Which is part of why Jellico never rubbed me the wrong way the way he sometimes is described. He was a good leader and his expectations followed with it. Picard likewise has a certain approach that inspires others to fall in line, rather than automatically demanding. I have worked for both, and aspire to lead with elements of both. This was not lost on me, though I doubt I could put such a phrase to it at the time. Attempting to rewatch from Season 3 forward it definitely stands out, and the interactions are weirdly off putting.
Hm, I can see that one might feel that way. There definitely is a certain blandness to most of the characters - if that is the case for you - due to the infamous "no conflict"-decree. And Berman playing it safe all the time didn't help either. For my part, that same blandness and "calm" of some characters - mainly Picard and Data - actually were appealing, and still are, due to my personal... peculiarities. But I too feel that adding complexity to many of the characters could have elevated them and some of the weaker episodes.
Yeah, with (sometimes more than) a touch of colonialism. Funnily enough, I think there was a moment of self awareness by the writers of "All Good Things", when Q says something along the lines of "You could have explored higher possibilities of existence, but instead you limited yourself to a Centurion like patrolling of your territories!"
Actually... actually actually... that doesn't sound half bad. Might be a bit young, but she was a smart kid. Also, according to I-don't-remember-where-I-read-it there's supposed to be somewhat of a time jump between seasons 2 and 3.
I don't mind bland people...honestly I have no doubt many would describe me as bland. And Mr. Spock was my favorite character in TOS so I definitely like calm. TNG just was an odd one for me. It just feels more like they talk at each other rather than to each other. It's a weird thing to describe with any sort of real clarity but it stood out to me when rewatching the "Ensigns of Command." But, it just felt really off putting and made me just find them hard to connect with. I doubt that makes any sort of sense.
Ah, what a shame that we never met her again, and that Bolian dude and Bev's and Jean Luc's old frien... oh wait. But hey, bring on Fleet Admiral Scott who for some reason still has some sort of connection to the Blue Gills and reveals a terrible secret to Picard and crew. Bam, plot for season 3! ... Dear Lord. The character Matalas was talking about is Tryla Scott! Dun-Dunnnn!
I do get this, I think. Maybe I picked with "bland" the wrong expression. TNG characters do sound distanced and reserved in their interactions, which again in my case was and is appealing (and I personally actually would like to see returning in parts for season 3 of PIC - just a bit). And while Spock was/is certainly a reserved character, his interactions with Kirk and McCoy particularly nonetheless showed plenty of personal affection / amicability. BTW, what's your impression of Peck? I think he does a really good job in portraying a just slightly less experienced Spock.
If the betleH is the sword of honor, and the meqleH the loyal sword, then the qurleH could be the greedy sword
The scenes with Jellico were written in such a way as to have the audience side with the TNG crew over him, because: 1. Jellico wasn’t Picard, and 2. Jellico was a hardass because of the way he ran the ship and treated his officers. The problem, though, was that Jellico was ultimately shown to be a competent commander, and Riker was the one who actually came off like an unprofessional dick. So the scenes didn’t quite work.
I see your point but I think many people mistake professionalism as coldness when writing dialog. It's a delicate balance to strike and TNG undoubtedly hit and appealed to some. For me, it came across like these people did not really know each other and worked warmly with each other. It's funny because I like Jellico and many would argue he was more cold, but he at least felt like he was willing to know his crew. As for Peck, he feels a lot like an inexperienced Spock who hasn't struck that place of how he emphasizes his two natures. And I think that is fine because having characters who always have it figured out is harder to relate to. At least for me.
I get it and feel much the same way. Interactions feel very stiff and artificial. I remember one of the writers - I think it was Ira Behr, who hated writing for TNG - said that there always had to be a plot related reason for someone to visit a colleague’s quarters, they could never just hang out. I loved it as a kid, but I find the sterility of the show really offputting these days.
Another Matalas tweet about S3, specifically concerning a starship. Potential spoilers if ye click... https://twitter.com/TerryMatalas/status/1552090628032319488