Current Post On Trae’s Blog:
So I'm just going to come out and say it: My favorite episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation is "Conundrum." It's episode fourteen of season five, and I just deeply love it.
I don't know if it's because I literally just assumed Erich Anderson's Commander McDuff was a random Enterprise officer of the week (which we saw quite often during the show) when I watched it as a kid during the original run, so the twist actually worked on eleven year old me. I don't know if it's because I just like a good "everyone has amnesia" story. I don't even know if it's just because it's a good Ro Laren episode. I don't know if it's just because we learn that Starfleet doesn't give a crap about lasers.
I just like it. It's neat.
And I rewatched it last night, and feel that it holds up -- which is why I found it deeply weird that the folks who wrote the episode actually think it's not that good. My favorite episode of the entire seven season run of the show was a failure according to the folks who wrote it.
And maybe, as a writer and creator, I should remember that.
Like the hardest part of releasing creative works to the public is that often, after a while, I'll start to judge those things far more harshly than when I first made them. Or I'll compare it to the potential I thought an idea had in my head. And if I don't reach that potential, I'll think of it as "bad" -- when it might just be slightly different than that idea. I have one hundred percent published stories that I thought were just sort of okay and later had someone tell me how much it meant to them to read it.
*cough*I Hate November*cough*
So I should make sure I remember Conundrum. That one of my favorite things to rewatch is considered one of those failures by its creators. That the things I make might have value, just not in the way I originally thought they should.
It's just sort of how things work out.
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Garner redemption arc?
Possibly, but he might go back to his original mindset with Lynn. I think he knows damn well that dressing like a Nazi is wrong, and disrespects the US, Jewish community whom possibly have members at the said con, and everyone who even lived in the time frame of when Nazis were in power and witnessed their crimes against humanity.
Garner and Lynn have so far been on the same side during the actual con in general. I’m not sure if this is them putting aside their differences to work together when it counts, them actually learning to tolerate each other in general, or just Garner having a line he won’t cross even to oppose Lynn.
Hooooo boy. Here’s where I 100% agree with Garner but 100% go ‘Well, this busts chain of command.” Which is.. ooof.
This is where as Lynn or Ruth I go “I’m sure as heck not gonna stop you.” but step back and let Garner make his call to overrule the conchair.
I’m not sure Garner’s action busts the chain of command. We have Lynn and Ruth at the bottom of the chain, yes they’re staff, but they’re relitively new staff. When action needed to be made, they followed the chain and went to Jim, bypassing several levels of chain along the way, which given the importance of the situation and need for quick action, is perfectly acceptable.
Garner, independently, sees the same situation, and takes action. He’s a vetted staff member who’s been around a while, and thus is high enough on the chain of command to take action himself. This does not break the chain.
The break comes at Jim, who should have taken action himself, but Jim is the failed link who’s lack of action breaks the chain.
At least that’s my take on it all.
Do it, Garner. Take advantage of the loophole. Boot the Nazi.
There are times you have to say “Hell with it, morality moment” and go. Job or no job. Anything else leads down a pretty dark road eventually. For anyone sane, these moments are not common, maybe a few times a lifetime. Make sure they really ARE that hardcore important – people’d better be doing some bad stuff. But those moments are there sometimes. And for the record – yeah, this would be one of them. Big time.
I think I should point out, that we don’t know Garner’s rationale for booting the Nazi. It may have absolutely zero to do with his moral beliefs and more to do with how bad it would affect the convention and it’s bottom line. Thinking a guy dressed as a Nazi is morally wrong is not the same as realizing it’s going to effect the economics and future viability of the convention.