TNG rewatch

wissaboo · July 4 2012, 12:06 AM

I'm slowly working my way through all of trek in order of it airing and am up to tng. Now sure if this will fly here or not but I thought I'd give it a try and write a bit about each episode.

I would start off with my customary complaints about the packaging; but I actually like the package. A cardboard box. Is that really so hard to deliver. Simple, functional, and sits nicely on the shelf.

Now this may amuse some younger members, but I didn't see the first few episodes of tng when they first aired. It wasn't for lack of interest, I had heard all about it and have to say I thought a new star trek with all new characters was the stupidest idea I'd ever heard. How could they recreate the magic that was star tek with no Kirk? no Spock? Sacrilege. But I was eager to see what they came up with. But the only channel carrying TNG was a fox channel in Washington state that aired on channel 15. Most tv's in those days didn't have a converter that would take you above channel 12. They had a dial you had to turn. Since I didn't have a converter on the little tv I had I couldn't watch it. But I did get one just so I could see itl. But not till about the middle of the first season.

I admit it's been a long time since I've watched tng. I just catch one now and then when I happen to see one on and don't have anything more pressing to watch. I don't have good memories of the first season so I wasn't expecting much from this episode. I couldn't be more wrong. This is a brilliant opening for the series.

Sometimes when you look back at a pilot for a show you have come to love it is almost unrecognizable as the series you have come to love. Not the case with tng. The characters are all fully realized and are recognizable as the same characters throughout the entire series. The ship is really showcased in this episode as well. While it is still recognizable as a star trek ship we see all the ways in which it is different. Though I still find it to be a bit cruise ship like. I have to admit this is pretty low on my list of favourite enterprises.

The episode is fast paced and a lot of ground is covered. Yet the technobable that became so prevalent by the end of the series is absent. There is really two separate plots: the Q trial, and the Farpoint station. Both are strong stories that would stand on thier own. Despite these two strong stories we also have a great deal of character development as they meet each other and establish the tone of thier relationship. Knowing the relationship the characters have later on it's interesting to see the way they are established right from the first moment. I especially was happily surprised to see Riker call Data Pinochio. I've always thought of Data as a Pinochio story and didn't realize there was a reference to it.

I especially loved how fully realized Picard was. He is the same tough yet compasionate man he is throughout the series. He is socially awkward, yet brilliant in his understanding of interpersonal relationships. There were a couple of examples of this. He is clearly uncomfortable around children, yet when Wesley is on the bridge he is kind to him and knows enough to be amazed at the level of knowlege Wesley demonstrates. He abruptly removes him from the bridge when a danger is exposed, yet knows this might be misinterpreted and goes to smooth things over. The other instance where we see him at his best is when he orders Riker to manually rejoin the saucer section. It comes accross as kind of a meanspirited challenge of Riker's ability, but as it happens we can see that really what he is doing is setting up a situation where Riker can earn the bridge crews trust. Something that any commanding officer is going to need in order to function in his job.

some other little things I noticed: the special effects are still wonderfull they have held up very well, Q is well established for later appearances, DeForrest Kelley's cameo was lovely though they didn't mention him by name, and O'brien is sooo young!

BillJ · July 4 2012, 01:46 AM

I'm pretty sure we were planning to do a group rewatch as the series is released in HD. Might want to wait for that.

R. Star · July 4 2012, 02:24 AM

BillJ wrote:

I'm pretty sure we were planning to do a group rewatch as the series is released in HD. Might want to wait for that.

Don't discourage the man. If he wants to do his rewatch review, let him.

The most amusing thing about Encounter at Farpoint to me was the same half dozen people in that market scene going back and forth in an attempt to make it look crowded.

I personally thought it was a slow paced episode myself, and I'm really glad Troi wasn't emotional as she was in this one the whole series. And man... did they love to show off their brand new comm badges in this one.

Q was actually hard to take seriously in this one. He was over the top to say the least in this one. This is true of a lot of the crew like Troi and Worf. And boy do we get to see the snarling, growling Worf in full glory in this one. "Mr Worf, do you intend to blast a hole in the viewscreen?" But that only lasts a few seasons. And by the time DS9 came around, he had fully gotten over his problem with opening doors and getting beaten up every other episode.

I'd say the Farpoint Station and Q Trial arcs weren't too remarkable as a whole, but the pilot did what it was supposed to. It introduced us to the new Enterprise and her new crew. And they showed us the nifty Saucer seperation scene. Which would only be used three more times in the next seven seasons and four movies.

wissaboo · July 4 2012, 05:44 AM

as it is my quest is going to take about 7 years. If I start waiting for stuff I'll never get through it

Pindar · July 4 2012, 10:47 AM

I'll be starting a rewatch in a few weeks when my blurays come. But yeah having just rewatched EaF when the sampler came out Troi really needed dialing back. The awful scene where she says to Will "Wait if something should happen to you" was too much.

