The Greatest Generation - Double Neutered (TNG S1E20)

Episode Date: September 7, 2026

When there’s a disturbance in the Neutral Zone and the Entrepreneur is sent to investigate, a derelict ship carrying Klingon passengers explodes during an emergency beam out. But after Worf learns more about what these warriors are up to, an honorable death is the only way to save Captain Korris from Klingon justice. How is this away team like a Greatest Gen live show? What should The Rio be taking advantage of for STLV? Which sign will you not find on the door of sicksbay? It’s the episode that had no spills in the studio.Support the production of our shows Members get benefits including bonus episodes and an ad-free experienceSign up for our mailing list!Get a thing at podshop.biz!The Greatest Generation is hosted by Adam Pranica and Benjamin Ahr Harrison The show is produced by Wynde PriddySocial media is managed by Rob Adler and Bill TilleyMusic by Adam Ragusea & Dark MateriaDiscuss the show using the hashtag #GreatestGen and find us on social media:YouTube | Instagram | BlueskyAnd check out these online communities run by FODs: Reddit | USS Hood Discord | Facebook group | Wikia | FriendsOfDeSoto.socialSupport the production of The Greatest Generation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to hear an ad-free version of this show? Go to greatest.supercast.com. Here's to the finest crew in Starfleet. Engage. Welcome to The Greatest Generation. It's a Star Trek podcast by a couple of guys just a little bit embarrassed about having a Star Trek podcast. I'm Adam Pranica. I'm Ben Harrison.

Adam, I might need to do that thing where I peel your eyelids open for those final moments. At the end of this episode. Yeah, what makes you say that? Because you're going to drink a freezer bag full of beer today, are you not? Yeah, and why am I doing that, Ben? I designed a good game, finally. I love the games that you design have consequences that make it harder to edit the show and a less pleasant listening experience for FODs.

Why do you say that? We've been drinking beer on the show for time immem, Miriam. You want to hear what my bag of beer is going to sound like over the Entire runtime of this episode? I'm just gonna start cranking beers and pouring them into bags now Is that a bag full of ice that you're pouring it into? Sure is because I want this beer to be cold the whole time, don't I? Okay, not an idiot, but it's gonna like be watered down too You fucking fool. Do you not see what's happening here? I have double bagged my bag of my bag or of beer.

Double bag. Oh, wow. Oh my God. Therefore, it will be nice and cool and easy drinking the whole way through. Almost looks like a triple bag. Yeah. I'm also mixing my beers because I don't have six of the same easy drinkers. I'm combining Pacificos and Miller Lights the way God intended.

a hell of a combination. I suppose I've combined those in my belly enough times that I could see it working. What's happening here is what I guessed would happen, which is the pouring of the beers into the bag, has resulted just an extremely foamy experience. You said, per the rules, I should not pour more than six beers into this bag, which made me laugh and laugh, because under no circumstances, was I going to drink six beers out of a bag? at one time on this episode. But it looks like three or maybe four will fit compensating for the foam.

So here's what you're looking at. You're looking at one gallon size bag filled with ice I got out of my freezer. Inside of that I've put an empty gallon size bag. And inside of that, I have poured two Miller lights and one Pacifico. I'm going to drop a straw in there and I'm going to like zip the zip top around it because I do not want any spills in the studio. And this is the second in a couple episodes that I've held up a ugly bag of mostly piss-colored water

in front of the camera. Aside from the ice, what you're holding up looks a lot like what comes out of you. And Adam, in solidarity, I've decided that I, too, will be drinking something that looks like what comes out of me. having a glass of rum just to be there with you for it, Adam. Wow. You didn't have to do that, but I know your personality would never let someone suffer unless you could also do the same. So, cheers to you.

Cheers to you, my friend. I'm drinking Diplomatico, by the way. I know there's at least one rum nerd in the audience who wants to know. This just tastes like college to me. Do you think anything is going on with it being a combination? Or are we looking at a bag of beer that basically just tastes like beer? You know, I'm looking at a bag of beer that I want to see in the world. I'm seeing the proud heritage of our friends south of the border combined in a Ziploc bag with some of the great beer product made out of our Midwest region of the United States. and it's a beautiful thing.

Revisiting those college days of drinking. Could be described as sort of returning to your roots, you know, acting the way you wish you still could. And that's sort of the theme of today's episode. Klingons kind of feel in the same way. You want to get into this one? I sure do, Ben. I wish I had a papoose.

He goes by the name of Papoose. To hold this icy bag of water just because I'm trying so hard not to make any sound at all on mic. It's going to be hard, but let's get into it, Ben. It is Star Trek, the next generation, season one, episode 20. It's called Heart of Glory.

There is a disturbance in the neutral zone. You can tell this is going to be a serious episode because of the music. Yeah, I love it. They're picking up what indicates that somebody may be battling. And Wharf is kind of reporting a lot of this to Picard from the back of the bridge and specifically reporting to Picard that Starfleet has asked the ship to go take a look at what could be going on, some discussion of separating the saucer.

They should consider this before every weird mission, every mission near the neutral zone, at least. I mean, this episode just teases us with that battle bridge over and over. again. I don't like that. I want to go there. If you're going to just talk about it and not go there, give me a break. Can we see the battle bridge? No. This ain't Ferengi is what they declare after they start scanning the area where this all happens. And they're getting readings that might indicate Romulan, which raises a lot of eyebrows. Now, there's a name we haven't heard for a while. I could go a lot longer without hearing it. They pick up a, drifting vessel out there.

