Revisiting ST-TNG...
- Thread starter Warped9
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"The Game" **
Riker introduces a game to the crew that everyone gets addicted to.
Uh, Riker playing around with a woman who looks like she has an ass on her forehead? And these guys really mustn’t be all that busy, or that far out on the frontier, if they can double back and spend time on Raisa when it suits them.
And cadets can actually get out to a supposed deep space starship to spend their vacation. It’s things like this that really undermine the credibility of a series setting.
I remember this. I didn’t care for it then and I still don’t care for it. There is an idea behind it: how a lessor power could effect or corrupt a more powerful one, but I simply couldn’t get into it. Pass.
Riker introduces a game to the crew that everyone gets addicted to.
Uh, Riker playing around with a woman who looks like she has an ass on her forehead? And these guys really mustn’t be all that busy, or that far out on the frontier, if they can double back and spend time on Raisa when it suits them.
And cadets can actually get out to a supposed deep space starship to spend their vacation. It’s things like this that really undermine the credibility of a series setting.I remember this. I didn’t care for it then and I still don’t care for it. There is an idea behind it: how a lessor power could effect or corrupt a more powerful one, but I simply couldn’t get into it. Pass.
"The Game" **
Riker introduces a game to the crew that everyone gets addicted to.
Uh, Riker playing around with a woman who looks like she has an ass on her forehead? And these guys really mustn’t be all that busy, or that far out on the frontier, if they can double back and spend time on Raisa when it suits them.
I remember this. I didn’t care for it then and I still don’t care for it. There is an idea behind it: how a lessor power could effect or corrupt a more powerful one, but I simply couldn’t get into it. Pass.
Her forehead looked more like a vagina to me, and that you rated this episode one-star higher than "Disaster" is distressing.
In TOS they seemed to take their shoreleave wherever they could get it, and that included starbases or stations that were also out on the boundaries.
"Unification" (Part I) ***
"Unification" (Part II) ***
Picard investigates a report that Ambassador Spock has been sighted on Romulus.
After all the hype and expectation of Leonard Nimoy as Spock appearing on TNG I found this just okay. There are moments in it, touching and humorous, but ultimately they're not enough to lift this up to something more engaging and more memorable.
I liked Picard's scenes with Sarek---how sad to see such a proud and regal and fascinating character in such a sad state.
I also rather liked Picard's scenes with Spock. Sela in this wasn't bad either. But the rest of it just didn't engage me.
Ultimately I really found it hard to reconcile the way Spock is written here with the Spock of TOS. And, yes, I know it's supposed to gel with the way Spock is depicted in The Undiscovered Country, but I've got criticisms of that as well. And something felt off about some of Spock's portrayal here---perhaps it's just the lines he has to say and how he says them. I can't put my finger on it.
Ultimately while it's not bad I just found it too long and not particularly engaging.
"Unification" (Part II) ***
Picard investigates a report that Ambassador Spock has been sighted on Romulus.
After all the hype and expectation of Leonard Nimoy as Spock appearing on TNG I found this just okay. There are moments in it, touching and humorous, but ultimately they're not enough to lift this up to something more engaging and more memorable.
I liked Picard's scenes with Sarek---how sad to see such a proud and regal and fascinating character in such a sad state.
I also rather liked Picard's scenes with Spock. Sela in this wasn't bad either. But the rest of it just didn't engage me.Ultimately I really found it hard to reconcile the way Spock is written here with the Spock of TOS. And, yes, I know it's supposed to gel with the way Spock is depicted in The Undiscovered Country, but I've got criticisms of that as well. And something felt off about some of Spock's portrayal here---perhaps it's just the lines he has to say and how he says them. I can't put my finger on it.
Ultimately while it's not bad I just found it too long and not particularly engaging.
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I really liked the way Spock and Data interacted in this episode (second part.)
"You attempt to be less human?" (or something like that)
"Yes." (or something.)
"Then in a way, your have forsaken what I aspire to be."
"Yes... Fascinating."
Really liked it, I think it came not to long after Spock says that Data has achieved "naturally" what Vulcans spend a life a lifetime to acquire.
"You attempt to be less human?" (or something like that)
"Yes." (or something.)
"Then in a way, your have forsaken what I aspire to be."
"Yes... Fascinating."
Really liked it, I think it came not to long after Spock says that Data has achieved "naturally" what Vulcans spend a life a lifetime to acquire.
"Unification" (Part I) ***
"Unification" (Part II) ***
Picard investigates a report that Ambassador Spock has been sighted on Romulus.
After all the hype and expectation of Leonard Nimoy as Spock appearing on TNG I found this just okay. There are moments in it, touching and humorous, but ultimately they're not enough to lift this up to something more engaging and more memorable.
I liked Picard's scenes with Sarek---how sad to see such a proud and regal and fascinating character in such a sad state.
Ultimately I really found it hard to reconcile the way Spock is written here with the Spock of TOS. And, yes, I know it's supposed to gel with the way Spock is depicted in The Undiscovered Country, but I've got criticisms of that as well. And something felt off about some of Spock's portrayal here---perhaps it's just the lines he has to say and how he says them. I can't put my finger on it.
Ultimately while it's not bad I just found it too long and not particularly engaging.
Part 2 was a disappointment but it was solid.
As far as Sarek goes, that's life...my dad was a strong individual and weakened and faded away from cancer in 2 years. A mental disease might be as bad for a Vulcan.
Spock...um Spock is not going to say them same, his character SHOULD change somewhat...it did in STTMP, again in STVI, and again in STNG. All perfectly logical. No need to stand pat and stay the same like some people prefer. I quite like the fact the vision was not so narrow that the Vulcans never evolved.
TMP was the major turning point for Spock. It was when he finally realized that a life of pure logic was actually a miserable existence, and his emotions had brought him the kind of joy and happiness that purely logical beings couldn't even comprehend. So he realized "Maybe I should stop being ungrateful for the fact that I'm capable of these emotions now that I KNOW life without them would really be awful."
It also helps they dropped most of the racist talk between him and McCoy.
It also helps they dropped most of the racist talk between him and McCoy.
"A Matter Of Time" ****
A time traveling historian visits the Enterprise during a vital mission to save a planet from climatic disaster.
I waffled on this one. My initial thought was it was okay, but I found myself liking it more as it progressed. There were a lot of little moments that were amusing or interesting. It does seem to beggar credibility that a time traveler from the future would be so open about who and what they are yet we did see something similar before in "Captain's Holiday." It could be that such travelers from the future might reason that those in the 24th century would be well aware of time travel being possible and thus they'd be less reticent about revealing their origin. Even so it still doesn't seem likely to me. I also question whether the Enterprise crew shouldn't have been more skeptical in the beginning.
But in that end it all seems to work out. One could question if it was right to detain Rasmussen from returning to his own time, but in the end what choice do they have? How could they allow him to return with knowledge of the future as well as the means (the time ship) to do the same thing all over again in another time?
A time traveling historian visits the Enterprise during a vital mission to save a planet from climatic disaster.
I waffled on this one. My initial thought was it was okay, but I found myself liking it more as it progressed. There were a lot of little moments that were amusing or interesting. It does seem to beggar credibility that a time traveler from the future would be so open about who and what they are yet we did see something similar before in "Captain's Holiday." It could be that such travelers from the future might reason that those in the 24th century would be well aware of time travel being possible and thus they'd be less reticent about revealing their origin. Even so it still doesn't seem likely to me. I also question whether the Enterprise crew shouldn't have been more skeptical in the beginning.
But in that end it all seems to work out. One could question if it was right to detain Rasmussen from returning to his own time, but in the end what choice do they have? How could they allow him to return with knowledge of the future as well as the means (the time ship) to do the same thing all over again in another time?
All "OK" eps for me. Nothing amazing, but entertaining enough in their own ways.
Fun episode, this. Rasmussen was a very entertaining and charasmatic guest character and the conclusion of the episode was neatly done.
Matter of Time is a good episode and another of those ones where the "technobabble story" isn't the story so I'm surprised Warped didn't mention it. Lot's of good stuff in this episode and one of the greatest speeches/talky scenes in the one between Picard and Rasmussen in the ready room when Picard rants about choices and the ramifications of choice. Great scene.
It did seem odd that Picard so openly accepted this man on his word, the Picard of the earlier seasons would have been much more skeptical. And how does one "check the credentials" of someone from the future? (As Picard claims to have done on Rasmussen.)
