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Picard's final speech at the hearing is one of the best (and, in my opinion, most overlooked) moments of TNG. When he says "well there it sits!", I always get chills.
Denise Crosby (Yar) commented on the banter with Michael Dorn (Worf) about the the martial arts competition. She loved that bit and said that if she had more moments like that up to that point, she wouldn't have quit the show.
To think, without the writer's strike we probably wouldn't have had Measure of a Man. One hell of a script from a fan, Melinda Snodgrass (who happened to be a law graduate). She went on to write 4 other episodes: Pen Pals, Up the Long Ladder, The Ensigns of Command (another great Data/Picard episode) and The High Ground.
I was not aware of the writers strike as i was young at the time but "Up the Long Ladder" has become a favorite episode of mine over the years. Sometimes, you just have to bow to the absurd.
I cried like a baby when I saw Skin of Evil as it aired back in the 1980s. 35 years later, the funeral scene STILL puts a lump in my throat. Good writing, good acting and heartbreakingly perfect music by Ron Jones.
Can't wait for you to get some of those juicy DS9 episodes - 'In The Pale Moonlight' is a must, but get your feet first, theres a lot of lore to digest first.
I saw this episode as a kid and Tasha's quote about existing in the memories of others has always stuck with me. I lost my dad last year and indeed he exists within me now, in the memories that were forged as I grew up. It's such a wonderful message. It's my duty to carry those memories forward and to share them with others. I thought they did a really nice job with the funeral scene.
That shot of data lingering behind after everyone else had left hit me pretty hard when you find out that Tasha and data had a relationship and this was his, very human, inability to process this loss.
I remember Armus scared the crap out of me when I first saw this episode, so it stuck with me. For clarification, I was 5 at the time and it was the original airing. I remember the promos hinting that someone would die and making you think it would be Riker.
This was slightly traumatizing at 12 years old, the episode itself was scary enough but then Yar died I just remembered sitting their my mouth open in shock I had no idea😢 tng kicks ass!!
"The Skin of Evil" demands us to face the notion of a futile death. It was a brave episode at the time. Tasha will have a long lasting influence in the future of the series, despite the relatively small screen time devoted to her when alive.
@@FallenHellscape These aren't spoilers because it's obvious that Denise Crosby and Wil Wheaton were the two pitifully WORST actors in Star Trek history. Neither one of them had any discernable acting talent of any kind!
Regarding Tasha, Data: she was special to me, sir, we were intimate. Ollie: oh! Really? So many episodes you should still see. (That was a reference to The Naked Now.) In season two, I recommend you also see Elementary, Dear Data and Peak Performance.
I believe "Symbiosis" is the last episode Denise filmed and there's a scene where she's in the cargo bay I think and the camera follows other characters leaving and she jumps and waves in the background at the camera. Didn't believe it when I heard but if anyone's curious after reading my comment look it up.
There's a reason Patrick Stewart feels like he's performing on stage. It's because he _was_ a stage actor before being cast in _TNG._ Still _is,_ as well.
Tasha Yar was a main character and the very first main Trek character in history to be killed i believe when i watched this as kid this episode gave me nightmares i was scared for Riker when he was pulled into that black goo and i found Armus to be one if the most terrifying villains in all of Trek aside from the Borg.
Really enjoyed this reaction, especially to Measure Of A Man, it's a really classic and timeless piece of television drama! And while I'm inclined to skip ads I enjoyed your little skit, well done 😄
I just noticed that the opening scene of Measure of a Man was very important to Riker's arc during this episode. He bets a large sum on his hand, so Data assumes it must be a winning hand, so he folds. Turns out Riker's hand was weak. Data asks him why he would bet so much on when you can't win, to which he responds, but I did win. This harmless game of poker is a preview for a much more serious game: the trial. If Riker refuses to prosecute or doesn't argue as well as he can, the judge will cancel the trial, and let the doctor take Data without a trial. So, Riker must "bluff" once again. He must put on his best poker face and convince them that Data isn't a "person," when he himself doesn't believe it. By the end of the episode, Data of all people understands why Riker went to such lengths to argue against him, when they are friends: he was bluffing. Once again, Riker bet everything in order to "win" in an unconventional way. He feels as though what he did was unforgivable, he almost cost Data his life, but...he won. His bluff worked. Data has to remind him of that.
So, "Measure of a Man" is almost a perfect representation of what a Star Trek episode can be. So much of modern Trek focuses on big, evil villains and universe-destroying threats, and non-stop action, and that's fine sometimes. But this is a perfect example of an amazing episode with no action, no evil bad guys(well unless you count Maddox, I guess). Just an interesting dilemma that the characters have to apply their wits, intelligence, and compassion to solve. And it gives you an interesting question to consider in your brain. It's truly a masterpiece. Also, I can't wait until you see the episode of DS9 called "Duet". It is easily on the same quality level as "Measure of a Man".
Remember _Star Trek: First Contact_ when the Borg Queen asked Data if he is familiar with physical pleasure and he answered that he experienced it eight years, seven months, sixteen days... ago? He was referring to the events from Season 1, Episode 3 _The Naked Now._ And he did it with Tasha. In their defense, they were both *basically* drunk. Also, in case you were wondering why Bevery isn't in this episode, the Character was written out when this Season was put together and replaced by Diana Muldaur as Kate Pulaski (Muldaur was in two episodes of The Original Series, albeit playing different people). Beverly will be back with Season 3.
