The Greatest Generation - Grief Procrastination (S5E24)

Episode Date: March 29, 2017

When the Entrepreneur pulls off the road to help a broken down Romulan ship, Geordi and Ro go missing. Now Data has to plan a funeral, and really only talks at length about that with Worf. How many breadboxes does one ship need? Who has the best orange wedges between the transporter chief, the helmsperson, and the backup doctor? Have Doctor Crusher and Geordi ever hung out? What’s the right karaoke song to whip out at a friend’s funeral? It’s an episode with headcanon we had to practice for with a toothbrush.

Priority 1 message from Starfleet coming in on Secured Channel. Hey friends of Disodo. Before today's episode, we just wanted to take a moment to talk about the historic labor actions being taken by writers and actors in the American Film and Television industry. If you're a fan of the work done by the people who make Star Trek, we hope you'll join us in standing in solidarity with the folks who actually bring these adventures to life. Over the past several years, the AMPTP, the organization that represents the American Film and Television Production Studios, have reduced the profit from movies and TV going to workers. And in so doing,

they've attempted to weaken the labor unions that represent those workers. They wouldn't even engage the unions on many issues in their negotiations. And so a strike was the only course of action to take. Adam, Wendy and I have been having a lot of internal discussions about how best to stand with the unions and we are continuing those conversations in a dynamic situation. We're doing our best to understand where the picket lines are in these digital spaces,

and we would never intentionally cross one. With the information we have, we feel like we can do more good talking about and supporting the strike and continuing our show as planned. We'll keep you informed about what all this means for greatest trek specifically. Today we're making a contribution to the Entertainment Community Fund. This fund exists to help all the people whose livelihoods have been put on hold because the AMPTP refuses to negotiate

in good faith with the unions. It provides financial support for writers, actors, and all the thousands of laborers who make the shows that we talk about here and without whom we wouldn't have Star Trek to cast pot about. Those folks are all out of work because billionaires, company shareholders, and the executives of these companies don't want to compromise on the length of their yachts. We hope you'll join us in supporting entertainment workers in a challenging time, especially after they've already endured several years of challenges brought on by the pandemic

and season two of Star Trek Picard. We've set up a page where you can also contribute. It's at friendsofdecotoforlabor.com. That's friendsofdecotoforlabor.com. That's friendsofdisotoforlabor.com. Link in the episode description. Okay, now let's get on with the show. Welcome to the greatest generation. A Star Trek podcast by a couple of guys, a little bit embarrassed to have a Star Trek podcast. I'm Benjamin R. Harrison, half of your hosting team for the evening. And the other third is me, Adam Pranika. I sure that math works out, but I trust you. I scored almost perfect on the verbal part of my SATs, and I almost failed in the math

and science part of the SATs. Really? Like, it was so lopsided. It was surprising to me, Adam. I still scored like an 1100 on my SAT, but the math part was an atrocity. Wow. Adam, that is really disappointing.

I thought I was making this podcast with a sharper tack. But let's peanut butter over this embarrassing admission of yours by opening some Star Trek baseball cards. What do you say? I say yes Ben I have a proposition for you Play it on me, buddy. I Play it on me, buddy. I propose we play a little game of Star Trek card gluttony and not stop opening packs

until we each get an autographed card. Oh, damn. And we'll see how many packs it takes. What do you think? So it's like golf where the low score wins. Yeah. What does the winner get at him? I haven't decided.

Maybe it'll come to us as we open. Okay. All right. I'm cracking into this. ASMR community, you're welcome. But my first pack, I've got a Skitzoid man. Hmm. Got a very fun data face on that one. New ground.

Got a couple in profile klingons. I have one for the game in my pack, which is really good. It's a... It's Wesley on the field of the... What is the game officially called? Suck Disc? Suck Disc, right. He's on the Suck Disc field running from silhouetted attackers. Well, no side ones in my pack. Ooh, and I have one for up the long ladder, the notorious space Irish episode. Is there a ladder on that card?

Hmm, kind of. There's a lot of pigs. You're really opening that thing up right on the microphone, aren't you? Oh, I got an Angel 1. Yeah! With a deeply-veed Commander Riker. I could have sworn I had an Angel 1 in the... Series 1 box.

Well, I've got a cost of living here, Adam. Hm? It is, uh... The loaf part of Alexander and his eyes barely peeking over a tabletop. You'd think that Alexander would be such a minor character, he wouldn't even make the cards. But... Alright, I'm going into Package 3. I got one!

Ah, are you on 3 or 2? I'm on 3. Oh! Oh! I got one as well. Yes, package three. Yes, this is amazing. Yes. I have Gina Rivera as infant Tyler in Fantagiums My card has been personally signed by Tracy Coco, who played, of course, Lieutenant J. And I don't know what.

It doesn't say, um, on the back? It doesn't say. Nope. Wow. We haven't seen phantasms yet. It is a seventh season episode. So we have yet to meet Gina and Ensen Tyler. One of the rare times that we have a signed card from an episode that we haven't seen. Yeah, I don't remember Lieutenant J either.

She looks like a despester Jack. Yeah. But, hmm, you can still smell the sharpie on this card at him. That's a nice fresh signed card. That's fun. How did we tie? That's amazing. I never would have guessed that. Good stuff, Adam.

Yeah, I like card gluttony as a game. Well, this episode is an episode that we were recording during the Max Fun Drive, and I think it's only appropriate that we would have such a fun outcome. Yeah, good thing. We hate it when that card bit sucks. Alright, why do you say we get into the episode that we came here to record? What do you say we get into the next phase of the podcast, minutes? Season 5 episode 24, the next phase. This one starts with a Romulan vessel in distress. Entrepreneurs rushing to help them and they like kind of beam right over, you

know. Like there's no negotiating this. They just like show up and they're like, hey, we're here to help. From the Federation Starship Enterprise, we received your distressed call. The Romulans are like, would you like to play some chess? And the entrepreneur is like, yes, we do. Yeah. They just rush headlong into this. I guess that's their brand, right? Like they, and they proved it in the I-Borgs episode. They'll rescue just about anyone, won't they?

