I've discovered an empath even more worthless than Deanna Troi

[Orrex]

Dan Smithson in Species, played by Forest Whitaker.

Coming upon a scene of carnage and destruction wrought by a human/alien hybrid killing machine, he says "Something bad happened here."

Later, he finds a car used and abandoned by the killing machine--the door still open--he notes "She walked."

Seeing Michael Madsen and Marg Helgenberger getting cozy in a club, he declares "They like each other."


Honestly, what does it take to be an empath in science fiction? I'm reasonably sure that anyone with a functioning brainstem could make the same spectacular leaps of intuition that we see from Smithson and Troi.

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. Obviously, anyone can be an empath.

The point is, to get real paid doing so. :thumbsup:

[Orrex]

3. I sense that you're being a smart-ass

Hmm...

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. See? Anyone could tell that's true. Try getting the cold government/Federation cash for so doing.

Gotta hate Deanna Troi, but gotta love that she brings home the bacon for such useless work.

+10 for working in a vintage perfume jingle! :bounce:

[XemaSab]

5. I feel that you have financial concerns

Send me ten dollars.

I feel your pain. :pals:

[deucemagnet]

2. I'm sensing...snark.

:)

Seriously, Lwaxana kicked her daughter's ass every day and twice on Sunday. "They're not ambassadors, they're assassins. They have a bomb." Now THERE'S an empath her earns her keep!

[Orrex]

8. For real

And the off-hand way that she did it was great--it pointed out that any fool should have been able to discern it.

Any fool except Deanna, of course.

[Liberal Veteran]

14. I never understood why Deanna seemed so clueless.

She should have been the first person to actually get a clue, but more often than not, her "ability" kicked in long after it was needed.

And her range was just incredible. It always bemused me that she could sense the emotions of the person miles away in space because he was on the viewscreen (apparently beaming his emotions along the transmission), but could never sense the person sneaking up on her 4 feet away with a phaser set to stun.

[Fire Walk With Me]

4. Of course, you only watched "Species" for the dialogue.

Methinks thou dost complain too much. :hide:

[Orrex]

6. Not quite

I was hoping to find Michael Madsen playing a role other than Mr. Blond.

No luck so far.

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. Harry Dean Stanton is reputed as having been in 97% of all films made

in the last 100 years.

I couldn't tell you if he's in "Species" or not.

[Tom Kitten]

10. I'm an empath too!

"This one they call Orrex, I sense he knows how worthless Dan Smithson really is..."

[Liberal Veteran]

11. Hmm. My empathic senses indicate incredulity and snark in this thread.

[Danger Mouse]

12. Wrong. Nobody is more worthless than Deanna Troi.

Remember, he only sucked over the course of a single movie. She sucked over the course of seven seasons.

[Fire Walk With Me]

13. Wesley Crusher.

hides...will not be dragged into fanboy fest...

[Liberal Veteran]

15. Hah. Wesley could at least pull off that "traveling" trick and build dangerous gadgets.

[Danger Mouse]

16. Crusher occasionally did something useful.

Did it ever make sense? No.
But at least he did something.

[Orrex]

18. But in that whole movie he accomplished nothing. She, at least...

Well...


Um.



Let me get back to you.


Wait--I've got it!
Wesley was entirely worthless, but he was never billed as an empath. Troi's alleged empathic abilities got her a chair on the bridge, and the one thing that she clearly couldn't do was be an empath.

So for purposes of this comparison, Wesley is disqualified.

How did he get to the Riker/Troi wedding, by the way? Wasn't he skipping across the universe with the Traveler?

[Inchworm]

17. DeannaTroi wasn't an empath so much as

she was Betazoid.

You want real? Watch The Wrestler.

jest sayin...

:)

[Orrex]

19. But she was ship's Counselor

I never heard her give any insight more insightful than you'd get off of a Salada tea bag. Picard could have had Don Meredith on the bridge crew, and he'd have been no worse off.


Oh, wait. Don Meredith was Lipton, wasn't he? It's brisk.