Great acting moments in TNG

[Tiberius]

lol, I love Stewart's bad actor impression!

 

[Lt. LaForge]

On a more humorous note: I always enjoyed the acting in the Ferengi episode Menage a Troi in which Picard must overact like a jealous ex-lover to get Troi's mother back from an obsessive Ferengi daimon.

Forgot about that. That Shakespeare scene was amazing...LOL.

 

[Lt. LaForge]

The battle of wills in The Chain of Command.

In the end Picard nailed it, when he said defiantly, "There-are- F.O.U.R lights!"

Gul Madred deserves credit as well. He was beastly scary there.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

One more vote for Patrick Stewart in Sarek.

On a more humorous note: I always enjoyed the acting in the Ferengi episode Menage a Troi in which Picard must overact like a jealous ex-lover to get Troi's mother back from an obsessive Ferengi daimon.

Was thinking of this one myself. Obviously a funny scene, it still goes to show his acting range.

And the whole time you're thinking "If it were up to him, he'd leave her with the Ferengi".

 

[arch101]

Eps I like to rewatch just for the performances:

Chain of Command (I'd pay good money to see Sir Patrick and David Warner perform their scenes live on a stage. plus, Ronny Cox makes us so sad that this was his only Trek outing)
The Drumhead (Jean Simmons and Sir Patrick give an acting Master Class)
Family (Theodore Bikel and Georgia Brown convince us all how Worf could have been raised human- compassionate but firm Russian folk. Beautiful performances. And, of course, Jeremy Kemp, who should have made additional appearances in this role as he was SO perfectly cast)
The Measure of a Man (I've never met a fan who doesn't wipe away a tear when Data puts the Tasha hologram on.Great passion from Sir Patrick)
The Inner Light( 'nuff said. Sir Patrtick's Emmy-winning performance never officially recognized.)
The Offspring (mostly for Hallie Todd's heartbreaking performance as well as Frakes' direction. Spectacular first effort)

I'm sure there's more but these are off the top o' me head.

 

[lisa]

I loved Data in Masks. That episode was only so-so in my opinion but I thought Brent Spiner was fantastic.

 

[Anji]

Another vote for Patrick Stewart in Sarek. When he struggled with Sarek's katra in his head...I can't even imagine how Patrick had to prepare for that scene.

And to my girl, Majel Barrett, at the end of Menage a Troi where she asks Patrick to quote more of his beautiful poetry to her. Some of the best "worst acting" I've ever seen.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

John Anderson in 'The Survivors.' Need I say more?

 

[FreddyE]

Another vote for Patrick Stewart in Sarek. When he struggled with Sarek's katra in his head...I can't even imagine how Patrick had to prepare for that scene.

Especially since this scene was filmed all the way thru...no inter-cuts at all. Imagine doing that scene a few times in a row. Does anybody now which acting method Patrick uses? If he uses method acting then I have even more respect for him.

 

[The Realist]

Yet another vote for Patrick Stewart under the influence of the mind meld in "Sarek." I remember the first time I watched it that, even while I was stunned at its emotional power, part of me was also waiting nervously for Stewart to lose control of the scene. The performance was pitched so high that even the slightest excess or falsity would have turned it from brilliant to embarrassing in an instant, but damned if Stewart didn't walk that tightrope flawlessly. Incredible. And that moment when he intones "Spock" literally sent a chill down my spine.

I always have to compare this scene to Avery Brooks's breakdown at the end of DS9's "Far Beyond the Stars." Mind you, I love Avery Brooks beyond comprehemption [/Sharon Brand], and the episode is great, but Brooks does let the moment get away from him in just the way Stewart had masterfully avoided in "Sarek." I don't want to, but I always feel myself cringing a little watching it.

 

[Eydie Munroe]

^

Stewart was absolutely brilliant in that. To be fair, Gates really did hold her own. She didn't do anything to detract from his performance.

I am in total agreement that this scene is one of the most incredible pieces of acting I've ever seen. And Gates had just as important a role as Patrick did. I studied in an acting class for a few years, and one of the things I learned is that the person that has no lines in a scene like this has to be just as present as the person with all the lines, supporting them. Otherwise they have no one to play off of, and it refuses to work.

It doesn't matter how many times I watch this scene, I'm always amazed by the depth of it.

 

[RAMA]

This is interesting, I was just thinking about an early episode...to often we use general terms to describe Stewart's acting, but in Where No One Has Gone Before, Stewart gives an underrated performance.

 

[RAMA]

I loved Data in Masks. That episode was only so-so in my opinion but I thought Brent Spiner was fantastic.

It was a fantastic episode on many levels.

 

[DavidGutierrez]

Another vote for Patrick Stewart in Sarek. When he struggled with Sarek's katra in his head...I can't even imagine how Patrick had to prepare for that scene.

And to my girl, Majel Barrett, at the end of Menage a Troi where she asks Patrick to quote more of his beautiful poetry to her. Some of the best "worst acting" I've ever seen.

A shout-out to Majel and David Ogden-Stiers in "Half a Life," too. Their performances are so moving.

Also, pretty much anytime Gates McFadden was allowed to flex her acting muscles, she shone.

 

[Eydie Munroe]

Another vote for Patrick Stewart in Sarek. When he struggled with Sarek's katra in his head...I can't even imagine how Patrick had to prepare for that scene.

Me too.

A shout-out to Majel and David Ogden-Stiers in "Half a Life," too. Their performances are so moving.

I loved this one too. The first time I ever cried watching a television episode.

Also, pretty much anytime Gates McFadden was allowed to flex her acting muscles, she shone.

I personally think she was underused. In total agreement with this too.