Season 3 Why So Many Good Story's !!!

[Jaro Stun]

Season 3 is just excellent. It is the classic season of Star Trek for me, and to a great degree it is responsible of making me a life-long Star Trek fan (the first season of Trek I regularly watched on TV back then). Not any aother season (not even S4) is equl, though, TNG S4 and DS9 S4-S5 come very close.

I just cannot wait to see this season on BluRay, restored by CBS.

The list of excellent episodes covers almost all 26 eps, but the main highlights are:
- Yesterday's Enterprise
- BOBW
- Enemy / Defector mini-arc
- Booby Trap
- Hunted
- High Ground
- Survivors
- Tin Man

[jimbotron]

For me, the only episodes that I tend to skip are Captain's Holiday, Who Watches the Watchers, The High Ground and Transfigurations. So that's 22 out of 26 that I enjoy watching. I can barely find 22 enjoyable episodes in seasons 1, 2, 6 and 7 combined.

Heck, they had an episode that focused on Wesley and Lwaxana Troi AND featured the Ferengi and still managed to make it entertaining. That right there is a writing staff that can do no wrong.

[DalekJim]

Dream wrote:

---

TNG certainly wins the "Most Improved Star Trek series from the Pilot" Award with that season.

Honestly, I've always felt TNG had an alright pilot. It's the seemingly endless run of shit episodes after it that spoil the beginning of the show.

[Maxwell Everett]

jimbotron wrote:

---

For me, the only episodes that I tend to skip are Captain's Holiday, Who Watches the Watchers, The High Ground and Transfigurations.

Personally, I really dig "Who Watches the Watchers." I think it's one of the standout episodes of the first half of Season 3. Solid writing, interesting premise and great Ron Jones score. Interestingly, it was the last episode with Michael Wagner in his brief stint as showrunner (he co-wrote "Evolution" with Michael Piller and recommended him for the job when he decided to leave).

A decade ago when I put together my own themed discs, this was part of my "False Beliefs" DVD:

[jimbotron]

Ron Jones had a lot to do with making season 3 so good. Would Booby Trap have been as good without his score? Certainly BOBW wouldn't have been. Seasons 5-7 might have seemed better in hindsight if he hadn't been fired.

[HaventGotALife]

The Survivors
Who Watches the Watchers
The Bonding
The Hunted
The High Ground
Deja Q
A Matter of Perspective
Yesterday's Enterprise
The Offspring
Sins of the Father
Transfigurations
The Best of Both Worlds, Part I

All these episodes are on my all-time favorites list. The show managed to do two things at once--be focused on the emotional aspect of the show's characters (including guest stars) and delve into some deep material. It's not my favorite season--that's next Blu-Ray release and I would be interested to know what they will release in the movie theater next time around--but it has its share of classics. The shows weren't ripped from the headlines or heavy-handed. Genetically altered soldiers--killing machines--and what do after they come back from combat. Where were we in a war in 1990? Terrorism ripping apart a society and the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter? This is WAY BEFORE 9/11. The shows dealt with problems in the 24th century that we might face, but still be relevant today. The writing was quality, not in terms of dialogue which was rather blunt, but in terms of story structure and they turned in some great performances.

I am tempted to re-watch some of the episodes I have forgotten about like Tin Man and The Most Toys.

[tomalak301]

I'm really looking forward to the tribute to Michael Pillar because I think he was the one who made Season 3 the way it was. Yeah you had many new and talented writers come in, but it was Pillar who spearheaded the effort and took TNG by the horns and really changed the show. What he did with Trek from TNG to DS9 and even Voyager was just remarkable.

[mswood]

PArt of the increase was Production ide still gaining mroe less on what worked and what didn't work, but easiesly the biggest was Piller.

Piller changed dramatically the focus of the show, to "it's about the characters" as opposed to about what's out there.

And while you don't see his name on many of the scripts, he has stated (and many times) its the most uncredited rewriting he has done in his entire life. Head writers are generally the last place a script sees, and a head writer can rewrite any script, often uncredited).

