Defend an awful Trek episode

[Oddish]

Just for fun... take an episode that you normally wouldn't give the time of day to, and try to find something legitimately positive to say about it.

I'll start...

Shades of Gray: One, given the time and budget, it was going to be a clip show or something similar in nature. But one, they found a way to explain the clips within the episode's context (as opposed to just playing them alongside some sentimental song). Two, it had some pretty good moments with Riker facing his imminent death (the end was pretty cute too). And three, they actually picked some pretty good clips.


You turn... find an appalling episode and make everyone else want to see it!

 

[Vger23]

Spock's Brain:

With Spock in mortal danger due to having his brain surgically removed by an unknown alien, the crew of the Enterprise race against time to uncover the mystery of what happened to him and why. There is a classic Trek scene of the bridge crew working together to solve the puzzle of where the alien intruder may have come from, and where they may have gone after infiltrating the Enterprise. On the planet, there is a strange society that has developed where the female aliens live in a highly advanced underground compound and the males live on the desolate planet surface, much like cave men. There's a cool new model of an alien spaceship, which is rare for TOS.

 

[Joanna McCoy-Kirk]

Turnabout Intruder: Scotty catalogs Kirk's emotional states during the time they've served together ("I've seen the captain feverish, sick, drunk, delirious, terrified, overjoyed, boiling mad.") Also, it is the final TOS episode, giving it historical import.

 

[Lord Garth]

"Up the Long Ladder" (TNG)

Everyone needs to lighten up on this episode. We all have extended family we can't stand. Sometimes can't fucking stand. Everyone has the family drunkard. Sometimes a few of them. Sometimes that's even been me. Brenna Odell is fucking awesome. She reminds me of a few of my friends. What else? The scene with Pulaski covering for Worf is priceless. And I love when Riker mentions that if he were duplicated, it would diminish him in ways he can't even imagine; which was followed up later with just that. The scene with Worf ordering that drink on the replicator for Danilo Odell was great. And I got a kick out of whenever we saw twins, triplets, etc. on Mariposa.

I'm not doing any pretending here. It's really what I think. So this one's easy. But somehow I've been on here since 1999 and never talked about this episode. So I guess defending it isn't something I'd normally do, because all these years and I've rarely posted in the TNG Forum. And it's just never come up in the circles I've usually been in here, past or present.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

I'm surprised to see recent a lot of shade being thrown at Author, Author (VOY). It's one of the highlights of the series for me, but I'm a fan of the EMH being a dick, so maybe that's it? Robert Picardo is clearly a fascinating, humorous and erudite person in real life, but he plays dickheads so well as an actor...

It's Top 10 Voyager for me.

 

[BillJ]

"Up the Long Ladder" (TNG)

Everyone needs to lighten up on this episode. We all have extended family we can't stand. Sometimes can't fucking stand. Everyone has the family drunkard. Sometimes a few of them. Sometimes that's even been me. Brenna Odell is fucking awesome. She reminds me of a few of my friends. What else? The scene with Pulaski covering for Worf is priceless. And I love when Riker mentions that if he were duplicated, it would diminish him in ways he can't even imagine; which was followed up later with just that. The scene with Worf ordering that drink on the replicator for Danilo Odell was great. And I got a kick out of whenever we saw twins, triplets, etc. on Mariposa.

I'm not doing any pretending here. It's really what I think. So this one's easy. But somehow I've been on here since 1999 and never talked about this episode. So I guess defending it isn't something I'd normally do, because all these years and I've rarely posted in the TNG Forum. And it's just never come up in the circles I've usually been in here, past or present.

Not an episode that I dislike, though a few of the elements were over the top. Though that was par for the course in the 1980’s.

 

[Oddish]

Threshold. Yeah, let's do this.
1. The make-up effects are quite good, in a gruesome "pulling out your tongue" sort of way.
2. The baby salamanders were actually pretty cute.
3. This episode is never mentioned again, making it easy to declare in your head canon that it was just a bad dream from Tom eating too much of Neelix's leola root enchiladas.

 

[gweeps]

TNG's Sub Rosa

I liked the gothic nature of the episode.