Yeah, Pulaski was written a lot more like McCoy, and the Pulaski/Data interactions were intended to evoke the McCoy/Spock dynamic. It kind of fell down, though, because Data comes across as more naive and vulnerable than Spock, which made a lot of people view it as bullying more than verbal sparring.
@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15tPlus, despite his insults, Spock had real respect and feelings of friendship toward Bones but Pulaski didn't have any of that with Data. She saw him as a device, a tool and not a person.
BoBW and Yesterday's Enterprise definitely have their fans, but for me, the two finest hours of Star Trek ever produced are The Inner Light and Measure of a Man. In fact, Measure is second only to the original 12 Angry Men for me as far as courtroom dramas go. And since that's one of the greatest films ever made, it's high praise indeed.
Patrick Stewart was putting some work in on Measure of a Man. the intimacy with Tasha that Data refers to was in the episode the Naked Now. got to see Stewart in a stage play with Ian McKellan called No Man's Land...was fantastic
Another great reaction, Ollie. I love that you allow yourself to get emotional in your reactions, and have no shame in showing or talking about it. In great films and TV, I become a weepy mess of a man myself, and it's nice to feel like i'm not the only one.. Looking forward to your next TNG reactions, as well as other movies!
The Death of Tasha Yar is an important story point to several future episodes, so while the episode itself is not top tier (has a very TOS feel), some of the episodes it leads into are extremely good, one in particular.
How she died was dumb, but at least Lt. Yar got a send-off and was never forgotten in the show, when appropriate. Denise Crosby has been great with fans and can often be found at Star Trek cons.
Earlier in the season, Wesley was applying to Starfleet. One of the test questions was about the matter anti-matter mix ratio. It had to be 1 to 1 as that is the only possible ratio you can combine them. In "Skin of Evil", the guy initializing the warp core asks for a 25 to 1 ratio. Oops.
Lt.Yar may have died in the last episode of Season 1, but this wouldn't be the last we'd see of her. She shows up again in the episode Yesterday's Enterprise and she transfers to the Enterprise-C. From there, Denise Crosby sort of switches gears and in later episodes.. we see her again as Cmdr. Sela of the Romulan Empire. So shes not gone, not completely
In measure of a man, Riker was carrying on a long tradition, which was famously carried by one of our founding Fathers, John Adams, when he represented, in court, the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. He didn't do so because he believed they were innocent- he did so because he believed that everyone deserved fair representation by legal council.
While i love this episode, there is just one issue i always had with it. Data joined Starfleet. He wasn't assigned to it like property. He walked into Starfleet, and signed up just like everyone else. He trained and rose through the ranks just like every organic life form and always enjoyed the same rights and privilege. There was a HUGE precedent for him being sentient, but they never brought up any of this in the episode.
For that matter, even if he was property, why would he belong to Starfleet? They didn't build him or design him. They found him, but salvage rights still wouldn't actually give them ownership.
Basically what I always thought and brought up when I watch this episode. As you said he joined SF. Then went to the academy and graduated. He also has a rank. All this should prove he is a member of SF, not property. He was allowed to join as such he can quit.
There's no indication that Data went into any other occupation or pursuit other than Starfleet after he was discovered. Since he put himself under their command, my guess is that the subject of his sentience was a moot point or just put on hold indefinitely.
I love Star Trek so much. It has become far and away my favorite franchise after growing up a huge Star Wars nerd well into my 20s. In my 30s, its not the fantastical and impossible adventures of Star Wars that are important but the wholly possible, aspirational future imagined by Star Trek, wherein mankind is united in the peaceful pursuit of self-actualization, self-improvement, and discovery in an open, tolerant, diverse society. I hope you're planning on reacting to season 3 of Picard (feel free to skip the rest).
I love Picard's lines starting with, "Commander, prove to this court that I am sentient" or "Starfleet was founded to seek out new life. Well there it sits!" etc. I don't blame you a bit for gushing over his courtroom acting. Wait until you see Shakespeareans Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir David Warner interacting their gargantuan acting skill off each other in "Chain of Command."
Yes, if they're going to debate whether or not Data is a person, then why assume any of them are? He's not self aware? How can you even prove such a thing? Can you prove that anybody is? It's the kind of highbrow question philosophers could debate for centuries. Not so easy to prove definitively.
Skin of Evil was a traumatic episode, no doubt about that. But Measure of a Man was stellar! I love court dramas, and the question in the second episode is a classic one: what is a race? I loved it! Thank you for reviewing it.
The original story for Skin of Evil was written by Joseph Stefano, who, back in the 1960s, was co-producer of the anthology series The Outer Limits (which is worth your attention), and wrote a dozen episodes, including some of the best-remembered episodes like The Form of Things Unknown, Nightmare, and The Zanti Misfits, and had adapted Robert Bloch's short story Psycho into one of Hitchcock's most beloved films.
