Unfortunately, the actors reportedly had a stormy relationship offscreen as well. When the star doesn't like you, you're gone.
Some thoughts from a Neophyte...
- Thread starter Sadistro
- Start date
Salutation here!
I think many valid points have been raised about Dr Pulaski. I would only reinterate that whatever the frictions on and off set, the important aspects for me were that she was a) a great actress who clearly loved the role and b) greatly liked by the writers, as they give her so much in every episode.
Dr Crusher meanwhile is one of those characters who for whatever reason, the writers just don't engage with. She very rarely gets much of anything to do in Seasons 1-5, although she seems to come to more prominence in the last two (which I believe is down to McFadden actually asking for more to do).
We are never given any chance to really root for her. She very rarely gets to be the hero of the hour with very few episodes to herself. Also her medical prowess is sorely neglected. She must be very skilled to be on the Enterprise and have the chief's job at Starfleet medical, but we see very little of that.
She just comes across as the kind of person Picard becomes in 'Tapestry'. Good at her job, capable and likeable enough, but not extraordinary. Her opposition to the radical doctor in 'Ethics' underlines this 'play it safe, practice safe medicine' approach. Very commendable but rather dull at the same time.
Going back to Pulaski for a moment, I must just say that I did actually like the relationships that Pulaski had with Data and Worf. They both represent something awkward and hard to accept for a Doctor. Data is an artificial lifeform, but to Pulaski, life and the 'human condition' (not just human, but sentient life in general) is so wonderful and full of potential that the idea it could be replicated and constructed by man is unwelcome (at first anyway).
But her experiences with him and with such characters as Moriarty, help her to appreciate that they are not just pale copies of life; they are new kinds of life that despite being machines and such, they have a genuine desire to find out and explore what kind of beings they are. They're not better than humans or inferior - just different. That they are 'alive' and they deserve to be treated with some respect.
With Worf, as with Geordi, she has the start of some promising storylines that don't get a chance to develop because she left. With Worf, she is approaching someone whose race isn't interested in the sanctity of life. The Klingons believe in battle and death - things that exist within Worf. They do not mourn death in the same way as humans and they resist attempts to care for them.
These are all things that would put them at odds, but Pulaski isn't one to be put off so easily! By questioning the characters, interrogating them on what they believe and why they believe it, she helps us to understand them better. Her interest in curing Geordi's blindness plants that suggestion in his and our minds, in preparation for the speech in 'Loud as a Whisper' where Geordi reveals that he doesn't see it as an affliction - it's who he is. He doesn't feel sorry for himself - he knows inside that he's special and has a lot to give.
Bottom line, I thought she was a great character and I was very sorry to see her go.
On the subject of 'Family Matters', it's not that I don't like such stories on principle, just that quality is key in all things. Dealing with loss and reuniting families etc has the tendency to be 'worthy' rather than compelling. I confess I do tend to shudder in horror when an episode is obviously going to be about Deanna Troi and/or was written by Rene Echevarria. Both just spell instant boredom for me often as not.
I'd like to think that my episiode choices reveal I like more than just mindless action, but I like a bit of edge to my stories. Deep despair, burning rage, that sort of thing.
As for Season 3... well I just found it a bit flat and lacking in magnificence, wonder and horror etc at times. I believe that every season can be relied on for between 9-13 truly good episodes; it's just that this season's tone is a little too calm and 'mopey' at times for my liking.
Season 4 is much more my thing, because it has a harder edge to it. I don't have time to discuss this now as I'd like, but basically the 4th season thrums with anger, hatred, rage and despair. (In hindsight, I'd probably add 'The Drumhead' to my B list also.)
The sheer passion and intensity of the performances and hair rasing moments when you see how deep the pain in some of the characters goes (Worf when he kills Duras, O'Brien and Captain Maxwell singing sadly of the injustice of the universe, Lore's outrage that Soong abandoned him in his eyes, Picard's breakdown in the vineyard...)
That scene at the end of 'The Wounded' where they're singing, the screen pulsing like an angry, sorrowful heartbeat in the background... absolute magic.
