The 10 Year Old Perspective: Rapping Out the Deadly Years

TOS: Episode 41: The Deadly Years

Imagine this as a rap song:

Captain Kirk gets old and that's no lie.
So does McCoy, but it doesn't make us cry.

Everybody's fine in the end.
A few people died, but not everybody's dead.

Bum bum boof ba too too too phuu boo
(this is the beat boxing section)

That is all for today, but we'll be back ready to play.
Word.

Peace.

Old Man Syndrome, Avoiding Love, and the Difficulty of Letting Down Captain James T. Kirk

TOS: Episode 41: The Deadly Years

Our new episode opens on a remarkably purple and orange planet, with Spock, Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, Chekov and some never before seen woman serving as an away team visiting a planet meant to be inhabited by Star Fleet personnel living as colony members. When they arrive, surprisingly, no one is around to greet them. The crew is suprised, and Kirk sends them off in search of members of the colony. Chekov enters a building and instead finds a kind of visitation shrine for a very aged, dead body. Shocked, and screaming, he calls in the rest of the team. Soon after, two almost-infirm, and very old-looking colony members enter. Soon after revealing they can barely hear, the colony members also reveal they are only 28 and 29. The colony members are all either dead or dying of old age.

How could the colony members have aged so quickly? Why are all of the ship crew with the ability to actually lead the ship continually serving as away team members in the midst of crucial missions, thereby leaving the most prominant galaxy class starship in Star Fleet, the Enterprise, ineffectively manned? Who is at the con? Will Kirk find some way to rip his shirt off when the episode theme seems to have no such need? These are the questions facing the star ship Enterprise on her crucial mission to seek out new life.

Kirk slowly aging, and struggling with facing mortality.

Episode Summary
Shortly after returning to the ship, we discover Kirk is facing a past love in this episode. Their jobs kept them apart. While she does some sort of lab-type research, he is a star ship captain. Their lives were incompatible, and so they called off their romance. In the midst of reconciling, Kirk is called away to the bridge. Oh! What a re-enactment of their earlier romance.

Returning to the bridge, we discover that Kirk is repeating himself, and the unnamed woman from the away team is having trouble hearing. Strange! My god! The crew is already suffering the symptoms of older age. In the middle of our facing this horror, Kirk manages to take his shirt off for us, but in doing so he seems to throw out his back, thereby revealing further symptoms of aging. The entire away team, in fact, except for Chekov, seems to be suffering aging--achy joints, graying hair, reduced hearing, imbalanced metabolism. The drinking of prune juice doesn't seem to be an issue. But poor Scotty has had a heavy dose of graying powder adding to his hair and eyebrows.

Analysing the away team, McCoy realizes that the entire team seems to be aging 30 years for each day. Spock too is aging fast, but being Vulcan the symptoms are not showing his symptoms as quickly as the humans. The symptoms include not merely physical problems, but also reduction of mental faculties.

In the midst of his aging, the woman previously declared a love interest for Kirk stays around, clearly worried about her man. The previously unseen woman member of the away team, however, has devolved into an emotional wreck, and aged most quickly of all the people that had traveled to the planet surface.

The love interest for Kirk reveals that not only will she assist in solving the research needed for saving Kirk, she also still needs to express her love for Kirk, and to allow that they will solve their problem. Kirk, however, does not know how to accept his age in the midst of her amour. "What are you offering me? Love, or a going away present?" She is shocked, but Kirk walks away.

Have you noticed yet? There is not much plot driving this episode. Instead, the episode is all about watching our crucial crew members, most especially, face the reality associated with mortality, and reduced facilties. But further, the episode seems to be about Kirk illustrating his own inability to accept genuine, reciprocal romantic relationship.

Spock, the genius intellectual problem solver of the series, enters, finally, with the cause of the aging --a comet that had passed through the area released previously-undetectable radiation over the planet, to which the away team was exposed.

As time goes on, a commodor that has been in the background of the entire episode, approaches Spock to ask for assistance in relieving Kirk of command. He asks Spock to take control of the Enterprise, which Spock denies. The commodor then demands that the First Officer, Spock, must, according to regulations, convene a competency hearing regarding Kirk's ability to continue leading the Enterprise. Spock accepts that regulations demand he must comply, though he is not pleased about the situation.

