I'll take seasons one and two over what came later any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
I repeat, Y I K E S !!!!!!
I'll take seasons one and two over what came later any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
I'll second the heresy.
Me too. Season one is far from great, but as a 'shakedown cruise' it's pretty good (particularly if you blot the 'Wesley saves the day' moments from your memory. Which does obviously involve a liberal use of SHADO amnesia drugs). There's half a dozen genuinely strong episodes in there (and, while people are right about it being a failed attempt to do the original series, at the time it seemed like a surprisingly successful attempt to continue the original series. But maybe I'd just watched a bit too much of season three in the BBC's last rerun, having finally forced myself to stick with them so I'd have seen every episode).
Whereas season seven is the start of the Voyager ratio: half a dozen truly great, startling episodes, but they were the only reason you stayed tuned for the 20-odd bits of production line soap with added technobabble.
Seasons One and Seven were similar only in their unevenness. Quality wise, Season Seven's best episodes ("The Pegasus," "Lower Decks," "Preemptive Strike," "All Good Things") are miles above the best episodes of Season One ("The Big Goodbye," "Conspiracy" and "11001001").
Conversely, while Season Seven had a number of forgettable episodes, none approached the banality of Season One dogs like "Code Of Honor," "Justice" and "Symbiosis."
Why?
Now for some heresy!
Let's be honest... a major reason for this is the comparative involvement of Gene Roddenberry, who was simultaneously Star Trek's greatest asset and greatest liability, as he had been since he first pitched TOS in the early 60's. Unfortunately by the 80s, the balance had swung well towards the liability side.
Season One was the product of GR's utopian dreams run amok... a bevy of heavy "message" stories that did little to entertain the audience in the process. This "GR Utopia Syndrome" would dog TNG until he began to step back from day-to-day production, allowing the fruits of labors from Michael Piller, Ira Behr (albeit briefly), Ron Moore, et al. to carry the show to greater heights than could be imagined based on what we saw during Season One.
I'll take seasons one and two over what came later any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
I repeat, Y I K E S !!!!!!
I totally agree with all that, and yet... even the worst episodes of the first couple seasons possess a youthful exuberance. That energy is all but gone by season seven.Season One was the product of GR's utopian dreams run amok... a bevy of heavy "message" stories that did little to entertain the audience in the process. This "GR Utopia Syndrome" would dog TNG until he began to step back from day-to-day production, allowing the fruits of labors from Michael Piller, Ira Behr (albeit briefly), Ron Moore, et al. to carry the show to greater heights than could be imagined based on what we saw during Season One.
I totally agree with all that, and yet... even the worst episodes of the first couple seasons possess a youthful exuberance. That energy is all but gone by season seven.
I'd take season 7 over season 2.
I always thought "Gambit" was the most boring TNG two-parter produced. The producers realized by this time that mid-season two-parters were good ways to save money, and so episodes like "Gambit" and "Birthright" were written as two-parters, when they probably would have been better and tighter as single episodes.
I can't say I understand the love for "Pegasus" either.
I always thought "Gambit" was the most boring TNG two-parter produced. The producers realized by this time that mid-season two-parters were good ways to save money, and so episodes like "Gambit" and "Birthright" were written as two-parters, when they probably would have been better and tighter as single episodes.
I can't say I understand the love for "Pegasus" either.
So you're a fan of JJ Abrams' LOST?I love Gambit, but I'm partial to stories where there are a lot of different parties with their own agendas lying and betraying each other.
Season 1 is quite possibly the worst season of a TV series that I have ever watched. There isn't a single episode from that season that I consider watchable. Even Torchwood Series 1 had "Out of Time".
Season 1 is quite possibly the worst season of a TV series that I have ever watched. There isn't a single episode from that season that I consider watchable. Even Torchwood Series 1 had "Out of Time".
Not even TOS Season 3? I'd watch Angel One and Code of Honor 10 times before I'd watch half of those episodes again.
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.