Star Trek The Next Generation appreciation thread (1 Viewer)

[Sam Favate]

The story I read was that McFadden was forced out after season one due to a personal conflict with then-producer Maurice Hurley. She was brought back after Hurley left the show after season two. Berman has said he was "not a fan" of the decision to get rid of McFadden. It's been suggested - by McFadden, if I remember correctly - that the conflict with Hurley was almost of a casting couch nature. It most certainly was not because the actress was pregnant.

McFadden got much better when she returned to the show, if you ask me.

TrekMovie.com has an interview this week with Ron Moore, in which he talks about Berman's comments that they should have saved a story like "Yesterday's Enterprise" for the first movie. Seeing what the first movie was, you can't argue with that. Anyway, good stuff in that interview.

Link on the above conflict:
Tidbits of the Great Doctor

 

[Gary Seven]

For me, TNG was a natural extension of TOS. While others complain of the first two seasons, I felt those were more like Star Trek than the subsequent seasons following. It was the first two seasons that actually had the crew of the Enterprise EXPLORE the majority of the time. Later the crew acted more as policemen rather then explorers. In fact, later on they really did very little exploring. That being said, I agree that the more solid footing came inthe third season when it established it's own character rather then being in the shadow of TOS and I enjoyed it almost equally as TOS.

I always find it amusing to read how these characters were perfect or "too nice". TOS represented a stifled telling of the utopia that existed then [in the TOS universe]. This utopia was reflective of the 60's. I say stifled telling because there is so much utopian ideals you could present in the 60's without being too outlandish. Make no mistake, TOS was a utopian society, a rather common staple in science fiction writing. TOS was the series that took sci fi story telling to almost a literary level.

Enter TNG, 80 years (Star Trek time) later or so. We are now in the 80's where TV has progressed to more cinematic levels of story telling. Gone is the restriction of story telling since TNG is now syndicated. This allowed Roddenberry to extend his utopia to its natural progression. Of course people will get along, of course the society would appear more "perfect". Star Trek has always been about a utopia where aliens were used as metaphors to our current human condition. In fact, this was a common device in many science fiction books. To have conflict among crew members made no sense in the context of Star Trek, as it would have changed the theme of hope to "how the hell did we not kill each other long before"?

Ironically enough, it was the first two seasons that actually showed the imperfections of the crew and their personal hell they went through. Later in the seasons, this was not really used enough and their "imperfections" were pretty much forgotten.

One of the strongest elements, IMO, of Star Trek that was captured by both TOS and TNG, and NOT by the other series that followed was how they were on the pulse of society at the time. For example, in TOS, technology was seen as a device that was robbing us of our humanity. This was reflective of the people at the time where it was a common phrase to say "computers are replacing people at their jobs". Many episodes dealt with Man vs Computer or Man versus technology.

Fast forward to the 80s where many people had computers in their homes and, overall, technology was blending in to everyday life. This was reflective in TNG where now technology was considered an ally and necessary to enable people to do their jobs. Data represented this personified. This type of reflection of human society, for me, is one of Star Trek's great strengths.

That's my take on TNG and Star Trek in general [Star Trek defined as those series created by Gene Roddenberry, not Jeri Taylor, Rick Berman, etc.].

 

[Anthony Hom]

Did Gates McFadden's Departure coincide with her brief cameo in the "Hunt for Red October?" She just had one scene and about 1.5 lines.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Hello, Mr. Hom.





I know it's really Homn.

 

[Sam Favate]

Yes and no. The movie came out in March 1990, while TNG was in its 3rd season. It's possible her scenes were filmed during the 1988-89 TV season when TNG was airing its season two episodes. Her hairstyle and makeup in the movie are more akin to her return to the show, and years 3, 4 and so on.

 

[Nelson Au]

Some thoughts for the second season stand out shows follow. A lot of episodes I have not seen in a while and there are some pretty good ones, and a few head scratching ones! (Time Squared)

As discussed above, Gates McFadden departs and Diana Muldaur joins the cast as Dr. Katherine Polaski, in the Dr. McCoy mold, cranky and old fashioned, a foil for Picard. Riker gets a beard and Whoopie Goldberg joins the cast as Guinan with a new set, Ten Forward.

The stories as mentioned are of the similar vien of TOS and the first season of TNG; planet or anomoly of the week type stories.

I wasn't going to mention The Child, it was okay and a left over script from the aborted Series II Star Trek. Though upon another viewing, it had a bitterswert ending for Troi. Albeit contrived so the cargo of deadly plague wouldn't break out of containment due to Ian's presence.

