Guest Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 This is my first time watching it all. It only aired at midnight in Columbus, so I didnt get to watch it much as a kid. I caught enough episodes to know the characters, but this is the first time Ive tried to watch it all. My current question is: when does it get good? The first season has been a struggle, and Ive decided Im in for the long haul, but give me something to look forward to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest El Chalupacabra Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 For me, Season 3 is when it really started coming together. Don't get me wrong. When TNG is great, it really is truly a modern classic. But, Season 1 is a slog for some episodes. There are a few good ones in there, but to be honest, without nostalgia glasses on, Season 1 might have 4 or 5 episodes that i would consider watchable by modern TV standards. Season 2 starts to get a more natural feel, but it still was hit and miss....maybe only half are decent and the season as a whole is uneven and has a very dated, 1980s feel. I have a lot of nostalgia for TNG, because it is literally the last Star Trek show that Roddenberry had a hand in creating. But there really is a bell curve there, too. Seasons 3, 4, and 5 are consistently good, save for a few episodes here and there. Season 6 is decent, but you start to see a few stinkers pop up more often, and by season 7, you know its time to end the series on as high a note as possible. I am currently still in the process of rewatching DS9, and I am in the middle of season 6. After years of swearing TNG>DS9, and I STILL like the characters of TNG more than DS9 (overall), I have to objectively say that DS9 is really the high water mark of Berman-era Trek, and is more consistently good compared to TNG. Throughout the entire run of TNG there is just this thing I can't really put my finger on, but DS9 seems more natural and relate-able than TNG. The way the characters in TNG come off, especially in the early seasons, are that they all seem to have sticks up their butts. I know that is crude, but I don't know how else to put it. Maybe that is why a show like Orville that apes TNG at almost every turn works: it uses all the things that makes TNG great, but with the comedic spin on it, it pulls that stick out and makes it fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tank Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 What he said. S1 is a chore, 2 has some great concepts and story ideas, but the budget and ton and revolving door writer's room made it uneven. By S3 they hit the groove. S6 and 7 have some pretty amazing episodes. And I'll be the one guy to tell you DS9 is good, but super overrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest El Chalupacabra Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Seasons 6 and 7 definitely have great episodes, and didn't mean to leave the impression they aren't good overall seasons. Also, it is worth saying that TNG, to this day, has one of the best finales for any TV show. Up to the viewer to say if DS9 is over rated, but I think it is the most watchable by modern TV standards because its arcs take entire seasons or even the entire series to play out. And I will be the guy who says Voyager is not that bad, and Enterprise should have had a 5th season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainbleh Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 The Nth Degree (S4:19) is really good. Barclay is a great character (and Dwight Schultz, obviously), but he might have outstayed his welcome as a regular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Season 1 episode "Conspiracy" would easily be 5 seasons in a show today. It was an episode I saw as a kid and wished it was more dragged out. I made it through all of season 1. Season 2 starts off with kind of a stinker (The Child), but i am looking forward to getting through the rest and finding the gems. And watching the characters develop instead of just being whatever the particular episode calls for. Also, the Wesley hate is completely unwarranted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest El Chalupacabra Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Yeah, it was a shame Conspiracy was a one-shot episode. They clearly were setting up a sequel. The Child was lame, but it was one of the scripts that was recycled from the defunct Star Trek Phase II show, that ended up becoming TMP. If memory serves, they dusted that script off because there was a writer strike going on at the time. Not to mention there was all kinds of behind the scenes turmoil going on during seasons 1 and 2. TNG almost was cancelled. Wesley wasn't that bad. Like all the other characters, he was clunky the first couple seasons. Also like the other characters, by season 3, they seemed to figure out what to do with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts