Season ONE OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Discussion Thread

[BillJ]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

I don't see it that way. I see it as highly anticipated, heavily promoted, but not an "unqualified hit." Out of the gate, it was a huge unknown, with an uncertain future - even the actors knew that.

It was a big, high profile gamble. That's why the debut numbers were so high. There were many questions swirling around it, many doubts, many questions.

TNG stumbled, soared and fell through its first two seasons; it became a hit in its third season, as it found its own footing, came out of the writer's strike-affected second season, and outlived its predecessor.

You just don't want to be wrong, but the numbers simply state that you are (unless you can produce something that says differently). You don't renew the most expensive series, which is millions of dollars over budget at that point according to the documentary, on TV six to eight weeks into its first season unless it is pulling in exceptional numbers.

Just because the first two seasons aren't up to your standards doesn't mean the series wasn't pulling good numbers every week. Hell the article I quoted said some network stations decided to leave TNG in primetime over network offerings.

I'm a huge TOS guy, but that doesn't change the fact that TNG was pulling great ratings right from the beginning.

Seems like Stewart knew it was a hit in season two at least...

http://blastr.com/2012/02/why-patrick-stewart-panic.php

"I'd heard of actors who'd stayed away from the stage for a number of years who'd lost their nerve and never went back. I was horrified that might happen to me," he said. "In my second season of Star Trek, I began creating a series of one-man shows to get myself back on stage. The only condition was that there would be no other actors, so that I didn't depend on anyone else, and that the whole production could fit into the trunk of my car."

 

[Pindar]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

I'm watching Naked Now properly right now, so many good moments in this episode. My favourite thing about this is how Riker is just to damned tough to give in to the disease.

 

[Sho]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

^ Riker has always been my favorite character on the show. You tend to not notice him, but when you think a bit about it, he's had a surprisingly large number of really solid episodes in the series. Kind of in the way how superficially the big things in Best of Both Worlds are the Borg and Locutus, but really when it gets down to it, it's a Riker story. He forms the emotional core of that story and Frakes delivers a damn fine performance.

 

[Pindar]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

^ Riker has always been my favorite character on the show. You tend to not notice him, but when you think a bit about it, he's had a surprisingly large number of really solid episodes in the series. Kind of in the way how superficially the big things in Best of Both Worlds are the Borg and Locutus, but really when it gets down to it, it's a Riker story. He forms the emotional core of that story and Frakes delivers a damn fine performance.

He's always been my favourite next gen character too. I think probably because he reminds me of Kirk.

 

[BillJ]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

^ Riker has always been my favorite character on the show. You tend to not notice him, but when you think a bit about it, he's had a surprisingly large number of really solid episodes in the series. Kind of in the way how superficially the big things in Best of Both Worlds are the Borg and Locutus, but really when it gets down to it, it's a Riker story. He forms the emotional core of that story and Frakes delivers a damn fine performance.

He's always been my favourite next gen character too. I think probably because he reminds me of Kirk.

He was my favorite up until the end of season 3, after that he just felt redundant.

 

[Pindar]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

Can I add that Wesleys sweaters look fantastic in HD. It's been a long time since I watched S1 of TNG I had kind of forgotten how much I hated him back then. Funnily don't mind the character any more maybe because I love Wil Wheaton these days.

 

[Solarbaby]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

I'm not watching the set in order, just skipping around to watch my favorites. I just finished watching "11001001" and the audio sounds.... tinny? Just.... off. It's pretty much throughout the entire episode.

I noticed that. It sounds like they are all talking trough a metal pipe

 

[Nero's Shadow]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

I've just started to watch it in HD and I noticed that they changed the movie enterprise schematic in the episode The Naked Now to the TOS Enterprise !!! HD does wonders for your eyes lol also loving the 80,s promo trailers for each episode !! STAR trek the next generation !!!! And how many times does Picard call Wesley boy in the 1st season !!! In a nutshell I'm loving STTNG HD !!!!

 

[davejames]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

^ Riker has always been my favorite character on the show. You tend to not notice him, but when you think a bit about it, he's had a surprisingly large number of really solid episodes in the series. Kind of in the way how superficially the big things in Best of Both Worlds are the Borg and Locutus, but really when it gets down to it, it's a Riker story. He forms the emotional core of that story and Frakes delivers a damn fine performance.

He's always been my favourite next gen character too. I think probably because he reminds me of Kirk.

It's funny, I used to always think Riker was incredibly stiff and boring early on. But watching the first season again I can totally see the stoic, "Gary Cooper" vibe Gene was going for with the character.

