marcusq22

I remember watching Encounter at Farpoint with my kids for the first time. My middle daughter was taking a Sci-Fi Philosophy class in school (lucky kid!) and they showed this episode on a day when she stayed home sick, so she wanted to catch up with the class. Naturally, I was only too happy to help her with her homework.

I had watched a lot of TNG episodes with my daughters over the years, but I avoided the pilot because I remember it being a little cheesy. Upon rewatching, it was better than I remembered. They did a good job of introducing the new Trekosphere.

There was a "bit of the old, bit of the new" feeling to the pilot. On the "old" side, we had the ladies wearing mini-dress uniforms, a cameo by McCoy, an all-powerful being behaving badly, and a plot that was very much in the "seek out strange new life" vein. On the new side, there was the holodeck (fun!), children on board (what?), a Klingon on the bridge (gasp!), an Enterprise that could separate the saucer (squee!), and a Captain that was very much Not Kirk. (In the future, we will have evolved beyond the need for toupees...)

I told my kids that when TNG first aired in 1987, loyal fans of the original series had been waiting 18 long years for another ongoing Trek series, and the anticipation was huge. I still remember the closing scene where Picard leans forward in the captain's chair and exclaims "Let's see what's out there..." I got a charge out of that line Back In The Day, and I got a charge out of it again.

It was fun to boldly go again, and especially fun to watch it with The Next Generation of fans in my family.

My favorite science fiction poses the question "How do humans react to the emergence of some new tech?" I always like seeing an author explore how our philosophies / moralities / laws would be shaped by some (disruptive) new invention.

I think 'Her' did that very well. The best example was the mixed responses Theodore got when he told people he was having a relationship with an OS. I thought it was a very sincere relationship they had in that there was no physical component, they were just connecting mind-to-mind.

Side notes:

Scarlett Johansson impressed me with her acting ability. She emoted and reacted well by only using her voice. She proved that she's more than just a pretty face.

I was impressed at the candid and genuine portrayal of Theodore's depression, especially at the beginning of the movie. The director effectively used silence and lighting to show how empty Theo felt. That resonated with me.