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In article <1330858341.773474717.468326.anim8rfsk-cox.net@news.easynews.com>,
anim8rfsk  <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>The Doctor <doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca> wrote:
>> Ai/LLM reviews of STNG - The Royale
>> 
>> Google Gemini
>> 
>> "Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Royale" 
>> is an unusual and often perplexing episode 
>
>This was an early contender for worst episode of the series although, in
>later seasons, they produced many many many episodes (usually featuring
>Gates McMuffin in some way) that beat this one on the way down.


Soft soap for me.

>
>> that blends a scientific mystery with a bizarre, 
>> self-contained cultural simulation, exploring 
>> themes of reality, perception, and the unintended 
>> consequences of alien interpretation.
>> 
>> Plot Overview: The USS Enterprise-D investigates 
>> a strange vessel in orbit around an unexplored planet. 
>> They discover the planet has a breathable atmosphere 
>> and a peculiar, isolated structure on its surface. 
>> An away team, comprising Commander Riker, Lieutenant 
>> Commander Data, and Lieutenant Worf, beams down 
>> to investigate. They find a revolving door that 
>> leads them into a lavish, yet eerily empty, 
>> 20th-century Earth hotel lobby – "The Royale."
>> The team quickly realises that the hotel is 
>> a meticulously detailed, but ultimately flawed, 
>> recreation of a bygone era. The "people" inside 
>> are not truly alive but are part of the simulation. 
>> They soon discover the skeletal remains of Colonel 
>> Richey, an astronaut whose 21st-century Earth 
>> ship mysteriously disappeared. Through their 
>> investigation, the Enterprise crew pieces 
>> together the bizarre truth: a highly advanced
>> alien race, in an attempt to understand humanity, 
>> created this entire hotel environment based 
>> on a poorly written, melodramatic novel found 
>> on Richey's ship. The aliens, misinterpreting 
>> the fictional narrative as a guide to human life, 
>> trapped Richey within this endless, looping 
>> simulation, where he eventually died. The away 
>> team must then find a way to escape this bizarre, 
>> inescapable prison, ultimately succeeding 
>> and leaving the Enterprise crew to ponder 
>> the strange and tragic fate of Colonel Richey 
>> and the profound misunderstanding that led to it.
>> 
>> Strengths:Unique Concept: The premise of an entire 
>> reality constructed from a bad novel is highly 
>> imaginative and a distinctly Star Trek way to 
>> explore themes of perception 
>> and cultural interpretation.
>> 
>> Data's Role: Data's logical approach to the illogical 
>> events within The Royale provides some of the episode's 
>> more interesting moments, as he tries to apply reason 
>> to a nonsensical situation.Atmosphere: The isolated, 
>> looping nature of the hotel, and the constant repetition 
>> of its bizarre events, creates a genuinely unsettling 
>> and surreal atmosphere.
>> 
>> Exploration of Misinterpretation: The episode effectively 
>> highlights the dangers of misinterpreting alien cultures, 
>> even with good intentions.
>> 
>> Weaknesses:Pacing: The episode's pacing can feel quite 
>> slow, particularly as the crew repeatedly experiences 
>> the same events within the hotel. The repetition, 
>> while thematic, can become tedious.
>> 
>> Lack of Clear Stakes: While Richey's fate is tragic, 
>> the immediate danger to the away team within 
>> the hotel often feels less urgent or compelling 
>> than other TNG threats.
>> 
>> The "Bad Novel" Premise: While a creative idea, 
>> the execution of the "bad novel" as the source 
>> material can sometimes make the events within 
>> The Royale feel more silly than profound.
>> 
>> Underdeveloped Aliens: The alien race responsible 
>> for creating The Royale is never seen or fully 
>> explained, which leaves a significant plot hole 
>> and reduces the impact of their "misinterpretation."
>> 
>> Convenient Resolution: The method of escape, 
>> while eventually figured out by the crew, can feel 
>> a bit arbitrary and lacks a truly satisfying 
>> intellectual breakthrough.
>> 
>> Worf and Riker's Reactions: Their acceptance 
>> of the bizarre situation, particularly Worf's, 
>> feels somewhat out of character at times.
>> 
>> Overall Impression:"The Royale" is one 
>> of Star Trek: The Next Generation's more polarising 
