Weakest 10 Episodes

[Farscape One]

I like the inversion of this thread from the typical '10 best' list. I'll do mine in production order.


"Shades Of Gray" - There are FAR better clip shows in scifi.

"The Price" - This episode just felt so flat. But what makes it terrible is it gave us "FALSE PROFITS" on VOYAGER. Unforgiveable.

"Transfigurations" - Just dreadfully boring.

"The Masterpiece Society" - Boring episode. VERY boring episode.

"Imaginary Friend" - Very boring episode.

"Rascals" - Ferengi with 2 outdated Klingon ships take over the Federation flagship? Not only does this sentence sound more like a joke than an actual premise, but it is the one episode that makes the crew look COMPLETELY INCOMPETANT.

"Aquiel" - This episode is painfully dull.

"Force of Nature" - This episode just ended up going nowhere. It's one of the few episodes that is worse because of the existence of others. Had the warp speed limitation actually been around for more episodes, this might not be quite as bad.

"Sub Rosa" - Beverly has sex with a ghost? This story came from Jeri Taylor, who was the head of the writers' room in season 7. The only woman on the writing staff, and THIS is the best you can come up with for your most underutilized character of the lead cast?

"Bloodlines" - This story was useless. It could have been an exploration of the choices Picard made about not having kids. Instead, it's another Bok revenge story. Just terrible.


Dishonorable mentions...
"Angel One"
"Up The Long Ladder"

 

[puzzledtea]

Code Of Honor - Boring and so slow, feels like 2 hours worth of awfulness in 1 at that pace.

Justice - Honestly I like the idea behind dealing with unjust laws. Just lose the people wearing clothes made of Kleenex frolicking around and this would be off the list :P

Samaritan Snare - I sort of like the Pakleds. But the plot stupidity kills this one for me. Riker making the Pakleds look intelligent, and a conveniently poorly run medical staff on the starbase. I don't like stories that advance due to the characters suddenly becoming idiots.

The outrageous Okona - Data learning about humour has some merits. But this one is just bad all round, it feels almost Buck Rogers-ish.

Shades of Gray.

Suddenly Human - Aside from a couple of moments I found this one very boring. Don't think the admiral would've been happy with Picard deciding without her consent...

Aquiel - Incredibly dull, not much else to say really

Liaisons - After some wonderful episodes at the end of S6 this follows afterwards. To me this set the tone for the bad parts of S7, the story is very inconsequential and feels pointless. Though it does have "Love me!!!" :P

Force Of Nature - Another painfully boring episode, and idk what they were playing as t with trying to limit warp speeds. Spot was in it at least.

Sub Rosa - I couldn't leave this off, it's dreadful as a TNG episode. But it's got loads of unintentionally funny moments I do have a soft spot for it. (Off topic but have to admit,I only just realised the actor who was the ghost also played Shakaar on DS9. Each time I see him now I think of him as ghost candle)

 

[tomalak301]

Though it does have "Love me!!!" :P

That scene is one of the reasons I put it in my weakest episode list.

 

[Arpy]

That scene is one of the reasons I put it in my weakest episode list.

No! You should “LOVE IT!!!”

It’s not one of the better episodes but I generally like the comic relief of both Worf and Troi, loved all the futuristic foods we saw, and generally like the idea of more alien aliens with vastly different perspectives. There should be way more of them in Trek before they begin to understand and trade with each other.

 

[Xhiandra]

1) Shades of Grey.
Clip shows are pointless, and this one has a very dumb framing device on top. Not the dumbest episode of Trek, maybe not even of TNG, but certainly the most pointless episode in all Trek.

2) The Game.
So stupid on every level. There's only so much that Ashley Judd's disarming smile can make up for.

3) The Outrageous Okona.
Again, a very stupid episode. Unlike "The Game", I don't even understand what they were going for, here.

4) The Neutral Zone.
The premise of the episode is actually intriguing, but its treatment is abysmal. The dialogue, in particular, is horrendous. So many bad lines, this episode sounds like it was written by children.

5) Conspiracy.
I know people won't agree with me on this, but I didn't find this foray into B-movie horror appealing in the least. Except for the volcano scene.
On first watch, from that volcano scene, I thought we'd have an actual conspiracy, involving intrigue and geopolitics... not parasites controlling people with a gory ending.

