Just re-watched Encounter at Farpoint

[Shatnertage]

I don't really think it's awful, just awkward, which gives it some appeal. But watching it today, I'm amazed that it started out with two of my personal least favorite things: Data reading the thesaurus, and Troi "sensing" something. Then you've got not one, but three entities with strange powers (one of them is also omniscient and omnipotent, apparently). And the captain surrendering pretty quickly. Not really an auspicious start for the series.

Here's a question: When Riker meets Data, he says words to the effect of, "I read your record. Your rank of Lt. Commander is honorary, of course." Then Data corrects him by stating when he graduated from Starfleet Academy, etc., and that he's a full Starfleet officer.

Isn't that exactly the kind of thing that would be in someone's record? Is there a plausible reason for Riker's statement, besides the need to exposit Data's background?

 

[JoeFromEarth]

Isn't that exactly the kind of thing that would be in someone's record? Is there a plausible reason for Riker's statement, besides the need to exposit Data's background?

Perhaps, at that time, Riker felt that Data was not a life form and just merely a robot that they gave a rank.

 

[RandyS]

I liked Encounter at Farpoint. Ditching the miniskirt on female crew members was a mistake though.

True, but ditching them on the males was not.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Encounter at Farpoint is classic Star Trek, IMO. Some of the characterizations are a little rough, but that's to be expected with a pilot.

 

[Nardpuncher]

It's only nostalgia that makes me like it.

In all honesty it's not a very good episode.

 

[Too Much Fun]

Despite all its flaws, I like it way better than "The Cage", which I found boring and will never watch again. I think "The Man Trap" is much more entertaining and consistent, though, and the network made the right decision in choosing it over "The Cage".

I dare you to find a show that has everything in place and is perfect right from the pilot

"Batman"* (1966)
"Batman: the Animated Series"
"Freaks and Geeks"*
"Futurama"*
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"*
"The Big Bang Theory"
"The X-Files"
"Undeclared"
"Weeds"*
"X-Men"*
"Xena: Warrior Princess"

I could go on. More than half of my favourite shows of all time had a fantastic pilot that highlighted all of the show's strengths. Notable exceptions are the first three Star Trek series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and "Battlestar Galactica", which all went through a lot of growing pains in their first seasons. For the ones I put a "*" next to...their pilots were not only excellent, but one of the best episodes of the whole series.

 

[SpyOne]

Encounter At Farpoint is like TNG's baby pictures: sure, they're embarrassing now, but that's only because you are so much better now than you were then, and know better than to dump spaghetti on your head. If you did that now, you'd look stupid, at best. But back then, it was adorable.

 

[DevilEyes]

Despite all its flaws, I like it way better than "The Cage", which I found boring and will never watch again. I think "The Man Trap" is much more entertaining and consistent, though, and the network made the right decision in choosing it over "The Cage".

The Man Trap is all right, but The Cage is a much better episode, and one of my favorites from TOS. I also like it better than Where No Man Has Gone Before. I actually started watching TOS in airing order, so I watched The Man Trap and liked it well enough but wasn't blown away or anything. Then I switched to production order, watched The Cage, and was blown away.

I dare you to find a show that has everything in place and is perfect right from the pilot

"Batman"* (1966)
"Batman: the Animated Series"
"Freaks and Geeks"*
"Futurama"*
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"*
"The Big Bang Theory"
"The X-Files"
"Undeclared"
"Weeds"*
"X-Men"*
"Xena: Warrior Princess"

I could go on. More than half of my favourite shows of all time had a fantastic pilot that highlighted all of the show's strengths. Notable exceptions are the first three Star Trek series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and "Battlestar Galactica", which all went through a lot of growing pains in their first seasons. For the ones I put a "*" next to...their pilots were not only excellent, but one of the best episodes of the whole series.

Actually, Battlestar Galactica had an awesome pilot (Miniseries) and awesome season 1, an at least equally awesome season 2, a mixed and problematic season 3, and a disappointing last season.

Battlestar Galactica
Lost
Six Feet Under
The Sopranos
Oz
Homicide: LOTS
Frasier
Arrested Development
and probably many more.

 

[Shatnertage]

Encounter At Farpoint is like TNG's baby pictures: sure, they're embarrassing now, but that's only because you are so much better now than you were then, and know better than to dump spaghetti on your head. If you did that now, you'd look stupid, at best. But back then, it was adorable.

This.

