The TNG episode was called "Darmok". (I remembered this one myself, and used google to check.. dearie me, I guess I'm still a trekker at heart).
Oh, and it was "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" that he kept saying.
The original series episode was called Arena. (thank google entirely for that one; the beastie was called the "gorn", hence why I had more luck)
Babylon 5 did the same thing, except that the "god-like superbeings" don't take pity on the major character (captain Sheridan) for his mercy. Instead, he escapes with his new chum, eventually leaving the ship in an escape pod. The aliens later throw all their test subjects out of the airlock, just as Sheridan's mates turn up, allowing a moment of "oh my god they killed him!" horror. They then proceed to blow the alien ship into tiny little pieces. It turns out that the aliens are scouts for the nasty horrible bad guys (the imaginatively named "Shadows") who turn up later and start a huge war, which is the main plot of the series as a whole.
I think Space: Above and Beyond did a similar episode, but I'm not certain.
There was also an episode of Star Trek where the godlike aliens took away the whole ship's weapons, and the enterprise crew and a bunch of klingons were forced to fight with swords. Can't remember how it ended, though.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2002-10-03 11:18 am (UTC)Oh, and it was "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" that he kept saying.
The original series episode was called Arena. (thank google entirely for that one; the beastie was called the "gorn", hence why I had more luck)
Babylon 5 did the same thing, except that the "god-like superbeings" don't take pity on the major character (captain Sheridan) for his mercy. Instead, he escapes with his new chum, eventually leaving the ship in an escape pod. The aliens later throw all their test subjects out of the airlock, just as Sheridan's mates turn up, allowing a moment of "oh my god they killed him!" horror. They then proceed to blow the alien ship into tiny little pieces. It turns out that the aliens are scouts for the nasty horrible bad guys (the imaginatively named "Shadows") who turn up later and start a huge war, which is the main plot of the series as a whole.
I think Space: Above and Beyond did a similar episode, but I'm not certain.
There was also an episode of Star Trek where the godlike aliens took away the whole ship's weapons, and the enterprise crew and a bunch of klingons were forced to fight with swords. Can't remember how it ended, though.