Season 3 - We all KNOW it was great.

[Balrog]

It is a bit of hyperbole, but not by much. I'm sure some would disagree. They would have to be in a VERY small minority.

I have been attempting to complete rewatching all of TNG starting this past December. I have started at the beginning and have watched now every episode of the first 3 seasons. There is no doubt Season 3 is by far the best of the three.

One interesting thing I have noticed is it seems TNG became more dark in the early episodes of Season 3, only to relax a bit by mid season. I can't describe it, but there was a certain "creepiness" about the episodes 'Evolution' through 'The High Ground'. Perhaps it was because there was a seriousness that Season 2 lacked in some cases. By 'Deja Q' the mood lightened and we were treated to some very fun and funny moments. By the end of the season, it was a show that hit its stride.

A side note - This was another Season I never saw during the original run. I was stationed in Louisiana and my barracks room had no cable. Also, I wasn't about to spend my Saturday nights hanging around the barracks when there was drinking to be done and women to meet!

But in August/September of 1990, two things happened: I got cable, and my unit was on alert due to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait so I was stuck in the barracks. I hadn't been a regular viewer of TNG since the first season, and I wasn't that interested still. My first episode in over two years just so happened to be 'The Best of Both Worlds, part 1' that was being repeated just the week before the Season 4 premier. I remember SCREAMING out loud as the screen went black. Thank GOD I only had to wait a week, and not the whole summer! I was hooked again. I bought a VCR and began taping the episodes and watching them on Sunday. I also borrowed a friend's supply of Season 3 tapes to catch up. By the end of the year, my entire barracks were TNG fans! We'd all huddle around my 12" TV and watch that weeks TNG episode. What great memories!

 

[Agenda]

Season 3 is imo the best, along with 4.

 

[CaptainStoner]

The last time I did a TNG run, my perception was that S3 was the beginning of the show hitting its stride (with strong indicators in S2) but I really felt the show got more uniformly good right through S4-6 and much of 7.

 

[Lor'Vela]

S3 is a great season. There is a certain kind of charm to it that I can't quite put into words. Also, it was the first season of any Star Trek I remember watching, so the season does have feelings of nostalgia for me.

 

[trekjiro]

Here were my comments/grades and others opinions on each episode.

http://trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=85583

 

[RyuRoots]

S3, 4, and 5 are the "sweet spot", so to speak, of TNG. Those three seasons are phenominal for the most part. S6 and S7 have some really great episodes too, with some highs even better than earlier seasons, but also some REALLY terrible slop. Voyager's later seasons were like that, too. S3-5 was where you could throw a dart at a board and have a pretty good chance of it landing on a decent episode.

 

[Flake]

3,4,5,6,7,2,1 < That order

 

[indolover]

I agree it was the best of the initial three seasons. Sins of the Father and Booby Trap (and of course the Best of Both Worlds Pt. 1) were all excellent episodes.

I've always thought that season 1 was quite poor, and by far the weakest of all seven seasons. To me a main reason for this is Picard, since he seemed more gruff and abrasive in this season, and not as mild-mannered and cerebral as in later seasons.

 

[Lor'Vela]

Season 1 seems to get a lot of stick, and on reflection I don't think it is that bad. There were some good episodes intermixed with some ordinary ones, but all-in-all, I don't think it's terrible, IMO of course.

 

[Amaris]

I'm watching "The Defector" right now. Awesome episode all the way around.

 

[Balrog]

I think the noticeable difference of Season 3 is that the stories are a lot tighter. There isn't a lot of jumping around or loose ends that don't really seem to wrap themselves up at the end of the episode.

 

[RegFan]

S3 is when the show got really good but my favorite seasons are still S4 and S6.

 

[Hermiod]

Season three has "The Defector". Therefore season three wins. Forvever.

 

[Anwar]

Seasons one and two had their good spots, which means they were more a mixed bag than bad. S3-S6 were pretty much the pinnacle, with S7 the seasonal rot setting in.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

In my opinion Season 3 was where they finally hit the ground running, but in no way would i consider it the BEST season or even a GREAT season. It had a few really good to great episodes, but on the whole i wouldn't say the entire season was great. Of course, it is all a matter of opinion.

 

[Opus]

I have to ask, Randi, what episodes you thought were awful in Season Three?

 

[Amaris]

I just finished watching "Allegiance". A good episode overall, but for me the best part is at the very end, before Picard orders the Enterprise to rendezvous with the Hood, Crusher walks onto the bridge sits in the chair next to him and gives him a look, to which he reciprocates with curiosity, and then meekly orders "engage".

 

[CoveTom]

Season three, interestingly enough, is also when much of the "look" of the show changed. The uniforms changed, the bridge carpeting got changed, etc. Things took on the look that we most associate with TNG. Interesting that happened at the same time as the writing also seemed to hit its stride.

 

[Balrog]

Don't forget the openning sequence changed too.

 

[Canuck69]

I just finished watching "Allegiance". A good episode overall, but for me the best part is at the very end, before Picard orders the Enterprise to rendezvous with the Hood, Crusher walks onto the bridge sits in the chair next to him and gives him a look, to which he reciprocates with curiosity, and then meekly orders "engage".

This is my favorite part too!