They are. They've got a taste for it now, Adam. Yeah. They've got a taste for rescue blood. The Romulan ship is real beat up. It's all smoky in there and they beam over unarmed. They don't want to spook the Romulan, so they take their dustbusters off of their hips

and plug them into the wall chargers before they leave the entrepreneur. They get over there and there's just a a gaggle of bread boxes walking around. There's fires. There's some of them that have green goo coming out of their loaf because they're dead. Yes, the captain of the Romulans ship has bought the farm and the science officer introduces himself as the man in charge.

This show does a great job with these destructive ship scenes, these interiors. Yeah. There's girders strewn all about. Yeah. It's a scary place. Yeah. Yeah, stuff is sparking and popping. That's a good colors.

That's a good, you know, like a really nice shot compositions in this, because they do a great job of putting the subjects in between background and foreground. There's always like something wrecked in the foreground and something interesting in the background. Yeah. It's really well blocked so that there's always

a lot of depth in the shot composition. There's a really interesting tension in this scene because the Romulans always look at you like there's something wrong with you, even when they're the ones that need some help. Like their posture and their way of speaking is always like an implied what the fuck are you looking at? Kind of thing. Your message said you would suffer to failure in your engine core. You talking to me?

The fuck do you think you're talking? And when when Riker beams on board with this away team, they're like, they're totally copying to the humanitarian aspect of why they're there. They're like, we mean you know harm, we're here to help. And the courage that the Romulans have is really like, it is not a we want help sort of attitude. No, it's like a, we are not panicking. We are walking around the same way

We would be if we were standing in the capital city on Romulus Yeah, just we're just chill cool customers and we are fixing our ship before it blows up Yeah, their attitude is just icy cold. Yeah, I think that the I don't know who directed this episode, but I think that this episode just has really fun filmmaking throughout. So watch for that as I call it out over the course of this episode. We'll never know who directed this episode. No. So the deal is the engine core of this of this ship is in bad shape. And there's also some device, I guess it's like the, I don't know, some giga that needs to be fixed that helps stabilize the engine core.

And so, Jordi is like, I need somebody that can help me carry this heavy-ass thing and he looks from riker to wharf to row. And he's like, hey, row, you want to help me with this thing? Like the like the second and third strongest people that come from the ship because data isn't there. He passes them up so that Roe can help him schlep this thing back to the ship, and they go over to the spot in the Romulan ship

where they beamed in, and they radio back to the entrepreneur. The force of browser, two people in one piece of equipment to be before. And high school librarian. I, sir. The transporter chief a manning the transportor bay. And she's like, all right, well, got your signal

and I'm gonna, you know, turn this knob and throw this switch and here we go. I'm just gonna pull your ID out of the card catalog here. Put it into the transportor computer. Just give me two minutes. Yeah. We haven't changed this system in the 45 years that I've worked here. Rosmarchuk Amanda Ryker, I'm losing them. I have to report. They should be returning to your coordinates, sir.

Chief! You have them and not here! No, sir. God, what a bad time for O'Brien to be kayaking. Like, during a mission with the Romulans, you think you'd want your best guy in the transport room. Right. And he is nowhere to be found in this episode, despite the fact that the transport is so heavily featured these kind of, there's there's three kind of middle-aged women in this episode that just stood out to me.

Like there's just a bunch of soccer moms all over this episode. Hey dude, why don't why don't you button that up a little bit? I think soccer moms can do anything, anyone else can do on a federation starship. I'm not diminishing their contribution. I'm just saying like, for all of the diversity and casting that we get, this episode for some reason decided on three extras being soccer mom types. That's a fair point.

Yeah, I think a casting director just went out to like a youth basketball camp. Yeah. Like trolling for people. They were kicking the tires of all the prevy is in the parking lot. Yeah, the helmsman in this episode is a kind of a soccer mom. The transporter chief is kind of a soccer mom and then I feel like there's a third one. I can't. Brosmurs like now.

Now kids, when you get back from that Romulan ship, I got these orange wedges for you. Yeah, it's a fun one. Well, they don't materialize on the pad, and the transporter chief gets raker on the phone. She's like, hey, did they wind up back there? And he's like, no, where are they? And she's like, they're gone. So definitely not the way you want to start a work day with the two of your senior officers buying the farm and

I mean to their credit everyone keeps it professional. They hardly pause at all before triaging continuing to triage the situation. Right. I mean, it's like that time that Steve Zahn got caught in the Forward bilge or whatever, you know, like he's trying to he's trying to fix the leak But they got to seal off that bulkhead Right and when that wrench flies off and he gets faced Yeah, that piece of pipe it's over for him right there's no there's no running into rescue him It's like it's it's just the risk is just too high and the the clock is still ticking on the On the warp core, on the Romulan ship.

They've gotta get that thing out of there and they're like, okay, great idea here, ejector system. And they're like, too bad it's offline actually. You know how warp core ejector systems be. They, everyone just sort of looks at each other knowingly. Like, yeah, geez. Everybody rolls their eyes. Warp cores be crazy. Yeah, geez. Everybody rolls their eyes. Warp cores be crazy.

Yeah, it's like going to another country and expecting a totally different experience in their post office, and then you try the post office and it's like, yeah, what is it about post office that they're just always aligned? What is going on? We're more alike than different. Yeah. What is going on? We're more alike than different.