Where Silence Has Lease was a bit goofy, though interesting idea for an alien to turn the tables and test humans to learn about them. The only good line was Nagilum asking Dr. Polaski to demonstrate how humans reproduce.

Elementary Dear Data shows us Data’s further fascination with Sherlock Holmes. This was interesting as it explores the idea of a Holodeck character coming to life. It is a surprise that the Holodeck computer can create a holographic Moriarty that can challenge Data in a new mystery and the character becomes aware in order to do so. I would think the Holodeck designers would make a safeguard against that too! This was fun to watch Polaski treat Data as a soulless machine. I notice this time around that whenever Data is playing a character in the Holodeck, he can speak like he’s human, with an English accent as he does in later episodes. Yet as Data, he can only speak in his usual calm speaking cadance. I have not noticed, but I bet he uses contractions, and as Data, he can’t do that. I should recheck this!

Unnatural Selection was not a favorite because it used the old rapid aging trick again. But as Scott pointed out earlier, the transporter solution was unique at that time it was filmed.

I found A Matter of Honor more fun. Of course it introduced us to Gagh! And more about the Klingons was shown, I like that they are portrayed like humans are, and Riker was able to win the respect of the crew, especially the first officer.

The Measure of a Man was a very good one, it’s interesting as I noticed that Melinda Snodgrass has a stronger involvement in the writing department and her stories were often among the better ones. Poor Riker has the task of trying to win the case for Maddox who wants to dissect him to see how he works in the JAG case. The Blade Runner like scenerio I had forgotten as the solution for Picard to win the case, that a race of Data’s would be slaves. It was a talky episode, but it had ideas and moved along well enough.

I skipped the Dauphin and went straight to Contagion. Carolyn Seymour here portrays a Romulan commander, the first for her many appearances in TNG. She could rival Marc Alaimo and Mark Lenard for how many aliens they portrayed! I really liked this episode as the first time the ship’s computer gets a virus due to uploading the infected Yamato’s ship logs and it’s a race to find the cure. Hit the reset button on the Enterprise. This was fun adventure as they discover Iconia and the stargate that they use to escape.

I didn’t have a high opinion of The Royale but I decided to give it another try and this time I thought it was fun. Having the live out the plot of the pulp novel in order to fulfill the plot and they can leave the Royale. Sort of like A Piece of the Action.

Time Squared still didn’t make sense. I read that Maurice Hurley intended this to be part one of a 2 part that concluded as Q Who and Q is the one who created the Vortex.

Q Who turned out pretty well as a stand alone, enough said there.

I skipped the childhood angst of Riker and his father and Polaski’s ex-lover, The Icarus Factor, but I might come back to it for the Klingon B story.

I thought Pen Pals is a really strong story, another Snodgrass story. It was interesting how they deal with how Data broke the Prime Directive and Picard later felt it needed bending in this case. It had a sweet ending. And showed us Picard likes to ride.

The Samaritan Snare was amusing, but the better story was the Picard/Wesley segment and learning about how he got stabbed in the heart. “We are not smart”.

The Emissary was probably the strongest episode at the end of the season. I always like Suzy Plakson’s take as a mix of Klingon and human. This was a great set-up for the Worf/K’Ehleyr relationship and pays off well in the third season. I like how these characters played off each other and its too bad Worf and K’Ehleyr couldn’t commit to each other.

I thought Peak Performance played well too. The mock war games interrupted by the Ferengi and Riker and Wesley's little surprise pays off to defeat the Ferengi and show up the arrogant strategist. And I liked how Dr. Polaski has warmed up to Data at this point and convinces him take on the strategist Kolrami at Strategema. First he loses, then later wins! Busts him up.

There’s a lot more episodes that I enjoyed then I recall I would. Some I forgot, like Contagion, I kept thinking it was a later show. The cast has really gelled and they start hitting on all cylinders the next season.

 

[Sam Favate]

The main problem I see with the first two seasons, from an artistic point of view, is that the show is, at that point, a retread of TOS. There is very little that is different - many of the characters are in the mold of their predecessors, and many of the stories are the types that would be told on the first show. That doesn't mean it's bad; in fact, there are many instances where the show is quite good. But with the 3rd season, the show sets out to becoming its own show, and making an identity for itself.

BTW, the new Futurama movie has several nods to Star Trek. The anomoly in the sky looks a lot like the Nexus, and Fry's spacewalk is very similiar to Spock's in TMP. There are several others, too, as the folks behind the show are obviously big fans.

 

[Ockeghem]

Sam,

I agree with what you have written, especially when you write "That doesn't mean it's bad." For my own part, I do not see it in any way as being a problem. I was very happy to see it being a 'retread' of TOS. I am a hardcore fan of Trek (have been for over forty years); as such, pleasing my kind, if you will, was in part of paramount [] importance to TPTB.

