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TNG's blandest episodes

startrekwatcher said:
The ones that aren't bad but not good and you have absolutely no desire to ever rewatch them.

My list would include:
True Q
Birthright II
Force of Nature
Eye of the Beholder
Sub Rosa
Firstborn
Emergence
Bloodlines
The Perfect Mate
The Masterpiece Society

I actually enjoyed most of those. "Sub Rosa" was just ridiculous
 
jon1701 said:
Ethics is pretty bland.
Actually, that's one episode that I don't find bland - mostly because both of the arguments within the episode are fairly strong. I also like the fact that Worf's (initial) deicision to die is really not very PC (which flies in the face of a lot of PC-ness in TNG)

In any case, it's kind of tough for me to really pick what I would consider to be "bland", since much of that I would classify as being "bad" - but if I were to start I'd pick:

Shades of Grey (I don't think there's anything more bland than a "bottle" show, personally)

The Host (never could really get into this one)

The Ensigns of Command (Picard's final scene with the Sheliak being the only thing that I find interesting)

A good chunk of season 1's episodes (Lonely Among Us, Haven, Angel One, When the Bough Breaks, Home Soil, We'll Always Have Pairs) and the same with season 7 (Gambit 1 and 2, Force of Nature, Homeward, Journey's End, Bloodlines)
 
Jonesy said:
jon1701 said:
Ethics is pretty bland.
Actually, that's one episode that I don't find bland - mostly because both of the arguments within the episode are fairly strong. I also like the fact that Worf's (initial) deicision to die is really not very PC (which flies in the face of a lot of PC-ness in TNG)
I like Ethics too. I thought Worf was the perfect character to center the story around and all the various sides of the argument were brought to the table by the right characters, it was nicely thought-provoking, had some well placed namedropping of of fallen comrades like Aster and Yar, Troi got a nice role, Alexander was used well and call me naive but when I first watched this I bought into Worf's death.
 
Jonesy said:

The Ensigns of Command (Picard's final scene with the Sheliak being the only thing that I find interesting)

I'd like to read the original script by Melissa Snodgrass. According to her blog, the script was heavily rewritten. David Gerrold even suggested that she take the original and adapt it for Star Trek: New Voyages much how he let them rework his "Blood and Fire."

She feels, however, the script (original) only works for Data and could never work with Spock.
 
I don't know most of the titles mentioned. That's how bland they are. I would just say, most everything from one-third of the way into season four, until the end.
 
Season 6. I've been rewatching TNG and I think I've only enjoyed one episode so far (and I'm five discs through it).

Just completely uninteresting.
 
For my money, whenever a bout of insomnia strikes, I can always rely on Season 6's "The Quality of Life" to bring me to a deep slumber. Goddamn, those exocomps are boring!
 
I would include "A Matter of Perspective". You just don't care for any of the characters so you really wouldn't mind if Riker blew up the station or not.

Also, "Transfigurations". Instead of John Doe they should have called him Milquetoast.
 
The blandest period for me was the stretch where they might just as well have retitled the series "Star Trek: The Next Diagnostic". I became SO sick of their running of diagnostics in every episode. And go down to a planet once in awhile, why don't you??!!
 
Who_Trek said:
I watched "The Royale" last night -- * shudder "

I'm probably one of the few people who really loves "The Royale." I don't know what it is but it's a really fun episode, it was nice to just have this odd mystery of what was happening, why, and then at the end we still don't have all the answers.

As for the question itself. I'm not sure. As much as I love TNG I admit there's a lot of blandness in there but I still love practicaly every episode of the series.

The one with Troi's mother coming on ship to get married and befriends Alexander sticks a craw in my side though so does a much later one where she's all angsty and nutty over the death of Troi's long-dead sister. (Dark Page?)

Ugh.
 
I, too, have always liked THE ROYALE, the whole mystery angle of it was something I wanted to see more of.

For bland episodes...I haven't seen Loud as a Whisper and The Materpeice Society in years and haven't had the desire to.
 
Some of my snoozers, in no special order:

S1:
Lonely AMong Us
Angel One
Home Soil
We'll Always Have Paris

More seasons to come once I wake up.
 
I'm working my way through season 6 right now, and God, is it awful. A few good eps, but then really really boring ones.
I had to take a long break after watching Aquiel. Ugh.
 
Four episodes stand out in my mind as being particularly boring... not even BAD (i.e. Outrageous Okona) but just a snore-fest.

Imaginary Friend (energy being befriends little girl and takes it out on the adults, yawn)
Hero Worship (a boy and his android, yawn)
Aquiel (thanks for reminding me, Scottys Bagpipes)
The Bonding (a boy and his klingon, yawn)
 
Who_Trek said:
I watched "The Royale" last night -- * shudder "

My least favorite episode of the entire series. My brother-in-law gave the single episode video tape of this episode 10 years ago (he knows how much I hate it) and a while later I hid it in his house, he found it, and later it turned up in my linen closet, and back and forth at least once a year. And its never been opened.
 
Trekker4747 said:
Who_Trek said:
I watched "The Royale" last night -- * shudder "

I'm probably one of the few people who really loves "The Royale." I don't know what it is but it's a really fun episode, it was nice to just have this odd mystery of what was happening, why, and then at the end we still don't have all the answers.

No, you're not. I just finished re-watching it for the first time in YEARS. Its fun, a romp-y style sci-fi concept produced on the cheap. I can get behind that. :thumbsup:
 
The first two seconds are many things. Though there's a lot of good in them, they can be atrocious, interminable, poorly written, abysmally acted, embarrasingly scored. But they were never bland.

The remaining five seasons were generally of better quality, but they were far more prone to blandness. So, while my least favourite TNG episode - and worst hour of Trek in all time - would be "Up the Long Ladder", it's too silly and campy to qualify for the 'most bland' moniker. I'd never watch that "When the Bough Breaks", "Haven", or "Angel One", ever again, but none are bland.

So what's the most bland episode of all time? Hmm. I'm not sure, really. The bland episodes kind of blend together, unlike the terrible early episodes that are very distinctive.

I mean, even bland episodes I can think of have redeeming qualities - like "Suspicions", a painfully by-the-numbers murder mystery, has the novelty of a non-pathetic Ferengi character. I've probably simply forgotten this utterly bland, pointless episode I wouldn't watch...

Though I like "Allegiance", it's fun. I kind of like "Bloodlines", but mainly because I'm fond of "The Battle" (though it's a same Frank Corsentino couldn't reprise his role of DaiMon Bok for the latter showing).
 
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