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Episode 3: Code of Honor

Vaccine duty. Guess some things never change. And we have space africa, which is always fun.

Picard plays diplomat and gentleman, as expected. Still in awe at how Stewart's voice can dominate a room. I kind of like how Picard has much less patience for nonsense (or in general) than Kirk did.

Riker is occupying an interesting place for me. He just generally a nice guy and kind of laid back (first episode snottiness to La Forge aside). Given how some of Picard's character traits leave him compelling, but not always likeable, it's sort of necessary to have someone like him who audiences can latch onto. Frakes seems to be settling into the role quite quickly. During the discussion over whether Picard should beam down, he came across as more relaxed in the role than the first two episodes.

Burton does his best to sell La Forge's reaction to Data's accidental joke, but it doesn't quite work for me. A smirk or brief chuckle would've probably been better.

Yar (or more accurately Crosby) has gone down in my estimation. Aside from the sexist trappings of the plot, though I can usually forgive a character a dodgy episode, the acting is just a bit off. Mannerisms are at once exaggerated and a little stiff, and, while I praised the jitteriness in the first episode, it just doesn't work here.

Worf is presumably suffering from the flu, so, I was completely wrong about my prediction.

Crusher might have relatively little to do here, but McFadden still knocks it out of the park. I stand by my comment that her character could be a real person.

Troi feels like she's going to be a bit of a living prop. Her emotion sensing abilities are just used to state the obvious. Has some insight into their culture, which is nice.

Data's interest in comedy is a cool angle to take his human quest in. I like that he has a friendship with La Forge.

Wesley is, again, almost saved by not being here much. Hiding in the lift is actually kind of alright. His delight at potentially getting another chance on the bridge still has that "golly, mister" vibe, which I do not care for, but at least he's not actively annoying in this one.

Don't reckon much to the people of Ligon. Lutan's actor tries to have some hammy fun with the role and conveys a decent amount of shrewdness and intelligence, but I don't really enjoy them much.

Time has obviously improved things, but there's still a stage play aesthetic here. Decent sets, though. The holodeck is pretty cool. The fight is incredibly abysmal. Much of the dialogue feels just functional and expositional.

It's trying harder than TOS, but it's still very racist. On the one hand, there's something good about having a non western culture be relatively advanced without losing said culture. On the other, its the most genetic of homogenised, non white cultural soup, and both Picard and Lutan ultimately suggest that the federation is still more advanced. There's what appears to be an attempt at appreciating other cultures, but every signifier of Ligonian society is viewed as either quaint or outright immoral, to say nothing of how most of it is described by the main cast, instead of the actual participants in the culture. The prime directive is invoked and justified by suggesting, if left mostly alone, Ligon will naturally evolve to be like the federation and Hagon's last line about being civilised comes after an out of nowhere supposedly feminist moment, which only further suggests that Ligon's real value lies in how it may one day resemble the federation.

Even without the bigotry, its a dull affair. First episode I've disliked more than I liked. Fortunately, it seems that bad TNG is more watchable than bad TOS.

I'll check out The Last Outpost later.

Jonathan Frakes, the actor that plays Will Riker, said that Code of Honor was his most-disliked episode

i'm a believer that nothing in this franchise is so bad that it's not worth watching at least once.

but there are a few episodes that challenge that conviction.

Code of Honor is one of those episodes.

There is another season one episode that in my opinion challenges Code Of Honor for worst season 1 episode and that is the sexist piece of crap in Angel One.

holy shit, we agree on something. it's a star trek miracle!

Episode 4: The Last Outpost

Finally get the Ferengi. And an ancient race of precursors.

Picard really has no patience, despite exhorting it's virtues. It's probably needed in a starship captain, but he really does come across as a control freak. He especially can't abide Data's nonsense. Practically pains him to play nice with the Ferengi. Loved that he criticises America's flag, only to gush at the French. And starts swearing in French. Calling Riker Will is a nice way of showing their friendship. They make for a good double act. Getting taken by surprise and signalling to kill communication after learning the Ferengi are trying to surrender is a brilliant moment of acting. It's interesting that he stays on the ship much more than Kirk.

Riker is clearly a friend to all children. Seemed a bit irritable on the transporter pad. Being unwaveringly honest to Portal is a great moment. Calling out for "anybody" veers into the hammy a bit. Frakes and Stewart are getting a bit more seamless in their conversations.

Burton plays La Forge with such a boundless energy and enthusiasm that it's completely infectious. Just a genuinely cool guy, especially during the engine room scene. His laughter at Data getting stuck is a joy.

Yar gets a nice reaction shot when she learns that Ferengi females aren't allowed clothes. Justifiably outraged at the Ferengi's perversion. After the last episode, I'm grateful the security chief gets to be a decent threat.

Worf is still advocating for the violent solution. This is the most we've seen of him so far, but I still don't have much of a feel for him.

Crusher only gets a couple of scenes, but she's a highlight in both of them. Shutting down Picard's death with dignity idea is great, as is the minor flirting when they wake up.

Troi still feels a little underutilised, but I feel that Sirtis has settled into the role a little more comfortably. At least she gives a useful suggestion to check the planet.

Data is a highlight. His confusion over the finger trap is priceless and Spiner is an absolute master of physical comedy. Even the way he gets knocked out is distinctive. Love his attempts at slang. For a guy that doesn't get comedy, hes often hilarious. Alongside Picard and Crusher, he's becoming one of my favourite characters.

No Wesley, which is no great loss.

The Ferengi have some delightful physicality to them. Jumping around, crouching and crawling like an energised Gollum. They take the capitalism hat to a surprising and very welcome extreme. Not particularly threatening, but given that both ships are in the same predicament, I don't think they're meant to be. I dont mind a more slimy, ineffectual antagonist. The designs of them are brilliant and it's great that they find hu-mans just as ugly as we do them.

Portal has a nice chat with Riker, but before that he's kind of in generic godlike territory.

The Ferengi ship has a great design. The planet still has that stage play aesthetic from TOS, but what little we looks alright. Plus, I just love giant crystals. Some great use of shadows when the ship's power is out.

