The Least Disliked Regular Star Trek Character

[eschaton]

lol. and it involved a ferengi every time. Voyager had the best (non ferengi)comedy episodes.

Not every time. Our Man Bashir didn't really involve the Ferengi. Neither did Trials and Tribble-ations. Take Me Out to the Holosuite had Quark and Rom in it, but it wasn't really about them.

I'd also argue, athough it was a Jake/Nog episode - In The Cards isn't really a "Ferengi episode."

 

[Prax]

Not every time. Our Man Bashir didn't really involve the Ferengi. Neither did Trials and Tribble-ations. Take Me Out to the Holosuite had Quark and Rom in it, but it wasn't really about them.

I'd also argue, athough it was a Jake/Nog episode - In The Cards isn't really a "Ferengi episode."

Those are good episodes, but they aren't all comedies. Our Man Bashir might be the closest to a comedy. Take me out to the holosuite isn't a comedy at all. It's a feel good sports movie, where the underdogs finally overcome.

When I think of Star Trek comedy, where the audience is actually supposed to laugh, I think of maybe Little Green Men, The Magnificent Ferengi, or Voyager's Message in a bottle, and Tinkor, Tenor, Doctor, Spy. Who Mourns for Morn is a DS9 comedy that isn't really a ferengi episode, even if it's a Quark episode.

 

[Discofan]

Those are good episodes, but they aren't all comedies. Our Man Bashir might be the closest to a comedy. Take me out to the holosuite isn't a comedy at all. It's a feel good sports movie, where the underdogs finally overcome.

When I think of Star Trek comedy, where the audience is actually supposed to laugh, I think of maybe Little Green Men, The Magnificent Ferengi, or Voyager's Message in a bottle, and Tinkor, Tenor, Doctor, Spy. Who Mourns for Morn is a DS9 comedy that isn't really a ferengi episode, even if it's a Quark episode.

I don't think I have ever actually laughed at anything Star Trek, at best it made me smile. If I want laughter I watch a different kind of entertainment.

 

[Prax]

I don't think I have ever actually laughed at anything Star Trek, at best it made me smile. If I want laughter I watch a different kind of entertainment.

Star Trek can touch all genres

 

[Discofan]

Star Trek can touch all genres

But they don't do humor very well. Guinan explaining to Data what's funny and what's not is simply pathetic.

 

[Prax]

But they don't do humor very well. Guinan explaining to Data what's funny and what's not is simply pathetic.

...well... That's probably the worst example of comedy in all of star trek. It would be like saying "Star Trek sucks at alternate universes, because the alternative factor"

Star Trek in general is pretty good with dead pan humor in all the series.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

lol. and it involved a ferengi every time. Voyager had the best (non ferengi)comedy episodes.

DS9 had Our Mann Bashir, In The Cards.

Voyager had Neelix, Fair Haven and Flotter. I guess some of the Doc eps has actual laughs.

 

[eschaton]

Voyager had Neelix, Fair Haven and Flotter. I guess some of the Doc eps has actual laughs.

I always found VOY's attempts at comedy to be pretty pisspoor. I mean, you could tell they were trying in episodes like Bride of Chaotica! but the camp didn't really translate into laughs.

 

[Relayer1]

I don't think I have ever actually laughed at anything Star Trek, at best it made me smile. If I want laughter I watch a different kind of entertainment.

I don't often laugh at comedies, so laughing at Trek is a real rarity for me.

I think I did at 'I am not a merry man' from Worf.

 

[Prax]

Fair Haven is a Romance. It wasn't even a romantic comedy. The flotter episode is about a kid having a parent in starfleet who faces danger and could be left orphaned. Neither are comedies.

In the Cards is a decent, light-hearted episode, but fails as a comedy. The main joke in the episode is Jake's refusal to tell anyone the truth, so he lies and makes up ridiculous stories, and it's absurd in an unfunny way. Maybe another character could have pulled it off. It's in character for Jake to want to do something nice for his dad. It's out of character for Jake to be that big of an idiot.
The paranoid guy is funny. Not in a laugh out loud way, but he pulls it off. Star Trek is better at it's own brand of comedy(like who mourns for morn) rather than a straight up sitcom plot.

And I already commented on Our Man Bashir. It's a great episode, but I wouldn't really consider it a comedy. It goes in a category with the Queen Arachnia episode. It's outlandish and over the top. The premise is intentionally preposterous. And it lets the actors chew the scenery. This might be one of Brook's top 5.

 

[eschaton]

Fair Haven is a Romance. It wasn't even a romantic comedy. The flotter episode is about a kid having a parent in starfleet who faces danger and could leave an orphan. They aren't comedies.

In the Card is a decent, light-hearted episode, but fails as a comedy. The main joke in the episode is Jake's refusal to tell anyone the truth, so he lies and makes up ridiculous stories, and it's absurd in an unfunny way. Maybe another character could have pulled it off. The paranoid guy is funny. Not in a laugh out loud way, but he pulls it off.

And I already commented on Our Man Bashir. It's a great episode, but I wouldn't really consider it a comedy. It goes in a category with the Queen Arachnia episode. It's outlandish and over the top. The premise is intentionally preposterous. And it lets the actors chew the scenery. This might be one of Brook's top 5.

I dunno. When I consider what makes a Trek comedy, I always think back to TOS's three second season comedies - The Trouble with Tribbles, I Mudd, and A Piece of the Action. None of them were what I would call rip-roaringly funny, but they were all defined by a relatively low-stakes crisis (by Trek standards), not particularly threatening antagonists, and use of high camp/satire. When I see those traits in later Trek episodes I tend to also include them as being "Trek comedies."

 

[Discofan]

I was mildly surprised that Picard won the contest. I wouldn't have pictured him as a least disliked.

 

[Prax]

I dunno. When I consider what makes a Trek comedy, I always think back to TOS's three second season comedies - The Trouble with Tribbles, I Mudd, and A Piece of the Action. None of them were what I would call rip-roaringly funny, but they were all defined by a relatively low-stakes crisis (by Trek standards), not particularly threatening antagonists, and use of high camp/satire. When I see those traits in later Trek episodes I tend to also include them as being "Trek comedies."

fair enough, but ds9 does have actual factual comedy episodes, too.

 

[Discofan]

fair enough, but ds9 does have actual factual comedy episodes, too.

Well, the "Magnificant Ferengi" has obviously been played for laughs only, not that as far as I am concerned it really succeeded at it.

 

[Prax]

Well, the "Magnificant Ferengi" has obviously been played for laughs only, not that as far as I am concerned it really succeeded at it.

Not a fan of reanimated corpse humor?

I liked the ferengi hitman the most

 

[Discofan]

Not a fan of reanimated corpse humor?

I liked the ferengi hitman the most

Sure, it has its moments but it's not as funny as it obviously was meant to be.

 

[donners22]

I think Trek tends to do humour well, particularly Voyager - Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy, Bride of Chaotica, Message in a Bottle, Body and Soul, Someone to Watch Over Me...

Then other series have in In the Cards, the Tribble episodes, The Magnificent Ferengi, the Escape Artist, etc.

Now if Trek does something badly, it's romance.

 

[eschaton]

Now if Trek does something badly, it's romance.

Can romance of the week ever be done properly?

 

[1001001]

Now if Trek does something badly, it's romance.

I thought Paris/Torres was pretty good...

 

[sekundant]

A suggestion: Maybe we should not use the word "comedy" but "light-hearted".
What about a " At least disliked light-hearted episode" game?