S01.E06: Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach

[John Potts]

Nice morality play (did it give Ursula le Guin a story credit?), though it’s hard to unravel the Doctor’s motivations here. If he always wanted to save his son, why not tell Doctor M’Benga straight away? Was he worried Dr M’Benga would shop him to Captain Pike (who was possibly compromised)? And just when is the Chosen One chosen? I’d’ve thought you’d keep them completely isolated so there’s no risk of attachment among those close to him – and definitely not allow his father to act as his doctor if they’re going to sacrifice him. I suppose they earn some credit for at least acknowledging that they deliberately make one child suffer when logically you’d keep it a secret, though in that case, how did the Chosen one not know? He was a bright kid and had to realise that no Ascended one ever returned. Wouldn't an intelligent kid want to talk with the previous chosen ones - and be unlikely to accept "Err, sorry, they're all... busy"?

On 6/12/2022 at 6:40 AM, wrlord said:

"Yes Sir" to a woman? Ugh.

Accepted protocol in Trek, as Janeway elaborates to Harry Kim in Voyager ("Ma'am" and "Captain" are also acceptable), particularly in a Federation where not all aliens have two genders.

On 6/12/2022 at 6:30 PM, Zaffy said:

Not to mention allowing the Captain visiting the planet all alone, because I dunno, his love interest looks so trustworthy?

He’s the Captain. If he overrules his Security Chief, there’s not a lot they can do except look smug afterwards. Remember when Saavik quoted the regs on raising shields when Khan approached in the Reliant (in Wrath of Khan)? Saavik was right, but Kirk overruled her, with disastrous results - at least he had the decency to tell her she was right afterwards ("You go right on quoting regulations, Mr Saavik").

On 6/13/2022 at 12:38 AM, marinw said:

If these people are so technologically advanced, they could find a substitute for a kid's brain if the really wanted to, so I am having trouble buying Alora's "But I tried!" excuse.

Yes, because deliberately turning a blind eye to suffering you don't see is completely unbelievable. I mean, if the machine really does do what they claim (which seems ludicrous) tinkering with it could bring the Apocalypse. Maybe there is some better solution (everyone takes a day wired up to the machine, say), but they prefer not to risk their complete destruction by chancing it - which is completely believable to me.

On 6/16/2022 at 3:15 AM, jcin617 said:

If the Elder was trying to save his child, why didn’t he just request asylum from the Federation?

He was probably a bit suspicious (rightly or wrongly) of how friendly Pike was with Alora.

On 6/20/2022 at 9:52 AM, paigow said:

TNG!Pulaski got infected with a rapid aging virus. A live hair follicle ( pre infection) was enough DNA for the transporter bio filter to eliminate the virus.

Never mind Pulaski, Picard beamed himself into space as a pure energy pattern in Lonely Among Us and they managed to reconstitute him an hour later!