My roommates watching TNG for the first time

[CetiAlphanEel]

My roommate has seen practically nothing of Star Trek beyond the JJ films and recently she asked to borrow my TNG Blu rays unprompted by me, I never tried to get her to watch them and never really discussed Star Trek. But she knows I like it and for whatever reason, she got interested. We are still on season one, which I feared would turn her off from the series since season one is pretty weak to put it mildly, but no, she likes it! Though she says the Holodeck is truly scary and asks about stuff like how the replicator works and why the french captain has a British accent lol. But overall we are having a lot of fun watching it together. Thought I'd share this

 

[tharpdevenport]

Hopefully she makes it to season three.

 

[AntonyF]

We are still on season one, which I feared would turn her off from the series since season one is pretty weak to put it mildly, but no, she likes it!

This is a recurring motif I see along with advice to skip the first seasons.

But generally negativity about the initial seasons is because we've seen it can be so much better (although I personally like a lot of the first two seasons).

But this is a show that had literally millions of people stay with it as they enjoyed it and that allowed for it to grow and grow. I mean it wasn't like we were sat watching Angel One going "God this is awful but at least we have the Best of Both Worlds coming in a couple of seasons' time." We found enough to enjoy in it.

Yet we always think that no one else can have that capacity. That after later seasons came the old ones sort of 'went bad' like a can of old tuna.

 

[CetiAlphanEel]

This is a recurring motif I see along with advice to skip the first seasons.

But generally negativity about the initial seasons is because we've seen it can be so much better (although I personally like a lot of the first two seasons).

But this is a show that had literally millions of people stay with it as they enjoyed it and that allowed for it to grow and grow. I mean it wasn't like we were sat watching Angel One going "God this is awful but at least we have the Best of Both Worlds coming in a couple of seasons' time." We found enough to enjoy in it.

Yet we always think that no one else can have that capacity. That after later seasons came the old ones sort of 'went bad' like a can of old tuna.

Yep, this is my conclusion as well, plus it's just fun watching these 80s first season episodes, it's almost like watching an artifact of the past and yeah most of the episodes so far are not actually bad, they're just not as good as what comes later

 

[AntonyF]

Oh and I'd be interested to hear what she likes and doesn't. There's a lot of group think, and I don't mean that in a very derogatory way, but as Trek fans we have thoughts that become prevailing over the years. She is untouched by this.

 

[CetiAlphanEel]

Oh and I'd be interested to hear what she likes and doesn't. There's a lot of group think, and I don't mean that in a very derogatory way, but as Trek fans we have thoughts that become prevailing over the years. She is untouched by this.

Yeah I'm curious about this too, will discuss it more with her when we finish the season.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

This is a recurring motif I see along with advice to skip the first seasons.

But generally negativity about the initial seasons is because we've seen it can be so much better (although I personally like a lot of the first two seasons).

But this is a show that had literally millions of people stay with it as they enjoyed it and that allowed for it to grow and grow. I mean it wasn't like we were sat watching Angel One going "God this is awful but at least we have the Best of Both Worlds coming in a couple of seasons' time." We found enough to enjoy in it.

Season 1 aired in 1987 though, where the competition was repeats of Buck Rogers and Galactica 1980. These days you don't have to have seen Best of Both Worlds to know there's much better sci-fi you could be watching.

 

[CetiAlphanEel]

Season 1 aired in 1987 though, where the competition was repeats of Buck Rogers and Galactica 1980. These days you don't have to have seen Best of Both Worlds to know there's much better sci-fi you could be watching.

Well I tried to get her to watch "For All Mankind" but she wasn't interested lol

 

[CetiAlphanEel]

My roommate lost interest in watching TNG lol, Star Trek really isn't her thing after all

 

[tharpdevenport]

So ... she likes the bad first season, but gave up on the show? Did she at least get threw season three? Doesn't seem like it.

 

[CetiAlphanEel]

So ... she likes the bad first season, but gave up on the show? Did she at least get threw season three? Doesn't seem like it.

She didn't even finish the first season lol. But she doesn't like the episodic format, she told me. I'm the exact opposite, I usually prefer episodic over serial, hence why I like snw more than all the other "new Trek" shows I've seen. She's also not really that into scifi, she mostly watches shows like Smiling Friends and Euphoria.

 

[DonIago]

She didn't even finish the first season lol. But she doesn't like the episodic format, she told me. I'm the exact opposite, I usually prefer episodic over serial, hence why I like snw more than all the other "new Trek" shows I've seen. She's also not really that into scifi, she mostly watches shows like Smiling Friends and Euphoria.