Yeah. Yeah, so the manual ejection process for a warp core is a lot like putting down a landing gear that doesn't go down automatically. There's a sort of a lever actuator system. And Wurf and this random Romulan clear off some broken glass from a panel, open it up, and then flip these switches. They get the thing released, but then they're like, oh fuck, that thing is gonna launch out of here and the doors that are in between us and the launch are open. Yeah. We've also got the doors closed.

I've seen Wurf have struggles opening doors. I've never seen him struggle so much to close a door. Yeah. Yeah. In both entrance and egress, he's stymied completely. And so they beam over the one man who has no problems with doors at all. They actually shuttle over because they don't trust the transporters anymore. But the shuttle arrives and data and some more engineers are on it and data is like step aside,

Wurf, I've got this. Data's always there for Wurf. They're flinging debris out of the way. And did you notice, Riker does not lift with his legs at all. Yeah. He totally lifts with his back. Yeah, OSHA is going to come down really hard on him like that's not setting a good example for the workers Yeah, not great

Yeah, that's that Murak in this episode the The like lead Romulan guy is one of those that guys What does he have that guy from he's in like no country for old men like I Think he's in catch me if you can What's his name? Thomas Copacci who is he in no country? That's one of my favorite movies. I think he's like one of the one of the, uh, one of the cop guys. Is he the idiot

sheriff's deputy? No. Okay. That was a younger guy. Yeah. Huh. I'll look out for him. Yeah. Well, they, uh, they managed to get this warp core pooped out of the Romulan ship and they get the entrepreneurs shields extended around At a prize, extend shields! Just in time, we're to explode, save everybody's gourd In saving the day, they have a moment of pause to think about the fact that Ro and Jordi are gunzo. Yeah, it's an interesting example of grief procrastination, isn't it?

Yeah. Choosing the duty first. Like professional grade procrastination. Yeah. Yeah, so I guess it's like around this point that Picard decides he's gonna go down to Six Bay and see what's up. I mean, Six Bay.

And he's like, in the hallway and he walks past the passed out body events in Rome. Like she's not even there. And she gets up and she's like walking around the ship. Like, what the fuck is going on? She walks into Six Bay, they're like working on, on somebody's like, she's like, hey, I just passed out in the corridor.

I don't even remember how I got there. Can somebody help me? And they just like don't even look up. They're not helping her at all. Yeah. I love the music in this scene. It's like, it's almost got like a Spielberg-y feel to it where it's like, it's that music that this scene, it's almost got like a Spielberg feel to it, where it's like that music that kind of, you know when you hear it, that something kind of supernatural

is happening. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, everyone's being real impolite to row. She's like, oh, this is what it feels like. Yeah, normally she's the one that's in polite. Her hair has totally changed from the last episode too. Yeah, I think they're trying to figure it out with her. Trying to dial in that row hair.

Yeah. Well, it is not long after she gets to sixth bay that she walks into the doctor's office and catches the tail end of a conversation between Picard and the doctor. I never re-materialized. We should check again. There might be something that we don't know. Well, it was done everything that we can. Where Picard is telling her, like, yeah, right up death certificates for Jordy and Roe.

They did. There's, how do you think these characters address their grief in that moment? I mean, the captain is like always super detached when it comes to feelings. We get him emoting around the crew very seldomly. But for Beverly to say, boy, the job I like the least is writing death certificates about a foundational character like Jordi felt super cold to me like it is cold but then like let's think about like the doctor and Jordi like what times have they had like super moving for interactions? Yeah they might be the two senior staff that have the fewest. I mean every time they interact it's because

Jordy's having a problem with his glasses. Right. And she's like, I'm not an optometrist. I'm a fucking internist. Like get out of here. Go to a drugstore. Let's guys, those guys get like twice as much money for half as much school as we do. Welcome. Anyway, I just like twice as much money for half as much school as we do. Welcome. Anyway, I just, yeah, it would have, like I understand Picard's reason for not emoting here, but it would have, it would have been more satisfying to have some true emotion at any point

about the deaths of these two crewmen. Yeah, well maybe he was like, God, Ro just started putting on that headband I just don't even feel it that much anymore good riddance. Yeah, ever since the haircut She's just not as attractive to me anymore captain. I'm right here. He's a real shit head. Yeah I love her haircut by the way to be good. That's because I love row hmm Yeah, in your eyes, row can do no wrong. Oh, that's the third 90s mom. It's in six bay. One of the doctors that row can't get

to pay any attention to her is a total 90s soccer mom. Like her duty in sick bay is only skinned knees. Yeah, she's the person they call in if they need somebody to dab a napkin against their tongue and then get some dirt off of somebody's cheek. That's great. So Ro is kind of like exploring the ship and eventually finds herself in engineering. And this is also a great scene. Jordy has just like a perfect take in this scene where he's like still kind of putting it together that nobody can see him.

Like he's like holding his hand up in front of his face or something. It's like, it's great. The forge? Roll. What do you think we didn't see off camera from a majority before that moment in testing whether people could see him? He's like, he's like a zip. Can you see this?

Hello! 12 inch Python over here, anybody? Yeah, boy, if you're gonna have someone be invisible, probably don't want that person to be creepy, Jordy. This is, I think, around when they realize they can kind of pass through walls and they can't pick things up, right? Yeah. Yeah, I mean, Ro has this moment in Six Bay when she overhears Picard and Beverly talk like she runs her hand through the laptop on Beverly's desk

Right and then like somebody like walks right through her. Yeah Picard walks through her. Yeah, it's got to be a real surprise, right? Wonder what that feels like. Yeah, like do you think do you think you see inside him for a second? I bet you do Yeah, I mean it'd be real dark. Yeah, yeah that's true. But... Jordy could. I promised the people some rock-sellered head cannon on this situation Adam, right? Because it doesn't make any sense that they can pass through walls, people, objects, but not the floors, right? I am so ready for some rock hard head cannon. My head cannon is just like a half-eat at this point. Okay.