6) Power Play.
Another of those "evil beings have taken control of some characters" that crop up from time to time. I hate that trope. It's Hercules/Xena-level shlock, and often invites hammy acting (less so here than in the VOY episode where Kes is the possessed one, though) and incredibly hackneyed writing (less here than in the DS9 episode where Keiko is the one possessed, though).

Edit: on reflection, Power Play isn't that bad. I still dislike the trope, but it's not such a bad take on it.
6) Imaginary Friend.
Just annoying.

7) Masks.
I went back and forth on "Masks" over the years. Is it terrible or is it actually quite good? It's an interesting premise, but my latest viewing convinced me it leans heavily into the "terrible" side.
Honestly, to properly do this story would've required more than one episode. Probably more than two.

8) Journey's End.
Wesley's arc was getting good. The First Duty was a great episode, and so was Final Mission before that... and then they bring back the wunderkind/chosen one nonsense from season 1 instead of building on those.
Not to mention Picard's ancestral "blood debt" nonsense. All that to set up Chakotay... who turned out to be one of the most bland characters on VOY and in all of Trek.

9) Code of Honor.
Such a confusing (and confused) mess. I don't even understand the ending, honestly.

10) The Battle.
A mustache-twirling villain with a silly McGuffin, Wesley somehow divining everything rather than the adults, and general stupidity on part of all the rest of the cast.

Yes, I consider all of those worse than Justice and Sub Rosa. Justice at least tries to have substance, even if it has the subtlety of an anvil to the face and very questionable choices were made in terms of the appearance of the Edo.
Sub Rosa is bad, but less offensively stupid than most of the list above.


I'm always surprised how often Aquiel shows up on such lists. To me, it's quite average. I'll take slightly boring over infuriatingly stupid (like The Game, Okona and The Battle).[/S][/S]

 

[Oddish]

Funny, I usually dislike "Wesley saves the day" episodes, but I'm Ok with "The Game". Wes wasn't a super genius, but he actually made a number of smart plays (use the transporter and Jefferies tubes, get rid of his phaser early) to ensure zero casualties on either side, while buying Data the time he needed.

 

[Farscape One]

Wesley was utilized well in "The Game".


And the trope of 'Wesley saves the day' is not quite as numerous as many think.

"The Naked Now" - He was part of a solution that bought the ship time to get away from the fragment. But let's not forget, he caused that scenario since he locked out the Chief Engineer and got the assistant Chief infected, who took out all the warp control chips. I look at this as more balancing the scales.

"Where No One Has Gone Before" - I wouldn't say he saved the day, but he did help focus the Traveler. But Wesley did interrupt him, unintentionally, in the first giant warp burst, which got them in that situation to begin with. Balanced the scales.

"Justice"- He was the whole reason there was a problem, so more a liability here. (Accidental, of course. Not trying to bash his character.)

"The Big Goodbye" - Okay, he saved the day here.

"Datalore" - His observations were instrumental, but I fault the writers for making the crew look inept.

"When The Bough Breaks" - He didn't really save the day here, but he was used well with the other kids. And he did get the tricorder scan off the Aldean, so he was more a team member helping out.

"Pen Pals" - He was put in command of the survey team that found the problem, and his decision based on the team's work was instrumental to the solution. He deserves credit here because he was put there on purpose to solve the riddle.

"Peak Performance" - He 'improvised' his experiment to the Hathaway. This episode was a true ensemble piece, with EVERYONE getting great scenes and most with a part of the solution. Total team effort.

"Evolution" - Wesley, by his own admission, was entirely at fault here. So no day saving here.

"The Enemy" - He did come up with the neutrino pulse so Geordi can pick it up and let them know to grab him. I suppose this could fall under the category of saving the day.

"Menage a Troi" - Wesley did save the day here with his recognizing the static from Riker. He earned an Ensign commission right after.

"Remember Me" - Wesley, with the Traveler's help, did save his mom. But his experiment got her there to begin with. Scales balanced.

"Final Mission" - Wesley saves Picard. Picard did push him out of the way, so basically they saved each other. Given this was his final episode as a regular, I give it a pass... and because the scene where he tells Picard why he worked so hard and later Picard saying he was always proud of him were simply wonderful.


Even if you add all these examples together, by the time of his departure, Wesley didn't really save the day more than any of the other main cast. He really only did it a couple times, and was a part of the solution for most of the rest.

