The Most Disliked Episode of TNG, Season 5: 2021 Edition...

[Farscape One]

This is a twist on a game that is played here, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Here's the game. The basic idea is your standard elimination game. I'll provide a list of the episodes for each season and you need to eliminate your most favorite or the one you deem the 'best.' Please provide an EXPLANATION for why you are eliminating your choice and be sure to copy and paste the list with your choice removed. Finally, leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters before you eliminate another episode.

No tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode because you feel they would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Hall of Champions (or Failures?)
2011 - "Shades Of Gray"
2018 - "The Outrageous Okona"
2019 - "Code of Honor"
2021 - "Journey's End"


Season Five -

Redemption II
Darmok
Ensign Ro
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
The Game
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Conundrum
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
The First Duty
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I Borg
The Next Phase
The Inner Light
Time's Arrow

 

[Farscape One]

Season 5 is a solid season with some VERY excellent episodes. I'm going to go in production order of my personal ones I want to save.

Which means I am starting with "Darmok". This is a superb story. One of my favorites of the franchise, and exactly why Joe Menosky is one of my favorite writers. It's simply about learning to communicate despite differences, coming together, and forming a bond. Exactly what STAR TREK is about at its core. Few episodes in the franchise so precisely capture the essence of it like this one does. From start to finish, this is pure gold. Especially since I love mythology, this is a win. Throw in a great guest star like Paul Winfield, and you just added the cherry on top.

Always a rewatch for me.

Redemption II
Ensign Ro
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
The Game
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Conundrum
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
The First Duty
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I Borg
The Next Phase
The Inner Light
Time's Arrow

 

[Qonundrum]

Of the list, the one I dislike the least is: The Next Phase

The high concept phasing stuff is, yeah, a bit woolly, but the treknobabble is wisely used deftly and not overly dumped on. The big selling point here is very Trekkian with exploring the concept of the afterlife, in which this episode more than excels...

...if not a little harshly, as Ro's beliefs are rather poetic whereas Geordi's are bit flat (but not quite nihilistic), though he is the first to realize they're not dead. It's a great story for both of them and they make an engaging duo. And Geordi's down-to-earth mindset combined with her romanticism is why they work so well, both as a duo working together and with the sort of character conflict that the show genuinely needed at times.

It's absolutely lovely to see the Romulans being scheming baddies again.

Did I mention how awesome the incidental music is? Season 5 made some huge mistakes IMHO*, especially with changing the musical tone of the show from something engaging to a bunch of frogs in a bog passing gas in it and claiming it's "wallpaper" to emphasize the dialogue and plotting instead... which is interesting, since the show's dialogue (debatably) became more uneven than even season 1 in that regard at times as well.(The absence of music can be bad, too much or too loud has a similar effect. Finding the balance is key and maybe season 5's radical shift away from cinematic and lively scores was too much at once? Either way, TNP is so nuanced with the music - not too loud, and not bland flatulence noises either... the music is even allegorical to Ro's romanticism, I dare believe.)

But TNP just hits everything perfectly right and keeps the viewer focused on what matters most. It must do or otherwise the nitpicks would be railed on far worse because the convenience between what's phased and what's not (useless things like oxygen, gravitic plating, and so on) would rise to prominence like an archer painting a bullseye bright neon pink.

* yes, ratings were never better. So were cigarette sales of filter-free Puffntumr brand ciggies too, but I won't deny subjectivism is inevitable either... people think I'm nuts for liking more of season 1...

And, yes, I shed a tear when Data figures out the cause and floods Ten Forward and our trapped duo are returned. Season 5 wasn't all bad by any measure and it did take a few risks while trying to balance its bag full of viewers...


What's left:
Redemption II
Ensign Ro
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
The Game
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Conundrum
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
The First Duty
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I Borg
The Inner Light
Time's Arrow

 

[Sakonna]

"The Game"! As I was just posting in the season 4 thread, this is the first episode of Trek I ever saw, and is thus permanently enshrined on my All Time Favorites list.

I do also think this episode has turned out to be a bit ahead of it's time. I remember back in the day, a regular fan knock against "The Game" was how simplistic the game was, it was stupid to present something so basic as also being so addictively irresistible.

In a post-Candy-Crush world, this criticism has been (depressingly) proved invalid.