Like Tokyo drift? It's like doing a really sick turn where the back wheels are burning rubber. Oh, sure. Yeah. We're told that it's among the debris out there. It seems to be pretty clear of all of that stuff. And they put it up on the view screen. This thing looks thrashed.

And whoever is on board is pretty clearly going to be in need of rescue. The Romulan thing hangs in the air. And when you look at this thing, you can't help but wonder, is this the cheese in a trap? And two deiderdexes are going to decloak the second you approach it. They got to stay sharp. And Riker knows the type. He's seen this model of shit before. He knows it's Tilarian.

Wharf says there may be life signs. Like, it's hard to tell because there is a lot of interference. But we're going to go take a look at that. But we're not taking YAR with us because we need a tactician on the bridge in case the ROMs show up. We've got to have weps. He's the key. You mentioned before how weird the vibes were in this whole situation. And Ben, I think that's because this is kind of literally what the Kobayashi-Maru test is, right? Rescue a ship in the neutral zone and then get sneak attacked by other ships in there?

It almost feels like they should have said something about it in this moment. That's why I'm saying something about it. That's what it is. Everyone's like, I can't put my finger on why this sounds so familiar and dangerous. Huh. Does the neutral zone include Klingon space? Because I feel like in TOS and in the TOS movies specifically, the neutral zone is between the Federation and the Klingons, right? I got to tell you a problem I just had with this bag of beer.

The gallon size bag of beer. Think about that size in relation to the length of a normal. normal size straw. Sure. I went to go take a big sip and I got all air because the straw wouldn't go all the way down. What you need is a crazy straw, Adam. But that might make it so foamy as it goes into you that this is just oops all burps the episode. That's never going to be me. I got the littlest bit of straw peeking out of the bag so that I can reach. You could like push the bag up from below like you're working the shaft with one hand and the balls with the other. Yeah, Ben, but you know what that would do?

Oh, yeah. How about new? Can't do it. Well, you shouldn't have come up with this drinking piss from a bag idea. After the theme, we get a very beautiful close-up of the Tillerion vessel with the entrepreneur in the background. It's just an old man, an old balding man with a hoodie and slacks. No good. Jordy is sending aliens' marine helmet footage back to the bridge on this one,

and they do a little test, and that's pretty exciting. Somebody says, like, yeah, we're getting a good signal. I think it's wharf, but nobody else on the bridge gets to see it. And he turns it off for transport, and then we beam over, and this ship is as thrashed inside as it is out. This place is a tomb. But we're a little distracted from the emergency by the beauty of the way Jordy sees the world. The needle drop is like the music that they play when a really beautiful woman shows up in a surprising way on this show.

I feel like they told Ron Jones, try to make something that would be the perfect musical accompaniment to a beautiful nebula in space of millions of colors. it is not a match for the psychedelic electronic music tent show that Jordy sees moment to moment. And that's actually giving it too much praise. It looks bad. It looks like television with the old school antennas with the aluminum foil flags on them that you're trying to get in the local stations for. It's terrible. He also doesn't even see Jonathan Franks and Brent Spiner. Like, for some reason, there are extras as the stand-ins for, like, what he sees when he looks at Commander Riker and Luton, Commander Data.

To me, it's just an undefined form standing in a visual frenzy. I think that's a great and weird choice, because what you're supposed to see here should feel a little weird, a little off. And one way to do it is to see what you're already. seeing and to use the stand-ins instead of freaks and spiner to pull it off. The thing that is so weird about it, especially to me, is that Data's hair is always so perfect and never a hair out of place. And the guy that you already sees has like pretty messy hair. The thing that drove me nuts this scene, I hope drove you nuts, which was, why are we testing out this new thing on a dangerous mission where we might have to move pretty fast. This is like

trying out a new audio interface at a live show. Like, why are we doing this? Let's just use the thing that works. Well, I think you know me and you know that I don't mind this at all. Yeah. But it is an emergency. Gerders are still falling. There's a funny interaction where they're like, data, like, which way should we go? And he says, everything is dangerous. No difference in danger, no matter which path we take. And they're like, but which path is the least dangerous. There is no significant difference. Did you get some familiar vibes from the interior of the ship

that made you think that maybe they kept this set semi-standing for use as a Borg ship later? I feel like you throw some different lighting on it, and it could also be a bird of prey hallway that they're in. It's mostly lit by like the red flashing claxon. and diffuse light coming from all the smoke that's pouring out of the broken pipes and hoses that are laying everywhere. And Jordy sees some fatigued metal on the wall.

How long before this hall ruptures? I say five minutes, probably less. Jordy, step closer. Total bullshit. As they continue the search, his visor goes out of Wi-Fi range and they lose it up on the bridge. I like how Jordy seems to be the only one yelling on this mission.