 

[Oddish]

When The Bough Breaks" - He didn't really save the day here, but he was used well with the other kids. And he did get the tricorder scan off the Aldean, so he was more a team member helping out.

I thought that episode was ruined by its ending, but Wes's role in it was fine. He did his part, but did it in a way that was smart and made sense.

There are a lot of episodes I wish had ended differently, but I think I'm in the minority in that regard.

 

[Xhiandra]

Funny, I usually dislike "Wesley saves the day" episodes, but I'm Ok with "The Game". Wes wasn't a super genius, but he actually made a number of smart plays (use the transporter and Jefferies tubes, get rid of his phaser early) to ensure zero casualties on either side, while buying Data the time he needed.

Wesley somehow resisting the titular game when all the adults didn't isn't that episode's sole, or even main issue. Some episodes have a good premise ruined by execution, but this one has a terrible premise to start with.

 

[Legate Duhmar]

I gotta say, it's bringing me joy to see The Outrageous Okona on so many lists. It might just make my bottom 10 of all Trek episodes from all the series combined. It really is an exceptionally bad hour of television. Though the most amazing thing about it is that the script they started with was way way worse than what we got.

The Outrageous Okuna is a bit cringe but actually an episode I dont mind much, it's a fun romp and a bit of a 'day in the life' story that adds a bit of texture to the universe

My top 10 worst in no particular order;

The Child
Code of Honor
Justice
Sub Rosa
Masks
Aquiel
Times Arrow pt 1+2
We'll Always Have Paris
Shades of Grey
The Survivors

 

[STEPhon IT]

I've had a lot of fun reading everyone's top 10 TNG episodes in this thread:

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/top-10-tng-episodes.310345/

It seems like there are clearly some that are almost universal, and others that are unique to the viewer...so it's been an interesting read. I thought it might be interesting to see everyone's take on the "weakest" 10 episodes as well.

I'll start (in no particular order):

1. Aquiel
2. Imaginary Friend
3. The Schizoid Man
4. Suddenly Human
5. Angel One
6. Hero Worship
7. Cost of Living
8. The Price
9. Suspicions
10. Sub Rosa

Most of these are not only "bad" episodes, but they reach my "top 10" because I also find them dreadfully dull. There are other episodes that are pretty crappy (and I'll list those below), but at least they aren't start-to-finish dull.

Other Mentions:

Descent pt. 1 and pt. 2
Code of Honor
Shades of Gray
Genesis
Time's Arrow pt. 1 and pt. 2
The Outrageous Okona
Homeward
Dark Page
Force of Nature (although this is pretty damn dull as well)
Realm of Fear
Fistful of Datas
Violations
Man of the People
Datalore

This is a very interesting take on selections of episodes which I don't normally think about for a top of the list thing but by you writing the weakest of episodes I had to give it some more thought. For me, the ideas were there but the execution was off and made it something it shouldn't have been. Not in any particular order.

Liaisons - It didn't feel like this story was well thought out, the ambassadors' motivations were simply heightening our heroes one dimensional nature instead of exploring something new that I never seen before. Its a pretty boring episode.

Interface - The Matrix before "The Matrix" was a complicated story which was bogged down by aliens pretending to be Geordi's Mother. Its another slow burn which I couldn't figure out the hell this episode was about.

Gambit - This episode felt stretched to make it a two parter; the first part was all set up and never stops doing it. The second part for some reason felt like a rush to the end which the ridiculous ending I thought was quite comical but at least I got to see Robin Curtis delivering her version of Saavik again but apparently was portraying another character. Parts of me wished Dorothy Fontana tackled this tale because I think she was the master of the Vulcan mythos and had a care for the development of its philosophy.

Phantasms - ??? Data exploring dream programs where Troi is a cake and other bizarre things like mining workers who are sensitive to sounds??? ??? Odd... simply odd.

Dark Page - Lwaxana in a coma where Troi needs to unravel the death of Kirsten Dunst??? My goodness I believe these were like the first set of episodes from TNG's final season??? Talk about starting off weak.

Force of Nature - Another bizarre episode which I knew, however this debacle ends, it will be long forgotten because to claim the magical element of what is essential to the entire franchise is lethal to space is utterly ridiculous. This frantic scientist goes all weirdo and blows up her own ship to cause an organic black hole anomaly was laughable; this was a filler episode at its worst because the characters are really trying to give credence to this non-sense. I mean, where the hell can you or any writer could go with this??? No Warp, No show!

