Tin Man

A lonely alien, an insufferable telepath, and the least consequential Romulans ever faced. There is peril! There is learning! There are inconsequential Romulans! See it all when we put Tin Man in the Mission Log. I enjoy these looks into how these guest actors are lookin’ these days. I don’t know anything of their lives, but it’s re-assuring to see that, many years after Trek, they’re still doing (and often looking) quite happy and vibrant. I am glad you appreciate them. I used to replay my VHS tapes so often in the 1990s then of course moved onto DS9. Rewatching, analyzing TNG now w IMDB/wiki I can’t help but wonder who we’ve lost and how others are doing. Fun but bittersweet sometimes. Remember ST III : TSFS ? Young Spock? Check it out…. Bailey and Balock, scurge of every bar from here to the Mutara Nebula. Keep an eye on your women and your tranya! Tam and Tinman, meanwhile, are off having adventures and trying not to drive each other… crazy. And speaking of close relationships… John and Ken, you guys are gonna be buried intertwined one far off day. Excellent discussion, and I especially liked the points John made. This was a mildly clunky episode at times, but I have always really liked it. The music was noticeable and unique, and at times the intermittent low flute chords evoked a lonely, alien sense – perfect for the story and the characters of Elbrun and Gomtuu. To me, the themes of the episode focused on “differentness”, on the desire for solitude for different reasons, and on the question of needing purpose in one’s life. Whether Elbrun and Gomtuu died together or escaped the nova to live together, it didn’t matter to me because I felt they were content and at peace which ever way it went. Perhaps “Tin Man” was an appropriate nickname for Gomtuu since the creature was, in a sense, missing its heart without a crew to host and interact with. This one was nicely haunting, I thought. very thoughtful analysis….I feel positive they both survived…their joy would have been cut so short, and Tin Man seemed to have the power to leave if needed. I thought the tune was only good for Tin Man, and felt odd when first played solo for Tam…. “Heart” is a another term for one’s vitality. Gomtuu had lost its crew, virtually its only motivating force, just as the O. G. Tin Man was immobilized by seized joints when he is first discovered – then perhaps even projecting his physical immobility onto his psyche at some point. It certainly raises the question of whether it is enough for a sentient creature to simply exist… For sanity’s sake, probably not. I thought the music was very “Karate Kid” Asian theme or….wise master to student type…I Native American flute-like as well, mother nature like… Firstoff, whether or not the episode’s title makes any sense, Starfleet’s name for Gomtuu absolutely makes no sense. Sure, Gomtuu was missing his/her heart, but the admirals didn’t know that. The name only makes sense in retrospect, and that’s just a big faceplant for this episode. I guess the writers just liked the symbolism so much they figured it didn’t matter. Had they kept it as the episode title, but not ever mention it in the episode itself, it woulda been really clever and rather touching. It is indeed clunky at times, the Treknobabble is, I think, very distracting and does drag the show down. The Romulans are almost as embarrassing as they were in The Neutral Zone. Their depiction rang more of the simplicity of TAS aliens. I used to think this was a Season Two episode, and for years I considered it my favorite episode of that season. Which it still might have been. Tam is a really refreshing character, both abrasive and sympathetic, and, especially at this point in the franchise’s run, much more sympathetic than Lwaxana, his nearest analogue. He genuinely feels alien, like a “true” Betazoid. Troi is basically human with plot-relevant-and-plot-defined empathy only, but Tam’s superhuman powers define his character completely. And he’s