Somewhere off in a corner office in the Federation, theres a lawyer beaming with pride at the nuclear option he snuck into the agreement that Picard found....
@Tejesh Patel with the logic involved, it's not unlikely that this bureaucrat was Vulcan, in which case he'd live long enough to see the nuclear option utilized.
@Tejesh Patel No, if he or she was, say, 30 (or even 40) when they wrote the term in 2255, they'd be about 140-50 in Picard's time. Old, for sure, but humans could expect to live to about 150 or so in 2300 - it's the equivalent of 70-80 today. Still old, but hardly decrepit.
"I choose the Klingons to arbitrate. Unfortunately, the Klingons arbitrate disputes through ritual combat, so I will have to beat the ever-loving shit out of you now."
Kind of a metaphor on the place of war in political relations - sparing because of the huge expense. "To win a hundred battles is not the acme of skill; to win one battle *without fighting* is the acme of skill." - Sun-Tzu
@@empath69 “Without Knowledge, Skill cannot be focused. Without Skill, Strength cannot be brought to bear and without Strength, Knowledge may not be applied.” - Alexander The Great
And the show was all the better for it. As opposed to nu-Trek where they spend more money and energy on parlor tricks and special effects than they do on clever writing
Most people, actually. It was famous for it. When I was a kid in the 90s and Trek was in its prime I remember thinking it was super boring. I didn't learn to like Trek until I was well into my twenties.
It's mostly millennials and generation Z. It's not that they don't have a sense of humor, its that growing up with mobile phone, apps, and TV today has programmed their minds to have the attention span of gnats.
What makes it even better is when you realise the Enterprise is self-cleaning. There is no dust! Picard is essentially going over, wiping the top of the plaque and thinking, "yeah, my ship is fucking awesome. There is no dirt that they can throw back."
"it'll take 15 years and a research team of 100' but...". can we all give a moment of thanks to the engineers in life who are willing to do whatever it takes to get crap done
HEAR HEAR!! But on that note, what was Picards response? “Mr.Laforge, mumble mumble mumble” No subtitles and I’ve listened three times and still can hear it!
And often under conditions and timelines that border on the insane. Why there was an account of an Engineer who sacrificed his toothbrush to restore electrical stability in a runaway system and saved a US Navy Submarine in the Second World War. Interestingly enough, I believe a Black Mess Hand did the same on a US Coast Guard Cutter. He was actually knowledgeable about Engineering, but racial policies in the USCG consigned him to KP, but when the other Engineers failed, he succeeded at restarting his stranded ship's engines and his Captain would happen to sit on the USCG board deciding about Desegregation a few years later and recalled why he had a gifted Engineer as a Mess Hand and voted to end racial segregation in the United States Coast Guard.
Considering the fact that this adjustment was thought to be impossible, I'd say Geordi REALLY knocked it out of the park. He hope submitted that theory and process to star fleet so they could work on it themselves with more resources, becuase beaming through radiation sounds incredibly handy in many scenarios!
They also would've introduced rules-lawyering into Star Trek, which could've created untold storyline possibilities about the nature of when to follow rules, and when not to.
Best part of this is the Thrawn like “Thank you” without an ounce of gloating over your defeated enemy. Ultimately the goal is to keep the treaty, and Picard shows them respect even after winning.
@@wolfmantheimpaler The Federation has a definite technology advantage. But Thrawn wouldn't jump right to war against an opponent like that anyway. He'd probably play the long game, slowly upgrading his own tech to get up to par, while playing the Federation and its allies and enemies against each other. Then, BAM, he hits out of nowhere, and as Starfleet struggles to respond you have a list of epic captains like Picard, Riker, and Sisko being the only hope against Thrawn
@@MrSleepyweezul Honestly, I'd prefer to see Thrawn work *with* the Federation. I can easily see him and Picard becoming good friends. Plus, the Romulans and the Cardassians wouldn't stand a chance.
As a kid, I found this amusing. As an adult who has had to dig through reams of legal documents, I love this. Hell, I even got to pull a nearly identical maneuver twice. It truly is an amazing feeling to beat someone with their own damn rules.
My favorite was the guy who received a credit contract\application from his bank, scanned it, modified it, signed it, and returned it to the bank, who also signed it. He later called upon them to honor the terms he added, which they refused. He took them to court and the Judge found for the customer, saying that if the reverse had happened, the bank would have held the customer to the contract he erroneously signed.
@@DavidKnowles0 It gave him unlimited credit, 0.0% interest, and exemption from any and all fees for any reason. It held up in court, the court ruled he only had to pay the balance on the credit card, not the fees or interest they were suing him for. He countersued for $500,000 for breach of contract, but he and the bank eventually came to a settlement "as gentlemen."
