Game The Most Disliked Winrich Kolbe Directed Episode

[Qonundrum]

I liked the bond between Alexander and Lwaxana in "Cost of Living," and Majel Barrett made her speech about aging and loneliness poignant. And I cheered when Lwaxana decided -- as shown in her arrival at her wedding -- that she would rather be alone than compromise who she was.

Yup. Aging is something every young person should try. Or try to understand ahead of time.

As for compromising one's self... I tried that once, being something I was not but the attempt was sincere. Not the best time, since my ex was having the same problem but in different ways. This sadly isn't the best place to adumbrate those details, but as Shakespeare and his bestie Commander Data once said, "to thine own self be true". But the only way to know one's self is to also try. There's a fun catch-22 juggling three catch-22's in there. It's a catch-10648...

 

[Agony_Boothb]

TNG Season 3: "Allegiance"
TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Rightful Heir"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
DS9 Season 2: "The Siege"
DS9 Season 2: "Melora"
DS9 Season 3: "Through The Looking Glass"
DS9 Season 6: "Favor The Bold"
DS9 Season 7: "Til Death Do Us Part"
VOY Season 1: "Faces"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 6: "Good Shepherd"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

I'm saving 'The Fight'. A lot of people hate it, but i liked it because of it's weirdness and also Robert Beltran seemed genuinely interested during the episode.

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "FACES".

The Vidiians looked their creepiest here, with the doctor experimenting on Torres and taking Durst's face.

And Roxann Dawson was a standout. This was the early episode that really showed her acting chops.


]TNG Season 3: "Allegiance"
TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Rightful Heir"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
DS9 Season 2: "The Siege"
DS9 Season 2: "Melora"
DS9 Season 3: "Through The Looking Glass"
DS9 Season 6: "Favor The Bold"
DS9 Season 7: "Til Death Do Us Part"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 6: "Good Shepherd"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Sakonna]

The script is undistinguished, but "Man Of The People" is a feast of campy possession acting, which I have a lot of fun with.

Thank God Marina Sirtis never let a lousy script stand between her and a great performance.

TNG Season 3: "Allegiance"
TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
TNG Season 6: "Rightful Heir"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
DS9 Season 2: "The Siege"
DS9 Season 2: "Melora"
DS9 Season 3: "Through The Looking Glass"
DS9 Season 6: "Favor The Bold"
DS9 Season 7: "Til Death Do Us Part"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 6: "Good Shepherd"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Brennyren]

Saving "Good Shepherd." Coming in the sixth season put it a little late in the day -- I found it hard to believe that these misfits could have been overlooked that long on a ship that small, and Celes and Telfer seemed too young to have been aboard that long. I liked the rapport between those two, though, and Harren was a classic intellectual misanthrope. What I liked most of all, though, was that after all the Maquis who were screw-ups, especially from Voyager's early years, we finally saw some Starfleet who were screw-ups.

TNG Season 3: "The Bonding"
TNG Season 3: "Allegiance"
TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
TNG Season 5: "Cost Of Living"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Rightful Heir"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
DS9 Season 2: "The Homecoming"
DS9 Season 2: "The Siege"
DS9 Season 2: "Melora"
DS9 Season 3: "Through The Looking Glass"
DS9 Season 6: "Favor The Bold"
DS9 Season 7: "Til Death Do Us Part"
VOY Season 1: "Faces"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 5: "The Fight"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Saving Favor the Bold. This must have been a difficult assignment, given the number of different storylines being followed at the time. Great interactions between Dax and Worf, Dax and Sisko, Sisko and the admirals.


TNG Season 3: "The Bonding"
TNG Season 3: "Allegiance"
TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
TNG Season 5: "Cost Of Living"
TNG Season 6: "Man Of The People"
TNG Season 6: "Rightful Heir"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
DS9 Season 2: "The Homecoming"
DS9 Season 2: "The Siege"
DS9 Season 2: "Melora"
DS9 Season 3: "Through The Looking Glass"
DS9 Season 7: "Til Death Do Us Part"
VOY Season 1: "Faces"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 5: "The Fight"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Sakonna]

"Allegiance" is a fun, weird episode. I love all those aliens trapped with Picard. Bring back the Chalnoth! (THERE'S a facial design that's already at the place the streaming-era makeup team wants to bring every other alien to, with so much all over the face)

I also always love the dramatic tension from those stories where aliens are doing something horribly violating to our characters, not with ill intent but because they're simply alien and don't understand how their actions are experienced by the human(oid)s. I like the concept in this one that the captor aliens are all identical, so are studying hierarchies among species where individuals are different. They're like adorably hapless Borg.

TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
TNG Season 6: "Rightful Heir"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
DS9 Season 2: "The Siege"
DS9 Season 2: "Melora"
DS9 Season 3: "Through The Looking Glass"
DS9 Season 7: "Til Death Do Us Part"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[at Quark's]

Eliminating TNG Season 6: "Rightful Heir".

Why? Simply because of the ideas. On the one hand, it is more cynical and black-humoured about organised religion than even most other 'classic' Trek episodes get. Here's a bunch of devout priests that think their Messiah is a bit slow in coming back. What to do? That's simple, you clone your Messiah to speed up matters a bit, of course!

On the other hand, it explores what a faith can mean to a person in some depth. The "Kahless" figure made me view Klingon culture slightly differently:

KAHLESS: (laughs) What is wrong? Is there only anger and bloodlust in your souls? Is that all that is left in the Klingon heart? We do not fight merely to spill blood, but to enrich the spirit. Look at us. Two warriors locked in battle, fighting for honour. How can you not sing for all to hear? We are Klingons! Yes! Let it out! Let the joy in your heart be heard. We are Klingons!

Also, I'll never forget the Data speech about his spiritual crisis:

DATA: I am curious. Do you still think the real Kahless will return someday? Or has this experience only deepened the spiritual crisis which originally sent you to Boreth?
WORF: I do not know.
DATA: I understand your dilemma. I once had what could be considered a crisis of the spirit.
WORF: You?
DATA: Yes. The Starfleet officers who first activated me on Omicron Theta told me I was an android, nothing more than a sophisticated machine with human form. However I realised that if I were simply a machine, I could never be anything else. I could never grow beyond my programming. I found that difficult to accept, so I chose to believe that I was a person, that I had the potential to be more than a collection of circuits and subprocessors. It is a belief which I still hold.
WORF: How did you come to your decision?
DATA: I made a leap of faith.

TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
DS9 Season 2: "The Siege"
DS9 Season 2: "Melora"
DS9 Season 3: "Through The Looking Glass"
DS9 Season 7: "Til Death Do Us Part"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Seven of Five]

'Til Death Do Us Part is a good Final Chapter episode, and involving Gul Dukat in Winn's arc was a fun move. Or at least until; the finale. Sisko choosing to go through with his marriage despite Sarah's dire warning was a bold move.

TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
DS9 Season 2: "The Siege"
DS9 Season 2: "Melora"
DS9 Season 3: "Through The Looking Glass"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Saving The Siege. Decent story, but it had some great performances from Stephen Macht and wonderful interaction between Visitor and Farrell as well as Lofton and Eisenberg..

TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
DS9 Season 2: "Melora"
DS9 Season 3: "Through The Looking Glass"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[at Quark's]

I'm saving 'The Fight'. A lot of people hate it, but i liked it because of it's weirdness and also Robert Beltran seemed genuinely interested during the episode.

Well, of course he did. It must have been nice to get to do something with his character for a change

I also like the bizarre 'feel' of the episode by the way.


Saving DS9 Season 3: "Through The Looking Glass" myself. It's not particularly good, but I think still the best of the remaining list. It's somewhat interesting to see how their characters could have turned out in a very different universe that was less kind to them.

TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
DS9 Season 2: "Melora"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Sakonna]

I guess "Melora"? It's nicely shot. The zero G sequences had to be tough, and their resources to do it obviously limited. It's well intentioned, if unsuccessful in those ambitions. This is also one of those early-season DS9's that has that appealing "day in the life" feel.

TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
VOY Season 2: "Initiations"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Brennyren]

Honestly, the only real problem with "Initiations" was that -- twist at the end excepted -- it wasn't very exciting. Well, that and Chakotay doing his little paean to the "Federation uniform." Would it have killed them to acknowledge his Maquis backstory? Aron Eisenberg and Robert Beltran had some nice interactions, and the Kazon got some added depth.

TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
DS9 Season 1: "Vortex"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Farscape One]

My final save for this game will be a DS9 one.

"VORTEX" is off this list. An early Odo episode, it had some good moments. And I always wondered... where did he keep his 'cousin'?

Plus, the other episodes are rather bottom of the barrel. I do have a very strong feeling on who the 'winner' will be...

TNG Season 4: "Identity Crisis"
VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Saving IdentityCrisis. The acting is stilted, but that reveal on the holodeck was creepy and well constructed.

VOY Season 2: "Elogium"
VOY Season 7: "Repression"

 

[Brennyren]

Neither of these episodes made any sense, but "Repression" had the excellent Keith Szarabakja as a guest star, and "Elogium" copped out on its own premise. I am therefore saving "Repression." Also, I would spike "Elogium" from now to the end of time just for its awful preview trailer: "Who will be the father of Kes's child?" over clips of the male cast members.

VOY Season 2: "Elogium"

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

VOY Season 2: "Elogium"

The whole dilemma about fraternisation was dumb. Did Janeway really think she could keep everyones hands to themselves for the whole 70000LYs and what would she do if anyone did rock the kasbah a life in brig or kick em off the ship ?

Jeysus once 7 got on board no one would be safe from themselves

 

[at Quark's]

The whole dilemma about fraternisation was dumb. Did Janeway really think she could keep everyones hands to themselves for the whole 70000LYs and what would she do if anyone did rock the kasbah a life in brig or kick em off the ship ?

If I recall correctly, it was Chakotay who considered it a problem, not Janeway. She only says in that episode that she wouldn't allow herself a relation as the Captain.

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

If I recall correctly, it was Chakotay who considered it a problem, not Janeway. She only says in that episode that she wouldn't allow herself a relation as the Captain.

My bad sorry

 

[Sakonna]

"Elogium"... I always want to enjoy it ironically, but it's not so-bad-it's-good, it's just bad. Nice effects, though!

It's a shame, I always want to love a Kes episode.

Thanks all! Next up, a switch from directing to writing credits: "The Most Disliked Gene Roddenberry Written Episode" Hope to see you all there!

MOST DISLIKED "WINNER"LOSERS, 2020
"HEY, THIS PLANET IS JUST LIKE EARTH!": TOS, Season 1: "Miri"
SEASON PREMIERE: TNG, Season 7: "Descent, Part II"
PRIME DIRECTIVE: TNG, Season 7: "Homeward"
LWAXANA: DS9, Season 1: "The Forsaken"
ROMANCE OF THE WEEK: DS9, Season 3: "Meridian"
FERENGI: DS9, Season 7: "The Emperor's New Cloak"
WINRICH KOLBE: VOY, Season 2: "Elogium"
CARDASSIANS: VOY, Season 2: "Investigations"
HOLIDAY: VOY, Season 4: "Day Of Honor"
HOLODECK: VOY, Season 6: "Fair Haven"
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
TOS, ST, and PIC - 1 win each
TNG - 2 wins
DS9 and DIS - 3 wins each
ENT - 8 wins
VOY - 9 wins