Redemption II
Ensign Ro
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Conundrum
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
The First Duty
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I Borg
The Inner Light
Time's Arrow

 

[Seven of Five]

The Inner Light is one of my favourite episodes of TNG, and the franchise. It's just a very touching story about a race that only had a limited amount of time to solve their problem, and despite Kamil's best intentions, it failed.

The chilling end where they launch a message buoy to spread their story really gets to me. Patrick Stewart was excellent.

Redemption II
Ensign Ro
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Conundrum
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
The First Duty
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I Borg
Time's Arrow

 

[Qonundrum]

Ensign Ro was a decidedly confident episode in which to introduce Ro Laren, one of my favorite characters. A robust story in of itself, having Ro befriend Guinan via some clever tactics make for a double act that really hits the spot and when they're on screen together, you get some first rate discussions and ideas bearing fruit. Season 5 of TNG may be a mixed bag for me, but - dang - the high points are so incredibly good and this episode is another of the high-end offerings...


What's left:
Redemption II
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Conundrum
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
The First Duty
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I Borg
Time's Arrow

 

[at Quark's]

Eliminating conundrum.

Might have been the first episode I ever saw of TNG, so I was as stumped as the rest of the crew, and I didn't even know McDuff didn't belong there.

But even after rewatching it many times I still feel it is quite a solid episode, and does a good job of characters who don't know each other, learning to work together and trusting their instincts and sense of morality, so that even without their memory and with the subtle manipulation of McDuff, they end up doing the Right Thing.

A problem with the episode of course is that you have to ignore how unlikely it is that an alien species that advanced in certain areas couldn't have built that photon torpedo, of even just bought it on the black market from some Ferengi / hired some mercenaries to do the job, but go for this extremely risky alternative. But other than that, highly enjoyable.

What's left:
Redemption II
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
The First Duty
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I Borg
Time's Arrow

 

[Vale]

Since I saved Redemption in the season four thread it seems only fitting that I save Redemption II here. It's the better of the two parts, after all, and Klingon politics was never better than in this two-parter. Plus there's those lovely scenes with Data's first command aboard the USS Sutherland.

What's left:
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
The First Duty
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I Borg
Time's Arrow

 

[Sakonna]

"Time's Arrow" is a delight and so much fun. The first cliffhanger I got to experience at original air, so the first time I had the whole summer of suspense. It's my own personal BOBW. In fact, I am putting it on right now!

Silicon Avatar
Disaster
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
The First Duty
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I Borg

 

[Seven of Five]

Beat me to it again Vale!

The First Duty is that rare thing - a good Wesley Crusher episode! I love it. Wes is really torn over doing the right thing or protecting his classmate Tom Paris.

Silicon Avatar
Disaster
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I Borg

 

[Vale]

Ensign Ro was a decidedly confident episode in which to introduce Ro Laren, one of my favorite characters.

It doesn't just introduce Ro Laren either, it introduces both the Bajorans and the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. The echoes of this episode last far beyond the end of TNG.

 

[at Quark's]

Only noticed I Borg still being there just now. Had I seen that earlier, I would have eliminated that one even before my previous pick.

A fine episode in which we gain a different perspective on the Borg. They're not only aggressors, they're victims themselves as well. Isolated and out of reach of the Collective, they can be just as scared and lonely as any of us, and quite capable of developing a personality and the beginnings of friendships.

Picard has to fight an inner battle to overcome his (totally understandable) inner demons about what the Borg did to him to come over to the viewpoint that perhaps sending the boy back as a weapon may not be something he'll be able to do without compromising some part of his conscience. And even so the viewpoint of Guinan still doesn't seem unreasonable. A rich episode.

Silicon Avatar
Disaster
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
Time's Arrow

 

[Vale]

I'm going to go again! This time I'm going to save Disaster. Partly because we get some good character moments all round, it's very much an ensemble episode as opposed to a Picard episode or a Data episode of a Worf episode etc – and also because, despite being a serious situation and played completely straight by the cast, it's got some of the funniest lines ever in Star Trek. Keiko screaming "I AM PUSHING!" is possibly the single most hilarious moment in the whole of TNG.

Silicon Avatar
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
Time's Arrow

 

[Oddish]

Stepping in and saving Ethics from the Hek-bah. While the Worf/Alexander bits could be dispensed with, it was a strong Beverly episode as well, something we don't get enough of.