Anyway, it seems I'm out of time for today. It warms the heart to see another Moriarty fan though, MrsPicard! My family have always been great Holmes nuts (my middle name is James, after James Moriarty!) I'm such a big Moriarty fan that my Internet handle is usually ModernDayMoriarty, but it wouldn't fit here!
But enough of all that! With my hat and cane in hand I bid you Good Day...
Now you see him, now you don't!
I think many valid points have been raised about Dr Pulaski. I would only reinterate that whatever the frictions on and off set, the important aspects for me were that she was a) a great actress who clearly loved the role and b) greatly liked by the writers, as they give her so much in every episode.
Dr Crusher meanwhile is one of those characters who for whatever reason, the writers just don't engage with. She very rarely gets much of anything to do in Seasons 1-5, although she seems to come to more prominence in the last two (which I believe is down to McFadden actually asking for more to do).
We are never given any chance to really root for her. She very rarely gets to be the hero of the hour with very few episodes to herself. Also her medical prowess is sorely neglected. She must be very skilled to be on the Enterprise and have the chief's job at Starfleet medical, but we see very little of that.
She just comes across as the kind of person Picard becomes in 'Tapestry'. Good at her job, capable and likeable enough, but not extraordinary. Her opposition to the radical doctor in 'Ethics' underlines this 'play it safe, practice safe medicine' approach. Very commendable but rather dull at the same time.
Going back to Pulaski for a moment, I must just say that I did actually like the relationships that Pulaski had with Data and Worf. They both represent something awkward and hard to accept for a Doctor. Data is an artificial lifeform, but to Pulaski, life and the 'human condition' (not just human, but sentient life in general) is so wonderful and full of potential that the idea it could be replicated and constructed by man is unwelcome (at first anyway).
But her experiences with him and with such characters as Moriarty, help her to appreciate that they are not just pale copies of life; they are new kinds of life that despite being machines and such, they have a genuine desire to find out and explore what kind of beings they are. They're not better than humans or inferior - just different. That they are 'alive' and they deserve to be treated with some respect.
With Worf, as with Geordi, she has the start of some promising storylines that don't get a chance to develop because she left. With Worf, she is approaching someone whose race isn't interested in the sanctity of life. The Klingons believe in battle and death - things that exist within Worf. They do not mourn death in the same way as humans and they resist attempts to care for them.
These are all things that would put them at odds, but Pulaski isn't one to be put off so easily! By questioning the characters, interrogating them on what they believe and why they believe it, she helps us to understand them better. Her interest in curing Geordi's blindness plants that suggestion in his and our minds, in preparation for the speech in 'Loud as a Whisper' where Geordi reveals that he doesn't see it as an affliction - it's who he is. He doesn't feel sorry for himself - he knows inside that he's special and has a lot to give.
Bottom line, I thought she was a great character and I was very sorry to see her go.
On the subject of 'Family Matters', it's not that I don't like such stories on principle, just that quality is key in all things. Dealing with loss and reuniting families etc has the tendency to be 'worthy' rather than compelling. I confess I do tend to shudder in horror when an episode is obviously going to be about Deanna Troi and/or was written by Rene Echevarria. Both just spell instant boredom for me often as not.
I'd like to think that my episiode choices reveal I like more than just mindless action, but I like a bit of edge to my stories. Deep despair, burning rage, that sort of thing.
As for Season 3... well I just found it a bit flat and lacking in magnificence, wonder and horror etc at times. I believe that every season can be relied on for between 9-13 truly good episodes; it's just that this season's tone is a little too calm and 'mopey' at times for my liking.
Season 4 is much more my thing, because it has a harder edge to it. I don't have time to discuss this now as I'd like, but basically the 4th season thrums with anger, hatred, rage and despair. (In hindsight, I'd probably add 'The Drumhead' to my B list also.)
The sheer passion and intensity of the performances and hair rasing moments when you see how deep the pain in some of the characters goes (Worf when he kills Duras, O'Brien and Captain Maxwell singing sadly of the injustice of the universe, Lore's outrage that Soong abandoned him in his eyes, Picard's breakdown in the vineyard...)
That scene at the end of 'The Wounded' where they're singing, the screen pulsing like an angry, sorrowful heartbeat in the background... absolute magic.
