Definitely. I consider it a "Twilight Zone" Star Trek, like Cause and Effect, Parallels, Remember Me, Future Imperfect... those are some of the best TNG episodes!
Ranking the Episodes of Season Two
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Definitely. I consider it a "Twilight Zone" Star Trek, like Cause and Effect, Parallels, Remember Me, Future Imperfect... those are some of the best TNG episodes!
The Royale is just so quirky, fun and mysterious throughout that I can't help but love it. It's so odd and offbeat, but it's engaging throughout. It also has some relatively eerie moments. Cool stuff...but I could see how it would not be to everyone's taste.
Where Silence Has Lease is one of TNG's best explorations of what I'd call a "vastly different life form.," and a rather successful one at that. Typically, and all too often, TNGs aliens were humanoids with latex forehead appliances. It's really awesome when they encounter something truly alien. The most fascinating thing about Nagilum was that it wasn't a threat because it was evil or a villain, it simply did not even really comprehend our form of life, and didn't understand that killing a bunch of people to satisfy it's curiosity was a heinous act. Chilling stuff.
Check my video out and see what I said about it. ;-)
Cool video, actually. I enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing...
I think The Royale is a great example of early TNG being good even when it's bad. I remember reading a quote from Frakes where he argued that season 1 and 2 were kinda more interesting even if they weren't as good.
The Royale is silly, and it suffers from some pretty dreadful writing. Still, the basic idea of being trapped in some two-dimensional world with two-dimensional characters just because you had a pulp book on you is uniquely harrowing, especially when you consider the idea that the aliens were actually trying to provide the astronaut with something great.
It's a cool idea, and it's a nice example of TNG's early weirdness pulling something genuinely interesting out of the hat. Feels closer to what you might see in TOS, which got more flat out weird than any other Trek.
The Royale is silly, and it suffers from some pretty dreadful writing. Still, the basic idea of being trapped in some two-dimensional world with two-dimensional characters just because you had a pulp book on you is uniquely harrowing, especially when you consider the idea that the aliens were actually trying to provide the astronaut with something great.
It's a cool idea, and it's a nice example of TNG's early weirdness pulling something genuinely interesting out of the hat. Feels closer to what you might see in TOS, which got more flat out weird than any other Trek.
I think many people feel trapped in a two dimensional world with two dimensional characters!
I've read that Tracy Torme's original script expressed that sense of loneliness but that got lost in the rewrites when they made Colonel Ritchie a corpse.
Thanks for watching!
It's definitely a cool idea, and the discovery of the body in the hotel room was effective. I wish they could have done more with the episode as a whole.
I wonder if the dreadful writing might have been by design. After all, the theme of the entire episode is based off of what is referred to as a third rate novel.
And regarding weird in ST, it's too bad later series didn't borrow more weird from the original series.
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Ones that I still watch
Manhunt (one of the few Lwaxana episodes that I like. Fun, kinda goofy but enjoyable)
Outrageous Okona (guilty pleasure, minus the guilty, and oh yeah, Teri Hatcher. Teri effin' Hatcher
Up the Long Ladder (another goofy one but I've always liked it)
Unnatural Selection (one of the best season 2 eps.)
Samaritan Snare (I look for things. Things that make me watch and I like to watch this one. Just remember. Don't go full Pakled. Never go full Pakled)
The Icarus Factor (like this one and always have)
Loud as a Whisper (epic 80s hair on Howie Seago. I like it despite that)
The Dauphin (good thing Wes didn't ask Geordi for advice eh?)
The Emissary (Love K'Ehleyr episodes, or maybe I just love K'Ehleyr)
Measure of a Man (Picard prevent slavery in the Federation and Data is not a toaster. One of my favorites)
Peak Performance (Odd premise. How is the Enterprise having battle maneuvers with an obsolete ship supposed to help get them ready for the borg threat? However, I still like it and seeing Kolrami get "busted up" is always fun)
Matter of Honor (a favorite)
The Royale (goofy and quirky but fun)
Where Silence Has Lease (one of the best season 2 eps. I wish they had brought Nagillum back in a later episode)
Q Who (on of the best)
Contagion (what's not to love? Picard and Co go all Indiana Jones up in this starship. Also, Data's line "that was not manual override" is one of my favorite lines in the entire series)
Ones that I no longer watch
The Child (Never liked it)
Shades of Gray (Thank you Captain Obvious)
Schizoid Man (never one of my favorites. Recently rewatched it for the first time in years and realized that I'm not missing anything)
Elementary Dear Data (I'm at the point with this one where I can't watch it anymore. I'm tired of it yes, but there's something else about it that I can't explain)
Time Squared (something about this one never sat right with me, and it's boring to boot)
Pen Pals (Not a bad episode but I've seen it enough times)
Manhunt (one of the few Lwaxana episodes that I like. Fun, kinda goofy but enjoyable)
Outrageous Okona (guilty pleasure, minus the guilty, and oh yeah, Teri Hatcher. Teri effin' Hatcher
Up the Long Ladder (another goofy one but I've always liked it)
Unnatural Selection (one of the best season 2 eps.)
Samaritan Snare (I look for things. Things that make me watch and I like to watch this one. Just remember. Don't go full Pakled. Never go full Pakled)
The Icarus Factor (like this one and always have)
Loud as a Whisper (epic 80s hair on Howie Seago. I like it despite that)
The Dauphin (good thing Wes didn't ask Geordi for advice eh?)
The Emissary (Love K'Ehleyr episodes, or maybe I just love K'Ehleyr)
Measure of a Man (Picard prevent slavery in the Federation and Data is not a toaster. One of my favorites)
Peak Performance (Odd premise. How is the Enterprise having battle maneuvers with an obsolete ship supposed to help get them ready for the borg threat? However, I still like it and seeing Kolrami get "busted up" is always fun)
Matter of Honor (a favorite)
The Royale (goofy and quirky but fun)
Where Silence Has Lease (one of the best season 2 eps. I wish they had brought Nagillum back in a later episode)
Q Who (on of the best)
Contagion (what's not to love? Picard and Co go all Indiana Jones up in this starship. Also, Data's line "that was not manual override" is one of my favorite lines in the entire series)
Ones that I no longer watch
The Child (Never liked it)
Shades of Gray (Thank you Captain Obvious)
Schizoid Man (never one of my favorites. Recently rewatched it for the first time in years and realized that I'm not missing anything)
Elementary Dear Data (I'm at the point with this one where I can't watch it anymore. I'm tired of it yes, but there's something else about it that I can't explain)
Time Squared (something about this one never sat right with me, and it's boring to boot)
Pen Pals (Not a bad episode but I've seen it enough times)
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It's not a full three act story maybe? Geordi and Data play a costume game on the holodeck, the computer creates a powerful Moriarty, Geordi and Data tell Picard and Picard goes into the holodeck to ask Moriarty not to be a bad guy.
It's just a flat episode, no back and forth, no twists, no new obstacles. The antagonist is a good actor, but there's just not much to the story.
I enjoyed its sequel, "Ship in a Bottle" a whole lot more. It took the sequel to make the original seem worthwhile. On its own, "Elementary, Dear Data" is too much of a retread of "The Big Goodbye," variations notwithstanding.
Yes! Good point.
I'm still working my way through the series for the first time in nearly a quarter century and I haven't come to Ship in a Bottle yet, but I recall very much liking it back in the 90's.
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