The Next Generation Season 1

Discussion in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' started by BillJ, Nov 22, 2008.

  1. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Admiral

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    I actually think season 1 is very underrated in these parts... currently watching 11001001. The 24th century Star Trek universe still seemed fresh at this point and the episodes I've been watching recently seem to have aged pretty well.

    Anyone else have any love for season 1?
     
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  2. chris32482

    chris32482 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Of course! TNG was the show that got me into Trek. Season 1 was also the first star trek I ever bought on DVD. Actually, come to think of it I used to own "Encounter at Farpoint" and "Datalore" on VHS when I was like 10, lol.
     
  3. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I think the man skirts were the bravest thing Trek ever attempted. Sure I thought they looked silly as hell as does everyone else which shows how much bias we have towards such an idea. Plus, we could occasionally to get see the women in skirts.
     
  4. Dane_Whitman

    Dane_Whitman Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    On the contrary, when I recently rewatched season 1, I couldn't wait for it to end. Some very poor stories, the look of the show, and the awkward moments as the actors tried to settle into their characters... Nah. It's my all-time least favourite Trek season. It did end on a strong note with Conspiracy and The Neutral Zone.
     
  5. Good Will Riker

    Good Will Riker Admiral

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    The 1st season of TNG is definitely my favorite because it follows TOS closest in terms of style, tone, and execution compared to the later seasons. :cool:
     
  6. Holdfast

    Holdfast Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    S1 has a lot of good eps in it; very underrated IMO. Then again, I think S2 is probably TNG's best, so take my opinion with a pinch of salt! :)
     
  7. Ryan Thomas Riddle

    Ryan Thomas Riddle Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I enjoy TNG Season One despite the horrid episodes. There was still a sense of wonder about exploration. The Enterprise was on it's own, far from home. There was still a weridness and danger about space ("The Last Outpost," as an example). People died (Tasha Yar). It's the same reasons I think Season Two is one of the best seasons of TNG. After the excellent Season Three, TNG became standardized and everything felt and looked the same in terms of storytelling, music and characters. Space became a small town that the Enterprise easily traveresed week-to-week. And the stories were more of galactic ambulance than deep-space exploration.

    TNG Season One had a lot of promise of the show with some potentially interesting conflicts that came not from Soap Opera angst, but from wildly different perspectives and ways of approaching problem solving.

    For example, EaF set up trigger that Riker and Picard would eventually come to a head when it came Away Missions. The idea that Riker would be in another DeSoto situation. That Picard would have to deal more and more with Crusher and his guilt over Jack Crusher. Perhaps, even the danger of space might've been too much for the ship's civilian population. Of course, they all but vanished after Season Three; only to be seen and heard of a handful of times in the later years.

    Alas, only Worf had real conflict that stemed from his Klingon heritage/perspecitive. But even that degenerated into Soap Opera angst when he dealt with the Klingon Empire.

    Seson One set up some wonderful opportunites for TNG that were never utilized. Think about it, Picard the consumate Starfleet officer and explorer who never had time for family now has a chance at one with Wesley; helping him become a man that his father could be proud of and thus relieving some of the guilt that he felt over Jack's death.

    Or Crusher truly going at it with Picard over putting her son in danger. Her reaction to Picard in "Justice" was lame and flat; perhaps more to do with Gates' performance than the writing. Although, the writing on that episode could've been better. Then again, I preffered the ballsiness of Pulaski over Crusher.

    Riker having to force Picard to stay on ship. Or Picard going down despite the protests of Riker and the rest. Then having something horrid happen to him, causing Riker guilt and pain.

    But alas, the show we got is the show we got. Season One isn't too bad, it's not great. It's okay and I liked it. Hell, I even liked the streamlined uniform designs of Theiss even though you had to be extremely fit to fit into one.
     
  8. MikeS

    MikeS Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Brilliantly said, it reminds me of a line from Richard Galen in the sixth season episode "The Chase". I can't find the exact quote, but it was something to do with Picard having become akin to a Roman Centurion patrolling the provinces of an overly bloated empire. Perhaps the writers had taken this view too?!
     
  9. Dorothy_Zbornak

    Dorothy_Zbornak Commodore Commodore

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    I like Season 1 because it's pure 80s Trek, something we didn't really get much of beyond the TOS movies. TNG really was a 90s show in its prime.

    Season 1 feels very much like what Phase II would have been had it ever come into being. Stories like "Code of Honour" and "Arsenal of Freedom"--they feel very TOS-inspired.

    TNG didn't really hit its stride until the 3rd season.
     
  10. RandyS

    RandyS Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Another vote here. I found the crew's heroic posturing annoying (Roddenberry's writing), as was Wesley. But we DID have Tasha Yar that year.

    And the music in those episodes were just beautiful. I know, everybody hates the synthisizer (I hope I spelled that right), but I loved it.
     
  11. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Admiral

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    I really believe there are many more "hits" than "misses" in the first season...

    Encounter at Farpoint - DeForest Kelley cameo and the introduction of Q make this a winner.