Before the hearing, the unnamed woman that had been on the away team dies. McCoy realizes that her faster metabolism caused her to age, and thus die, more quickly than the other members. McCoy says, then, that they are all going to die in less than a few days, perhaps even in only hours. The hearing begins. In the midst of the hearing, Kirk throws fits, his love interest looks on, Sulu is strained for having to speak ill of his captain, Uhura too is pained for revealing that her captain had difficulties, and the woman crewmembers dress-like uniforms appear shorter than they did in the first season. In some cases, the lower curve of their behind is actually visible. Least plausibly, all of the medical personnel that could be researching a solution to the rapid aging are not researching possible solutions, but instead are present in the hearing. We also still don't know why Chekov is not aging.

In relieving Captain Kirk of duty, and with all senior officers rapidly aging, the commodore assumes command of the Enterprise, even though he has never before led a star ship. His first ruling is for Sulu to set a course across the Romulun neutral zone, thereby immediately threatening the safety of the entire ship. Commodore Stalker has never had a field command, and thereby does not really understand what amounts to reasonable leadership. Spock notifies Kirk of the situation, and Kirk shouts that Spock has betrayed him. Kirk's love interest, however, remains with Kirk, attempting to comfort him in her Pucci-esque patterned gown.

Finally, McCoy, Kirk, and Spock begin to realize that Chekov had experienced one crucial difference from the rest of them --he'd been intensely scared from seeing the dead body. Adrenaline would have coursed through his body. McCoy realizes the adrenaline must have saved Chekov from the effects of the radiation sickness. Spock, and an associate doctor get to work at developing an appropriate adrenalin compound.

In the meantime, the ship has entered the neutral zone, and is immediately attacked by Romulun's. Asking for instruction from the commodore, he quickly shows he has no idea what to do. Kirk must be tied down to keep him from rushing to the bridge. Spock walks in with rough concotion, telling them that it could "cure or kill." Kirk demands to take the first test shot, knowing that he will die soon anyway from age. Taking the shot is the only chance to save the ship. If he survives, he will be able to rush to the bridge and get them out of the horrible situation. The commodore is giving up, as the Romulun's threaten the very survival of the Enterprise. Suddenly, Kirk rushes in, his former youthful appearance restored, and quickly saves the ship. The commodore is stunned, impressed, and embarassed. The Enterprise escapes, and departs from the neutral zone.

McCoy rushes in, notifies them that Scotty too has recovered, and tells Spock the shot is ready for him. Kirk's loves interest walks in, and Kirk quickly hands over command to Sulu.

The 10 Year Old Perspective: The Baby Who Raised A Colony

TOS: Episode 40: Friday's Child

The Nice Woman

This episode was about how this nice woman had a kid who apparently somehow was McCoy's, which we never find out how, and the baby ends up like being a colony leader cause his dad died and so on and so forth. And that's pretty much it.

Rick-Rack, Babies and Doctor McCoy

TOS: Episode 40: Friday's Child

Combine faux fur, what we colloquially call "Chinese fighting stars", a "survival of the fittest" ethic, and a ton of brightly colored fabric and you've got the full complexity of the alien's from a planet Star Fleet hopes to mine. Negotiating with these aliens is sure to be risky, and in fact within the first three minutes of "Friday's Child" a never-before-seen red shirted crew member is hit in the chest with one of those fighting stars. Why? How? The innate racism as represented by relations with the Klingon empire caused the crew member to attempt fire on a Klingon agent that unexpectedly appeared on the planet.

McCoy making contact with his patient

Episode Summary
The episode begins aboard a planet that Star Fleet hopes to mine. However, a less advanced alien species resides upon the planet; a species that tends towards violence, and while quite hospitable towards guests, also prefers to do things on their own way, on their own.

The setting on the planet closely resembles that of typical Hollywood representations of nomadic West-Asian communities from the same time period. The people live in fabric draped wall tents, and follow a leader resembling that of a Khan. But they also wear clothing that closely resembles carpets, and fabric decorated with rick-rack.

Scotty, Chekov, and Sulu have been left in charge of the Enterprise, while Spock, Kirk, and McCoy negotiate with the Khan planetside. On the planet, a fight erupts as one faction wishes to side with the Klingons, and that of the Khan intends to side with Star Fleet. On board the Enterprise a ship is spotted, just as a distress call from what sounds like an earth vessel is also heard. The spotted ship would seem to be a Klingon ship attacking an earth freighter.

On the planet's surface the fight has resulted in the over through of the original Khan. We would expect that the new Khan would turn against Kirk, and also kill the pregnant wife of the former leader. But instead the new leader expresses his new found appreciation for Kirk's boldness. Just as the wife of the former leader would be killed, Kirk steps in to stop her murder. We discover, however, that planet custom states that no man may touch the wife of a leader, lest he be killed. Kirk, then, is threatened to death. The away teams' communicators and weapons have been taken away, and so they are both unable to contact the ship, or receive communication from the Enterprise either.

The Enterprise must respond to the distress call from the freighter, and so leave orbit of the planet, and thereby also leave the landing party. Being held prisoner, along with the wife of the former leader, the away team manages to escape from their security guards with the wife. They tell her they intend to bring her to their ship. She agrees she would rather live than simply follow her people's laws. Our crew has into the mountains, and gathered knives to defend themselves. Escaping into the mountains, the crew convinces the woman to undergo treatment for injuries she sustained in the fight over leadership. During the examination McCoy realizes that the woman could go into labor at any time. The woman realizes she appreciates physical contact in a way she couldn't have known before, she the laws forebade anyone touching her before.

While McCoy makes contact with the wife of the former leader, Kirk and Spock investigate the surrounding area for possibility of escape, and defense. The soldiers of the local area approach. Spock realizes he can produce a sound vibration to cause a rock slide on top of them, which of course he does. In the slide many of the local men, including the new leader are caught by collapsing rocks. The Klingon manages to leap out of the way, and then kills one of the local men stealing some sort of communicator, and also a weapon in the process. The rock slide succeeds at slowing the men down from finding our runaway crew, but they simply continue along a different route. Kirk knows they will find them eventually, and the woman is sure to give birth eventually. The woman needs help, but she allows only McCoy to touch her. They manage to bring her to a cave where she could more safely give birth.

Meantime, on board the Enterprise, the freighter has disappeared. It would seem the distress call was a ploy to get our ship away from its captain. Scotty realizes he must quickly return to help their captain.

Getting into the cave, the woman almost immediately begins to go into labor. She allows McCoy to touch her, while Spock and Kirk go out to try and find both weapons and water. In trying to help the woman give birth McCoy discovers that the woman does not want her child. She explains though it is because in her culture the child belongs to the husband. McCoy attempts to convince her that the child belongs to her, and that they will bring her to the Enterprise for help. She refuses, however, and instead promises the child to McCoy. McCoy attempts to convince her otherwise, while Kirk and Spock create bow and arrows from nearby trees. The child is born. The woman announces the baby is theirs--hers and McCoys.

The Enterprise rushes back to the planet in attempt to help our away team. Inside the cave, McCoy falls asleep, and the woman knocks him out with a rock then runs away. Woman's liberation? McCoy awakes to discover her gone with the child left behind. Now our crew expects that the woman will return to the warriors to warn them of the location of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Afterall, released of the former leader's baby, she is no longer any threat to the new leader. Kirk and Spock go after her, just as the Enterprise is intercepted by a Klingon warship.

The warriors approach the location of Kirk and Spock, but before intercepting "the Earth men" they are found by the woman who tells them that both the child and the Earth men are dead. As the wife of a leader she is allowed to demand the warriors to return. The warriors are going to return in honor of her word, but the Klingon runs ahead after Kirk and Spock so that Kirk must fire his arrow on him. The leader of the tribes, however, gives the woman back her life, rather than taking it as the law would demand. In doing so, he must give up his life. He does so so that the Klingon will attack him, thereby giving his people the chance to kill the Klingon. His plan succeeds. Both the Klingon and the leader are killed.

Scotty and his security detail arrive. McCoy returns the baby to the woman. Her baby is the new leader of the ten tribes. The woman, then, acts as the representative of the new leader, and the Enterprise crew succeeds at securing mining rights to the planet.

The episode ends with us discovering that the new leader (baby) of the tribes of the planet has been named Leonard James Ak-ma-Ar (after McCoy and Kirk).

The 10 Year Old Perspective: All's Well That Ends Well (Journey to Babel)

TOS: Episode 39: Journey to Babel

In a lot of ways, I find this show quite dramatic. And I also find it quite hard to understand in several ways. But then again I'm only ten.

