Game The Most Disliked "I'm Aging Wrong!" Episode

[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 TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, and LD episodes in which characters age wrong -- rapid aging, reverse aging, one part of your body aging out of sync with another, etc.

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 helping me vet the list.

Enjoy!

TOS Season 2: "The Deadly Years"
TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TAS Season 2: "The Counter-Clock Incident"
TNG Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Rascals"
TNG Season 6: "Timescape"
DS9 Season 3: "Distant Voices"
VOY Season 3: "Before And After"
VOY Season 4: "Scientific Method"
VOY Season 7: "Shattered"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
LD Season 1: "Much Ado About Boimler"

 

[Sakonna]

I'll start with a save for "Before And After", a top showcase for a favorite character. God, the potential they had with Kes! They could have done anything with that character.

TOS Season 2: "The Deadly Years"
TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TAS Season 2: "The Counter-Clock Incident"
TNG Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Rascals"
TNG Season 6: "Timescape"
DS9 Season 3: "Distant Voices"
VOY Season 4: "Scientific Method"
VOY Season 7: "Shattered"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
LD Season 1: "Much Ado About Boimler"

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "SCIENTIFIC METHOD".

Great concept and execution. Creepy as hell in many scenes, too. Love the x-ray views.


TOS Season 2: "The Deadly Years"
TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TAS Season 2: "The Counter-Clock Incident"
TNG Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Rascals"
TNG Season 6: "Timescape"
DS9 Season 3: "Distant Voices"
VOY Season 7: "Shattered"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
LD Season 1: "Much Ado About Boimler"

 

[Mojochi]

TNG Timescape made this list but not Future Imperfect, Tapestry, The Inner Light or All Good Things? The only thing that ages wrongly in Timescape is Picard's fingernails lol

 

[Captain's Coffee]

"Shattered" A cool episode that gave Chakotay something interesting to do. Plus, I enjoy temporal shenanigans.

Edit: @Sakonna by the way, VOY Season 2, episode 22 "Innocence" literally has aliens that age backwards, to the point that they look like little children just before they die of old age. Maybe it should make the list next time?

TOS Season 2: "The Deadly Years"
TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TAS Season 2: "The Counter-Clock Incident"
TNG Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Rascals"
TNG Season 6: "Timescape"
DS9 Season 3: "Distant Voices"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
LD Season 1: "Much Ado About Boimler"

 

[Farscape One]

Edit: @Sakonna by the way, VOY Season 2, episode 22 "Innocence" literally has aliens that age backwards, to the point that they look like little children just before they die of old age. Maybe it should make the list next time?

But them aging in reverse is natural for the Drayans, which is why it didn't make the cut.

TNG Timescape made this list but not Future Imperfect, Tapestry, The Inner Light or All Good Things? The only thing that ages wrongly in Timescape is Picard's fingernails lol

"Future Imperfect" was basically a holodeck in Barash's cave.

"Tapestry" and "All Good Things..." were time travel situations. (And arguments can be made that BOTH scenarios were Q induced illusions and not real to begin with.)

"The Inner Light", like "HARD TIME", took place entirely in their minds, so their bodies did not age in the wrong way.

 

[Cyfa]

It is absolutely ridiculous, but absolutely fun - TNG: "Rascals" gets saved mainly for the hijinks of the de-aged crew (and Alexander), but also because those child actors were spot on. Fantastic!

TOS Season 2: "The Deadly Years"
TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TAS Season 2: "The Counter-Clock Incident"
TNG Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Timescape"
DS9 Season 3: "Distant Voices"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
LD Season 1: "Much Ado About Boimler"

 

[Farscape One]

I hate "Rascals" because it made the crew look phenomenally incompetent, but you are right that the child actors were spot on with their characters.

Saving "DISTANT VOICES" because it has Garak. He elevates every episode.


TOS Season 2: "The Deadly Years"
TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TAS Season 2: "The Counter-Clock Incident"
TNG Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Timescape"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
LD Season 1: "Much Ado About Boimler"

 

[Seven of Five]

The Counter-Clock Incident turned out to be one of my favourite episodes of TAS. It's fun seeing a bit of the history of the Enterprise with Robert April, especially when he takes command to save the day.

TOS Season 2: "The Deadly Years"
TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TNG Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Timescape"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
LD Season 1: "Much Ado About Boimler

 

[Richard S. Ta]

People think The Deadly Years (TOS) is alright don't they? That's my pick. Nothing too controversial.

TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TNG Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Timescape"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
LD Season 1: "Much Ado About Boimler

 

[Cyfa]

I'm torn between the two relatively fun Troi-featuring TNG eps, and LDS, but I'm going with "Timescape" because we get to see a more relaxed and fun Deanna, plus she gets to use her knowledge of Romulan starship tech from "Face of the Enemy".

TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TNG Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
LD Season 1: "Much Ado About Boimler

 

[Orphalesion]

Much ado about Boimler has to be saved, that was one of the funniest episodes of LD so far (at that means something!)

TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TNG Season 1: "Too Short A Season"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I

 

[Sakonna]

I love all of these TNG ones! And the LD. What to choose... I guess "Too Short A Season", I watched it most recently and I always have fun with it. That ridiculous makeup & wheelchair! The dark moody lighting! And I do like that actor, not that this bonkers role under 80 pounds of old age latex does him any favors.

(Oh, and the LD was saved while I was typing this)

TNG Timescape made this list but not Future Imperfect, Tapestry, The Inner Light or All Good Things? The only thing that ages wrongly in Timescape is Picard's fingernails lol

Yes, went around and around about those -- plus "Time's Orphan", and

Spoiler: Picard Season 2

Q aging himself in "The Star Gazer"

-- they were in and out and then back in, in various different combinations.

Edit: @Sakonna by the way, VOY Season 2, episode 22 "Innocence" literally has aliens that age backwards, to the point that they look like little children just before they die of old age. Maybe it should make the list next time?

And this one did slip by because everyone is aging "correctly" for their own species, but the Prelate does literally reference reverse aging at the end...

Many (all?) of these will end up on the revision the next time (and adding "Innocence" would probably pull in some others with aliens with weird aging processes -- like "Meridian"). The first run of a new theme list can sometimes be a bit of a shakedown cruise.

I specifically wonder if anyone else has any opinions on if "All Good Things", "Tapestry", and "Time's Orphan" belong -- are they aging wrong, or are they time travel, or both?

TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"

 

[Orphalesion]

by the way, VOY Season 2, episode 22 "Innocence" literally has aliens that age backwards, to the point that they look like little children just before they die of old age.

That one would have been a worthy winner, especially if one tries to figure out how they give birth.
Plus the... elderly gentleman and ladies, I guess that Tuvok encounters don't just look like kids, they behave like kids too...until the last szene after the reveal when the last surviving one suddenly starts talking about her grandson and how she knows its her time to go.
The.. I guess little girl? Teenager? who explains the whole thing to Tuvok even says that they literally age in reverse, calls her elders "children" and says that shortly before death her species reaches a state of "innocence"
So are they literally born as wise and/or cantkerous old folks, then become adults, then hormonal teenagers and finally children?
Even aside from the questions on how their society is supposed to work like that...how does that work biologically? How do they gastate and give birth to a full grown senior citizen?

 

[Cyfa]

I specifically wonder if anyone else has any opinions on if "All Good Things", "Tapestry", and "Time's Orphan" belong -- are they aging wrong, or are they time travel, or both?

- Personally, I don't think these fit in with the "aging wrong" theme. I did wonder why VOY: "Innocence" wasn't on the list - until @Farscape One pointed out that the Drayans are ageing normally for their species

So, on to my next save. @Orphalesion has made my choice easier by saving the LDS ep, so I'm saving TNG: "Man of the People" because I love seeing Troi the crazed vamp (Marina Sirtis must have had a ball with this one!). Plus, the ensign she ensnares in the turbolift is pretty hot!

TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
TNG Season 2: "Unnatural Selection"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"

 

[maneth]

I'm saving Unnatural Selection, because while I don't like Pulaski much as a character, she's very memorable, mostly in a good way, in this one.

TOS Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
ENT Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"

 

[Mojochi]

"Future Imperfect" was basically a holodeck in Barash's cave.

Regardless... Everybody was suddenly older. It was that aspect which was the driving plot point

"Tapestry" and "All Good Things..." were time travel situations. (And arguments can be made that BOTH scenarios were Q induced illusions and not real to begin with.)

Point being, Picard was living as both his younger & older selves. He was wrongly put into different ages, if you want to look at it that way lol

Also, Timescape doesn't have any real aging at all. It's just time anomaly stuff

"The Inner Light", like "HARD TIME", took place entirely in their minds, so their bodies did not age in the wrong way.

But to them (& us) they were aging in these situations

 

[at Quark's]

I don't even recall what the 'I'm aging wrong' element was in Stormfront? (Time travel, yes, I remember that).

 

[Summer Solstice]

I specifically wonder if anyone else has any opinions on if "All Good Things", "Tapestry", and "Time's Orphan" belong -- are they aging wrong, or are they time travel, or both?

"All Good Things" is time travel and might all be in Q and Picard's minds, "Tapestry" is definitely in Q and Picard's minds, I think "Time's Orphan" is probably just time travel but could possibly be on this list.

It's a cool idea for a category.

 

[Sakonna]

I don't even recall what the 'I'm aging wrong' element was in Stormfront? (Time travel, yes, I remember that).

When Daniels shows up, he is deformed by different parts of his body aging at extremely different rates.