This reminds me of how I watched "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" back in kindergarten, and how it helped me to transition to watching the 1st season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" when it premiered when I was in the 6th grade due to the similar aesthetics of the 2 shows. My friends who finally got into TNG in its 5th season saw it as the "Picard diplomacy show" by then, but when I initially jumped aboard when "Encounter at Farpoint" premiered in 1987, I was heavily influenced by TOS, "Battlestar Galactica," "Buck Rogers," "Flash Gordon," and Star Wars when I tuned in for some action-adventure along with social commentary and planetary exploration. I just wished that TNG had Hawk, though (Worf, as badass as he was in TNG & DS9, was still a "by the book" type character.). He was a badass lonewolf character who was actually the only cool part about the 2nd season of "Buck Rogers."
^ Perception is an interesting thing. For me the two shows couldn't be more unalike. That may be something to do with the age difference for me when I was watching them. I was 13 or so when I watched season one of Buck Rogers and 22 when I watched season one of TNG. Those are two massively different periods in my life and the shows represent that to me. Still, I obviously maintained my love of a bit of female domination over macho heroes!
^^^ Well, no, I can never revisit those "Buck Rogers" episodes after all these years, but 28 years since originally watching those episodes on television (I am currently 33.) I discovered to my surprise and delight that Buster Crabbe ("Flash Gordon") guest-starred in one of those episodes.
^ Oh, yes. I loved that! I loved the exchange that goes something like: Crabbe: "I was saving the world before you were born." Gerrard: "You think so?" Crabbe: "Young man, I know so." Great stuff.
Nothing is going to be perfect it and season is far from it. I have to defend it though. It brought me back into the Star Trek fold. It captured my imagination like it did when I was younger. I love the first episode.
I just saw 'Skin of Evil'. The Black-Soot Oil creature that killed Lt. Yar. Why did they kill her off? Career-move? Anyone remember why she was let go?
Hey, trekjiro. I believe Denise Crosby felt she wasn't getting good plots as Tasha Yar, so that's why she was killed off. Of course, Tasha's character being iced gave Michael Dorn more screentime as Worf became security chief. If that hadn't happened, his character would've developed quite differently, I'm sure. -- RR
The Synthesizer is the best part of Season 1. It certainly adds to the character of it. Episodes like "Where no one has gone before" would lose so much of their awesomeness if they had been done in the later season's bland orchestral progressions. Not a really good episode, but Q saves it from total lameness. I also like the "The Enterprise encounters a UFO" bit. This is one of the bad ones. Horrid episode. Data's line "What just happened is.....impossible!" hah hah so grating, like nails scratching down a chalkboard. The whole "fully functional" thing was horrid, fanwanking for the nerds IMO. It was comical, but not in a good way. I think it would have redeemed itself a bit if there were some black people on the planet that WEREN'T in some African Tribe mentality. I'm surprised this episode was allowed to be made. It was great. I liked it. Felt mysterious and alien, like Trek should be. Indeed! My favorite TNG episode. This was Star Trek embodied in one episode. It was decent. The attempt at alien looking aliens was better than most of future trek's goofaced bumpy faced foreheads. The thing with "god" was cool. Otherwise, horrible episode. It was decent enough. It gets a pass from me as well. The episode felt off somehow, but it was still good. A remastered version could ham up the graphics quite a bit, and fix that ugly pastel planet. Lame episode for sure. I didn't like it for several reasons. It tried to play the holodeck as a creator of a real world, rather than an illusion. My computer games don't ask if they are going to die whenever I turn my computer off. Also, having Beverly be "confused" by make up (when you can clearly see Gates McFadden has a couple of buckets pasted on her face) was really stretching it there. A loser in my book Excellent episode. 80's tramps take control of a planet. Not....funny. I think this is the first time we see the majestic mushroom starbase in TNG? Just for that it's a winner. Loser to me. William Shatner shouldn't have been such a dick, and should have starred in the episode the way it was intended to be. I liked it. It wasn't expanded enough, but it had a good premise. I liked the threat of sending the Enterprise years away from the planet, would have liked to see them test it out. Data kicks a laser's ass. Just for that it's a winner. Don't remember this one too well, other than that goofy guy getting on people's nerves. Forgettable episode I'm so sick of Klingons that I have to give this one a Loser score. Even that hot Klingon babe showed up later as a Q in Voyager, where she looked even hotter, taking away the only reason for me to watch the episode. Nice action oriented episode. The irony was thick as a brick. Was this the crazy episode where the crew are being choked to death by the other people on that ship? Why didn't someone torpedo their asses??? They could still move their hands. Loser The swamp thing attacks the crew of the Enterprise and Tasha dies. I liked Tasha and would have liked to see her character explored more. Loser. Only redeeming quality was Picard telling the creature it could eat shit and die alone there. Still a loser though. Loved the Sci-Fi angle. The love triangle hurt it a bit, but still a winner, if only to see two Data's confused the freak out of each other in a turbolift. Too much of a rip off of Aliens IMO. At least they blasted them to Kingdom come at the end. I wish Data would have taken on that Admiral at the beginning, and see if he could snap his neck without getting his ass fed to him. The concept was good. The humans were majorly boring. The Romulans showing up at the end redeems the episode. Winner. So yeah, first season had lots of winners
You're giving this episode a D-?? What the heck? Why?? In my opinion it gets an A, and then only reason it doesn't get an A+ is because the characters still feels stuffy and uncomfortable with each other (most of the 1st season is like this) but I forgive that minor quibble. How can anyone not like watching Picard almost step off a Turbolift straight into deep space?? lol
I have both Season 1 and 2 of TNG on dvd. I think season 1 has plenty of quality episodes in it IMO. Datalore was a good ep, very enjoyable.
