I've been rewatching these too, just watched this one last night. I had completely forgotten how much Julian is a huge creeper. Also, at one point I thought everyone was treating Quark really unfairly when he was trying to help, then I remembered the episode started with one of his staff talking about how he write sexual harassment into his contracts. Glad I can go back through this stuff that I would have just absorbed when I was first watching it in high school.
And I adore the Ferengi-centric episodes because they show the toxic culture as it slowly falls apart. And no one ever meaningfully benefits from the nonesense.
Meanwhile, there are episodes where Jake or O'Brien act like root beer and make everything better for everyone, if a little too sweetly.
Which Dark Secret? I'm admittedly a little hazy on DS9 after a certain point... that's he's genetically altered or something? (which, honestly I never really understood why it was a problem... aside from Real World Messaging)
Plus, unspoken before (but definitely examined in DS9) there are Trek-specific societal questions of genetic engineering that wouldn't exist in (for instance) Banks's Culture. In a society where material scarcity is a thing of the past, but scarcity of challenge is a crucial driving engine of excellence and the search for personal meaning, enhancement would create a global genetic arms race with serious Problem-of-the-Commons consequences.
But yeah ... societal-problem-Julian is a much more satisfactory place in the series to be than did-the-fans-ACTUALLY-like-Riker?-We're-skeptical-let's-test-Julian.
My ladyfriend is rewatching these now. I'll have to ask her about this one.
ReplyDeleteI've been rewatching these too, just watched this one last night. I had completely forgotten how much Julian is a huge creeper. Also, at one point I thought everyone was treating Quark really unfairly when he was trying to help, then I remembered the episode started with one of his staff talking about how he write sexual harassment into his contracts.
ReplyDeleteGlad I can go back through this stuff that I would have just absorbed when I was first watching it in high school.
Exactly.
ReplyDeleteAnd I adore the Ferengi-centric episodes because they show the toxic culture as it slowly falls apart. And no one ever meaningfully benefits from the nonesense.
Meanwhile, there are episodes where Jake or O'Brien act like root beer and make everything better for everyone, if a little too sweetly.
Julian is creepier, of course, after we know his Dark Secret. By then, he's doing it a lot less, so maybe that's something?
ReplyDeleteWhich Dark Secret? I'm admittedly a little hazy on DS9 after a certain point... that's he's genetically altered or something? (which, honestly I never really understood why it was a problem... aside from Real World Messaging)
ReplyDeleteOh man. S1: Ep 12: The one with Saul Goodman's Enforcer.
ReplyDeleteNeat, no wonder I liked him immediately.
In-universe, the genetic re-sequencing is a problem because of KHAN of Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan and, of course, Space Seed.
ReplyDeletePlus, unspoken before (but definitely examined in DS9) there are Trek-specific societal questions of genetic engineering that wouldn't exist in (for instance) Banks's Culture. In a society where material scarcity is a thing of the past, but scarcity of challenge is a crucial driving engine of excellence and the search for personal meaning, enhancement would create a global genetic arms race with serious Problem-of-the-Commons consequences.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah ... societal-problem-Julian is a much more satisfactory place in the series to be than did-the-fans-ACTUALLY-like-Riker?-We're-skeptical-let's-test-Julian.
ReplyDeleteI'll get there, but first I need to watch the Kai be the best space pope.
ReplyDelete