What Well-Regarded Episode Makes You Dislike TNG the Most?

[tranya]

I don't mean the crappy episodes, e.g. "Shades of Gray," etc. I mean, which episodes which are generally well-regarded make you dislike this show?

For me, it's probably "Half a Life." Love the performances, even love the moral issue at the core, but ultimately, the episode ends up typifying the wishy-washy way Trek treated cultural differences. There's absolutely no good reason why Timicin should kill himself at the end of the episode, yet there he goes, and the episode seems to fall back on "well, that's just his culture!"

20 years on, a lot of things embarrass me when I watch TNG. First and foremost, it's this kind of weak and annoying moral stance that sticks with me.

 

[tomalak301]

Not sure if I understand the question but if I did, The Neutral Zone. Most people love this episode but I never got it. I felt the plot with the 20th century humans interfered with the larger scope and feel of the episode to the point of being a distraction. They could have built up the Romulans a whole lot more than they did and the Romulans should have had a much bigger role. I'd even say half way into the episode or maybe a little before then is when you meet the romulans. Thankfully episodes like Defector and The Enemy did the romulans the right way but it didn't start out very well.

 

[Finnegan]

"Masks"....ugh, what a piece o' crap that one was. And Spiner just basically phoned it in, using a stupid funny voice through most of it.
Utter garbage.

 

[SiorX]

"Masks"....ugh, what a piece o' crap that one was. And Spiner just basically phoned it in, using a stupid funny voice through most of it.
Utter garbage.

I find that with Masks, A Fistful of Datas, and Brothers. I know a lot of fans love Spiner very much, but these episodes always strike me as TNG at its most gratuitous.

Data's Day was on the other day and it reminded me of something else - the A plot is Data showing us family life and things aboard the ship. The B plot is about a Romulan Spy putting the whole ship in danger. At the very end of the ep, Picard does his little routine about how a tiny new baby was being born while they were all in jeopardy. He completely fails to draw attention to the fact that he was, therefore, knowingly putting his ship in danger while carting around kids and at least one heavily pregnant woman.

There are a few other episodes like that - episodes where they ought to be powerful contrast episodes of exploration & danger vs family, but they tend to irritate me because of the constant unanswered question of why on earth a ship that's in absolute peril once a week is still carting around civilians and children.

 

[Robert Treat]

Not sure if I understand the question but if I did, The Neutral Zone. Most people love this episode but I never got it. I felt the plot with the 20th century humans interfered with the larger scope and feel of the episode to the point of being a distraction. They could have built up the Romulans a whole lot more than they did and the Romulans should have had a much bigger role. I'd even say half way into the episode or maybe a little before then is when you meet the romulans. Thankfully episodes like Defector and The Enemy did the romulans the right way but it didn't start out very well.

The Neutral Zone was originally supposed to be the first part of a three-part story that brought the Federation and the Romulans into an alliance against the Borg, but a writer's strike unfortunately nixed that idea.

I figure they worked together in one of those universes Worf visited in "Parallels".

 

[Ward Fowler]

Any well-regarded Worf episode.

 

[tomalak301]

Not sure if I understand the question but if I did, The Neutral Zone. Most people love this episode but I never got it. I felt the plot with the 20th century humans interfered with the larger scope and feel of the episode to the point of being a distraction. They could have built up the Romulans a whole lot more than they did and the Romulans should have had a much bigger role. I'd even say half way into the episode or maybe a little before then is when you meet the romulans. Thankfully episodes like Defector and The Enemy did the romulans the right way but it didn't start out very well.

The Neutral Zone was originally supposed to be the first part of a three-part story that brought the Federation and the Romulans into an alliance against the Borg, but a writer's strike unfortunately nixed that idea.

I did not know that.

 

[Red Ranger]

None. I like TNG and hate the usual terrible ones like Shades of Gray. I like all the well-regarded ones. -- RR

 

[WillsBabe]

I like all TNG's well-regarded episodes. I don't have the love for Inner Light that other folks do, but I can appeciate it, and it certainly doesn't make me hate TNG.

 

[RikerLover]

I like all TNG's well-regarded episodes. I don't have the love for Inner Light that other folks do, but I can appeciate it, and it certainly doesn't make me hate TNG.

I feel the same way about Inner Light. It's not one of my favorite episodes but I don't hate TNG because of it.

 

[WillsBabe]

I feel the same way about Inner Light. It's not one of my favorite episodes but I don't hate TNG because of it.

I like your unsername, RikerLover. I actually think my favourite part of Inner Light is where Picard falls and Riker catches him! Shallow, moi?

 

[jgdst]

I like all TNG's well-regarded episodes. I don't have the love for Inner Light that other folks do, but I can appeciate it, and it certainly doesn't make me hate TNG.

I feel the same way about Inner Light. It's not one of my favorite episodes but I don't hate TNG because of it.

Yup, it's one I also enjoy, but don't get super-duper excited about.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

I don't mean the crappy episodes, e.g. "Shades of Gray," etc. I mean, which episodes which are generally well-regarded make you dislike this show?

For me, it's probably "Half a Life." Love the performances, even love the moral issue at the core, but ultimately, the episode ends up typifying the wishy-washy way Trek treated cultural differences. There's absolutely no good reason why Timicin should kill himself at the end of the episode, yet there he goes, and the episode seems to fall back on "well, that's just his culture!"

20 years on, a lot of things embarrass me when I watch TNG. First and foremost, it's this kind of weak and annoying moral stance that sticks with me.

Interesting take. I can't think of an episode in particular, but I dislike the whole PC kumbaya image TNG promooted. To me PC does not necessarily translate into morality. Quite the opposite in fact. Even so, TNG can still be great Trek.

 

[trekkerguy]

None, I like all of TNG.

 

[CaptainStoner]

For me, it's any of the "evil twin" episodes, except maybe the first, Datalore. But to introduce another evil twin/sister/whatever with Sela was always an overdone cliche to me. Not to slight comic books, but it's as if those plots were straight out of B grade comics.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I don't mean the crappy episodes, e.g. "Shades of Gray," etc. I mean, which episodes which are generally well-regarded make you dislike this show?

For me, it's probably "Half a Life." Love the performances, even love the moral issue at the core, but ultimately, the episode ends up typifying the wishy-washy way Trek treated cultural differences. There's absolutely no good reason why Timicin should kill himself at the end of the episode, yet there he goes, and the episode seems to fall back on "well, that's just his culture!"

20 years on, a lot of things embarrass me when I watch TNG. First and foremost, it's this kind of weak and annoying moral stance that sticks with me.

Interesting take. I can't think of an episode in particular, but I dislike the whole PC kumbaya image TNG promooted. To me PC does not necessarily translate into morality. Quite the opposite in fact. Even so, TNG can still be great Trek.

How about "Who Watches the Watchers"? That one was pretty awful on the PC front.

As for really hyped episodes I don't get the fuss about..."Yesterday's Enterprise." It just felt really contrived to me when I saw it.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

I can't stand The Neutral Zone either.

Those dumb 20th century humans are unbearable caricatures (Well, the "FUNNEH MUSISHAN" and the "LULZ CAPITALIST"")

 

[BillJ]

I, Borg, just ruined the rest of the series for me. Picard's decision making was just incredibly short-sighted.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

"The Outcast."

A very pedestrian allegory on sexuality and gender identification.

 

[Star Treks]

I don't hate any of the popular episodes, but I always regarded "Yesterday's Enterprise" as more of a top 20 episode and not a top 5.