I thought "Workforce" was fantastic...
The WORST Two-Parter ever!
- Thread starter Tiberius
- Start date
I agree on Birthright, I just cannot watch it. Workforce wasn't that bad, I like the fact that we see the charachters in an 'alternate' life.
No experience of Voyager or Enterprise two-parters, so this is just based on TOS/TNG/DS9 for me....
Probably "Birthright" (TNG) or "The Search" (Ds9) for me.
Probably "Birthright" (TNG) or "The Search" (Ds9) for me.
Hmm... "Birthright", "Gambit", "Workforce" and "Flesh & Blood" all spring to mind. "Birthright" actually is not bad. The ideas and stories were fine, but they were horribly pieced together. The Data subplot was featured in part 1 and then disappears entirely in part 2, which just seems odd to me. I also think that it was a wasted opportunity for a crossover episode. If you're going to dock the Enterprise at DS9, make better use of cast integration.
"Gambit" and "Flesh & Blood" had decent premises but did not need to be 2-parters. "Workforce" was just boring, IMO.
"Gambit" and "Flesh & Blood" had decent premises but did not need to be 2-parters. "Workforce" was just boring, IMO.
I didn't care a whole lot for Descent. It wasn't bad, but for one reason or another I didn't enjoy it in the way that I enjoy so many other two part episodes. The Borg weren't menacing, and I didn't particularly like Lore in this episode either. It felt to me like he had worn out his welcome as a recurring guest villain. His first episode Datalore was great, but with each subsequent appearance I enjoyed him less and less.
The two-part pilot episodes for DS9 and VOY were also pretty drab, IMO.
The two-part pilot episodes for DS9 and VOY were also pretty drab, IMO.
I liked Flesh and Blood. I thought it was one of Voyager's best episodes, although pretty dumb to see in the seventh season. I also thought Workforce was good by Voyager's standards. But it was pointless as hell, especially as another season seven two parter.
It's like the writers didn't think they had anything better to do with the series at that point.
It's like the writers didn't think they had anything better to do with the series at that point.
Voyager's Basics is probably the worst from (distant) memory - especially the incredibly pedestrian second part. Like far too much of Voyager, if you couldn't turn your brain off while watching it the annoying logic gaps and plot holes were too huge to ignore.
TNG's Descent was also pretty awful. Particularly grating was the huge leaps in logic required to get Crusher in command of the Enterprise, which ironically enough was the second part's only redeeming feature in the end.
TNG's Descent was also pretty awful. Particularly grating was the huge leaps in logic required to get Crusher in command of the Enterprise, which ironically enough was the second part's only redeeming feature in the end.
Surely, they could not have been no worse than TNG's "Encounter at Farpoint"?
Because Part Two was nowhere near as good as it should have been with such a good Part One.
I've only seen it once, but I do remember absolutely loving Encounter at Farpoint when I first saw it. It was the first episode of Trek that I ever saw, and twenty minutes into it I was hooked on TNG. I thought it was a great introduction to the series, the main cast, and Q who is one of my favorite recurring characters ever.
Decent doesn't rework the borg. The actual Borg were never really featured in the series after BEst of Both Worlds. The Borg that they face in Decent are a new small offshoot group seperate from the BORG that was created by sending Hugh back in the episode I Borg.
Not quite. It seems that way in light of later episodes which ignored it, but in "Descent" itself, there are a few references to Hugh's sense of individuality having spread throughout the collective.
I have to agree with the majority that Birthright was an awful two parter. Not a bad episode. Just not important enough to warrant a two parter, especially one billed as a DSN crossover.
Although to me, the worst would have to be a tie between Flesh and Blood and Workforce. Neither were terribly interesting stories. My biggest problem with F&B was the way the Hirogen were portrayed. The eps Hunters and Prey were fantastic eps and painted a very scary picture of the Hirogen. They were towering, and vicious, and intimidating. Now maybe there was a scene where we learned that these HIrogen were teenagers (the ones on Voyager from the damaged vessel) and weren't full size, and it was cut for time. They didn't appear to be an taller than the Voyager crew and the Voyager security contingent wasn't overly taxed dealing with them. It was just really hard to take them seriously. In the episode's defense, I did love the actress who portrayed the "Cardassian" engineer and it was nice seeing the actor who played Simon Tarses in "The Drumhead" back in uniform.
And for Workforce, it would have been a decent season six episode, but it just seemed like a waste of two episodes in the home stretch of the series. IMO.
Although to me, the worst would have to be a tie between Flesh and Blood and Workforce. Neither were terribly interesting stories. My biggest problem with F&B was the way the Hirogen were portrayed. The eps Hunters and Prey were fantastic eps and painted a very scary picture of the Hirogen. They were towering, and vicious, and intimidating. Now maybe there was a scene where we learned that these HIrogen were teenagers (the ones on Voyager from the damaged vessel) and weren't full size, and it was cut for time. They didn't appear to be an taller than the Voyager crew and the Voyager security contingent wasn't overly taxed dealing with them. It was just really hard to take them seriously. In the episode's defense, I did love the actress who portrayed the "Cardassian" engineer and it was nice seeing the actor who played Simon Tarses in "The Drumhead" back in uniform.
And for Workforce, it would have been a decent season six episode, but it just seemed like a waste of two episodes in the home stretch of the series. IMO.
I really liked "Workforce". I also liked the virtually identical (just swap Tuvok for Teal'c) episode of Stargate SG-1, whatever it was called. Does anyone know if they were adaptations of the same story? Or, if not, who ripped off who?
There is an old sci-fi story or movie which "inspired" both episodes.
The fourth season SG1 ep "Beneath the Surface" was, I think, the first of the two, though only by about a year. That came out in 2000, Workforce aired in spring 2001, I believe.
Although BtS was one of my LEAST favorite SG1 eps. The whole lost identity story never really worked for me. But that's just my taste. SGA did it with Tabula Rasa. Buffy also did it with Tabula Rasa, but at least that episode was fun to watch.
Workforce aired February 21 and 28, 2001 and SG-1's Beneath the Surface aired September 1, 2000.
There's also Conundrum from TNG and even a recent episode of Terra Nova. This cliche gets around.
"Beneath the Surface". Thanks. And thanks for the dates and background info, too!
I can't believe how much we disagree on!
"Emissary" drab!?! In my opinion, it's one of the best ever DS9 episodes. Great acting from Brooks before he went completely over to the "hammy" side post-season 5. Compelling story, characterisation etc. What's not to like?
Maybe you had to have seen it back in 1993 and its premiere, but it was also a real lightning bolt from the blue - such a contrast from TNG.
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