10 Greatest Star Trek Feel Good Moments
2. "Learn To Be Spontaneous," She Said. "Do Something Unexpected," She Said.
All aboard the sailing ship Enterprise! We might have scurvy, but we do have freedom. Now, extend the plank, and may God have mercy on your soul!
This particular feel-good moment on the holodeck in Star Trek: Generations is, of course, sandwiched between two rather feel-bad moments: the apparent death of Captain Kirk (really whisked into the Nexus) and the message for Picard containing tragic news about his family. Nonetheless, who wasn't a little giddy to see Worf living his best, if a little wet, life? Who didn't crack a smile at Data's unfortunate follow-up to plank prankster Riker's mischievous 'malapropism'? "Data. That was… not funny." It was a teeny bit though, wasn't it?! Doctor Crusher goes overboard, and Data has to avoid sickbay for the foreseeable future. Probably still got several trillion views on the Federation News Network's YouTube channel. Let us know in the comments if you're reading/watching this in the 24th century.
The actual ship used for the filming of these holographic antics was a full-scale replica, reconstructed for the 1989 Washington State Centenary, of a vessel that first sailed at the time of the American War of Independence, The Lady Washington. The same ship was also used as the HMS Interceptor in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The real-life Captain of The Lady Washington at the time of filming of Generations in 1994, Bill Larson, can be seen on screen taking over the helm from Deanna Troi.
Data's unfortunate, but utterly innocent and ultimately heart-warming, misunderstanding with Doctor Crusher leads the android to reconsider his stance on the use of the emotion chip recovered from Lore. Its installation, although far from plain sailing, then provides us with a few more feel-good moments in the movie as Data runs the gamut of emotions and "disgusting" drinks.
What is a stun'sl anyway?