HTF REVIEW: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Season Six(with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[David Lambert]

This is the first time ive seen a trek fan say season six is the best whether its online or conventions. The best seasons by far are #3 and #4 for most trekkies. Season six does have some good episodes but it is when the series started going south. Don't get me wrong it's still worth having but the best? not by a longshot.

I could not have said it better myself. Season 6 the best? Mmmmm...Jack, you're entitled to your opinion. But I strongly disagree. Nevertheless, there WERE some excellent eps, including the mentioned Chain of Command (Warner was used to MUCH better effect here than he was in STV:TFF!). And don't forget Tapestry.

But for each of those, there is a "Schisms" or a "Man of the People". Blech.

Then there are also the "love it or hate it" episodes of S6, like "Fistful of Datas" or "Rascals". One either loves or hates those shows. For instance, I HATE, HATE, HATE Fistful of Datas. But I absolutely adore Rascals. I can find 50 people who agree with me. And then I can find 50 people who think the rest of us are nuts.


As Ron put it, it's a matter of personal taste.

 

[Joel C]

StevenA-
Oops. Season 7 is before season 2. So I guess 2 isn't that high after all!
But six is still my favorite, so there!

 

[Brenton]

It pains me to realize that I have not the money for these TNG sets.

 

[Blu]

Let me just say that I love the entire TNG series as a whole and to me debating which season is best is pointless as they all have very high spots and some low spots in every season.

I am thrilled with the idea of being able to go to a store and purchase a entire season of a TV show on DVD!
I eagerly look forward to the upcoming DS9 as I loved that show very much!

I am also eagerly looking forward to the upcoming sets of B5! I became a fan after picking up the first set after its release! The same thing happened to me with Buffy. Never seen the show at all. So I had some time to kill and decided to get it! Loved it!

 

[Steve Spin]

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!
Now if I remember correctly...
TNG was shot on 35mm and then transfered to a video master for broadcast.
The special effects are also shot on 35mm.
In Hollywood...they like to shoot special effects on 70mm.
This is so when all of the elements are placed onto the negative they won't look to dark or grainy.
You tend to loose something in the process.
If you start with you special effects on 70mm, You will get the look of 35mm.
With the special effects being shot on 35mm, the effects will look like they were shot on 16mm.
Transferring them to a video master reduces this but still makes the picture look a little soft.
Link Removed

 

[Jack Briggs]

Steve, I believe you are correct. And I stand corrected.
David: You're right in what you're saying. And I consider "Rascals" to be TNG's equivalent of "Spock's Brain"!

 

[David Lambert]

"Brain" and "brain"! What is "brain"?!

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Can't comment on the technical qualities of the DVDs, since I don't have them yet.
Here's my two cents' worth on the sixth-season episodes:
"mediocrities"

• "Time's Arrow" (2) (A vast disappointment after seeing the set-up of the interesting sf premises of pt. 1.)
• "Realm of Fear" (Mr. Barclay wastes our time yet again.)
• "Man of the People" (a "message" episode: "(Mis)using women is bad." Do tell.)
• "A Fistful of Datas" (Holodeck story and a Western. That's two strikes agin' it, pa'dnuh.)
• "The Quality of Life" (More "machine rights". No sale.)
• "Ship in a Bottle" (Holodeck world, yuck!)
• "Aquiel" ("Will Geordi get 'laid'?" Again and again again. . . .)
• "Lessons" (Not bad; still only another romance-of-the-week.)
• "Frame of Mind" (Twilight Zone on TNG)
• "Suspicions" (mediocre who-done-it)
• "Second Chances" (another waste of a Riker episode)
• "Descent" (1) (more rehash; Lore was interesting once, maybe twice.)

