Game The Most Disliked Episode Directed By Cliff Bole

"DRAMATIS PERSONAE" is a vastly underrated episode.

It's early enough for this episode to be acceptable but late enough in the season to have a resolution without losing the trust between the crew.

And Joe Menosky wrote it.


TNG Season 4: "Redemption" (Part I)
TNG Season 5: "Unification II"
TNG Season 5: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 6: "Suspicions"
TNG Season 7: "Liaisons"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"
TNG Season 7: "Emergence"
DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"
VOY Season 2: "Cold Fire"
VOY Season 3: "False Profits"
VOY Season 3: "Future's End, Part II"
VOY Season 5: "Dark Frontier" (Part I)

 

Another save for "Unification II," for the delight of seeing Leonard Nimoy's Spock once again on televised Trek -- and with a meaty, plot-relevant role, to boot! The interaction between him and Data, and the connection between him and Picard, were well-done too.

TNG Season 4: "Redemption" (Part I)
TNG Season 5: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 6: "Suspicions"
TNG Season 7: "Liaisons"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"
TNG Season 7: "Emergence"
DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"
VOY Season 2: "Cold Fire"
VOY Season 3: "False Profits"
VOY Season 3: "Future's End, Part II"
VOY Season 5: "Dark Frontier" (Part I)

 

I hairball to be a fan of False Profits. There's nothing like a good Ferengi based episode and I'll argue it stacks up as one if the funniest in Trek. The thought of the two Ferengi we first met in TNG who get lost in a worm hole and finding out they got stuck in the Delta Quadrant only to end up on a planet where they turn themselves into Gods is perfect.

TNG Season 4: "Redemption" (Part I)
TNG Season 5: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 6: "Suspicions"
TNG Season 7: "Liaisons"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"
TNG Season 7: "Emergence"
DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"
VOY Season 2: "Cold Fire"
VOY Season 3: "Future's End, Part II"
VOY Season 5: "Dark Frontier" (Part I)

 

Shedding light to the "DARK FRONTIER".

It was a great setup episode.


TNG Season 4: "Redemption" (Part I)
TNG Season 5: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 6: "Suspicions"
TNG Season 7: "Liaisons"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"
TNG Season 7: "Emergence"
DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"
VOY Season 2: "Cold Fire"
VOY Season 3: "Future's End, Part II"

 

I'll save Redemption (Part I).

It's definitely no BOBW, yet I love to see Worf finally regaining his honour, and Tony Todd back as Kurn is also a plus. The Duras sisters are a fun addition to proceedings, as well as the WTF twist ending with Sela.

TNG Season 5: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 6: "Suspicions"
TNG Season 7: "Liaisons"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"
TNG Season 7: "Emergence"
DS9 Season 1: "Dramatis Personae"
DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"
VOY Season 2: "Cold Fire"
VOY Season 3: "Future's End, Part II"

 

And it was TNG's 100th...

 

I actually find "Cold Fire" pretty satisfying -- I loved that plot thread of Kes' developing powers and was always happy when it got play.

TNG Season 5: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 6: "Suspicions"
TNG Season 7: "Liaisons"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"
TNG Season 7: "Emergence"
DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"
VOY Season 3: "Future's End, Part II"

 

First time I’ve ever saved a Voyager I think, but I found it a fun two-parter, so saving “Future’s End, Part II.” I’ve always had a soft spot for time travel and it was enjoyable seeing the crew in 90’s California. The rest of this list is pretty poor IMO, any one would be a worthy ‘winner’.

TNG Season 5: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 6: "Suspicions"
TNG Season 7: "Liaisons"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"
TNG Season 7: "Emergence"
DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"

 

I sorta liked this one on original viewing... Even if the episode was struggling to say "LOVE MEEEEEEEEEEE!" yet doesn't start belting out an Elvis song... or worse, belching out a Turtles song...

TNG Season 7: "Liaisons"​

Her subplot with Picard was pretty cool. And there's the other subplot --> Michael Dorn steals the show as Worf with his as well.

(Though, really, Riker waiting until Worf got in a few punches and headbutt before interceding - or was that meant to be an outtake, with Frakes worried about the latex prosthetic popping off Dorn's forehead? )


What's left:
TNG Season 5: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 6: "Suspicions"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"
TNG Season 7: "Emergence"
DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"

 

I think "Suspicions" is OK. I enjoy the final series appearance of Guinan, and the colorful alien lineup.

TNG Season 5: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"
TNG Season 7: "Emergence"
DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"

 

Picard and Kamala have quite the connection in The Perfect Mate, and Stewart and Janssen both play it very well. The episode annoyed me by involving the Ferengi, yet it was an interesting tale seeing the empathic Kamala bond with Picard.

TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"
TNG Season 7: "Emergence"
DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"

 

It's a filler, but

DS9 Season 3: "Equilibrium"​

is a decent little runabout, which also explains a bit more about the Trills - without stripping away too much mystery or what makes them special.

