Rebuilding Rob

Like me, the actress Whoopi Goldberg is a big fan of the Star Trek franchise. As a kid, she grew up idolizing Nichelle (Uhura)Nichols. After Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered in 1987, Goldberg approached the showrunners, explaining that she would love to be a part of the show in some capacity if circumstances would allow it.

Naturally, the TNG show runners jumped at the opportunity. After all, Goldberg was arguably at (or nearing) the peak of her popularity at this time. So the mysterious alien character Guinan was created for Goldberg. Guinan was not a regular cast member, allowing Goldberg to appear whenever a story or her schedule made it possible.

Guinan was a very old friend and close confidant to Captain Picard. She served as a proprietor of 10 Forward, a new set created for season two of TNG that was essentially the ship’s bar.

As the series unfolds, it is gradually revealed that Guinan is a member of a long-living race called the El Aurians. Guinan’s people are often described “a race of listeners“. People talk to El Aurians . People confide in them. Often times on TNG, characters would head to 10 Forward to be alone, and think about their dilemma-of-the-week. Conveniently, Guinan would be there to listen. She would usually extol some pearl of wisdom. But like any good bartender ( or counselor for that matter) Guinan would generally ask guiding questions, allowing the characters to come to a realization for themselves.

There’s a lot of traits about myself that I like; but then, again, I am a little bit biased towards me. I think I would have to say that the one trait that I currently value most about myself is what most people tell me about me: I am a good listener.

Sometimes I think I really missed my calling, professionally speaking. I think I would’ve been a really great “good cop“ in those police interrogation scenes, the one who gets the perp to spill their guts without raising his voice. People have a way of opening up to me. That’s not to say that they would literally confess their crimes to me. But I have had several people tell me that I’m a good listener.

One of the things I have learned in life, and certainly, my career, is that people just want to be heard. They want to feel that people are listening to them. It’s like the kid who gets in trouble at school. More often than not, they are just looking for attention. They just want to be acknowledged and noticed sometimes. They just want to feel that people care about them.

Also, as humans, I think we tend to go to others for validation of our own feelings. Often times, when somebody comes to you for advice, I believe that they know what they want to do, or at least know what they should do; but we seek out the advice of others, or counsel, to validate those feelings. As for me personally, I know that I will ask as many people as I have to for advice, until somebody says exactly what I want to hear. 

I think sometimes being a good listener has actually been to my detriment, at least on the relationship front. There have been women that I’ve been romantically interested in who have completely opened up to me about their failed relationships, their exes, their broken childhood – whatever seems to be ailing them. While, I like the fact that people feel like they can open up to me like that, it definitely puts me in the friend zone more often than not.

Maybe I am even more like Guinan than I realize. On TNG, she is very much a solitary character. You’ll hear throw-away lines from her about her previous relationships, her family and her children; but usually when you see her, she is interacting one on one with only one other character. It’s very rare to see her in any group setting on the show.

This also sums up how I’m feeling right now at this stage in my life. I’m social, I like to talk to people. People seem very comfortable talking to me. But I just don’t find myself in a lot of group dynamics anymore.

Is it possible that my experiences are leading me to becoming a wise person?

Post Script: If you’ve ever watched Star Trek: the next generation and felt like Guinan and Counselor Troi’s lines could be interchangeable, you are right. Often times, lines that were written for Troi would be given to Guinan, whenever Goldberg’s schedule allowed her to appear in an episode – and vice versa.

What’s the trait you value most about yourself?

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

• Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
• A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
• The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
• The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie

The article “Feeling Guinan” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.