 

[Epsilon IX]

Encounter At Farpoint is like TNG's baby pictures: sure, they're embarrassing now, but that's only because you are so much better now than you were then, and know better than to dump spaghetti on your head. If you did that now, you'd look stupid, at best. But back then, it was adorable.

^That was probably what I was doing when Encounter at Farpoint first aired!

Encounter at Farpoint was on the whole a good way to begin the series, capturing the essence of Trek.

I am not saying that the episode was without its faults. For example, Data's reciting of the thesaurus, as well as Troi's "Pain! Such Horrible, Awful Pain etc!" were cringeworthy, and Picard doesn't exactly help when it concerns stereotypes about the French ("We surrender!"). There were some visual effect sequences that were a little too long, including the rejoining sequence (Picard does say that it's a routine procedure after all!).

Also, why did the population of midgets explode following the Third World War? One would assume that they would all have been exterminated by Colonel Philip Green during his genocidal purges. Then again I guess these would be the first set of people to begin repopulating since the bullets zipped over their heads, whilst taller people probably weren't so lucky!

 

[MrJimbo]

This is a groppler:

Looks like a gray-haired Geddy Lee

 

[AJBryant]

Isn't that exactly the kind of thing that would be in someone's record? Is there a plausible reason for Riker's statement, besides the need to exposit Data's background?

Perhaps, at that time, Riker felt that Data was not a life form and just merely a robot that they gave a rank.

Yeah, but the point was, Riker had JUST said "I read your record." All that SHOULD have been in the record.

It's like saying "I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The submarine was the Seaview, right?" or "I read 'Romeo and Juliet.' Juliet was his sister, right?"

 

[Myasishchev]

I liked Encounter at Farpoint. Ditching the miniskirt on female crew members was a mistake though.

True, but ditching them on the males was not.

It worked in Magnus, Robot Fighter. It was a bit of cowardice to get rid of them, although at least they did manage to be consistent.

 

[Epsilon IX]

I liked Encounter at Farpoint. Ditching the miniskirt on female crew members was a mistake though.

True, but ditching them on the males was not.

^Agreed! What was it with transvestites in the first season?! Has there ever been an explanation for this?

 

[RandyS]

I liked Encounter at Farpoint. Ditching the miniskirt on female crew members was a mistake though.

True, but ditching them on the males was not.

^Agreed! What was it with transvestites in the first season?! Has there ever been an explanation for this?

Within the show, I don't know, but Roddenberry claimed it was due to equality or some other idiotic thing.

I just think it was stupid. Women belong in miniskirts, men do not, and believing so does NOT make me a sexist. Some things are just they way they are, and that's all there is to it.

 

[Skellington]

True, but ditching them on the males was not.

^Agreed! What was it with transvestites in the first season?! Has there ever been an explanation for this?

Within the show, I don't know, but Roddenberry claimed it was due to equality or some other idiotic thing.

I just think it was stupid. Women belong in miniskirts, men do not, and believing so does NOT make me a sexist. Some things are just they way they are, and that's all there is to it.

I get that. Could have done without the use of the word "sir" for female military superiors, too. It's "ma'am", dammit!

 

[Mr_Homn]

True, but ditching them on the males was not.

^Agreed! What was it with transvestites in the first season?! Has there ever been an explanation for this?

Within the show, I don't know, but Roddenberry claimed it was due to equality or some other idiotic thing.

I just think it was stupid. Women belong in miniskirts, men do not, and believing so does NOT make me a sexist. Some things are just they way they are, and that's all there is to it.

people make far too big a deal of an extra in a pilot episode

 

[DonIago]

Well, it wasn't just the pilot episode, but really, judging fashion shown to exist in the far future or far past is just begging for trouble. I'm sure the TNG folks would have some choice comments on the clothing people wear these days. And frankly the "transvestite" comment sounds more homophobic than anything else to me.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Isn't that exactly the kind of thing that would be in someone's record? Is there a plausible reason for Riker's statement, besides the need to exposit Data's background?

Perhaps, at that time, Riker felt that Data was not a life form and just merely a robot that they gave a rank.

Yeah, but the point was, Riker had JUST said "I read your record." All that SHOULD have been in the record.

It's like saying "I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The submarine was the Seaview, right?" or "I read 'Romeo and Juliet.' Juliet was his sister, right?"

Could have been that Riker sense of humor, like the "you do remember how to fire phasers" comment from FC.

 

[Shatnertage]

This is a groppler:

Looks like a gray-haired Geddy Lee

If this was a little later in the show, we might have heard Data, in his stand-up comic voice, saying:

"Groppler? I hardly knew her!"