Anyway, it seems I'm out of time for today. It warms the heart to see another Moriarty fan though, MrsPicard! My family have always been great Holmes nuts (my middle name is James, after James Moriarty!) I'm such a big Moriarty fan that my Internet handle is usually ModernDayMoriarty, but it wouldn't fit here!
But enough of all that! With my hat and cane in hand I bid you Good Day...
Now you see him, now you don't!
Me too, although, twenty years later, I still can't stand Pulaski. Or Luxana Troi. And I don't care what anybody says, the much hated Synthisizer (sp?) music used in season one is still some of the most beautiful music ever to appear in Star Trek.
I like season one, too. I like its atmosphere and (if I can use a term I learned recently) mis en scene. It's different to the other seasons (although season two does kind of have a little of it). There are some different character nuances, too, that I like, particuarly Troi.
How widely known is that, this conflict between Patrick Stewart and Diana Muldaur? I never really heard much about it. -- RR
There definitely are some great episodes in the first and second seasons, Heart of Glory, The Battle and Peak Performance are three of my favorites. The seasons that came after were definitely better quality.....but the first two seasons aren't complete write offs! Welcome!
Greetings all. It's been a while (the perils of not having your own internet connection!)
It's been very nice to see that some people like the atmosphere of S1 also. Considering the time it was made (in the 80's), I think people are far too harsh on it. Effects technology was nowhere near as sophisticated as it is now, but the show still holds up very well I think.
As we're on S4 right now, I'd like to take the opportunity to talk a bit about the Klingons and Romulans as seasons 3-4 is when they really have their TNG heyday. To kick off, I don't think it's possible to talk of them without mentioning the work of Ronald D Moore.
Moore's vision of Star Trek starts to really take root at about the time of S4. After good work on 'The Defector' and 'Sins of the Father', I think 'Family' cemented his place as one of the most important writers of the time.
He saw the Enterprise crew as being mythological heroes, doing great deeds, slaying great foes etc. So the show enters its most vibrantly adventrous (on a galactic scale) phase about now (i.e in S4). And it's in this climate that Moore and Taylor set about fleshing out the other players on the galactic stage (Cardassians, Romulans, Klingons etc).
S4 sees an attempt to ressurrect the Romulans as one of the main enemies of the show. S3 was the first season that really tried to push them (they were an implied and rarely seen threat in the first 2 seasons). However, despite their early promise in 'The Neutral Zone' and 'Contagion' etc, S3 fails to deliver them as a truly menacing race in my opinion.
There are many problems with how the Romulans are used. There is inconsistency over what exactly they should be like. Initially they seem like crueler Vulcans, but still essentially aristocractic and arrogant etc. A sort of 'Dark Elves' kind of race.
But they fail to find the right faces to put on the race. Marc Alaimo and Andreas Katsulas are fine actors, but their penchant for civlised brutality is much better suited to the Cardassians. Because neither actor show up for very long in their Romulan roles, the race is left without any solid characters to get our interest.
Contrast this with the Klingons who under Ron Moore's supervision saw Worf develop hugely and join a cast of such noteables as Gowron, the various members of the Duras family, General Martok (in DS9) etc.
One problem seemed to be that only Moore seemed at all interested in developing the Klingons and Romulans at this time. He couldn't be everywhere at once and evidently preferred the Klingons. But he does try to have another run at the Romulans in S4, with the conspiracy plot between the two races.
This backfires somewhat however in my opinion. The fact is that Moore is much more interested in the Klingon side of things. Whereas they get Lursa and B'etor, more work of Gowron, Worf etc, the Romulans get a few throwaway characters and the very ill advised return of Denise Crosby as Seela.
The character is extremely poor and I'm sorry to say, acted in a rather silly way. She seems too much like a novelty character, robbing the Romulans once again of their chance to become interesting players in TNG. This continues in S5's 'Unification'. A drab story, it is initially interesting but soon becomes preposterous.
And that's pretty much it for the poor old Romulans. They rarely show up again, other than the odd episode of them up to no good. There is a belated (and rather poor) attempt to revisit the Unification storyline in 'The Face of the Enemy', but they are never really important again.
Variously usurped in importance by the Borg, Klingons and Cardassians, they remain an untapped resource in TNG and one that was never really used anywhere near as well as they could have been.
Anyway, that's all I have on them right now. As you can probably tell this is something quite close to my heart. I'm a big Vulcans/Romulans fan and the poor use of both races in TNG does annoy me. They don't show up much in DS9 either (although when they do, it's always in great episodes 'Visionary', 'Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast', 'In the Pale Moonlight', 'Inter arma enim silent leges').
Anyway, before I toddle off, here's my picks from S5 - a season concerned with 'Don't give up, try again!' and 'Know when to quit'.
The A list:
Redemption pt 2.
Darmok.
Conundrum.
Cause and Effect.
The B List:
Disaster.
Unification pt 1.
Ethics.
The First Duty.
I, Borg.
The Next Phase.
The Inner Light.
As you can see, although I liked a decent number of episodes, I wasn't wildly taken with most of them. And more than that, I just didn't really like S5 all that much. It felt a bit too sedate at times for me after the fire of S4. The disintegration of the Romulans as major players didn't help either.
And with no Lore, a rather lacklustre end to the Crystalline Entity, no Q, only a family matters episode for the Borg (it's not bad though, I'll grant you)... It really wasn't my favourite season.
It's a bad season for Ron Moore as well, marking an unfortunate downturn in his episodes that persists throughout the rest of the run. He still produces some fine episodes and comes up with occasional gems like 'Tapestry' and 'The Pegasus' but he doesn't recover his earlier class until he moves to the films and DS9 in my opinion.
Seeing as how I've got a bit more time than I thought, I may as well put my Season 6 picks down as well actually.
Season 6:
The A list:
'A Fistful of Datas.'
'Tapestry.'
'Birthright, pt 1.'
'Descent pt 1.'
The B List:
'Rascals' (for the bed jumping scene only - the cutest thing ever!)
'Lessons.'
I actually didn't despise this season as much as my small amount of favoured episodes might suggest. It's true that comparitively few episodes grabbed me, but it was more an execution thing. I liked the basic ideas behind several episodes.
But I was very disapointed with them in the end because they fell so short of their potential. 'Relics' was little more than a gimmick in the end, 'Chain of Command' pulled its punches far too much, 'Ship in a Bottle' was rather bland and 'Frame of Mind' (like many of Braga's episodes) has some arresting visuals and intense moments that ultimately lead nowhere.
Anyway, I really do have to go now. So take care, all!
It's been very nice to see that some people like the atmosphere of S1 also. Considering the time it was made (in the 80's), I think people are far too harsh on it. Effects technology was nowhere near as sophisticated as it is now, but the show still holds up very well I think.
As we're on S4 right now, I'd like to take the opportunity to talk a bit about the Klingons and Romulans as seasons 3-4 is when they really have their TNG heyday. To kick off, I don't think it's possible to talk of them without mentioning the work of Ronald D Moore.
Moore's vision of Star Trek starts to really take root at about the time of S4. After good work on 'The Defector' and 'Sins of the Father', I think 'Family' cemented his place as one of the most important writers of the time.
He saw the Enterprise crew as being mythological heroes, doing great deeds, slaying great foes etc. So the show enters its most vibrantly adventrous (on a galactic scale) phase about now (i.e in S4). And it's in this climate that Moore and Taylor set about fleshing out the other players on the galactic stage (Cardassians, Romulans, Klingons etc).
S4 sees an attempt to ressurrect the Romulans as one of the main enemies of the show. S3 was the first season that really tried to push them (they were an implied and rarely seen threat in the first 2 seasons). However, despite their early promise in 'The Neutral Zone' and 'Contagion' etc, S3 fails to deliver them as a truly menacing race in my opinion.
There are many problems with how the Romulans are used. There is inconsistency over what exactly they should be like. Initially they seem like crueler Vulcans, but still essentially aristocractic and arrogant etc. A sort of 'Dark Elves' kind of race.
But they fail to find the right faces to put on the race. Marc Alaimo and Andreas Katsulas are fine actors, but their penchant for civlised brutality is much better suited to the Cardassians. Because neither actor show up for very long in their Romulan roles, the race is left without any solid characters to get our interest.