While the real-life reason behind it was probably pettiness, there _was_ a thematic reason for the manner of Yar's death: with a the first time a main character got not a big, heroic send-off, but an infamous "redshirt death", it showed that even named characters could now go at anytime. Granted, going forward it never really happened again, but still...
Denise Crosby's (Tasha Yar) final filmed scene was actually in "Symbiosis" which aired prior to "Skin of Evil". In the closing scene, you can see her wave goodbye in the background: czcams.com/video/QP0acUapXpM/video.html
Personal conspiracy theory... but a month or two before this episode Entertainment Tonight did a story about how Denise Crosby was in Playboy. As in, like, a few minutes of leering over barely censored photos from 1979, discussing her relation to Bing Crosby, etc. Considering the ratings were kid heavy, I'm pretty sure she was cut from the cast because of it. Yeah yeah, this doesn't jive with official stories of her just wanting to leave... but it's very suspicious how she was suddenly killed with little consideration to her character.
If you'd like to understand Wesley better I'd recommend "Final Mission" and "The First Duty" which besides showcasing Wil Wheaton are also massively good episodes.
Who would want to understand Wesley's annoying, oh-so-perfect, Gene Wesley Roddenberry self-insert horrid character anyway? Will Wheaton couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag and his irritating, goody-two-shoes character is such a Gary Stu "boy genius" as an ego avatar for Roddenberry, nothing about that character is realistic in any way shape or form. Even in real life, that Twitter-addict crybaby Wil Wheaton has ZERO sense of humor of any kind - much like his boring Wesley character. I was once a teenaged boy and I've never seen a more unrealistic portrayal of one.
This will not be the last episode in which Picard will stand up against Starfleet to protect Data's rights. But the next time you will probably cry even more than when Tasha Yar died. I surely did. 😅 And Data will eventually do the same for others.
Ollie, Roddenberry believed a major security officer would die in such a "senseless" way and I personally agree. But this episode also made it clear that there just might be serious consequences in an episode And Armus, while quite literally evil, he didn't create himself nor does he like himself that he's evil. The episode is certainly over the top, but there's still a deeper meaning here. This is also one of the earliest Picard speeches albeit not hugely dramatic. It's also Kitk-esque. Not the grandest, but obviously Picard wins.
Part of why this episode is so loved is because of its camp level goofiness. There is more depth added in later seasons as to the crass pointlessness of her method of death which actually gives it even more texture. But Armus (the incel tar monster) is a GENIUS well of meme fodder. It’s the gift that keeps giving. The entire Trump era I had a pic of him with a maga hat on that got a lot of use.
Oh bro I love experiencing The Next Generation the first time with you because I fell in love with it back in 1990 when I was ten. So maybe you can guess the value this series has on all the fans in my age while I try to guess and remember how it felt to see those episodes for the first time so the series will never get old to me and remain a huge emotional part of my life
Measure of a Man is an incredible episode! Now that you’ve seen Skin of Evil, you definitely should watch Yesterday’s Enterprise! I don’t remember if that was one of the episodes you watched in your first batch or not.
One thing you missed from Season 1 episodes you didn’t watch, is that Tasha Yar and Data actually have a sexual relationship in one of the early episodes. It’s while Tasha (and the rest of the biological crew) are under influence of an altered state, and she seduces Data into it and he explains he is fully functional and programmed with technique, but you can see in the scenes where Data remembers Tasha that she holds a special place in his positronic heart. She probably holds his ‘V-card’.
I think it says so much about Data that he considers it special. He doesn't have all the oxytocin and other chemicals that humans have that tend to make us bond with sex partners. Bluntly, his caring for her should be like a sex toy caring about her. Instead, his non-chemical brain still considers this meaningful...and while she tells him "it never happened" he holds a special place in his tin heart for her, in the same way that he is closer to Geordi than to just any other person. He can form friendships...and he can form closer relationships. Picard is right to use the memory of Tasha as an example of his being more than a machine.
Yar's death was well publicized before this episode aired, so it wasn't a surprise. The suddeness was meant to be a typical "red shirt" death. It didn't even earn a commercial break!
DS9 must be watched in episode order. It's a series. Not a bunch of loosely connected episodes. TNG is great, but DS9 is even better when properly viewed.
You remember what I was saying on your ST V video? The entity on Shakari is based on the same principle, a race of powerful ascended people dropped their dark side into what became this thing and it wants to dominate everything, it is lonely and raging. The goo was made out of printing ink, something you wouldn't want to be immerged into as an actor, but they still did it... Crazy. A shame Tasha died, I'd have shipped her with Worf without hesitation, they were made for each other. Ironic, she wanted to leave because she wasn't taken at her true value by the production. The obituary scene shows how much she could have impacted the series because what she says would be warranted after a few seasons when we saw barely nothing of her.... Yes Matt, the second episode of the show in the first season, the Naked Time, Tasha wanted to try out Data's sexual performance... (remember when he said to the Borg Queen in First Contact that this ability wasn't used by him for about eight years and some months, days, hours, minutes...? He was referencing that). You understand now why Q always comes back to Picard... those wonderfully spoken speeches ! One of early DS9 episodes "Duet" is that same kind of mic dropping epicness in dialogues, acting and phylosiphical outcome, they hit hard on DS9 first season, I can't wait to see your reaction to that particular episode.