The Ferengi are obviously capitalists taken to their absolute, utterly disgusting limit. They don't just regard everything, even means that would help them survive, as opportunities for profit, they also have a myopic view of individuality and self interest, to the point that they assume a trap would be laid for them. One interesting point about their culture is the role of women. For a long time, they were excluded from the workforce and, even now, face discrimination despite doing the exact same work as men. Add to this, modern society's weird, rather repressed fixation on sex selling, and its not hard to see why, in Ferengi super capitalism, not only are barred from working or wearing clothes, but the act of having clothing only invited further titillation from the perverted maniacs. Takes the message further than I would've expected.

Mind you, there is problem. Despite positioning itself as being beyond the space america of TOS, TNG does run the risk of being just as imperialistic. The characters are frequently dismissive, to the point of bigotry, of Ferengi culture and one criticism of federation values made, that they abandon so called undeveloped planets to die in the event of a catastrophe, does stick. The prime directive can't be an absolutist statement. There's quite a gulf between outrighy imposing your culture on another people and merely helping out those in need. A little too self congratulatory here.

Still, it's an enjoyable episode with a mostly sound point, especially after the last debacle.

Going Where No One Has Gone Before next.

Practically pains him to play nice with the Ferengi

It is revealed later that Picard has a bad history with the Ferengi. The Ferengi have done bad things to Picard before. That is why he dislikes them at this time. However, he is not xenophobic about all Ferengi forever

Worf is still advocating for the violent solution. This is the most we've seen of him so far, but I still don't have much of a feel for him

The writers later commented that it was a major failure of theirs that they didn't develop Worf's character in the first few episodes. "We made him look like a violent idiot."

Be patient. The writers will develop Worf

Episode 5: Where No One Has Gone Before

There is something quite fun at seeing various flavours of ludicrous speed. A world where thought and reality blur is a nice bit of fantasy.

Picard's getting a little protective of Riker. Correcting Kosinski on his rank was kind of sweet. Breaking into french upon seeing his mother was adorable. The standout moment, though, was grumpily, but kindly, giving Wesley his commission. It's a beautiful scene of him and Riker rewarding the boy in a way that tracks with Picard's social awkwardness. I still love his general impatience with everything.

Riker annoyed me with his "not now, kid" bit. Given how he's been the nicest towards him out of anyone, it doesn't seem right. Love the skepticism written on his face anytime he hears Kosinski babble.

La Forge gets a sweet moment with Yar, which is nice coming off their interaction in The Naked Now.

I'm back to liking Yar. Get a brief look at her backstory. She wears worry on her face throughout.

Worf gets a sweet moment with his Targ. Conceding that it's basically a cat is cute.

Crusher didn't do too much, but it seems that, while she's just as passionate as McCoy, she's willing to make more allowances for pragmatism.

Troi still feels like Captain Obvious. Sirtis got to have a great moment of expressing the whole ship's emotions, though.

Data and La Forge seem like they're going to have a double act similar to Sulu and Chekov. His confusion over sleigh ride was kind of amusing.

Didn't hate Wesley for once. The scene of him looking over the Traveller's work and especially when he comforts him at the end are actually kind of great. His child genius nonsense didn't completely annoy me and him getting a commission warmed my heart a little. Seems that Wheaton is actually a decent actor who's just been poorly served a bit.

Kosinski is great. Delightfully arrogant and snotty. Utterly adore how his overly flowery technobabble is actually just gibberish. Gets elevated a bit from complete stereotype with his sweet moment at the end with the Traveller.

Speaking of the Traveller, it's nice to have a godlike alien who sort of respects humanity. His conversations with Picard are great and, while he's used to shill for Wesley, their relationship is alright.

I'm still impressed with the use of lighting on the Enterprise. It has quite the unique look. The VFX shots of the warp effect and the weird parts of the universe are beautiful. A lot of lovely surreal imagery, especially when Picard nearly falls out of the turbolift. A pretty great piece of music when the Traveller starts to permanently fade. Had a nice ticking clock motif to it. The scene where Picard asks for opinions was really clunky. Everyone going in order and starting with captain. It's a little insulting.

It's basically a meta story. Star Trek is, in a way, fiction, even in universe. Kosinski's technobabble is correctly pegged as meaningless nonsense, like all technobabble is, whereas, as revealed by the Traveller and (the not completely insufferable) Wesley, the real source of the Enterprise's motion is thought. Picard's mother outright says that the weird place they're in could be just as accurately described as the beginning of the universe, where everyone's imaginations become reality. The crew, of course, are not quite ready to be completely meta themselves (just as we're not. How many of us suffer through a shit reality, wrongly believing we have no power to change the narrative?), but the Traveller does leave them, alongside some character shilling, a gift: a peak into the true soul of their universe and, so, Star Trek itself: curiosity. Even the highly advanced value curiosity.

Probably the first great story. Quite liked this one.

Lonely Among Us, next.

I told you that Where No One Has Gone Before was one of the few decent first season stories.

Well you are onto yet another crap/very mediocre story next.

Mate just do this please. Just watch the following episodes:

Season 1:

Datalore
Arsenal Of Freedom
Conspiracy

Season 2:

The Measure Of A Man
Q Who

Watch those and skip the rest and go straight to season 3. Believe me you will miss nothing. If once you are finished seasons 3 - 6 (forget season 7 as it is almost as bad as the first 2 seasons) you are still curious go back and watch them.

CassandraCroft posted...

Believe me you will miss nothing.

Uh...he'd certainly miss something if he skipped Skin of Evil.

BlazinBlue88 posted...

Uh...he'd certainly miss something if he skipped Skin of Evil.

Ah yes that very mediocre episode with the sentient oil slick. No he would miss nothing in my opinion.

Not planning on skipping anything. If i encounter a bad episode or several, so be it.

Episode 6: Lonely Among Us

Cool idea in an electrical entity. Still doing diplomatic work (not that it matters much to the plot).