Contrast this with the Klingons who under Ron Moore's supervision saw Worf develop hugely and join a cast of such noteables as Gowron, the various members of the Duras family, General Martok (in DS9) etc.
One problem seemed to be that only Moore seemed at all interested in developing the Klingons and Romulans at this time. He couldn't be everywhere at once and evidently preferred the Klingons. But he does try to have another run at the Romulans in S4, with the conspiracy plot between the two races.
This backfires somewhat however in my opinion. The fact is that Moore is much more interested in the Klingon side of things. Whereas they get Lursa and B'etor, more work of Gowron, Worf etc, the Romulans get a few throwaway characters and the very ill advised return of Denise Crosby as Seela.
The character is extremely poor and I'm sorry to say, acted in a rather silly way. She seems too much like a novelty character, robbing the Romulans once again of their chance to become interesting players in TNG. This continues in S5's 'Unification'. A drab story, it is initially interesting but soon becomes preposterous.
And that's pretty much it for the poor old Romulans. They rarely show up again, other than the odd episode of them up to no good. There is a belated (and rather poor) attempt to revisit the Unification storyline in 'The Face of the Enemy', but they are never really important again.
Variously usurped in importance by the Borg, Klingons and Cardassians, they remain an untapped resource in TNG and one that was never really used anywhere near as well as they could have been.
Anyway, that's all I have on them right now. As you can probably tell this is something quite close to my heart. I'm a big Vulcans/Romulans fan and the poor use of both races in TNG does annoy me. They don't show up much in DS9 either (although when they do, it's always in great episodes 'Visionary', 'Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast', 'In the Pale Moonlight', 'Inter arma enim silent leges').
Anyway, before I toddle off, here's my picks from S5 - a season concerned with 'Don't give up, try again!' and 'Know when to quit'.
The A list:
Redemption pt 2.
Darmok.
Conundrum.
Cause and Effect.
The B List:
Disaster.
Unification pt 1.
Ethics.
The First Duty.
I, Borg.
The Next Phase.
The Inner Light.
As you can see, although I liked a decent number of episodes, I wasn't wildly taken with most of them. And more than that, I just didn't really like S5 all that much. It felt a bit too sedate at times for me after the fire of S4. The disintegration of the Romulans as major players didn't help either.
And with no Lore, a rather lacklustre end to the Crystalline Entity, no Q, only a family matters episode for the Borg (it's not bad though, I'll grant you)... It really wasn't my favourite season.
It's a bad season for Ron Moore as well, marking an unfortunate downturn in his episodes that persists throughout the rest of the run. He still produces some fine episodes and comes up with occasional gems like 'Tapestry' and 'The Pegasus' but he doesn't recover his earlier class until he moves to the films and DS9 in my opinion.
Seeing as how I've got a bit more time than I thought, I may as well put my Season 6 picks down as well actually.
Season 6:
The A list:
'A Fistful of Datas.'
'Tapestry.'
'Birthright, pt 1.'
'Descent pt 1.'
The B List:
'Rascals' (for the bed jumping scene only - the cutest thing ever!)
'Lessons.'
I actually didn't despise this season as much as my small amount of favoured episodes might suggest. It's true that comparitively few episodes grabbed me, but it was more an execution thing. I liked the basic ideas behind several episodes.
But I was very disapointed with them in the end because they fell so short of their potential. 'Relics' was little more than a gimmick in the end, 'Chain of Command' pulled its punches far too much, 'Ship in a Bottle' was rather bland and 'Frame of Mind' (like many of Braga's episodes) has some arresting visuals and intense moments that ultimately lead nowhere.
Anyway, I really do have to go now. So take care, all!
Hello there, Willsbabe! Very kind words, but just a humble servant be I!
There is a lot of Klingon-ness, but that's because of the personal bias of the longest serving main writer - Ron Moore. He obviously loves them to death - he fills DS9 with them too when he joins that. He also has some issues with Starfleet and Roddenberry's view of mankind in the future. Every writer has their own agenda which they try to push and sometimes even sneak through. It's normal practice for better or worse - everyone has a different idea on what is right and wrong for the show and they do what they can to make sure their own vision is represented.
