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Well, I think I just found my favorite Star Trek episode ever … It’s the episode entitled “Inner Light”, and it’s about Picard living an alternate lifetime that spanned more than 40-50 years, yet his “real” unconscious self on the Enterprise only took place for 25 minutes.

The overall effect of living your full lifetime, thrust from your old way of life into an unfamiliar new setting, getting to know new people along the way, attaining love and having a family, and learning to adjust and come to terms with that new way of life – and then realizing, as he regained consciousness abord the Enterprise, that the many years he spent in that world only amounted to several minutes aboard the Enterprise… well, it made me speechless after watching the episode, as I imagined the impact of Picard’s realization.

To quote Cypher from The Matrix:  “What a mind job…”

I am now on Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, and I have to say that this is the best written season, so far. The episodes are very well written, and the themes are very inspiring. Darmok is one episode that lingers, and The Unification is a nostalgic trip – with Spock making his first (and probably only) appearance in TNG. This exchange between him and Data deserves to be my best quote in Star Trek so far
Data: .. Captain Picard has been a role model in my quest to be more human.
Spock: More human?
Data: Yes Ambassador.
Spock: …. Fascinating … you have an efficient intellect, superior physical skills, no emotional impediments … there are Vulcans who aspire all their lives to achieve what you’ve been given, by design.
Data: Hmm. You are half human?
Spock: Yes.
Data: Yet you have chosen a Vulcan way of life.
Spock: I have.
Data: In effect .. you have abandoned what I have sought … all my life.

Data: Ambassador Spock, may I ask a personal question?
Spock: Please.
Data: As you examine your life, do you find that you have missed humanity?
Spock: I have no regrets.
Data: No regrets. That is a human expression.
Spock: Yes …. fascinating…

Technorati: generation, next, quotes, star, tng, trek

I watched Star Wars Episode II yesterday (Friday) – with and without commentary – and just now I finished watching lord of the Rings Extended Edition… and I’m currently playing it again with the commentary on! Hahaha … I have no life, it’s so pathetic…

Anyway, after this one, it’s Star Trek time once again! Season 5, baby. I guess my whole week is loaded. I’ll probably gain a couple pounds in the process. And there’s still TNG Seasons 6 and 7 coming out, as well as Minority Report and some other cool shit! It’s a great day to be alive!

One thing I can say about the Episode II – the commentary alone filled up so many holes and clarified so many scenes that I now have a new appreciation for Attack of the Clones – and makes me more eager to see the final Star Wars film in 2005…