Frakes pulls that off really well, and it's a shame he didn't appreciate it more than he did. Because that Riker actually seems kinda cool now.

 

[gaghyogi49]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

Here are some more observations about "The naked now", in SD and HD:

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/observations/thenakednow.htm

Jörg

 

[davejames]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

Here are some more observations about "The naked now", in SD and HD:

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/observations/thenakednow.htm

Jörg

Huh, I never noticed the TOS chairs in the episode before.

 

[indianatrekker26]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

Gotta say, one of my favorite additions to the BD are the "next time on star trek the next generation" promos. Sure brings back memories. I would get so excited at the end of the episode to see the next week's episode promo. and be so bummed when the announcer didn't say "all new."

 

[Ghostface1701]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

I've only watched The Arsenal of Freedom so far, and the new extras. I wished they'd gotten more into why people like D.C. Fontana left half-way through the first season. Was it all because of Gene and his rewrites?

Also, did anyone see the "Next time on Starrrrr Trek: The Next Generation" promo at the end of the third Stardate Revisited? Looks like we'll get a good insight in the Season 2 set into exactly what happened with Gates McFadden.

 

[timtonruben359]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

I've only watched The Arsenal of Freedom so far, and the new extras. I wished they'd gotten more into why people like D.C. Fontana left half-way through the first season. Was it all because of Gene and his rewrites?

Also, did anyone see the "Next time on Starrrrr Trek: The Next Generation" promo at the end of the third Stardate Revisited? Looks like we'll get a good insight in the Season 2 set into exactly what happened with Gates McFadden.

It's a well known fact that D.C. Fontana and others quit during the first season because Gene was difficult to work with and constantly rewriting the scripts. There's a documentary out entitled Trek Nation where Fontana talks in depth about this and states that she and Gene did not end of good terms.

As for Gates McFadden's absence in Season 2 it does appear they will go into more details. During the theater event this past Monday there was an extended trailer that showed a clip about Dr. Pulaski. Michael Dorn joked "One minute Gates is out and Diana is in and the next Diana is out and Gates is in." I'm hoping Gates goes into more detail about her departure. The basic story for years has been producers weren't happy with the Crusher character

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

I've read somewhere (infamous opening words, I know...) that part of the reason McFadden left was because she felt really uncomfortable around... uh, who was it... Maurice Hurley, I think? That he was making advances on her?

Crazy stuff if true. But I don't even begin to remember where I heard it is, so eh. Not trying to spread nonsense, though. I know I read it somewhere...

 

[bullethead]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

I've read somewhere (infamous opening words, I know...) that part of the reason McFadden left was because she felt really uncomfortable around... uh, who was it... Maurice Hurley, I think? That he was making advances on her?

Crazy stuff if true. But I don't even begin to remember where I heard it is, so eh. Not trying to spread nonsense, though. I know I read it somewhere...

SFDebris mentioned that someone put it on Memory Alpha in his review of The Child.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

Huh.

 

[mr.peany]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

I've only watched The Arsenal of Freedom so far, and the new extras. I wished they'd gotten more into why people like D.C. Fontana left half-way through the first season. Was it all because of Gene and his rewrites?

Also, did anyone see the "Next time on Starrrrr Trek: The Next Generation" promo at the end of the third Stardate Revisited? Looks like we'll get a good insight in the Season 2 set into exactly what happened with Gates McFadden.

It's a well known fact that D.C. Fontana and others quit during the first season because Gene was difficult to work with and constantly rewriting the scripts. There's a documentary out entitled Trek Nation where Fontana talks in depth about this and states that she and Gene did not end of good terms.

As for Gates McFadden's absence in Season 2 it does appear they will go into more details. During the theater event this past Monday there was an extended trailer that showed a clip about Dr. Pulaski. Michael Dorn joked "One minute Gates is out and Diana is in and the next Diana is out and Gates is in." I'm hoping Gates goes into more detail about her departure. The basic story for years has been producers weren't happy with the Crusher character

^ Which i find odd, considering in the first season she got a fair amount of screen time and development, more so than Data or any other secondary main character after Picard and Riker. Her back story with Picard was interesting plus she was one of the few strong independent female characters on TV at the time.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

Do they ever give any explanation for Pulaski's disappearance after the second season? I know there's the whole Starfleet Medical gig for Crusher, but did Pulaski even get that much?

 

[mr.peany]

Re: The OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Season 1 Discussion Thread

Negative. it may be explained in the novels.


EDIT: This is related to nothing, but I just realised I have been a member here since May 2000. Sweet Jesus. My longest relationship.