Best Trek Season 4

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Which of the five shows had the best fourth season?

NOTE #1: I allowed multiple choices, but please refrain yourselfs from mocking the thread, as I do this because I wonder if anyone is torn between the choices. For instance, one may say TNG and DS9 had the best third first seasons, but all other shows's third seasons sucked - know what I mean?

NOTE #2: This particular poll includes The Animated Series as TOS's fourth season, stricly because thats what it was meant to be seen like. So I would appreciate that you saw TAS as TOS's fourth season, and evaluated it as such.

Also, this will be the last poll to feature both TOS and ENT. Other polls in the future will evaluate only the rest of the shows.

Well?

 

[startrekwatcher]

1. TNG gets my vote. It is in my top three of all Trek. It started off with the classic conclusion to The Best of Both Worlds and instead of resting on their laurels or feeling as though they had no where to go but down after such an overwhelming hit as The Best of Both Worlds two parter they jut kept going building on that momentum with a nice mix of different types of stories--high concept sci fi mysteries, character dramas, allegories, political intrigue and the occasional lightweight fluff piece like Qpid or Devil's Due.

The season contained some of my favorites including th aforementioned BoBW II, Family, Brothers, Remember Me, Legacy, Future Imperfect, Clues, First Contact, Night Terrors, Identity Crisis, The Host, The Nth Degree, The Mind's Eye. There wasn't a single unwatchable episode in my opinion and the worst that could be said of the weakest was they were mediocre.

2. ENT. ENT had a shorter season with only twenty-two episodes but made the most of them and put out the most consistent season for the show. It was really less about the cast and more about the bigger backstory of the Trek universe. I thought "The Forge" was a classic, the Vulcan trilogy was the best story all season but the Andorian arc was good, Affliction, The Observer Effect, the Augments arc.

3. DS9. I know many felt the show came into its own this year but I thought that occurred in season five when the Dominion came back with a vengeance and the series set off with three compelling final years. I found overall season four was a bit of a misstep and a tad overrated. The Dominion shouldn't have been sidelined the way they were. Bringing in the Klingons was alright but the writers never seemed to get a handle on how to use them effectively and I was disappointed that they didn't mine the conflict more to drive stories.

There weren't so many bad episodes as just rather uninspired or mediocre ones like Bar Association, Crossfire, Little Green Men, Our Man Bashir, The Muse, To the Death, The Sons of Mogh, Indiscretions to name a few. There were some good episodes no doubt like The Way of the Warrior, The Visitor(tad overrated), Shattered Mirror.

4. VOY improved quite a bit from season three. It wasn't the renaissance I was hoping for but it was mostly entertaining and probbly the most consistent the series ever was. I enjoyed the telefilms(Scorpion, Year of Hell, The Kiling Game), the addition of Seven and the Hirogen arc(Message in a Battle, Hunters, Prey). There were some weak episodes like Concerning Flight, Retrospect, Vis a Vis, Demon, Unforgettable and "Hope and Fear" felt like it could have been so much more.

 

[Harvey]

This is a very tough choice. Which the exception of TAS, which I find to be generally inferior to the rest (though it is not to say it is bad, far from it), TNG, DS9, and even VOY and ENT have incredibly strong fourth seasons.

Voyager's fourth year, of course, brings onboard the Hirogen arc, which is my favorite moment on that show, as well as Year of Hell, Scorpion II, The Gift, Hope and Fear, and other episodes I really like. Because it will probably get no love around here, it gets my vote.

Enterprise's fourth season was that series' true breakout year, although I felt the first and third seasons were fairly strong as well. Although there were a few bumps along the way, it was generally a very strong season all around.

TNG was really taking off during it's fourth season, improving more and more. So was Deep Space Nine in its fourth season.

Again, tough choice, but in the end, I'll give Voyager some props for what is probably its best season, as well as the last season of that series that I consistently enjoy (with diminishing returns of enjoyment in years 5, 6, and 7).

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

TNG's season 4 wins, for me, followed by DS9's season 4.

TAS, though a great piece of Trek, certainly a "Lost Trek" for me, its not as great a season as TNG and DS9 are. Its still, though, a surprisingly good season - episodes with Tribbles, Orion Pirates, time traveling Spock and "Albatross", and quite a few more, all constitute great fun and great joy, especially for this TOS fan, who learned of TAS just one year and a half ago. I'd say its on-par with season 3 - while not having the classics of S3, it didn't have its stinkers, either.

TNG's S4, on the other hand, is probably TNG's finest hour. With a terrific conclusion to the Borg two-parter, we move deeper into the crew's mind, hearts, and all that. This season does what season 7 tried to re-do, in obvious failure - capture the sense of family that has formed between these people. Even a passing Tasha Yar reference doesn't go by without noting how she was still, in mind, part of that family. Not to mention the loads of fun that accompanied this season. I'd say this season finally gave TNG its seperate identity from TOS (one that it should've earned in season 2, but anyway), simply it had the opportunity, to take more chances. And TNG, in this season, took those chances.

DS9 saw Sisko going bald, and Worf coming to the station. How lovely. In the end, I'd say this is a terrific season, equal to season 3 by all means, if not better. However... The overal emphasis on the Klingons of the show was, well, overwhelming. Not bad, no, mind you. I just felt that the show tried to buy some time before really engaging with the Dominion later on. That said, its a brilliant season, with one of my all time favorites - "The Visitor", of course. DS9, as I said, was always a show that improved over the years. The first three seasons were fantastic and all, and will always have a special place in my heart as the introductory Trek, for me. However, DS9 truly became excellent, with Worf's arrival... I'd like to think that Worf wasn't necessarily the factor to that happenstance, but still a contribution. Anyway, DS9's season 4, is a good one.