Recommend Star Trek: Picard season 3… best season of Star Trek in decades. But might be worth watching DS9 beforehand as some of the plot will make more sense with that added context.
Armus's character (the black liquid villain) wasn't meant to be funny. it's meant to be taken seriously and how horrible Armus was. Sadly we loose Yar. (i loved her character and felt bad for Denise; if you look around online you can read what happened to why she left etc) @RolyPolyOllie Reactions If you can try to watch The Offspring; it goes well following up from that episode. (i got to do a paper in college with those 2 epis) Measure of a man and the offspring are two great TNG episodes. The scene where riker turns data off done so well. glad you liked it
The person in the suit nearly died several times - they had to have an oxygen system pumping in... and that bit where Riker nearly drowns... the actor nearly drowned. It's crude oil.
I saw that some people said Tasha's death was publicized before hand- luckily I didn't hear anything about it before I saw this episode so it was a huge surprise to me. Especially because where I live- they would always show the new episode of st:tng on Saturday around 5pm then rerun it at noon on the next day ( Sunday), but I had to work Saturday and when I got home and turned it on it was right at the part where Picard tells Troi in the shuttle craft that Beverly wasn't able to save Yar- and I was like "WHAT!". And I could hardly wait until noon the next day to see the whole episode!
Yep there's an episode where Tasha and Data are "intimate"! I think it's the episode where they're all infected by something that makes them all act like they're basically drunk, The Naked Now? And Tasha asks if he's, uh "equipped" like a man and turns out..yep. I don't think I saw the episode on your list so I don't think it's a spoiler, but in Data's Day, he goes through his normal day in a letter and the person he's writing to is the guy in The Measure of a Man, Dr Maddox, to help him with his research. I like that Data doesn't really hold grudges like that. He understands some people might have trouble understanding his sentience. So he's still talking to him years later and helping him out with his work and they're kinda like friends.
She asked if he was 'fully functional' and he replied that he was 'programmed in multiple techniques'. Such a great line that Brent Spiner likes to pull out every now and then. Pun intended.
Yeah Ollie seemed to be surprised by that info so I figure he never saw The Naked Now when Yar propositioned Data. Afterward she said she wanted to pretend it never happened, but in my head canon he & Tasha had a continuing thing because she had sexual trauma in her past and Data was a way for her to enjoy sex without that trauma.
Would you like another emotional episode of ST: TNG, The Offspring, season 3 episode 16, Data becomes a father. Another interesting episode was Data's Day, season 4, episode 11, explore the life of our favorite Android. Less emotional and a fantastic sequence by Dr. Crusher and Data. Oh, if you watch The Offspring, bring tissues.
Not just a major character death but a meaningless one. Not a big give my life to save everyone type death. Just a shirt shirt death. This was a big shift in tv. Paved the way for future TV shows.
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"The Measure of a Man" is one of the best Star Trek episodes ever!
One of my favorites has a similar theme. Care to guess?
It IS that.
The Offspring.
IMO it's the first unambiguously good episode.
And "Skin of Evil" was one of the worst. 😠😡🤬
The conversation with Picard and Guinan always gives me chills "whole generations. of disposable people" -
Picard's final speech at the hearing is one of the best (and, in my opinion, most overlooked) moments of TNG. When he says "well there it sits!", I always get chills.
Denise Crosby (Yar) commented on the banter with Michael Dorn (Worf) about the the martial arts competition. She loved that bit and said that if she had more moments like that up to that point, she wouldn't have quit the show.
your matching of Picard's speech-rhythm at 2:33 is AWESOME, dude.
"Is this actually how she dies?" Literally everyone's reaction to this episode. Thank goodness for Lower Decks for tormenting the skin of evil.
The episode where Data & Tasha hook up is season 1 episode 3 The Naked Now. It contains a call back to TOS.
Tasha Yar's 'Windows XP wallpaper' themed funeral really was very moving.
To think, without the writer's strike we probably wouldn't have had Measure of a Man. One hell of a script from a fan, Melinda Snodgrass (who happened to be a law graduate). She went on to write 4 other episodes: Pen Pals, Up the Long Ladder, The Ensigns of Command (another great Data/Picard episode) and The High Ground.
Wow, I didn't know that!
I was not aware of the writers strike as i was young at the time but "Up the Long Ladder" has become a favorite episode of mine over the years. Sometimes, you just have to bow to the absurd.
Skin of Evil was written by Joseph Stefano. He wrote the script for Psycho(1960).
"Whole generations of disposable people." Well that is foreshadowing to Picard Season 1.
I cried like a baby when I saw Skin of Evil as it aired back in the 1980s. 35 years later, the funeral scene STILL puts a lump in my throat.
Good writing, good acting and heartbreakingly perfect music by Ron Jones.
Can't wait for you to get some of those juicy DS9 episodes - 'In The Pale Moonlight' is a must, but get your feet first, theres a lot of lore to digest first.
I saw this episode as a kid and Tasha's quote about existing in the memories of others has always stuck with me. I lost my dad last year and indeed he exists within me now, in the memories that were forged as I grew up. It's such a wonderful message. It's my duty to carry those memories forward and to share them with others. I thought they did a really nice job with the funeral scene.
