The TNG Movies or a TNG Season 8

[Emperor Norton]

In retrospect, the films jaded my childhood when they killed the Enterprise-D, and after this long emotional journey of television and film where I kept along with the characters, they killed off Data. And I cried like a baby when they killed Data. I still don't see it as a noble sacrifice; I see it as Data never got to succeed in his quest to be more human and now he never would. I'm not that old. In 1994, when "Generations" came out, I was only like 3. So forgive my emo-ness.
Look at how "All Good Things" ended it. That's how you end those characters' stories. That episode is like TNG's "Undiscovered Country". The films just ended on a tired and depressing note.

So in retrospect, the TNG movies punched me in the emotional gonads over what the TV series made me feel good over. So, another point for season 8.

 

[HIjol]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

At the time I think they made absolutely the right call to go to movies, even though IMO they did so far too soon after the show went off the air (I'd have given it a year's respite between the end of the series and the first movie). But with the benefit of hindsight? Knowing what the TNG movies turned out like, a hypothetical 'Season 8' of course seems like a much better proposition.

I completely agree with you, Lance, on the timing aspect, whether or not it ultimately turned out to be the right thing to go to the movies rather than another season.

^Well said. I for one enjoyed the TNG movies (Generations and First Contact are in the top three, with Wrath of Kahn) but I bet a season 8 would have been more fun, and we probably would have gotten the movies after that anyway.

And here I also agree, bbjeg, and then we would have had "the best of both worlds", n'est pas?

 

[kirkfan]

A season is the equivalent of about ten movies in duration, so why are we still talking? I vote for a season.

 

[Dazzie]

I always thought season 7 struggled at times due to split focus what with DS9, VOY and Generations so if there wasn't those kind of "distractions" (except DS9" then i would want Season 8... if they couldn't give it the attention it deserved then it should be the movies... except with a better Insurrection and Nemesis.

 

[kirkfan]

I always thought season 7 struggled at times due to split focus what with DS9, VOY and Generations so if there wasn't those kind of "distractions" (except DS9" then i would want Season 8... if they couldn't give it the attention it deserved then it should be the movies... except with a better Insurrection and Nemesis.

The only way there could be a better insurrection is if they rewrote every word of it and give it a different name. As for Nemesis, spending two hours watching a blank screen is a more pleasurable experience than going to see that movie, in fact shaving your head with a cheese grater has to be a more pleasurable experience.

 

[jimbotron]

Season 8

Even if half of the episodes are crap, that's still 13 good episodes, which is more content in 1 year than 4 films in 8 years. It would be cool to see the show go all out for a 200th episode too.

Of course in hindsight, with the 4 films we did get, I'd rather have another season like the first again. For me, Generations is among the worst of TNG. Season 7 suffered for THAT? Too bad.

First Contact is OK, but Picard becoming an raging action hero doesn't ring true. The rest, best left forgotten.

 

[kirkfan]

Season 8

Even if half of the episodes are crap, that's still 13 good episodes, which is more content in 1 year than 4 films in 8 years. It would be cool to see the show go all out for a 200th episode too.

Of course in hindsight, with the 4 films we did get, I'd rather have another season like the first again. For me, Generations is among the worst of TNG. Season 7 suffered for THAT? Too bad.

First Contact is OK, but Picard becoming an raging action hero doesn't ring true. The rest, best left forgotten.

I think Nemesis beat them all to death with a stick in suckiness. I've rarely seen something so awful in my life.

 

[Orphalesion]

Season 8

First Contact is OK, but Picard becoming an raging action hero doesn't ring true. The rest, best left forgotten.

Amen! Same with the infamous dune buggy scene. In the series Picard was still quite badass, but he was a cultured, well mannered badass, that's why I liked him. He used his words and strength of will to defeat his adversaries, all while sipping a cup of Earl Grey, hot. He doesn't need to get into fist fights and get his shirt thorn like....other captains.

What I really disliked about the movies is how almost the whole, excellent, cast gets shoved into the background to bring us the "Picard and Data Show" I love Picard and Data, but I also love Deanna, Dr. Crusher, Worf(though we had enough Worf on Ds9 during the time of the movies) and Geordie.

People: What about Riker?

