I think Conspiracy was the best episode. 11001001 was a some what basic story line.
Which was the first decent episode of TNG?
- Thread starter Tempest
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I find I can enjoy the bad, early episodes of a show once I know it's improved later on. It's just too frustrating watching those early ones first run, because they look like they have every intention of churning this crap out for years on end. But it they fix those problems, later on, I can relax and enjoy the bad stuff from earlier. At least a little.
"Encounter at Farpoint" would be my answer. Found it to be a compelling debut episode and have never understood why the first season is so widely derided. Sure, it has some absolute clunkers, but I like most of the episodes and love a few of them (i.e. "The Arsenal of Freedom, "The Big Goodbye").
I started watching ST TNG from the middle, I was a kid back then. When I got all the DVDs and started watching from Season 1, I must say I was generally disappointed in that I enjoyed watching it, but I found many of the episodes to be very old styled in their filming and naive. For me Season 2 felt more like the "normal Star Trek", at least production-wise.
However, when several years back I was rewatching some of the TNG and was randomly picking episodes from Season 1, I noticed that actually I enjoy many of them. Yes, you can later say the plot was crap and this and that, but as the episode beings playing - I just can't turn it off, I will continue watching )
However, when several years back I was rewatching some of the TNG and was randomly picking episodes from Season 1, I noticed that actually I enjoy many of them. Yes, you can later say the plot was crap and this and that, but as the episode beings playing - I just can't turn it off, I will continue watching )
I always felt that was its flaw, coming so early in the show's run - don't do an 'out of character' episode before you've had a chance to establish what 'in character' looks like. Especially as several characters, including Picard, changed somewhat after the pilot.
I agree with you but only in the sense that on first viewing that's how I felt. On repeat viewings I now know what all the characters are supposed to be like so I can enjoy The Naked Now after the fact. Picard and Dr Crusher crack me up in this episode
The other problem with running "The Naked Now" as the first non-pilot episode was that it gave the false impression that, "Oh, they're just going to be remaking old TOS episodes . . . ."
In hindsight, starting off with an ep that deliberately reworks a specific TOS ep (right down to the title) might have been a minor misstep, although the TNG certainly got past that.
In hindsight, starting off with an ep that deliberately reworks a specific TOS ep (right down to the title) might have been a minor misstep, although the TNG certainly got past that.
There are lots of problems with EaF, but it had the virtue of establishing things people did like right off the bat including Picard and Data. Plus they got the technology and universe "right".
"Encounter At Farpoint" was decent straight out of the gate. The hiccups and ups-and-downs which followed it were neither here nor there, the format of TNG, the unique interactions of the characters, all of the things we know and love about the show, all of it was evident from the very start. 
Agreed with Lance, "Encounter At Farpoint" was a decent enough start.
Also agree with others that "Naked Now" was just not a great first 'regular' episode. I'd have maybe put it midway through the first season.
Also agree with others that "Naked Now" was just not a great first 'regular' episode. I'd have maybe put it midway through the first season.
Naked Now should have been destroyed. It wasn't even about hidden traits coming to the surface, so nothing compelling happens. They trivialized the virus's effect by making it be like that of alcohol. So everyone gets a bit giddy and loopy and uninhibited. So what? No inner turmoil coming out. They might just as well have shown everybody drunk from a party.
I may rewatch Encounter at Farpoint, Heart of Glory, and Conspiracy in the next few days.
I need my Tasha Yar/Counselor Troi/Season 1 TNG Uniform fix.
I swear, when I first saw Conspiracy, I seriously did not want my feet touching the ground lest I see something pink w/pincers crawling around. Even though the self-righteous demeanor that embodied Picard later on in the series, I like how he gives a look of disgust then just blasts the queen - I mean, she did just take over poor Remmick.
I do like how those taken over are still able to be 'brought back' as long as they don't have a queen inside them.
*shiver*
Before that episode, I didn't have anything 'scare' me like that since the eel scene in TWOK.
I need my Tasha Yar/Counselor Troi/Season 1 TNG Uniform fix.
I swear, when I first saw Conspiracy, I seriously did not want my feet touching the ground lest I see something pink w/pincers crawling around. Even though the self-righteous demeanor that embodied Picard later on in the series, I like how he gives a look of disgust then just blasts the queen - I mean, she did just take over poor Remmick.
I do like how those taken over are still able to be 'brought back' as long as they don't have a queen inside them.
*shiver*
Before that episode, I didn't have anything 'scare' me like that since the eel scene in TWOK.
Not a good way to introduce yourself to the forum.
I remember being in a pretentious crowd at a science fiction fan party, during NG's season 1, where everyone was sneering fairly patronizingly about how pathetic original Trek was, and how superior first -season Next Gen was to it. Really! I imagine they ate their words later, or conveniently forgot their attitude then.
What an episode to remake, too. Weird weird weird, why stop there, too? I'd have liked to see someone bet 400 quatloos on Riker, or an evil Troi.
As much as I disagree with NN being shown early in STNG's run, it still seems as if you didnt actually watch or remember the episode very well...there was quite a bit of angst and natural inclinations that came to the surface. Go watch it again and get back to us.
I know the episode very well, unfortunately.
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