I also liked that Observation Lounge scene, there's some very naturalistic shots in there and a natural look, like after Geordi cracks the joke about seeing next week's poker game and everyone laughs. And one of the many times where Troi's "powers" would be useful and suddenly she has a hard time reading this human being and telling that pretty much every word he says is a lie?!
It did seem odd that Picard so openly accepted this man on his word, the Picard of the earlier seasons would have been much more skeptical. And how does one "check the credentials" of someone from the future? (As Picard claims to have done on Rasmussen.)
I also liked that Observation Lounge scene, there's some very naturalistic shots in there and a natural look, like after Geordi cracks the joke about seeing next week's poker game and everyone laughs. And one of the many times where Troi's "powers" would be useful and suddenly she has a hard time reading this human being and telling that pretty much every word he says is a lie?!
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^^ The B story wasn't terribly bothersome, but it's the A story that lifts the episode up. And you're right---I saw the same thing---how does one check the credentials of a time traveler?
Troi's sense that Rasmussen was hiding something was accurate enough, but of course she can't sense what he was hiding.
"New Ground" **
Worf tries to adjust to his son living with him on the Enterprise.
Yawn. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't find anything to care about in this one. And the B story didn't have much going for it either. This was Trek as family drama and...zzzzzz...
Troi's sense that Rasmussen was hiding something was accurate enough, but of course she can't sense what he was hiding.
"New Ground" **
Worf tries to adjust to his son living with him on the Enterprise.
Yawn. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't find anything to care about in this one. And the B story didn't have much going for it either. This was Trek as family drama and...zzzzzz...
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You're being terribly kind to this one. One of the few TNG episodes that deserve 0 stars. Ugh... just dreadful.
Have to agree. TNG was fast running out of ideas at this point.
When I look ahead I'm not encouraged. I see perhaps three or four episodes in Season 5 I remember thinking were okay and only a few episodes in each of the last two seasons.
At this point my general impression is if TNG had ended after four seasons it would have been on a positive note. I also think Seasons 1 and 2 would be a bit more fondly remembered because you simply would have fewer episodes to look back on. I'm definitely getting some sense of series fatigue at this point---it isn't blatant yet, but it's there.
At this point my general impression is if TNG had ended after four seasons it would have been on a positive note. I also think Seasons 1 and 2 would be a bit more fondly remembered because you simply would have fewer episodes to look back on. I'm definitely getting some sense of series fatigue at this point---it isn't blatant yet, but it's there.
Seasons 5 and 7 are both far weaker seasons than 3, 4, or 6. You're right, there are only another, say, 3 episodes in season 5 that are fantastic (with at least one of them being a masterpiece), with the rest of the season feeling pretty bland, overall. It's not so much that family drama is a bad thing - the problem with episodes like New Ground is that it's family drama done badly. You take family drama done well, and you get The Godfather.
But season 6 is better than you remember it being. It's darker, weirder, less comfortable - the influence of Deep Space Nine, I think, was starting to infiltrate the show. You'll see. It starts pretty badly, but from Chain of Command on, the season is surprisingly strong - and different.
"Hero Worship" **
An orphaned boy adopts Data as a role model.
Another dud in the same vein as "New Ground." At the core this isn't a bad story idea, but how it's presented here just bored me to tears.
"Violations" **
Troi, Riker and Beverley Crusher fall into unexplained comas while a group of telepaths are traveling aboard ship.
Another dud. This one actually has two things going for it: the interesting notion of mental assault and something of a creepy atmosphere. But then it has two BIG strikes against it: we know almost right from the beginning what is going on and the whole thing is done in a very low key manner. There's no energy, no tension, no sense of urgency or menace to it, and largely because we already know what's going on.
An orphaned boy adopts Data as a role model.
Another dud in the same vein as "New Ground." At the core this isn't a bad story idea, but how it's presented here just bored me to tears.
"Violations" **
Troi, Riker and Beverley Crusher fall into unexplained comas while a group of telepaths are traveling aboard ship.
Another dud. This one actually has two things going for it: the interesting notion of mental assault and something of a creepy atmosphere. But then it has two BIG strikes against it: we know almost right from the beginning what is going on and the whole thing is done in a very low key manner. There's no energy, no tension, no sense of urgency or menace to it, and largely because we already know what's going on.
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