    The Naked Now - Perhaps produced too early, but we do learn that Data is 'fully functional'. Winner

    Code of Honor - "You will have no vaccine and no Lieutenant Yar!!!", ugh. Probably worst episode in all of Trek. Loser

    The Last Outpost - Like The Naked Now, a rip of an original Star Trek episode. Still entertaining. Winner

    Where No One Has Gone Before - "Space and time and thought are not the seperate things we believe them to be", Winner.

    Lonely Among Us - "P for Picard" almost sunk this one... but the B story with the warring alien diplomats make it a winner.

    Justice - Almost as bad as Code of Honor, but a hell of a lot more entertaining. Loser

    The Battle - Ferengi come back and are less irritating to boot. Interesting insights to Picard's past. Winner

    Hide and Q - One of my personal favorites. Great sci-fi premise and John deLancie hamming it up. Winner

    Haven - We almost lose Counselor Troi. Damn, that would have been a shame. Loser

    The Big Goodbye - This episode already gets enough praise. Winner

    Datalore - Brent Spiner in a dual role and the threat of turning Wesley into a torch. Winner

    Angel One - Next. Loser

    11001001 - Another great sci-fi premise. Binars are an interesting race. Winner

    Too Short a Season - The spiritual sequel to A Private Little War. Winner

    When the Bough Breaks - Yawn. Gag. Snore. Loser

    Home Soil - "Ugly bags of mostly water", yeah... well screw you too. Loser

    Coming of Age - Points for setting up Conspiracy, just not enough. Loser

    Heart of Glory - When the Klingons still seemed like TOS Klingons. Winner

    The Arsenal of Freedom - Arms dealers who are outsmarted by their own weapons, classic. Winner

    Symbiosis - Hahahahahahahaha. Love the use of the Prime Directive here. The last three minutes make up for the first 57. Winner

    Skin of Evil - Loved the concept here. A skewed take on Who Mourns for Adonais. Winner

    We'll Always Have Paris - Seems like it's not only Jimmy Kirk who likes "little blond lab assistants". Winner

    Conspiracy - Scorpions have taken over the Federation. Winner

    The Neutral Zone - 20th century humans, the return of the Romulans and the first indications of the Borg. Only The Best of Both Worlds was a better season finale.

    So, I count 18 out of 25 as winners. Sure there were some awkward moments along the way... but it was the first Star Trek in production in 18 years.
     
  12. MikeS

    MikeS Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    You have me intrigued. Which TOS episode? :confused:
     
  13. DGCatAniSiri

    DGCatAniSiri Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Take your pick, it's got some of the staples - There's the Powerful Advanced Alien, who then goes and Captures Our Heroes and pits them against the Aggressor Species, where the loser Will Be Destroyed and the episode ends in a Pithy Speech about the hallmark of advanced species is Mercy On Our Enemies.

    Actually, I'm thinking that episode is a complete combination of every cliche of TOS, with the exception of the Whirlwind Romance. Enjoyable, though, even if it's pretty much only remembered for the scene in the briefing room where Data is confounded by the Chinese finger trap.
     
  14. WillsBabe

    WillsBabe Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Seaon one has its supporters, I'm one of them myself. I really like its vibe, actually. There's something chilly and distant about it that I like. OTOH, I'm not sure that I would have warmed to the show the way I did if it had continued in that way. I like a lot of what they did with Troi in the first season. Okay, the "I feel great pain/joy/whatever" was irritating, but she did some interesting stuff too, that got moved to other characters in later seasons. Also, Riker didn't have the beard, so that's a mark away, for a start. ;)
     
  15. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Admiral

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    The one it reminds me the most of is Arena.
     
  16. Sheliak

    Sheliak Commodore Commodore

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    Symbiosis
     
  17. Good Will Riker

    Good Will Riker Admiral

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    I actually enjoy 25 out of 26 episodes produced for the 1st season, except for the heavy-handed, overly-preachy, PC-male bashing, and 80's she-male episode "Angel One."

    As for the look and feel of the 1st season, it appears as though it was inspired by the aesthetics of 1970's sci-fi productions, such as:

    Logan's Run
    TV's "Battlestar Galactica"
    TV's "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century"
     
  18. crouteru

    crouteru Captain Captain

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    Heh, quite a difference of opinion here. I would describe season one as a mixed bag. I enjoyed episodes such as 'Where No One Has Gone Before' and '11001001', however there were a number of episodes very much stuck in the 60's, like 'Code Of Honor' and 'Justice', which were simply terrible in my opinion. It is a fun season to watch at least once though.
     
  19. MikeS

    MikeS Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Sorry I misunderstood the original poster. I took them to mean that it was a blatant rip of a TOS episode in the same way that The Naked Now was. I can understand it when you say the "vibe" was similar.

    Anyway, I think Season 1, aside from a few teething problems, is really strong for the most part. Good character driven stories that set the tone for the rest of TNG's run. You just have to ignore some of the shakey special effects, the synthesiser and a few of the continuity errors (such as Klingons being a member of the UFP :klingon: ).
     
  20. BolianAuthor

    BolianAuthor Writer, Battlestar Urantia Rear Admiral

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    I'm also among the small group that really loved season one.