Episode "Evolution"
From: Jason C
Hi Folks,
Just finished listening to your podcast about the episode "Evolution", and a thought occurred to me about the use of "Stars & Stripes Forever" when the nanites begin disrupting the Enterprise's computer systems.
I used to be a circus performer and that song has a very specific meaning in American circus tradition. It's only played by a circus band when an emergency is taking place. It's a sort of code to the circus people that something is wrong, without alarming spectators. If you are a circus person and hear Stars & Stripes Forever during a show, it's a sort of "all hands on deck" warning. Here's the Wikipedia entry on the song, and it mentions this usage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stars_and_Stripes_Forever
So I'm wondering if back in the day, someone in the production of Star Trek TNG knew this and purposely decided to use Stars & Stripes in this episode as a form of very subtle foreshadowing. It's a long-shot, but you never know...
Regards,
Jason
(last name withheld)
