Game The Most Disliked Episode Directed By James L. Conway

[Sakonna]

THE OBJECTIVE: A sudden-death elimination game in which we remove our personal favorite episodes from a themed list, until we arrive at the episode that is, if not the worst, at least the most disliked.

THE RULES: Below is a list of TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT episodes directed by James L. Conway -- Trek's tenth most prolific director! (I think? I might have lost track. He's up there)

Eliminate/save your favorite, or the one you deem the ‘best.’
Post something you love about the episode you are saving, and copy-and-paste the list with your choice removed.

You can use any standard you like to judge which option is "best." You can save episodes for being widely recognized “best Trek” classics, or for idiosyncratic qualities that no one appreciates but you.

But -- no tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode because you don’t think anyone else will, or because you feel it would threaten your preferred episode's chance to “win.”

You can take multiple turns. Leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters before you eliminate another episode.

New players are always welcome, you do not have to already be a "most disliked game" regular to dive in.

Much thanks and credit to @Farscape One, for having the director credits literally memorized.

Enjoy!

TNG Season 1: "Justice"
TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
TNG Season 6: "Frame Of Mind"
DS9 Season 1: "Duet"
DS9 Season 2: "Necessary Evil"
DS9 Season 4: "The Way Of The Warrior"
DS9 Season 4: "Little Green Men"
DS9 Season 4: "Shattered Mirror"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
VOY Season 2: "Persistence Of Vision"
VOY Season 2: "Death Wish"
VOY Season 2: "Innocence"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR".

An excellent episode by all measures.

TNG Season 1: "Justice"
TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
TNG Season 6: "Frame Of Mind"
DS9 Season 1: "Duet"
DS9 Season 2: "Necessary Evil"
DS9 Season 4: "Little Green Men"
DS9 Season 4: "Shattered Mirror"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
VOY Season 2: "Persistence Of Vison"
VOY Season 2: "Death Wish"
VOY Season 2: "Innocence"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Sakonna]

"Justice." It's iconic! Mostly for the wrong reasons, but still. Iconic! He knew just how to execute this bonkers script.

TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
TNG Season 6: "Frame Of Mind"
DS9 Season 1: "Duet"
DS9 Season 2: "Necessary Evil"
DS9 Season 4: "Little Green Men"
DS9 Season 4: "Shattered Mirror"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
VOY Season 2: "Persistence Of Vison"
VOY Season 2: "Death Wish"
VOY Season 2: "Innocence"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Trekker09]

Gotta save "Little Green Men" - interesting that Conway also directed the film Hangar 18, about the Roswell incident.

TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
TNG Season 6: "Frame Of Mind"
DS9 Season 1: "Duet"
DS9 Season 2: "Necessary Evil"
DS9 Season 4: "Shattered Mirror"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
VOY Season 2: "Persistence Of Vison"
VOY Season 2: "Death Wish"
VOY Season 2: "Innocence"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "DUET".

For very obvious reasons.


TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
TNG Season 6: "Frame Of Mind"
DS9 Season 2: "Necessary Evil"
DS9 Season 4: "Shattered Mirror"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
VOY Season 2: "Persistence Of Vison"
VOY Season 2: "Death Wish"
VOY Season 2: "Innocence"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Seven of Five]

On my recent rewatch, Necessary Evil still plays as this wonderfully epic noir tale, and it's still a great episode.

TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
TNG Season 6: "Frame Of Mind"
DS9 Season 4: "Shattered Mirror"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
VOY Season 2: "Persistence Of Vison"
VOY Season 2: "Death Wish"
VOY Season 2: "Innocence"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I

 

[Captain's Coffee]

Death Wish because it presents a good ethical dilemma; seeing the Q continuum was interesting; and because I like the guest actor for Quinn.

TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
TNG Season 6: "Frame Of Mind"
DS9 Season 4: "Shattered Mirror"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
VOY Season 2: "Persistence Of Vison"
VOY Season 2: "Innocence"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I

 

[Sakonna]

"Persistence Of Vision" is a great spooky Voyager. I should have watched that for Halloween this year instead of "Genesis"!

