The Battle (Season 1 - Episode 9) Star Trek TNG

Commander's Logs - Earth Date...May 19th...year 2009.

Feel free to watch the trailer for this episode if you want a little refresher!



In this episode we also find out that the USS Stargazer was the first ship that Picard was ever captain. It comes up many times later in the series and it's nice to know the reference!

It's also the second time we see the Ferengi in this series. And this time their not such bumbling idiots. When we saw them in "The Last Outpost" they were monkey-like - frolicking around crouched/hunched and constantly breathing heavily. This time they seemed "normal" or at least as normal as Ferengi can be!

I'll be honest. I don't particularly like the Ferengi - but I think that's the point! I think Gene Roddenberry meant for some of these alien races to be difficult to like. It's always the races that have intolerance for for other species, are bigoted, aren't willing to grow, or races that undermine the equality of men and women! Ferengi for instance...don't cloth "their" women! Women have no power in the Ferengi world. Ferengi are also very very greedy! So between those two traits it's hard to like them much.

[funny - random note: "Farangi" or "Firang" are terms for foreigners (sometimes derogatory) in Farsi/Persian Language...this humors me because I am half Persian myself - but I was not raised in Iran which means that if ever I went there I may very well be telling people that I am Farangi, "Man Farangi Hastam" - Luckily for me, in Irani woman MUST wear cloths - beyond comfort infact!! Nevertheless, I still feel a little dirty being associated with the Ferengi in any way!]

All that being said, this episode is actually quite interesting because even though I still don't particularly like the Ferengi, Gene finds a way to bring out some of the 'humanity' in these creatures. Because Daimon Bok (the captain of the Ferengi vessel they encounter) is heartbroken about the loss of his son in a battle that Picard lead against a Ferengi ship when he was captain of the Stargazer. This may be one of only a few times that we actually see some 'humanity' from the Ferengi until DS9.

Links
Wikipedia summary of the episode!
Lt. Commander Crombs Blog
My TrekSpace Page
My Band
My Business

For those not reading off of blogger - check out the original blog entry at http://mospacecamp.blogspot.com

TREK-BLOG MANIFESTO

Between Star Trek & the Baha'i Faith I have learned how to be kind, to cognitively appreciate all races, to pay attention to the subtle details of different cultures, to seek knowledge endlessly, and how to be a diplomat. The Baha'i writings dictated a necessity for the equality of all races, equality of men and encouraged the 'independent investigation of the truth'. Star Trek the Next Generation offered a prime example of these things for me while I was young enough to need an active example!

So it is with this series of Star Trek that we shall boldly blog like no one has ever blogged before! I won't lie, this WILL be my THIRD time watching all seven seasons of STNG in order!!!!

My best friend and I will simultaneously be blogging about the episodes IN ORDER, without reading each other's posts until they are done!

In my blog - I seek to bring light to the themes and conditions of the episodes that offer valuable social, humanitarian, ecological, and political commentary. Likewise - I wouldn't be an honest person if I didn't poke fun where it is deserved.

Truth be told; I am a trekkie, an eco geek, fruit addict, artist, a small business diplomat, a public servant, and a post-modern sifi re-appropriator before all else!

Let the blogging begin!!

If you're reading this from facebook or another page then go to http://mospacecamp.blogspot.com/ to see the original post and www.lethalpoetry.com or http://www.myspace.com/themojdehproject to see what I do with the rest of my life!

For those with limited experience or who want a basic overview of the series click here.