Lessons from Fan Fiction: Fans Can Fix Plot Holes

In her commentary to an episode of Angel, Jane Espenson half-jokingly comments about a mistake on the screen, then adds, "But the fans will explain it away."

Yes, fans are very useful.

In a not-bad Next Generation episode "Suddenly Human" the Enterprise rescues a group of teens from a Talarian training ship. One of them, Jono, is human. He was taken as an infant when the Talarians attacked a Federation station (which was in their territory).

Think Richter's Light in the Forest. Very much the same idea since Picard comes to the conclusion that ripping this kid away from the only family and culture that he knows might not be entirely healthy.

It is an interesting problem, and one of the reasons I like sci-fi generally and Star Trek specifically: I prefer the episodes that explore a single "What if?" problem in a neat arc.

Of course, some of these "What if?" problems are fairly complex. In reality, a neat arc may not be long enough to solve such a problem.

For instance, in "Suddenly Human," right after the rescue, the Enterprise contacts Jono/Jeremiah's living paternal grandmother. She is an admiral in Starfleet and is thrilled to learn that her grandson is still alive.

The episode does supply some very funny moments with

Jean Luc "I'd rather be anything but a parent" Picard.

So...what exactly is Picard supposed to tell her when he arrives back at Starfleet Headquarters? Sorry, Admiral Rossa, my personal gut told me to let your grandson go back to the people who killed your son and daughter-in-law.

This is where a lawsuit comes into play--or Picard gets demoted to man-who-scrubs-lavatories.

I fixed it. One of my fan fiction characters is a civilian working in First Contact (with a boss who insists on seeing every alien as "good and kind and sweet" a la Gene Roddenberry and Rimmer). While Picard is running around violating protocol, I have my character contact Starfleet whose Diplomatic Corp contacts the Talarian diplomats (or equivalent) as well as Admiral Rossa. An entire deal is worked out behind the scenes whereby Picard can make his gesture but the boy is still technically returned to Federation status; his grandmother will be visiting him in Talarian space.

She looks terribly sweet--she comes across as a straight talker.

Luckily, the writers made the last an actual possibility. The grandmother is portrayed as something of a hawk. She informs her grandson--who was raised in a Spartan-like militaristic culture--of his family's service, and she clearly means it in a military way. This was smart writing--kudos!--since it prepares the boy for a face-to-face meeting with someone who will be at least somewhat comprehensible to him. It also makes it more likely that she would respect the culture she is visiting and understand her grandson's choices. And the Talarians are more likely to respect her--despite their patriarchal leanings--than, say, a hippie grandma.

This is my favorite kind of fix: when the fan fiction is able to use already extant elements, not entirely rewrite them.

Another Lawsuit for Star Trek

Case 3: "Suddenly Human" (ST:NG, Season 4) in which a young human man, Jeremy Rosso, is discovered on an alien (Talarian) ship. In a Light in the Forest twist, the crew learns that Jeremy, or Jono, was "adopted" by his captors between 5-7 years old and has fully assimilated to his adoptive culture. Despite the existence of Jeremy's human grandmother, Admiral Rosso, Picard ultimately decides to return the young man to his adoptive parent.

Plaintiff: Admiral Rosso
Defendants: Captain Picard, Starfleet

Argument: Admiral Rosso is appalled that her grandson, and only living relative, would be returned to the people who attacked a Starfleet outpost, resulting in the deaths of her son and his wife. She believes the Enterprise should have returned Jeremy to human space as soon as he was discovered. She allows that the political situation was tense but argues that the Enterprise could have easily outmaneuvered and outrun the Talarian ship.

Decision by Judge Kate: No damages against Starfleet. Captain Picard's actions, however, will be submitted to a review by Starfleet. Although the decision to return Jeremy to his Talarian father was likely the correct one, Captain Picard did not allow for an adequate examination of Jeremy Rosso's mental state or his Talarian home life. Captain Picard is, after all, a diplomat and has gotten himself out of stickier situations!