"winners"

• "Face of the Enemy" (When is a ship's counselor not a ship's counselor?)
• "Starship Mine" (Good action flick.)
• "Schisms" (A "spook classic"; great atmosphere; and, of course, "Ode to Spot". This should have been a two-parter!)
• "Rightful Heir" (plausible political intrigue scenario; Klingon politics; a little bit of (for once) appropriate moralizing)
• "Tapestry" (I usually don't like "Q" episodes or the "personal" stories very much. This is an exception.)
• "The Chase" (silly, but fun)
• "Timescape" (good attempt at probing an sf idea)
• "Chain of Command" (1) (This sets up a good space battle, political intrigue scenario.)
• "Birthright" (1) (I enjoyed the Data story and the music.)

"losers"

• "True Q" (Dumb and Dumber: Samantha and Endora---I mean "Q" and Amanda do a "snap-off"!)
• "Relics" (Sorry, can't stand rehashes, and these "meetings" of TOS and TNG characters seem totally contrived, which irks me no end.)
• "Rascals" (Detest the whiny British Picard-let; further trivialization of the Ferengi. How stupid can you get and still live?)
• "Chain of Command" (2) (Transparent, anti-torture morality play. "Been there. Done that."; dropped the ball from part I, reportedly due in part to budget constraints.)
• "Birthright" (2) ("singing Klingons"; 'nuff said.)

When I get around to buying the sets of this series, all things being equal, I will purchase them in the order
4
5
3 (toss-up for second place)
6
7 (toss-up for sixth place?)
2
1 (if at all).

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Rex:

While I enjoyed your analysis of the Season 6 eps, I have to tell you that most of us have Relics up there in the Top 5 of all the TNG episodes!

Just to see Scotty on the bridge of the "No bloody B, C, or D" original Enterprise with Picard is worth the price of admission for the entire Season 6 box set for most. And the way Scotty survives, by jury-rigging the transporter, is also pure Trek. (And something that you would expect Scotty to be able to do.)

The episode is a fun ride for most fans of both TOS and TNG; it doesn't deserve to be on anybody's "loser" list!

 

[David Lambert]

Joseph, I tend to agree with you except for one caveat:
The Scotty/Picard thing on the holodeck recreation of the bridge DID strike me as an indulgent scene. Picard had not interacted much with Scotty at all up until then, and that scene definately felt contrived to me the moment it started unfolding on my screen for the first time.
Perhaps it would have been better if it was with someone else...not necessarily Geordi, since I think it was meant as a foil for all the scenes the two engineers had together. Data? Nah; he'd done the "Spock scene" last year; give someone else a shot. Troi? No, don't go back to "the couch"; too sappy. Worf? Would have been interesting to see Scotty learn to get along with a Klingon, and realize that times had changed. Riker? Yeah, that's who I would have picked. I think Riker and Scotty are both rascals in the end, and would get along splendidly. And both know that special love for a ship named Enterprise. But they went with Picard. El Capitan. Huh.
By then I was no longer in regular contact with the behind-the-scenes guys (writers, editors, etc.) of TNG, being between my CompuServe/Prodigy days and my Internet days. But I *so* much wanted to ask "why did you do that?"
These days when I view that episode, I'm well used to it. But I never got over the feeling of awkwardness I had when I first viewed the scene. I've discovered that many people share it, but by no means 100% of the audience. I'm just bringing this up for those who felt like I do: episode was sweet enough, but that one scene felt like a poke in the ribs.

 

[PhilipG]

I'm buying season six for "Chain of Command" and "Tapestry". The rest I consider to be extras. Nice to see David Warner has some fans here - there's no finer actor, IMHO. But let's not forget Ronny Cox's wonderful anti-Picard performance.

 

[David Lambert]

Keith, Trekkies spotted that error a long time ago, and have been kicking it around ever since!
Interesting that a new, ah, generation :wink: of fans will be discovering this error on DVD. I suspect that many won't be as precise as you are, and blame the error on the TNG television staff. Ahem. It should be a no-brainer, since the movie came after the TV show. But I've seen people get confused on that before!