Ethics - I loved this one with Crusher and a visiting doctor's ethical problems over using experimental medicine and Worf's ethical problem with euthanasia/suicide. I thought it was done well. The first time I watched it way back I thought Worf was really a goner, but this time I could see the foreshadowing with the discussion of Klingon organ redundancy. I'm a sucker for anything with Word and Klingon honor as he actually believes it and tries to live it, unlike most other Klingons we encounter in Trek.
Season 5 rewatch
- Thread starter worf1965
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The Outcast - For me this one was one where the message was too spoon fed to us as it served as an allegory for the ostracism that gay people received at that time. I guess transgender people could be substituted for the present day. While the message was good it was too obvious and the aliens were so BORING that I felt little connection to them. Also, why weren't Riker and Worf disciplined more at the end?
As a gay person I always hated the Outcast, in my opinion it was a cop-out. It would have done a lot more good to have some gay characters appear on the show on occasion rather than make a clumsy allegory like that.
I am picking up where I left off.. I finished season four and the continue into season 5 and tonite .. / morning I started with Darmok.. so good indeed.. I liked the whole thing..--- doing the Ensign Ro episode.. --- right into it.--- I checked this forum..
when season 5 aired I was without a tv.. mostly. -- and probably homeless or in - the welfare motels back and forth with or without tv.. --- season five was mostly seen in the reruns..-- no particular. order. when the reruns came out.--- I am not sure if I saw all the episodes or not but since the episodes are..open..for me to watch --- I watched from about - the end of season - I am not really remembering..the Ensign Ro- or mmmm maybe..-- // -- mmmm yeah I did not .. see this I think -- mmmm yes.. I did not see it. even in the reruns..-- great episode there. too...--- IDK I might watch the rest later.--- I am not really a marathon watcher too much..--- yeah not recognizing this.. next episode either-0
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just finished that episode I had never seen it.. or I am loosing big segments of my memory somehow.. but it is great to see them .. just great..---
I think i would remember the crystalline entity I remember the thing from very early STO fighting the entity . and all but never the episode. I just didn't know where it came from. ---
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Cause and effect - I don't have much to add that hasn't been said in the Cause and Effect thread. First time I saw this one I loved it. I still liked it this time but the surprise effect is gone. I did like that Dr. Crusher got to carry a story and I was better able to pick out tiny differences in each replay of the action. I too wondered why they didn't at least try both Data and Riker's suggestions. This episode does show the danger of space travel - one moment everything is fine and within a few minutes it can be all over.
The First Duty - I also agree with much said on that thread. It was nice to see that Wesley isn't so perfect after all though Geordie, whom I always saw as a lighter form of Wesley as he pulled engineering solutions out of seemingly nothing (like Scotty) does again discover what happened when no one else could. People have said Crusher should have been expelled. It seems that was what was going to happen except Nick Locarno finally took all the responsibility pleading his classmates' case.
The First Duty - I also agree with much said on that thread. It was nice to see that Wesley isn't so perfect after all though Geordie, whom I always saw as a lighter form of Wesley as he pulled engineering solutions out of seemingly nothing (like Scotty) does again discover what happened when no one else could. People have said Crusher should have been expelled. It seems that was what was going to happen except Nick Locarno finally took all the responsibility pleading his classmates' case.
Cost of Living - This is one of the worst TNG episodes for me. I don't think whoever thought of combining Lwaxana Troi and Alexander really considered what they were doing. Both characters are beyond annoying. Whenever I see Lwaxana Troi is in an episode it raises a red flag for me. I don't have much more to say.
The Perfect Mate - I found this episode much better. While addressing arranged marriage and the view of women as property and doing so well, the real issue is Picard and Kamala the metamorph. They both seem to be exactly what the other needs and the moral dilemma that both must face is truly engaging. We don't get to see a vulnerable Picard very often and I really liked this. Of course, he makes the correct choice but it's after much moral wrangling. Picard is human after all. This character study is one of the things I love most about TNG.
The Perfect Mate - I found this episode much better. While addressing arranged marriage and the view of women as property and doing so well, the real issue is Picard and Kamala the metamorph. They both seem to be exactly what the other needs and the moral dilemma that both must face is truly engaging. We don't get to see a vulnerable Picard very often and I really liked this. Of course, he makes the correct choice but it's after much moral wrangling. Picard is human after all. This character study is one of the things I love most about TNG.
When I originally saw these episodes, I didn't like "Cost of Living" at all, but really liked "The Perfect Mate". But over time, I've grown to enjoy the former more and the latter less.
What the episode's faults, I find Lwaxana's fears of being alone and her friendship with Alexander much more affecting than I did back in 1992. On the other hand, I now find the whole concept of a metamorph who molds herself to the desires of whichever man she's with rather disturbing and creepy.
Imaginary Friend - A lot of people don't like this one, but I thought it was pretty good. I saw it as how we can misunderstand and misjudge other cultures, or here other space creatures - us, by looking at them through the wrong eyes. Here the aliens saw humans through the eyes of an 8 year old kid. We often see others through our Western eyes and have ended up misjudging other cultures very badly with very bad results.
I Borg - A great one. Before this one the Borg was only presented as the Collective. Here, we see a different aspect, a Borg as a single unit or being, here named Hugh by the crew. Picard is faced with a dilemma about what to do with Hugh. On the one hand, infect Hugh with a virus which will destroy all Borgs when he is allowed to return to the Collective or respect the Borg as sentient beings against whom we should not commit genocide. Dr. Crusher lines up on the respecting life side and just about everyone else on the side of killing off all Borg. How Picard resolves the dilemma is definitely an interesting take.