@@dangeary2134 No. Not a lawyer, but rather a regulatory analyst. All I did was read all the dumb rules, regulations, legal codes, fine print etc. that you would normally hire out to a paralegal or something. I didn't mind it though, and it has actually paid off big. I got to wipe the floor with both my boss and HR once when they started f*cking with my contract and I returned the favor a year later when a client tried to pull out of a seven figure contract after we had given them most of the deliverables with a month left on contract. There is truly power in fine print my friend. You just need to know where to find it. Mwahahahaha!
+PuertoRican88 a·bey·ance noun a state of temporary disuse or suspension. "matters were held in abeyance pending further inquiries" synonyms: in suspension, in a state of suspension, in a state of dormancy, in a state of uncertainty, in remission;
Akrahm Joltevskoy: there's no need to be rude, the word isn't exactly a highly used one, at least for me TNG is the only place I've ever heard it. a simple "guy it's Abeyance" would have sufficed. we should really try to be a little more friendly, yeah?? we might all be strangers but we can still talk with a little respect right?? just saying.
One thing I have to say. Picard always looks like a runt next to Riker and Worf who both have really large frames. I can somehow imagine these guys looking at him and thinking "What, this guy?" upon meeting him the first time (I haven't watched s1e1 in a while so I don't remember). And then Picard shows - time and again - that no one fucks with Johnny. Having that said, Picard and Riker work together a little too well.
That's what I always liked about Picard's and Riker's relationship. They were like a father and son who genuinely cared about and respected each other. They were a good balance of traits.
@@Jayteaseepiirturi One comment that I love about Sir Patrick Stewart and Picard is that: "He looks like a small runt of a man, with a bald head, and no features to speak of, but he's a god in my eyes, and I would follow him everywhere."
Riker: “you enjoyed that!” Picard: “you’re DAMN right!” The fact that he stood around checking for dust accumulation while making them wait even further was priceless! 😂😂😂
HighPraetar You're acting as if the radiation was a necessary part of the script. In effect you're agreeing with him; the writers wanted Data to be the only one on the planet, so the radiation aspect of the plot was added as a necessity for the story that they wanted to tell.
But does Data has the creative reasoning needed to come up with this way of getting the Sheliak to agree? He is a machine after all so he'll just read it.
@@richardcrooks6713 searching for time is an analytical assessment. When he would get to the 3rd party part one would assume he would cross check that with every species he knows. For example, a species with low warp capabilities only and a great distance away could have worked as well.
Ryan Racicot, good point, assuming Data is programmed to know to perform that sort of cross reference when he reaches that part of the treaty. As he's a 24th century computer, he might well be!
The best and ultimate part of this scene, is the fact that Patrick Fucking Stewart was just supposed to give a pause and then answer the hail. INSTEAD, he chose to add to the scene by walking over to the plaque, making them wait on him for a change. You can even see that this was unexpected at 1:37. Jonathan Frakes raises his head in surprise at Stewart walking towards the wall. You can see that Frakes was amused at him checking the dust, and Dorn was both playing along and in character perfectly. This is just another showing of theatrical artistry in work.
To be fair, they probably added the cut of worf saying "sir?" after the impromptu dust wiping. The camera change was too perfect for it to be unscripted, even if Stewart's acting was unscripted. Stewart added so much the series. I don't think it would be nearly as good without him.
That little background detail when Picard says "On Screen", have you noticed how Riker's face goes all cheerd up while Troi's face looks horrified? It's pure comedy gold.
So let's look at this from the Sheliaks' perspective: Option one: Ignore the terms of the treaty and give Picard three weeks as per his request. Option two: Abide the terms of the treaty and give Picard _six months_ as per his request. Option three: Abide the terms of the treaty, nullify the treaty, and lose our claim on the planet altogether.
lazyperfectionist1 Tup pretty much. And it would actually be longer than six months. Six months until the Grizellas wake up. Then there's travel and arbitration time tacked on.
And we don't know how long the Grizellas stay awake. By the time they're contacted, agree to be arbitrators, set up the hearing, find the relevant Federation and Sheliak parties, and get into the courtroom, the Grizellas might just be like "Oh, would you look at the time, I'm awful tired, could you get the light on your way out, we'll be awake again in ten of your Federation months, ta ta!"
That "Thank You" by Picard at the end is so damn satisfying. As others have said what really makes this scene is Riker's reactions. There's nothing like a good #2 (or Number One in his case) to tie everything together, both in storytelling terms, but also leadership terms. In real life in a situation like this, while everyone is fixated on the Captain, they would also be stealing glances at the second in command to take in his/her reaction. Riker's little smiles and head movements would signal to the rest of the crew that "no, Picard isn't gonna get us into an intergalactic war he's got something up his sleeve. I don't know what it is, but we'll know soon enough and it's gonna be damned good."