I am sure Behr will take about the utterly brutal hours they put in (and why he left Trek).

Piller huge, huge huge influence on almost every single script (once he took over), Behr (an experienced tv worker who also helped on rewrites), and two hugely important new writer in Moore and Echevarria who's influence on TNG was huge (though in fairness Moore and Echevarria influence in later seasons is much, much more profound.

[Nero's Shadow]

The episode The High Ground was banned from the UK for years. Because of the IRA situation it never got the cut in the 1st run on UK TV but was Shown a couple of years later !!!!

[Nero's Shadow]

HaventGotALife wrote:

---

The Survivors
Who Watches the Watchers
The Bonding
The Hunted
The High Ground
Deja Q
A Matter of Perspective
Yesterday's Enterprise
The Offspring
Sins of the Father
Transfigurations
The Best of Both Worlds, Part I

All these episodes are on my all-time favorites list. The show managed to do two things at once--be focused on the emotional aspect of the show's characters (including guest stars) and delve into some deep material. It's not my favorite season--that's next Blu-Ray release and I would be interested to know what they will release in the movie theater next time around--but it has its share of classics. The shows weren't ripped from the headlines or heavy-handed. Genetically altered soldiers--killing machines--and what do after they come back from combat. Where were we in a war in 1990? Terrorism ripping apart a society and the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter? This is WAY BEFORE 9/11. The shows dealt with problems in the 24th century that we might face, but still be relevant today. The writing was quality, not in terms of dialogue which was rather blunt, but in terms of story structure and they turned in some great performances.

I am tempted to re-watch some of the episodes I have forgotten about like Tin Man and The Most Toys.

Tin man great episode !!!! I always forget about that one and again someone in producing loved the Romulans as they featured in several episodes in S3

[USS Intrepid]

Maxwell Everett wrote:

---

Personally, I really dig "Who Watches the Watchers." I think it's one of the standout episodes of the first half of Season 3. Solid writing, interesting premise and great Ron Jones score. Interestingly, it was the last episode with Michael Wagner in his brief stint as showrunner (he co-wrote "Evolution" with Michael Piller and recommended him for the job when he decided to leave).

I adore Who Watches the Watchers. Probably my favourite episode of all time. That scenes between Picard and Nuria on the Enterprise are just brilliant, and quintessential Star Trek to me.

Other favourites are Tin Man, The Survivors, The Defector, The High Ground, Transfigurations, the list goes on. Pretty much all of season 3, really. Yeah, there are a few episodes that are weaker (The Loss immediately springs to mind) but it's by far my favourite season of any Trek show.

[Salinga]

MikeS wrote:

---

Michael Piller.

Indeed. 'Nuff said.

[RandyS]

jimbotron wrote:

---

For me, the only episodes that I tend to skip are Captain's Holiday, Who Watches the Watchers, The High Ground and Transfigurations.

What didn't you like about The High Ground, Transfigurations, and Captain's Holiday? They're not my favorite episodes either, but I liked them well enough.

The first two in particular were rare showcases for Dr. Crusher, and for my money, that alone makes them good.

[jimbotron]

As a matter of habit, I avoid any episode that involves Risa. I guess "Let He Who is Without Sin" ruined it forever.

Transfigurations I found really boring, and the guest actor didn't hold my interest. It also comes right before BOBW, and doesn't hold up in comparison, so I always skip it.

The High Ground was too preachy, and suffered from rewrites that hurt the story. Finn neither felt like a complete monster nor a tragic hero, so it felt like nothing was learned. I read that it was originally going to parallel the American Revolution, but Snodgrass was told to make it parallel Ireland. It would have been really interesting if Finn was ACTUALLY in George Washington's role. Instead, he was just a charismatic Timothy McVeigh. Meh.

[RandyS]

jimbotron wrote:

---

As a matter of habit, I avoid any episode that involves Risa. I guess "Let He Who is Without Sin" ruined it forever.

Yeah but......Jadzia in a bikini.

Okay, so she was overdressed, but still...

Jadzia in a bikini.....