Me: What about him?

Also First Contact turned the borg from threatening and alien to zombies commanded by a dominatrix. FC is a zombie horror movie.

 

[kirkfan]

Season 8

First Contact is OK, but Picard becoming an raging action hero doesn't ring true. The rest, best left forgotten.

Amen! Same with the infamous dune buggy scene. In the series Picard was still quite badass, but he was a cultured, well mannered badass, that's why I liked him. He used his words and strength of will to defeat his adversaries, all while sipping a cup of Earl Grey, hot. He doesn't need to get into fist fights and get his shirt thorn like....other captains.

What I really disliked about the movies is how almost the whole, excellent, cast gets shoved into the background to bring us the "Picard and Data Show" I love Picard and Data, but I also love Deanna, Dr. Crusher, Worf(though we had enough Worf on Ds9 during the time of the movies) and Geordie.

People: What about Riker?

Me: What about him?

Also First Contact turned the borg from threatening and alien to zombies commanded by a dominatrix. FC is a zombie horror movie.

There isn't one scene in Nemesis that isn't painful to watch.

 

[Dazzie]

Season 8

First Contact is OK, but Picard becoming an raging action hero doesn't ring true. The rest, best left forgotten.

Amen! Same with the infamous dune buggy scene. In the series Picard was still quite badass, but he was a cultured, well mannered badass, that's why I liked him. He used his words and strength of will to defeat his adversaries, all while sipping a cup of Earl Grey, hot. He doesn't need to get into fist fights and get his shirt thorn like....other captains.

What I really disliked about the movies is how almost the whole, excellent, cast gets shoved into the background to bring us the "Picard and Data Show" I love Picard and Data, but I also love Deanna, Dr. Crusher, Worf(though we had enough Worf on Ds9 during the time of the movies) and Geordie.

People: What about Riker?

Me: What about him?

Also First Contact turned the borg from threatening and alien to zombies commanded by a dominatrix. FC is a zombie horror movie.

There isn't one scene in Nemesis that isn't painful to watch.

the end credits are ok because you know its over...

 

[sonak]

Season 8

Even if half of the episodes are crap, that's still 13 good episodes, which is more content in 1 year than 4 films in 8 years. It would be cool to see the show go all out for a 200th episode too.

Of course in hindsight, with the 4 films we did get, I'd rather have another season like the first again. For me, Generations is among the worst of TNG. Season 7 suffered for THAT? Too bad.

First Contact is OK, but Picard becoming an raging action hero doesn't ring true. The rest, best left forgotten.

I think Nemesis beat them all to death with a stick in suckiness. I've rarely seen something so awful in my life.

I'll take it over "Insurrection." At least it feels big and cinematic, and the premise isn't so hopelessly flawed.

 

[kirkfan]

Season 8

Even if half of the episodes are crap, that's still 13 good episodes, which is more content in 1 year than 4 films in 8 years. It would be cool to see the show go all out for a 200th episode too.

Of course in hindsight, with the 4 films we did get, I'd rather have another season like the first again. For me, Generations is among the worst of TNG. Season 7 suffered for THAT? Too bad.

First Contact is OK, but Picard becoming an raging action hero doesn't ring true. The rest, best left forgotten.

I think Nemesis beat them all to death with a stick in suckiness. I've rarely seen something so awful in my life.

I'll take it over "Insurrection." At least it feels big and cinematic, and the premise isn't so hopelessly flawed.

The premise of Nemesis is that Shinzon hates the federation because... because they didn't do a damn thing to him!!! They had no involvement whatsoever in his existence and in the suffering he endured. If that's not a stupid premise then I don't know what is?

The only thing we're left with is: Shinzon hates the federation because he's crazy, period!!!

 

[Orphalesion]

I'll take it over "Insurrection." At least it feels big and cinematic, and the premise isn't so hopelessly flawed.

To me Nemesis is the one that comes closest to the series with some good bits for every character. It's not perfect, definitely not as good as "The Undiscovered Country" but I'd take it any day over the other TNG films or TFF.
If a similar story, perhaps with Sela in place of Shinzon had been the two-parter for season 8 it would have been cool.

 

[BillJ]

The only thing we're left with is: Shinzon hates the federation because he's batshit crazy, period!!!