>> episodes. Its unique and imaginative concept is its 
>> greatest strength, offering a truly "strange new 
>> world" to explore. However, its slow pacing, 
>> reliance on a somewhat silly central premise, 
>> and underdeveloped alien antagonists prevent 
>> it from reaching its full potential. It's a 
>> curiosity for fans interested in the show's 
>> early experimental phase, but not a universally 
>> beloved entry.
>> 
>> Rating: 5/10
>> 
>> ChatGPT
>> 
>> Alright — let’s break down 
>> **“Star Trek: The Next Generation” — *The Royale*** 
>> using the transcript from [chakoteya.net]
>> (http://www.chakoteya.net/NextGen/138.htm).
>> 
>> ---
>> 
>> **Episode:** *The Royale*
>> **Season:** 2, Episode 12
>> **Original Air Date:** March 27, 1989
>> 
>> ---
>> 
>> ### **Summary (based on the transcript)**
>> 
>> The Enterprise investigates the wreckage 
>> of a 21st-century NASA ship found orbiting 
>> a planet in an uninhabitable atmosphere. 
>> Data, Riker, and Worf beam down to the surface 
>> and discover a surreal bubble of breathable 
>> atmosphere containing… a cheesy Earth-style 
>> casino hotel called “The Royale.” Inside, 
>> they find a cast of melodramatic, one-dimensional 
>> characters acting out the plot of a pulp crime 
>> novel. The away team realises the entire environment 
>> was created by aliens who misinterpreted the only 
>> clue they had about humans — a terrible novel left 
>> on the dead astronaut’s ship. The astronaut lived 
>> out his life trapped inside this artificial setting, 
>> which was supposed to be a gesture of hospitality 
>> but became a prison. To escape, the crew must 
>> “play the game” and finish the novel’s plot, 
>> buying the hotel so they can leave.
>> 
>> ---
>> 
>> ### **Strengths:**
>> 
>> ✅ **Weird and memorable:** TNG occasionally 
>> veers into pure surrealism, and *The Royale* 
>> is a good example. The absurdity of three 
>> Starfleet officers wandering through a cheap 
>> knockoff of 20th-century Americana is oddly fun.
>> 
>> ✅ **Fish-out-of-water comedy:** There’s genuine 
>> humour in how baffled Worf and Data are by the 
>> hotel’s tacky clichés, gambling, and melodrama. 
>> Data counting cards and cleaning out the casino
>> is a fun highlight.
>> 
>> ✅ **Clever premise:** The aliens creating 
>> a fake reality based on an Earth novel they 
>> didn’t understand is classic Trek: a “what 
>> if aliens tried to recreate our culture 
>> with only partial info?” scenario. It echoes 
>> TOS’s *A Piece of the Action*, but less successfully.
>> 
>> ✅ **Atmosphere:** The episode nails a dreamlike
>> “Twilight Zone” vibe — it’s cheap and pulpy but 
>> in a way that fits the story’s concept.
>> 
>> ---
>> 
>> ### **Weaknesses:**
>> 
>> ❌ **Paper-thin plot:** There’s no real character 
>> growth or deep stakes. Once you grasp the mystery, 
>> it’s just the crew playing along until they can leave.
>> 
>> ❌ **Goofy execution:** The Royale is meant to be 
>> cheesy, but the characters and dialogue inside it 
>> are so flat they get tedious fast. It’s one-note 
>> camp that overstays its welcome.
>> 
>> ❌ **No payoff:** The tragic backstory of the lone 
>> astronaut is barely explored. It could have been 
>> poignant, but it feels brushed aside so the crew 
>> can focus on the puzzle.
>> 
>> ❌ **Filler feel:** The episode doesn’t connect 
>> to any larger Trek arcs or deepen anyone’s character. 
>> It’s just a self-contained oddity.
>> 
>> ---
>> 
>> ### **Standout line:**
>> 
>> * **Worf:** *“I am not altogether certain this is a good idea.”*
>> * This sums up the entire episode’s vibe.
>> 
>> ---
>> 
>> ### **Rating: 5/10**
>> 
>> *The Royale* is odd, mildly amusing filler. 
>> It’s not *bad* in a painful way — it’s just 
>> shallow and forgettable once the novelty wears off. 
>> It has a certain B-movie charm for fans who 
>> enjoy Trek’s occasional forays into surreal 
>> pulp weirdness, but it’s far from essential TNG.
>> 
>> ---
>> 
>> **So far, here’s a quick ranking for context:**
>> 
>> | Episode                  | Rating |
>> | ------------------------ | ------ |
>> | **The Measure of a Man** | 9.5/10 |
>> | **A Matter of Honor**    | 8.5/10 |
>> | **Contagion**            | 7/10   |
>> | **The Schizoid Man**     | 6/10   |
>> | **The Royale**           | 5/10   |
>> | **Unnatural Selection**  | 5.5/10 |
>> | **The Dauphin**          | 5/10   |
>> 
>> 
>> 
>
>
>
>-- 
>The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.


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