Love the reveal of the villain in this one. "Because I can."

TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
TNG Season 6: "Frame Of Mind"
DS9 Season 4: "Shattered Mirror"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
VOY Season 2: "Innocence"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Seven of Five]

Shattered Mirror was the last decent entry into the Mirror Universe, and I particularly enjoyed Jake being dragged into the story by Jennifer. Him and Benjamin having to relive Jennifer's death was a poignant moment, amongst all of the fun action.

TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
TNG Season 6: "Frame Of Mind"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
VOY Season 2: "Innocence"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "Frame of Mind".

One of Braga's best scripts, and Frakes' best performances, with superb direction. Always been a favorite.


TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
VOY Season 2: "Innocence"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Captain's Coffee]

Innocence I like the idea of a species that ages backwards, if the logistics of it are... unclear.

TNG Season 1: "The Neutral Zone"
DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Sakonna]

"The Neutral Zone." I love that it is now canon that Sonny Clemonds went on to become a famous 24th Century musician.

Where's our update on Ralph Offenhouse and Clare Raymond, Lower Decks?!? The people need to know!

I love how this episode is such a work-in-progress, they're working on developing so many ideas that are going to become such huge parts of the franchise, but none of it is fully baked yet.

DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
DS9 Season 5: "Apocalypse Rising"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Seven of Five]

Apocalypse Rising didn't really live up to the expectations in the Gorwron changeling cliffhanger to season 4. Well, until In Purgatory's Shadow, anyway.

It was fun seeing Odo adapting to being made a human, by being on a break from work, and drinking. I also like Sisko and O'Brien doing their best to fit in as Klingons.

DS9 Season 4: "For The Cause"
VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "FOR THE CAUSE".

It was tough spot Sisko was in, and it definitely was shocking with both Kasidy and Eddington.

Honestly, Conway was an awesome director. None of his episodes were really bad. There's only two left here that I would actually consider lower tier for him.


VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
ENT Season 1: "Broken Bow"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Vger23]

“Broken Bow” was a great pilot, all things considered, and did a nice job even as a stand-alone episode.

VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"
ENT Season 4: "In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

 

[Qonundrum]

"Justice." It's iconic! Mostly for the wrong reasons, but still. Iconic! He knew just how to execute this bonkers script.

I'll second that! The script had a good, original and thought-provoking idea that got rewritten into that unspeakably awful rewrite, but the direction keeps it going despite its oh-so-many-flaws. And I'll admit, the actors play it all with complete sincerity - which helps it IMMENSELY. Again, kudos to the director for doing a great job with inconsistent material. I can imagine the set antics during filming... on the flip side, trying to imagine this produced as outright campy farce outright (a la Three's Company) does not yield any successes.

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It's perhaps the one completely perfect scene in a truly bizarre script that involves bringing down the kiddos because the Edo get all oiled up. But because I couldn't find the infamous pre-credits scene about inviting the whole family and kids down because, as the same scene tells us, they all make love bunnies at the drop of a hat... any hat... so here's the original teaser instead:

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and this:

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And, of course, this - but it's reviewing the story in rather a different light...:

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[Sakonna]

"In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I" knows how to satisfy. Great way to do the MU.

VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"
ENT Season 3: "Damage"

 

[Oddish]

In "Damage", Archer has to make a truly horrible choice for the greater good. That makes it memorable, if nothing else.

VOY Season 2: "The 37's"
ENT Season 2: "Judgment"

 

[Farscape One]

What a coincidence, these are the exact two I felt were lower tier for Conway.

Savibg "JUDGMENT" because of the awesomeness that is J.G. Hertzler.

"THE 37's" wins this one. (Had UPN actually aired this as the season 1 finale like it was produced and intended to be, it would have had a greater impact.)

 

[Seven of Five]

Justice would have been my easy winner, but I agree that The 37s would have been a better episode if it aired during season one. It's very average! The two worst ones on the list.