So glad you’re watching Measure of a Man. It’s my favorite TNG episode.
That shot of data lingering behind after everyone else had left hit me pretty hard when you find out that Tasha and data had a relationship and this was his, very human, inability to process this loss.
"More than friends, they've seen each other naked!"
Truth. Little things nobody says out loud. THAT I WILL SAY OUT LOUD.
I remember Armus scared the crap out of me when I first saw this episode, so it stuck with me. For clarification, I was 5 at the time and it was the original airing. I remember the promos hinting that someone would die and making you think it would be Riker.
This was slightly traumatizing at 12 years old, the episode itself was scary enough but then Yar died I just remembered sitting their my mouth open in shock I had no idea😢 tng kicks ass!!
"The Skin of Evil" demands us to face the notion of a futile death. It was a brave episode at the time. Tasha will have a long lasting influence in the future of the series, despite the relatively small screen time devoted to her when alive.
It was the biggest mistake in her career.
Maybe it was a good thing in hindsight because her death gave us one of the best eps. "Yesterday's Enterprise."
@@jakerazmataz852 Indeed.
@@nathanfitzgerald6651 Tread carefully. Too many people drop spoilers.
@@FallenHellscape These aren't spoilers because it's obvious that Denise Crosby and Wil Wheaton were the two pitifully WORST actors in Star Trek history. Neither one of them had any discernable acting talent of any kind!
The Measure of a Man is a foundational pillar of Star Trek. Love it!
Ollie, 5 seconds before Yar is murdered: "I like this guy. He's kinda funny." 😅
You also see Yar's hologram in season 3 of Picard 30 odd years later.
Regarding Tasha, Data: she was special to me, sir, we were intimate.
Ollie: oh! Really?
So many episodes you should still see. (That was a reference to The Naked Now.)
In season two, I recommend you also see Elementary, Dear Data and Peak Performance.
I hear ya. There's still some skin coming out of MY nose from the Snot of Evil episode.
I believe "Symbiosis" is the last episode Denise filmed and there's a scene where she's in the cargo bay I think and the camera follows other characters leaving and she jumps and waves in the background at the camera. Didn't believe it when I heard but if anyone's curious after reading my comment look it up.
Trivia: Tasha yars funeral was set on a windows 95 screen
24:44 - The way you came to that conclusion was super fast and well thought. :) 34:40 - New life, well THERE IT SITS! :)
There's a reason Patrick Stewart feels like he's performing on stage. It's because he _was_ a stage actor before being cast in _TNG._ Still _is,_ as well.
Tasha Yar was a main character and the very first main Trek character in history to be killed i believe when i watched this as kid this episode gave me nightmares i was scared for Riker when he was pulled into that black goo and i found Armus to be one if the most terrifying villains in all of Trek aside from the Borg.
Really enjoyed this reaction, especially to Measure Of A Man, it's a really classic and timeless piece of television drama! And while I'm inclined to skip ads I enjoyed your little skit, well done 😄
One of my favorites from back when . I love the tar man alien . Best of all time .
I just noticed that the opening scene of Measure of a Man was very important to Riker's arc during this episode. He bets a large sum on his hand, so Data assumes it must be a winning hand, so he folds. Turns out Riker's hand was weak. Data asks him why he would bet so much on when you can't win, to which he responds, but I did win. This harmless game of poker is a preview for a much more serious game: the trial. If Riker refuses to prosecute or doesn't argue as well as he can, the judge will cancel the trial, and let the doctor take Data without a trial. So, Riker must "bluff" once again. He must put on his best poker face and convince them that Data isn't a "person," when he himself doesn't believe it. By the end of the episode, Data of all people understands why Riker went to such lengths to argue against him, when they are friends: he was bluffing. Once again, Riker bet everything in order to "win" in an unconventional way. He feels as though what he did was unforgivable, he almost cost Data his life, but...he won. His bluff worked. Data has to remind him of that.
A thousand times - YES!!
Nice!
You need to watch the episode called "Data's Day" because it's all from his perspective.
11:46 in the dvd bonus features, when the director said cut, Levar Burton (Geordie) said: "Frakes, I never would have done that."
So, "Measure of a Man" is almost a perfect representation of what a Star Trek episode can be. So much of modern Trek focuses on big, evil villains and universe-destroying threats, and non-stop action, and that's fine sometimes. But this is a perfect example of an amazing episode with no action, no evil bad guys(well unless you count Maddox, I guess). Just an interesting dilemma that the characters have to apply their wits, intelligence, and compassion to solve. And it gives you an interesting question to consider in your brain. It's truly a masterpiece.
Also, I can't wait until you see the episode of DS9 called "Duet". It is easily on the same quality level as "Measure of a Man".
For DS9 watch In The Pall Moonlight
Remember _Star Trek: First Contact_ when the Borg Queen asked Data if he is familiar with physical pleasure and he answered that he experienced it eight years, seven months, sixteen days... ago? He was referring to the events from Season 1, Episode 3 _The Naked Now._ And he did it with Tasha. In their defense, they were both *basically* drunk.
Also, in case you were wondering why Bevery isn't in this episode, the Character was written out when this Season was put together and replaced by Diana Muldaur as Kate Pulaski (Muldaur was in two episodes of The Original Series, albeit playing different people). Beverly will be back with Season 3.
