Ten reasons to hate TNG?

[Turtletrekker]

http://spinoff.comicbookresources.c...-to-hate-about-star-trek-the-next-generation/

I think he makes a few good points, but otherwise is a little harsh.

 

[KeepOnTrekking]

Using the word "hate" was a little strong. I would have went with disappointing.

The first thing that popped into my mind was the lack of conflict and drama among the humans. Gene Roddenberry of the 1960s often said (I wish I could provide an exact source) that Star trek was about 20th-century humans in a 23rd-century setting otherwise the 1960s audience wouldn't be able to identify with them and keep tuning in each week. The Roddenberry of the 1980s broken his own rule when he remade the show. Or was the 1960s Roddenberry just being short-sighted and not giving the audience enough credit? Like the old saying about comparing apples and oranges, it's certainly provides food for thought.

I kind of agree about Brent Spiner's change in acting portrayal of Data as the series went on. I loved the naive Data in the beginning but after he started portraying Lore and "Data possessed by an alien entity" and Dr. Soong, I occasionally felt like there were twangs of Lore in his voice that I personally didn't care for. I don't think I'd call it smug tho. The character, for me, lost some of his charm and the eventually usuage of the emotion chip didn't have nowhere near the dramatic impact of Spock accepting his emotions in STTMP and crying for V'Ger.

Michael Dorn's portrayal of Worf was actually my favorite character. Kind of stiff in the beginning as a background character but I think he found his own way as he took Roddenberry's advice to heart and "forgot about the past Klingons and make the character your own." I always saw Worf not Michael Dorn playing Worf. Just like I always saw Spock and not Nimoy playing Spock. If Worf bellowed a lot, it was a nice reminder of how much Worf was controlling his Klingon nature in order to fit in with Starfleet standards that he grew up with living with his foster parents.

As for the sfx, they do look dated but everything in this technological world eventually looks dated given time whether it's TOS, TNG, or the next incarnation.

 

[indolover]

Was there conflict between Sisko and the other humans? Chief O'Brien or Julian? The spat between he and Picard in the pilot doesn't count, since Picard was just a guest character. The only other conflict I can think of is Eddington, but then again he was only a recurring character (and only an "enemy" as such as in his later appearances). I think even in Voyager and Enterprise the human characters got on well for the most part.

I think his points make no sense. All of the series had bad points. DS9 focused on a species that were one dimensional, moaned a lot about being oppressed and always went on about the Prophets. Voyager seriously lacked some balanced character development, and had some fairly woeful enemies.

I think Trek was only saved by Abrams since Paramount themselves screwed up the franchise. Of all modern Trek, TNG has the most iconic characters and story lines. DS9 by far had the best character development and all round acting ability. But nobody apart from Paramount forced Voyager to be a sub-par show, or for them to come up with Enterprise.

 

[JarodRussell]

Alone the point "It Ruined The Franchise All The Way Until JJ Abrams Saved It" is so totally ignorant its not funny.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I thought of posting this here when I first read it, but then I thought "why?"

I didn't agree with most of what he said (I love how people say that TNG looks more dated than TOS. What they're really saying is they like the aesthetic of the dated 60's look more than the aesthetic of the dated 80/90's look. Which there's nothing at all wrong with. But both are dated to their times, as is everything ever made. It's just dependant on where we find their specific charms)

Worf is one of my favourite fictional characters ever, so no need to comment on that.

And Data's evolution was well done (especially when contrasted so well in "All Good Things"), people slam TNG for no character growth at times and then here they're basically getting slammed FOR a character growing and changing.

Actually, looking over this, I don't think I agree with anything on the list.

Why bring on the negativity when TNG was all about the optimisim and opposite of that?

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I think his points make no sense. All of the series had bad points. DS9 focused on a species that were one dimensional, moaned a lot about being oppressed and always went on about the Prophets. Voyager seriously lacked some balanced character development, and had some fairly woeful enemies.

I do love DS9 (not as much as TNG, mind you) but this was true and funny. Just because we love a show doesn't mean it has to be perfect. But pointing out the faults is a far cry from saying "This is why the show should be HATED".

 

[sonak]

I thought of posting this here when I first read it, but then I thought "why?"

I didn't agree with most of what he said (I love how people say that TNG looks more dated than TOS. What they're really saying is they like the aesthetic of the dated 60's look more than the aesthetic of the dated 80/90's look. Which there's nothing at all wrong with. But both are dated to their times, as is everything ever made. It's just dependant on where we find their specific charms)

Worf is one of my favourite fictional characters ever, so no need to comment on that.