It's just bullshit. It's really great. Like, it's a choice LeVar Burton is making that no one else is making. He's looking at the script and going like, okay, this is probably going to be like a noisy, chaotic place. So we'd probably have to be shouting over the like the sound of a ship on fire and coming apart. Nobody else made that choice. They arrive at the warp core. Data is going to go solo because it's so hot and gas.

in there, just like my recording studio, Adam. Yeah, 95 degrees in L.A. today. Perfect beer drinking weather. I didn't understand why then, like, he just came back and he was like, yeah, let's go on through, help me with this door, and Riker and Jordy can suddenly go into the heat and gas of the warp core, but they do. I think he knows about the semi-open blast door, and he's sort of presuming that he will be told to open it up and this thing will be moving pretty fast once they get in there.

Riker barks through the mail slot and doesn't get an answer. So they got to open it. Data like pushes on it at first. I'm like, don't push on it. You got to lift it up, data. Look at the way this door works. What do you think it's a Dutch door where it swings at the top and the bottom separately? Could be. I don't know how the Tallions design their doorways. Klingon's in there, warifies to commercial. And when we come back, we meet sexual icon Captain Khoris of the Klingon military. Riker's like, cool, we found you. We got to get out of here.

Are there any other injured? Brevity is what Kores is all about here. No is the answer to that. And Data's like, cool, well, I'm going to go pick up this guy who's down on this table. And Data is told no again. Chorus will carry that body. As you wish. There is no honor in letting an android carry your wounded buddy off the battlefield.

So there's this touch and go transport scene, one of our favorite explosion of the ship, and then the people materialize on the transporter pad moments. You make it sound like this is just sort of wrote as a thing. I found it extremely excited. especially for it being so early in this series' life. Like, we would find out much later that this is sort of how emergency transports work. Like, oh, we don't have them.

Maybe we do, maybe we don't. But the way that this one is presented, in the amount of time that is spent after the explosion and before anyone shows up on the pad, I think is unique. Yeah, there is a pregnant pause there. And yeah, I mean, it calls back to a thing from TOS. And I wonder if this felt kind of like playing the hits or fan service or something to people who had been fans of that and were watching this show as it aired. The first beauty of every starbeat officer into the truth, scientific truth or historical truth or personal truth.

If I'm Tasha Yarr, I'm a little miffed at like, okay, so I don't get to go on the, away team because I got to stay here and help defend the ship. But also, you want me to go to the transporter room and do the transporting? Who's going to be over on the bridge doing the phasers and the photons if I'm not there? We have not ruled out to Derodex right now. As far as I know. Yeah, I'm feeling a little bit insulted and a little jerked around, honestly, if I'm Tasha Yard. Speaking of people who are surprised at things that are happening, the Klingons exchange a look when Wharf walks into Six Bay with Picard. Corus introduces himself and Lieutenant Conmel, who, you know, I wasn't sure if I was going to like that show at first with all the bumping Matt Damon at the end, but I've really come around on Conmel. Oh, I got it.

Okay. All right. I got it. God damn it. That was a Kimmel thing. Oh. Man, that laugh materialized on the pad a lot later than I thought it would. Yeah.

Why were these guys flying commercial? What were they doing trying to get to outpost MZ5? Kind of suspicious, right? But like the vibe you don't get from Picard, at least up front anyway, is suspicion. Would you mind telling me what has happened? We were passengers. The expression on Patrick Stewart's face, here, I feel like he is excited to meet Klingons in his six bay.

One of the first interactions Worf really has with these guys is calling them on their bullshit. They say that this was a Ferengi attack and Warf is like, it was not. There is no evidence to support that. And they're like, well, actually, they were using Klingon weapons, but the ship was Ferengi. And we were on that Tilarian ship and the captain was a civilian. So we were like, hey, we are something of a warrior ourselves. Mind if we step in and he let us complete the combat. It was touch and go, but we did it. I feel like every Klingon believes they can defend a civilian ship the way every dad thinks

they can land the plane if they have to on a flight. It's harder to do than you think, dads. Sure. I love the description of the rockets they used as ancient. They're like a collectible that they happen to have on board or something. Yeah. What's great for their story is that all of the evidence of what they're saying exploded about a minute ago. So, oh, I'm so tired from telling this great story is the vibe at the end of it.

You think you could steer us toward some food and drink? I heard you guys have nice soft beds on this ship. I'd like to check that out. Yeah. So when they leave with Wharf, we have a moment with Riker stepping to Picard. And I feel like Riker has a fun role of kind of anticipating what Picard's inner monologue might be at the moment and saying it aloud for the viewer.

What do you think, Captain? There's more to this than we've been told. Picard has a real misstep here, though. calls it the Terrellian ship. Ooh, those disease guys that tried to show up at Haven, Telerians hate it when you get them confused. Yeah, too bad they're dead anyway. It's a good thing they didn't hear that.

Hey, here's something you should know. You can't offend a dead person. That's true. But Riker and Picard both find this terribly fishy. They're going to keep their eyes on this thing. Finally, they check in with Crusher, who's like, yeah, this guy is not doing well. But Worf shows these guys some very plush quarters, and they walk in like they own the place. One of them snaps to the replicator and gets some stuff for them to eat and drink without needing to have it explained at all.

When you said they were plush quarters, yes, I agree. And also, do you think these are the worst guest quarters? we've seen on Star Trek the next generation up until now, because that's what I think. I think when you're on the hotel website for Enterprise D and you're sorting by price, this is the least costly option that still comes at the window. This is the one that comes up first. Here's a follow-up question. If you're a Klingon, do you always get the room with the twin bed?

