Did season seven really stink?
- Thread starter indolover
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Season Two was miles ahead of Season Seven, IMO.
There's a few fairly good episodes like "Gambit," "The Pegasus," "Paralells," and I even enjoy typically-unliked episodes like "Genesis" and "Sub Rosa," but that's about it. It's really a bland, dry, season that's drowned in too many character-driven episodes as opposed to good plot-based action/adventure typically found in Season 2.
There's a few fairly good episodes like "Gambit," "The Pegasus," "Paralells," and I even enjoy typically-unliked episodes like "Genesis" and "Sub Rosa," but that's about it. It's really a bland, dry, season that's drowned in too many character-driven episodes as opposed to good plot-based action/adventure typically found in Season 2.
I wouldn't say that season 7 was complete shit. It had it's moments, but the quality had started to fade towards the end of TNG's run. To be honest, I can understand why. 7 seasons of television is a lot. Not to mention a lot of resources were used for DS9. It was a busy time for Stark Trek in the early to mid 90's.
Since I happen to think every season of TNG had several bad episodes, the seventh year was not particularly weak to me. And when it did shine, it shone brighter than most other episodes, so I just skip the ones I disliked and happily watch the final year.
I like 7, though I'm not a big fan of Gambit, which always struck me as rather bland.
Could really have used 2 or 3 more space exploration type episodes though. So much of it was internal.
Could really have used 2 or 3 more space exploration type episodes though. So much of it was internal.
It was definitely a weaker season. At the time I thought it was rather middling--you could tell the writers were burnt out and the show was showing its age with the stories they were churning out.
In hindsight with 15+ years distance I look back on it differently. It still isn't a great season compared to the heyday of S3, 4, 5 and 6--there were some good ideas but were poorly executed(Eye of the Beholder, Masks, Emergence). But compared to the quality of tv these days and even what should have been the peak seasons of a series like VOY I appreciate it more.
Still I don't fault it too much since shows these days struggle with putting out 13 decent episodes for just one season and TNG amazingly put out consistently strong episodes for 26 episode seasons from S3-6 so you have to cut the writers a break I think.
In hindsight with 15+ years distance I look back on it differently. It still isn't a great season compared to the heyday of S3, 4, 5 and 6--there were some good ideas but were poorly executed(Eye of the Beholder, Masks, Emergence). But compared to the quality of tv these days and even what should have been the peak seasons of a series like VOY I appreciate it more.
Still I don't fault it too much since shows these days struggle with putting out 13 decent episodes for just one season and TNG amazingly put out consistently strong episodes for 26 episode seasons from S3-6 so you have to cut the writers a break I think.
No, it was fine.
Maybe it was a bit of a step down from the previous few seasons, but look at some of the episodes: Gambit, Parallels, The Pegasus, Lower Decks, Firstborn, Preemptive Strike, All Good Things... That's still vintage TNG to me.
Maybe it was a bit of a step down from the previous few seasons, but look at some of the episodes: Gambit, Parallels, The Pegasus, Lower Decks, Firstborn, Preemptive Strike, All Good Things... That's still vintage TNG to me.
antiquityscion
Commander
I agree, Season 7 had good and bad episodes, but as a whole I think it would rank around a 7 of 10. At least it went out with probably one of sci fi's if not TVs best finales.
Well for me the very first STAR TREK episode i watched was the 2 hour movie All Good Things in the summer of 1994. I'd never watched star trek before, and was fascinated by it. It was different, and werid, yet interesting and thought provoking. Little did I know at the time that this was the only first RUN TNG episode i'd ever see in my little lifetime!
Boy it was a super episode! Afterwords I watched all the reruns every night at 6PM on WBFF FoX 45 BAltimore, and WDCA upN Twenty Washington and I became obsessed with STAR TREK. All because of the season 7 reruns I watched, as this was my very first exposure to STAR TREK. Shows like Masks, Parallels, and The Pegasus hooked me!
Seeing "Lower Decks" as one of the first shows I saw confused me as i was intro duced to characters I i thought were leads on the show and then never saw the again!
But all and all if it were not for the dark, mystical season number sever. I would not have ever been a STAR TREK fan! BTW after watching Lower Deceks I thought ENsIN was the girls name. Later I was confused thinking.......that man has the same name! I also thought the officers in the maroon shirts were always in charge of the yellow shirted crewmen. And the blue outfitted people were all doctors so they didnt count. Strange how we perceive things as children.
SO NO I don't think it sucked. I wasn't until the re-runs flipped to season 1 that i thought the show became boring and started to "suck". I was like this is not the show i fell in love with, and it wasnt!
Boy it was a super episode! Afterwords I watched all the reruns every night at 6PM on WBFF FoX 45 BAltimore, and WDCA upN Twenty Washington and I became obsessed with STAR TREK. All because of the season 7 reruns I watched, as this was my very first exposure to STAR TREK. Shows like Masks, Parallels, and The Pegasus hooked me!