Here's a teaser compilation - does a rather good job at reeling in interest IMHO:

(that's not another "Halloween" mask, is it? )

What remains:

TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"
TNG Season 7: "Eye of the Beholder"

 

"Eye of the Beholder" had a decent plot (badly executed), and a pretty good atmosphere.

TNG Season 6: "Realm of Fear"
TNG Season 6: "Aquiel"

 

My final save for this game is "Realm Of Fear".

It's always a treat to see Barclay, and we got to see what going through a transporter actually looked like, something VERY rarely done in STAR TREK.

"Aquiel" was just too weak an episode, so it 'wins'.

 

@Sakonna You heard the man ...

ETA: I did some of the legwork. There is no information on handedness, unfortunately.

Suddenly Human, Gabrielle Beaumont
Disaster, Gabrielle Beaumont
The Ship, Kim Friedman
Nor the Battle to the Strong, Kim Friedman
The Andorian Incident, Roxann Dawson
Dead Stop, Roxann Dawson
Exile, Roxann Dawson
Choose Your Pain, Lee Rose

 

If I knew Gabrielle Beaumont was left or right-handed, that might be an actual list...

 

I may have mixed up Equilibrium with Fascination, and would have saved it earlier if I'd been less stupid. Alas, it was saved anyway.

Aquiel is a pretty terrible mystery, and even worse ROTW. Congrats on the win!

 

I rewatched "Aquiel" not too long ago, thinking it would be fun-stupid, and it was so much more boring than I remember! Though, I did still enjoy the wackiness of that "the dog did it!" climax. A fitting winner.

Careful, sometimes all it takes is that first hit to get hooked...

Amazing! I think we may do a "Female Directors" list, as there hasn't been any single female director in the Trek franchise with enough credits to make her own game...

Thanks to everyone who played! As always, your eliminations were fun to read. Hope to see you all on the next one: "The Most Disliked Episode Directed By Les Landau." I screwed up the order a bit, I thought Bole was Trek's 3rd-most-prolific director, but it's actually Landau, followed by Bole at #4...

MOST DISLIKED "WINNER"LOSERS, 2020
"HEY, THIS PLANET IS JUST LIKE EARTH!": TOS, Season 1: "Miri"
WRITER GENE RODDENBERRY: TOS, Season 2: "The Omega Glory"
WRITER D.C. FONTANA: TNG, Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
DIRECTOR CLIFF BOLE: TNG, Season 6: "Aquiel"
SEASON PREMIERE: TNG, Season 7: "Descent, Part II"
PRIME DIRECTIVE: TNG, Season 7: "Homeward"
WRITER RONALD D. MOORE: TNG, Season 7: "Journey's End"
LWAXANA: DS9, Season 1: "The Forsaken"
ROMANCE OF THE WEEK: DS9, Season 3: "Meridian"
FERENGI: DS9, Season 7: "The Emperor's New Cloak"
DIRECTOR WINRICH KOLBE: VOY, Season 2: "Elogium"
CARDASSIANS: VOY, Season 2: "Investigations"
HOLIDAY: VOY, Season 4: "Day Of Honor"
HOLODECK: VOY, Season 6: "Fair Haven"
DIRECTOR DAVID LIVINGSTON: VOY, Season 6: "Spirit Folk"
TIME TRAVEL/ANOMALY/LOOP: VOY, Season 6: “Fury”
MAQUIS: VOY, Season 7: "Repression"
BARCLAY: VOY, Season 7: "Inside Man"
Q: VOY, Season 7: "Q2"
LATIN TITLE: ENT, Season 1: "Terra Nova"
2-HOUR/2-PART: ENT, Season 1 & 2: "Shockwave"
VISIT TO EARTH'S "PRESENT": ENT, Season 2: "Shockwave, Part II"
KLINGONS: ENT, Season 2: "Marauders"
HALLUCINATION/ILLUSION: ENT, Season 3: "Extinction"
VISIT TO EARTH'S PAST: ENT, Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
THR'S 100 GREATEST TREK EPS: ENT, Season 4: "Home"
CAST CROSSOVER: ENT, Season 4: "These Are The Voyages..."
MIRROR UNIVERSE: DIS, Season 1: "What's Past Is Prologue"
INTRODUCTION OF RECURRING ALIENS: DIS, Season 2: "An Obol For Charon" (the jahSepp)
SECTION 31: DIS, Season 2: "Perpetual Infinity"
RECYCLED TITLE: ST, Season 2: "Children Of Mars"
ROMULANS: PIC, Season 1: "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1"

TOTAL SHOW WINS
TAS & Movies - 0 wins
ST and PIC - 1 win each
TOS - 2 wins
DS9 and DIS - 3 wins each
TNG - 5 wins
ENT - 8 wins
VOY - 9 wins