Each Season's Worst; TNG
- Thread starter RobertScorpio
- Start date
You pay for my gas and I'll come!
I was kidding earlier of course. As much of a fan of ST as I am I can't imagine anything in it that would inspire me to really want to physically harm anyone. Pretty strange thought actually. However, Masks WAS brilliant, a great episode.
RAMA
The problem with The Royale was this: the crew is in an artificial environment based on the third-rate novel. Basically the writers were just giving themselves a license to write badly. It's got a certain cheesy charm, but it's just tough to get through.
Favorite moment #1: Worf gets POed when the elevator door doesn't open for him.
Favorite moment #2: The older cowboy gets all misty-eyed with Data after he bets against him and loses everything..."Why'd you do it? Was it because I didn't show you my car?" He just sounds so...hurt.
Favorite moment #1: Worf gets POed when the elevator door doesn't open for him.
Favorite moment #2: The older cowboy gets all misty-eyed with Data after he bets against him and loses everything..."Why'd you do it? Was it because I didn't show you my car?" He just sounds so...hurt.
WHAT THE FUCK?
You have Inner Light and Tapestry on your shit list? Did you not see Rascals?
1 - "Code of Honor"
2 - "Shades of Gray"
3 - "Menage a Troi"
4 - "The Loss"
5 - "Imaginary Friend"
6 - "Man of the People"
7 - "Masks"
2 - "Shades of Gray"
3 - "Menage a Troi"
4 - "The Loss"
5 - "Imaginary Friend"
6 - "Man of the People"
7 - "Masks"
The Inner Light definitely isn't my favorite - probably not in my top half. But it also isn't among my least favorites.
Also, why all the hate for Rascals? I liked that episode.
Wow, just shows how everybody's taste is different...I liked ALL of those, although Genesis mostly for its oddness. Data's Day is nothing less than great!
RAMA
Also, why all the hate for Rascals? I liked that episode.
I'm astounded there is so little hate for that travesty.
Since you asked:
1. Utterly unbelievable from a scientific perspective. Lots of Trek episodes are guilty of that but this one was particularly bad.
2. Utterly unbelievable plot. The flagship of the Federation - the crew and ship that stopped the Borg - is taken over by Ferengi pirates in a couple of military-surplus Klingon ships? Right.
3. The episode made an utter mockery of the heroes. In the real world, the entire command staff would have been stripped of their rank and exiled to the Federation plastic dogshit factories in the asteroid belt of some remote system. The proud Enterprise crew reduced to this? The episode felt like a violation.
Also, why all the hate for Rascals? I liked that episode.
I'm astounded there is so little hate for that travesty.
Since you asked:
1. Utterly unbelievable from a scientific perspective. Lots of Trek episodes are guilty of that but this one was particularly bad.
2. Utterly unbelievable plot. The flagship of the Federation - the crew and ship that stopped the Borg - is taken over by Ferengi pirates in a couple of military-surplus Klingon ships? Right.
3. The episode made an utter mockery of the heroes. In the real world, the entire command staff would have been stripped of their rank and exiled to the Federation plastic dogshit factories in the asteroid belt of some remote system. The proud Enterprise crew reduced to this? The episode felt like a violation.
1.) I'd have to say there are MUCH worse offenders in the "bad science" category. *cough*Genesis*cough *cough*Threshold*cough
2.) Well, given that the Flagship has someone as Chief of Security that can't hit the board side of a barn with a handheld phaser, I'll give the episode a pass on this one.
3.) They've done worse - like blantantly disregarding direct orders on multiple occasions.
RobertScorpio
Pariah
Also, why all the hate for Rascals? I liked that episode.
I'm astounded there is so little hate for that travesty.
Since you asked:
1. Utterly unbelievable from a scientific perspective. Lots of Trek episodes are guilty of that but this one was particularly bad.
2. Utterly unbelievable plot. The flagship of the Federation - the crew and ship that stopped the Borg - is taken over by Ferengi pirates in a couple of military-surplus Klingon ships? Right.
3. The episode made an utter mockery of the heroes. In the real world, the entire command staff would have been stripped of their rank and exiled to the Federation plastic dogshit factories in the asteroid belt of some remote system. The proud Enterprise crew reduced to this? The episode felt like a violation.
1.) I'd have to say there are MUCH worse offenders in the "bad science" category. *cough*Genesis*cough *cough*Threshold*cough
2.) Well, given that the Flagship has someone as Chief of Security that can't hit the board side of a barn with a handheld phaser, I'll give the episode a pass on this one.
3.) They've done worse - like blantantly disregarding direct orders on multiple occasions.
My wife and kids love Rascals. I think some of us forget that they didn't always make episodes aimed at the usual fans, but sometimes they made episodes for kids, and women.
As for who they made Shades of Grey for? Death row inmates maybe?
Rob
Also, why all the hate for Rascals? I liked that episode.
Been awhile since I watched it, so I can't pick it apart with the detail that I'd like to, but the kid who played Picard was awful in my opinion. Every time he speaks is painful to me. I want desperately to pummel him with a blunt object.
Also, I hated how they obviously found the look of the girl they wanted for Guinan, but she did not have the voice, so they dubbed in another actor's voice. They certainly could have done a worse job, but I can still tell that the mouth movement and the voice aren't 100% in sync. Drives me nuts.
I'm sure they did. I bet they liked Howard the Duck too. Does that mean Howard belongs in a Star Trek episode?