What do we know about the floors on spaceships, Adam? They got gravitational deck plating. There's some kind of gravity thing in the floor plating that must interact with cronotone particles in a different way from other solid objects. There's some kind of artificial gravity generator on the floor that can't pass through that. Oh, that's some hard cannon. Yeah, I'll let you bask in your refractory period for a second.

That might be the nerdiest thing that's ever been said on the show. But it totally works for me. Yeah, I mean it's not like ghost dad when he like walks in the front door and plunges through the through the carpet in the foyer. Like that doesn't make any fucking sense at all. The problem that I have with that theory is a little later on when Roe is on the bridge. She touches her old station and she doesn't go through it. She touches her chair and she touches the steering wheel to the ship. Well, who knows where they're putting that gravitational stuff? Yeah, maybe the seats have gravity too.

Maybe that's why they don't have seat belts It's their own gravity. They're like gravity turns up a little bit when they're shaking around Dang how about that great big hard cannon bin. That's a I got some cannon on my own Seriously what I just heard you get hard. That's a big mouthful. Yeah I mean I'd be doing a lot to suppress my gag reflex on that headganon. I just practice with the toothbrush. So, Rowan and Jordy have kind of a different sub opinion about what the situation is here, because Row, the spiritual pejorin, is like, we dead. And Jordi is like, there's got to be a better explanation for this.

And he goes over to the Transporter Bay and Data's in there having a chat with the high school librarian. data is in there having a chat with the, uh, with the high school librarian. And they're kind of going back and forth over, like, the kind of anomalous readings. And Jordy is, is there kind of putting the pieces together, uh, in the room while they can't hear or see him? If the particles were produced on the Romulan ship, why are you detecting them here? The transport of the... I suspect they traveled through the transport of the game. And what they're coming up with is that they're like

out of phase because there's some weird shit happening on the Romulan ship that, surprise, surprise, the Romulans are not being super forthcoming about. Yeah, so weird. So he like, I guess data is gonna take a prev back to the Romulan shift to continue helping with the engine rebuild. And there's sort of a fun amount of tailgating involved that Rowan, Jordan, you're doing like to get around, like to get to the Romulan ship, they've got to like walk very closely behind Wurf

to get on a shuttle. Yeah. To get in and out of doors, they start doing that, but they can also go through walls. Right, I think that they're going in and out of doors thing as before they realize the wall thing. But yeah, at a certain point, they're just like totally used to just walking around the ship and

Going right through walls whenever they feel like it but yeah Yeah, so they they could they go back to the Romulan ship and there's like a great piece of Blocking here where they they do like a dolly shot as as data walks around the ship and into frame comes this totally grim looking Romulan who's just sitting there in a chair not helping anybody and it's like It's it's like almost comedic how How grim and evil he looks Because you're like why the fuck is in this asshole helping?

And then it becomes clear that he is like Jordy and Ro. He's a little lurchy, I thought. He's like Romulan Lurch. Yeah, a little Romulan Homme. Yeah, he's got just a great big face. Romulan Homme? Sure, Ben. Yeah.

We'll let you use that name throughout. Sure. Well, thank you. I look forward to using Rom-yaham more often. No one is going to use that, Ben. Watch Adam. People use Rom-yahal in all the time. They do. They do. That's

because that name was better. I saw somebody tweeting today that their toddler was in Got Sent to his room because he got in trouble and was just yelling drunk Shimoda through the door. Whoa. What's a toddler doing listening to our show? I cannot endorse that. I mean, I think it's great that a toddler is yelling drunk Shimoda, but we swear on this show. Yeah. We talk about, we're talking about rock-hard head cannon on this show. That's a bird's and the bee's thing that you're going to want to wait a little while to explain to a yut. Mom, what's rock hard head cannon?

What's up all the region mom? It's when a Star Trek podcast and a piece of inferred information love each other very much. And they decide to make a theory about how something happens. And then the theory makes a little bit of a mess on the chin of the Star Trek podcast. Gross! The Romulans are not being forthcoming with the Starfleet officers that are helping them, but they're also devising an evil plan to fuck them over when they leave. The entrepreneur is going to, they're going to like connect some jumper cables to power up their newly rebuilt engine, and the Romulans have some way of like sending a feedback signal along that

jumper cable to build up some situation in the entrepreneur's warp core where once they warp out of there it'll cause the engine to go critical and make the enterprise as explode. Yeah it's just a real bum deal for the enterprise. Because they won't know it's coming either. Right. It'll just be like a, it'll be like a mine, like a land mine in their engine. Yeah, it's like, and like Jordy and Row have this horrible situation of knowing about this, but not being able to warn anybody because while they are in the same place at the same time, they're out of phase.

