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Spoiler-free notes: Data's poker game is improving, which may seem minor, but it's more evidence that the writers are letting the characters develop over time. Crusher's been getting a lot more to do lately. Just as kidnapping is a running motif for Season 3, it seems like family is going to be a running motif for Season 4. First you have "Family," in which we meet the families of Picard and Worf, along with Wesley's dead father. Then there's "Brothers," in which we meet Data's creator and are reintroduced to his brother, Lore. And now, in "Legacy," we are meeting Tasha Yar's sister. The actors playing Ishara and Hayne look like young, low-rent versions of Linda Hamilton and William Devane. One general thing that has been bothering me ever since "Tin Man" is the extreme range of Betazoid empathic abilities. How does it work? Something has to be relaying the information across space--be it beta waves or whatever--but Troi seems to have no trouble reading the emotions of people on other vessels or, as in this episode, on the surface of a planet the ship is orbiting. I know asking for a scientific explanation for telepathy is asking a lot, but it seems like the writers have never bothered exploring the logistics of it. It's interesting that the show continues to develop Yar's character, even though she's been dead for two and a half years. Though this episode is primarily focused on Data, Yar is still a very strong presence in the script. She's not my type, but Ishara's outfits are damn sexy. It's a good thing Data lacks intuition, because Ishara's not the best con artist in the universe. Normally, I'd complain that he should be able to read people well enough to sense deception, but he is obviously distracted by his fondness for Tasha, his hopes to find something of her in Ishara. That's kind of the whole point of the episode. Damn, Data, that was cold. Is it possible that Ishara is not related to Yar? Could there have been some sc-fi trickery as part of the con? I like what this episode is trying to do--and I think it succeeds at its heart--but the sets never seem real, making the action scenes come across as really fake. "Legacy" isn't bad, but it's not memorable either. When I was rewatching it, it was like I was watching it for the first time, because I barely remembered anything about this story. Reminding us of Yar is a good way to prepare the audience for the big twist at the end of the season, in "Redemption." | |||||||||||
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Copyright ©2011 e. magill. All rights reserved.
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