I think it's an episode whose reputation has changed over the years. I can remember people absolutely loathing it for a very long time.
Favourite Much-Maligned TNG Episodes
- Thread starter BigJake
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I think it's an episode whose reputation has changed over the years. I can remember people absolutely loathing it for a very long time.
I like it too, and I think the Maligning came from people that thought TNG was more "important than just a show" and a simple story of a man trapped in a cheap novel wasn't "enough" I think we who like The Royale are past all that pretentiousness, especially as the show has been off for how long? But, back when it was still being produced, I think some people were let down as it wasn't "special" enough and too reminiscent of TOS which at the time was being treated not as the forerunner of all Star Trek but that weird show from the 60s that was nowhere near as good as TNG. Of people that propagated that opinion could be included Rodenberry himself, strangely enough. So, there's that.
What a rant, eh?
"The Royale" is now more than 25 years old. Think about the fact that it was filmed and aired less than twenty after TOS was still on the air. Trek's getting old or we're getting old or both.
While rarely considered among the worst, both parts of "Birthright" are generally considered disappointments; I liked both parts though with the intersecting of Data and Worf's stories in Part I and then how in Part II it showed both Worf and the Romulan leader were reasonable and well-meaning yet flawed and ultimately in the wrong (although Worf somewhat less so) and it took the children getting involved to force compromise; I also thought the motivations of the original survivors and the tone that gave to the rest of Part II was fascinating.
I liked Birthright Part I because of DS9, Data's dream, and Bashir's cameo. I tend to forget the Worf plot. Making the Worf plot the entire focus of Part II was a mistake. Plus all the things I liked in Part I were gone in Part II. They could have set 10-15 minutes aside to focus on another character. Perhaps delve into Crusher's dead husband again or Troi's dad.
I liked "Birthright." We get to see how prisoners and their children adapt to and even sympathize with and protect their captors, and it's even more interesting because these are Klingons being held captive and their jailers are Romulans.
Also: DS9 cameos and James Cromwell plays an alien. Enough said.
Also: DS9 cameos and James Cromwell plays an alien. Enough said.
A nugget to throw into the race discussion...I seem to recall reading back in the day that Sisko having black love interests was Avery Brooks's idea. He didn't like that the black actors on TNG were always paired with non-black love interests.
Ah, I should have clarified:
The way Geordi and Harry are portrayed in their respective shows, and the way some fans treat them, is like they weren't normal. Meaning that because the writers and producers want to show these characters as being losers, we sometimes have fans coming off as 'ah, those guys [i.e. non-white men] can't get girls like the other 'normal' [read: 'white'] male characters in the show so they must be gay!'
While Malcolm Reed in "Enterprise" was also hinted as being gay, I want to say white privilege allowed him to still have fans pairing him up with female characters (e.g. the Andorian Talas and the lovely Asian Hoshi Sato) and not receiving any hate. He was still treated as a well-rounded 'normal' character and respected.
Hey.....after 48 years of Trek I'm still waiting for an openly homosexual character. And I wouldn't be happy if he was a effeminate, mincing stereotype.[...]Next Star Trek series starring an African-American captain with a North European love interest and a gay first officer
^^
Sounds like an idea.
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I found "Birthright" to be fairly boring, but the Data part seemed to me the most interesting. It's two different shows rammed together, and might have been better had they done it as one part episodes that occurred at different points of the season. The Worf part didn't resonate with me, but what does is the battle of wills between him and the Romulan. That should have been the focus. So as a two-parter it's a mess to me.
I guess "Phantasms" is frowned upon, but I like the weirdness a lot. I think Data starts to grow a lot in seasons 6 and 7, and when he calls Juliana Tainer "mother," I think he's as close to understanding humanity as ever.
I guess "Phantasms" is frowned upon, but I like the weirdness a lot. I think Data starts to grow a lot in seasons 6 and 7, and when he calls Juliana Tainer "mother," I think he's as close to understanding humanity as ever.
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A particular episode doesn't come to mind for me, but I really like season 2 of TNG as a whole.
It gets a lot of criticism, but I think it's filled with solid episodes. Plus a lot of important story arcs are seeded in season 2.
Also, Diana Muldaur does a fine job as the doctor. You just have to get used to her.
It gets a lot of criticism, but I think it's filled with solid episodes. Plus a lot of important story arcs are seeded in season 2.
Also, Diana Muldaur does a fine job as the doctor. You just have to get used to her.
I'm just gonna say it, The Royale is not that good! I'm a season 2 fan but that one is at the bottom. The thing I hate about it is that it feels so dated, and the casino characters are almost as grating as Mark Twain in Time's Arrow.
I love Birthright, but I like part 2 a lot more.
I love Birthright, but I like part 2 a lot more.
They were meant to be grating. Badly written characters from a crappy book.
Only because something is meant to be grating, doesn't make it good.
There's tribes in Australia, Europe and North America also.
Did you purposely omit them?
With mint frosting...
That was my pick as well. I didn't even realize it had a bad reputation until I followed Trek stuff online. To me it's fun and enjoyable.
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