So they're like, they're in this, they keep having these scenes where two people are having a conversation that gets close to realizing what's going on, but they kind of miss it. And Jordi will be like, no, put it together. Yeah, it's very frustrating. The Ramya ham has a stowed away on one of the previors and come back to the entrepreneur and now he's kind of like stalking around the ship in this super creepy way. As fun as it was to watch Jordy and Roe walk around unregarded, it is a real head fuck to watch Ram-Hom walk around and have no one notice his giant shoulder pads. Yeah, is it like the first time that we've had

a Romulan on board the ship? No, we had we had bread box defector a couple of seasons ago. But they do feel like they're not supposed to be there, you know? Yeah, yeah, speaking of out of phase Definitely looks like he doesn't belong So Yeah, I think are they like up on the bridge maybe? Yeah, they're up on the bridge and Romulan Lurch has hitched a ride on a turbo lift there

pops out and he's got a Romulan dustbuster this disruptor works I was wearing it when I was changed it's like the Dyson model where it's just really high power and he's getting ready to round up Rowan Jordy and I think he's just trying to stop them from phasing back in so that they can warn the entrepreneur. Like he is ready to die to preserve the secret that was being that's being concealed on the Romulan ship. Yeah that seems to be his angle. If it ever got out, the Romulans were developing this technology. I think it would be some real serious shit for everyone involved. Yeah. So he takes Ro hostage, and they're heading back to engineering to find Jordi so that

he can make sure that he stops them from fixing the situation. So meanwhile, data is down in engineering and they've discovered that every surface that Jury and Roe walk through has this like detectable cronoton situation in it. And so data's really like concerned about this being a problem if they go to warp. So he's trying to eradicate all of the contamination and it's this great scene where they're just

at the engineering console and engineering and Jordy keeps like pushing his hand through the table and data keeps like kind of whack hima-moling the different spots that Jordy's hand was. It is not being so rational. Try using your imagination once in a while. It's like Jordy keeps walking where data just mop the floor. So data's like going back over the same spots. He's not just random patterns. It's me.

Hey! Don't walk there. I guess mom. I think that it's at this point that Jordi figures out that the anion particles that data is using to clear up the contamination might be able to play a role in bringing him back into phase. Yeah, because his hand gets touched by by the scanner and then it becomes harder for him to push through the table. Yeah, because his hand gets touched by the scanner and then it becomes harder for him to push through the table. Yeah, so unfortunately, data doesn't completely work out what's happening at this point, but I think that it's given Jordy a pretty good idea of what's up. So we cut back to Ro and Ramiaham walking around in the hallway and he's got the gun in her back

and she's like, oh, they're right in here and she walks through a door and like threw through it. So he can't see her on the other side and she just like steps to one side and lays some classic Star Trek beat them up on him. And initiates like a real old school style backyard to backyard police chase on foot. Like she's jumping over, jumping over picket fences saying hi to bikini babes who are out sunbathing. Hi, hey there, first wheeler. bikini babes who are out sunbathing. This is so much fun. Like going from condo to condo. Yeah great dally shot where it starts at the front of the house and she runs in and says like oh

dinner smells great. We're through to the backyard. This is dinner's ready. Yeah jumps over the next fence. Yeah. Jumps over the next fence. Yeah. Lurch pokes his head through a doggie door. Yeah. I think we should shoot her. Yeah, and like he starts opening up and he winds up hitting her in the leg with his

disruptor. And this clues the ship into the back of the cronoton fields that they're trying to eliminate or getting worse. This disruptor seems to be having a big effect on the situation. So Jordy tags along with data to respond to this situation and finds Ramuham on top of row beating her up. And Jordy runs over and so gives him a shove and he goes right through the exterior wall through the hull and out into space.

He alien queens him. Yeah. Man, this is like the scariest death. They never do this death on Star Trek. It's so scary. The exposed to space death. Yeah. Yeah, I agree.

It's like one of the sort of pure wedding around out there. Yeah, like you really never ever get it. And I think it's terrifying, you know. Yeah. God, that's got to be so shocking for Lurch too. Like, one minute you're doing beat them up the next, you're very cold. Mm-hmm.

Man. When I was a kid, I was probably in like, first or second grade and they showed the second Superman movie. I know space isn't cold by the way, please don't write in. I showed the second Superman movie at I know space isn't cold, by the way. Please don't write in. I showed the second Superman movie at my school, after school daycare or something. And that scene where they ripped the,

maybe it's the first movie, where they ripped the, there's a moonwalking astronaut and they ripped the patch off the front of his suit. Yeah. That gave me nightmares, man. There was a time when science fiction was fairly obsessed with that concept as a form of death.

I think so. And I feel like because of that, I don't really have a great sense of what actually happens, you know? Like I feel like my childhood was filled with kids going up to me and going like, if you go out in space without a space suit, your blood boils instantly and your eyes pop out. Yeah.

You know, but then like you get a conflicting visualization of that in three different movies. So I don't know what actually happens. Yeah, I don't know either. I wonder if it's ever been tested. I wonder if the Russians ever like pushed a chimp out of an Aerolock. I wouldn't doubt it. I wouldn't doubt that someone's done it. Unfortunately. Yeah, I think you've got to know, right? You get to know what the stakes are when you're out there. Yeah Well, it's a scary scary death and

the The day is gone, which is which is a significant point, like they shove them out the door, but they wrestle is gun away from them first. Mm-hmm. So, like, this is reassuring, but the day remains unsaved because the, the entrepreneur is poised to usblow when they go to warp. And they're back up on the bridge and Captain Picard is on FaceTime

with the head of the Romulan ship and he's like, hey, that was great. We helped you guys put your little ship back together. You guys can head home now. And I hope that this example of cooperation can serve to engender peace between our peoples. Like, the guard is so fucking unendingly optimistic about that. Yeah.

Yeah. Like, he's never going to sign, he's never going to completely abandon hope of that. And I love that about him. He's like, he's like, we shouldn't, we shouldn't be treating the Romulans as an enemy. We should try to improve our relations with them. I guess if there's ever going to be peace, you need a guy like that without the cynicism. Mm-hmm. But he has been fucked over so many times by the Romulans that you would think, you would think that he'd be, you know, checking the Romulan sleeves for aces, youes. He is the Charlie Brown to the Romulan Lucy.