Pig Nose Guy

Episode Summary
The show starts out with Vulcans coming to the Enterprise. The Ambassador of Vulcans and his wife come to the ship. Kirk tells Spock to show them around but the Ambassador says he wants a different guide. Kirk seems to be very suspicious about this so he says to Spock, "Spock, why don't you beam down to the planet to see your parents." So Spock replies, "Didn't you know the Ambassadors are my parents." And Kirk is like, "Ohhh!" So after Kirk has given the Vulcans a tour of the Enterprise, they go to the engine room, and Kirk tells Spock to show the Ambassador and his wife the computer technology. And the wife says, "After all these years of being around humans, you still haven't learned to smile." And Spock says, "Well, smiling is a human trait." And she says, "Well you are part human."

At kind of like a celebration party for a meeting of all the aliens getting together, the Ambassador, slash Spock's dad gets in a fight with some piggish figure that we never learn the name of. Many hours later the Ambassador of the pig figure thingees was found dead with his neck snapped like a twig. Spock says the way it was snapped was a Vulcan practice. That they used to use as a ritual to logically kill somebody. So then the only suspect would be Spock's dad. So they go to his room but he's not there and his wife says that he had been out meditating because he was about to retire. He comes back and he has an attack so they bring him to sick bay and he says he has been attacked three times before, two before they left Vulcan and one while he was meditating, and the last one in his room.

Much later in the episode, we find out that there is an alien that has a communication device that is hidden in his antenna and was communicating with the enemy ship. And they blow up the enemy ship but the other alien dies too because he had taken poison. Also, Spock gives up about a fourth of his blood or so for his dad, because his dad was dying. Spock and his dad were okay. But Kirk had also been attacked earlier and the only way for him to get Spock to help his dad was for him to convince Spock that he was okay, but then he did end up taking command instead of giving command down to Scotty, because it was too dangerous. But in the end he did end up having to be in the hospital, and it's strange because Dr. McCoy kept saying "Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! Shut up! Shut up!" to everybody like Spock, his dad, and Captain Kirk. Then at the end of the show Dr. McCoy said "Well, for once I get the last word." And that's where the show ended.

Snarling Teeth and False Horns

TOS: Episode 39: Journey to Babel

I'm positive that in some alternate universe I am Dr. McCoy. It's clear to me that had I followed through on my teenage plans to become a medical doctor I would have turned into Leonard, aka Bones--serving my duties in an area unlike what I am used to, cynical, cranky over formal affairs, and thoroughly attached to whiskey. Though of these characteristics, I am only cynical now, it is clear to me that under the right circumstances I would surely descend into the rest of these characteristics too.

Sarek, Kirk, Pig-Nose, Blue Horn, and Pig-Nose Two (the survivor)

Episode Summary
The most exciting addition arising from this episode is the introduction of Sarek, and his wife. That's right, we get to explore the character backdrop of our beloved Spock in "Journey to Babel." In doing so, we meet his parents, and discover the story of how Spock moved into Star Fleet, thereby distancing himself from his noble, and stubborn father.

You may recall that the actor that plays Sarek has been seen before, as a Romulan in "Balance of Terror" from season 1. We discover quite early in the episode that Sarek had retired as Ambassador, but took up his post again for the sake of the proceedings of this episode--the question of whether or not a new planet will join in Star Fleet.

While being versed in the tensions surrounding the possible addition of this strange new planet, we are also exposed to the familial tensions of Spock and Sarek. It has been 18 years since they last spoke. The result of Spock choosing Star Fleet against the wishes of his father. The disagreement, however, is not only because Spock chose not to remain on Vulcan studying in the Vulcan Science Academy, but also because Sarek disagrees with Star Fleet's practice of ever using violence.

We are exposed in this episode too to a greater degree of Sci-Fi makeup than we have yet seen in Star Trek history. There is the pig nosed alien, the horned blue skinned race, and the little golden species too. It's an exciting display of humonoid variations.

In the middle of the episode, our hosting vessel, the Enterprise, is suddenly confronted with the strange presence of an unauthorized ship in the area. While Kirk chases the vessel, a fight erupts between Sarek and the pig-nosed delegate over the vote about inclusion of the alien planet. Soon after resolution of the fight, we discover the pig-nosed ambassador murdered aboard the Enterprise. We know all too well that Sarek would never kill another, but of course recent events make it appear that Sarek must have. Ah! We have then a mystery.

In the midst of the investigation Spock willingly grants evidence that would make it appear his father was the murderer, while also using reason to show Sarek killing pig-nose would make no sense. (Just to be clear, I have a great fondness for pig noses, and so mean nothing slighting by continually referring to the now-dead Ambassador in such a manner. It just seems that as the episode is written it is the humanoid's nose is far more important than his name.)

