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Your Bottom 5 TNG

I am also curious as to why The High Ground is so strongly disliked.

Like Rascals, the way the crew of the Ent-D reacted to a security alert is beyond incompetent, and it angers me just watching it. Why does the Chief Engineer just aimlessly wonder near the warp core exposing himself after Picard ordered the alert? Why does the Security Chief have his back to one of the armed terrorists? Why is it the bridge crew didn't come to Picard's aid?

I know this doesn't necessarily warrant the episode to be one of the worst ever, but it is cringeworthy, at least for me.

I agree with what you say here, if it is bad enough to you to warrant it being in the bottom 5 then so be it, I was just curious as to why and you bring up some good points. For me this episode is kind of a win/lose situation. It features one of my favorite characters, Beverly, but the acting is a little cringeworthy at times...
 
I am also curious as to why The High Ground is so strongly disliked.

Like Rascals, the way the crew of the Ent-D reacted to a security alert is beyond incompetent, and it angers me just watching it. Why does the Chief Engineer just aimlessly wonder near the warp core exposing himself after Picard ordered the alert? Why does the Security Chief have his back to one of the armed terrorists? Why is it the bridge crew didn't come to Picard's aid?

I know this doesn't necessarily warrant the episode to be one of the worst ever, but it is cringeworthy, at least for me.

I agree with what you say here, if it is bad enough to you to warrant it being in the bottom 5 then so be it, I was just curious as to why and you bring up some good points. For me this episode is kind of a win/lose situation. It features one of my favorite characters, Beverly, but the acting is a little cringeworthy at times...

Well, I don't rate it as one of my bottom 5, but I certainly don't rank the episode highly.
 
"The High Ground" is one of my top 5 TNG episodes and one of my all time favorite episodes in Trek.
I love how it deals with a real issue - something I had forgotten TNG did on a frequent basis until I went back and rewatched some TNG season 3 last year. I also adore Beverly Crusher so any episode with her in the main role is a bonus.
I'm not sure why a couple of bad directing decisions on the ship scenes would pull the episode down, the real heart of the episode is Beverly stuck in the cave and I find all those scenes fantastic.
 
I also adore Beverly Crusher, her and Picard are my favorite characters. Strangely enough it is her in this episode that throws me off a little. There are a couple of scenes with Finn which just don't work well, it seems a little forced. To me, as soon as Picard is there she is great. It just seemed that Gates and the actor who played Finn didn't work well.
 
Wow, some of the episodes most people rank at the bottom are favorites of mine! Like Frame of Mind (love Frakes' acting there and appreciate it for its dark tone), The Outcast (finally an episode with a message) and Aquiel (nice atmosphere and a love interest for my second favorite TNG character). Others like The High Ground, Conspiracy, The Dauphin, The Game and Violations are great, too. And I also have to admit that I always liked Rascals and Sub Rosa. I can see what's wrong with those episodes, but like them nonetheless.

I do, however, agree with those mentioning Code of Honor. Whereas other episodes are merely boring, this pile of shit also manages to be ridiculously offensive.

That's what my list looks like:

  1. Code of Honor
  2. Up The Long Ladder
  3. Haven
  4. The Last Outpost
  5. Eye of the Beholder
 
1. Rascals - This one gets my vote as the worst episode in all of Star Trek.
2. Frame of Mind
3. Man of the People
4. Masks
5. Sub Rosa
 
What's wrong with 'High Ground'

'Cos it takes the 'high ground'??? ;);)

For me, it all boils down to two points. First, it basically glorifies terrorism as a way to achieve an objective. When Finn compares himself to George Washington, I want to vomit. Washington did lead what today would be called an insurgency, but he never did the kinds of things Finn does. Second, the end of the episode seems to be saying that "terrorism ends when one kids choses not fire a weapon." So, it simultaneously says terrorism is an acceptable way to gain independance and also something that needs to stop. Pretty bad story direction, IMO.
 
