Sorry--I should have retitled this header: Perhaps STAR TREK NG AND AUTHORITY. Anyway: Lang Thompson observes: "(And for the politically minded among you, this episode is one of the best illustrations of my thesis that STTNG is primarily a series about the proper exercise of authority. To resolve the problem requires some actual reordering of the Enterprise's command--i'm trying not to give away anything--when it would be far simpler and no less "moral" to not do so.)" This is an astute observation. Much more than the original series, STNG again and again returns to questions about the appropriate use of authority and the proper behavior of commanders. Almost every one of major characters in the series took at least one turn at the helm of the Enterprise or another ship and had to discover how how to cope with demands of the job. While B. Crusher and Troi managed to cope, it is interesting that the demands seem more stressful to the female characters than to the male ones (including the synthetic male Data), while youngsters like W Crusher learn that they still have a lot to learn! (And of course, despite the much more marked roles for women on STNG, the major characters--Crusher, Troi, and Guinan--are still in what are basically nurturing roles: doctor, counsellor, unofficial advisor. DS9 and VOYAGER have tried to move beyond that--but the results are still mixed, at best.) Don Larsson, Mankato State U (MN) ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]