Yeah, I think you have to. You get it. I mean, we know from subsequent canon that Klingons prefer fairly Spartan surroundings. So I was surprised in the process of needling wharf about being a hunter laying down with his prey, that they weren't also dragging him for what a soft environment it is that they're in. Right. Where are the chains? where is the goo?

Why do your beds have mattresses at all on them? I've noticed a very limited amount of rust since I've been over here. Your pillows have clean pillowcases. Where do you get triangular pillowcases? You know what hotel a Klingon would fucking love, man? Hmm. The Rio. They really would.

That has the right amount of blood on the walls for a Klingon. And to me, that's what they should market around Star Trek Las Vegas time. Hey, shout out to Rustin, who got our suite for STLV, blood and all.

That was real as hell. Yeah. I feel like if Worf has no haters in the Klingon Empire, it's because he's dead. He wants to know why they are hassling him so much. And it's like, hey, man, just wanted to see if you're still honorable or whatever. Like, just kicking the tires, making sure you got that warrior grind set.

Have they teamed you? Or have you always been docile? There's a way that Michael Dorn is about Worf in this scene that is so interesting to me. Like, his fucking guests are such assholes to him. And he does that thing where he sits back in his chair. and watches them, kind of self-satisfied, in a way that I really like. He is not bothered by this. If somebody, like, walked into your house and just went to your fridge and started taking

stuff out of it and you just sat back and watched it happen, that is, oh, like, I'm very interested in what assholes you're being kind of energy that he's displaying there. I would have a real problem with that. Yeah. They head down to Six Bay when they're summoned because their buddy is convulsing. And speaking of dead clings, that's what happens to him. They do the death ritual. You've got to face death with your eyes wide open the way Picard wanted Wesley to only a few episodes ago.

It's true. As his breaths stop, there's a still in the air. and then these three Klingons in the room starts screaming at the ceiling and remove his jewelry after. What a moment. What an incredible moment. Like, I think we have a lot of criticisms

in new Star Trek episodes about like, oh, you're just like rewriting the canon or you're adding to canon in a way I don't agree with or whatever. Sure. You got to understand when you see this in TMG, this is new Klingon shit. This is that.

And I love that, like, the screaming at the ceiling at the ceiling feels like ritualistic, but the taking the spike off of the boot is like, oh, maybe that's also part of it? There's this moment where Dr. Tresher has to ask, like, because she runs a six-bay and also a morgue. It's a combination six-bay and morgue situation she's got. She's like, what are the afterlife requests you have with the body?

And the feeling is you can basically just dump this thing in the trash. Who gives a shit about him? He's dead anyway. Because Dr. Crusher's like, do you see a sign outside Six Bay that says dead Klingon storage? Because I don't want a dead Klingon in my garage. And then later you're like, huh, did she just really want to say that out loud? They head down the hallway. The kids of the Enterprise shocked to see warriors just walking three abreast.

more because that's kind of an incourteous use of space, right? Like you kind of like move to the right so that other people can pass in crowded quarters like this. It's the worst. You and I were just in New York last week and you just get this in a way. Like, I don't know if I'll ever be a New Yorker, but I understand the gripes that they have about people walking three or four abreast. And I feel like you get this in airports and hotels and. and everywhere, actually.

Yeah. It's not just a New York thing. It's just wherever people are in a hurry and there are also people who don't seem to realize that there are people in a hurry. Right. We keep having this conversation

between Wharf and these Klingons and he's like, come on guys, the Ferengi thing does not really hold water for me. Like, what was going on when we found you? And they're not quite ready to talk about it in any more detail, but they're very curious about him and how he wound up in Starfleet. And he starts to tell them about the Kittimer attack and how he was adopted by humans before the age of inclusion. How do you feel about Worf as a storyteller here?

Because I kind of think you could embellish this a little bit, especially if you're talking to Klingons for the first time in a very long time. Like, juz is up a little bit, man. Is that without honor? Shit on the Romulins a little bit more. Right. Like the cowardly Romulins attacked Kittimer.

And I was just a boy. And I was like covered in debris. And I was barely alive until this human saved me and then adapted me. And it was like me and Nikolai for a while. And I was the one who could actually hack Starfleet Academy. me, Nikolai just high-tailed it back to Galt because he couldn't pass the test where he had to make Jordy die. He's just bullshit.

That's a different test, I know. But a test similar to that, I mean. Corrus does a thing that Jack Reacher does an awful lot, which is kind of read him for filth based on almost no information. He's like, so I bet during your childhood, you were just like feeling all that fire in your blood and having nowhere to put it to, he would sneak out in the middle of the night and do warrior shit with your friends.

It's fun to do bad things. Is this what Jack Reacher does? He's not a good listener. Instead, he just tells the other person what he thinks they are. Oh, yeah. I mean, and then he beats the fucking pulp out of him.

Hmm. The conclusion here is, I think collectively, Worf included, Worf needs a little more cling on in his life, doesn't he? He does. And they kind of feel sorry for him.

