ST-TNG whining

[Alelou]

Okay, this has been on in our house tonight while I'm doing other things so every once in awhile I go in and I'm just so ... over it. First season TNG was crap compared to first-season Enterprise. I know a lot of it was special effects, but the writing is just so clunky. And they're all so damned PIOUS. And why do they have such a hard time finding a chief engineer? They're out in space, aren't they? How many different people can they put in one post?

I was so in love with it at the time. I guess someday I'll look back at Enterprise like this, too.

I also can't believe "Skin of Evil" is a "fan favorite." SERIOUSLY? Wouldn't that be on one of your all-time worst episode lists?

[Alelou]

Oops, I'm in the wrong section of the boards. Sorry.

[Asso]

I was so in love with it at the time. I guess someday I'll look back at Enterprise like this, too.

I don't believe. There's something else, in Enterprise.

[JadziaKathryn]

Yeah. The crew of the Enterprise-D always thought highly of themselves, but in the beginning I'm surprised they could see for looking down their noses.

What's that one where they were so stupid I'm surprised any of them graduated from high school? The one where an electrical being comes aboard and nobody has the common sense to put two and two together?

Wil Wheaton tends to ruin most of his reviews by speaking like a teenager trying to impress people by sounding "bad." However, part of his review of that episode ("Lonely Among Us") is worth quoting here:

Right after she leaves, the science consoles fail. Before someone can say something like, "Hey, isn't it a little strange that the science station that failed was just being used by the doctor who was acting weird?" reports come in from all over the ship that their systems are also failing, so Picard calls a meeting in the observation lounge. He asks for some theories or answers, but they all seem more interested in covering their asses than actually pointing out that these electrical failures within these electrical systems may somehow be related to the mysterious cloud filled with electrical energy that the Enterprise just passed through. Data, who was standing right next to Doctor Crusher and busted her for checking out helm control, doesn't think it's important to bring up this possibly significant fact for the group to discuss. It's not his fault, though; he was probably thinking about where he left his hilarious Chinese fingercuffs from two episodes ago.

[Linda]

LOL, I didn't get this impression of piousness and crap watching TNG. Now I will have to go back and review the first year and it will probably hit me right in the face now that you guys have mentioned it!

[CX]

Yah, thinking back on TNG, they really did tend to be quite arrogant and preachy (usually of the wrong thing). While it used to be my favorite series, it has aged very poorly for me.

[Linda]

I shifted my favorite status in ST series from TNG to DS9 and ENT a long time ago. These two seemed to hit harder and dig deeper into me than the other series.

[CX]

DS9 remains my favorite - ENT hasn't aged well either with me, but it's still better than TNG.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

TNG hasn't aged well at all. Often it's just unwatchable. The characters feel like cardboard cut-outs. Arrogant bores and so full of themselves. Pious is a good word. They don't feel human. The most interesting characters onboard are the non-Humans, Worf and Data.

[JadziaKathryn]

I think the later seasons improved a great deal, though. There are some good ones among those.

[Alelou]

I'd have to watch them again to decide. I mean I remember thinking "The Inner Light" and "The Best of Both Worlds" were absolutely remarkable TV. I'm a little afraid to watch them again in case I suddenly think eh, that's not really so great.

Though I have watched the finale in recent years, and still liked it. Maybe that show just had to mature and get over its Aren't-We-Fabulous,We're-Boldly-Going-Again phase.

Kind of like Star Trek TMP. Star Trek can be so unbearable when it takes itself really seriously.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

I've found that the TNG episodes I do enjoy almost always has to do with plot, especially political maneuverings with Romulans and Klingons and the Federation. There the mostly boring characters are just props, moved to the background, extras performing to advance the plot.

[JadziaKathryn]

"Family" was a good character episode, though. I liked it because a) it was realistic and b) it dealt with fallout from Picard's assimilation. Also, that one where Troi woke up as a Romulan - "Face of the Enemy" - now there was a good example of a mostly lackluster character used well. (For the record, I think that Troi had more potential than the walking cringe-worthy cliche she generally ended up as.)

[Alelou]

Yep, I agree, Famliy was good. I think it marked the first time ever that Star Trek actually showed the effect of some trauma in the next episode.

[CX]

The bad episodes outnumber the good for me, especially when you have episodes like The Neutral Zone and Who Watches the Watchers.