One of the things which really makes the show is the chemistry of the crew after the first season. They could pull off ad-libs like that because they know themselves, their characters, and each other. Another good example of that in modern television is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
What makes the scene better is that Patrick Stewart adlibbed the plaque part. He was just supposed to stroll over to it look at then walk back but he added the flourish of the checking for dust during the take and they loved it so they kept it in.
Very likely, star trek *inspired* iPads. A fair few pieces of modern tech exist because someone with know-how watched star trek and thought "well that looks neat and also probably marketable"
@@danieljames1868 Very true. The CEO of Motorola in the late 60s and early 70s came up with the idea of a manual-switchboard-free wireless phone network after seeing the communicators used on the original series. Star Trek is literally the reason cell phones exist.
night hal 1 I don't know what it is exactly or where it's from, but there's a short clip(practically a meme by now), of a bunch of young black men hootin' and hollerin' like somebody's about to be ripped a new one. After reading your post, that's what came to mind, picturing that clip playing as Piccard paced😀.
Kirk: master of women and hammy acting Sisko: master of war and multitasking Janeway: master of survival and first contact Picard: master of diplomacy and loophole exploitation
I never caught this before but Deanna's "for the love of God" look on her face when Worf says fighting would be preferable was hilarious. She even rolls her eyes.
The Sheliak hung up on them twice - once on hailing frequency from orbit and again by being unceremoniously teleported back to the bridge of the Enterprise from an in-face meeting. The buildup really pays off here!
Like I said in my own comment, Picard essentially said politely, "Either give me my three weeks, or take this treaty, cramp it up whatever orifice your people use as an ass and wait six months. Either way I get what I want."
This is the point where Picard started to become human and the viewers began to really care abou him. He showed humor, great strategy, and just saying 'you're damned right' shows he really was enjoying himself and not just a monochrome figurehead.
@@doubtingthomas6146 Garak would have talked his way on their ship, snuck a bomb in their engine room, get caught, feign defeat and their captain and most of their officers suddenly drop dead which would have been the goal all along. More like The Prince, written by Machiavelli
One of my favorite jokes in the whole show is in this episode. Geordi is testing the transporter and thinks he finally has a breakthrough, and then doesn't. Picard walks in right as the test fails, says nothing, and IMMEDIATELY flips around and walks out, like "oookay I'll come back later". I laughed my ass off seeing that for the first time.
One of my favorite scenes that makes Star Trek stand out from other sci fi. You don’t need an epic blaster fight or ships lobbing fire at one abother to make the resolution to a conflict satisfying and interesting. Just really confident negotiations
You say that, and it's certainly true. Though Babylon 5 certainly ended the Shadow War with a philosophical debate and victory. True that final encounter involves not one but two planet killers, multiple nukes, and whole fleets of warships.
Panta Gorian "My client is guilty of being innocent." Picard would confuse the judge and jury long enough to make them doubt themselves. Hung jury or not guilty verdict coming up methinks.
Word of this got back to the rest of the Federation; well, Sarek may not have smiled, but he would have raised an eyebrow out of respect for Picard using logic to win the day.
If 2:26 was a century earlier: "It will take 15 years and a research team of 100..." "Mr Scott, do what you can!" "Aye, Sir! I'll have that bloody thing running in an hour."
Wells306 damn right he would he says so himself when he is on TNG. If you tell people how long it will really take no one will call you a miracle worker
2:22 LAFORGE: Captain, we can do it. We can modify the transporters. PICARD: Excellent. LAFORGE: It'll take fifteen years, and a research team of a hundred. lol
That stunned look on Deanna's face as Picard makes the freakin Sheliak wait on HIM for once is priceless. The chair beside her is reserved for a man among men! :P
In one of the more boring alternate futures (All Good Things), he becomes one of their greatest ambassadors. Fortunately, Kirk sets him straight in his very last speech that their true calling is forever Making A Difference on the Enterprise.
Just know that ambassadors and diplomats that created the treaty's "Pursuant 2, Paragraph 1290 and furthermore Pursuant 2, subsection D-3", Picard would not have been able to bend the Sheliak to his will.
1:10 "... Absurd. We carry the membership. We can 'brook' no delay..." [ BROOK | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary brook meaning: 1 . a small stream: 2. to not allow or accept something, especially a difference of opinion or intention. As a verb, brook is a rather stuffy word for "put up with." The lord of the manor might say, "I will brook no trespassing on my land." ] Did y'all catch that?
Geordi marched in ready to give the speech of his life about how Starfleet always expects miracles from its engineers and Picard shot him straight down.
I love how Picard slams the Sheliak with their own treaty. Basically he's saying, "Either give me my three weeks or you can take this treaty, cram if up whatever orifice your people use for an ass, and wait six months."
I find it unlike ly the Sheliak would agree to that paragraph as written; Surely they would want both sides to _agree on_ the arbitrating party instead of letting one side or the other just choose who.
