The first way is to just have fun in space. Take an otherwise childish premise, put it in the Star Trek universe, add some vaudeville slapstick and jokey-jokes, and you're golden. "The Trouble with Tribbles", "A Fistful of Datas", "The Magnificent Ferengi", & "Bride of Chaotica!" are the more notable examples of this approach.
The second way is to use a predictable setup, lure the viewing audience into a false sense of security by making them think they already understand the episode within the first fifteen minutes, then crank up the nuance and emotional pauses and show more humanity (in both the humans and the aliens alike) than anyone was expecting. Leaving viewers with a kind of bittersweet sense of happiness after it's all over.
Shout by DeletedBlockedParent2018-06-27T09:30:55Z
There are two ways to make good Star Trek.
The first way is to just have fun in space. Take an otherwise childish premise, put it in the Star Trek universe, add some vaudeville slapstick and jokey-jokes, and you're golden. "The Trouble with Tribbles", "A Fistful of Datas", "The Magnificent Ferengi", & "Bride of Chaotica!" are the more notable examples of this approach.
The second way is to use a predictable setup, lure the viewing audience into a false sense of security by making them think they already understand the episode within the first fifteen minutes, then crank up the nuance and emotional pauses and show more humanity (in both the humans and the aliens alike) than anyone was expecting. Leaving viewers with a kind of bittersweet sense of happiness after it's all over.
This episode is the latter.