Okay? Sometimes people are just batshit crazy. I'll take Nemesis over any of the other TNG films. Tons of murderers out there that kill people over some perceived slight.

 

[tharpdevenport]

Films, more properly a well thought out and written mini series, that can tie things up.

Besides, none of these folks are going to do the grueling TV episode making schedule again. And Frakes isn't looking as uppity as he once was. Well, maybe Will Wheaton, but I'd prefer NOT.

 

[TV's Frank]

Tough choice because for me being a long-time fan of composer Jerry Goldsmith, I'm pleased to have his music underscoring the TNG movies. Also, the TNG movies presented some nice FX sequences that aren't possible on a TV production budget along with the great new uniforms seen in FC, INS and NEM.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

I'll tell you, the thing that I think really screwed up Season 7 was the "Warp drive is destroying the universe, maaaaaan" thing. You want a global warming stand in; wonderful. But the way you don't do it is to have it be such a way that a mainstay narrative device is destroyed. It's all for the lark of one episode, and it had major ramifications down the line. It was a pain in the butt that had to be mentioned every now and again, and it was in the back of the viewer's mind from then on. And no one wanted to deal with it, hence the whole "Well our warp engines, which totally look the same as before, have been upgraded since then. Dum-de-dum-dum-dum" deal circa Voyager. A season 8 would have to deal with that albatross. That is unless season 7 were at least a wee bit different enough to avoid it, which is possible. A season 7 that looks like the end is different from one that looks like it will be the penultimate season.

I agree that wasn't a great idea. At first I thought, "Well, it might be a way to inject some extra drama into situations where they were allowed to exceed the limit", but the built-in problem with that is that it diminishes the stories where they aren't. "Take your time with that vaccine. The plague on such-and-such planet isn't that severe."

 

[ALF]

It's surprising for me to see all the hate on for the TNG films here... although I was only initially considering First Contact and Generations. I've been a gigantic, rabid TNG fan since it's original airing and some 20 years later I have come to feel completely satisfied with the 7 year run. I neither think it went too long or was cut too short.

Seeing the important events in the first two films was also worth the price of losing an entire potential season, too. Take a look at what we got out of those two movies (it seems worth it to me):

• Data's emotions arc
• Picard settling his score with the Borg
• Guinan's mysterious past explored properly
• Seeing the Ent-D get blown to pieces/crash land saucer
• The Enterprise E
• The Borg done with a proper budget
• First contact with the Vulcans explored
• First warp drive / Z.Cochrane explored

That's great stuff! Just pretend those two films are season 8. Insurrection and Nemesis can well be the canceled season.
I do recall hearing back in grade ten that TNG would be canceled and it was tough. Lots of sad nerds that year.

 

[Albertese]

For my money, TNG has a pretty distinct bell curve in quality. S1 was rough, but had some highlights. S2 was getting better. S3 it really hit is stride. S4 and S5 were pretty much all awesome all the time. S6 has some diamonds, but mostly is rough. S7 was mainly crap with few exceptions. I would expect a S8 to have been as bad as the movies. Generations, Insurrection and Nemesis are all steaming pant loads in my opinion. And would hate to have seen 20 more hours of that crap instead of just 6 we got. I think First Contact is a pretty all right movie, and it's a fun watch, but it ruined the Borg and took the Cochrane story in a direction I didn't care for.

So, I voted for the movies rather than a S8.

--Alex

 

[Emperor Norton]

Film/studio needs and issues are not going to be the same as a television program. A lot of the badness you saw as a result of TNG moving into film would not have been the same on television: the studio would not have forced the cast to become action stars, for example. Television, especially the syndicated format TNG had, offered a lot of creative freedom and the ability to do meaningful stories without concern of making a summer blockbuster. Movies have a tendency to dumb down; that's the potential trade off of the bigger budget.

Also bear in mind, the TNG films were not just one year; season 8 would have been 1994-1995. Those films were done over the course of about a decade. That was all against the backdrop of the franchise getting tired and losing its direction, over that period of time the actors began acting like themselves and not their characters, etc. So that's different from a compact, to-the-point season of a TV show in its prime rather than a decade later.