Picard seems to have mellowed out a fair bit. Tolerates a surprising amount of Data's nonsense. Has a passionate interest in literature, which is great. Clearly felt the death of the engineer (I think this is our first crewmeber death). Stewart's acting is so consistently excellent that its hard to pick a highlight, but the look he gives to the camera might count as one.

Actually seems calmer and more relaxed when merged with the entity. The way its played suggests, to me, that the entity was being honest and that a decent chunk of Picard was still there.

Loving Riker's reactions to the various shenanigans, especially from Data and the delegates. Pretty overworked, having to handle both plots. Very smug in his speech on pseudo vegetarianism.

Even when he hasn't got too much to do, La Forge is still a delight to watch. Quite decent to Wesley and I got a kick out of him and Worf just having a conversation.

Yar is not having a fun time of it. Has disgust written all over her whenever dealing with the delegates and their cultural quirks. Got to share in the great reactions to Data's silliness.

Worf felt like a member of the main cast for the first time. Being slightly irritated by sensor duty is funny. Very loyal to Picard, even when being attacked by him.

Crusher, even without the entity, is more attentive to her son than she's ever been. McFadden has some fun playing the entity as confused and slightly distracted. Palpable trepidation when confronting not Picard. He really is a subject of fear to the staff, isn't he?

Troi was more useful here, feeling Picard out in the cloud. I felt a vibe of frustration from her when she felt that Picard had seemingly closed his mind. Her loneliness when she feels Picard's state is pretty great.

Data as Holmes is fantastic. I truly hope he continues to find odd human things to latch onto. Spiner is a master of facial expressions and physical comedy. Simply turning a monitor around is a source of laughs. He's an absolute treasure.

Wesley probably works best in small doses. His general archetype means that he's unlikely to ever be one of my favourites, but I didn't mind him helping out in this one. The general earnestness could still stand to go, but I don't really have a problem with in this episode.

The two delegate races had some great designs and provide a source of very bleak humour to the proceedings. What little we hear of their eating rituals is mildly interesting.

The work on the cloud is just as good as everything else. Surprisingly good atmosphere of dread when the Picard entity spills the beans and prepares to transport. Likewise, the relative silence on the bridge after hes gone is pretty harrowing. I'm impressed how dark, in the literal lighting sense, they allow this show to go. Scenes like the mutiny discussion are often stunning.

Pretty fun episode. Perhaps a little average.

Will see Justice tomorrow.

Oh, you've finally hit TNG, I can tag this topic now. Never watched TOS myself.

I myself never found Wesley all that annoying. I think it's because he's sooooo shit-talked that I was expecting the worst, so when I actually saw him, he was just whatever.

Data as Holmes is fantastic

at the time of the episode, Sherlock Holmes was still under copyright by the estate of the author, Arthur Conan Doyle. Star Trek did not have permission to use Sherlock Holmes. After this episode aired, Star Trek received a cease-and-desist warning not to use Sherlock Holmes without permission again

The writers did not listen. They used Sherlock Holmes a second time. A lawsuit was filed against Star Trek and its production studio, Paramount

Today in the year 2022, Sherlock Holmes is no longer under copyright

CassandraCroft posted...

Ah yes that very mediocre episode with the sentient oil slick. No he would miss nothing in my opinion.

It's a pretty bad episode but Tasha dies in it.

Im a newer fan and never understood what was supposed to be bad about Wesley. The show lays him on kinda thick in season 1, but season 1 overall is in this really weird limbo of being stuck in old TOS writing sensibilities while trying to evolve into something contemporary. He's hardly the worst thing about that season >_>

he's a pretty glaring mary sue. but i've said before that these days it's a little easier to get past, because you can watch through the rough patches in a few hours instead of a few months. there just isn't time for the hate to build up like there was in the 80s.

Kim_Seong-a posted...

Im a newer fan and never understood what was supposed to be bad about Wesley. The show lays him on kinda thick in season 1, but season 1 overall is in this really weird limbo of being stuck in old TOS writing sensibilities while trying to evolve into something contemporary. He's hardly the worst thing about that season >_>

Episode 13 kinda turned it into a meme.

Episode 7: Justice

Doing a lot of remakes of TOS episodes. I can sort of see why. It has been 20 years and you probably want to court old fans as much as possible, but overt familiarity can be hard to watch, especially when it's yet another edenic planet.

Since he's such a grump, the simple act of maybe allowing shore leave is remarkably heartwarming coming from Picard. Impatient at the mysteriousness of "god". Staring out the window, brooding, while his voice over plays is a fantastic scene for Stewart. I liked his refusal to consider the cold equations and his resolute decision to save Wesley no matter what.

Riker has a healthy sex drive. Very enthused about the space swingers. Quite eager to engage Worf in discussion on his sex life. Typically protective of Wesley. More confident in his command, it seems.

La Forge doesn't get too much, but at least he's sane enough to appreciate free love.

Yar is more relaxed than she's ever been and surprisingly, given her backstory, just as happy to enjoy Edo. Is her comment of "any hat" supposed to imply bisexuality?

Worf gets to be delightfully socially awkward. Dorn has some great timing for his lines. Actually a bit of a sweetheart, wanting a Klingon woman and being afraid of breaking his partners. I do like that the idea of sex between different species isn't even an issue.

Crusher has some great moments of barely restraining her panic over Wesley under a professional demeanour. Sweet that she's the one to suggest shore leave.

Troi can barely bite her tongue when she sees Riker getting cosy with the others. Sweet with Rivan.

Data does tend to babble, but he's forgiven because its often funny. A little bit worried when "god" tries to exchange with him. Has a great scene with Picard.

Wesley probably shouldn't be in this sort of story. Not because he fucks up (it was inevitably going to be someone), but because he can't work on a sex planet. He's too young for it to avoid feeling icky, yet too old to make his apparent sexless existence seem plausible. You could make this type of character be potentially compelling, without being problematic, but it takes great care. Also, at his age (14 or thereabouts, right?), i would've been more concerned about the property damage than whether i was injured. Little unsympathetic, there. His awkwardness at the start was great, though. And at least we know Starfleet never lie. Never seen a teenager be that naive.