Yeah, Pulaski was written a lot more like McCoy, and the Pulaski/Data interactions were intended to evoke the McCoy/Spock dynamic. It kind of fell down, though, because Data comes across as more naive and vulnerable than Spock, which made a lot of people view it as bullying more than verbal sparring.
@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15tPlus, despite his insults, Spock had real respect and feelings of friendship toward Bones but Pulaski didn't have any of that with Data. She saw him as a device, a tool and not a person.
BoBW and Yesterday's Enterprise definitely have their fans, but for me, the two finest hours of Star Trek ever produced are The Inner Light and Measure of a Man. In fact, Measure is second only to the original 12 Angry Men for me as far as courtroom dramas go. And since that's one of the greatest films ever made, it's high praise indeed.
Amazing how Siri sounds like the Enterprise computer.
Patrick Stewart was putting some work in on Measure of a Man. the intimacy with Tasha that Data refers to was in the episode the Naked Now.
got to see Stewart in a stage play with Ian McKellan called No Man's Land...was fantastic
Another great reaction, Ollie. I love that you allow yourself to get emotional in your reactions, and have no shame in showing or talking about it. In great films and TV, I become a weepy mess of a man myself, and it's nice to feel like i'm not the only one.. Looking forward to your next TNG reactions, as well as other movies!
If Tasha did not die. Then, they would not have had a funeral in front of Windows XP.
The Death of Tasha Yar is an important story point to several future episodes, so while the episode itself is not top tier (has a very TOS feel), some of the episodes it leads into are extremely good, one in particular.
You will REALLY like the Voyager episode The Thaw.
Measure is in my opinion the best written TNG episode.
MoaM ending scene with Riker and Data is my all time favorite scene of Next Gen.
I'd forgotten about that scene and it hit me like a truck!
Memorable episodes!
How she died was dumb, but at least Lt. Yar got a send-off and was never forgotten in the show, when appropriate. Denise Crosby has been great with fans and can often be found at Star Trek cons.
Honestly man, it’s great seeing you experience these shows for the first time. Love that you’re getting into DS9 too.
Love your Star Trek reactions! One of my favourite things to watch on CZcams right now. 🖖
Earlier in the season, Wesley was applying to Starfleet. One of the test questions was about the matter anti-matter mix ratio. It had to be 1 to 1 as that is the only possible ratio you can combine them. In "Skin of Evil", the guy initializing the warp core asks for a 25 to 1 ratio. Oops.
Lt.Yar may have died in the last episode of Season 1, but this wouldn't be the last we'd see of her. She shows up again in the episode Yesterday's Enterprise and she transfers to the Enterprise-C. From there, Denise Crosby sort of switches gears and in later episodes.. we see her again as Cmdr. Sela of the Romulan Empire. So shes not gone, not completely
In measure of a man, Riker was carrying on a long tradition, which was famously carried by one of our founding Fathers, John Adams, when he represented, in court, the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. He didn't do so because he believed they were innocent- he did so because he believed that everyone deserved fair representation by legal council.
While i love this episode, there is just one issue i always had with it. Data joined Starfleet. He wasn't assigned to it like property. He walked into Starfleet, and signed up just like everyone else. He trained and rose through the ranks just like every organic life form and always enjoyed the same rights and privilege. There was a HUGE precedent for him being sentient, but they never brought up any of this in the episode.
For that matter, even if he was property, why would he belong to Starfleet? They didn't build him or design him. They found him, but salvage rights still wouldn't actually give them ownership.
Basically what I always thought and brought up when I watch this episode. As you said he joined SF. Then went to the academy and graduated. He also has a rank. All this should prove he is a member of SF, not property. He was allowed to join as such he can quit.
There's no indication that Data went into any other occupation or pursuit other than Starfleet after he was discovered. Since he put himself under their command, my guess is that the subject of his sentience was a moot point or just put on hold indefinitely.
I love Star Trek so much. It has become far and away my favorite franchise after growing up a huge Star Wars nerd well into my 20s. In my 30s, its not the fantastical and impossible adventures of Star Wars that are important but the wholly possible, aspirational future imagined by Star Trek, wherein mankind is united in the peaceful pursuit of self-actualization, self-improvement, and discovery in an open, tolerant, diverse society. I hope you're planning on reacting to season 3 of Picard (feel free to skip the rest).
You need to watch the offspring and data’s day, both of those are so good
Troi is a psychic Inpath.
I love Picard's lines starting with, "Commander, prove to this court that I am sentient" or "Starfleet was founded to seek out new life. Well there it sits!" etc. I don't blame you a bit for gushing over his courtroom acting. Wait until you see Shakespeareans Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir David Warner interacting their gargantuan acting skill off each other in "Chain of Command."
Yes, if they're going to debate whether or not Data is a person, then why assume any of them are? He's not self aware? How can you even prove such a thing? Can you prove that anybody is? It's the kind of highbrow question philosophers could debate for centuries. Not so easy to prove definitively.
@@marvelsandals4228 Yes! I understand exactly what you're saying about these existential matters.
Skin of Evil scared me when I first watched it, measure of a man is a brilliant episode.
