Should have been better, but...

[sonak]

TBOBW: Part 1 was stellar and a perfect set-up, but Part 2 kind of blew it. Picard was rescued way too early. After that there wasn't much reason to care anymore.

If this arc had been done on Deep Space 9 instead of TNG, Picard would have been a Borg for the entire season. At the very least, rescue him in Part II but take several months to deBorgify him.

I think one of the main differences between TNG and DS9 was the latter being highly serialized, like most current dramas (BSG, Lost, etc). TNG had a habit of hitting the reset button every week, and there was little by way of continuity.

how exactly would it have worked for Picard to remain a Borg for the entire season? It was one cube on a direct mission to conquer Earth and the Federation. Either they succeed and the show's over, they're destroyed and Picard is killed in battle, or they're defeated before they reach their goal,which given how fast they move, would have to come quickly after "BOBW I," and Picard is successfully rescued(the option we got, of course)

Given what was known of the Borg at the time, having one cube with Locutus on it as a recurring enemy would just not have worked.

And we did get a follow up on his "de-Borging," in "Family."

 

[Balrog]

The Outcast - it seemed those higher up than the writers and producers feared "pushing too far", hence why it fell short.

It typically felt as though most of the two-part episodes were a let down the second half, even if by the smallest of degrees. TBOBW definitely falls into this category if only by a little bit. For me it still makes the cut as one TNG's best.

 

[Pseudo]

It typically felt as though most of the two-part episodes were a let down the second half, even if by the smallest of degrees. TBOBW definitely falls into this category if only by a little bit. For me it still makes the cut as one TNG's best.

I think that's more a general rule for two-parters in any show. I'm sure there are exceptions, but none come to mind at the moment.

 

[Paper Moon]

I think AGT's 2nd half was equally as good as its first half. And I think several DS9 two-parters had an equal second part (Past Tense, Way of the Warrior, off the top of my head).

I agree that "Gambit" also doesn't quite work, but I do like it; it's sorta off TNG's beaten path, but it works more than you'd expect.

 

[Balrog]

I'd have to add The Menagerie too.

The Gambit I think misses on it's execution. It feels flat and a bit tired, kind of like most of season 7.

Not that I want this thread to get knocked into this tangent, but Chain of Command was a great 2-parter for Patrick Stewart, but the Jellico vs. Riker never worked.

 

[Pseudo]

Chain of Command was a great 2-parter.

Ooh, that's most definitely the exception that proves the rule. The first part was pretty much a by the numbers set up simply to get to Patrick Stewart and David Warner sensational scenes.

 

[Paper Moon]

I'd have to add The Menagerie too.

The Menagerie is a TOS episode...?

The Gambit I think misses on it's execution. It feels flat and a bit tired, kind of like most of season 7.

Overall, I agree with your point about season 7. But, on the other hand, I think season 7 has some really great episodes: Attached, Inheritance, Parallels, The Pegasus, Lower Decks (in my opinion), Preemptive Strike, and, of course, All Good Things.

Then again, there are a lot of duds... Phantasms, Force of Nature, Sub Rosa (well, that's worse than a dud, really), Masks (well, it can be somewhat interesting, depending on your mood)...

Another one to add to our list: Emergence. Should have been a fascinating look at AI, but it doesn't quite fly.

Not that I want this thread to get knocked into this tangent, but Chain of Command was a great 2-parter for Patrick Stewart, but the Jellico vs. Riker never worked.

I never have quite understood the dislike for the Jellico/Riker storyline. I find it interesting and well-done. What makes you say that it didn't work, Jingle Balrog?

 

[Balrog]

I thought Ronnie Cox was great. The writers played it as Riker and crew right/Jellico wrong, and that part doesn't work BECAUSE Cox didn't play it that way. No matter what side one agrees with (Riker or Jellico), there are moments that don't quite work.

The Menagerie is TOS. It's done quite well.

