... how prone Captain Picard was to SERIOUSLY boneheaded decisions. I think we think of TOS as being sort of macho and naive, and Shatner was a bit of a cartoon - so we forgive the clumsier plotlines born of his randy or easily offended nature. But an English accent and excellent posture render Picard's image a lot more commanding, in terms of respect.
Yet here is a guy so easily swayed in one ep he *despises* children, and in the next he's all "oh, an alien said Wes is special, so I'm suddenly going to become his strict but proud mentor." Then he's dematerializing himself, then he's sending a CHILD DOWN TO THE SURFACE OF AN UN-EVALUATED PLANET ... so as to EVALUATE it ... and, of course, my personal favorite (from very much later on - in "Nemesis") ordering Troi to get over being sexually violated, because he's got a ship to run.
TNG overall has aged really well for me; it's a reminder, after spending more time with DS9 in recent years, of what Roddenberry's first visions and values were for his creation. But Picard isn't the freshest character to revisit in depth.
(Yeah, I know - crucify me now, this is blasphemy - what can I say, I'm a nerd, but I'm also a contrarian. If Jean Luc acts a fool, I can't kowtow to canon hagiography.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment