Learning Curve (305)

[wilhelmganon]

"Learning Curve" is a GREAT example of why Stargate really isn't just another Star Trek. Jack clearly doesn't mind inducing the "Tau'ri/American" way upon Merrin - nuts to any Prime Directive!

Aside from that, the SGC gets its first naquadah reactor up and running, and I love the scene where Merrin, in the elementary school, busts out a half-drawn schematic of the reactor. O'Neill's "uhhh, let's put that away" look is quite priceless.

[DF2506]

wilhelmganon>

< "Learning Curve" is a GREAT example of why Stargate really isn't just another Star Trek. Jack clearly doesn't mind inducing the "Tau'ri/American" way upon Merrin - nuts to any Prime Directive!<

Well...to be fair...Kirk didn't much care about the Prime directive either..and I think Picard and Sisko has broken it a few times...

But..I do agree that Jack is very anti-Trek. He's a really good character, imo.

I really like how Jack was in Learning Curve. He's interaction with the girl were very good (aside: the girl was pretty good in the episode too).

Plot-wise, this was smarter then a Trek episode. Alot smarter. I really thought the concept was very interesting. Basically, having kids learn stuff and then taking the knowledge out their head and sharing it was the rest of the community. Amazing.

I can see both point of views. Of course, I agree with Jack.

Liked the ending though. O'Neil really changed things with that planet, for the better, by just showing the girl how to have fun.

<Aside from that, the SGC gets its first naquadah reactor up and running, and I love the scene where Merrin, in the elementary school, busts out a half-drawn schematic of the reactor. O'Neill's "uhhh, let's put that away" look is quite priceless. <

Ya, that was a good moment. He really grabed that quickly! hehe.

I liked the kids drawining of flowers. Nice picture.

VERY good episode, imo. Enjoyed it.

DF2506

[Selmak]

Love naquida generators... They are used very effectively in other episodes as well.

[SeaBee]

I've never liked this ep, for personal reasons. The kids were good though.

[Selmak]

The human Naquida generators look nothing like the ones from that culture.

[blingaway]

I just watched Learning Curve again today, and got to wondering about the future societal implications.

Any decent culture cares for their members who are impaired in some way, through congential defects or by trauma, and decent people harbor no predjudice for those who cannot learn. The people of Orban take pride in how well they care for their ex-super-learners, and I can see how with the nanite learning process they use that it just may not have occured to them to try to teach the children.

With teaching, the ex-uron children will be able to participate in the society again but they will be fundamentally different from the majority population who rely on nanites. Will they be allowed to pursue the subjects they once had mastered, or will it be considered redundant and pointless, even if it interests the child?

Will they have equal access to resources to develop traditional schools for learning? Will the Orban nanite people try to take an "equal but separate" approach to the ex-uron people? The nanite-less people will be a small minority, and the Orbanian people seems focused on quick advancement. It would take an awfully compassionate set of leaders to try to keep the ex-urons fully integrated into the life and societal structure on Orban and not just consider them baggage.

[LMichelle]

It seems to me he did a quick turn around of how to "teach" the children.

Jack was imposing his ideas on another culture, emphasizing fun and play over constant work. That is the way American culture is, but the Orbans had no concept of it. From our standpoint, they were abusing and neglecting their children. "Well cared for" means different things to different people.

We may feel a certain idea or belief is wrong, but each society has its own set of standards and norms. Who should judge what those are?

Lisa Michelle

[Daniel's_twin]

I agree that Jack shouldn't have said that they didn't deserve their children, but I'm glad he helped the Orbans realize that "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". (pardon the pun) But they never explained why the Goa'uld left, did they? halfway through, Daniel stopped searching and the focus was centered on Jack and the girl. Bit surprised he didn't give her a dog, too.

[Jane]

I love the relationship between Merin and Jack. Kids just seem to like him so much.

[Daniel's_twin]

Well, that's 'cause he's like a kid himself. And he's fun. And he's like a kid (did I already say that?)

[Naquida Guy]

"We may feel a certain idea or belief is wrong, but each society has its own set of standards and norms. Who should judge what those are? "

Really, I think that sums up Jack O'Neill though. Jack has a very black and white view of the world, and he's very consistant in his expression of it. When he orders Carter to blow up the Naquida generator in Scorched Earth, or when he passes judgment upon another civlization in Beneath the Surface. Heck, when he orders the Iris closed in The Other Side (and you can see Sam doesn't like that decision). Things are always right or wrong with Jack, and if he feels strongly enough about something, he doesn't much care what his superiors (or anyone else) think of it.

I did think this was a really great Jack episode; it really gives you the 'softer side of Jack' which often dissapears under his military personality.

[SmartFox]

One thing i hated about this ep is how Jack and the rest of SG-1 tried to force their ideas and believes on to the Orbans. Just because we believe our way is right does not neccesarily mean it is. Of course this does accuratly project the American society and our believes. Which is probably why i didn't like this ep as much.
Glad i get to see how we got our naquadah reactors though.

[RubyRed]

I like what jack did. I know the orbans think their ways are right but i just can't stop thinking that is so wrong. They used their children and make them work like maniacs and then when they have to give up their knowledge they are like vegetables. they are like numb. they look like they don't feel anything have no idea what the hell is going on. is like they are born at the age of 12. i was glad that sam agree with jack even thougth she knew that they couldn't just take her. but at leas jack gave her the chance to be a kid at least for a few hours. i guess jack didn't get court marshal cause deep down General Hammond agree with him. or maybe it is that SG1 is too valuable to the SGC. I mean we have heard Hammond again and again saying SG1 is he's best team.

[Celsius]

I agree with Naquida Boy, Jack has very strong values of how he believes people should behave and is not shy in making his voice be heard, even when it really isn't his palce to dictate how a culture should or shouldn't behave.

It's basically like Western civilization's protest to female circumcision in parts of Africa; we may see it as barbaric, but it is that culture's own tradition, and the question really is, how much of a right do we have to change that?

Yes the Orlans were different, and they were basically using children as machines. Of course, Jack's intervention has beneficial consequences, but it could quite as easily have resulted in mass chaos for the Orlans (though that would have really destroyed the point of the episode).

As much as Jack may not like it, the Orlans have their own ways, and if everyone everywhere were to act exactly the same and share the same attitudes and values, then there would be no uniqueness and cultures would lose the identity they have strived to maintain for centuries.

[Spiko]

No culture is perfect. All cultures vary and that is what makes this world (hopefully there's someone else in the universe too) great.

I disagree with how SG-1 believed that they were right and the Orbanians were wrong. That made me so mad. I would have expected better at least from Daniel, even though they probly had best intentions in mind. Like Celsius and Smart Fox, I agree that it is not our place to judge.

IMO, Merrin was the wisest in this episode. She went through the Averrium. Not only did she deliver necessary scientific knowledge to her people. She delivered knowledge that made everyone's life on Orbana much happier. This is what Daniel is talking about when he says that there are other reasons for alliances than technological advancements. To exchange cultural ideas and learn from them:

Now, the Orbanians know they don't have to forget and discard the past-Orun children.

Now, hopefully, Jack and the SGC have learned to be more accepting of other cultures. And I do think this is so because when Jack saw Merrin drawing he smiled at her as if it was all ok now.

Both Cultures learned from eachother.