Show her "Best of Both Worlds" then go into DS9 if she doesn't like episodic.

 

[CetiAlphanEel]

Show her "Best of Both Worlds" then go into DS9 if she doesn't like episodic.

I'll def try

 

[Dar70]

I'll def try

Meh. Give up on her. She clearly is not a Trek Fan. Tell her I said so....

 

[Qonundrum]

This is a recurring motif I see along with advice to skip the first seasons.

Which didn't stop some YouTube reaction channels from diving in at the very start and finding things to like.

But generally negativity about the initial seasons is because we've seen it can be so much better (although I personally like a lot of the first two seasons).

Same here. 1 & 2 are finding their way and while there is some cheese, there's more that's gouda ("11001001", "The Dauphin", etc) than limburger ("The Naked Now", "Justice", et al). The show does find its niche and polishing up the better aspects of season 2 to make season 3 an unstoppable gem, but then templates a little too much and coasting more on treknobabble and even forgetting real science that even the "eww, icky, avoid" season 1 did a better job at (the air pressure "suck vs blow" issue having been done right in "The Naked Now" (yikes) is thrown out the airlock for the very aptly titled episode "Disaster" but maybe that episode was a rush job given all its problems... it's no wonder DS9 took from it to build the far more satisfying "Starship Down" with.)

But this is a show that had literally millions of people stay with it as they enjoyed it and that allowed for it to grow and grow. I mean it wasn't like we were sat watching Angel One going "God this is awful but at least we have the Best of Both Worlds coming in a couple of seasons' time." We found enough to enjoy in it.

At the time, 1987, there wasn't much in the way of new science fiction genre programs, Trek was on a high thanks to the success of the Kirk films, and TNG did keep enough ratings even with its clunkers, so it wasn't hated. (Season 3 is probably when the real retroactive dislike kicked in due to its new style and verve and, yeah, 3 is primo for the most part.) To compare, Doctor Who, the most visible sci-fi show I recall from the same time period as competition, had been relegated to half its runtime and was treated like so much a campy side show in 1987 and ripe for ridicule. (Watch both side by side and, yeah, it's another reason why TNG isn't as all suckage as some love to claim.)

Yet we always think that no one else can have that capacity. That after later seasons came the old ones sort of 'went bad' like a can of old tuna.

 

[Mojochi]

Damn that 1st season. It's just so awkward as a 1st impression lol. Not entirely bad, (I like some) it's just awkward. We've probably lost so many potential fans, due to it, over the years.

Honestly, if we hadn't already been Trekkies, waiting with baited breath, when it showed up, I shutter to think how quickly it would've tanked back then. French captain acting super British, weird kid wandering around in a onesie. Troi's overly dramatic hogwash, & now-you-see-it-now-you-don't telepathy with Riker, Geordi being all "whoowee!" dorky, Tasha just being, well... off-putting, lol, & all the guest actors reading like bottom feeder, soap opera day players. It's a tough mine field to get thru, to find the precious pearl within.

 

[DonIago]

It doesn't hurt that at the time there also wasn't much competition that I can recall.

These days TNG never would have made it past the first five episodes before being canceled, which is kind of a sad statement on modern tolerance.

 

[Paul Weaver]

Very little scifi on today, and when there is scifi, it's maybe 10 hours a year.

There's a lot of back catalog stuff though (like tng) in competition.

Skipping season 1 would mean missing...

OK I won't list them all, I would say at least 13 are unmissable and about 20 I wouldn't skip even if I were in a hurry. Maybe if I had to skip some I'd drop Code of Honor, Haven, Angel One.

So maybe Season 2 is a problem?

No, right up front there's epsiodes like "Where Silence Has Lease", "Elementary, Dear Data", "The Schizoid Man", "A Matter of Honor" and "The Measure of a Man" and we're only 9 episodes in, then there's "Contagion", "Pen Pals", "Q Who", "Samaritan Snare", "The Emissary", "Peak Performance"

 

[Mojochi]

Apart from Pulaski's introduction, I feel like season 2 went smoother, or makes a slightly better impression. It's definitely got some stinkers & weird spots, but the general tone was more established

 

[Forbin]

My friend Frank's son decided to give TNG a try. The kid's 22, but he sees the stuff his father watches and gets into it. He's also a '66 Batman fan. Frank is so proud.