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Friday, March 15, 2013

Have Branson Bring Round The Shuttle


Sometimes it takes a while for something to really sink in. I've seen the TNG episode, "Manhunt" several times. The episode is packed with great stuff: Dixon Hill, Worf musing about how handsome and noble a sleeping fish species is, and a fantastic bit with Data's "amusing" anecdotes.


This episode also heavily features Deanna's mother, Lwaxana Troi. I admit that sometimes the character can be a little grating but, the longer Lwaxana's around, the better she gets. As a kid, I loved her. She was silly, funny, powerful, smart and... rich. She even had a valet.

Yep. Lwaxana's valet is Lurch. 
As a kid, I didn't get what a valet did. I kind of knew (from 30 Something probably) that there was a guy called a valet who parked rich people's cars. I knew later on (from Sherlock Holmes probably) that sometimes a guy called a valet carried rich people's suitcases. It literally wasn't until I started watching Downton Abbey a couple years ago that I actually understood the traditional role of the valet.

Now, all I can think about is what the Enterprise would be like if it were run like a country estate in Edwardian England. I imagine Data working as Picard's valet, helping him get into his dress uniform and advising him about ship's matters in a totally non-presumptuous way. I imagine Wesley bringing round the shuttle to drop off delegates and Beverly prescribing warm milk with cinnamon for deadly epidemics. It's a world where the future and past have settled comfortably together and Captain Picard makes long and lofty speeches about his ship and his god-given duty to care for it while Riker stands in the background just hoping he'll get to separate the saucer section.

"I'm so sorry. I thought you were a waiter."

1 comment:

  1. Aww, poor Riker. He used to live for those moments, didn't he. Everyone else would look worried when the Captain ordered the saucer section to separate, but Riker would fist punch and whisper "YES!!!"

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