And Data's evolution was well done (especially when contrasted so well in "All Good Things"), people slam TNG for no character growth at times and then here they're basically getting slammed FOR a character growing and changing.

Actually, looking over this, I don't think I agree with anything on the list.

Why bring on the negativity when TNG was all about the optimisim and opposite of that?

I agree with a lot of this post, especially you're take down of the ridiculous "dated" argument, which you even see here on this board sometimes.

 

[Satyrquaze]

Why bring on the negativity when TNG was all about the optimisim and opposite of that?

Haters gotta hate.

 

[Saga]

Alone the point "It Ruined The Franchise All The Way Until JJ Abrams Saved It" is so totally ignorant its not funny.

agreed.

 

[Starbreaker]

That's one weird purist.

 

[CaptainStoner]

TNG was bland, blah blah blah, the crewmembers actually liked their jobs and mostly got along, blah blah blah, Riker and Troi actually behaved like grownups about their past relationship, blah blah blah....

I think these reviews say more about the reviewers maturity than TNG. There are reasons it was the most successful Trek series, and blandness wasn't one of them. Lack of drama wasn't one of them. Abrams may have made a woweee paper-thin summer hit, but TNG is still the standard to beat.

 

[Kirks_Flying_Wig]

For a show that was so strongly politically correct, it was also surprisingly timid. Remember when the original Trek made television history by having the first on-screen interracial kiss? Yeah, nothing like that in TNG. Also, after the multi-cultural original cast, the almost entirely caucasian TNG crew seemed like a weird step backwards, especially considering one of the black actors played an alien, and the other spend most of his time keeping the engines running…

Two non-white main actors in TOS, two non-white main actors in TNG. And since when is Geordi keeping the engines running worse than Uhura answering the phone?

 

[LitmusDragon]

"Reasons to hate TNG". He kind of lost me at the title.

 

[Spirit]

There's nothing in that list I can really agree with. This is Starfleet, not high school. Interpersonal conflict among the crew would have been unprofessional. TNG in no way failed with international diversity. Geordi, Worf, and Guinan were among the shows best characters. Although some sexual exploration seemed warranted and remains strangely absent in Star Trek to this day.

And the uniforms... they were different but still recognizable as a modern version of the TOS outfits. Isn't that a good thing? Finally I've never been bothered by the special effects or look of the show , but maybe that's just me.

Overall interesting read, but nothing I can relate to.

 

[drazzz52923849]

Alone the point "It Ruined The Franchise All The Way Until JJ Abrams Saved It" is so totally ignorant its not funny.

This is a very agreeable statement.

 

[Alex1939]

Yes, truly one of the worst things I've ever read. I would call it among the least funny, but that would imply that ANY of it was funny.


And yes, the "it ruined the franchise" line.... yeah, I guess it ruined it from NOTHING?!?

 

[Gary7]

That's one weird purist.

Agreed. Very biased. I found this article amusing, as a rather crude attempt to dash the most successful Star Trek series to date. If I was the author I'd be thoroughly embarrassed.

 

[Cyke101]

For a show that was so strongly politically correct, it was also surprisingly timid. Remember when the original Trek made television history by having the first on-screen interracial kiss? Yeah, nothing like that in TNG. Also, after the multi-cultural original cast, the almost entirely caucasian TNG crew seemed like a weird step backwards, especially considering one of the black actors played an alien, and the other spend most of his time keeping the engines running…

Two non-white main actors in TOS, two non-white main actors in TNG.

Say what you will about the list in the OP, but I fail to see how this is an improvement over TOS. It seems more like a stagnation.

But that might not be a dig at TNG but rather on TV in general -- in the 80s, TNG was harped as having one of the premier shows with a diverse cast -- even though two non-white actors were part of the main cast, same as TOS.

And since when is Geordi keeping the engines running worse than Uhura answering the phone?

This is a stretch on the article's part, but I think the writer was stuck on how Geordi started out as the driver, a classically black role. Keeping the engines running, like a mechanic, is a step up but still defined by the role of the driver.

 

[Keith1701]

There is no good reason to hate TNG!!!! Not even 1!!!!

 

[Atticus]

It's a nice try to write an amusing, provoking article, but to be successfully satirical you need a grain of truth and I'm struggling to find any in that...