Answering a distress call consisting of an Earth code that hasnât been used in centuries, the Enterprise stumbles upon a utopian colony that launched from Earth during the European hegemony (sometime between 2123 and 2190). The utopians are a tribe of bawdy Irish hedonists (many of whom are drunks, of course) who have turned their backs on technology in favor of simple farm living. They are so committed to their animals that they refuse to travel without 'em. Oh, how primitive! Oh, the comedy! The Irish tribe mentions âthe other colony,â which the Enterprise tracks down. This other colony is technologically advanced, but its members have depleted both their sex drive and their genes through generations of cloning. In order to save both colonies, Captain Picard and the crew must play matchmaker between the intellectual ascetics and the hedonistic technophobes. Along the way, Riker gets a little action with one of the farm girls.
I recall that one. Where are the intergalactic Tuatha DĂŠ Danann when you need them?
I also remember a Sci-fi novel wherein on some remote planet were an isolated race that had degenerated into benightedness and a troll-like physicality. They were descended in the main from Irish settlers. I read the book with a raised eyebrow. Took a while for it to settle back to normal.
What I find really offensive about this sort of thing is not so much the stereotype in itself but more in the ignoring of the reality of the historic conditions that forced Irish society into a debased condition which produced the stereotype, and then making mock of it.
donât you take this a little to serious? With a little tongue in cheek I quite enjoyed this episode - and yeah, thereâs a concertina in it, so it must be good , right?
Claus (no, not a member of the starfleet, I never was into a military career )
Wait, not altogether true. I stated elsewhere that Iâm a big fan of âTwo Fat Ladiesâ. They always had me in stitches. They were sublime in a down-to-earth sort of way.
Considering how easy it was to switch a phazer from âstunâ to âkill,â donât you think there had to be some times when they accidentally vaporized somebody they meant to just knock down for a minute? Then, youâre like allâŚoh, crap.
No, I would be likeâŚoh, crap. And then I would have to make something up about how that guy was on the verge of being assimilated into the Borg.
And then, the next time you checked your locker, youâd be likeâŚwhat the stink is this? And Riker would be like, Dude. Thatâs a taser. You lost your phaser.
And youâd be like, What? Do I look like Michelle Rodriguez? And Riker would be like, Yeah, and itâs in the Hatch with you. So youâd skewer him with a wooden stake. And TJ Hooker would trot in waving his badge, and youâd be like, So who are you? Kirk or Hooker? And heâd be like, Neither man! And pull off his rubber mask to revealâŚTom Cruise. (Whoâd be all likeâŚAnd donât even think about popping any antipsychotics!)
Speaking of ethnic stereotypingâŚhow would you like it if you were an alien chick and just because of Star Trek everyone always assumed William Shatner was your type?
What??? What do you mean he isnât? Isnât he? Great, just great! And there goes my perfect memory of my perfect childhood, right down the boob tubeâŚ
Answering a distress call consisting of an Earth code that hasnât been used in centuries, the Enterprise stumbles upon a utopian colony that launched from Earth during the European hegemony (sometime between 2123 and 2190). The utopians are a tribe of bawdy Irish hedonists (many of whom are drunks, of course) who have turned their backs on technology in favor of simple farm living. They are so committed to their animals that they refuse to travel without 'em.
Wait just a darn minute.
THAT WAS A STAR TREK EPISODE?!?
Isnât it funny how oneâs memory can get fuzzy with age.
I always thought those guys in my headâs memory were a bunch of Celticish NeoPagans or Society for Creative Anachronism people I got messed up after having too much to drink/smoke at a Science Fiction convention.
Whew!
Maybe other parts of my younger years werenât as wild as I remember them to be.
Whoa Iâve never really watched Star Trek. Reading that review really ruined any chances of me checking it out in the future. Sounds like a very strange show.
OMG! WTF! Is this not the biggest pile of racist crap ever??
).
I quite enjoyed this episode - and yeah, thereâs a concertina in it, so it must be good 
, right?
)
Iâve never really watched Star Trek. Reading that review really ruined any chances of me checking it out in the future. Sounds like a very strange show. 