Yes, yes, yes I like "The Royale"; shout if you do

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

This, like, "Where Silence has Lease", is an episode I just can't turn off once it's on. But whereas "Silence" has garnered some respect, "The Royale" is lambasted. Well, I like it.

First, this episode, lik "Silence", has a good dose of actual "hard" sci fi, and what some might consider rather flat direction for both these episodes actually helps to give me the sense that character or even story pacing play second here to those high fi concepts and ideas. This story's hook is not unlike that of 2001, where the aliens are trying to make a human feel at home has his life ends. People have also complained about the cliches in the hotel story. Uh, ok, but that's point of the story, and I actual can't help but chuckle as the crew has to navigate these cliches. Nice. I like that they have to take part in the resolution of the story.

I don't know, there are holes for sure, but I like it. Sue me.

 

[BillJ]

One of my favorite Next Gen outings.

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

Absolutely love it! Very "TOS-like" IMHO.

 

[Ryan8bit]

Coincidentally just watched it last night. I guess you'll get no argument from me. I think it's a great episode. Every reason I've ever seen for someone not liking it, they just don't seem to get it.

 

[Canadave]

*shrug* For me, it just comes off as silly. The basic premise is a good one, but the execution just falls flat. It's not awful, but it's not one I have any desire to watch on a regular basis, either.

 

[Saxman1]

I just watched this last week during a season two "home sick marathon." I have always found it extremely amusing and sort of a send-off of the "Dallas/Falcon Crests" of that era of TV, very tongue-in-cheek. Many people don't enjoy such satires, I understand that, but I do.

 

[Amaris]

I love this episode. It is still one of my favorites. I had a copy of the TNG videocassette library series (well, okay, I had 3 VHS tapes from the TNG library series), and "The Royale" was one of them, and I wore that tape out.

 

[Kelthaz]

First, this episode, lik "Silence", has a good dose of actual "hard" sci fi

How is a magic space casino hard science fiction?

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Well, because the (unseen) aliens were trying to help the human. And the crew was solving a puzzle that depended on this notion, which I thought was rather profound. The episode was more about this premise than many later episodes of TNG, where, in the end, they are trying to develop the characters of the main cast. Here, it was about the sci fi concept.

 

[Trekker4747]

I've always sort-of liked it too.

 

[Christopher]

I like "The Royale." It has a nice Twilight Zone-ish surrealism to it. And yes, it's a goofy situation, but it embraces that fact and rolls with it, so it's fun in much the same way that "A Piece of the Action" is fun. Plus Ron Jones's period music is terrific.

There's one thing that stands out for me, though I'm not sure whether it counts as ripoff or homage: the way Data uses his android strength to "unload" the loaded dice and win the game is a direct lift from a scene in Roddenberry's The Questor Tapes pilot.

 

[CaptainStoner]

Yes, I like it. Has a classic sci-fi feel, beaming down and finding things are not as they seem...

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I like "The Royale." It has a nice Twilight Zone-ish surrealism to it. And yes, it's a goofy situation, but it embraces that fact and rolls with it, so it's fun in much the same way that "A Piece of the Action" is fun. Plus Ron Jones's period music is terrific.

There's one thing that stands out for me, though I'm not sure whether it counts as ripoff or homage: the way Data uses his android strength to "unload" the loaded dice and win the game is a direct lift from a scene in Roddenberry's The Questor Tapes pilot.

I think in the TNG Companion they mention it is deliberate

 

[GNDN]

Two eps that I love.

 

[Gaith]

I'm not even sure I've seen the whole ep, but the image of the skeletal astronaut, lying there on the bed as they read aloud how hellish his fate was, is a moment that will stay with me a long time, and that's more than lots of Trek eps can say. So, yeah, I'd like to watch it all sometime.

 

[Saga]

i hated The Royale as a kid, but now i'll admit its grown on me. plus, Data wearing a cowboy hat is just hilarious.

 

[Kamdan]

That one chick Vanessa was cute. She can blow on my dice.

 

[Silvercrest]

It's watchable if you take it as goofy fun. But the premise of how the crew escapes doesn't make any sense. They have to force a condition where the simulation will end, fine. What does that have to do with exiting the building?

If the simulation was supposed to be a permanent environment for Col. Richey, there shouldn't be any situation where he's suddenly allowed to leave. If Col. Richey had managed to end the story, would it have let him go-- and if so, what would he have done then? It would be like an ape whose cage door opens and lets him leave the zoo if he manages to solve a really complex puzzle.

Either the aliens wouldn't program such a situation, or if it was ever achieved, the simulation would just restart.

 

[WillsBabe]

I don't hate The Royale. It reminds me of a TOS episode, actually. I could easily see Kirk and the boys beaming down to Casino-land.

 

[Art Vandelay]

I love The Royale, always have, always will. The perfect mix of a solid sci-fi story and season 2 weirdness, with some comic relief strewn in. The fact that we never actually see the "benefactors" is wonderful. It's Star Trek meets Dallas meets The Twilight Zone, so what's not to love?

Plus Ron Jones's period music is terrific.

QFT. Get the FSM box set if you don't own it yet.