Seasons 7 is harder to get through than Season 1

Discussion in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' started by Beard of Sisko, Sep 12, 2023.

  1. Richard S. Ta

    Richard S. Ta Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2021
    Location:
    Silent Running
    Season 7 is more competently made.

    Season 1 is far more interesting though. Plus, it has better music.
     
    Serveaux, Vger23, Qonundrum and 3 others like this.
  2. Oddish

    Oddish Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    Season 1, TNG was still finding it's own identity. Many of its episodes played on themes from TOS. By S7, it had found it's own path... and perhaps gotten a bit complacent on it.
     
  3. Ragitsu

    Ragitsu Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2021
    Season 1 was about exploration; Season 7 downplayed the exploration in favor of military intrigue.
     
  4. Legate Duhmar

    Legate Duhmar Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2021
    [QUOTE="

    The Better Episodes (IMHO)


    Season 1:
    1. Encounter At Farpoint
    2. Where No One Has Gone Before
    3. The Battle
    4. Hide & Q (some of it, anyway)
    5. Datalore (not for the plot but its execution, which is pretty amazing considering what's on paper)
    6. 11001001
    7. Home Soil
    8. Coming of Age
    9. Heart of Glory
    10. Skin of Evil (some of it, anyway)
    11. Conspiracy

    Season 7:
    1. Phantasms (some of it, anyway)
    2. Parallels (up until the ending that conflates space with time travel reset button magic)
    3. The Pegasus
    4. Lower Decks (some of it, anyway)
    5. Thine Own Self
    6. Genesis (not for the plot but its execution, which is pretty amazing considering what's on paper)
    7. All Good Things...

    For episode count, season 1 wins out for me.
    .[/QUOTE]

    I've run the numbers time and again as well and season 1 always edges out season 7 for total number of better episodes. Even though Pegasus and All Good Things are 2 of my favorite episodes, gotta go with season 1 for the win overall. Much maligned for the uniforms and a couple of big turd episodes, season 1 is intriguing, engaging and adventurous despite it all.
     
    Phoenix219 likes this.
  5. Vger23

    Vger23 Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2014
    Location:
    Enterprise bowling alley
    I’d take S1 and S2 of TNG over S6 and S7 every time.

    While it’s very clear the first two seasons are flawed and unsure, they are rarely boring. The last two seasons of TNG are just so pedestrian and dull that it is an immense slog to get through.
     
    STEPhon IT and Phoenix219 like this.
  6. Vger23

    Vger23 Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2014
    Location:
    Enterprise bowling alley
    I agree almost entirely with this list, except I’d strike “Datalore” from S1 and “Genesis” from S7, both of which I think are horrible.
     
    STEPhon IT and Tosk like this.
  7. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2003
    Location:
    Tacoma, Washington
    Season 7 feels oh so very tired.
     
    suarezguy and Phoenix219 like this.
  8. Oddish

    Oddish Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    The admiral's banquet bit could have been dispensed with.

    Though I wonder what kind of consequences Picard had to face for conveniently failing to get to yet another admiral's banquet... maybe they made him attend the next three in a row. Bad idea to piss off Evil Admirals... :evil:
     
  9. JesterFace

    JesterFace Fleet Captain Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2014
    Location:
    Suomi Finland
    Season 7 gets a lot of critique but from the latter seasons I think it's stronger than season 6.
    Warning - this post might include an opinion.
     
    Richard S. Ta likes this.
  10. Ragitsu

    Ragitsu Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2021
    We don't post opinions; we post irrefutable facts.
     
    Richard S. Ta likes this.
  11. JesterFace

    JesterFace Fleet Captain Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2014
    Location:
    Suomi Finland
    Well, in that case I must be somekind of mirror Trek BBS posting thing.
     
    Richard S. Ta and Ragitsu like this.
  12. Farscape One

    Farscape One Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2017
    Location:
    Farscape One
    The only irrefutable fact is that there are no irrefutable facts.

    :hugegrin:
     
  13. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2003
    Location:
    Tacoma, Washington
    I disagree. ;)
     
    Richard S. Ta and Farscape One like this.
  14. Ragitsu

    Ragitsu Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2021
    I am flattered, but...I won't be exploding today.
     
    Richard S. Ta likes this.
  15. Farscape One

    Farscape One Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2017
    Location:
    Farscape One
    Depends on how you define 'exploding'. The day is not over yet, after all.

    :lol:
     
  16. Oddish

    Oddish Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    *Snickers*
    *Giggles*
    *Laughs out loud*
    *Howls with laughter*
    *Rolls on the floor laughing*
     
  17. Ragitsu

    Ragitsu Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2021
  18. Seven of Five

    Seven of Five Run Lillian! Premium Member

    Joined:
    May 1, 2001
    Location:
    UK
    Season 7 had 5 classic episodes and two or three good ones:

    All Good Things...
    The Pegasus
    Lower Decks
    Pre-emptive Strike
    Parallels
    Inheritance
    Phantasms

    Everything else ranges from guilty pleasure (Genesis) to what the hell were they thinking (Sub Rosa, Force of Nature.) There were also a lot of mediocre tech plots or repetitive long-lost family member-of-the-week episodes.

    You can tell that the writing staff are burnt out, and it's a shame that they didn't end in S6. S6 wasn't perfect by any means, but it still felt more like the show.

    I think TNG for me didn't gel until season two when Wesley was toned down a bit from his boy genius status. S2 I rate above of S7.

    That said, the show was definitely picking up in the last third of S1.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2023
  19. M'rk son of Mogh

    M'rk son of Mogh Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2001
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    I don't think they were burnt out. I think they were too distracted and focused on an upcoming movie (2 scripts being written by TNG's top talent starting in the middle of season 6) and ramping up Voyager.

    Take these 2 things away and I bet it would have been a much tighter season.
     
    Richard S. Ta likes this.
  20. JesterFace

    JesterFace Fleet Captain Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2014
    Location:
    Suomi Finland
    Once again I must say that I'm not 100% sure but didn't Ronald D. Moore say that while he and Brannon Braga were writing 'All Good Things...' they were also working on 'Generations' and sometimes almost mixed the two during writing?