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.
@@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.
"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."
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.
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!
@@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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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.
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 :)
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.
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! 🙄
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?😅😊
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 🕊️☮️♾️😎🎸🤟🏼
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.
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.
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. 😉
Apparently there *is* some kind of teen drama set at starfleet academy in the works, for whatever thats worth. They've been pushing for that since the late 80s for some reason
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.
3:00 His character's name was changed to Lieutenant Paris for 'Voyager' just so they didn't have to pay the writer of this episode for creating the character. That's not a joke.
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.
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!!!
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.
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 !
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.)
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.
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
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.
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.
There was a television show in which Patrick Stewart appears with hair. It's the mini-series I Claudius. It is an incredibly good show about a period of Roman history. For me the best part of this Star Trek episode is seeing Ray walston return to science fiction television
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. 🖖
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".
4:30 -- RE: Boothby knows them all; A: There is a curious subtext to this character of Boothby too which shouldn't be ignored. *For some undisclosed reason,* while he's busy most of the time acting as a groundskeeper, his duties also seem to be directly tied into how justice and reformation occur in Starfleet Academy or else, why does he know any and all potential troublemakers?
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
Jen, you have forgotten a piece of information.... in Season 4 in that episode where Wesley saves Picard's life on that planet, the one with the water. Picard tells Wesley to seek out a man named Boothby, he was Picard's mentor at the Academy. That's the old man that Picard talks to several times on the grounds of the Academy in this episode. The following is an excerpt taken from the Memory Alpha Wiki... Picard considered Boothby one of the wisest men he ever knew. (TNG: "Final Mission") Boothby gave Picard a grand tour of the grounds following his arrival at the Academy in 2323. Boothby once caught Picard carving the initials A.F. into his prized elm tree. (TNG: "The Game") Boothby had more faith in Picard than Picard himself. The only thing Picard did which surprised Boothby was pinning a Ligonian within the first fourteen seconds of a wrestling match. At some point, Picard made some mistake that jeopardized his Academy career. Had it not been for Boothby's advice to make the right decision, he might never have graduated. Boothby's suggestion was apparently met with resistance by Picard, and for a time, Picard considered Boothby a vicious and mean-spirited old man and did not speak to him for months. Boothby knew Picard needed to find his bearings. Picard regretted not telling Boothby at that time how much he appreciated his help, but Boothby claimed Picard's later noteworthy Starfleet career was repayment enough. (TNG: "The First Duty")
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'.
*Picard:* _”The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, whether it's scientific truth or historical truth or personal truth!”_ *Probably my favourite Picard speech ever: A Maxine that is sorely missing in todays societies and one we need to bring back to the forefront of politics, mainstream/internet media as well as in everyone’s every day lives!*
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.
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 🤣🤣🤣
"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 👏👏👏
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 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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Ray Walston, My Favorite Martian
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.
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.
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.
The actor playing the groundskeeper stared in a TV a long time ago called My Favorite Martian...he was the 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.
The actor playing Boothby the Gardener, played the lead in "My Favorite Martian."
An excellent episode! I love Picard reading Wesley the riot act! "You don't deserve to wear that uniform Mr. Crush-sha!"
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.
Good to have you back, Jen! Sundays are more fun when they're Star Trek Sundays. :)
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.
17:55 You may get your wish a Strafleet Academy series is in production. It is set in the 32nd century though.
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.
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.
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?
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?
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.
My favorite episode and Wil Wheaton's best performance, in my opinion. I slightly teared up seeing Ensign Sito.
“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)
Great episode. No doubt. One of my top 10.
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 :)
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.
Jen, your reaction to the possibility that Wes had died was priceless and very appropriate. 😀
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.
YAY! TNG Sunday with Jen (on Monday)! Woohoo!!!!
Glad you're back!
Commercial break!
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
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?😅😊
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. ☮️
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.
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.
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.
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!!
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. 😉
Picard's speech to Wesley boils down to;
"You're. With Starfleet. You don't lie."
"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.)
The Yeager loop is Trek's version of an Immelman turn.
I was thinking "wait, aren't teddy describing an immelman turn?"
Yes, Starfleet Academy is located in San Francisco
This has just become one of my favorite episodes. (I had not seen it before.)
Banner episode. The ones that are just Picard talking to people can be so compelling.
A great reaction to a great episode, Jen. It has an important message too.
Data and Geordi are already analyzing, there. That moment 9:03 that look says, "I'm Cooked."
Apparently there *is* some kind of teen drama set at starfleet academy in the works, for whatever thats worth. They've been pushing for that since the late 80s for some reason
Let's hope it's written like Harry Potter and not the Twilight books. Do you get me?
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.
3:00 His character's name was changed to Lieutenant Paris for 'Voyager' just so they didn't have to pay the writer of this episode for creating the character. That's not a joke.
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.
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!!!
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.
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 !
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.)
You wondered where Starfleet Central is on Earth, it is near the Golden Gate Bridge in California
Jen, you might be interested to know that there is indeed a
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
series currently filming in Toronto.👍
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?
The guy that plays Nick ends up on Star Trek Voyager, albeit with a different character, as one of the ships crew.
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.
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
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? 😏
Calgarian in the house, never recalled this reference back in the day.
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.
Your wish has already been granted, Jen. A Starfleet Academy series is in the works.
This episode and “The Game” are what made me actually interested in Wesley’s character.
Starfleet Academy has started filming with a pretty packed cast led by Holly Hunter. It's just a shame that it follows the Discovery timeline.
There was a television show in which Patrick Stewart appears with hair.
It's the mini-series I Claudius.
It is an incredibly good show about a period of Roman history.
For me the best part of this Star Trek episode is seeing Ray walston return to science fiction television
"You knew what you had to do, I just made sure you listened to yourself."
You make a good point, a show on Picard's time at the academy would be a fantastic idea
I think the Vulcan guy used to work at Pendant Publishing.
I recall that he worked for some guy named Larry Sanders.... 🤔
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. 🖖
Nick Locarno is someone to remember for future Trek. Both the actor and the character.
This is my favorite episode centering around Wesley. I wish they'd made this good use of him when he was still a regular.
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
This is one of the strongest episodes. In my opinion.
4:30 -- RE: Boothby knows them all; A: There is a curious subtext to this character of Boothby too which shouldn't be ignored. *For some undisclosed reason,* while he's busy most of the time acting as a groundskeeper, his duties also seem to be directly tied into how justice and reformation occur in Starfleet Academy or else, why does he know any and all potential troublemakers?
Miss Jen's back for Star Trek, YAY!
For those interested, the "Yeager Loop" they describe here is a real thing; for us non-spacefarers, it's called the Immelmann turn.
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.
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.
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!
Both Starfleet Command and Academy are located in San Francisco.
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
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.
Jen, you have forgotten a piece of information.... in Season 4 in that episode where Wesley saves Picard's life on that planet, the one with the water. Picard tells Wesley to seek out a man named Boothby, he was Picard's mentor at the Academy. That's the old man that Picard talks to several times on the grounds of the Academy in this episode.
The following is an excerpt taken from the Memory Alpha Wiki...
Picard considered Boothby one of the wisest men he ever knew. (TNG: "Final Mission") Boothby gave Picard a grand tour of the grounds following his arrival at the Academy in 2323. Boothby once caught Picard carving the initials A.F. into his prized elm tree. (TNG: "The Game") Boothby had more faith in Picard than Picard himself. The only thing Picard did which surprised Boothby was pinning a Ligonian within the first fourteen seconds of a wrestling match. At some point, Picard made some mistake that jeopardized his Academy career. Had it not been for Boothby's advice to make the right decision, he might never have graduated. Boothby's suggestion was apparently met with resistance by Picard, and for a time, Picard considered Boothby a vicious and mean-spirited old man and did not speak to him for months. Boothby knew Picard needed to find his bearings. Picard regretted not telling Boothby at that time how much he appreciated his help, but Boothby claimed Picard's later noteworthy Starfleet career was repayment enough. (TNG: "The First Duty")
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'.
We saw Earth Starfleet before. Back in season 1 (or maybe 2) .. the bugs that took over the admirals.
*Picard:* _”The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, whether it's scientific truth or historical truth or personal truth!”_
*Probably my favourite Picard speech ever: A Maxine that is sorely missing in todays societies and one we need to bring back to the forefront of politics, mainstream/internet media as well as in everyone’s every day lives!*