Like the pity that is so in this scene, you got to remember we don't know Worf very well 20 episodes in to the first season. And he is a little bit of a victim up until this moment. This must be what makes them think he's such a good recruit in the like James Bond terms. Like orphans make the best recruits and they're like, so dude, guess what? actually what we're doing is like sneaking away from the empire because we don't like all this peace treaty bullshit that they're up to right now and we're going to go fucking do bad shit with our friends do you think kebab kabbarker

tells the studio audience to have your your targs caspaid and double neutered the way wharf is made to feel here like i i just feel like wharf can't feel good at the end of this. Chihuaharma Barker, would that be a different? I mean, does Kabab Kabarker imply Shawarma Kabarker? I like that a lot.

That's really fun. Really fun. You know what the name of the food truck could be? It's Shamara Barker's beauties. And then the beauties are like the different squares with the different sorts of shwarma you could get. I think that's phenomenal. Yeah.

These guys are like Admiral Cartwright coded in the way of like the old ways were better and we wanted to be that. That's what gave us reason for being. Up on the bridge, Picard is having a conversation about what he saw in Wharf when they did the death ritual that really stunned him. It's a side of Wharf he's never seen before. and as they're talking about the Klingon death ritual, nobody is able to ask whether it includes taking the spike off of somebody's boot as part of it because data announces that they've got a vessel inbound

to this part of space, and they're going to need to be ready for whoever that is. But the only one keeping an eye on these Klingons is Wharf, and it makes you wonder what side he's really on at this point. I feel like he is a little swayed by them. Especially because they dropped the mask with him before asking for the grand tour. Exactly. He took them to engineering knowing what they're really up to and nobody else knows.

That's my point. Yeah, for Worf to know their true interest and to still be like, oh yeah, I'll give you a tour of the whole ship. And like they know about the saucer section separating. and the battle bridge, they know what the ship can become. How big of a secret do you think that is to other ships who roll up on Enterprise and throw a scan on them? Like, can you see the seam on sensors? And you're like, oh, yeah, this is one of those. Or is it go together so clean that you can't?

And it's a big surprise when they pull that move in a fight. I think if you're one of the builders at Utopia Planetia, you go. should be a perfect bead around the scene between the sasa and the star drive. The tolerance is a razor thin, and this is going together perfectly. The old Starship Builders adage measure twice cut once, and it's paid off in spades today. We got one of those TVs where you can watch an entire channel of just SNL or just this old house or just America's Test Kitchen. And for maybe a year, it's been all S&L. My wife took a trip for like a couple weeks.

And while she was gone, it became this old house to go to sleep to. And it has remained this old house since she's returned. Hell yeah. And it's good. Yeah. It helps us fall asleep. The Klingon commander of this D7 that is coming in is Kineara. And he basically tells Picard the exact same story that Khoris just told Wharf,

which is these guys were flying commercial because they were trying to sneak out and the ship that they killed was probably going to grab them. So you need to turn them over the second we get within transporter range. Like those guys were trying to remain Klingon and you can't trust them. Like you need to be very careful about these people. You need to get them and you need to transfer them into Klingon custody. And Picard asked Yard, okay, this has been an escalation. Where are they on board? The Battlebridge or nearby the battle bridge? Kind of the worst answer to that question, right? They are battle bridge adjacent to put it in real estate terms. And that puts them on edge. So she is going to go down and get them a little torn. She's like, should I stay on the bridge in case it gets messy with this D7? But she goes down. No, Yarr, I mean, we might need you in the transporter room, so like, stay ready for that.

In the hallway, they are talking about the separation capabilities of the ship when Yar shows up and announces her intention to arrest these guys. And it's like Wharf as the puppy and the two reputed owners standing across from him trying to woo him toward them. Do not let them take us for. Help us. Listen to the voice of your blood. You are not of these people. I feel like this is the most perfect throw to commercial we've experienced in 20 episodes to TNG. This was the ultimate.

It really ruled. What will he choose? A little girl helps him decide, maybe. Maybe he had his decision made before this, maybe not. This little girl steps off the turbo lift as this thing is going down in the corridor. and chorus grabs her and like lifts her up the way you can lift up a little kid. It's such a fun surprise. It's just like, I think I understand what the dilemma is here before we go to the commercial break.

And when we come back, they surprise you with this third thing that wasn't one of the two options. And it's scary. I am the cutest are born Lock faces on their present I am the cutest are born There are four Chorus isn't a monster No

He hands this little girl to Wharf And Worf hands the little girl to the mother And Yarr Places the Duke Clingons under arrest And they're taken away What must they be thinking On the bridge When they get the hostage situation

Never mind Disregard hostage situation Situation is under control They're so blown away by being able to see with Jordy's visor that no one stops to think about like, what if we could see in the corridor? No, we can't do that.

That's crazy. Then we get the same music cue when they first saw their jarredy's visor. This is not the brig that we come to know and love from TNG, but they get locked up and they're in there when Wharf makes it back to the bridge and it's like, you realize that the Klingons are going to execute these dudes when they come and get them.

And Picard's really in a bind. It feels like such a magic trick in this script that there is clearly a treaty and policy guiding Picard's hand, forcing Picard's hand. Are there no other options, sir? Now that I can see. Picard sees a different, better way to resolve this situation, but cannot entertain it at all.