The tears I can forgive as she was channeling the jellyfish pain.

RAMA · July 4 2012, 10:06 PM

I never had such preconceptions...I thought STNG was vindication for the ST idea.

RAMA

wissaboo · July 5 2012, 05:53 PM

The Naked Now

I didn't remember that this was the first episode after the pilot. It seems like kinda a strange choice. I'm going to guess they aired it second to coax along tos fans with the tie in to a tos episode. I'm torn between thinking that this episode is misplaced because the crew is acting so abnormally and we should at this point be seeing them in thier regular personas, and thinking this is a brilliant way to quickly open up the crews most inner vulnerabilites to make us bond to them quickly.

I was amazed though at how sexy the whole thing was. I don't think of tng as being as sexy as tos. But this episode just oozes with it. From a room full of naked people on the science ship (what were they up to) to a silly Picard flirting with Beverly, to Deanna cooing into Rikers ear "don't you want me inside your mind?" Geordie, of course, is already the loveless loser. He wastes his drunken episode strapped to a gurney whining about rainbows. And then of course the Data/ Tasha pairing. Complete with post coitus awkwardness. Love that the two characters who appear the most asexual in the rest of the series are the ones to actually get it on.

Wesley is showing his brilliance of course. And shows he needs to be taken seriously. Though perhaps leaving him in charge of engineering was taking him a little too seriously I really enjoyed the female chief engineer as well I'm curious to see if she is around more. She also seems to be the only person whe didn't contract the disease.

ILOVETREK1701 · July 5 2012, 10:28 PM

wissaboo wrote:

I didn't remember that this was the first episode after the pilot. It seems like kinda a strange choice.

I always though the same.

BillJ · July 5 2012, 10:49 PM

ILOVETREK1701 wrote:

wissaboo wrote:

I didn't remember that this was the first episode after the pilot. It seems like kinda a strange choice.

I always though the same.

The Naked Now is a great episode, I can't wait to see it in HD!

R. Star · July 6 2012, 03:43 AM

wissaboo wrote:

The Naked Now

I didn't remember that this was the first episode after the pilot. It seems like kinda a strange choice. I'm going to guess they aired it second to coax along tos fans with the tie in to a tos episode. I'm torn between thinking that this episode is misplaced because the crew is acting so abnormally and we should at this point be seeing them in thier regular personas, and thinking this is a brilliant way to quickly open up the crews most inner vulnerabilites to make us bond to them quickly.

I was amazed though at how sexy the whole thing was. I don't think of tng as being as sexy as tos. But this episode just oozes with it. From a room full of naked people on the science ship (what were they up to) to a silly Picard flirting with Beverly, to Deanna cooing into Rikers ear "don't you want me inside your mind?" Geordie, of course, is already the loveless loser. He wastes his drunken episode strapped to a gurney whining about rainbows. And then of course the Data/ Tasha pairing. Complete with post coitus awkwardness. Love that the two characters who appear the most asexual in the rest of the series are the ones to actually get it on.

Wesley is showing his brilliance of course. And shows he needs to be taken seriously. Though perhaps leaving him in charge of engineering was taking him a little too seriously I really enjoyed the female chief engineer as well I'm curious to see if she is around more. She also seems to be the only person whe didn't contract the disease.

Ah episode two and we already have Annoying Wesley episode #1. Yeah, this one was just a silly episode that mocked it's own lack of seriousness.

Still the possibilities! A romantic encounter with an empath "in your mind," a fully functional android and public orgies. Hard to believe this was 80's television too!

It stretches the realm of possiblity that Wesley can do in a few seconds what guest Chief Engineer #1 said would take hours. Then again maybe that's why we never see her again. Data getting "drunk" makes no sense either, but hey neither does the rest of the episode!

Data's limerick is hilarious, as is the scene between Crusher and Picard acting like hormone driven teenagers. Not the best episode for #2, but hey... it worked out in the end.

wissaboo · July 6 2012, 07:20 AM

R. Star wrote:

Still the possibilities! A romantic encounter with an empath "in your mind," a fully functional android and public orgies. Hard to believe this was 80's television too!
.

every time I watch an 80's movie I'm stunned at the nudity and sex in them. I think we've all turned into prudes.

wissaboo · July 6 2012, 05:16 PM

Code of Honour

The Enterprise goes to Ligon II to pick up a vaccine for a plague and Tasha is kidnapped in part of an elaborate way for the leader to increase his prestige and bank account.

I think that this is a real typical tng story. Little bit of crew peril, little bit of friendly banter on the enterprise, lots of diplomacy by the captain, and they break the prime directive without realizing it.

R. Star · July 6 2012, 05:27 PM

wissaboo wrote:

Code of Honour

The Enterprise goes to Ligon II to pick up a vaccine for a plague and Tasha is kidnapped in part of an elaborate way for the leader to increase his prestige and bank account.