Yeah. You might as well have a yellow shirt. Pieces the football. Uh-huh. So they're like, all right, well, let's warp out of here and high school librarians. Like, sir, I don't think we should until we do this chronoton purge because data is really worried about that situation. So why do you-

She's like, I'm going to check all these books back in. They've been really backing up since this investigation started. Look at this pile. I have 17 newspapers to put on those weird sticks. How did they get them on those sticks? It's a mystery. We'll never know. I like this. She really like big dogs per cardin' away. She's like, not so fast, buddy.

We got some work to do before we head to the next thing. He's halfway through the word engage. He's done the hand thing. Like he's like the key has been turned. His hands are on the wheel. Like he's ready to step on the gas and she's like, uh-uh. He's like, all right.

Well, instead of warping off, then I guess I'll go to Jordy and Rose Memorial Service that data has been organizing. And so Jordy and Rose tag along, and they get their idea is that they need to get the Anion sweep that they're doing to happen in a place where a lot of people are because they're gonna become visible in a place where a lot of people are, because they're going to become visible, but only for a second.

They need the Anions a lot more powerful than they would normally be using them. They're hoping to have people see that they're there before they go to warp. The party starts and Jordi is thrilled about the the way their memorial service has been set up and row is horrified. They think we're dead and they're having a party? Yeah.

And I don't blame her, right? This is definitely a party in Jordi's honor and also row to a far lesser degree. Yeah, it's really insulting, I think. It's totally like- It's totally like- She's getting like third billing on a two-act show. They've got brass instruments and balloons and everyone is like in a real celebratory- Everyone's drinking cocoa no-nose.

Yeah, yeah. And yeah, and I mean, I don't think Ro was looking for like a super traditional bajuran thing because when data floated the idea of the death chant to Warf earlier, she was like, oh, don't do that. But. chant to wharf earlier, she was like, oh, don't do that. But that- This is why funerals shouldn't be a package deal.

Like, I think individual funerals is probably a good standard to have. Yeah, I think that's pretty apt. But equally insulting maybe would be them going to Jürtys Funeral and having there be a ton of people there and then go to Rose and having it be like Riker there because he feels a little guilty about the situation. Yeah Yeah, Rikers the only one doing the three hours of Bajoran chance that I guess are are part of the Bajoran funeral Yeah, he's like checking his watch the entire time

The Bajor in chant is like, it's like a bunch of words on screen and the bouncing dot. It's the world's worst karaoke. Yeah. Rakers got one of those like, squared off microphones, so it doesn't roll off the bar. Yeah, there's that huge, totally disused binder in the corner with all the like laminated pages with the fucking journey songs that you can afterwards.

Yeah, you don't request the bejorin chant at karaoke. No. That's for sure. That's how you clear a place out. Not gonna ingratiate you to the crowd. No, that's a real vanity pick right there. Yeah, it's like really dude. Rapper is delight, it's fucking 14 minutes.

Yeah, God, I hate that guy. Or girl. Never pick Rapper's delight. Like it's impressive if you actually know the words, but only in like a theoretical sense. We don't actually want to see proof. It's like someone choosing come on Eileen. Which is terribly difficult, but everyone thinks it's easy. Yeah. So wait a put your foot in it at karaoke. Do you have a go to karaoke song? Yeah, a big pop-up by notorious B.I.G.

Have we already gone over this on the pod? It seems like a familiar question I've asked. I don't know if we've gone over it. People can write into a Jordan Jesse Goan and let them know whether we've talked about that or not. So they get to this party. They start using the Romulan despuster very liberally, just blasting it around at everything. I guess data is at the party, but the high school librarian

is up on the bridge running the rest of the anion, so we've been keeping it straight, you're going down to data and going like, hey, the chronotons situation keeps getting worse and worse down there. What do you want me to do? And he says, well, why don't you turn it up to 11? And they do. And that's enough to get Row and Jordy to appear briefly in front of Picard and Data.

Did it be a CS? Who am I here? It's great because Picard is like, You see that, Mr. Data? And Data is like, I did! And that's like as much verification as you need to know that ghosts exist. It's from how ghosts, what did we see? You need a second person.

But not just a second person. A second person with a totally different sensory apparatus. Yeah, who is ideally a machine? And this is the ghost problem from the start, right? Yeah. Yeah, you've got very credulous people with, you know, that are like looking for, they have like the worst confirmation bias of

all time. So they're not really scrutinizing the conclusions that they're arriving at. This moment is like Jordy and Ro punching through the top of their own caskets at their funeral. And the reaction is more wonder instead of horror. Like it's interesting how the reaction is universally joyful at that moment instead of horrified. It's pretty wild. Like they're like, all right, well, 11 didn't didn't get them all the way back, so crank it up to 1100. And like Jordy and Jordy and Roe, like, go through some pain,

but they wind up on the floor and they're like, back. And they like get up and they're like, hey, great party. Let's keep the good times rolling. Lesley, Les, Les, Bon, Thompson, etc. I think the best reaction is obviously Riker like dropping the the tubo away from the Trombone away from his mouth. Like Jaw hits floor Trombone comes away from mouth. Yeah. Yeah. There is a sort of running through line of this episode of Riker wanting to speak at her funeral and row wanting to know what he was going to say. That never gets paid off.

Yeah. Yeah. Because she's, I think she's probably like, you know, she probably thinks he's going to talk about dad-ass. But I think that like we probably all suspect that what he's going to say is like he completely hated her guts when she came on board and she totally proved him wrong. I think we were deprived of that scene here because I think it really does a lot for Reikers character, for him to maybe admit that he loved her after hating her. Yeah.