Silicon Avatar
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Power Play
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
Time's Arrow

 

[Orphalesion]

Well I was ninja'd saving Ethics And I will say I'm completely on Dr.Crusher's side. And I liked how Riker told Worf off for being a death seeker.

So I'm going to save Power Play. It has some good, creepy stuff with the possessed crew members, especially when it comes to O'Brien and his family.

Silicon Avatar
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
Time's Arrow

 

[Qonundrum]

I adored this one on initial airing, though while some of it's dated questionably,

Silicon Avatar

still means well and I like the idea of trying to communicate with it. Yet nobody asked Lore how he could, or how Data would be unable to think similarly given he and Lore were programmed the same way.

The real downer is the ending, where Data assumes a qualifying emotional state based on documented records for little Renny - the correlation is quite a bit of a stretch, if not contrived for the sake of one side.

But the episode still has a fair bit of moments and makes for a nice follow-up to "Datalore", which has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Now, where's my crystal goblet set? Oh wait, here it is:

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Oh wait, that's in the ancillary kitchen. When done drinking out of one of them and I know which one my ex would use and still would say it's too small...:

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!


What's left and turkey season is about to begin...
Unification I
Unification II
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
Time's Arrow

 

[Vale]

I'm going to save Unification II. Why? Because it's got Spock in it. I don't think we need to say any more than that.

Unification I
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
Time's Arrow

 

[Qonundrum]

Well I was ninja'd saving Ethics And I will say I'm completely on Dr.Crusher's side. And I liked how Riker told Worf off for being a death seeker.

So I'm going to save Power Play. It has some good, creepy stuff with the possessed crew members, especially when it comes to O'Brien and his family.

"Ethics" was as subtle as walking down the street and a grand elephant drops right onto your head*, but it does discuss a couple of great topics. "Half a Life" does the suicide thing a lot better, though the Worf part starts out fairly well and Riker gets some depth for once... But the "battle of the doctors" is so contrived... that said, I'll still concede in ultimately siding with Crusher for most things, but the guest villlllllllllain had a fair point in that - in an emergency and the odds are that bad - then anything to try can be better than nothing. (But, sheesh, Worf having three spinal cord connections and revives at just the right moment - also another set of horrid contrivances - existed only to keep the cod melodrama going for far longer than it should have. Staring at the player's time counter was more rewarding...) Also ,if this was rumored as being a return of Pulaski, I'm so glad they didn't go that way.

"Power Play" desperately needed Ron Jones to score it, or any of the composers with the feel that they all gave during seasons 1-3 as the new wallpaper muzak style is even more cringe than the joke about walking down the street and being hit on the head with a giant anvil as Wile E Coyote mistook you as the road runner, *meep meep*... but is otherwise an above-average entry in this season.

* either itself or what it ate eight hours earlier, both are fairly weighty subjects...

 

[Farscape One]

So many I was going to save have already been done.

So my next one is "Hero Worship". Timothy was rather poorly cast, but the idea of this episode is perfect. Data truly does embody everything that makes someone a hero. If more actual humans tried a little bit more to be like Data, we'd actually make real progress as a society.


Unification I
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend

 

[Qonundrum]

I'm going to save Unification II. Why? Because it's got Spock in it. I don't think we need to say any more than that.

It does also try to do homage to TOS. I'm not sure it's successful as it feels superficial and artificial, and Sela is reduced to a cartoon character even more paperweight than the worst of TOS's - such a great setup for a character and they waste it more than my ex with a 64oz bottle of rum in one setting...

But it does try to mesh both TOS and TNG to create a longer history. It still could have been a lot more. And better.

So many I was going to save have already been done.

So my next one is "Hero Worship". Timothy was rather poorly cast, but the idea of this episode is perfect. Data truly does embody everything that makes someone a hero. If more actual humans tried a little bit more to be like Data, we'd actually make real progress as a society.

Not inspired by The B-52s, and the story idea was good - if not poorly executed, right down to the name of the treknobabble waves of the week... but it does continue one of TNG's unique aspects in having kids on a starship. But an episode devoted to a child mimicking Data also seems something out of the DSM-V and I'd swear "The Bonding" did the orphan rescue subplot better anyway?

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