I think that this is a real typical tng story. Little bit of crew peril, little bit of friendly banter on the enterprise, lots of diplomacy by the captain, and they break the prime directive without realizing it.

Try airing an episode like this on a modern series today and see what happens. "White woman kidnapped on planet of black people!"

Really the fundamental flaw of the Ligonians is, they're a self-parody that are really hard to take seriously. For a supposed alien culture, they sure hit a lot of our own cultural stereotypes dead on. And for a so called honorable people they're awfully quick to kidnap people.

But once the good guys honor their culture, get out of the jam and get the super medicine, naturally we never see or hear from this race again.

JudgeDredd · July 6 2012, 07:33 PM

I started re-watching on New Year's Day of this year. My goal is to "space out" (pun intended!) the seasons so that I will have watched the entire season in one year. I got off track for about a month, but I'm catching up now; I watched "Brothers" a few days ago and will be watching six or seven episodes this weekend.

It was great going back through the first three seasons, even the first two. There are some clunkers in seasons 1 and 2 (and even in 3), but overall, I enjoy them. I honestly miss the Season 1 Riker...Q was right that the beard changed him.

Keep up your own voyage through TNG and enjoy!

wissaboo · July 8 2012, 05:43 PM

The Last Outpost

So the Ferengi are introduced. Ferengi are really a well done alien. The face and size really do set them aside from the bumpy nosed alien of the week we see so often. And I'm amazed how their look stays consistent right from the start. Although their clothes do get a lot better by the time ds9 comes along.

I found the angle used on the view screen to be pretty odd though. Did we really need such an extreme closeup? though maybe it's so we can see the full facial structure that might have been missed in the scenes on the planet.

I found this to be a good episode. The bantering on the bridge seemed a bit out of place. Not to mention it was heard by the ferengi. I can't imagine Picard putting up with that. I also found it a bit odd that they walked away so easily from this portal without investigating it's memory banks a bit more. Seems like something they would be interested in.

July 4 2012, 05:44 AM	#4
wissaboo Captain Location: canada	Re: TNG rewatch as it is my quest is going to take about 7 years. If I start waiting for stuff I'll never get through it

July 4 2012, 10:47 AM	#5
Pindar Rear Admiral Location: 76 Totters Lane	Re: TNG rewatch I'll be starting a rewatch in a few weeks when my blurays come. But yeah having just rewatched EaF when the sampler came out Troi really needed dialing back. The awful scene where she says to Will "Wait if something should happen to you" was too much. The tears I can forgive as she was channeling the jellyfish pain.

July 4 2012, 10:06 PM	#6
RAMA Vice Admiral Location: NJ, USA	Re: TNG rewatch I never had such preconceptions...I thought STNG was vindication for the ST idea. RAMA __________________ “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”—Stephen R. Covey

July 5 2012, 05:53 PM	#7
wissaboo Captain Location: canada	Re: TNG rewatch The Naked Now I didn't remember that this was the first episode after the pilot. It seems like kinda a strange choice. I'm going to guess they aired it second to coax along tos fans with the tie in to a tos episode. I'm torn between thinking that this episode is misplaced because the crew is acting so abnormally and we should at this point be seeing them in thier regular personas, and thinking this is a brilliant way to quickly open up the crews most inner vulnerabilites to make us bond to them quickly. I was amazed though at how sexy the whole thing was. I don't think of tng as being as sexy as tos. But this episode just oozes with it. From a room full of naked people on the science ship (what were they up to) to a silly Picard flirting with Beverly, to Deanna cooing into Rikers ear "don't you want me inside your mind?" Geordie, of course, is already the loveless loser. He wastes his drunken episode strapped to a gurney whining about rainbows. And then of course the Data/ Tasha pairing. Complete with post coitus awkwardness. Love that the two characters who appear the most asexual in the rest of the series are the ones to actually get it on. Wesley is showing his brilliance of course. And shows he needs to be taken seriously. Though perhaps leaving him in charge of engineering was taking him a little too seriously I really enjoyed the female chief engineer as well I'm curious to see if she is around more. She also seems to be the only person whe didn't contract the disease.

July 6 2012, 05:16 PM	#12
wissaboo Captain Location: canada	Re: TNG rewatch Code of Honour The Enterprise goes to Ligon II to pick up a vaccine for a plague and Tasha is kidnapped in part of an elaborate way for the leader to increase his prestige and bank account. I think that this is a real typical tng story. Little bit of crew peril, little bit of friendly banter on the enterprise, lots of diplomacy by the captain, and they break the prime directive without realizing it.