 

[Mojochi]

Relics

Scotty + miracle transporter stunt + Geordi + Dysons Sphere, should equal epic win on all fronts, but apart from some decent stuff about geriatric Scotty having the times pass him by & a few cute jokes, the episode is much less spectacular than one would hope a miracle resurfacing of Scotty would be

Plus there's problems like Scotty rambling far more than is normal for him, & Geordi being a lot less welcoming than you'd expect someone witnessing the space age Edison would be. All of which was done to push along the plot, which was fair, but the ending still leaves me wondering why they didn't just keep the Jenolan outside the tractor beam range, & continually hail the Dysons sphere door, until they could contact the Ent-D & have them navigate out. Sacrificing the Jenolan just strikes me as superficial overkill

& though it pains me to admit it, it was overwhelmingly apparent that Doohan struggled somewhat with the handling of the TNG era technobabble. The scene where he descibes how he rigged the transporter into a feedback loop was kind of painfull to watch, because he labors through it, & is obviously reading it off cue cards as he goes

The character deserves better

 

[Brikar99]

Relics

Scotty + miracle transporter stunt + Geordi + Dysons Sphere, should equal epic win on all fronts, but apart from some decent stuff about geriatric Scotty having the times pass him by & a few cute jokes, the episode is much less spectacular than one would hope a miracle resurfacing of Scotty would be

Plus there's problems like Scotty rambling far more than is normal for him, & Geordi being a lot less welcoming than you'd expect someone witnessing the space age Edison would be. All of which was done to push along the plot, which was fair, but the ending still leaves me wondering why they didn't just keep the Jenolan outside the tractor beam range, & continually hail the Dysons sphere door, until they could contact the Ent-D & have them navigate out. Sacrificing the Jenolan just strikes me as superficial overkill

& though it pains me to admit it, it was overwhelmingly apparent that Doohan struggled somewhat with the handling of the TNG era technobabble. The scene where he descibes how he rigged the transporter into a feedback loop was kind of painfull to watch, because he labors through it, & is obviously reading it off cue cards as he goes

The character deserves better

I'll agree with this one. It's been years since I read it, but I recall that the novelization of the episode had a subplot involving an away team investigating the inner surface of the Dyson Sphere that was pretty cool. It made the story feel a bit bigger, and I think that helped.

 

[Balrog]

Yes about Relics, although I'd still rank it pretty high. They had some nice nods to TOS, and Scotty and Picard reminiscing on the holodeck gets me. That said, the E-D getting trapped was weak.

 

[M-Red]

Any episode that includes Sela.

 

[Balrog]

Emergence - a bit lackluster. It was one of many strange episodes (Masks, Genesis, Sub Rosa, Phantasms, Dark Page, etc.) that made up season 7. It is also a bizarre choice for the second to last episode before the finale.

First Contact - Good concept, memorable moments, but falls short.

 

[BillJ]

Any episode that includes Sela.

Because they would've automatically been better without her! Talk about addition by subtraction.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

TBOBW: Part 1 was stellar and a perfect set-up, but Part 2 kind of blew it. Picard was rescued way too early. After that there wasn't much reason to care anymore.

If this arc had been done on Deep Space 9 instead of TNG, Picard would have been a Borg for the entire season. At the very least, rescue him in Part II but take several months to deBorgify him.

Uh no it wouldn't.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

Overall, I agree with your point about season 7. But, on the other hand, I think season 7 has some really great episodes: Attached, Inheritance, Parallels, The Pegasus, Lower Decks (in my opinion), Preemptive Strike, and, of course, All Good Things.

Then again, there are a lot of duds... Phantasms, Force of Nature, Sub Rosa (well, that's worse than a dud, really), Masks (well, it can be somewhat interesting, depending on your mood)...

Another one to add to our list: Emergence. Should have been a fascinating look at AI, but it doesn't quite fly.

Season 7 was an interesting evolution of 90s trek and I feel Voyager really continued to carry that flame particularly with seasons 4-7 with greater consistency and polish.

 

[DataLoreSpock]

Dr. Pulaski.
I know that she was written to dislike Data but still.
Calling Data "it"
Bashing everyone else's judgement.
Smeesh.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

"Brothers" -- it features a tour de force performance from Brent Spiner, but the whole first third of the episode was wasted on a contrived and highly problematic "escape" sequence. Not to mention the two bratty little brothers (I understand their thematic significance, but holy heck are they a nuisance). Great episode undermined by an overwrought intro.

 

[DataLoreSpock]

I agree with Fleet Captain Samuel Walters.

 

[Trek Survivor]

If this arc had been done on Deep Space 9 instead of TNG, Picard would have been a Borg for the entire season. At the very least, rescue him in Part II but take several months to deBorgify him.

And that would've sucked.

And what's this about "after Picard is rescued, there's no need to care anymore?" - huh?? What about stopping the Borg? Saving Earth? Sure, this stuff is guaranteed, but it's all about the "how".

I've heard many times that BOBW2 should've been better, but I really don't agree.

I do have to agree with many people here that "Unification" probably sums up this whole question. Two-parter? 25th Anniversary episode? Leonard Nimoy's Spock back?... (anticipation builds).... and we got what we got. Oh well.