The natives are standard childlike, paradise people who run everywhere and want for nothing. Well, there are two things that make them slightly interesting. First, the focus on free love is a great removal from the bizarre anti sex themes that usually pollute religion and religious themed stories. Second, Liator sarcastically referring to his people as undeveloped compared to Picard's was more intelligent than these type of characters are usually allowed to be. Theiss has hit his limit in costume design. The clothes did nothing for me.

The area that the characters literally run around in is quite nice and makes a semi believable paradise. "god" is another fantastic spaceship design. A lot of meandering in both plots.

The problem with adopting a TOS story is that you are very likely to adopt all the ethical issues along with it. The episode makes a play for more nuance by allowing Liator some snark and having Picard wring his hands over what the right thing to do is, but it doesn't change the patronising native fetishism. Actually using the word Eden says it all. There's also the small matter of allowing "god" to continue ruling the Edo. Vaal was ambiguous enough that he could seem to be a natural part of his planet's ecosystem, but this is explicitly an alien entity that gets away with everything because its too technologically advanced to be fought. Its protection is completely dominating their society. A bit of sexism with how Crusher is treated, too. It's one thing to respect mothers (or any parent of guardian), it's quite another to almost fetishise motherhood, and Data's comment about the strength of emotions does just that.

On a positive note, compared to Code of Honor, which portrayed the prime directive as an absolute law that allowed the Enterprise crew to be treated as fools, this episode does criticise it a bit. And, at least, they avoid falling into imperialism (uprooting the new colony can even be seen as an attack on that idea). The final point about moral absolutism being unjust is truly great. I just wish it was in a better episode.

Marginally better than TOS's attempts, but that's not exactly high praise.

How are people finding my reviews/thoughts, by the way? Am I being overly generous or overly critical in general?

Regardless, The Battle starts tomorrow.

you're being more generous that most long time fans, but that's understandable.

splodeymissile posted...

How are people finding my reviews/thoughts, by the way? Am I being overly generous or overly critical in general?

I think they're neat. However critical/generous you are, i always enjoy thought out fan reviews >_>

Episode 8: The Battle

Return of the Ferengi. Seems they might be the main recurring alien this time. Bit of insight into Picard's (everytime i type his name, autocorrect wants me to include a face-palm emoji) past, too.

He's definitely not having a fun day. Get some good winces and irritability out of Stewart. The focus on fire in his vivid memories, along with his reaction to it in Where No One Has Gone Before, makes me wonder if he's got an outright phobia to it. Clearly delighted in telling the story if his gesticulating is any indication and had a little humility at the end. Happy, mind controlled Picard is quite creepy. He's very wistful and nostalgic over his old ship.

Riker still enjoys any reference to sex. Has fun tormenting the Ferengi over an unprofitable venture, too. The patience he shows Picard is like the kind you would show to a elderly person. Shifts into commanding, angry mode quite seamlessly. Drifting out of audience surrogate mode and into his own character. I'm convinced that Frakes is having the time of his life in this role.

La Forge is a little beleaguered and snarky towards angry Riker.

Yar mostly just does her job here, but that isn't the complaint it was in TOS. They do seem to be cycling through the main cast considerably better.

Didn't get much from Worf, either, although it's nice that both he and Yar made the connection about Picard's heavy trunk.

Crusher could not be more delighted about getting to order Picard about. The two of them have quite an emotionally intimate relationship. The scene of Picard almost breaking down over whether he did the right thing, whilst she mostly just listens is brilliant. Has a devious side to her, too, through the many injections she pumps him with.

Troi gets to be useful here, highlighting Bok's deceitfulness and pointing out that Picard's headaches have a mechanical cause. Acted out some brilliant discomfort over the Ferengi's pervertedness. I feel like Sirtis isn't given enough to do. Troi is still mostly a living prop.

Data is little literal minded. Didn't appreciate being eyed up as merchandise. Got to make his own counter maneuver.

He's not as bad as he was at the start, but Wesley has slipped back into annoying territory. He's not even being shilled as much in this episode, but he's still too sweet to be a decent kid character for my tastes. His snark at the lack of a thank you was okay. "Heh, adults" is not, however.

Bok is pretty good. As typically slimy as the rest of the bunch, but with sparks of anger in him. The idea of going against his people's values in the name of revenge is fascinating and does a lot to make this species feel like a collection of individuals, rather than a homogenous, generic enemy. Kazago is an interesting example of what decency looks like in different value systems.

The thought makers have some nice simple designs to them. The Stargazer is a work of art. Just as hyper designed as the new Enterprise. The interior is another fine example of using lighting to accentuate a mood. A pretty cool tracking shot of Picard telling his story. A nice remix of the main theme. The translucent ghosts for Picard's memories are an interesting effect. The Picard manoeuvre itself honestly looks amazing when we finally get to see it.

I've been following along on production trivia as I go and apparently this is the last attempt to make the Ferengi a credible threat. While they clearly don't have the raw power and presence of, say, a Klingon or a Romulan, I still think their scheming, slimy ways makes them dangerous. There was a bit of silliness and mugging in their first appearance, sure, but I find them alright as mostly serious villains. I mean, here, they're actually great.

Hide and Q sounds like a lopsided game, but could still be fun.

splodeymissile posted...

How are people finding my reviews/thoughts, by the way? Am I being overly generous or overly critical in general?

I think you're giving criticism where it's deserved without being too harsh. I'm really enjoying your thoughtful reviews.

splodeymissile posted...

I'm convinced that Frakes is having the time of his life in this role.

Same. Keep an eye out for him in the background listening to whatever primary conversation is happening. He's always grinning ear to ear.

splodeymissile posted...

Seems they might be the main recurring alien this time.

Ferengi flopped hard as big bads.

splodeymissile posted...

I've been following along on production trivia as I go and apparently this is the last attempt to make the Ferengi a credible threat. While they clearly don't have the raw power and presence of, say, a Klingon or a Romulan, I still think their scheming, slimy ways makes them dangerous. There was a bit of silliness and mugging in their first appearance, sure, but I find them alright as mostly serious villains. I mean, here, they're actually great.

