The Official Star Trek TNG Thread

[Duke]

OK. Discuss your favorite episodes, characters, ships or anything pertaining to Star Trek TNG.

[Dark Raven]

Which do people think is the best season of TNG? I'd say 4 or 5 probably. 6 and 7 are still good, but 4 and 5 have more standout episodes.

What about the weakest season? 1 or 2 for me. Season 1 sometimes seems like a different show to the later seasons and far more dated for some reason.

[Duke]

I have to say season 1 was a little weak because the crew was a bit out of place. Worf & LaForge were on the bridge being at helm control, there wasn't a regular person manning the transporter room & Tasha Yar was a little weak for my tastes as chief of security.

[Soapy]

The first and second seasons are definitely kind of wonky. My rule of thumb is that if I see Riker without a Beard I change the channel.

[Deathlok]

It definitely took a couple of years for the actors to find their characters. Which I would put down to the writers mainly. But at the same time, Roddenberry wanted a utopian future for Humanity that made writing dramas for the crew difficult.

Once that leash was loosened a bit, we started to get some great stories.

I would say that Seasons 3 through 5 had amongst the best episodes. 6 and 7 were good but more hit and miss.

1 and 2 were the poorest. But there were some stand out episodes. For example, "The measure of a man". Who can argue that this episode was not Star Trek at its best?

[Dark Raven]

Originally Posted by Deathlok

It definitely took a couple of years for the actors to find their characters. Which I would put down to the writers mainly. But at the same time, Roddenberry wanted a utopian future for Humanity that made writing dramas for the crew difficult.

Once that leash was loosened a bit, we started to get some great stories.

I would say that Seasons 3 through 5 had amongst the best episodes. 6 and 7 were good but more hit and miss.

1 and 2 were the poorest. But there were some stand out episodes. For example, "The measure of a man". Who can argue that this episode was not Star Trek at its best?

Patrick Stewart is great at being an advocate and I wish there were more episodes like that. He did have a few similar ones though like The First Duty or The Drumhead. I wouldn't have minded a two-part episode (maybe as a season cliffhanger) where someone in his crew had somehow been court martialed and Picard would have to defend him at Starfleet Academy.

BTW Worf's makeup in Season 1 really looks odd now with his huge forehead and short hair. It's strange also that they started off with no regular chief engineer.

[Pink Ranger]

Originally Posted by Deathlok

It definitely took a couple of years for the actors to find their characters. Which I would put down to the writers mainly. But at the same time, Roddenberry wanted a utopian future for Humanity that made writing dramas for the crew difficult.

Once that leash was loosened a bit, we started to get some great stories.

I always wondered why that was such a prevalent feature of TNG, not just compared to DS9 but compared to TOS too! One of the strongest character elements that helped shape the personalities of Spock and McCoy is that, as John Madden would say, those two flat-out did not like each other. It went from brotherly disagreement to outright disrespect at points, which is what made the dynamic of TOS crew so interesting.

Yet, for TNG, Roddz wanted to eliminate that dynamic entirely, which is why we ended up with dubious characters like Geordi, Beverley, Deanna and Wesley. Yeah, I said it!

[Dark Raven]

Why do you consider them "dubious" in your opinion?

I think Roddenberry wanted to "correct" some of the things he wasn't happy about with the original series. He should know though that good storytelling always involves some kind of conflict, otherwise there's no drama and everything becomes very bland.

But even after the first 2 seasons, no-one still really strongly disagreed with each other that much.

I remember before TNG first debuted, I was a little sceptical of the show, wondering how it would work and compare to the original. I'm sure many people felt the same way. In fact, when it did begin airing, I tuned out after a few episodes of the first season because I didn't really enjoy the show that much. I only caught it again when it was at the end of the 3rd season and Picard became Locutus. I watched it avidly from then on, and only later went back and sat through the first 3 seasons.

In the UK though, it was more than a year from when the 3rd season ended on a cliffhanger to when the premiere of the 4th season was screened. Instead, they decided to show the original series again in its entirety. That was 79 weeks in between (about 18 months), but probably slightly more to account for any breaks the BBC might've decided to take in between for other events (eg Christmas etc). This is what TV used to be like in the UK and how long you'd have to wait between seasons.

[Pink Ranger]

Originally Posted by Dark Raven

Why do you consider them "dubious" in your opinion?

Well, Wesley Crusher 'cause I just couldn't stand him. Wil Wheaton I like, but Wesley is like the Snarf of Star Trek.

Laforge, Bev Crusher and Troi to me were just cloying characters with bland, milquetoast personalities that could have been melded into one character and saved the show some budget.

[Doc Ock]

I need to rewatch the whole series, but Data and Worf are probably my favorite TNG characters.

[Dark Raven]

Originally Posted by Pink Ranger

Well, Wesley Crusher 'cause I just couldn't stand him. Wil Wheaton I like, but Wesley is like the Snarf of Star Trek.

Laforge, Bev Crusher and Troi to me were just cloying characters with bland, milquetoast personalities that could have been melded into one character and saved the show some budget.

What, a blind, african-american empath with red hair and a greek accent, who is a doctor/counsellor by day and engineer by night?

[Indy1Jones]

Originally Posted by Soapy

The first and second seasons are definitely kind of wonky. My rule of thumb is that if I see Riker without a Beard I change the channel.

I agree with you.

[Pink Ranger]

Originally Posted by Dark Raven

What, a blind, african-american empath with red hair and a greek accent, who is a doctor/counsellor by day and engineer by night?

OMG, that's brilliant! Like a Grant Morrison invention.

[dodgers2213]

Season 1 was definitely the weakest. Very corny and lacks character

[Indy1Jones]

Yes it was but it got better over the seasons.

[redhawk23]

Originally Posted by Soapy

The first and second seasons are definitely kind of wonky. My rule of thumb is that if I see Riker without a Beard I change the channel.

[Soapy]

Not sure why I capitalized "beard". :/

[The Squirrel]

Because the beard is its own character.

[Pink Ranger]

Originally Posted by Soapy

Not sure why I capitalized "beard". :/

Originally Posted by The Squirrel

Because the beard is its own character.

See also: Dax, Trill, Symbiont

[Doc Ock]

Originally Posted by redhawk23

Awesome. Riker didn't get cool until the acquiring of the Beard.

[Dark Raven]

Originally Posted by Doc Ock

Awesome. Riker didn't get cool until the acquiring of the Beard.

Those season 1 one-piece uniforms aren't the most flattering either. They look a little too skin tight and less masculine for the men. It certainly wouldn't have worked in later seasons when Frakes had put on weight.

[Soapy]

[Super Kal]

Originally Posted by redhawk23

thats awesome