Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 4, Episode 20
Original Air Date: April 22, 1991
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| via Memory Alpha |
Captain Picard is invited to give a speech at an archaeology symposium to be held aboard the Enterprise. Surprise, his old flame Vash also shows up for the conference, technically uninvited but welcomed by our Captain. Further surprise, Q arrives as well in hopes of granting his old pal Jean-Luc a favor. Picard tries to send him away but we all know how that usually works out. Q sends all of our friends to Sherwood Forest with Picard as Robin Hood, Vash as Maid Marian, the crew as the Merry Men and himself as Sheriff of Nottingham. Q's purpose is to show Picard his own vulnerability in the face of love.
Gee thanks, Q...
I don't like Q and I don't like Vash so this episode was never going to be a favorite for me. For the record, cast and crew all loved it. A few interesting points of note:
- Patrick Stewart and Jennifer Hetrick (Vash) were engaged to be married at the time. They started dating after his first divorce in 1990. It didn't work out.
- Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher) and Marina Sirtis (Troi) were the only two in the principal cast with actual fencing experience yet in the climactic fight scene, they were the only ones without swords - reduced to hitting people over the heads with pots instead.
- In one scene, Marian trips over her own dress. It wasn't intentional but the directors kept it, figuring it was in character for Vash, likely uncomfortable in period costume.
Acting Notes
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| via Wikipedia |
Clive Revill played the role of Sir Guy of Gisbourne who kidnaps Marian/Vash and demands that she marry him. Revill was born April 13, 1930 in Wellington, New Zealand. He originally trained to be an accountant before his acting career took off.
He went to London at age 20, then New York at 22. He was the original Fagan in the Broadway production of Oliver!, garnering a Tony nomination. Film credits include A Fine Madness and two Billy Wilder films: The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and Avanti! Numerous television guest appearances encompass a broad range, including Columbo, Newhart and Babylon 5.
Best of all for this scifi-loving blogger, his was the original voice of Emperor Palpatine in The Empire Strikes Back. Ian McDiarmid's voice is used in later DVD edits, though Revill is still credited.
I love this episode because I love Q and I like Vash. I had no idea Patrick Stewart was dating her in real life....rebound. It is a shame that the women just hit the bad guys over the heads with pots. It would be so cool to see the. Do some sword fighting but , even then, those were the times. I love how Worf take the musical instrument from Geordi and smashes it. It is a fun episode which is a nice reprieve from some heavier ones like anything to do with The Borg.
ReplyDeleteYes, I get the need for occasional levity. I guess it's just not my kind of humor.
DeleteStupid episode, but a few classic lines (and one Animal House reference) always make me smile. I always remember Clive Revill as the main villain in the old TV show Wizards and Warriors.
ReplyDeleteI am not a Merry Man!
DeleteI remember hating Q in the beginning but them liking him in later episodes.
ReplyDeleteI will admit, he gets better as he goes.
DeleteI must protest: This (as with most Q episodes) is a very amusing episode. You, sir, are not a merry man!
ReplyDeleteStill a cat playing too long with his mouse...
DeleteDear lord I hated this episode! TNG had plenty of lackluster episodes but for me this one was the worst.
ReplyDeleteYes, there were some great lines but redoing a Robin Hood story in interstellar space was just wrong.
Haha! The fantasy within the fantasy can be fun. I guess I like it better when it's on the principals' terms rather than having it imposed upon them.
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