 

[Ockeghem]

Nelson,

You've written much that I could respond to, if I had much time! I will pick out just a few of the points you raised.


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson Au
As discussed above, Gates McFadden departs and Diana Muldaur joins the cast as Dr. Katherine Polaski, in the Dr. McCoy mold, cranky and old fashioned, a foil for Picard. Riker gets a beard and Whoopie Goldberg joins the cast as Guinan with a new set, Ten Forward.




Yes, and another aspect I loved about Pulaski was her dislike for the shuttlecraft--a trait also shared by Dr. McCoy.


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
I wasn't going to mention The Child, it was okay and a left over script from the aborted Series II Star Trek. Though upon another viewing, it had a bitterswert ending for Troi. Albeit contrived so the cargo of deadly plague wouldn't break out of containment due to Ian's presence.




The Child is not one of my favorites, although it had its moments. The plague aspect was IMO the best part of that story.


Quote:



Where Silence Has Lease was a bit goofy, though interesting idea for an alien to turn the tables and test humans to learn about them. The only good line was Nagilum asking Dr. Polaski to demonstrate how humans reproduce.




When I first saw this episode, the alien (Nagilum) was far more obtrusive and (IMO) terrifying than with repeated viewings. I did like the technique used to show its 'face,' however.


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
Elementary Dear Data shows us Data’s further fascination with Sherlock Holmes. This was interesting as it explores the idea of a Holodeck character coming to life. It is a surprise that the Holodeck computer can create a holographic Moriarty that can challenge Data in a new mystery and the character becomes aware in order to do so. I would think the Holodeck designers would make a safeguard against that too! This was fun to watch Polaski treat Data as a soulless machine. I notice this time around that whenever Data is playing a character in the Holodeck, he can speak like he’s human, with an English accent as he does in later episodes. Yet as Data, he can only speak in his usual calm speaking cadance. I have not noticed, but I bet he uses contractions, and as Data, he can’t do that. I should recheck this!




This is one of the best ones from that season IMO. My wife is a huge mystery buff, so we both let ourselves get lost in this episode each time we watch it. And Daniel Davis (Moriarty) was IMO excellently cast for this role. I was very pleased to see him turn up later in Ship In a Bottle. Geordi was a riot in Elementary, Dear Data--esp. when he ended or froze the program on Data a few times in order to make it more challenging. It reminded me somewhat of B'Elanna 'improving' the conditions set forth by the Doctor in Real Life. (Incidentally, I am convinced that Data did use contractions before this episode.)


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
Unnatural Selection was not a favorite because it used the old rapid aging trick again. But as Scott pointed out earlier, the transporter solution was unique at that time it was filmed.




This is my favorite episode of the season, for the reasons I stated in a previous post. And the destruction of the Lantry was a very nice touch.


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
I found A Matter of Honor more fun. Of course it introduced us to Gagh! And more about the Klingons was shown, I like that they are portrayed like humans are, and Riker was able to win the respect of the crew, especially the first officer.




I love the Klingon episodes. I believe TNG really knew what they were doing when they set out to develop this species to the degree that they did. And in DS9, we get more of that development.


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
The Measure of a Man was a very good one, it’s interesting as I noticed that Melinda Snodgrass has a stronger involvement in the writing department and her stories were often among the better ones. Poor Riker has the task of trying to win the case for Maddox who wants to dissect him to see how he works in the JAG case. The Blade Runner like scenerio I had forgotten as the solution for Picard to win the case, that a race of Data’s would be slaves. It was a talky episode, but it had ideas and moved along well enough.




Such an excellent episode all of the way around. The legal aspects, and the parts about making new laws ("Make it a good one") are what I recall very fondly from the episode. And of course, when Data is 'turned off' by Riker, that sent chills up my spine at the time.


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
I skipped the Dauphin and went straight to Contagion. Carolyn Seymour here portrays a Romulan commander, the first for her many appearances in TNG. She could rival Marc Alaimo and Mark Lenard for how many aliens they portrayed! I really liked this episode as the first time the ship’s computer gets a virus due to uploading the infected Yamato’s ship logs and it’s a race to find the cure. Hit the reset button on the Enterprise. This was fun adventure as they discover Iconia and the stargate that they use to escape.




The Iconian angle is wonderful. And when Worf mentions it later in DS9, it's an excellent tie-in. (I will never forget the look on Weyoun's face when he learns that the Jem'Hadar already know about this gateway.)