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July 4 2012, 12:06 AM	#1
wissaboo Captain Location: canada	TNG rewatch I'm slowly working my way through all of trek in order of it airing and am up to tng. Now sure if this will fly here or not but I thought I'd give it a try and write a bit about each episode. I would start off with my customary complaints about the packaging; but I actually like the package. A cardboard box. Is that really so hard to deliver. Simple, functional, and sits nicely on the shelf. Now this may amuse some younger members, but I didn't see the first few episodes of tng when they first aired. It wasn't for lack of interest, I had heard all about it and have to say I thought a new star trek with all new characters was the stupidest idea I'd ever heard. How could they recreate the magic that was star tek with no Kirk? no Spock? Sacrilege. But I was eager to see what they came up with. But the only channel carrying TNG was a fox channel in Washington state that aired on channel 15. Most tv's in those days didn't have a converter that would take you above channel 12. They had a dial you had to turn. Since I didn't have a converter on the little tv I had I couldn't watch it. But I did get one just so I could see itl. But not till about the middle of the first season. I admit it's been a long time since I've watched tng. I just catch one now and then when I happen to see one on and don't have anything more pressing to watch. I don't have good memories of the first season so I wasn't expecting much from this episode. I couldn't be more wrong. This is a brilliant opening for the series. Sometimes when you look back at a pilot for a show you have come to love it is almost unrecognizable as the series you have come to love. Not the case with tng. The characters are all fully realized and are recognizable as the same characters throughout the entire series. The ship is really showcased in this episode as well. While it is still recognizable as a star trek ship we see all the ways in which it is different. Though I still find it to be a bit cruise ship like. I have to admit this is pretty low on my list of favourite enterprises. The episode is fast paced and a lot of ground is covered. Yet the technobable that became so prevalent by the end of the series is absent. There is really two separate plots: the Q trial, and the Farpoint station. Both are strong stories that would stand on thier own. Despite these two strong stories we also have a great deal of character development as they meet each other and establish the tone of thier relationship. Knowing the relationship the characters have later on it's interesting to see the way they are established right from the first moment. I especially was happily surprised to see Riker call Data Pinochio. I've always thought of Data as a Pinochio story and didn't realize there was a reference to it. I especially loved how fully realized Picard was. He is the same tough yet compasionate man he is throughout the series. He is socially awkward, yet brilliant in his understanding of interpersonal relationships. There were a couple of examples of this. He is clearly uncomfortable around children, yet when Wesley is on the bridge he is kind to him and knows enough to be amazed at the level of knowlege Wesley demonstrates. He abruptly removes him from the bridge when a danger is exposed, yet knows this might be misinterpreted and goes to smooth things over. The other instance where we see him at his best is when he orders Riker to manually rejoin the saucer section. It comes accross as kind of a meanspirited challenge of Riker's ability, but as it happens we can see that really what he is doing is setting up a situation where Riker can earn the bridge crews trust. Something that any commanding officer is going to need in order to function in his job. some other little things I noticed: the special effects are still wonderfull they have held up very well, Q is well established for later appearances, DeForrest Kelley's cameo was lovely though they didn't mention him by name, and O'brien is sooo young!

July 4 2012, 01:46 AM	#2
BillJ Vice Admiral Location: In the 23rd Century...	Re: TNG rewatch I'm pretty sure we were planning to do a group rewatch as the series is released in HD. Might want to wait for that. __________________ "You know. 1966? Seventy-nine episodes, about thirty good ones." - Phillip Fry describing Star Trek, Futurama

July 6 2012, 07:33 PM	#14
JudgeDredd Lieutenant Junior Grade	Re: TNG rewatch I started re-watching on New Year's Day of this year. My goal is to "space out" (pun intended!) the seasons so that I will have watched the entire season in one year. I got off track for about a month, but I'm catching up now; I watched "Brothers" a few days ago and will be watching six or seven episodes this weekend. It was great going back through the first three seasons, even the first two. There are some clunkers in seasons 1 and 2 (and even in 3), but overall, I enjoy them. I honestly miss the Season 1 Riker...Q was right that the beard changed him. Keep up your own voyage through TNG and enjoy!

July 8 2012, 05:43 PM	#15
wissaboo Captain Location: canada	Re: TNG rewatch The Last Outpost So the Ferengi are introduced. Ferengi are really a well done alien. The face and size really do set them aside from the bumpy nosed alien of the week we see so often. And I'm amazed how their look stays consistent right from the start. Although their clothes do get a lot better by the time ds9 comes along. I found the angle used on the view screen to be pretty odd though. Did we really need such an extreme closeup? though maybe it's so we can see the full facial structure that might have been missed in the scenes on the planet. I found this to be a good episode. The bantering on the bridge seemed a bit out of place. Not to mention it was heard by the ferengi. I can't imagine Picard putting up with that. I also found it a bit odd that they walked away so easily from this portal without investigating it's memory banks a bit more. Seems like something they would be interested in.