I'm loving the Klingon episodes!

[EnriqueH]

Just about wrapping Season 3 and I'm really enjoying the expanding of the Klingon mythology from TNG.

Heart of Glory, Matter of Honor, Sins of the Father, Emissary.

Man, I've enjoyed all them!

I noticed they've been some of the standout episodes and I can now understand the Klingon popularity that resulted.

I also enjoyed that moment when we see "Captain Worf" confront the Klingons from the past. It made me want to see Worf as a captain.

 

[johnjm22]

I like the Klingon story arc as well.

I think you really enjoy Redemption I & II.

 

[EnriqueH]

Well, I've seen TNG all the way through before, but that was about 8-10 years ago, and I feel like I'm discovering cool stuff in this phase.

 

[Orphalesion]

I also enjoyed that moment when we see "Captain Worf" confront the Klingons from the past. It made me want to see Worf as a captain.

Yes that was an awesome episode! I liked how they fleshed out the Klingons, they weren't a very nice or desirable culture but they are much more developed than almost all other species we've come across, with a possible exception of the Bajorans.

I wish some of the other species would have received an in-depth, on-screen treatment similar to the Klingons.

 

[tomalak301]

Well, I've seen TNG all the way through before, but that was about 8-10 years ago, and I feel like I'm discovering cool stuff in this phase.

One thing I realized about Season 4 when I had watched the blu rays was how much bigger the Klingon/Romulan arc was than I thought before. That whole story really was some great TNG, especially Sins of the Father, Reunion, The Minds Eye, and then Redemption.

 

[Lance]

The Klingon episodes, collectively, make for an awesome 'arc plot'. There's some very intricate plotting and character development in there, much more than TNG is oft given credit for.

 

[bbjeg]

I also enjoyed the Klingon episodes but-

...

I wish some of the other species would have received an in-depth, on-screen treatment similar to the Klingons.

Agreed. There were quite a few species I wanted them to retouch upon but never saw again.

 

[Ghrakh]

I wish some of the other species would have received an in-depth, on-screen treatment similar to the Klingons.

Well a big part of the in-depth development of Klingons is of course Worf being in the main cast, but also the Klingons are generally considered the most popular aliens in ST. They gained this stature even before TNG because of their prominent appearances in the ST films. "Klingon culture" is pretty strongly developed and distinct which leads to many storytelling opportunities.

Other species weren't represented to the same degree as you note, but TNG did give the ST universe new and distinct aliens such as the Borg, the Cardassians, the Ferengi. Uh, and the Pakleds.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Well a big part of the in-depth development of Klingons is of course Worf being in the main cast, but also the Klingons are generally considered the most popular aliens in ST. They gained this stature even before TNG because of their prominent appearances in the ST films.

Prior to TNG, I'd say that the Vulcans held that honor.

But in general, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who appreciates TNG-era Klingons...they tend to get a bad rap around these parts.

 

[Mojochi]

Yes, Sins of The Father, Reunion, & Redemption made an incredible story arc. Along with the Q, & the Borg, it was one of the jewels of the series. Heart of Glory & The Emissary weren't quite as good, but they were ok, & they opened the door for what was to come. Sadly, I felt the quality drop off after Redemption. Birthright 2 & Rightful Heir just weren't as compelling

I wish some of the other species would have received an in-depth, on-screen treatment similar to the Klingons.

They did. Soong Androids were covered as much as Klingons. Datalore, The Measure of a Man, Brothers, The Offspring, Inheritance. They were the other alien race that we delved into on TNG. So alien was it, it was even alien to the characters, much in the same way Vulcans seemed on TOS.

The only other alien race that got featured regularly on TNG were Betazoids & the story always centered around Troi & her family or friends. There was just no interesting story to tell about their culture, at least not as interesting as Klingons & androids, who required a fair amount of screen time to cover them. Hey, They only covered Vulcans on TOS. With TNG we got 2 types of beings to learn about

 

[Orphalesion]

The only other alien race that got featured regularly on TNG were Betazoids & the story always centered around Troi & her family or friends. There was just no interesting story to tell about their culture, at least not as interesting as Klingons & androids, who required a fair amount of screen time to cover them. Hey, They only covered Vulcans on TOS. With TNG we got 2 types of beings to learn about

I would not say that two androids constitute a species.

And sure there could have been many potential stories about Betazed, read "Battle for Betazed" for an example.
It was just the writers never bothered much. They could have easily given the Betazoids an interesting culture, they just never bothered.

 

[EnriqueH]

I'm curious: Did they ever really explore Romulans in the franchise?

When I think of Romulans, I usually just think of them as "Evil Vulcans".

 

[Ghrakh]

Well a big part of the in-depth development of Klingons is of course Worf being in the main cast, but also the Klingons are generally considered the most popular aliens in ST. They gained this stature even before TNG because of their prominent appearances in the ST films.

Prior to TNG, I'd say that the Vulcans held that honor.

I think that was more about Spock though and not Vulcans in general? Even before TNG, we saw way more Klingons than Vulcans.

 

[The Old Mixer]

That's ignoring the fact that before TNG, the only alien main character was a Vulcan...and he was the de facto star of the franchise. It's not about how many Vulcans appeared onscreen...the screentime and story attention that Spock got far dwarfed any exposure to the Klingons at that point in the franchise.

 

[Mojochi]

I would not say that two androids constitute a species.

Actually, The Measure of a Man litigates that very premise, and the outcome is that Data alone is a race.

The fact that 6 others surfaced, both before and after, validates that verdict. (Lore, Lal, Julianna, B4, & 2 unnamed others)

Like it or not, that's the other lifeform we're exploring on TNG

That's ignoring the fact that before TNG, the only alien main character was a Vulcan...and he was the de facto star of the franchise. It's not about how many Vulcans appeared onscreen...the screentime and story attention that Spock got far dwarfed any exposure to the Klingons at that point in the franchise.

Exactly. We learned about Vulcan & Vulcans through Spock. He was the vehicle through which we explored a culture. The same is true of Worf. All the Klingon tales involved Worf

And the same is true of Data. There's been several types of androids shown on TOS. Data represents a type we're now learning about, the same way we learn about the Vulcan race & Klingon Race though Spock & Worf. It's no different

 

[Ghrakh]

That's ignoring the fact that before TNG, the only alien main character was a Vulcan...

Odd thing to say to the person who brought Spock up in the first place.

It's not about how many Vulcans appeared onscreen...

If Vulcans (note the plural) were so popular, you'd see more of them.

the screentime and story attention that Spock got far dwarfed any exposure to the Klingons at that point in the franchise.

TNG still went with a Klingon cast member, tons of other Klingons (many recurring), and hardly had any Vulcans.

 

[Mojochi]

Vulcans were thoroughly explored by the time of TNG. They had a clear intent on exploring a new race through a main character. How much more exploring the "Logic" thing could we really have done? Especially since we were also exploring the emotionless android man on the same show

 

[Ghrakh]

I'm curious: Did they ever really explore Romulans in the franchise?

Unification gave a glimpse of Romulan culture, about all I can think of.

 

[Mojochi]

I suppose The Mind's Eye is a little turn with some of them, and I'd also include Troi in Face of The Enemy

 

[Ghrakh]

Vulcans were thoroughly explored by the time of TNG.

My original comment was about how popular Klingons were, not how much "explored" they were. Perhaps Vulcans were more popular but it's impossible to separate them from SPOCK (not to mention there were hardly any of them). I certainly know that Klingons were very popular among fans. The fact that they open the movie franchise tells me the producers thought that as well.