Gilgamesh, a King, at Uruk

Gilgamesh, a King. 

Gilgamesh, a King, at Uruk. 

He tormented his subjects. 

He made them angry. 

They cried out aloud, 

'Send Us a companion for Our King. 

Spare Us from his madness.' 

Enkidu, a Wild Man from The Forest, entered The City. 

They fought in The Temple. 

They fought in The Street. 

Gilgamesh defeated Enkidu. 

They became Great Friends. 

Gilgamesh and Enkidu at Uruk. 

DATHON: 

At Uruk. 

PICARD: 

The new friends went out into The Desert together, where The Great Bull of Heaven was killing Men by the hundreds. 

Enkidu caught The Bull by the tail. 

Gilgamesh struck it with his sword. 

DATHON: 

Gilgamesh. 

PICARD: 

They were victorious. 

But Enkidu fell to the ground, struck down by The Gods. 

And Gilgamesh wept bitter tears, saying, 

'He who was my companion through adventure and hardship, is gone forever.'

 DATA: 

The Tamarian ego structure does not seem to allow what we normally think of as self-identity. 

Their ability to abstract is highly unusual. 

They seem to communicate through narrative imagery by reference to the individuals and places which appear in their mytho-historical accounts. 

TROI: 

It's as if I were to say to you, 

'Juliet, on her balcony. '

CRUSHER: 

An image of romance. 

TROI: 

Exactly. 

Imagery is everything to the Tamarians.

It embodies their emotional states, their very thought processes. 

It's how they communicate, and it's how they think. 

RIKER: 

If we know how they think, shouldn't we be able to get something across to them? 

DATA:

No, sir. The situation is analogous to understanding the grammar of a language but none of the vocabulary. 

CRUSHER: 

If I didn't know who Juliet was or what she was doing on that balcony, the image alone wouldn't have any meaning. 

TROI: 

That's correct. 

For instance, we know that Darmok was a Great Hero, a Hunter, and that Tanagra was an island, but that's it. 

Without the details, there's no understanding. 

DATA: 

It is necessary for us to learn the narrative from which the Tamarians drawing their imagery. 

Given our current relations, that does not appear likely.

Gilgamesh, a King. 

Gilgamesh, a King, at Uruk. 

He tormented his subjects. 

He made them angry. 

They cried out aloud, 

'Send Us a companion for Our King. 

Spare Us from his madness.' 

Enkidu, a Wild Man from The Forest, entered The City. 

They fought in The Temple. 

They fought in The Street. 

Gilgamesh defeated Enkidu. 

They became Great Friends. 

Gilgamesh and Enkidu at Uruk. 

DATHON: 

At Uruk. 

PICARD: 

The new friends went out into The Desert together, where The Great Bull of Heaven was killing Men by the hundreds. 

Enkidu caught The Bull by the tail. 

Gilgamesh struck it with his sword. 

DATHON: 

Gilgamesh. 

PICARD: 

They were victorious. 

But Enkidu fell to the ground, struck down by The Gods. 

And Gilgamesh wept bitter tears, saying, 

'He who was my companion through adventure and hardship, is gone forever.'

RIKER: 

Greek, sir? 

PICARD: 

Oh, the Homeric Hymns. 

One of the root metaphors of our own culture. 

RIKER: 

For the next time we encounter the Tamarians? 

PICARD: 

More familiarity with our own mythology might help us to relate to theirs. 

The Tamarian was willing to risk all of us just for the hope of communication, connection. 

Now the door is open between our peoples. 

That commitment meant more to him than his own life. 

Thank you, Number One.