^ And not to mention the way a United Ireland formed through terrorism.

So, it all comes down to bad story direction, bad episode direction.
 
I'm surprised by the hate for "Rascals". It's far from one of the best episodes, but I think it's innocent harmless fun. For me, a lot of the comedy in it worked very well, like the child Ro Laren being so humourless, and Picard's actions as a child, particularly trying to use the children's computer like the ship's computer and being annoyed by its stupidity. My favourite part is child Picard having to throw a temper tantrum so he could speak with Riker. I just imagine Patrick Stewart having to do that and smile. :)
 
^^

Wow, so out of all Trek, those are the only episodes that you are embarrassed to watch....?

Insurrection (which comes off as an episode), These Are the Voyages, The Final Frontier...Darmok, the boring episode The Inner Light, Spock's Brain...Plato's Stepchildren...and a list of others...

And those are the only episodes you are embarrassed to watch??!!

Interesting standards...;)

:lol:



Sidenote to the poster Too Much Fun:

I am liking your avatar...:techman::lol:
 
^ I think that probably nobody or almost nobody except you is embarrassed to watch The Inner Light... in fact most people think it's a great episode.

The rest of the episodes you list, except Darmok, are bad (and there are others you could have listed, like Threshold, Profit and Lace...) but Code of Honor, Justice, Angel One are all no less awful, at least, so... what is so funny?
 
^ I think that probably nobody or almost nobody except you is embarrassed to watch The Inner Light... in fact most people think it's a great episode.

The rest of the episodes you list, except Darmok, are bad (and there are others you could have listed, like Threshold, Profit and Lace...) but Code of Honor, Justice, Angel One are all no less awful, at least, so... what is so funny?

:lol:

Well, we don't know everybody, so we can't say I'm the only one embarrassed to watch The Inner Light...(It's a big world out there, and there are a lot of casual and serious Trek fans).

And what is so funny?

Well, I'm having fun; I'm not taking everything so seriously.

Aside from Trek, I think it's better to have a positive demeanor rather than an ugly demeanor. Wouldn't you agree?

It's just a television show...or television franchise, rather.

As I mentioned before in other posts, people have different tastes; and where people have different tastes...you're going to have different opinions.

Granted there are opinions that need to be focused on a bit carefully, i.e. opinions on racial, gender, or sexual orientation, but majority of the time....we should be having fun here...

Wouldn't you agree?
 
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^^

Wow, so out of all Trek, those are the only episodes that you are embarrassed to watch....?

Insurrection (which comes off as an episode), These Are the Voyages, The Final Frontier...Darmok, the boring episode The Inner Light, Spock's Brain...Plato's Stepchildren...and a list of others...

And those are the only episodes you are embarrassed to watch??!!

Interesting standards...;)

:lol:

Actually, yeah. You see, I find some of these you cited embarrassing, but I myself was not embarrassed by them... you know, as in why oh fucking why am I a Trekkie?

I am pretty tolerant.

You know what embarrassed me? Watching Armageddon at the cinema. I didn't want to get caught doing that by my peers. :p

TOS is corny, but has style. There's nothing to be ashamed about. ;)
 
^^

Wow, so out of all Trek, those are the only episodes that you are embarrassed to watch....?

Insurrection (which comes off as an episode), These Are the Voyages, The Final Frontier...Darmok, the boring episode The Inner Light, Spock's Brain...Plato's Stepchildren...and a list of others...

And those are the only episodes you are embarrassed to watch??!!

Interesting standards...;)

:lol:

Actually, yeah. You see, I find some of these you cited embarrassing, but I myself was not embarrassed by them... you know, as in why oh fucking why am I a Trekkie?

I am pretty tolerant.

You know what embarrassed me? Watching Armageddon at the cinema. I didn't want to get caught doing that by my peers. :p

TOS is corny, but has style. There's nothing to be ashamed about. ;)

:lol:

I do agree...

Armageddon was embarrassing....:techman:
 
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