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
I didn’t have a high opinion of The Royale but I decided to give it another try and this time I thought it was fun. Having the live out the plot of the pulp novel in order to fulfill the plot and they can leave the Royale. Sort of like A Piece of the Action.




I believe that that is an apt comparison. This is one of those fluffy, escapist episodes for me. And Noble W. (of C. D. Parker fame) has some very funny dialogue with Data. Speaking of Data, who can't appreciate the way he relaxes himself at the table: "Baby needs a new pair of shoes"--LOL!


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
Q Who turned out pretty well as a stand alone, enough said there.




Agreed. A superb episode all around, showing us a time when the Borg were quite frightening (that is to say, in the 'before time,' or 'pre-Hugh'

).


Quote:



I skipped the childhood angst of Riker and his father and Polaski’s ex-lover, The Icarus Factor, but I might come back to it for the Klingon B story.




This one is one of my second-tier favorites, but that's mostly because of the appearance of Mitchell Ryan (the original Burke Devlin in Dark Shadows) as Riker's father.


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
The Samaritan Snare was amusing, but the better story was the Picard/Wesley segment and learning about how he got stabbed in the heart. “We are not smart”.




Yeah, remind me the next time you see some Pakleds that are trying to sell land or cars, please.

Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
The Emissary was probably the strongest episode at the end of the season. I always like Suzy Plakson’s take as a mix of Klingon and human. This was a great set-up for the Worf/K’Ehleyr relationship and pays off well in the third season. I like how these characters played off each other and its too bad Worf and K’Ehleyr couldn’t commit to each other.




I love any episode Suzy Plakson is in, whether she plays a Klingon or a Romulan. I read somewhere that she is around six feet tall. I thought she was a superb counterpoint to Worf in every sense of the word. She played her part to the hilt, and her (eventual) death at the hands of Duras was one of the lowest moments for me in the series.


Quote:



Originally Posted by Nelson_Au
I thought Peak Performance played well too. The mock war games interrupted by the Ferengi and Riker and Wesley's little surprise pays off to defeat the Ferengi and show up the arrogant strategist. And I liked how Dr. Polaski has warmed up to Data at this point and convinces him take on the strategist Kolrami at Strategema. First he loses, then later wins! Busts him up.




It's amusing to see the reactions of the other crew members when Data does not defeat Kolrami in the first match-up. Everyone thinks Data is at his wit's end (applying human characteristics to an Android); however, Data is quite alright (for a time), despite the attempts by many to cheer him up.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Good thread, and Timely. I've begun to transfer all my Trek Disks over two a 1TB Hard Drive I bought to Stream them thru my PS3, all Series just oughta about fit. I've started with the Next Gen because they have the worst DVD cases, it's my Intention to Watch Season 1 from the Start. You Forgot to mention how the S1 Finale set up for the Borg in S2.

 

[Ockeghem]

Dave,

Hi. I'm not sure whom you're responding to, but both Nelson and I mentioned the allusion to the Borg in The Neutral Zone. I liked how it was left kind of cryptic, too. For me, it made Q Who all the more chilling.

 

[Yee-Ming]

6' 1.5"
Suzie Plakson - Biography

No wonder she had no trouble playing opposite Michael Dorn, who is 6' 4".

 

[Ockeghem]

Thanks. Yeah, I often think of that (their heights) when I see the two of them together in a scene. Incidentally, I met Michael Dorn at a Creation-sponsored Trek Convention many years ago. I'm also 6'4". I was going to challenge him to a duel, but thought better of it since his Klingon martial arts are a notch above mine.

 

[Garrett Adams]

I don't think I watched more than five TNG episodes when originally aired. Now with Sci-Fi running four episodes every Monday I can catch up.

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Scott, yes we did allude to the Borg!

I thought I'd make a few quick comments about the 3rd season without all the detail. As we all know, it's when the series was run by Michael Piller and he made the show come into it's own. Stories were more character focused.

A lot of great shows this year. My favorites include: The Ensigns of Command was a nice study of Data being in command, sort of like Galileo Seven. The Survivors saw Troi go cookoo while Picard tries to solve the mystery of the planet's only 2 survivors. Who Watches the Watchers shows how Starfleet spies on a planet. A great Prime Directive show, much better then Insurrection. I liked how the fear of the Mintakeans reacts to the appearance of the Picard.

I always liked Booby Trap, and how Geodi and Leah figure out how to defeat the trap. They follow up the Geordi story in the fourth year with the real Leah Brahms! The Enemy is cool, one of my favorites because Geordi and the Romulan work together to get out and the first time we see Tomalak, a Romulan commander as memorable as Kor in TOS Errand of Mercy. The Defector is a terrific follow-up on the Romulan story and nice to see Tomalak back. Deja Q is a worthy Q story where he's lost his powers and left to live as a human. I love the Data line, "An irony. It means that you have achieved in disgrace what I have always aspired to be."