VOY's season 4 is, for me, quite fun, if part of the brain is shut down from that little voice thats called "reason". 7 of 9 comes aboard, and the show takes a sexier direction that I still find, somewhat, stupid. It seemed to me that 7 of 9 was brought in to just boost the ratings, when they should've just focused on the writing of the said show.

ENT"s season 4 is when the show, for me, became what it should've been in the first place. Though the TOS/TNG reference goes a little bit too much to my stomach, I still feel the characters became more rounded, more real in the process. Not to mention the actual effort on paying attention to established TOS early-Federation history, and not just working things along as they went on. Its only sad that the show had to end with a whimper of a finale, like "These Are The Voayges", an episode whose sole excuse is to see Ent-D again and provide with the useless gimmick of the voiceover "tribute". ENT was never a good show, but ENT's season 4 came the closest to that, IMO.

Overall, here's how I'd rank them:

1) TNG
2) DS9
3) TAS
(gap)
4) ENT
(gigantic gap)
5) VOY

 

[chancellorjake]

DS9 wins this round for me. The "Just Add Worf" Season is where things really got awesome. TNG would follow close behind as it was nearly as great. ENT follows after and then VOY. Both had very good fourth seasons.

 

[HoundDog]

Tough choice, cause all the series had real strong fourth seasons. Nevertheless, TNG gets my vote in this competition - I remember it to be a little better than the others.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I'm honestly surprised ENT's fourth season hasn't garnered more votes, considering how well-fared it is.

Perhaps its because its against TNG and DS9?

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Question: Which of these seasons has the worst finale, and which one has the best?

Also, a TOS vs. ENT: "These Are The Voyages" or "Counter-Clock Incident" ?

 

[startrekwatcher]

Question: Which of these seasons has the worst finale, and which one has the best?

VOY had the worst. All season they had built up the mystery of the buried message from Starfleet and it ended up being a disappointment, the Dauntless was not even a Federation ship, the show could have done something more interesting and in the end it was all smoke and mirrors including the episode itself.

TNG had the best finale. It was good but not great. I did love the double cliffhanger of Worf resigning and Sela stepping out of the shadows.

DS9's "Broken Link" was alright. I wasn't particularly crazy about it.

There's no doubt that each of the shows had much better season three finales than season four finales.

 

[Dane_Whitman]

Perhaps its because its against TNG and DS9?

Yes, TNG and DS9's fourth seasons just happen to be quite good. It's safe to say all of the modern trek series have good fourth seasons, even Voyager's has a lot of good episodes.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Question: Which of these seasons has the worst finale, and which one has the best?

VOY had the worst. All season they had built up the mystery of the buried message from Starfleet and it ended up being a disappointment, the Dauntless was not even a Federation ship, the show could have done something more interesting and in the end it was all smoke and mirrors including the episode itself.

TNG had the best finale. It was good but not great. I did love the double cliffhanger of Worf resigning and Sela stepping out of the shadows.

DS9's "Broken Link" was alright. I wasn't particularly crazy about it.

There's no doubt that each of the shows had much better season three finales than season four finales.

How about TOS's "Counter-Clock Incident" and ENT's "These Are The Voyages"?

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Perhaps its because its against TNG and DS9?

Yes, TNG and DS9's fourth seasons just happen to be quite good. It's safe to say all of the modern trek series have good fourth seasons, even Voyager's has a lot of good episodes.

I agree, somewhat. TNG's fourth season is undoubtably its best. DS9's is almost as excellent, if only that feeling of holding-back-the-Dominion-War thats somewhat present, wasn't there.

ENT's also highly enjoyable, and so is TAS, IMO.

 

[D Man]

For me, it's a tie between TNG and DS9. TNG S4 just has so many great episodes, and showcases all of the series's (series' ?) strengths so well. I even like "Qpid."

DS9 brought Worf onboard, who was a terrific addition to the cast, and continued the slow but incredibly compelling build-up with the Dominion.

Voyager's S4 was a big improvement over the previous years, and I liked Seven's addition, but a great stand-alone every once in a while wasn't enough to really turn the series around. VOY's remaining years are basically just an extension of S4's themes.

As for ENT, I honestly didn't see the big improvement that many others did. Yeah they did more "prequel" oriented shows, but IMO they did them poorly. Things like "The Aenar" or the Klingon two-parter just didn't work for me, and honestly I think it's because by that point, ENT had wasted all of its potential and squandered so many opportunities that I just couldn't buy the NX-01 all of a sudden being the mighty forerunner to the future 1701s. Oh, and I haven't seen any TAS, so I can't comment there.

 

[blakbyrd]

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990-1991)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1995-1996)

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Which season four had the best finales, and which had the worst?

I think TNG's "Redemption" is slightly better than "Broken Link" - mainly because of the whole closure (for the moment) of the discommendation thing.

What do you say?

 

[JayTheTrekkie]

Going to go with DS9 on this one......there were great episodes in this season and of course for the debut of Worf as part of the main cast.

Voyager would come 2nd and TNG third. Season 4 for Voyager had awesome episodes too.

 

[Orac]

TNG had the best 4th season, with the others coming in second best.

 

[Mallory]

DS9 had the best fourth season, with TNG a close second. And I truly enjoyed what Manny Coto did with ENT in its fourth season.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

As I had always said, DS9 was a show that always progressed. Got better and better as time moved on. I just feel that, with this year, it was somewhat, stagnant.

Don't get me wrong - I feel its as good as DS9 was at the time. Certainly on equal footing with DS9's third season. But TNG's season 4 seemed to progress the show to a new level, once which IMO, it almost reached by the sixth season, but never again.

Seeing TNG and DS9 in a row lately, has definitely shaped my opinion on this matter.

 

[ktanner3]

I think all the shows were great in season 4, but DS9 takes it for me.