His episodes are rarely about Starfleet and the ones that are, usually seem to favour more hardline positions by them. For example, his sympathy in 'The First Duty' is clearly to the team of ensigns rather than the judges etc. In Wesley's final episode 'Journey's End', he puts forward the idea that not everyone thinks Starfleet is such a great thing.
In S7's 'The Pegasus' he gives Pressman a very valid argument for what he has been doing and despite needing to have Picard champion Federation policy, it's clear he (Moore) is playing Devil's Advocate on that.
Because he agrees with Pressman's command style. 'In times of crisis, a crew must obey their captain, trust his judgement and follow his orders or lives may be lost'.
We know Moore agrees with this statement because Picard uses that very method in the last episode 'All Good Things' (also by Moore). He convinces Tasha et al in the Past Enterprise to go along with his seemingly suicidal plan because he's their captain and they must trust him.
He writes the story (but not the teleplay) for 'Paradise Lost' in DS9, which also deals with a hardline Starfleet Officer taking drastic steps. Moore has stated many times that discussions arose in the DS9 writing room of the morality of how the Federation works. It's clear he wasn't overly fussed with them.
And there are many, many more examples. The upshot is that Moore was much more taken with the Klingons. He usually favours tough heroes - just look at his other series Battlestar Galactica. The main character Adama is a man of formiddable willpower, he's great at fighting and has little time for romance and all that. He has Moore stamped all over him.
The last episode incidentally is rife with the biases of both Moore and Braga. Moore pushes his Klingon agenda by saying that in the future, the Klingons have conquered the Romulans! Having the final word as it were. As for Braga, he finishes off what he had been pushing in all his episodes that season - the Troi and Worf romance.
And speaking of Season 7, here's my list.
Season 7.
The A list:
'Parallels.'
'The Pegasus.'
'Eye of the Beholder.'
'Genesis.'
'All Good Things...'
The B List:
'Thine Own Self.'
'Emergence.'
So another season where I was left with only a few real standouts. And more importantly, Brannon Braga and Ron Moore have a hand in every single one of them! I did actually think Season 7 was alright - it was a bit flat for great swathes of it, but it was rarely utterly terrible.
I did however think that 'Descent pt 2' was appalling; a collossal waste of an interesting idea. 'Gambit' was okayish at times, but felt a bit small time for a final season two-parter. 'Attached' was a rather weak return to a thread that had fizzled out long, long ago.
Perhaps the most disappointing of all though was 'Journey's End.' I actually quite like Wesley Crusher, but this was just awful. It was slow, Wesley's new outlook was painfully retconned in, Dr Crusher seems to take his decision to leave this plane of existence rather easily and the whole thing is full of hokey American Indian sayings, 'spiritual' music and the worst kind of 'stroppy teen' dialogue for Wes... Definately not RDM's finest hour.
But on the plus side, Brannon Braga finally hits his stride and although his episodes are still a bit too reliant on images over coherent storytelling at times, I liked just about everything he did this season. He had been accused I noticed of 'ruining Star Trek'.
This interests me as I must say that I actually quite enjoyed most of his episodes, particularly from S6 and 7. Did his work decrease in quality in Voyager and Enterprise (I've not seen much Voyager and practically none of Enterprise).
Braga's presence on the writing team for 'First Contact' made the Borg into the kind of nightmarish creations I'd always looked for in them, so my opinion of him is good right now, I must say... Anyone got any insight on what people's problem with him is?
There is a lot of Klingon-ness, but that's because of the personal bias of the longest serving main writer - Ron Moore. He obviously loves them to death - he fills DS9 with them too when he joins that. He also has some issues with Starfleet and Roddenberry's view of mankind in the future. Every writer has their own agenda which they try to push and sometimes even sneak through. It's normal practice for better or worse - everyone has a different idea on what is right and wrong for the show and they do what they can to make sure their own vision is represented.
His episodes are rarely about Starfleet and the ones that are, usually seem to favour more hardline positions by them. For example, his sympathy in 'The First Duty' is clearly to the team of ensigns rather than the judges etc. In Wesley's final episode 'Journey's End', he puts forward the idea that not everyone thinks Starfleet is such a great thing.