Well... different, but in a very good way. Kirk may have been a right proper Captain for the era of the late '60s -- um, I mean, 1312.4. (Space Western, and all that.) Picard gave us a look at what humanity could become, having advanced another 3/4 century.
*Kirk* was a "frontier" captain... Searching for new civilizations on the edge of known space. His mission was always on the edge of the Federation's influence or further out. *Picard* was a "diplomatic" captain... Filling in the holes the frontier captains (both past & present) had missed. His mission had the full weight of the Federation available at reasonable reaction rates.
+Adam G: Lawyers are usefull, as long as there is another party to use them against. I do not see how the future or interspecies relations would be different.
Picard just owned the Sheliak like annoying telemarketers. Sheliak: *ring ring* Picard: *dusts the Enterprise plaque* "Hmm, when was the last time this was cleaned..." Sheliak: *ring ring* Picard: . . . Sheliak: *ring ring ring* Picard: "Yes, thank you. Don't call again." Sheliak: *gets the fekk outta there*
Moments like THAT cause people to fall in love with Star Trek. It's humor based entirely on the situation and the build up, and it's completely in character. It's hilarious in the context in which it's delivered, and it's even better when it's delivered by Sir Patrick Stewart.
The Sheliak plot with Picard in this episode is literally like half an hour of dialogue and reading through old treaties but regardless is tense, engaging, and the payoff is 100 times more satisfying than the constant nihilistic action of Picard or Star Trek Discovery, I really hope Picard season 2 brings back episodes (and writing quality) like this
@@jakubjedlicka3671 yep, I was a fool for having a flicker of hope when I saw John de Lancie on board but Season 2 was worse than I possibly could have expected. On the bright side at least Orville Season 3 is awesome
Picard is just P Stew making a shitty therapy session about his childhood abuse. Deal with that in actual therapy, not self aggrandizing tv that ruins an established character
@@punchypizzainpizza6616 that's exactly what it was, Stewart never gave a shit about Star Trek he's just living out a dying fantasy to be a leading man again at the expense of (arguably) his greatest character's legacy
@@xxxCrackerJack501xxx Yeah unfortunately the more you read up on Patrick Stewart, it's clear that what saved TNG was the writers and the producers telling him "No, you can't play the part the way you want, you have to play the character as written." Imagine how TNG would have gone if Stewart had played Picard the way he did in the movies or in the Picard series. It would have flopped, hard. And Trek would have died off, right then and there.
The way he walks over to the plaque, you just know Picard was hoping the Sheliak were capable of sweating so he could make them sweat it out for those seconds, ultimate power move
I loved this scene from the first time I watched it! It starts out very good when Picard names the arbitration race, then gets even better from there. Riker and Troi's reactions are priceless. Riker is barely containing his laughter. And the way Troi looks like she's panicking when Picard wipes the dust from the plaque?-Priceless!
It's comical how fast the Sheliak haul ass on their ship just after Picard merely threatened to end the treaty. They spent the majority of the episode wasting time and practically flaunting it in his face.
curtis Berard abeyance, it's fittingly old French word. Still, a suspension could lead to a permanent end to a treaty. His annoying counterparts clearly did not want to risk that. I wonder how the other captains would have handled this.
curtis Berard Sisko probably end up doing what Picard did but much more blunt and way faster. He would not be patient, which would be best in this situation. Archer... umm... heh He'd probably give up and ask T'Pol Janeway, god help us. Sulu, not sure what he'd do.
+ V Guyver If we're talking Prime Sulu, I dunno. Probably pull out a rapier and ask to beam aboard to settle this man-to-man. If we're talking Kelvin timeline Sulu, he'd pull off one heck of a bluff. This IS the guy who managed to get Khan to surrender to Kirk.
True this one of Picard's greatest moment... yet my favorite is when that Admiral is order Data to hand over his daughter and Picards tells him no and says, 'Order a man to handover his child to the state not while I'm his captain'.
I like the part where Picard checks that the ships plaque had been recently dusted by some junior enlisted member of the crew. Then decides it’s time to answer the hail.
Dex Starr Because that´s how being happy should be, although I don´t see anything simplistic and easy about ferries, annoying, mean beasts yet still good, as in we can trust the unpredictable.
Pretty sure that the crew of the Enterprise qualifies as Lawful Good, not Neutral. The crew of DS9 qualified as Lawful Neutral (Sisko for example). I love Star Trek. My absolute favorite series. I'd say Chaotic Good is the most entertaining. Definitely not overdone! We don't get enough of it!
Seeing Picard slowly walk off towards the plaque is completely unexpected. You're use to seeing him answer the hail and this time, its played differently.
Man, this series is a legend! Even far for perfection the writers was a lot of good moments and true inspiration. And the charm of Stewart and Frakes was gold! Good times...