I'm ashamed to say I have those on DVD -- and I can't watch them either... Wilma Deering aside, they are just too bad, with only a couple of exceptions...and TWIKI is an abomination of the order of Jar-Jar Binks...
"Home Soil" was another ripoff of TOS IMO. It felt very much like a poor man's "The Devil in the Dark". Even with this said, I thought "Home Soil" was a good first season episode. It just wasn't great like "The Devil in the Dark" was IMO.
Surefire: To me, it's one of the worst season one eps. Not only was it a bad ripoff of Devil in the Dark, a TOS season one actor was in it. Home Soil is such an abomination to me, I've only seen it twice, but the actor in question, the guy who gets zapped by the laser, is the mindless minion that operates the deadly device in Dagger of the Mind. Red Ranger
I understand. But for me there were so many worse season 1 episodes that I kind of liked it. However, compared to the typical S2 - S5 episodes, I will agree that it wasn't good.
Thanks RRanger for the info. I was just wondering. I noticed some recent pics of her at some conventions. Even though she left, she still seems to appreciate the recognition as a Trekky. I just completed watching Season One. I enjoyed it very much. Summary: Worst: Naked Now Excellent: Datalore Where No One Has Gone Before Hide and Q 11001001 Heart of Glory Conspiracy SEASON1: 1: Encounter at Farpoint: “B” 'Q' character introduced. Movie-like story in TV prod. 2: The Naked Now: “D” Crew gets some kind of Sexual bug 3: Code of Honor: “C” African-like people fight for 'honor'. 4: The Last Outpost: “C-” 1st appearance of Ferrenghis 5: Where No One Has Gone Before: “A-” Wesley and the Time Traveler. Good graphics of time travel/different galaxies. 6: Lonely Among Us: “B” Crew possessed by an energy-life. 7: Justice: "C+" Crew visits 'Eden' planet. Wesley gets in trouble and 'god' wants to punish the crew. 8: The Battle: "C+" Battle with the Ferrangi mind-sphere. 9: Hide and Q: "B+" Q gives Riker Q-like powers. 10: Haven: "C+" A Doctor Wyatt has dream girl. Almost weds Troi. 11: The Big Goodbye: "B" First episode with Holodeck: Dixon Hill Private Eye. 12: Datalore: "A-" Data goes back to home planet. Discovers his brother 'Lore' who is more human and evil. 13: AngelOne: "B-" Stranded crew on Woman's planet. Enterprise must save them and also rid of virus in ship. 14: 11001001: "B+" Twin Bynars take over ship to save planet. Minuet in Holodeck distracts Ryker. 15: Too Short a Season: "C" An Admiral takes a youth syrum to try to negotiate for hostages from an old war mistake. 16: When the Bough Breaks: "C+" Enterprise finds mythological planet that is technologically advanced but can't bear children. 17: Home Soil: "C" New life form crystal discovered and almost killed on planet. 18: Coming of Age: "B" Wesley tests for Academy against Morlock. Picard is scrutinized by investigation. 19: Heart of Glory: "B+" Enterprise capture 2 Klingons on a remote cargo ship and try to sway Worf to join. 20: The Arsenal of Freedom: "B" Weapons System on planet tries to kill away team. LeForge has to Captain the Enterprise 21: Symbiosis: "C+" Enterprise rescues a freighter that held a shipment of drugs to a people/planet. 22: Skin of Evil: "B" Oil-like Creature kills Lt Yar and threatens crew on uninhabited planet. 23: We'll Always Have Paris: "C-" Picard runs into an old lady friend to patch things up. Her husband is in trouble with his time experiments. 24: Conspiracy: "B+" Alien/Parasite invades Starfleets highest and try to 'convert' Picard/Riker to take control of Enterprise. 25: The Neutral Zone: "B" Enterprise goes to Neutral Zone for possible confrontation with Romulans. 3 people from 20th Century discovered in Cyrogenic state on old space station.
I have started a DVD based re-run of TNG and have so far re-watched 6-7 episodes of Season one and like it a lot. I do not share the high praise for Encounter at Farpoint, though. A lot of the details seem off (which is usually alright for a pilot) but this time in an extend that I can't tolerate really. So far I enjoy Data very much. The Last Outpost and the chineese fingertraps anyone? Nice lines and great acting by Brent Spiner. Also great acting by Patrick Stewart. Gates McFadden is too wooden for me, especially wen she has to deal with medical instruments. She is better in character-to-character situations I think.
The actress and the character never really clicked for me. I felt that she was just... well, there. She might as well have been a piece of sickbay furniture. I was glad they replaced her in season two and was disappointed when she returned in season three.
^Hmmm... I tend to like Crusher a lot more than Troi. Although I do feel that TNG did not have great female lead characters, as DS9 did.