There it sits!
Skin of Evil was a traumatic episode, no doubt about that. But Measure of a Man was stellar! I love court dramas, and the question in the second episode is a classic one: what is a race? I loved it! Thank you for reviewing it.
36:08 The measure of a Man is my favorite episode in all of Star Trek.
You may also like the season 1 episode Coming of Age and its sequel Conspiracy, both from season 1.
I hope you do Yesterday’s Enterprise
The original story for Skin of Evil was written by Joseph Stefano, who, back in the 1960s, was co-producer of the anthology series The Outer Limits (which is worth your attention), and wrote a dozen episodes, including some of the best-remembered episodes like The Form of Things Unknown, Nightmare, and The Zanti Misfits, and had adapted Robert Bloch's short story Psycho into one of Hitchcock's most beloved films.
Measure of a man is good but I personally find the episode "The Drumhead" a more compelling court-style episode.
While the real-life reason behind it was probably pettiness, there _was_ a thematic reason for the manner of Yar's death: with a the first time a main character got not a big, heroic send-off, but an infamous "redshirt death", it showed that even named characters could now go at anytime. Granted, going forward it never really happened again, but still...
Season 2 is very hit or miss, but Measure of a Man is definitely one of the highlights. Still one of my favorite episodes of Star Trek.
32:45 Data and Tasha became intimate in Season 1 Episode 3 "The Naked Now".
The Measure of a Man is basically a re-telling of The Twilight Zone episode, The Obsolete Man... We would love to see you dig into that series!!!
Ooh, I bet Ollie would love The Twilight Zone.
Denise Crosby's (Tasha Yar) final filmed scene was actually in "Symbiosis" which aired prior to "Skin of Evil". In the closing scene, you can see her wave goodbye in the background: czcams.com/video/QP0acUapXpM/video.html
Personal conspiracy theory... but a month or two before this episode Entertainment Tonight did a story about how Denise Crosby was in Playboy. As in, like, a few minutes of leering over barely censored photos from 1979, discussing her relation to Bing Crosby, etc. Considering the ratings were kid heavy, I'm pretty sure she was cut from the cast because of it. Yeah yeah, this doesn't jive with official stories of her just wanting to leave... but it's very suspicious how she was suddenly killed with little consideration to her character.
Yep, first issue I ever bought.
That would be very shitty (but not particularly surprising) if true.
If you'd like to understand Wesley better I'd recommend "Final Mission" and "The First Duty" which besides showcasing Wil Wheaton are also massively good episodes.
Who would want to understand Wesley's annoying, oh-so-perfect, Gene Wesley Roddenberry self-insert horrid character anyway? Will Wheaton couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag and his irritating, goody-two-shoes character is such a Gary Stu "boy genius" as an ego avatar for Roddenberry, nothing about that character is realistic in any way shape or form. Even in real life, that Twitter-addict crybaby Wil Wheaton has ZERO sense of humor of any kind - much like his boring Wesley character. I was once a teenaged boy and I've never seen a more unrealistic portrayal of one.
Well now you have to watch Yesterday's Enterprise.
Yesterday's Enterprise and Best of Both Worlds 1 and 2 are episodes you must watch!
This will not be the last episode in which Picard will stand up against Starfleet to protect Data's rights. But the next time you will probably cry even more than when Tasha Yar died. I surely did. 😅 And Data will eventually do the same for others.
That was Data's "boo" as She was his.
Ollie, Roddenberry believed a major security officer would die in such a "senseless" way and I personally agree.
But this episode also made it clear that there just might be serious consequences in an episode
And Armus, while quite literally evil, he didn't create himself nor does he like himself that he's evil.
The episode is certainly over the top, but there's still a deeper meaning here.
This is also one of the earliest Picard speeches albeit not hugely dramatic. It's also Kitk-esque. Not the grandest, but obviously Picard wins.
Part of why this episode is so loved is because of its camp level goofiness.
There is more depth added in later seasons as to the crass pointlessness of her method of death which actually gives it even more texture.
But Armus (the incel tar monster) is a GENIUS well of meme fodder.
It’s the gift that keeps giving. The entire Trump era I had a pic of him with a maga hat on that got a lot of use.
Oh bro I love experiencing The Next Generation the first time with you because I fell in love with it back in 1990 when I was ten. So maybe you can guess the value this series has on all the fans in my age while I try to guess and remember how it felt to see those episodes for the first time so the series will never get old to me and remain a huge emotional part of my life
Measure of a Man is an incredible episode! Now that you’ve seen Skin of Evil, you definitely should watch Yesterday’s Enterprise! I don’t remember if that was one of the episodes you watched in your first batch or not.
One thing you missed from Season 1 episodes you didn’t watch, is that Tasha Yar and Data actually have a sexual relationship in one of the early episodes. It’s while Tasha (and the rest of the biological crew) are under influence of an altered state, and she seduces Data into it and he explains he is fully functional and programmed with technique, but you can see in the scenes where Data remembers Tasha that she holds a special place in his positronic heart. She probably holds his ‘V-card’.
