Captain Picard and Captain Dathan
Perhaps the best illustration of the power of analogy in Trek is “Darmok,” the Next Generation episode in which Picard must learn to communicate with a captain whose culture expresses itself entirely in metaphors. Without a common culture to serve as context for what he says, Picard has no idea where to start. “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra”? “Darmok and Jalad on the ocean”?! Thankfully Picard and the other captain, Dathon, end up sharing experiences with each other, building a common framework, and ultimately coming to an understanding. Like Picard and Dathon, Darmok and Jalad are two characters brought together through a mutual challenge.
To this day the words “Darmok and Jalad” bring a warm feeling to the heart of Trekkies because we remember how Dathon dies to teach Picard this lesson. And on a more meta level, we Trekkies were brought together by experiencing them experiencing the lesson.
Captain Picard and Captain Dathan
Perhaps the best illustration of the power of analogy in Trek is “Darmok,” the Next Generation episode in which Picard must learn to communicate with a captain whose culture expresses itself entirely in metaphors. Without a common culture to serve as context for what he says, Picard has no idea where to start. “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra”? “Darmok and Jalad on the ocean”?! Thankfully Picard and the other captain, Dathon, end up sharing experiences with each other, building a common framework, and ultimately coming to an understanding. Like Picard and Dathon, Darmok and Jalad are two characters brought together through a mutual challenge.
To this day the words “Darmok and Jalad” bring a warm feeling to the heart of Trekkies because we remember how Dathon dies to teach Picard this lesson. And on a more meta level, we Trekkies were brought together by experiencing them experiencing the lesson.