Hands are tied now. You shut me down. And nobody is ever like citing a specific treaty or policy, you know? Like, Worf just understands that McCard isn't in a position to do anything but what he's doing. That's a lot of head cannon here for a scene that doesn't have a lot of dialogue in the way that you're describing. I sure felt like if this were another alien species, there would be a little more of a defense mounted for their. lives. This seems pretty cut and dry to everyone involved. We're going to hand them over and they're going to get their heads chopped off or whatever. I think what's driving my head cannon on this is he's got Klingon logo over his left shoulder and UFP logo over his right shoulder. It seems like he has

some official Aegis with the same government that they report to. And Worf appeals to this dude. And he's like, let them do an honorable way out. Like, go put them somewhere that they'll definitely die so that the, you know, that your boss is satisfied. But also, like, let them do it on their feet like a warrior. At this point, you see that Commander Canera has been eating like what looks like a cling on sandwich just out of frame. And it's a total mess. And what Worf understands from the scene is that it's kind of too late. And you blow it!

And the bureaucracy has control over this now. Commander Canara kind of hangs up on him. You blew it. Canara and Picard are kind of in the same boat on this. Used to be a time when you worked in a corporate office. Like Canara was actually a good option for you if you needed to, like, feed a bunch of people in a conference room. Kind of isn't a thing anymore, is it? Nobody's ever excited about Canara showing up, but, you know, it's better than a lot of the other options in the area.

Yeah. in the brig it does not look like chorus and conmel will go quietly. That's because they're assembling a weapon out of parts that they squirled away in their armor. And the hilarious thing about the weapon that they've created is that it's like pretty wall-eyed. And that looks difficult to aim if I'm going to be trying to shoot at something downrange. But wouldn't a Klingon be uniquely good at aiming a weapon as wall-eyed as this? Maybe so. Maybe of all alien species.

Yeah. Yeah. This poor dipshit security guard, like presenting his whole chest to them when the security screen goes down. Come on, man. You cannot wheel around the door like this and present. He gets taken out really quickly.

His buddy in the hallway is a total G and takes Conmel out. But Chorus gets him with the, the dustbuster that the first guy dropped and heads off and goes to engineering, where he goes up to the warp course second level, and we do have a hostage situation now, and the hostage is the dilithium chamber. It's sort of the perfect hostage, I think. I mean, if you're okay with dying yourself, I should say.

Right. He is a cling on, so we have to assume. but he is also acting like there is some desire in him to get out of this with, you know, a bus to the airport and a waiting jumbo jet in the fact that he tells them like, I'm only going to negotiate with Wharf. Send Wharf. I got to say, I got very excited when I learned that what he wanted was the Star Drive section. The whole ass star drive section. Pretty cool. And this really hits. a lot of the beats of the hostage scene in a movie where like Yars, like, we have no shot.

It's a total tactical nightmare up there. Only one way in, one way out. They have the upper hand. And Wharf is permitted to go up to that second level of engineering and talk to this guy. And he's like, man, they are never going to give you the Star Drive section. Like, that's just not going to happen. You should have asked for the captain's yacht. Everyone knows the captain's yacht as a part of Enterprise D, right?

And we're going to see it eventually, right? We will see it eventually. But Gaurus is like, well, maybe we could like take it by force. You and me. You're still like interested in my whole deal, right? I love the picture he paints. We can just go cruising, you and me, pillaging and taking, being warriors together. Worf doesn't even try to propose a counteroffer here.

I thought that was very interesting. This is not a negotiation. We just had that episode where Picard comforts Wesley after not getting into the academy and basically says something very similar to what Worf says here, which is like the battle is within yourself. You've got to fight the battles in your heart. That's how Worf kind of dismantles Chorus's belief system. And he's like, you are trying to do this in a simplistic, stupid way that has no honor.

Like, just going out looking for a fight isn't what Klingons do. And just because you don't like the current political situation, the thing you're trying to do doesn't actually justify itself. It's stupid. Worf kind of makes the case for a reverse stoicism. He's like, look, man, the only way I can exist here is like, there's so much peace and tranquility outside myself and in this universe, I've got to like go inside and find the war in my heart.

And if I can just hold down to the war in me, I can endure all of this. I can persevere. That's his secret. He's always at war. Yeah. You got to do your duty, chorus, both to please that booty and to serve the empire.

But that pisses Khoris off, and he goes to shoot and Worf shoots first. And he goes through the glass panel on this upper level, and it is not made out of the correct type of glass. It's a really great moment. And it's a moment I read in the production notes that had a lot to do with Rob Bowman's decision making. Like on the page, it was like all going to be on that same level, like that level one of engineering. Yeah. And when he got to set, he's like, why don't we play with the space a little bit? And let's let's like do a fun fall through the glass.

That was all him. I mean, this is Bowman outfoxing the script the way Kirk outfoxed Khan in the Mutara Nebula. I love that. It's exactly like that. Wharf does the death ritual. I would have loved a Rathicon style cut to the exterior, by the way. Speaking of that. I mean, I think you speak for us both when you state the desire for more exterior shots generally.

Yeah. Yeah. He asks to speak to Kinira one more time and report that the Klingons that they will not be turning over to Kinira did die well and didn't like dishonor all of us by going into that sweet. good night as convicted criminals. I like that we have several scenes this episode where the question is asked. So what do you want us to do with the Klingon bodies? And the answer is always, just put them in the fucking trash. Like, wheel them out to your curb on Wednesday. It's almost exactly the same dialogue in both scenes. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Caneer's parting shot is sort of assuming that

Worf like Remick is a real ladder climber and he's like you can come work over here Worf is very polite about it but after they hang up the phone Worf has to kind of rapidly clear things up with his colleagues like no I don't have any interest in actually doing that

you guys know that right you know I would never do that on purpose right you know that and the comedy of it is in the repetition of it. He doth protest too much. It's not a protestation. It's a deny. Yeah. Denial? That's a kind of protestation, I suppose. Yeah. Picard is kind of honored in the same way. And that's our episode. How about that? Ben, I got to show you my bag. Show me bag, baby. Pretty much empty. Wow. That's about as fast as I'm going to drink three beers.

Like that's about 40 minutes That's a pretty quick clip for me Did you get any splashover From the interior bag Into the exterior bag Now you know I'm careful man Check it out It's uh

They've they've remained totally separate Wow Pretty good And what's happened Is there hasn't been a lot of condensation That's another thing I want to do avoid A bunch of drips on my keyboard That was a concern of mine

Yeah Yeah I think we did okay And I was really riding the cough button, so hopefully Wendy isn't going to want to kill me. This is becoming a speech. You're the captains, sir. You're entitled. I'm entitled to ramble on about something everyone knows. Ben, speaking of death, I've got a big question for you.

Oh, I love this topic. We hear several times this episode that a Klingon body is basically useless once they die. And you can just throw it out if you want to. Now, the life of a podcaster is not as dangerous as that of a Klingon warrior, but all podcasters die eventually. And that begs the question, what do you want me to do with your body when you die? I have seen a lot of different kinds of funeral in my day. I've been to the like open casket kind of one.

I've been to the super hippie-dippy, like we put you on a cardboard box. in like an ecological preserve kind of one and everything in between. And I think that that cardboard box somewhere beautiful thing probably appeals to me the most. It kind of doesn't matter. Yeah. I mean, it matters to other people, is what I should say. At that point, it won't matter to me. The thing I always say to my barber when my barber goes for that mirror,

back of my head is none of my business. Creamate me is what you tell your barber every time. He's like, whoa, how much of a cut do you think I'm going to give you? Well, let's see if anything lights us on fire in the P1 inbox, Adam. What do you say? Okay. Priority one message from Starfleet coming in on Secured Channel. Need a supplemental. Supplement.

Supplement. Supplement. Yeah, it's extra. By the interest alone could be enough to buy this ship. Ben, we've got a promotional priority one message here. Here's how that goes. FODs. Cascade reaction is a novel.

100 years in the future, the U.S. and China fight over Mars, squeezing the planet for resources. Oh. Caught in the middle are the people of the red planet. Thirsty, irradiated, and desperate. Mars is ready to burn. When war breaks out, a bad place to live becomes a hell. A teacher, a soldier, a scientist, and a miner must find a way to not only survive but fight back.

And while the people of Mars suffer and fight, something else is drawn inexorably to the planet, because humanity's hell is someone else's paradise. Looking for that TGG bump. for Cascade reaction on Kindle. Right. And they've requested a Ben losing it job. Fuck! Ben.

Ben. Ben. Ben. It's been a long time since I've heard that one. Pete has sent this promotional priority one message in here. Pete, who did the good thing of promoting a book and the bad thing of promoting it. author outside of a first name. So look for Cascade Reaction on Kindle and its author is Pete.

Is Pete the author or is Pete doing this on behalf of the author? Great question, Ben. We may never know. We can't write these for them and we can't make up a name. Peter White is the author of Cascade Reaction. So maybe so. You looked it up. Good job.

This sounds like a book right up my alley. You heard it. Get Cascade reaction on Kindle, written by Peter White. Our next P1 is from Allison and Kim to Ben and Adam. It's personal. It goes like this. On the next open calendar slot on Greatest Trek, could you please, please, please review Picard season three?

We're not the courtroom kind of lawyers, but we'll make our best lawyer Picard case. Forget one and two. like the show did. The three. Just think of it. Beverly the badass, beheadings and

Camomile Tea, space babies, Jack Crusher, hang in tear, a thermal detonator, changeling goo, Shaw, the dipshit from Chicago,

Picard is an old Riker, the Picard slash Crusher shipper, Captain Seven, Riker Hayton Shelby, the D, the carpet, Ro Laren.

Did we mention the D? We rest our case. I think if there's anything, our choice to go back to the beginning of the greatest generation has made people think is that maybe we'll do the same for New Star Trek. It's certainly possible.

I really have a great fondness for season three of that show. And I'm not averse to what Allison and Kim are lawyer McCarting for here. Let me ask you a question. Do we have to watch season one and two? That's what Allison and Kim are giving a permission structure not to do. If you're not watching the stream, I just did The Obsession frown when I asked that question. I don't want to re-watch season one and two.

I like parts of season one. Ben, we got a priority one message here. It is from Michelle. It's to you and me. And here is how that goes. Throwing some scarves your way in appreciation for keeping me entertained on the road. the past four years as I move from Austin to Boulder. Wow.

Back to Austin, then San Diego, and this week to Portland, Oregon. That's like 4,300 miles worth of trek. I look forward to continuing my endless pursuit of catching up on your many pods as I settle into my new home. As Calus is my witness, I am never moving again. Well, you landed in a, A delightful place, Michelle.

