[Captain Tom Coughlin]

Originally Posted by HRH The KING

Great episode, but the problem for me is that I didn't have any sympathy with the aliens who sent the probe. I thought they were out of line for imposing a fake life on Picard without his consent and with all the memories of his real life on the Enterprise.

To paraphrase that awesome line from "The Chase"....if they were not dead, I would kill them.

In a certain sense, it was an assualt.

[kevin]

Originally Posted by Captain Tom Coughlin

In a certain sense, it was an assualt.

Worth 'killing them' for, though?

[horatio]

Originally Posted by Captain Tom Coughlin

In a certain sense, it was an assualt.

Yep, there wasn't any choice but their program wouldn't work if there were an announcement that you are about to experience the life of this species. I cannot imagine that anyone would feel any different than Picard and not deeply cherish this second life.
Let's also not forget that there is a kind of self-selection, the timid stay at home and the bold explore space ... and the bold it's less likely that the bold dislike such an experience.

[Captain Tom Coughlin]

Originally Posted by horatio

Yep, there wasn't any choice but their program wouldn't work if there were an announcement that you are about to experience the life of this species. I cannot imagine that anyone would feel any different than Picard and not deeply cherish this second life.
Let's also not forget that there is a kind of self-selection, the timid stay at home and the bold explore space ... and the bold it's less likely that the bold dislike such an experience.

Oh I totally agree. From Picard's perspective he spent decades with them as his friends and his family. He raised children there, became a respected member of the community, built an entire life for himself (or maybe lived someone else's). Now Riker or Worf, they would have a different outlook on it. It's an attack, and their captain almost died. And it's an interesting little moral question, does that race really have the right to drill into a man's brain like that, and put him in a life threatening position simply so that they won't be forgotten?

[Captain Tom Coughlin]

Originally Posted by kevin

Worth 'killing them' for, though?

No, of course not. The meaning of the episode is not lost on me. I'm just playing a bit of Devil's Advocate and pointing out that you could make the case that what happened to Picard could be considered an assault. As a matter of law, it most certainly would be.

[horatio]

If the probe had met a members of a species with better technology they might have been able to cut the link which would have ended the program prematurely and left behind a confused person.
I agree that it is an assault, just like Spock's forced mind-meld with McCoy. But in both cases the ends justfiy the means in my opinion.

[Captain Tom Coughlin]

What if Enterprise didn't have such a skilled man in Data to re-establish the link in time and Picard would have died there on the floor? Would the means still be justified?

[horatio]

The comparison with TWOK/TSFS might not be perfect but it is the best which comes to mind right now.
Spock endangers the life of his friend and he wasn't sure, he couldn't have been sure as he didn't have time to think much about it that they'd figure out what's going on with McCoy and that they'd be able to revive his body and bring McCoy to Vulcan.
It was a gamble just like the last significant deed of the dieing civilisation in The Inner Light. Their cultural memory is more important than Spock's life so I'd say that it was OK for them to endanger the life of whatever lifeform is about to meet their probe.

[Captain Tom Coughlin]

It's an interesting question. Spock and McCoy had a lifelong relationship. I may risk my life for a friend, but I would be a little more hesitant to do it for people who are dead a thousand years.

[horatio]

And if you turn it around and assume the perspective of the "assaulter", would you rather endanger a friend or an unknown third?