlikely to be Kirk and Spock years
This has just become one of my favorite episodes. (I had not seen it before.)
2:35 -- I quite liked this episode for a bunch of reasons but the one which compels me to comment is currently on-screen. I really like how the father of the cadet who died is presented especially since he's wearing a Starfleet uniform too. The necessary understanding which is subtext to this episode is that Wesley completely understands that him losing his father isn't as tragic as this father losing his son who was apparently quite close to Wesley. Therefore, Wesley had an additional "duty" which he completely fulfills despite any adversity that comes with it, one of the most adult depictions of his character ever.
Boothby is played by Ray Walston who stared in the 1963 TV comedy My Favorite Martian. So, he has some Sci-fi Bonafide's. Starfleet Academy makes several more appearance in Deep Space 9 and Voyager.
3:38 🤣 That was a very suspicious "commercial break".🤔🤨
Lol, totally forgot that Tom Paris makes an appearance here under a different name 😂they sure loved re-using actors. Hope you'll react to ST Voyager too at some point.
REALLY GOOD EPISODE 👏 Very subtle. The team leader thinks they might as well cover up what they did because the other kid is already dead, and there's nothing to be gained by hurting themselves with the truth. Except justice matters to the rest of us, and we would like to know who we can't trust. "A lie of omission is still a lie." Some people don't learn that, and you'll trust them until you learn their truth. 🖖
The guy that plays Nick ends up on Star Trek Voyager, albeit with a different character, as one of the ships crew.
Patrick Steward has had a bare scalp since his early 20s. iMO, the best hair he wore foe a role was as Roman soldier Sejanus in the mini-series 'I. Claudius'.
You wondered where Starfleet Central is on Earth, it is near the Golden Gate Bridge in California
Here's an interesting trivia note: according to the expanded universe, that starburst maneuver that killed five people and led to its banning by cadets, that ban was based partially on the eyewitness testimony of one Cadet James Tiberius Kirk. He was leading his own squad on maneuvers at the same time, and they got caught in the blast and nearly died themselves. One of the causalties had even been one of Kirk's old roommates.
Others have alrrady hinted that this is not the end of the line for Locarno or Sito, and on a similar note, Starfleet isn't done with the idea of an elite squad of cadets yet, either. And I'm sorry to say that the later iteration will end in even greater tragedy.
Closer and closer to Lower Decks nirvana
Picard saying he’s disappointed in Wesley might be the more devastating than any Cardassian tactic
I guess we'll see how the Academy series goes. Will it be all drama or will they actually do some scifi?
Miss Jen's back for Star Trek, YAY!
First time we see Sito (the young Bajoran)! She'll be in TNG again someday.
And Lucarno (the actor will return to Trek in a future role with another name).
Your wish has already been granted, Jen. A Starfleet Academy series is in the works.
There are so many parallels between Wesley Crusher and DS9's Julian Bashir, at least when it comes to being the "wonderkid" of the cast.
"What are you people, on dope?"
Starfleet HQ and Academy is located in San Francisco. The office of the Federation president is located in Paris
There are other instances in Trek that call back to this episode, and an actor that pops up again later as a different character. I'll be interested to see if you can recall if/when you get to those callbacks later on!
A great episode that connects to one of the best in season 7.
One thing i always chuckle about is the big plothole in this episode. The Starburst maneuver is banned by Starfleet Academy and those cadets were attempting to perform it in front of thousands of guests. How do they think Starfleet would react if they performed it publicly?
The second they touched down they'd be carted off to the Admiral's office for the repirmand of their lives, most likely a permanent entry into their records and depending on the details have possibly their careers in Starfleet endangered.
Barring that it was a good Wesley character episode dealing with one of the core aspects of Starfleet and Star Trek in general.
Vanity. Nick was so certain the Powers That Be would be so amazed at their success. He assumed the Academy would be too dazzled to dare punishing them. He was obviously the leader of their group.
@@happybkwrm He sure was and probably very charismatic but as the saying goes - Safety rules are written in blood.
There's a reason it's banned and he was i believe a senior cadet ( 4th year?), so he should have known better. Ego can be a hell of a thing though and if i were the head of Starfleet i'd have serious thoughts about his character suitability to become a Starfleet officer.
@@FPAlpha There are always people who think the rules don't apply to them. Find out his fate in Lower Decks. 4x9, 4x10.