Haven't seen it in almost 30 years though.

 

[Oddish]

A few more about Sub Rosa...
1. Gorgeous planetary setting.
2. It gave Crusher something to do beyond diagnose people.
3. I liked the closing line.
4. It explains a common unexplained phenomenon. If you ever see a ghost, it's really just an anaphasic lifeform that wants to get in your pants.

 

[ED-209]

I'm just waiting for someone to defend Catspaw - the only saving grace I can think of that episode is it was written by Robert Bloch.

 

[gweeps]

I'm just waiting for someone to defend Catspaw - the only saving grace I can think of that episode is it was written by Robert Bloch.

Been thinking of rewatching this one. Haven't seen it in probably over 30 years.

 

[Oddish]

A Night in Sickbay... yes it was silly, and assassinated Archer's character like no tomorrow... but what other Trek episode can boast that it managed to feature a treadmill pissing contest, Denobulan grooming habits, rogue bats, doggie funerals, vanishing underwear, Freudian slips, taxidermy juice dogs, dreadlocks, and a chainsaw?

 

[Farscape One]

How about a movie?

STAR TREK NEMESIS...
1. We finally get to see what a Reman looks like.

2. Worf got huge character development from uttering one line... "The Romulans fought with honor." Given his history of hatred toward them, and how he holds the word honor so dearly, this was one of his biggest moments since his TNG debut.

3. Riker and Troi finally get married.

 

[Farscape One]

I'm just waiting for someone to defend Catspaw - the only saving grace I can think of that episode is it was written by Robert Bloch.

You got it.

"CATSPAW"...
1. Kirk calling for Bones, then quickly changes to Doctor when he sees the skeleton. That was hilarious.

2. The aliens were truly alien. Despite being obvious puppets, it was very, very different.

3. I love horror. This episode had a lot of spooky elements. It's part of what makes this a fun episode.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

You got it.

"CATSPAW"...
1. Kirk calling for Bones, then quickly changes to Doctor when he sees the skeleton. That was hilarious.

2. The aliens were truly alien. Despite being obvious puppets, it was very, very different.

3. I love horror. This episode had a lot of spooky elements. It's part of what makes this a fun episode.

I can get behind all of this. TOS does Halloween. The episode defends itself and I think it’s marvellous!

 

[BillJ]

TNG's Sub Rosa

An episode that isn’t nearly as bad as its reputation suggests. Much like “A Night in Sickbay”.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Dare I invoke a certain Season 1 Enterprise episode?

I don’t think I dare.

 

[captainkirk]

You got it.

"CATSPAW"...
1. Kirk calling for Bones, then quickly changes to Doctor when he sees the skeleton. That was hilarious.

2. The aliens were truly alien. Despite being obvious puppets, it was very, very different.

3. I love horror. This episode had a lot of spooky elements. It's part of what makes this a fun episode.

And don't forget Spock criticizing the ghosts' poetry. Deadpan Vulcan humor is brilliant.

 

[Summer Solstice]

Just for fun... take an episode that you normally wouldn't give the time of day to, and try to find something legitimately positive to say about it.

This is a fun idea.

TNG's Sub Rosa

I liked the gothic nature of the episode.

Haven't seen it in almost 30 years though.

A few more about Sub Rosa...
1. Gorgeous planetary setting.
2. It gave Crusher something to do beyond diagnose people.
3. I liked the closing line.
4. It explains a common unexplained phenomenon. If you ever see a ghost, it's really just an anaphasic lifeform that wants to get in your pants.

I like that the actors gave it 100%.

A Night in Sickbay... yes it was silly, and assassinated Archer's character like no tomorrow... but what other Trek episode can boast that it managed to feature a treadmill pissing contest, Denobulan grooming habits, rogue bats, doggie funerals, vanishing underwear, Freudian slips, taxidermy juice dogs, dreadlocks, and a chainsaw?

I would like to know if the way Phlox practices medicine is normal Denobulan medical practice or if he's picked up a lot of ideas during his travels.

 

[Oddish]

Dare I invoke a certain Season 1 Enterprise episode?

I don’t think I dare.

Dare! Dare! DARE!!