Star Trek: The Next Generation Discussion Thread

[Herman the German]

I think ya might just like DS9 better, on account of how repercussions and foreshadowing are a ton more prevalant in that series, especially on account of how it's more stationary in terms of physical locations.

In contrast, Voyager is so rigidly fixed on maintaining the status-quo that I can count on one hand the number of episodes with real effects on the crew. That, and the show really abuses the Reset-button.

 

[Supornova Fansubs]

Yeah DS9 is probably my favourite series, I didn't like the premise at first but they made it work!!

 

[mbozzo]

'Star Trek: The Next Generation' continue the story started by Star Trek. It has 4 post series movies, which isn't much compared to the 6 post series movies for Star Trek: The Original Series. Deep Space Nine and Voyager should be getting their post series movies as well. :thumbs:

 

[MMPR]

Done season 2, and I'm starting to warm up to the show a bit more. Episodes like "The Measure of a Man" and "Q Who" really make me believe the show has potential. Some stuff still doesn't sit well with me though, Deanna Troi is kind of...boring, most of the time she just states the obvious ("The crew is angry", "the crew is scared", etc.)

I love Guinan though, Whoopi Goldberg is an amazing actress, I hope she's in the show more!

I'm a massive Battlestar Galactica fan, so i'm very excited because I know Ronald D. Moore joins the writing staff in season 3 and it will be cool to see some of his earlier work

 

[Mr G]

Season three is where things really kick off. You've weathered the first two seasons which had a few shaky episodes, but it should be smooth sailing from here! TNG is one of my favorite series and I am currently collecting the beautifully restored blu-ray editions as they come out. Anyway, believe me, the best is yet to come. There are fantastic episodes ahead for you.

 

[MMPR]

So i'm done season 3. And I find this show so unbelievably boring, that i'm just going to drop it. Firstly, the show is too episodic for my taste, none of the stories connect, there is no overarching story and there is no consequence to anything that happens in the show. As I mentioned before there is an imaginary reset button at the end of every episode, and everything goes back to the status quo. There is no character growth, Capt. Picard is the same at the end of season 3 as he was in the first episode, sure, he's accepted Wesley but over the course of 60+ episodes that's just incredibly bad writing. Worst of all, the show is very "safe" they don't do anything controversial or revolutionary, they have a generic form and they ride it into the ground

Watching this show, I don't see any special about it, I don't understand why people praise it. Especially when guys like J Michael Straczynski crafted these incredibly rich and complex stories and narratives that take place over entire seasons in Babylon 5.

I'm not trying to troll any Trek fans, and sorry if I sound like a dick but I just think this show sucks. Maybe one day i'll try DS9 because it's supposed to be more serialized, but that won't be for a while

 

[Mr G]

Did you actually watch the last episode of season three and first episode of season four? I'm only asking because the events that take place in "Best of Both Worlds" do affect Picard. He is also deeply changed by the events in "The Inner Light", but that doesn't take place until season five.

You are right that there really isn't anything inherently controversial about what Star Trek: TNG does. It does explore many issues though that other series of the time never thought about it. What does it mean to be alive ("The Measure of a Man" and "The Offspring")? What is the value of an individual life and existence ("The Inner Light")? What is truth - is it merely what we believe it to be ("Chain of Command pt. I & II)? I could go on. Whether you judge any of that revolutionary is solely up to you. Of course, not all shows are meant for all people so if you don't like it then I'd definitely drop it. But to say there is no character development is faulty, IMHO.

 

[Herman the German]

I think the reason it felt as being played safe up until Season 3 was, probably, Roddenberry's continued involvement. Despite trying relatively radical (for the time) things with the original series, his decisions ended up a lot more restrictive, from what I understand overall. o.o

 

[MMPR]

Did you actually watch the last episode of season three and first episode of season four? I'm only asking because the events that take place in "Best of Both Worlds" do affect Picard. He is also deeply changed by the events in "The Inner Light", but that doesn't take place until season five.

You are right that there really isn't anything inherently controversial about what Star Trek: TNG does. It does explore many issues though that other series of the time never thought about it. What does it mean to be alive ("The Measure of a Man" and "The Offspring")? What is the value of an individual life and existence ("The Inner Light")? What is truth - is it merely what we believe it to be ("Chain of Command pt. I & II)? I could go on. Whether you judge any of that revolutionary is solely up to you. Of course, not all shows are meant for all people so if you don't like it then I'd definitely drop it. But to say there is no character development is faulty, IMHO.

What about the other characters on the show, like Riker, Geordi, Worf? They are all essentially the same characters, they got new jobs in season 2 but it just means they spit out different kinds of jargon. Data is the only character I can understand went through some kind of development. None of the adventures they go on each episode has any effect on their personal lives, and it's bad writing because in reality they would be constantly reacting and changing to what's happening around them.

In Babylon 5 for example, Londo Mollari is one of the most complex character's ever written. He starts as comedic relief, becomes an anti-hero, a full villain and finally a character out of Greek tragedy that becomes one of the saddest stories you've ever seen. I mean his character changes more than the entire cast of TNG does

Maybe Trek isn't for me...sorry if I sound like i'm attacking you, I just get overly passionate about these things lol

 

[Mr G]

What about the other characters on the show, like Riker, Geordi, Worf? They are all essentially the same characters, they got new jobs in season 2 but it just means they spit out different kinds of jargon. Data is the only character I can understand went through some kind of development. None of the adventures they go on each episode has any effect on their personal lives, and it's bad writing because in reality they would be constantly reacting and changing to what's happening around them.

In Babylon 5 for example, Londo Mollari is one of the most complex character's ever written. He starts as comedic relief, becomes an anti-hero, a full villain and finally a character out of Greek tragedy that becomes one of the saddest stories you've ever seen. I mean his character changes more than the entire cast of TNG does

Maybe Trek isn't for me...sorry if I sound like i'm attacking you, I just get overly passionate about these things lol

I don't feel attacked. Don't worry. :thumbs: The truth is that most of Star Trek is indeed very episodic in nature. It's really only episodes here and there, scattering throughout the entire series, where you can see characters behave differently than they would have in, say, the first season. For instance, throughout the series, Worf struggles with his Klingon heritage amongst a group of mostly humans. He also has a need to pass his heritage on to his son, who is only half-Klingon, but the boy often disobeys and displays behaviors more consistent with those of a normal human child. You can see his attitude toward his son change throughout TNG, but again it's only in certain episodes so I can see why you don't see much change in certain characters at this point.

I will admit that what appeals to me most about TNG (and Trek in general really) are the themes of exploration and encountering the unknown. My wife doesn't like Star Trek...any of them. She finds them all boring. It's just a thing you either like or don't like. Personally, I don't like cake but a whole hell of a lot of people do! :laugh:

BTW, I have always wanted to watch Babylon 5, but it is one of those shows I've just never gotten around to. I'm currently watching Battlestar Galactica (the 2003 series) and enjoying it very much.