For me
Remember Me
Data's Day
Remember Me
Data's Day
What was your worst TNG episode?
- Thread starter Gingerbread Demon
- Start date
I couldn't stand Perfect Mate and Justice
I love both of these.
("Remember Me" because it was a good use of Crusher, a solid mystery, and very TWILIGHT ZONE-like. "Data's Day" because it waa a great day in the life of Data, plus his final log entry is just excellent.)
Everyone is going to have their own criteria for why an episode is the worst. For me, it's when a character or characters are just damaged so incredibly badly that they look either stupid, incompetent, or are acting ridiculously out of character.
For TNG, I have to say it's "Rascals".
This crew fought and defeated the Borg. But they get taken over by 2 out of date Klingon ships manned by Ferengi?! Never has the crew looked more stupid and incompetent than here. About the only positive thing I can say about this one is that the child actor casting was spot on. (TNG usually suffered here.)
I was tempted to go with "Sub Rosa", but at least that was directed very well, despite a terrible script and Beverly crossing some REALLY creepy lines reading about her grandmother's 'erotic chapters' and Troi saying, "I'd read two chapters."
Hated "Aqueil," that was painful. The premise was just way too thin and unbelievable, Aquiel way too annoying, Burton trying his best and sometimes nearly succeeding but the character portrayal really absurd-annoying, the mystery including the later and especially last developments awful.
Doesn't excuse them being made to be stupid in the first place. Could have done any number of other things that would have had the same result (ship taken over, young Picard and other kids helping to save the day) without the need for the crew to look as dumb as a sack of rocks.
And don't get me started on the "I want to see my father now! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!" bit.
I have no “Least Favorites.” Every episode offers me something to enjoy and the list morphs from day to day.
Those are both great episodes!
Mine would be: Aquiel, Code of Honor, and Sub Rosa.
All are fine choices.Those are both great episodes!
Mine would be: Aquiel, Code of Honor, and Sub Rosa.
How was Riker stupid in "The Inner Light"?
Demanding to unplug Picard from the probe, even though he had zero information about what it might do to him.
In no order, the 5 that come to mind:
"Sub Rosa" - the ghost with the most isn't, and the scene where everyone whines about the caber toss somehow manages to be even more embarrassing than Picard mulling over the dirty diary.
"Justice" - planet of the baby oil fetish is just pure cringe that tries to sell extremes for the sake of (eh, engaging?!) drama.
"Force of Nature" - the 55mph in space episode has an idea, but the execution is all over the place. But it has been a long while since any Trek reminded the audience that space is a big place and if the ship stops working, they're in deep doodoo. And this one still did a far better job at it than:
"Disaster". So many deliberate sidesteps with Geordi's VISOR, basic science principles*, and so on. Yes, we have to suspend disbelief over the ship, but - as with Space 1999's premise - overlook that and generally the show kept to specific rules. TNG5 often eschews them while wanting to play with "real world" ideas. To compare, the excellent "The Next Phase" is not mingling too many grounded ideas with the fantastical ones and, at least for me, holds together far better. It also has Romulan guile and some surprise twists whereas "Disaster" is so by the numbers...
"Emergence" - at least it's not another family member for Data being trotted out, at which point it'd be far worse. That got hokey as early as season 4. Also, for the sake of keeping the count low, a lot of "Data fam" episodes are not being included, but they easily could be interchangeable with this one.
* To the point that I thought that it was worse than season 1, where the show was scrambling to find itself and thus gets a little more leeway. True, "Justice" makes dumbbells out of Riker and Yar, but that's early season 1 and that story already had some major rewrite action going on. But this adventure is well into season 5, with very established traits and abilities featuring Beverly and Geordi, and the episode wants the audience to believe this is still early season 1, just with frog fart muzak in the background. It's beyond embarrassing that "The Naked Now" got right what Beverly and Geordi got wrong with "suck vs blow" regarding depressurization, inhaling deep before depressurizing (OMG, TOS episodes from the 1960s were far more conscious of basic real life science stuff, even that The Alternative Factor episode) . So yeah, "Disaster" DOES top my list at this point, period.
Dishonorable dismentions:
"Data's Day" - I still adore the basic idea of a Romulan spy winning the day and this episode just about manages it with that banger of an ending, but... the plot convenience to have Data overlook the spy is a little bit much... plus, the attempt at humor with the O'Briens felt clunkier as well. But with 26 episodes per season, there's room to try numerous format styles and this one got the humorous bent.