They were very much conceived to be a replacement for the Klingons as a recurring threat. IIRC, there's even some mild build-up where they talk about them long before they ever show up. But then that first episode, man. Their design is just a little goofy to begin with, then their mannerisms made it even worse.

It's also hard to take them seriously as a threat when they still think gold has value in the age of replicators.

Episode 9: Hide and Q

Our favourite omnipotent returns and he comes bearing gifts. Which means we have some temptation nonsense to deal with.

Picard is far more dismissive of gods than Kirk ever was. It borders on the unwise to mouth off at them so frequently, yet I can't help but admire the audacity and sheer defiance. Tries to keep an air of diplomacy around Q, but gets far too frustrated to make it work. Quite sweet to Yar during her breakdown. His absolute faith in humanity's potential is admirable, but I'm with Q that it's a little too arrogant (and I'm someone who normally admires arrogance) to liken mankind's future to godhood. Has such an air of smugness during Riker's gift giving that I was convinced the two had secretly hatched a plan to embarrass Q. Instead, he's just being insufferable so we can be taught a lesson. Liked that he can barely bite his tongue and sort of sucks his teeth when Riker starts using his first name.

Speaking of Riker, it seems like we have two different characters bearing the same name. The first Riker is much as we know him: mostly jovial and chill, but with a commanding presence when needed. The second is the smug idiot who somehow falls for Q's plan. The issue of whether Riker would be tempted had three potential points it should have ended at before we got to the gift giving: when he literally laughs in Q's face and then has a conversation with him (and said convo is one of the better scenes in this piece), when he promises to Picard he won't use it, or when he honours his promise even when a little girl dies. Instead, he becomes a smug arse and it doesn't seem natural how he got to that point. Frakes tries to sell it as best he can, with the first hint being folding his arms after teleporting everyone to the bridge, but, as fun as it is to see Frakes literally holding his head high and looking down his nose, sudden omnipotence does not justify his out of character behaviour.

La Forge gets to make some amusing, campy dives during the battle. His reaction to having his sight is amazing and I liked his flirting with Yar.

Speaking of Yar, seems quite nasty for her to be the only one put in the penalty box. Her breakdown isn't particularly great either (though Stewart just about saves that scene). She's going for melodrama, which is a valid thing to go for sometimes, but she can't sell it the same way Shatner, Stewart or even Sirtis (all beginning with s, interestingly) can. It's another example of our strong badass female character immediately melting at the drop of a hat and it comes off as chronically sexist. Also, while I can tolerate hearing about her need for a gentle man when she's suffering the alcohol virus, when she's in her right mind it just comes off as nasty. I'm grateful that Q interrupted them.

Worf literally leaping into battle against Q is another daft moment that falls into camp. Loved him defiantly spilling his drink. I can sort of get why Riker is intrigued by his sex life since Klingon habits certainly look interesting to say the least. Seems hes estranged from the rest of his race.

Crusher wisely decides to try to fuck off during the gift giving. Doesn't get much more otherwise.

Troi isn't here.

Data has a great moment when he rejects Riker's offer to make him human. The character might struggle with the human condition, but Spiner has an amazing ability to emote with facial expressions alone.

Wesley gets suddenly included in the plot because it would apparently be rude not to. Usually I don't hate characters, but I definitely got a kick out of seeing him get stabbed. He wasn't too annoying here, I guess. Had a similar thing to Data of wanting to be his true self. Can't take big Wesley seriously.

Q is always a delight. He has such a smarmy charm to him that you cant help but want to watch him. Even this early, deLancie has an amazing double act with Stewart. They play off each other so well and most of the best lines are saved for them. A brilliantly witty character. He truly steals the show. However, I feel that he's slightly out of character here. In Farpoint, Q, for all his rhetoric, ultimately was someone who clearly loved humanity and wanted them to succeed. Here, they've added a fear of humanity's potential into the mix and, though its great to see Q get uncomfortable and slightly angry whenever someone inches too close to his real motives, it just doesn't track for me from what we know about him. The worst part is the ending where he goes from being partly inspired by Trelane to just being Trelane and getting told off by his parents. He be begrudgingly praising humanity, not screaming for another chance. Love his many costumes, though.

The planet set looks not too far from a set from TOS, especially the sky. Little bit cheap. Picard alone on the bridge is quite eerie. The rescue (which gets mostly ignored) is initially shot from a cool top down angle. The dead little girl could not be more manupulative. Some nice close-ups on Riker when he's in godmode. The gift giving goes on for too long, though it at least gives most of the cast a decent character moment.

I don't have much patience these days for temptation plots at the best of times, especially when they're as messy as this. I quite enjoyed the first half of this episode right up to the little girl's death. Aside from being manipulative, once you start suggesting that children dying is tolerable, so, long as humanity continues on its correct path, you lose my sympathy. There is a vast gulf of difference between resurrecting a dead child and literally ruling over humanity, to say nothing of the fact that Riker probably isn't the best character to be doing this plot with. Q has devolved from trickster mentor to basically a demon who loses a faustian bargain and screams about it. Worst part is that the episode is so smug about such an obvious moral.

A lot of good things ruined by a terrible ending.

Haven, next.

Please mate I beg of you please forget about Haven.

If you do plan on watching that utter crap get a bucket to vomit into, some brain bleach and a brain scrubber so you can erease it from your mind.

I really do wish you would just skip to Datalore, The Arsenal Of Freedom and Conspiracy and forget the rest of season 1.

splodeymissile posted...

to say nothing of the fact that Riker probably isn't the best character to be doing this plot with.

I don't know if there's any truth to this, but the first two or three seasons made me feel like they intended Riker to be the "main" character the same way Kirk was in TOS. Picard would be the captain but he'd be more of a mentor role, relatively in the background.

TC, what are your thoughts on the parallels between Ferengis and Jewish stereotypes?

CassandraCroft posted...

Please mate I beg of you please forget about Haven.

If you do plan on watching that utter crap get a bucket to vomit into, some brain bleach and a brain scrubber so you can erease it from your mind.