The Pegasus - I am still stunned at how many members on this forum has a strong fascination of a stealth weapon, something our heroes has proven over and over again the tech was inferior to a federation spacecraft. This episode exceeds in claiming these stealth weapons are superior and has a strategical advantage to the advancements of a Starship... as if the Federation was in a current war with aliens who have stealth weapons. Although, the episode had a deeper meaning to Will Riker and the harbinger from his past and how he over came it; the execution of it where the Enterprise had to go into an asteroid was ridiculous and forcing the climax making it predictable.*

Homeward - was a complete snorer of an episode. It was the dullest Worf episode ever.

Sub Rosa - is a given because of how ridiculous the episode was; nothing in it had a wealth of weight. Maybe if Picard revealed is love for her might have given it weight but this whole family haunted thing just didn't click with me.

Masks - OMG

For some reason I thought the silly episode called "Rightful Heir" was part of this horrible season but its in the 6th and if it was I would've gladly replace anyone of my picks for that one. I think its one the worst episode I've ever seen on TNG, completely replaces what Kahless was and made him into a complete joke of a character. The appearance didn't give the character strength but made him quite corny and not very impactful in the narrative at all.

*Not a fan of this tech but I wouldn't had minded the USS Defiant was equipped with this "phase weapon" instead of the borrowing a cloaking device non-sense from the Romulans on DS9. I think DS9 could've done something with this, and because of the nature in where Ira and the gang was going with it, that tech would've been a game changer if done right... which I doubt they could've done.

 

[Oddish]

Phantasms - ??? Data exploring dream programs where Troi is a cake and other bizarre things like mining workers who are sensitive to sounds??? ??? Odd, simply odd.

I thought that was the point.

 

[Farscape One]

I actually loved that one. Creepy atmosphere, great idea for a story (Data's dreams being the answer to creatures eating the crew), and "Mint frosting."

 

[Alice_27]

...As tie is every Lwaxanna Troi episode. Yeah...

I agreed with everything you said up to this point. I liked 'Half a Life" quite a bit. (I'm probably biased because I'm a M*A*S*H fan & enjoyed most of David Ogden Stiers performances.) I feel that Lwaxanna Troi, who can be off putting, was quite sincere in this episode. I liked the episode well enough when it first aired but this episode seems more relevant the older I get. Society isn't as forgiving to those on the high side of 50.

Also a Lwaxanna episode is Dark Page ...

...Dark Page - Lwaxana in a coma where Troi needs to unravel the death of Kirsten Dunst??? My goodness I believe these were like the first set of episodes from TNG's final season??? Talk about starting off weak...

Granted the way it's told isn't the best storyline but this one resonates with me since I have lost a child. There are times you don't think you'll ever find your way out of your darkness. Having her get lost in her own mind was an interesting way of portraying how parents feel/deal with this kind of loss. The death of a child is hard for people to talk about, esp the parents. I tell stories of my child with whoever will listen but not every parent can do that. That Lwaxanna felt the pain so deeply that she never told Deanna about her sister isn't unheard of actually. It make Lwaxanna, for me anyway, more personable. It made me think that maybe she was so flamboyant because she needed to hide that excruciating pain from everyone... Including herself.

I'm not necessarily a big Lwaxanna fan, I just happen to think these two episodes aren't all that bad. Just my 2¢

 

[Farscape One]

I always thought "Dark Page" explained WHY Lwaxana was the she was. Not only her over the top nature with everyone, but with how overbearing she could be with Deanna.

I thought it was a creepy mystery up until the reveal of Kestra. Always thought the episode was pretty well done.

 

[Arpy]

I think I'm going to add a couple Lwaxana episodes to my rewatch list that I haven't seen in a while – Cost of Living and Dark Page. I remember the former as not that great, but it's been so long that I'll enjoy revisiting it. I've been watching bad old episodes recently and watched Fascination and The Muse. She was ill-served on DS9. *The Forsaken I liked though.

I might rewatch Haven as well. There are a few lines in there about Betazoid culture I want to revisit. It could be a really different culture than most other humanoids we meet...matriarchal, mostly silent, yet exploding with intimacy and connection; little privacy yet beautiful, understanding, respectful. And wise in strange mystical ways....they have notions of "fate" and a grander order specifically I'm curious to examine closer. Probably silly New Age nonsense...from earlier religious nonsense, but interesting to contemplate.

There's so much further to go with telepathy than we've seen so far. What's telepathic pop culture like? Do they need communicate with words when they can concepts and feelings? How might you dramatize that audiovisual for the viewer? How many people can be in on a conversation/mind-meld/Collective? What's it like sensing not only a person's ego but subconscious, that strange dark place that maybe the Borg operate from? Do they have telepathic neuroscience, AI's, technology...what are their ships like? How have they been used/abused by other races for war, sport, profit, pleasure, and science?

 

[STEPhon IT]

I agreed with everything you said up to this point. I liked 'Half a Life" quite a bit. (I'm probably biased because I'm a M*A*S*H fan & enjoyed most of David Ogden Stiers performances.) I feel that Lwaxanna Troi, who can be off putting, was quite sincere in this episode. I liked the episode well enough when it first aired but this episode seems more relevant the older I get. Society isn't as forgiving to those on the high side of 50.

Also a Lwaxanna episode is Dark Page ...


Granted the way it's told isn't the best storyline but this one resonates with me since I have lost a child. There are times you don't think you'll ever find your way out of your darkness. Having her get lost in her own mind was an interesting way of portraying how parents feel/deal with this kind of loss. The death of a child is hard for people to talk about, esp the parents. I tell stories of my child with whoever will listen but not every parent can do that. That Lwaxanna felt the pain so deeply that she never told Deanna about her sister isn't unheard of actually. It make Lwaxanna, for me anyway, more personable. It made me think that maybe she was so flamboyant because she needed to hide that excruciating pain from everyone... Including herself.

I'm not necessarily a big Lwaxanna fan, I just happen to think these two episodes aren't all that bad. Just my 2¢

I am sorry for your loss, and you are right if an episode can express such a moment for a parent, Star Trek has definitely been a vessel to approach such a subject matter.

 

[Alice_27]

I am sorry for your loss, and you are right if an episode can express such a moment for a parent, Star Trek has definitely been a vessel to approach such a subject matter.

Thank you very much. Trek was ahead of it's time & one of the few shows that can be appreciated for different reasons as a person grows & changes. "Dark Passage" was a surprising episode when I first watched it as an early 20-something single person. It meant SO MUCH MORE when I rewatched it in my 30's after losing my first child & having more children after. It's probably one of the reasons why I made sure to tell my younger children about their oldest sister. They'd obviously have no memories of her but they do have some connection to her this way. Maybe I'd have told my other children anyway, but seeing "Dark Passage" later on did have a profound effect on me; as in cried the entire episode plus learning from Lwaxanna's mistake of hiding her pain away.

 

[JaxsBrokenHeart]

It's funny, a lot of the time the worst episodes can be ones that I can get more enjoyment out of than ones that might be technically better. Sub Rosa is awful, but between the inept execution of an Anne Rice story and an attempt at a Scottish accent that would have Groundskeeper Willie shaking his head, it actually becomes so bad it's good.

So with that in mind, here's the 10 I just find the least enjoyment in watching because of one element or another (typically second hand embarrassment at some element they're trying to do or just frustration at how much they're wasting their concept). This will not include Code of Honor or Shades of Gray since their terrible reputation is such a given (and so very earned) that I figured it'd be a more interesting list without them.

Naked Now
The Last Outpost
Justice
Angel One
Neutral Zone
The Outrageous Okona
Imaginary Friend
In Theory
New Ground
Force of Nature

 

[Spectre Of The Fun]

Home Soil
Transfigurations
New Ground
Hero Worship
Cost of Living
Imaginary Friend
Inheritance
Force of Nature
Journey's End
Firstborn

I greatly enjoy the humor in everyone's comments regarding the least of TNG.

For me the worst episodes are the most boring. I can find things to laugh at in Sub Rosa, The Outrageous Okona or Code of Honor but most of my top 10 are just plain boring.

Force of Nature manages to be both boring and stupid. Try to watch that scene somewhere in the middle of it with Picard and some Ferengi. It's mind numbingly pointless. It might be the worst scene in the whole of TNG.

Sure there is insensitive racial stuff in Code of Honor but overall it entertains if only like watching a train wreck. Besides the guest stars are good in a bad script situation.

I get the hate for Aquiel but I like the title character. I like the business about her not always being a model officer.