How significant of a moment would that have been for his character going forward? I think it would have been massive. And then for Roe to know that after being at her own funeral, it would have introduced some great tension for the rest of the series. And I feel bad that we don't, we never got that soon. Especially after teasing it so much. Mm-hmm. [♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ Ben, there is a floating invisible Romulan out in space that I think probably bounced off of the inside of the shields

and maybe bounced back into the ship. Do you think that, like, forever, there is a floating invisible Romulan just... Stinking up the joint. Just on or around the ship for all time. I don't know. Do the shields, are the shields a two-way situation? Like, or is it like a... Is it like that mirror that they have in an interrogation room where it can look

through it from one side, but you can't from the other? Yeah, that's what I was thinking. You know things bounce off the shields from outside, but I would guess that you also bounce from inside as well. Where the shields up when he went out the window. And I guess if you can go through walls, can't you go through shields? Yeah, well so good.

So they've got the deflector array, which I've always assumed was to like prevent little like micro-media blades from going through the ship when they're warping around. Yeah, that to me always seemed like the spaceship equivalent of a locomotive's cow catcher. Right. But is that like a shield that's enveloping the ship at all times or what? How's that go?

I don't know. I might be a head cannon mount and we cannot summit. We better set up Base camp here, Ben. Well the episode ends with Jordy and Ro having having the kind of the final leftovers of the party like the party has Disappointed and they're the last two people there

Jordy is totally picking out No surprise that one of the leftovers are those like long bread sticks, they give you a winery that no one likes. Yeah, those are gross. I hate those things. Why are they everywhere? They must be just like the cheapest thing in the world. Yeah, like super long shelf life, even if they're stale they taste exactly the same.

Right, like indistinguishable between the stale and the fresh version of that. That is the worst bread product there is, isn't there? I can't think of a worse one. That said, still pretty good, because bread is amazing. Yeah. Are you going to Oprah me right now? Well, I'm just saying, you know, like bread as an institution is one that I have strong feelings for. Also, bread the band.

I have strong feelings for. They end with Jordy saying that this phase device has taught row-layer and a little humility and then they have the craziest Dr. Evil laugh at this non-joke They really Credit scene from chips the end of this episode where it's like shot reverse shot shot reverse shot of them Them growing their laughter together. It's crazy, and it's very well performed. Like they have kind of infectious laughter, both of them. But there's not a joke. It's like, it's so wild.

There are really a lot of degrees to Michelle Forbes's laugh here. And Lavar Burton's laugh here too, that that made me think I don't have that many degrees I am zero or laugh and they they have like six gears towards yeah that's what makes you a great actor I guess yeah They really get up to 85 in a in a shifty way. Yeah Well, it's not not a great end, but in my opinion, a great episode. Yeah, I think we already know that you really liked this episode, Ben. I... I just think it's such a great, star trekky problem.

It's a fun premise to see them work through. They... You know, like the Romulans are there doing their chess game and the Starfleet officers are all just being the best Starfleet officers they can and Roller and Jury, like, completely disagree on what's going on, but work together despite that. Like, it's the most Star Trek-y shit you can possibly imagine. Yeah, that's really true.

You have Romulan conflict, you have people sciencing a solution to a problem. Yeah. It's pretty pure that way. And like, it rex this crazy sci-fi problem that allows you to get to two characters attending their own funeral. That's just such fun writing, you know. We only glossed over this earlier, but the whole reason this happened was because the Romulans were

developing a form of cloaking device that allows their ships to hide out inside planets so they can't be attacked. Right. I liked the episode and I thought it was lowercase G, great for all of the reasons that you stated. I think, God, season five is pretty loaded with good apps and shitty apps. And I think this is top tier but not the taps. Hmm, alright. Well, I don't know how to resolve that at him.

I'm not going to talk it onto your mountain but I just want to say that it is on mine. Alright, fair enough. Yomok and Yalat, Tanagra A greatest gen live show is something you don't want to miss. Why? Well, it's a great opportunity to see me and Ben in person, but that's not all. FODs from all over gather at these shows to cosplay, to do pre- and post-show hangs, to make friends, and share their embarrassment. Hey, let's make a pretty great name for a tour.

Let's do it. The Share Your Embarrassment Tour is coming in August 2023 and we've got a bunch of dates in a lot of great places. Go to GreatestGenTour.com to get more info. That's GreatestGenTour.com for dates and ticketing information for the Share Your Embarrassment Tour. I'm Jordan Morris. And I'm Jesse Thorne. On Jordan Jesse Go, we make pure, delightful nonsense. We were open awesome guests and bring them down to our level. We get stupid with Judy Greer.

My friend Molly and I call it having the spaceweards. Pat Noswald. Can I get a ball-rock burger and some air-gorn fries? Thank you. And Kumail Nanjiani. I've come back with cat toothbrushes which is impossible to use. Come get stupider with us at MaximumFun.org. Look, your podcast apps are already open. Just pull it out. Give Jordan Jesse Goatry. Being smart is hard. Be dumb instead.

Oh, raps. Hey, hey, hey, oh, I'm about to count you in line. These clouds are really freaking me out. I hate having to stand in line. and boy. What do I? These giraffes do not smell good. No, they do not, and they have such short neck. But I'm hearing we need to get on this off. We've got to get on the art. It is about terrain, about a spout to destroy humanity. Hey, oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. Are you Noah? Yeah, I know we look like humans.

We're actually, we're podcasters. We are podcasters, so it's different. Have you heard of Ono Ross and Kerry? We investigate spirituality, claims of the paraphernalia. We are podcasters, so it's different. Have you heard of Ono Ross and Carrie? We investigate spirituality, claims of the paranormal, stuff like that. And you have a boat and say the world's gonna end, so same like something for us to check out. We would love to be on the boats. We came to by two. What do you think?

