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[RobertScorpio]

As we got further and further away from the original airings of TOS, the series got more and more popular. And yet, for some reason, it seems to me, the further we get away from the original airing of TNG it seems to just be fading...I know TOS has the moon landing to inspire new viewers, and I am sure that played a part. But is it just me? Is TNG still up front? Or is the show starting to get that 'dated' look?

I still like TNG. I just watched THE OFFSPRING yesterday. It is still a very good show. What about some of you? Do you think TNG is just in a phase?

Rob
Scorpio

 

[The Old Mixer]

Anything's going to look dated eventually, even if you think it looks perfectly neutral in its time. In one of his BSG commentaries or podcasts, Ronald D. Moore mentioned somebody's theory that you can take three films set in the same period (say, 1776), but were made in different periods, and guess when each was made within five years.

As for how well the show is regarded in hindsight...I think it suffers from its own success. It was great in its time as a stand-alone show...but it led to three overlapping spin-offs, contributing to 20 seasons of Trek having been released in a 12-year period...and after a point, the spin-off product became unambitious and overly-formulaic. Because the formulae they were regurgitating were established by TNG, they make TNG look worse than it was by association.

 

[Holdfast]

TNG looks "of its time", but not in a bad way.

Everything eventually looks like the period it was created in, but the test of time is whether that detracts from the enjoyment of watching the show. For TNG, at least for me, I get as much joy watching episodes now as I did then. Sometimes, I think I enjoy them more now, because this style of TV show just isn't made frequently now and I really appreciate the upbeat, optimistic tone.

 

[The Sneeze Police]

It looks like it was made in the late eighties and early ninties, but the stories & characters are still good.

Currently shows seem to favor an edge. TNG killed off Yar because Crosby wanted out. Nowadays shows kill off popular characters because it is "good drama." In 20 years show produced today will look dated. TNG has some enduring messages and themes which I think will stand the test of TV time.

 

[Loneknight]

I think it depends on how the story is being presented. Most TV shows nowadays will span stories across seasons. It's never 'one hour to tell the story', it's leaving last week's episode on a cliff-hanger and then MAYBE wrapping it up next episode.

TNG started to break the mold on the concept of 'one hour, one story', as I recall someone saying on the behind-the-scenes stuff on the Season 4 DVD special features. It wasn't a lot, but it was just enough to get their feet wet with the concept. Nowadays, I would think that TNG's way of storytelling could still work, but people seem to have an unnatural addiction to drama...hence, why I suppose the continual story arc direction works so well.

Either way, my wife and I are trying to collect all seasons of TNG on DVD. She's a new fan of Trek, and she absolutely LOVES TNG! For her, she looks at it the same way I do: it's not always about the technology, the characters...it's about the message trying to be conveyed through the story. If everyone out there saw this one, singular idea about Trek...that it's not about the tricorders, or phasers, or starships, or warp drive...but it's really about the stories, they might see it differently.

Just my two cents...

 

[Rhaenys]

I don't think that TNG is getting more out dated than TOS.
You could say that TOS looks out dated too. They both look of their time and thats ok. Every series does. But I agree with ELK, that both have some enduring messages and themes which will stand the test of TV time.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I don't think that TNG is getting more out dated than TOS.
You could say that TOS looks out dated too. They both look of their time and thats ok. Every series does. But I agree with ELK, that both have some enduring messages and themes which will stand the test of TV time.

Even DS9's effects are beginning to look dated, even though they were cutting-edge at the time.

However...I risk ticking people off by saying this, but I feel like the way DS9 was handled, story-wise, with the season-long arcs, makes it a more "modern" show that will hold up for a longer time. That's how shows tend to be done now (Lost, BSG, Prison Break, etc.), so I think that familiarity may compel people to overlook the effects for longer.

The other thing about DS9 versus TNG and TOS...I think those first two series have an idealism that I am not sure completely speaks to people these days anymore. This is a very cynical world, and I know that's MY trouble looking back on the other two series: I find it harder now, than I did when I was younger, to suspend disbelief regarding the way humanity was portrayed. That to me "dates" those series just as much as the effects do.