I really do wish you would just skip to Datalore, The Arsenal Of Freedom and Conspiracy and forget the rest of season 1.

Not sure why you continue to say these things to TC for months when he's made it clear he's watching everything. Honestly I'm interested in reading his reviews of both the good and bad episodes.

pegusus123456 posted...

I don't know if there's any truth to this, but the first two or three seasons made me feel like they intended Riker to be the "main" character the same way Kirk was in TOS. Picard would be the captain but he'd be more of a mentor role, relatively in the background.

That makes a lot of sense. I'm currently watching TNG for the first time and just finished S4. It definitely feels like his main character status this last season was reined in a bit.

Yeah, I agree on Riker. Definitely trying to make him the new Kirk. Even has the sex appeal.

As for the Ferengi, unlike with the original Klingons, I don't see anything intentionally or lazily offensive about them. Rather, it seems to be an unfortunate combination of having a race of ultra capitalists (which, given how the main cast announce that they're beyond it any chance they get, reads more as an exaggeration of American excess than of Jewish caricatures) and the fact that facial features need to be exaggerated so that our very human actors can present as aliens. I don't believe there's any unconscious antisemitism going on.

Episode 10: Haven

Nothing wrong with giving Troi a focus episode. Actually, I've never minded the more laid back episodes. It's good to have some comedy from time to time.

It's actually adorable how socially awkward Picard is. He tries so hard to be congratulatory towards Troi, despite everyone, even himself, eventually, recognising that she's not fully comfortable with this. Calm on the surface, but still visibly flustered whenever Lwaxana is about. Immediately regrets being a gentleman when he has to carry the luggage. Stewart ordinarily invests so much dignity in the role, that something as simple as struggling with a bag becomes genuinely hilarious.

Riker has the best taste in holograms. Loved his eye roll. Not the happiest man today. He's clearly brooding over potentially losing Troi, which is interesting since he seemed quite clear that their relationship was over a few episodes ago. His and Troi's conversation in the holodeck is a fantastic scene. He also avoids a common pitfall in this type of story by actually being decent, albeit somewhat cool, to Wyatt. His reaction to Homn speaking seems to be more Frakes than Riker.

La Forge doesn't get up to much, but it's nice seeing little reminders of his and Data's friendship, even if they're just walking down the corridor. Has a brilliant reaction to Data at the end of the party.

Don't blame Yar for being spooked by the message thing. I expect that sort of freaky nonsense in Doctor Who. Can't tell if she's aghast or excited or both at the prospect of being naked at the wedding.

I'm assuming Worf came down with the flu, again.

Crusher has some professional interest in Wyatt. Not doing much else.

This is Troi's episode and Sirtis knocks it out of the park. From the start, there are many layers of apprehension and straight up fear buried inside her. Her embarrassment of her mother is conveyed in every facial expression as she silently begs her to stop her antics from the background. Blowing up at the party is a brilliant end to a brilliant scene and her building chemistry with Wyatt comes off as far more natural than this sort of story usually manages. Ive always loved scenes where, through two characters just talking, you can see the depths of how much they mean to each other, and the holodeck scene is near perfect. After being a living prop for a few too many episodes (and having Sirtis occasionally struggle to find somewhere she can safely inject some depth in there) we finally get to see that both the character and actor have range. More than justifies her character's existence.

Data could not be happier today. Spiner has such a delightful shit eating grin throughout the whole episode. I liked him nearly crashing into Riker at the start and the brief second of them figuring out that someone should move out of the way. If his comment during the party is any indication, he'll make one hell of a shit stirrer in the future and I'm all for it.

The flu must be catching because Wesley doesn't appear, either. Or perhaps, even with omnipotence, Riker can't help but be a shoddy doctor.

Lwaxana steals the show, vamping about the place with the worst (and best) attributes of a complete diva. Making Troi's mother the ultimate in embarrassing parents is a brilliant move. She's a laugh a minute and I could easily see her in Absolutely Fabulous or something. Making the whole episode a game of her setting up two cosmically intertwined lovebirds is a surprisingly effective way of granting her depth. Fantastic reappearence of Barret. Homn is fun, too.

Wyatt doesn't do much for me as a character, but as a vehicle for the general themes (which I don't have much to elaborate on, except to say that I have never minded overt romance or magic in my Sci-fi) he does fine. Having seen her, I kind of get his obsession for Ariana.

It's vital for a comedy episode to have a tight script and fortunately, this one delivers. The party scene, with the incessant gong bashing, is a masterpiece. Almost every joke landed for me. Even the soft, romance music that echoes TOS a bit too closely doesn't bother me that much. The holodeck effects are pretty cool, too. I don't know how well regarded this episode is by fans, but I imagine a decent chunk dislike it because its a clear comedy and because it has outright magic. Never bothered me.

Grateful though i am for warnings, this is why i insist on watching everything. Actually loved this.

Tomorrow is The Big Goodbye

Mate your problem is that you are watching them all for the first time and looking at them in awe and rose coloured glasses like we all did when we first watched them.

Just wait until you have become a hardened Trekkie/Trekker like me and everyone else here and you will see that a lot of the episodes you have described as good are actually pretty horrible like Haven there for instance.

There have been plenty of time where I thought an episode was good but then I either re-watched it or thought back in retrospect and realized that it was a horrible episode.

There are far far far superior Troi episodes in the later seasons than Haven believe me as someone who has been watching TNG since 1990.

***WARNING MASSIVE SPOILERS***

So you are onto The Big Goodbye well have fun watching Picard and company prance around on the holodeck whilst Picard plays detective Dixon Hill! Oh good grief!

shut up, wesley cassie

Medussa posted...

shut up, wesley cassie

***WARNING VIDEO CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS***

splodeymissile DO NOT WATCH.

I tried putting it in spoiler bars but it didn't work.

@medusa just for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAqsU-BY58w

Oh come on I am pretty sure you have done that in thinking that an episode was good then either re-watched it or looked back in retrospect and realized that an episode was garbage.