All cities that I have a great fondness for. But yeah, Portland rules. I got a lot of friends in Portland. Go get a breakfast sandwich at Friday, I'm in love. A close friend of mine owns and operates that restaurant. Couldn't recommend that place highly enough. The official breakfast restaurant of the greatest generation. If you'd like to get a priority one message on the show,

we would sure appreciate it. It's available at Podshop.biz, and it really helps us keep the lights on around here. Thank you so much. Ben, would you like to play a game with me? After today, I would say I'm a little afraid to do so, but I will face it as a warrior. You're going to love this. I'm not doing mean games with you. You think I am, but I'm not.

I'm calling this game Stretch Armstrong. Yes, Stretch Armstrong. Now stretching fun farther than ever before. It's a one-question trivia game where we find out if our contestant, that means you, believes character actor Von Armstrong has been typecast based on the kinds of alien characters he's played in the Star Trek universe. Now, this episode is the first role for von Armstrong, who we would come to appreciate as sexual icon Admiral Forrest on Star Trek Enterprise. By the time he was done, he'd play characters across TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise. In 15 episodes, Ben, in today's episode, he played chorus, but you should know that he also played a Cardassian, a Romulan, a Borgs, a Vdian, a Herogen, a Kretassin, and a Species 571.

What I want to know is, was he typecast? For which type of species has he played the most number of characters is the question I have for you. Oh. Get it correct. And you'll have to buy a stretch Armstrong action figure. Don't worry, they're cheap. And give it to your kids to play with. Okay.

Get it wrong, Ben. And you'll have to buy a stretch Armstrong action figure. Open it up in front of your kids and tell them, it's not for them. It's for you. What do you got, Ben? Diabolical. Can I get the list of aliens one more time? Sure thing. I'm just going to tell you, a human doesn't count. That character is struck. Cardassian, Romulan, Borg, Vidion, Horogen, Cretassin, Species 571.

Boy, I don't remember the Cretassin, Cretacin. I don't remember species 571. I'm really feeling like it's either Cardassian or Romulan. I'm going to lock in on Cardassian. Ben, you're so close. Fuck. He played three Klingons. He played two Kardashians. That means you are wrong.

Ah! Okay, so what I have to do, what do I do? Like go on eBay? No, no, no, no. I mean, this is a toy that you can get. Like, like Stretch Armstrong is a thing even right now. I can walk into a store and buy a stretch Armstrong. I haven't been in a toy store in a very long time, Ben. Well, you're not allowed legally. Yeah. Yeah, get a Stretch Armstrong. Get it delivered to your house. Open it up in front of your kids. You don't have to videotape it, but, I mean, you could.

I would never put my children on the internet until they can provide. some kind of informed consent about that. Okay, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to check in on you when we record the beginning of the next episode to see how that went. Okay. And then we'll hear how it went, right? That's fun.

I guess we will. You said that you don't do games that are bad to me? Like, this isn't bad to me. It's bad to my kids. You want me to be mean to my children for my fucking job? here's the thing. I've told you what the penalty is. You can interpret that however you would like, including ways that don't hurt your children permanently. So go and do what you will. Okay. Yeah, I honestly do feel like either option would be sort of a punishment because my son had like a stress ball the other day and just like went and randomly. bit a hole in it and had like the, I think it's like corn starts that they fill those with. Just like, he was like,

Ralph, are you eating your paste? Love it over. Yeah, that's not what that's for, Daron. Pretty diabolical punishment at the end of today's episode. Not that diabolical, I don't think. Of course you know, this means war, Adam. Go listen to these credits. They're going to be great.

You don't even know how good these credits are about to be. The Greatest Generation is an Uxbridge Shimoda podcast. It's hosted by Ben Harrison and Adam Pranika, and it's produced and edited by Windy Pretty. Next week, we'll be back with another episode of Star Trek The Next Generation, so get ready to learn all about the USS Lollipop and get back onto that battle bridge because it's season one, episode 21, The Arsenal of Freedom.

Until then, we want to say thank you to all of the members who support this show. You want to join them. You'll get an ad-free feed, plus a lot of great bonus episodes and other benefits like live hangs and discounts. Sign up at greatesttrecht.com. You can also just click the support link and the show notes right there in your podcatcher. And thanks so much. Music for the greatest generation is by Dark Materia. Social media is managed by Bill Tilley and Rob Adler. Rob also puts together the greatest newsletter every month, which you do not want to miss out on. Visit Podshop.com.Biz to get signed up for that. You can also book a P1 there and find yourself some fun merch. All of that helps support the show.

thanks. Follow our official social media pages on Instagram, Blue Sky and YouTube and use the hashtag Greatest Gem when you post about the show. And don't forget to join us over on Greatest Trek for coverage of Strange New World Season 4. That's all for now. We'll see you next week on The Greatest Generation. The lifestyle you are leading does have me concerned that you might not make it to the end of this project in one piece. You know what we need to ask Wendy is like what new end of this project is now that we've started from the beginning. I don't know. She's so good at making the spreadsheets where like we have a production schedule that goes out years and years. I wonder if we know. It's possible. I wonder if it's in there right now. I'm going to click on it.

All episodes. It's just end of all things at the bottom of the list. Oh, it ends in 2027. So maybe she knows something we don't. Is there like a murder suicide line item? there. What did I know of? Oxbridge. Shemota.