RobertScorpio
Pariah
Well, this is based on our opinions. You have yours, and I have mine. I think, as I said before, some fans just don't understand that not all episodes are done for THEM. Sometimes an episode is done to appeal to others, and in this case, children. IDIC seems to be a fading belief among TREK fans, and that is a sad thing indeed.
Rob
Season 1: so many to choose from! It's a tough choice between Code Of Honor, The Last Outpost and Angel One... The Neutral Zone, Justice and Lonely Among Us are also right up there
Season 2: Shades of Grey
Season 3: maybe Menage a Troi, or The Price because Troi's (and Riker's) romances are really cheesy
Season 4: I don't remember all the episodes in this season that well, looking over the episode list, it's probably The Loss or Qpid
Season 5: Violations (what's up with Troi getting constantly mentally violated, molested and victimized by the bad guys? Is that the only role the writers could come up with for her?)
Season 6: Man of the People (oh great, more Troi getting violated and victimized by a bad guy)
Season 7: Masks (WTF were they thinking?) or Genesis (just stupid). But I should also mention that Homeward pissed me off big time (kind of like Dear Doctor on ENT)
Season 2: Shades of Grey
Season 3: maybe Menage a Troi, or The Price because Troi's (and Riker's) romances are really cheesy
Season 4: I don't remember all the episodes in this season that well, looking over the episode list, it's probably The Loss or Qpid
Season 5: Violations (what's up with Troi getting constantly mentally violated, molested and victimized by the bad guys? Is that the only role the writers could come up with for her?)
Season 6: Man of the People (oh great, more Troi getting violated and victimized by a bad guy)
Season 7: Masks (WTF were they thinking?) or Genesis (just stupid). But I should also mention that Homeward pissed me off big time (kind of like Dear Doctor on ENT)
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I want to change my season 2 pick to Up the Long Ladder, which I saw today after quite a while. I had completely forgotten about that episode, and there's a good reason why - I must have just blanked it out of my mind as one of the awful early TNG episodes. Shades of Grey may be pointless and a waste of time, but Up the Long Ladder is stupid, cheesy and offensive on so many levels.
It's as bad as the worst of season 1 episode. The ethnic stereotyping is just unbelievably stupid and more offensive than Code of Honor, since this one was actually written that way. I can only imagine how Irish people might feel watching it. Every one of those Space Irish caricatures is ridiculous beyond belief.
Then in the second part, we get to meet the colony of clones, who, as we learn, have dispensed with sex, because they want no sexual reproduction. Uuumm... there's such thing as birth control, you know?
It's hard to believe that these people don't know about it - they're supposed to be freaking scientific geniuses!Next there's Riker killing his clone without hesitation, and this is treated like a perfectly OK thing. And this was supposedly meant as an abortion metaphor?
It makes no bloody sense. But the ending of the episode is perhaps the most offensive of all - Picard and co. decide to solve the colony's reproduction problems by suggesting the Space Irish as 'breeding stock' (what else do you do with a bunch of dumb country bumpkins?), Pulaski explains that this would require each women to have children by 3 different men, and everyone is happy and content, and some cheesy 'comedy music' plays. Even the Space Irish woman who expressed a protest about it ("I didn't ask to be Eve") changes her mind quickly, when she thinks about how cool it would be to have 3 husbands, ha ha ha, just like her dad was earlier eager to have at least 3 women to fertilize, ha ha ha, we're supposed to find it all so funny, because of the comedy music. Nobody asks what happens if some people aren't comfortable with that scenario, and if they refuse to model their personal life according to the reproductive policy of the community. What if, say, some of the women don't want to have children by 3 different men? Or to have as many as 3 children? Or, for that matter, to have any children at all? What if some of them can't have children - does that mean that others will have to double their 'efforts'? What if there are couples who just want to stay monogamous and faithful to each other? What if there are homosexual or asexual people who are unwilling to have sex just for breeding purposes? Are people going to be forced to 'breed' and bear children the way that the community decides? No word at all about just how problematic and creepy it all is, if they actually stick to the idea... which is even more ironic since Riker justified his murder of his clone with the line about having the control over his own body. In between all this, the episode even managed to squeeze in another lame, embarrassing Riker romance, which was also completely pointless and unnecessary, since it leads nowhere, has no effect on anything, and is totally forgotten about halfway through the episode, as soon as the clones arrive.
I'm starting to think this may be the worst TNG episode ever.
I can only think of the first three season "winners" off the top of my head:
1) The Last Outpost
2) Samaritan Snare
3) Menage A Troi
1) The Last Outpost
2) Samaritan Snare
3) Menage A Troi
Samaritan Snare is quite watchable if you make a drinking game out of it. Every time a Pakled says the following words do a shot:
1. things
2. go
3. broken
4. smart
5. strong
It's pretty hard to sit through it any other way.2. go
3. broken
4. smart
5. strong
And you've got to appreciate the way LeVar Burton didn't take the day off. As crappy as everything is around him, he's still selling it like it's a million bucks, particularly with, "Oh noes! They've deployed their crimson forcefield." That man is a consummate professional.
As you say, our personal best and worst episodes are indeed our personal opinions and are thus subjective. We each have our own personal criteria for what constitutes good and bad episodes but your comment that "IDIC seems to be a fading belief among TREK fans" is ridiculous in this context.
I maintain that "Rascals" was an abomination of a TNG episode for the reasons I already stated. That has nothing to do with lack of respect for diversity. I have no problem with an episode aimed at children (if that was the writer's intention) but I would sure have preferred it if their "children's episode" didn't involve butchering the main characters. Does "children's episode" really equate to "stupid episode?" I think we should respect our children more than this.
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