I can't wait to see what he thinks of the following episodes:

Shades Of Grey
Masterpiece Society
Man Of The People
Sub Rosa

If he enjoys it, then let him enjoy it, Mr. "You are not allowed to enjoy it because you have not watched it multiple times before!".

TNG season 1 and a lot of 2 is like a different show almost. I tried to just go through season 1 and gave up. Restarted at season 3 and loved it

Lwaxana is lowkey one of my favorite characters. The show gets so much mileage out of the cast's reactions to her.

Kim_Seong-a posted...

Lwaxana is lowkey one of my favorite characters. The show gets so much mileage out of the cast's reactions to her.

She's the definition of the annoying character done right

splodeymissile posted...

As for the Ferengi, unlike with the original Klingons, I don't see anything intentionally or lazily offensive about them. Rather, it seems to be an unfortunate combination of having a race of ultra capitalists (which, given how the main cast announce that they're beyond it any chance they get, reads more as an exaggeration of American excess than of Jewish caricatures)

Yeah, I understand why people think they're Jewish stereotypes, but they came across to me as 1980s American stock brokers more than anything else.

splodeymissile posted...

Lwaxana steals the show, vamping about the place with the worst (and best) attributes of a complete diva.

Oh, it's good that you like her, some people absolutely loathe her. I see that you're familiar with some of her roles already, but I don't know if anyone's mentioned or if you noticed that she also plays the Enterprise's computer.

pegusus123456 posted...

but I don't know if anyone's mentioned or if you noticed that she also plays the Enterprise's computer.

That's neat. I didn't know that.

Yeah, I knew she played the computer, but, with the exception of The Practical Joker, it's hard to describe that as a character.

Episode 11: The Big Goodbye

First holodeck malfunction story. Probably a better reason for genre episodes than having remarkably human aliens.

Picard seems quite in awe at the complexities of Jarada language. Quite uncomfortable with the role of Hill, at first, but Stewart eventually gives a delightful performance of a hard boiled character without losing any of his gravitas. Him geeking out at how advanced the holodeck is is adorable. Has no idea what to do with his and Crusher's mutual attraction. Sells the bizarre greeting very well.

Riker gets increasingly irritated by the general shenanigans going on. Not the wisest move to be even a little aggressive to Jarada. Loved Picard's story, though. Still can't tell if it's Riker or Frakes who's happiest to be here.

La Forge tries to tell a joke to Data, but it's early days yet for the android. Gets on well with Wesley.

Yar gets to look agitated in the background.

Worf is briefly confused by cars.

Crusher is trying so hard to get a moment alone with Picard. Her frustration is visible every time its ruined. The teasing of these two is fantastic. Can't really handle being in a detective story as well as the others. Just plain uncomfortable with the whole thing.

Troi gets to be more useful than usual, suggesting that Picard needs some fun and pointing out that Wesley is worried for his mum.

Data is a gem. Absolutely enthralled with the Chandler esque world and loving every second of being there. The lamp bit is a true delight. Spiner is a comedic genius and effortlessly switches between different modes in his performance.

Wesley was actually alright. He approaches the problem with a degree of apprehension, as opposed to his usual smug confidence. I still think that at his best he'll only be tolerable, but that's how he is in this one.

Whalen exists only to demonstrate that there are real stakes when holograms go rogue. The fictional characters are the expected tropish fun, with a few points of interest. Redbrick, aside from being a great presence, has a couple of cute meta moments, such as calling Picard a character and congratulating the well made fiction. Leech is obviously insane, so, its interesting that, while he clearly doesn't like the idea, he seems the most persuaded by the idea of being fictional. McNary sells his final musings of whether his world persists far better than I would've expected.

The director had an immense amount of fun with the holodeck scenes. Absolutely shot like a film noir, with brilliant closeups (particularly when Crusher and Picard are flirting), use of angles (the interrogation scene) and the omnipresent lighting contrasts. Good use of background detail, too. The guy getting more interested in Crusher as she struggles with makeup and Picard finding another socket whilst Data fiddles with a lamp. Even the way Data loiters in the background when Crusher first enters only to notice her and walk up recalls the inevitable coincidences and chance meetings that characterise this sort of pulp. Using the contrast of light and shadow in hard boiled stories to accentuate the fading of the world as the holodeck doors close is a work of absolute genius. I like the consistency with which the briefing scenes are lending themselves to tracking shots. Anytime Picard goes on a rant, the camera insists on giving Stewart the attention he deserves. Two bum notes: Picard explaining how the holodeck functions is a little too expositiony and the Jarada are wasted as a ticking clock.

The episode is obviously meta, but not just in the relatively banal sort of doing fiction within fiction or in Redbrick's knowing comments. There's a deeper exploration of acting itself here that centres, not just on the three regulars involved in the main plot, but on the approaches their actors are taking to the roles. Starting with Data, we have Spiner, who is a very good comedic actor, which is a role that requires one to transition between several different, often incredibly silly, roles on a rapid basis. As such, Data, after absorbing the entire series' contents, easily flits between knowing gangster stereotype and confused non human depending on what's funnier. He is the most at home in this world.

Picard is played by Stewart, who is from a more traditional school of acting that encourages learning a part by heart, whilst also allowing oneself to adapt the part to the audience, such as, by exaggerating an emotion and occasionally embracing melodrama so that the back row get just as good a show as the front. Picard is initially lost as he hasn't learnt the role yet, but he learns quickly and, eventually, plays the private eye with a bombast and gravitas that wouldn't normally exist in this genre, but is a necessary adaptation to the character when you have a thespian playing a starship captain playing a private eye.

I'm not too familiar with McFadden's work outside of Star Trek, but she's apparently a pretty good comedic actor in her own right. Regardless, though, she's playing Crusher as a method actor might (though that doesn't necessarily mean she is a method actor), which is less about conveying an author's intended emotions and themes, and more about treating the character themselves as the point. This is why Crusher comes across, to me, as the only one in the cast (maybe including Riker) who could exist in real life. That's not to suggest that the other characters are bad or somehow worse than her. They're simply different. What this translates to is McFadden playing Crusher visibly struggling to play a standard dame. The only times her character feels comfortable is when she's directly interacting with the main cast I.e. the "real" parts of the story. And it makes sense. A standard escapist fantasy is rarely the appropriate place for a deep character study. So, Crusher struggles to even apply makeup or chew gum in the appropriate fashion.