Seeing "Lower Decks" as one of the first shows I saw confused me as i was intro duced to characters I i thought were leads on the show and then never saw the again!
But all and all if it were not for the dark, mystical season number sever. I would not have ever been a STAR TREK fan! BTW after watching Lower Deceks I thought ENsIN was the girls name. Later I was confused thinking.......that man has the same name! I also thought the officers in the maroon shirts were always in charge of the yellow shirted crewmen. And the blue outfitted people were all doctors so they didnt count. Strange how we perceive things as children.
SO NO I don't think it sucked. I wasn't until the re-runs flipped to season 1 that i thought the show became boring and started to "suck". I was like this is not the show i fell in love with, and it wasnt!
It is a bad season, only Paralells and All Good Things saves it.
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I don't think it "stank". Season 1, now THAT'S stinky. 
I rank season 7 ahead of season 2. Both of them lack the consistency of s3-5, but I found that 7 had more good or great eps and fewer "eh" or "UGH" eps compared to 2. S6 ranks slightly ahead of s7 in that regard (basically, I would put s6 on the same level as 3-5 if it weren't for "Man of the People" and "Rascals"; no single ep from 3-5 comes close to those for awfulness, IMO). One edge that 7 has over 2, also, is that every ep - whether good or bad - at least doesn't suffer from the stupid uniforms, bad lighting, cheesy music, and overall cruddy production values that plagued TNG s1 and 2.
Still, the funny thing about s7 is that - despite a few true stinkers like "Sub Rosa" and "Masks", and far more middling/"just ok" eps than s 3-6, it also has no less than six eps that I consider to be among TNG's greatest (and that I would also place among the greats of the entire franchise). These would be "Gambit" (both parts), "Parallels", "The Pegasus", "Lower Decks", "Preemptive Strike", and "All Good Things..."
I rank season 7 ahead of season 2. Both of them lack the consistency of s3-5, but I found that 7 had more good or great eps and fewer "eh" or "UGH" eps compared to 2. S6 ranks slightly ahead of s7 in that regard (basically, I would put s6 on the same level as 3-5 if it weren't for "Man of the People" and "Rascals"; no single ep from 3-5 comes close to those for awfulness, IMO). One edge that 7 has over 2, also, is that every ep - whether good or bad - at least doesn't suffer from the stupid uniforms, bad lighting, cheesy music, and overall cruddy production values that plagued TNG s1 and 2.
Still, the funny thing about s7 is that - despite a few true stinkers like "Sub Rosa" and "Masks", and far more middling/"just ok" eps than s 3-6, it also has no less than six eps that I consider to be among TNG's greatest (and that I would also place among the greats of the entire franchise). These would be "Gambit" (both parts), "Parallels", "The Pegasus", "Lower Decks", "Preemptive Strike", and "All Good Things..."
I've rewatched all the seasons recently and I'm watching season 7 and it's not the best season I've watched season 7 from the start and to be honest I'd watch a episode and then just get bored of it. There are some good episodes from the last season but it's not as good as previous seasons IMO I've also tried to remember where I 1st watched this season and I can remember I watched most of this season at a trek convention so I was pretty excited to watch the last season that's why I thought it was better .?
That was my intro to Star Trek, too. Not the particular episode you mentioned, but TNG on 45, starting in late 1992. Loved that 6 p.m. time slot.
Yeah, I think season 7 was generally more inconsistent than the previous seasons and it's fair to say it stank overall, but I feel bad putting down a season with an episode as marvelous as "Lower Decks" (one of my favourites). I agree with the season 2 comparison. Some real gems amidst a mostly mediocre (or downright bad) selection of episodes.
A lot of the ones I like are episodes I'd consider guilty pleasures. "Lower Decks" is one of the only episodes I not only like but actually consider very smart and impressive in a serious (not campy) way.
A lot of the ones I like are episodes I'd consider guilty pleasures. "Lower Decks" is one of the only episodes I not only like but actually consider very smart and impressive in a serious (not campy) way.
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Season 2 was much more creative, innovative and interesting than season seven. I can honestly barely think of many good eps from season 7 (note, I'm one of the incredibly rare people who think AGT is disappointing).
Lower Decks
Firstborn
Parallels
Pegasus
Gambit was alright...
Eye of the Beholder was at least a bit different.
um, that's more or less it. Most were just "meh". Some were genuinely terrible - the likes of which we'd rarely seen before:
Masks
Emergence
Force of Nature
Sub Rosa
Lower Decks
Firstborn
Parallels
Pegasus
Gambit was alright...
Eye of the Beholder was at least a bit different.
um, that's more or less it. Most were just "meh". Some were genuinely terrible - the likes of which we'd rarely seen before:
Masks
Emergence
Force of Nature
Sub Rosa
Nobody likes "Phantasms"? I thought that one was pretty fun. Especially Data going all "Manchurian Candidate" trying to stab Troi and that whole cake gag. 
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