What was your worst TNG episode?

[Farscape One]

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.

I get it. I just prefer to not be waiting around while getting attacked.

 

[Starflight]

Probably Homeward. It's absolutely morally appalling on at least two fronts, though ethics aside, I actually like the novel use of the holodeck.

I love most of TNG, my only two overall issues with it are episodes where the Prime Directive is interpreted as "watch the undeserving die", and Picard coming across as a smug haughty prick, and Homeward goes in so hard on both that it's almost comedic.

Agreed on Perfect Mate, it just sucks. There is potentially an interesting story in there in the woman's biology and how much of her is an individual versus how much is entirely reactive, but the episode completely throws it out by just having her act normal with Data. Imagine if she'd gone totally inert and silent when alone with Data since there's no mind to morph herself onto; now we're getting into exciting weird alien shit. Imagine if she made a claim for asylum when alone with Picard, but then rescinded it when alone with her betrothed. What the hell do we do? Could have been interesting.

 

[Trek Survivor]

I am a fan of season 1 (and a HUGE fan of season 2, one of the best) so no "worst episode nomination" for me would come from those. Of course I recognise the cringe of episodes like "Justice". However, by season 7 I find flaws less forgivable. Poor episodes are less about the show "finding its way" and more about "being lazy, safe and far too formulaic".

Although I still enjoy TNG Season 7, it clearly took a bit of a nosedive in quality (I'm aware of all the BTS goings-on that made it so) so - although I've never actually thought "what is my worst episode?" - it's going to be something like:
Force of Nature
Inheritance
Masks
Homeward
Emergence

Incidentally - and I know this is definitely not the generally held collective belief - I also thought DS9's quality dropped off in parts of season 6/definitely season 7 too...

 

[Orphalesion]

Manhunt, for many reasons. It ruined the good parts about Lwaxana's character from Heaven. The whole premise was idiotic and part of that "PG sex comedy" vibe some parts of early TNG had. And I really didn't care about the parts where the men were hiding in a seedy holo bar, smiling to each other while Lwaxana prowled the ship for them.

Blergh!

 

[F. King Daniel]

“The Inner Light”.

45 minutes of me watching Picard watch a movie. With some Riker stupidity sprinkled in.

This one I hated at the time, it was a Lifetime movie, and I wanted space adventure! It probably plays better in binge watching sessions as a change, but I was not a fan.

In space, for 45 minutes, nothing happens.

 

[Starflight]

As long as we're going into controversial territory, I think BoBW is basically a decent but not great mid-range action film, and Family is a boring follow-up that doesn't pack anywhere near the emotional weight it thinks it does (for me, anyway).

BoBW especially treats the Borg in a really dull way IMO - they're genuinely eerie and alien in Q Who but then suddenly we have Patrick Stewart in bad makeup going "I WILL SPEAK FOR THE BORG. HMM, YOUR SHIP IS PRIMITIVE. BEVERLY. CRUSHER. DOCTOR" or whatever and it's like, well, now they're just generic sci-fi bad guys. Most of the meat of the episode for me comes from the Shelby/Riker conflict, rather than the Borg.

Neither are the worst of TNG by a long shot, but I always skip both on rewatches to just get straight back into the regular episodes. As for The Inner Light, I actually like it but it is very, very overwrought. I felt the same about Voyager's "Timeless" - it's a good story, but it's horribly overproduced because they wanted it to land as a standout hit.

 

[I am not Herbert]

As long as we're going into controversial territory, I think BoBW is basically a decent but not great mid-range action film, and Family is a boring follow-up that doesn't pack anywhere near the emotional weight it thinks it does (for me, anyway).

BoBW especially treats the Borg in a really dull way IMO - they're genuinely eerie and alien in Q Who but then suddenly we have Patrick Stewart in bad makeup going "I WILL SPEAK FOR THE BORG. HMM, YOUR SHIP IS PRIMITIVE. BEVERLY. CRUSHER. DOCTOR" or whatever and it's like, well, now they're just generic sci-fi bad guys. Most of the meat of the episode for me comes from the Shelby/Riker conflict, rather than the Borg.

Neither are the worst of TNG by a long shot, but I always skip both on rewatches to just get straight back into the regular episodes. As for The Inner Light, I actually like it but it is very, very overwrought. I felt the same about Voyager's "Timeless" - it's a good story, but it's horribly overproduced because they wanted it to land as a standout hit.

hard agree on BoBW, hard disagree on the Inner Light. Or I suppose I actually agree-- it is overwrought-- but it's precisely this sort of overwrought sci-fi adjacent melodrama that manages to melt ol' non-Herbert's heart at 1:22 AM every once in a while (see also, e.g., twilight zone's "walking distance")

 

[TheAdmiralty]

I'll say Outrageous Okona. Maybe Shades of Grey in reality but I'm willing to give it a pass for being a clip show. It doesn't suck any worse than I'd expect any clip show to.

Surprised to see multiple mentions of Data's Day. One of my favorites and at least to me the character interactions are what makes TNG, I often watch episodes and don't care what it's "about". And in this case the sci fi B story is actually good with the Romulan spy so there's nothing to not like.

 

[Qonundrum]

I'll say Outrageous Okona. Maybe Shades of Grey in reality but I'm willing to give it a pass for being a clip show. It doesn't suck any worse than I'd expect any clip show to.

Seconded.

Indeed, the non-clip parts sell evocatively, a real sense of alien landscape and sense of palpable threat. Not since "Planet of Evil" of Doctor Who fame has a sci-fi show managed to really nail it, though the DW story is a notch or two better as it looked more alien. Both were excellent and heading the pack, though!

Surprised to see multiple mentions of Data's Day. One of my favorites and at least to me the character interactions are what makes TNG, I often watch episodes and don't care what it's "about". And in this case the sci fi B story is actually good with the Romulan spy so there's nothing to not like.

Hit or miss, but the Romulan b-plot does elevate it a lot.