In S7's 'The Pegasus' he gives Pressman a very valid argument for what he has been doing and despite needing to have Picard champion Federation policy, it's clear he (Moore) is playing Devil's Advocate on that.
Because he agrees with Pressman's command style. 'In times of crisis, a crew must obey their captain, trust his judgement and follow his orders or lives may be lost'.
We know Moore agrees with this statement because Picard uses that very method in the last episode 'All Good Things' (also by Moore). He convinces Tasha et al in the Past Enterprise to go along with his seemingly suicidal plan because he's their captain and they must trust him.
He writes the story (but not the teleplay) for 'Paradise Lost' in DS9, which also deals with a hardline Starfleet Officer taking drastic steps. Moore has stated many times that discussions arose in the DS9 writing room of the morality of how the Federation works. It's clear he wasn't overly fussed with them.
And there are many, many more examples. The upshot is that Moore was much more taken with the Klingons. He usually favours tough heroes - just look at his other series Battlestar Galactica. The main character Adama is a man of formiddable willpower, he's great at fighting and has little time for romance and all that. He has Moore stamped all over him.
The last episode incidentally is rife with the biases of both Moore and Braga. Moore pushes his Klingon agenda by saying that in the future, the Klingons have conquered the Romulans! Having the final word as it were. As for Braga, he finishes off what he had been pushing in all his episodes that season - the Troi and Worf romance.
And speaking of Season 7, here's my list.
Season 7.
The A list:
'Parallels.'
'The Pegasus.'
'Eye of the Beholder.'
'Genesis.'
'All Good Things...'
The B List:
'Thine Own Self.'
'Emergence.'
So another season where I was left with only a few real standouts. And more importantly, Brannon Braga and Ron Moore have a hand in every single one of them! I did actually think Season 7 was alright - it was a bit flat for great swathes of it, but it was rarely utterly terrible.
I did however think that 'Descent pt 2' was appalling; a collossal waste of an interesting idea. 'Gambit' was okayish at times, but felt a bit small time for a final season two-parter. 'Attached' was a rather weak return to a thread that had fizzled out long, long ago.
Perhaps the most disappointing of all though was 'Journey's End.' I actually quite like Wesley Crusher, but this was just awful. It was slow, Wesley's new outlook was painfully retconned in, Dr Crusher seems to take his decision to leave this plane of existence rather easily and the whole thing is full of hokey American Indian sayings, 'spiritual' music and the worst kind of 'stroppy teen' dialogue for Wes... Definately not RDM's finest hour.
But on the plus side, Brannon Braga finally hits his stride and although his episodes are still a bit too reliant on images over coherent storytelling at times, I liked just about everything he did this season. He had been accused I noticed of 'ruining Star Trek'.
This interests me as I must say that I actually quite enjoyed most of his episodes, particularly from S6 and 7. Did his work decrease in quality in Voyager and Enterprise (I've not seen much Voyager and practically none of Enterprise).
Braga's presence on the writing team for 'First Contact' made the Borg into the kind of nightmarish creations I'd always looked for in them, so my opinion of him is good right now, I must say... Anyone got any insight on what people's problem with him is?
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^People like most of Braga's TNG work on this board, but they feel his VOY and ENT episodes were weaker. The VOY episode "Threshold," written by Braga, is considered by some to be the worst Trek episode ever.
Personally, I think he had some good ideas, but he was running out of creative energy by the end, and having Berman as a writing partner was a mistake.
We'll agree to disagree on "Genesis." That is my least favorite episode of TNG.
Personally, I think he had some good ideas, but he was running out of creative energy by the end, and having Berman as a writing partner was a mistake.
We'll agree to disagree on "Genesis." That is my least favorite episode of TNG.
If you don't mind my asking, Smiley, why the hatred for 'Genesis?' Personally it's one of my favourite standalones. Braga is a very 'horror' writer. Sci-fi often mixes with horror, but none of the other writers go quite as far as he usually does.
I do like his work on TNG, but as I think I said earlier, his episodes are often just a mish mash of cool and disturbing imagery that struggles to develop far beyond that.