Regarding character development, we see similarities, of course, between Sarek and Spock. They are both both stubborn, and mildly irreverent, which is interesting to see in Vulcan characters otherwise treated as without emotion.

Soon after the investigation of Sarek's culpability in the murder of little piggy, he collapses, apparently exhibiting cardiovascular difficulties. McCoy, however, has limited knowledge of Vulcan physiology, and so does not know if he will be able to save Sarek's life. It would appear that his health must be the reason for his previous retirement.

Returning to the mystery vessel, we discover that one of the guests aboard the Enterprise herself is in contact with the alien ship. A counsel of delegates from multiple planets are all guests aboard our Star Fleet vessel to travel to the proceedings regarding inclusion of the new planet.

Now, we have a multi-layer episode. Sarek has collapsed, and is in need of heart surgery, though McCoy has never operated on a Vulcan. Spock now must face attempting to save the father he has been estranged from for almost two decades. A murder has occurred placing Sarek as the most implicated, though still unlikely, suspect. An alien vessel is in proximity to our ship, and is communicating with someone aboard the Enterprise.

Spock offers himself, at threat to his own life, for the sake of his father's life. It would seem an illogical option, and yet it is also the only way to save the Ambassador in charge with conferring Star Fleet status to the alien planet. Shortly after hearing the threat to Spock's life, we witness an attack by the blue horned alien on our Captain Kirk. He succeeds in puncturing Kirk's lung with a knife, and Kirk collapses just as he contacts Spock for assistance. Now we have multiple lives at threat aboard the ship. With Kirk disposed, Spock is now unable to relinquish command of the Enterprise, even though his father needs immediate surgery.

Subscribing to the demands of logic, Spock continues his duties to the ship, threatening his duty to his family as a result. Ah stubborness. A fully human emotion within a Vulcan mind. At the urging of his mother, Spock admits to the conflict he feels between his two types of duty. His mother falls into emotional pleadings, to which Spock pulls out his consequentialist reasoning --how could he put the needs of only one person ahead of the possible results of interplanetary war, and the lives of hundreds of people aboard the ship. Finally, Spock's mother threatens hatred, and even slaps her son. Still, Spock asserts he cannot give up his duty to fulfilling Star Fleet regulations. We can see the torment within him, but still he stands strong.

Soon after Spock's encounter with his mother, Kirk wakes up and we witness the incredible pain that he is under. He discovers the situation though and fakes his way to the bridge convincing Spock that he is able to lead the ship. His plan is to call Scotty into leadership as soon as Spock enters the surgery. Just after Spock leaves, however, the alien vessel begins transmitting, and Kirk stays on the bridge, even at threat to his own life. Analysis of the transmission reveals that the same prisoner that had stabbed Kirk is the one that was also in contact with the alien vessel. The blue horned ambassador wasn't blue-horned at all. It turns out his horns were a fake for the sake of hiding transmission devices. In the midst of attack by the alien vessel, Kirk's health is decreasing, Sarek is undergoing surgery with Spock's life threatened too. The attack on the Enterprise shuts down the surgical devices, and Sarek's heart has stopped. Somehow Spock is conscious through teh entire surgery, and is troubled over the split between his duty to the ship, and his literal attachment to his father via green blooded transferring tubing.

We discover that the blue-horned humanoid was a spy all along, placed aboard the Enterprise in order to assist in destroying the ship. Kirk devises a plan to suck in the alien vessel within weapons range, and so hopefully save our Star Fleet vessel. His plan succeeds. Miraculously at exactly the same time, Sarek returns to heart health. The spy prisoner ingests poison, thereby killing himself, and Kirk passes command of the ship over to Scotty. We witness that both Spock and Sarek have survived their risky operation. According to McCoy, their stubborness saved them both. In the end, Spock and Sarek bond, finally, by making fun of their mother. Then, collapsing, Kirk and Spock find themselves as common bed fellows in sick bay. Kirk and Spock exhibit their bond by mutually making fun of Bones, leading him to yell "Shut up! Shut up!" at both of them. The episode ends with McCoy revealing his ragged teeth with one slightly stained front tooth, smiling (one of the rare points thus far in Star Trek history in which McCoy gives us a smile) over finally getting the last word.