And all that this exploration of acting and performativity leads to is the final scene where Stewart strings a silly syllable soup with supreme sincerity. The point of acting, especially in a fantasy or Sci-fi context, is to sell the absurd. Naturally, he gets a round of applause in universe for his work.

Pretty fantastic start to this type of story.

No prizes for guessing who Datalore will be focusing on.

Wesley is a really overhated character. On fact I'm willing to say that after season 1, he's outright good.

Episode 12: Datalore

Wanted to like this far more than I did. Having a Data origin story was inevitable. The only surprise is doing it so early. Evil twins are an occasionally decent device.

Usually I don't mind characters acting like idiots because I recognise that constant hyper competence can kill a story pretty quickly. However, when it harms character relationships or has someone act out of character, then, it becomes a problem.

Picard has some good moments. His and Riker's friendship is progressing nicely, knowing full well that he won't be allowed down on the planet. Stopping everyone from tiptoeing around the issue and reminding everyone that Yar's question is legitimate are pretty alright. Actually, he's quite decent to Data, even apologising after accidentally dehumanising him. What I don't like is his stupid dismissal of Wesley's concerns. Given how questions of whether either Data or Lore can be trusted had already been raised, it's expected that he would consider imposters. "Shut up, Wesley" is fun, but it would be better in another episode because the boy is seeming quite justified. Also, he is far too eager to go for a military solution.

Riker is a bit out of character, too. Similar to a previous episode, the one who is most friendly to Wesley is bafflingly the most dismissive of him and he becomes overly snotty in his command, only to be absolutely useless when he follows him.

La Forge almost seems like he's trying to make Data jealous. Doesn't seem well written, either. I'm kind of disappointed he didn't have more to do, considering their friendship.

Yar is quite tactless and I didn't much care for the overblown reaction shots to her question.

Worf gets knocked on his arse, but at least he's put off by those too eager to please.

Crusher is quite gentle and respectful of Data's wishes. Shes right to be outraged at how her son is being treated.

Troi has been empty chaired.

Of course, Spiner gets an episode he can really sink his teeth into. Fitting a comic actor, he communicates a lot just through his face alone and I'm not just on about Lore's twitches. From the start, with the brilliant not sneezing, it's clear we are in for a treat from him. It's actually amazing how a simple gormless expression can simultaneously convey Data's excitement and remind us that it's not a human experiencing the emotion.

As Lore, however, he really shines. He does a truly outstanding job of playing someone who's acting human, with just enough fakery and stiltedness that he comes off as more uncanny than Data ever could. What's interesting is that Lore is clearly more human than Data, in the sense of being like a human psychopath. One who has to act his way through social situations with a sort of glib charm. He has a near constant smile on his face and takes every opportunity to put people, especially his brother, down whilst keeping a friendly facade. There are loads of little touches to the portrayal i like. Singing, especially with the exaggerated mannerisms, should come across as a joke, yet it becomes menacing in Spiner's hands. The way he waggles his arm to shoo Crusher out of the room is delightfully robotic. His hamminess over his resentment of his human qualities is fun. An absolute tour de force by Spiner.

Should probably talk about Wesley. He was a little whiny in this one and the whole "it's because I'm a kid, isn't it" thing doesn't exactly endear him, yet the fact that he's right and is mistreated by the others wins him a lot of sympathy points. I didn't hate him. In fact, I may end up liking him before too long.

I've already mentioned how much of the cast need to be stupid arseholes in order for the plot to work and how it stretches my usually high tolerance level. Fun though he is, I don't quite get Lore's plan. There's clear resentment over how he feels he's been treated and designed and he mentions how he wants more memories to absorb, but it doesn't quite click with immediately wanting to kill the entire crew. Perhaps he can retrieve it out of the crystals, but the details seem a little too nebulous for such a simple plan. The crystal entity is truly beautiful, but it's existence feels a little unneeded and it gets resolved far too easily. A lot of setup is ignored and the facial twitch tell being removed seems almost cynical. Set design is great. Still got the stage play aesthetic from TOS, but unlike Hide and Q, it doesn't feel cheap. The soundtrack is astonishingly good. The score when they enter the lab for the first time is a particular standout.

There are a few interesting themes here, but they all feel half baked. There's the potential uncanny valley discussion that feeds into Lore's resentment, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere, though Spiner almost saves it by acting as an actual psychopath, arguably the most removed from humanity you can be whilst still being human. Similarly, there's Data's desire to be human versus Lore's belief that he's already superior to humanity. Again, the script is failing to support the impeccable acting because the obvious difference is that Data doesn't fully get humanity, but desires to understand, making him more human than he realises, whereas Lore is convinced he knows everything about them, but his superficial manner proves that he doesn't even grasp the basics. There was a perfect opportunity, during the last fight, for Data to have the final word and close out the themes, but nothing actually happens and the episode is left feeling incomplete in many different ways.

Tremendous acting can't salvage an idiot plot.

Haven't heard good things about Angel One, but maybe I'll be surprised.

I love tos but i dont like tng or the other versions after

Datalore is a far superior episode compared to the utter fucking shit you praised in Haven and The Big Goodbye.

Give me Datalore anyday over those utter Targ manure episodes in Haven and The Big Goodbye/

Oh I see you are on to that utter sexist piece of shit in Angel One next.

Datalore, an really any Lore episode, kinda sucks. All they're good for is letting Spiner go full-ham.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Datalore, an really any Lore episode, kinda sucks. All they're good for is letting Spiner go full-ham.

Yes and no.

Granted Brothers is a mediocre episode but Descent is utterly fantastic.

CassandraCroft posted...

Granted Brothers is a mediocre episode but Descent is utterly fantastic.

pretty sure that is universally considered the worst TNG two-parter.