Ono Ross and Carrie, available on MaximumFun or dot org. on MaximumFun.org. My Shemota in this episode is Jordy. You know, like, those takes that Harrison Ford has in Star Wars, whenever Han Solo is kind of like the dope in a scene. I just thought that that Jordy's scene in engineering, when he's like stunned and confused was Harrison Ford levels of hilarious. I think I think this may be like one of the best episodes for LeVar Burton as an actor. Like he's been doing yeah he's been turning in super solid work across the board but but this scene and this episode are great

because he does so much emoting. Like he goes through so much as a character. And it's hard, you can't see his eyes, you can't get a lot off his face, but somehow he takes it over whatever invisible barrier there is toward Understanding what he's experiencing Yeah, I agree he does a ton of heavy lifting in this episode a lot of fun

Did and that scene also happens in the Shimoda Memorial Corner? So hard for me to not call that out as the Shimoda moment for me He really experiences the 12 Steps of people thinking you're dead Because you're all of them. Yeah How about yourself? Did you have a Shimoda? Yeah, there's a scene early on where Riker and Warfare on the Romulan ship and It's clear that the Romulans are asking for help that Wurf is not comfortable giving.

Like, specifically, they want a computer and Wurf citals up to Riker and he's like, we're not going to give him a fucking computer. Are we? Like, that is it. Like, I may be the Federation's worst security chief, but even I know we don't want to give them that kind of technology and Rikers like well, I mean I was kind of going to do that. What do you propose and worse like? Why don't we get one of those pieces shit Dell computers that we have in deep storage? It's like 40 years old and we talk that to them. Let's talk to high school librarian Tell her to give us one of the computers that's still set up in the back there.

Like math blaster on it. The green screen, AS400 style computer that we have in the library. And Riker's like, yeah dude, that'll be fine. And they both share that moment of, like, oh, they are really gonna like this. Like, there's a conspiratorial aspect to that scene that was the most fun scene of the yep, I thought,

was that little moment between them. And like, you know their best friends, you don't see best friend hangs very often between them, especially in the context of a mission, but like Riker appeases him in a way that they both find mutually hilarious. Yeah, that was that was worthy of a Shimoda It's also just real fun because they're on the Romulan ship for that. So they've got a kind of Soto Vouche the whole time. Yeah for that. So they've got a kind of Soto Vocce the whole time. Yeah. Good times. Yeah. What do we have coming up for the next episode then? The next episode is season five, episode

25, the inner light after a mysterious accident. Picard wakes up living the life of another person on a far away planet. Do you remember this episode, Adam? This is the episode that proves that it takes a lifetime to achieve mastery at playing a woodwind instrument. If there's one lesson that you take from this episode, it's that. This is an episode that I was kind of tempted to save my veto for just because it would be so

diabolical to veto this one. Yeah, really would. That'd be hurtful. People love this fucking episode. Is that to say that you don't love it as much as everyone else? I don't know that I do. I mean, I haven't watched it in a while, but it's not one of the ones that I think about when I think about my mountain,

but like I remember when they announced that they were gonna do an HD transfer of the series. This was like one of the four episodes that they released initially to just show like what they were capable of. They were like, we're gonna do like the pilot and like one other episode and then the best episode. Like this one gets everybody's gold star.

I think one thing that helps put it into that league of great episodes is that it's really a perfect bottle. Like you don't have to know anything about any of the characters to be satisfied watching this episode, I think. Yeah. So, I don't know. I think that sort of gives it an edge. It, like, on the curve of great episodes, I think.

It's universally loved in that way. Yeah, I'm not saying I don't like it. I'm just saying it doesn't mean as much to me as maybe as it does to some other people, but maybe I'm misremembering it. I don't know. Maybe I'll have a totally different experience this time. Yeah. Well, Ben, it's the last episode that we're recording during the maximum fun pledge drive.

Yeah. It might be a great time to just say how grateful we are to everyone who has supported the show up until now and during the drive. Totally. It is... I think we have skirted around saying this before, if not saying it directly, but this is, I think, one of my favorite things that I've ever done is making this show and making it with you, Ben.

And it's a really long project. And it's, it has been a long, over a year, to get to this point. And it is an amazing feeling to know that so many people love listening to the show, that people write in and tell us that it's gotten them through a tough day or a tough week or a tough year. Like I can't believe that we make something that is that is so fun and yet also like legitimately important to a lot of people too. And I just want to thank everyone out there who listens to the show and cares enough about

the show to fund it in some way through the drive. Yeah, Adam, I'm getting a little teary just, I mean like the number of emails that we've gotten since we started this show from people who gave us heartfelt Thanks for making it for a whole host of different reasons, you know Is it it makes us feel like This is more than just a silly thing we do once a week. It's a, it's almost like a responsibility at this point. And we do this for you guys.

So thank you so much. Just anybody that's given us any shred of support, it means so much to us. Thank you. And so with that, our two weeks of pledge drive is coming to an end. There's still time. If you feel like this show has a value to you, please consider contributing to the drive.

It supports us directly. It also supports the idea of us continuing on. As we've said, through the pledge breaks on these shows, there's a number of really cool prizes and extras that pledge contributors get. And so it's not for nothing. Yeah. So thanks everybody and thanks to Dark Materia for our theme music and and we're using it for a lot of other music that we've had on the show and with

that we will be back at you next week. It's another great episode of Star Trek the Next Generation. An episode of the greatest generation that has a little the end of it. I thought a lot about like what if it wasn't the little flute that the card had to learn to play what if it was like some alien bagpipes? It changes the whole tone of the story, doesn't it? Yeah, alien triangle. Yeah. Riker never wants to jam with the card, either. The card has a lifetime experience playing an instrument.

Rekr's like nah, nah I'm gonna be over here. I'm gonna fire up my menu at program and lock the door. Eh, maximumfund.org. Comedy and culture, artist owned. Listen or supported.