I know it’s for the plot but yeah, when xyz doesn’t work because of “atmospheric interference” or whatnot they could fall back onto more primitive technologies. Tractor beam not working? Use a grappler. Phasers not working? Bring down a gunpowder firearm.
Forget gunpowder though. With tech like tractor beams, inertial dampeners, and gravity plating, you'd think The Federation would have more armaments in the way of mass drivers, rail guns, and other physics based attacks. Heck, even an chaotic orbiting swarm of meteorites would do a lot to disperse phaser fire.
I was so happy to see this thinking in action during the last season of Picard.
As I continue my Trekking adventure, I love understanding more and more of the memes. I just watched this episode for the first time a few days ago.
That said, as I continue watching Trek, I keep seeing how everything else in the world has ripped off Trek at one time or another. One of my favorite episodes of The X-Files lifted this entire plot; like, it’s just maddening how similar the stories are. 😡
I don’t know that I’d say The X-Files ripped off TNG. The time loop is a common plot device and Braga wasn’t the first to write it. It’s very common for authors to individually come to the same ideas when they have to create this volume of “what if” every single year, year after year. Braga says he wanted time without the screwed up timeline plot; that’s not a unique reaction by any stretch of the imagination.
Basically, time loop of the enterprise being destroyed. Tractor beam fails to stop the danger, eventually riker decompresses the shuttle bay which shunts the enterprise out of the way and breaks the loop
Close, but not quite: Data suggest tractor beam, Riker shuttle bay decompression. Picard orders tractor beam, it fails, Enterprise destroyed, timeloop begins anew.
New try, this time Data sends "3" back in the timeline to indicate that they should listen to the commander.
New try, Data understands his message just in time to also decompress the shuttle bay along with the tractor beam shenanigans. All are saved and live happily ever after.
I agree, this is one of the best episodes out there. My only gripe is the great Kelsey Grammar is relegated to a few lines at the end. But it's one of my favorites.
Couldn't they have just done both? Also, what the hell was the first ship doing to get stuck in a time loop for so long before the Enterprise showed up?