The highlight in most eyes is Yesterday's Enterprise. A cool episode that had such lasting effects on the rest of the series. And this episode was recently discussed in an interview with Ronald D. Moore as a better story choice for the first TNG movie! The Offspring was interesting, but the political intrgue of Sins of the Father I felt was a stronger show. It was fun to see Kurn take over as second in command and then the revelation of Dura's father as the traitor, and Worf taking the blame for it to preserve the Empire.

Captain's Holiday, a fun show for Picard to find romance and adventure. Tin Man follows and I found it to be very memorable, and another favorite. The idea of Elbrun joining with the Gomtuu was a great happy ending and how Data in the end connecting with Troi was sweet.

Hollow Pursuits was fun too. But Sarak was a really strong show and it was cool to see that character come back to the Trek world, but sad to see him end that way. The season ends with The Best of Both Worlds, and a very chilling last shot before going to black and 3 or 4 long months to wait to see what happens!

On a separate subject, I'm watching the fourth season. When I saw Identity Crisis, I was surprised to see how bad the video effects of the current DVD's look. There's a shot of a shuttlecraft heading into the planet's atmosphere. As it pans across the screen, I am amazed how jaggy it looks! I am watching on an upconvert Toshiba HD-DVD player on a 50" plasma which is really unforgiving of the source material! There was talk last year that CBS Digital was looking at tests to remaster TNG as they have done for TOS, but that the effort was going to be difficult. Live action is on film, effects done in video and then edited on video at 480. I have no idea if it will be done, I some how doubt it. This show will benefit.

 

[Ockeghem]

Nelson,

You've again written an excellent post, containing much that I could respond to, and I will, probably tomorrow. But for now, I wanted to touch on just a couple of points.

I don't have too much to add from the technical side of things, but Identity Crisis was IMO a phenomenal episode when it first aired. For me, it has a very The Outer Limits feel to it. I recall the first time I watched it, and picked up on the extra shadow--I am fully convinced that the effect the writers may have been going for was fully experienced by me the first time I saw it. It was chilling, all of a sudden to realize what Geordi wasn't yet seeing (and eventually did see) during his reconstruction. The first time I saw this episode, I saw it before Geordi did, and I gasped when I realized it.

Speaking of chilling, and moving back to the second season for a moment--

I watched Q Who tonight. I wanted to see how many light years Q sent the Enterprise when they came in proximity to system J-25. It turns out it was 7,000--I'm guessing that this put them on the outskirts of the Alpha quadrant? I don't know for certain.

BTW, another reason I wanted very much to watch Q Who tonight was because last night, we concluded Season Three of VOY (Scorpion, pt. 1). I wanted to hear some of the language used to describe the beginnings of the Borg as well as more on their desire to acquire technology.

 

[Nelson Au]

Scott! Come to think of it, you're right, Identity Crisis was pretty Outer Limits-esque. I can see Robert Culp in the role!

And I saw "The Minds Eye" last night, that Manchurian Candidate plot to have Gordi kill the Klingon Governor to start a war between the Klingon's and the Federation. That was a really good one with some chilling brainwashing sequences and the mystery Romulan women in the shadows.

Look forward to your comments on the third season.

Nelson

 

[Sam Favate]

Nelson, you've touched on many of my favorite episodes of the third year, and many of my favorites of the series. Let me add: The Price - the interaction between Riker and Ral was great, especially the scene where they confront each other in the bar. "To the last mile." Also always liked The Hunted and The High Ground, lots of contemporary social commentary in these, like the days of TOS, and a nice showcase for Dr. Crusher in the latter. And of course, how can we forget The Most Toys, with that ambiguous ending. Did Data fire or not?

 

[Dave Scarpa]

The Most Toys and Ensigns of Command are two of my favorite Datasodes. I think I like these because Data gets to be in command/On His own in these episodes and I always like Tough in Command Data over the Comedy Relief Data or the Fish out of Water Data that is featured in Many Shows. These two shows has a Data I can believe can be a commisioned and decorated Starfleet Officer

 

[Ockeghem]

Dave,

I like those titles you have for Data. I might also add that I like the 'I'm going to take over the ship and become scarier than hell Data.' This is when he is either taken over by some entity, acting the part of Lore (in which case he isn't really Data, of course), or has gone off on his own (knowingly) without too much regard for protocol, such as when he was in charge of the Sutherland, was attempting to contact Sarjenka, or was creating Lal. I wouldn't want to see this kind of Data all of the time, but in small doses, I like it.