I think it says so much about Data that he considers it special. He doesn't have all the oxytocin and other chemicals that humans have that tend to make us bond with sex partners. Bluntly, his caring for her should be like a sex toy caring about her. Instead, his non-chemical brain still considers this meaningful...and while she tells him "it never happened" he holds a special place in his tin heart for her, in the same way that he is closer to Geordi than to just any other person. He can form friendships...and he can form closer relationships. Picard is right to use the memory of Tasha as an example of his being more than a machine.
HOLY F###. What if Armus (Skin of Evil) is a changeling that the others threw their "unimportances" and imperfections on ?!
Yar's death was well publicized before this episode aired, so it wasn't a surprise. The suddeness was meant to be a typical "red shirt" death. It didn't even earn a commercial break!
Denise Crosby left the show to do Pet Cemetery. lol
DS9 must be watched in episode order. It's a series. Not a bunch of loosely connected episodes. TNG is great, but DS9 is even better when properly viewed.
It would be great if Ollie decided to watch the whole series with us!
You remember what I was saying on your ST V video? The entity on Shakari is based on the same principle, a race of powerful ascended people dropped their dark side into what became this thing and it wants to dominate everything, it is lonely and raging.
The goo was made out of printing ink, something you wouldn't want to be immerged into as an actor, but they still did it... Crazy.
A shame Tasha died, I'd have shipped her with Worf without hesitation, they were made for each other.
Ironic, she wanted to leave because she wasn't taken at her true value by the production. The obituary scene shows how much she could have impacted the series because what she says would be warranted after a few seasons when we saw barely nothing of her....
Yes Matt, the second episode of the show in the first season, the Naked Time, Tasha wanted to try out Data's sexual performance... (remember when he said to the Borg Queen in First Contact that this ability wasn't used by him for about eight years and some months, days, hours, minutes...? He was referencing that).
You understand now why Q always comes back to Picard... those wonderfully spoken speeches !
One of early DS9 episodes "Duet" is that same kind of mic dropping epicness in dialogues, acting and phylosiphical outcome, they hit hard on DS9 first season, I can't wait to see your reaction to that particular episode.
Recommend Star Trek: Picard season 3… best season of Star Trek in decades. But might be worth watching DS9 beforehand as some of the plot will make more sense with that added context.
Why would you not watch these in order? Thats just nuts
Do “Yesterdays Enterprise’ .. you’ll like that one!
Armus's character (the black liquid villain) wasn't meant to be funny. it's meant to be taken seriously and how horrible Armus was. Sadly we loose Yar. (i loved her character and felt bad for Denise; if you look around online you can read what happened to why she left etc) @RolyPolyOllie Reactions If you can try to watch The Offspring; it goes well following up from that episode. (i got to do a paper in college with those 2 epis) Measure of a man and the offspring are two great TNG episodes. The scene where riker turns data off done so well. glad you liked it
If you had watched the episodes in order, you wouldn't have seen the Tasha hologram that Data has right after her funeral.
The person in the suit nearly died several times - they had to have an oxygen system pumping in... and that bit where Riker nearly drowns... the actor nearly drowned. It's crude oil.
Not sure if serious. It wasn't oil, it was metamucil and printer ink. And Frakes didn't nearly drown.
@@jdean5358 he did, and it was - it's in the BTS.
I wish that you had watched the naked now.
I saw that some people said Tasha's death was publicized before hand- luckily I didn't hear anything about it before I saw this episode so it was a huge surprise to me. Especially because where I live- they would always show the new episode of st:tng on Saturday around 5pm then rerun it at noon on the next day ( Sunday), but I had to work Saturday and when I got home and turned it on it was right at the part where Picard tells Troi in the shuttle craft that Beverly wasn't able to save Yar- and I was like "WHAT!". And I could hardly wait until noon the next day to see the whole episode!
Yep there's an episode where Tasha and Data are "intimate"! I think it's the episode where they're all infected by something that makes them all act like they're basically drunk, The Naked Now? And Tasha asks if he's, uh "equipped" like a man and turns out..yep.
I don't think I saw the episode on your list so I don't think it's a spoiler, but in Data's Day, he goes through his normal day in a letter and the person he's writing to is the guy in The Measure of a Man, Dr Maddox, to help him with his research. I like that Data doesn't really hold grudges like that. He understands some people might have trouble understanding his sentience. So he's still talking to him years later and helping him out with his work and they're kinda like friends.
She asked if he was 'fully functional' and he replied that he was 'programmed in multiple techniques'. Such a great line that Brent Spiner likes to pull out every now and then. Pun intended.
Yeah Ollie seemed to be surprised by that info so I figure he never saw The Naked Now when Yar propositioned Data. Afterward she said she wanted to pretend it never happened, but in my head canon he & Tasha had a continuing thing because she had sexual trauma in her past and Data was a way for her to enjoy sex without that trauma.
Would you like another emotional episode of ST: TNG, The Offspring, season 3 episode 16, Data becomes a father. Another interesting episode was Data's Day, season 4, episode 11, explore the life of our favorite Android. Less emotional and a fantastic sequence by Dr. Crusher and Data. Oh, if you watch The Offspring, bring tissues.
Not just a major character death but a meaningless one. Not a big give my life to save everyone type death. Just a shirt shirt death. This was a big shift in tv. Paved the way for future TV shows.