Pending Starfleet's decision, Admiral Rosso will not be awarded damages. This will not, of course, prevent Admiral Rosso from making Captain Picard's career a very uncomfortable one (like maybe the Enterprise finds itself sent to the most distant outposts for the next year).

Suing Star Trek

I am a huge Star Trek fan. I am also a big fan of Phil Farrand's Nitpicker's Guides (sadly, he doesn't write them any more). With the Nitpicker's Guides in mind, I have started this series of posts: Suing Star Trek.

Every now and again, whilst watching a Star Trek episode, I think, "You know, if Star Trek didn't belong to such a happy go lucky future, the families of Star Trek personnel would be suing the Federation blind."

For example, take "Genesis" (ST:NG, Season 7) in which the intrepid crew "de-evolves" into various primitive life forms: a spider, a caveman, a Klingon beasty thing, a fish, etc. It is actually quite a fun episode! Data saves the day, of course (since he can't de-evolve into anything but a pile of circuits). Phil Farrand and his nitpickers cover the basic scientific improbabilities (as in the basic scientific ridiculousness) in Farrand's second NG guide: suffice it to say, that the "de-evolutions" are caused by a virus that is caused by the activation of a dormant T-cell which is caused by Crusher giving Barclay a shot.

Malpractice anyone? That's a pretty straightforward line of causation! Not difficult for a lawyer to prove at all, especially since Crusher admits it.

Who would bring the lawsuit? The parents of the poor crewman who is ripped to shreds by some beasty thing (Picard and Data find him dead on the bridge).

I would award the parents considerable damages: the medical procedures on the Enterprise are appallingly lax. I'm not a doctor, so I would let the Federation medical council decide whether Crusher should lose her license for producing a massively dangerous virus, no matter how inadvertedly. (One of the annoying but also rather sweet aspects of Star Trek is how readily and quickly all is forgiven!)

Case 2: "Phantasms" (ST:NG, Season 7) in which Data, whilst dreaming, stabs--but does not kill--Troi. Data's dreaming program was activated a season earlier when Dr. Julian Bashir turned on a device in Engineering. Data has continued to dream regularly. In "Phantasms," Data experiences waking dreams brought on by inter-phasic bugs; the bugs were brought on board with the new warp core. He stabs Troi while in a waking dream.

Plaintiff: Troi's Mom
Defendants: Data*, Julian Bashir, the Enterprise, and the Federation

*In accordance with the legal decision made in ST:NG, Season 2, "The Measure of a Man," Data is considered fully sentient; he can be sued.

Argument: Dr. Bashir's activation of the device was unauthorized; he was aboard the Enterprise, fiddling with the device, without clearance. After the dream program was activated, Data continued to use it with the full knowledge of the captain and crew despite inherent risks: nobody really knows what Data does when he dreams. Also, Data's current "waking dream" state is caused by an infestation of bugs which should have been irradicated before the installation of the warp core. Troi's mother wants damages awarded to Troi for pain and suffering; she wants damages awarded to herself for emotional (vicarious) pain and suffering.

Decision by Judge Kate: No damages against Dr. Bashir, Data, or the Enterprise: Data has experienced dreams for over a year without harmful results. He is no more or less likely to experience "waking dreams" than a flesh and blood humanoid. Hallucinating crewmembers is a risk attendant upon service in Starfleet, especially for the ship's counselor (Troi).

Minor damages against the Federation: check the friggin' warp core for bugs, people! I mean, really!! Since inter-phasic technology was used to create the new warp core, the possibility of infestation was foreseeable and therefore, preventable.

No damages awarded to Troi's mother but a reprimand in the file that Troi's mother not interrupt or otherwise disrespect counsel. Her daughter is an adult and has chosen a risky lifestyle which includes being stabbed by sleep-walking androids, turning into a fish, and being surgically altered to appear as a Romulan. Get over it.