"Code of Honor". The script being too inane to give her name aside, one of many issues that make it "early season one caught-in-the-middle bystander", the actors involved do much to try to improve the cringeworthy dialogue, Yareena is genuinely cool (the actress's interview on the story is also worth a listen) and I also liked the fight scene, so to me it's not "worst ever" as much as it is a misfire of ideas combined with one or two setpieces, some of which feel like TOS rehashing. Probably bottom 50, or bottom 10 if it weren't for a lot of seasons 5-7 taking up that space already. That said, the idea of the leader of the alien world keeping true to his code whereas Picard is flagrantly violating it makes for an interesting concept. Having Picard order a volley of torpedoes over the atmosphere to terrify the population with was... pretty awful. But, again, season 1. Season4 onward should never have anything coming close to season 1's awkwardness and there's more of that than you'd expect.
"Sub Rosa" - the ghost with the most isn't, and the scene where everyone whines about the caber toss somehow manages to be even more embarrassing than Picard mulling over the dirty diary.
"Justice" - planet of the baby oil fetish is just pure cringe that tries to sell extremes for the sake of (eh, engaging?!) drama.
"Force of Nature" - the 55mph in space episode has an idea, but the execution is all over the place. But it has been a long while since any Trek reminded the audience that space is a big place and if the ship stops working, they're in deep doodoo. And this one still did a far better job at it than:
"Disaster". So many deliberate sidesteps with Geordi's VISOR, basic science principles*, and so on. Yes, we have to suspend disbelief over the ship, but - as with Space 1999's premise - overlook that and generally the show kept to specific rules. TNG5 often eschews them while wanting to play with "real world" ideas. To compare, the excellent "The Next Phase" is not mingling too many grounded ideas with the fantastical ones and, at least for me, holds together far better. It also has Romulan guile and some surprise twists whereas "Disaster" is so by the numbers...
"Emergence" - at least it's not another family member for Data being trotted out, at which point it'd be far worse. That got hokey as early as season 4. Also, for the sake of keeping the count low, a lot of "Data fam" episodes are not being included, but they easily could be interchangeable with this one.
* To the point that I thought that it was worse than season 1, where the show was scrambling to find itself and thus gets a little more leeway. True, "Justice" makes dumbbells out of Riker and Yar, but that's early season 1 and that story already had some major rewrite action going on. But this adventure is well into season 5, with very established traits and abilities featuring Beverly and Geordi, and the episode wants the audience to believe this is still early season 1, just with frog fart muzak in the background. It's beyond embarrassing that "The Naked Now" got right what Beverly and Geordi got wrong with "suck vs blow" regarding depressurization, inhaling deep before depressurizing (OMG, TOS episodes from the 1960s were far more conscious of basic real life science stuff, even that The Alternative Factor episode) . So yeah, "Disaster" DOES top my list at this point, period.
Dishonorable dismentions:
"Data's Day" - I still adore the basic idea of a Romulan spy winning the day and this episode just about manages it with that banger of an ending, but... the plot convenience to have Data overlook the spy is a little bit much... plus, the attempt at humor with the O'Briens felt clunkier as well. But with 26 episodes per season, there's room to try numerous format styles and this one got the humorous bent.
"Code of Honor". The script being too inane to give her name aside, one of many issues that make it "early season one caught-in-the-middle bystander", the actors involved do much to try to improve the cringeworthy dialogue, Yareena is genuinely cool (the actress's interview on the story is also worth a listen) and I also liked the fight scene, so to me it's not "worst ever" as much as it is a misfire of ideas combined with one or two setpieces, some of which feel like TOS rehashing. Probably bottom 50, or bottom 10 if it weren't for a lot of seasons 5-7 taking up that space already. That said, the idea of the leader of the alien world keeping true to his code whereas Picard is flagrantly violating it makes for an interesting concept. Having Picard order a volley of torpedoes over the atmosphere to terrify the population with was... pretty awful. But, again, season 1. Season4 onward should never have anything coming close to season 1's awkwardness and there's more of that than you'd expect.
Okay, I can see what you mean. I don't agree with you, but I can understand it.
Considering his captain was under attack (since he had no evidence to the contrary while Picard was unconscious), I can certainly see a first reaction be to try to cut the signal. Because how often is it really better to keep a device's signal going inside your brain rather than try to stop it?
With no information? I think it is likely better not to try to pull the plug ten minutes in when life signs are stable.
I’m usually pretty critical of action without information.
Similar threads