I Borg - A great one. Before this one the Borg was only presented as the Collective. Here, we see a different aspect, a Borg as a single unit or being, here named Hugh by the crew. Picard is faced with a dilemma about what to do with Hugh. On the one hand, infect Hugh with a virus which will destroy all Borgs when he is allowed to return to the Collective or respect the Borg as sentient beings against whom we should not commit genocide. Dr. Crusher lines up on the respecting life side and just about everyone else on the side of killing off all Borg. How Picard resolves the dilemma is definitely an interesting take.
The Next Phase - I like this one a lot. Commentary on cloaking technology gone bad. The Romulans look friendly at first but then are revealed to be up to their usual shenanigans with Ro and Geordie racing against the clock to save the day. I loved Data's funeral idea for them. It was much better than your standard funeral. It was also interesting to see Riker's thoughts on Ro given their history. My only quibble is how Ro and Geordie can pass through walls, but don't sink through floors.
The Inner Light - I can see how some people might find this one boring, but for me it shows why Patrick Stewart is such a great actor. He is great on his role as Kanaan growing old and trying to solve the village's existential problems. I also liked the explanation for his whole experience.
The Inner Light - I can see how some people might find this one boring, but for me it shows why Patrick Stewart is such a great actor. He is great on his role as Kanaan growing old and trying to solve the village's existential problems. I also liked the explanation for his whole experience.
Some say gravity plating prevented them from falling through floors, there must be more theories on this one, right?
Time's Arrow Part 1 - This is a good part 1 for a two-parter, but maybe not as a season ender. I like the mystery around Data's head being found, the time travel, the soul eating aliens, the appearance of Mark Twain and the 19th century San Francisco scenes in general and the cliffhanger that is left at the end. But it doesn't match up to Best of Both Worlds or Redemption from the previous 2 seasons
Yep, it was written for him. As with Tom Hanks in First Contact, a scheduling problem meant someone had to take over.
I just finished re-watching The Inner Light. I have always loved this episode. Imagine knowing that the world you live in is going to disappear and that there's nothing you can do for it. I feel bad for the captain though who had to carry these emotions for the rest of his life.
^^this
The most we had was the occasional extra of the same sex eyeing another crewmember -- but rarely did any romance-themed episode worked for me (only "The Paradise Syndrome"). Like with straight people, have a gay person be rejected or used in some creative way. Even Uhura beat up Lars, who was intent on raping her. The generic love interest soap operas where the camera just sits on two people french kissing and/or groping for 2 minutes are just naff, regardless of who's into whom.
And not necessarily with the stereotype mannerisms, which is also lame spoonfeeding. Of if they're used, complement with something different. I'll get to an example in a moment:
^^exactly.
Especially Worf and Riker. Where's Sisko when we need him?
I'm bi, one of the most complex of the groups, but a love life doesn't begin to define people...
Worst of all, the episode more or less discusses natural heterosexual child making with "test tubes and drugs and genetic manipulation to prevent sexual urges" - not intentionally,. but that is a discussion in its own right and not an uninteresting one. Having the guest alien be male would only lead Riker to be as a squeamish as Dr Crusher in "The Host", noting it's also possible to be personally uninterested or disgusted by a certain act yet not be prejudiced toward those who exhibit it. But the Crusher episode was more about lust and she was already struggling with the Trill slug in someone else's body. It's also a mess of an episode, but at least the lack of transporters allowed the potential for some serious tension (though that scene was mucked up out of plot convenience too!)
C&E relies on the initial viewing approach for the visceral effect. It's brilliant but it does get boring on repeated viewing attempts. As a concept and from the inside-out approach, it's the best example ever made I've seen so far. (Doctor Who's "Meglos" being a bit iffy.)
The name "Ensign Fletcher" was also coined after the infamous Lifecall commercial involving Mrs Fletcher, unable to get up after falling. It's a clever in-joke, given they play it straight and innocently, but surely this isn't "Airplane!".
After "Evolution" and "Remember Me", the only other times Wes is not perfect as he causes the problems endured, this one is huge.
Locarno was a cool character, though the reasons they made him into "Tom Paris" also show Starfleet isn't a small universe syndrome organization. Season 4 did start the trend of TNG building on previous stories to make new stories with and that's a sign of a show potentially struggling. (Thankfully the net numbers were few, and using a Phase II story helped shore up any time or script crunches left. That and the stories using old ones as a crutch were pretty well-rounded, which helps a lot. But VOY definitely did not need to go there, so serendipitous or not things still worked out fairly great.)
Toss me in the group who likes this season. To me , seasons 3,4, & 5 are TNG in it's heyday. Hitting its stride & running with it, despite whatever kinks the show had with its characters
The other 4 seasons have some really good stuff too, but you can feel the 1st two struggling to find it's niche, & the last two having some well running dry vibes. They were right to give it space to find itself, & then call it quits when they did
The other 4 seasons have some really good stuff too, but you can feel the 1st two struggling to find it's niche, & the last two having some well running dry vibes. They were right to give it space to find itself, & then call it quits when they did
This episode gets so much poop. I still don't get the hate 'Imaginary Friend' gets, it's great.
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