45
Help me build a TNG "Diplomatic negotiation" watch list
(sh.itjust.works)
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2026
45 points (97.9% liked)
TenForward: Where Every Vulcan Knows Your Name
7349 readers
480 users here now
/c/TenForward: Your home-away-from-home for all things Star Trek!
Re-route power to the shields, emit a tachyon pulse through the deflector, and post all the nonsense you want. Within reason of course.
~ 1. No bigotry. This is a Star Trek community. Remember that diversity and coexistence are Star Trek values. Any post/comments that are racist, anti-LGBT, or generally "othering" of a group will result in removal/ban.
~ 2. Keep it civil. Disagreements will happen both on lore and preferences. That's okay! Just don't let it make you forget that the person you are talking to is also a person.
~ 3. Use spoiler tags.
Use spoiler tags in comments, and NSFW checkbox for posts.
This applies to any episodes that have dropped within 3 months prior of your posting. After that it's free game.
~ 4. Keep it Trek related. This one is kind of a gimme but keep as on topic as possible.
~ 5. Keep posts to a limit. We all love Star Trek stuff but 3-4 posts in an hour is plenty enough.
~ 6. Try to not repost. Mistakes happen, we get it! But try to not repost anything from within the past 1-2 months.
~ 7. No General AI Art. Posts of simple AI art do not 'inspire jamaharon'
~ 8. No Political Upheaval. Political commentary is allowed, but please keep discussions civil. Read here for our community's expectations.
Fun will now commence.
Sister Communities:
Want your community to be added to the sidebar? Just ask one of our mods!
Creator Resources:
Looking for a Star Trek screencap? (TrekCore)
Looking for the right Star Trek typeface/font for your meme? (Thank you @kellyaster for putting this together!)
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Great list. And OOP, if you're not yet in the mood for diplomacy saving the day, another show staple is the use of strategy to outwit those who would use violence. Some examples are A Matter of Honor, Peak Performance, and The Ensigns of Command.
And one of my all-time favorites, Who Watches the Watchers showcases a humanoid who transcends outdated motives of violence through the acquisition of higher knowledge.
Oh, damn, yes, please! A "Violence IS the Answer" watchlist would give me a more balanced portrayal of how STNG looks at things.
Edit: Oops, misread you--I don´t think that's ever a case TNG makes even obliquely.
Hmm... episodes where violence is the answer. The obvious candidates are the first two Borg episodes. Those were written to challenge the idea that diplomacy is always an option:
Other (less good) episodes with an enemy that can't be reasoned with include Skin of Evil, and Conspiracy. And I suppose Time's Arrow (but that one is a good episode).
Episodes where negotiation fails, and the Federation chooses violence:
There are a bunch of episodes where there is an individual, or a handful of individuals, who must be stopped. That's a common story even in Star Trek. A couple that seem most relevant to me for this idea are:
It is a shorter list. After all, we're not talking about TOS.
The Most Toys is a fascinating moment for Data.
The question is, do you believe he pulled the trigger before the transport? What's more, did he come to the conclusion by cold android logic, or was this a resulting spark of human compassion finally achieved?
The weapon was active. To me that says he pulled the trigger.
And I think he worked from logic to reach the same conclusion a human might reach through emotion. Data can never be a human, but he is very human.
Or just watch DS9.
No case needs to be made. Turn on the nature channel. Violence is the base, default solution. It is the ability to rise above it that sets apart higher-order creatures. We are living in the most privileged age to ever exist if violence feels like some not-yet-tried solution.
That's quite a simplified view of nature. Many cooperative species, from bees to elephants, build their societies on cooperation. And sometimes they get violent, too, whether internally or externally.
I'd really recommend you read anything about primates by Frans der Waal before basing your worldview on just-so stories.