As to writing partners with Berman... that is not as odd a choice as some writing duos. Berman is a pretty dark writer himself most of the time. I did think that Braga and Rene Echavarria made a very impressive team on 'Eye of the Beholder' though...
I do like his work on TNG, but as I think I said earlier, his episodes are often just a mish mash of cool and disturbing imagery that struggles to develop far beyond that.
As to writing partners with Berman... that is not as odd a choice as some writing duos. Berman is a pretty dark writer himself most of the time. I did think that Braga and Rene Echavarria made a very impressive team on 'Eye of the Beholder' though...
Why didn't I like it? For one, it makes no sense, even by Trek standards. Even if the explanations for the transformations and the reversals made sense, it's still not that interesting of a story. We see our beloved characters act like idiots or beasts for most of the show, and there is absolutely nothing in the way of character development or consequences. The only marginally watchable portion of the episode is the part where things are normal, mostly because of Barclay.
Well not every episode has to have character development as such. It merely needs to have the characters involved in interesting and entertaining situations.
Because Season 7 is so wrapped up in the message of 'Do the Right Thing', this episode is useful in reminding us just how wondrous a gift out higher brain functions are (i.e that we are capable of making moral choices with wider implications at all).
But just a straight horror episode, I think it's great. The Enterprise is intensely familiar to us, but in episodes like these, it becomes new and dangerous. Hearing the animal cries of distant crewmembers and having the sensors detect all sorts of different lifeforms on the ship is very creepy indeed.
And in true horror fashion, it's trying to make you love or at least admire in part, that which is monstrous. Braga's episodes always have a strong element of viewing bizarre and terrible images for entertainment. Here it's the appreciation of the animal, baser urges. The strength and wondrous, brutal simplicity of such existence.
You mentioned the 'normal' bits, but that's key to Braga's episodes. He always strives to make the crew appear 'charming' and get a gang, underdog (and usually rather geeky) 'good friends enjoying each other's company' sort of feel going on. Lots of jokes and charming little moments.
All so it will shock and hit home more when he brings in the horror and pain. Incidentally, Braga really seems to have it in for Riker doesn't he? Just look at the beatings he gives that character over the seasons. He is always being beaten, humiliated, shot, mutiliated (he gets his arm severed and surgically reattached in 'Schisms'!)
For every Braga episode, there is at least one strong element of Riker bashing. It's a wonder there isn't a scene where Braga himself leaps in and sets about the character with a iron bar!
But anyway, agree to disagree about 'Genesis' by all means. I'm actually tempted to try 'Voyager' to see where my man goes wrong (if indeed I end up sharing that opinion).
We'll see...
Because Season 7 is so wrapped up in the message of 'Do the Right Thing', this episode is useful in reminding us just how wondrous a gift out higher brain functions are (i.e that we are capable of making moral choices with wider implications at all).
But just a straight horror episode, I think it's great. The Enterprise is intensely familiar to us, but in episodes like these, it becomes new and dangerous. Hearing the animal cries of distant crewmembers and having the sensors detect all sorts of different lifeforms on the ship is very creepy indeed.
And in true horror fashion, it's trying to make you love or at least admire in part, that which is monstrous. Braga's episodes always have a strong element of viewing bizarre and terrible images for entertainment. Here it's the appreciation of the animal, baser urges. The strength and wondrous, brutal simplicity of such existence.
You mentioned the 'normal' bits, but that's key to Braga's episodes. He always strives to make the crew appear 'charming' and get a gang, underdog (and usually rather geeky) 'good friends enjoying each other's company' sort of feel going on. Lots of jokes and charming little moments.
All so it will shock and hit home more when he brings in the horror and pain. Incidentally, Braga really seems to have it in for Riker doesn't he? Just look at the beatings he gives that character over the seasons. He is always being beaten, humiliated, shot, mutiliated (he gets his arm severed and surgically reattached in 'Schisms'!)
For every Braga episode, there is at least one strong element of Riker bashing. It's a wonder there isn't a scene where Braga himself leaps in and sets about the character with a iron bar!
But anyway, agree to disagree about 'Genesis' by all means. I'm actually tempted to try 'Voyager' to see where my man goes wrong (if indeed I end up sharing that opinion).
We'll see...
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