Dorky Love on Distant Planets

TOS: Episode 38: Metamorphosis

The Big Pudding Energy Field of Love Surrounding Her Lover

Our episode begins with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. Nimoy and a Star Fleet Assistant Commissioner Hedford, a diplomat in charge of presenting a war, on an away craft. The diplomat has contracted a rare and lethal disease that the Enterprise can cure, if they could just get her to it. En route the shuttle is captured by a never before seen energy cloud in space. Looking remarkably like a mix between pudding and spirograph drawings, the energy cloud diverts the shuttle craft to a distant planet.

Episode Summary
On board the Enterprise, Scotty has been left in charge searching for the missing away team. He reasons, because of absence of wreckage, debris, or energy trail, the shuttle must have been taken away by something. Though there is little evidence for determining where the shuttle could have gone, Scotty is determined to find his crew.

On the planet, the crew are greeted by a 30-something year old man thrilled to see them, and excited by their shuttle craft. Though they are skeptical of his presence in such a far off locale, Kirk finally gives over to their need for assistance and follow the man to his abode. There they discover that the man they have met is Zephram Cochran, the discoverer of warp drive, and the man to make first contact with Vulcans a full 150 years before. How could he seem so young? He recognizes Spock as Vulcan immediately. Finally it is explained that it is the energy field, what Cochran calls "The Companion", that has made Cochran young again. Further, the away team has been brought to Cochran because he was lonely. Kirk and the others are horrified by the idea of being contained without the kind of challenge they are used to. They feel contained, hemmed in, held captive. Meanwhile, Hedford's illness has gotten worse. In only hours she will die. The companion will not save her. Kirk convinces Spock to prepare the shuttle's universal translator so that Kirk can attempt to communicate with the energy field.

Kirk makes contact with the companion. In doing so he realizes the energy field is a female pudding-spirograph form that is in love with Cochran. Hearing that he has been held in affection by an alien lifeform all these years, Cochran runs off in disgust. Inside, we hear Hedford begin to cry. She has been good at her job. But she has never been loved. How can she die with a life like that, she asks? Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are horrified by the contrast between Hedford's need for love, and Cochran's denial of it.

Kirk attempts again to communicate with the companion. He explains to the companion the realities of love, hoping that if the energy cloud loves him, she will him go. Instead, the companion combines with Hedford, who was about to die. Together, they discover the love both longed for. Though he resists at first, Cochran realizes he loves the new Companion-Hedford. She has the beauty of Hedford, with the wealth of sharing and beauty Cochran had shared with the companion for over 150 years.

We discover that in becoming human the companion will die, and that she cannot leave her planet, from which her life emanates. Cochran realizes he is in love with her, and will not leave the planet that had before seemed like a prison to him. Oh the power of the beautiful female form. It turns out it is all it takes for a man to give up the freedom of the entire universe. The immortality that he had previously celebrated thanks to the companion he can no longer have. In becoming human she has lost her powers. In having this pointed out to him by Spock, Cochran responds, "Men and women have been growing old together for thousands of years. I have a feeling it's one of the more pleasant things about being human--growing old together."

Ah the mighty power of heterosexist pre-determined love fests! Good ol' Star Trek. Way to stick to your heteronormative guns! Though this episode is ridiculously naive in its conception of pseudo progressive straight love (note: the writers are clearly trying to be open minded by having multi-alien love, they're still being totally conservative in their idea that two members of a relationship simply need to be male and female to fall in love), I appreciate getting to see Cochrane, and to visit that piece of Star Trek history.

As Kirk, McCoy, and Spock walk away, leaving diplomat Hedford behind morphed with the jello swirly energy field of love, Cochran calls after Kirk. "Don't tell them about me, Cochran. Don't tell them about me."

Episode Quotations
"I'm in command, Bones. That makes it my fault." --Kirk

"Maybe you're a soldier so often, you also forget that you're a diplomat. Why don't you try a cherub instead of a stick." --Bones to Kirk. Amen, Bones, Amen.

Pin Ball Picard

Traveling through LaGrande, Oregon, Denise was lucky enough to come upon a still intact, and operating pinball machine. But not just any pinball wizard could play this machine. It's a Star Trek: The Next Generation Machine full of all the necessary love and passion for the series. Though pinball machines aren't a common find anymore, apparently this starship game machine is still in excellent condition. Thanks for sending the pics, Denise! I'm so happy to share them!