Okay, so I finished Season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was pretty freaking awesome. Here are some of my thoughts:
1. I’m amazed at the special effects they were using on a television show in 1987. I can’t even tell if the enterprise is a model or CGI. Did they even have CGI back then? But if you can’t tell what method of special effects they’re using, that’s a good thing. Yes, I could tell when they reused some of the same spaceship shots, but only because I was watching the show in marathons. And yes, most of the aliens are humanoid, but the make-up effects are spectacular!
2. I love the way every show starts off. “We’re on our way to the 3rd planet of the Beta System to investigate a deadly mutant spore that has suddenly appeared blah blah blah.” It cuts right to the chase, so the mystery of the show is introduced before the opening credits, so you get as much bang for your buck. No unnecessary filler.
3. Normally I hate series that focus on “monster-of-the-week” episodes or even stand-alone episodes in continuous story series like Battlestar Galactica, but it really doesn’t bother me here. The individual mysteries and stories are so good that you don’t need an overall story arc to want to keep watching episode after episode.
4. Contrary to popular belief, there wasn’t a single episode where 3 main characters and 1 extra went on a mission, and the extra got killed. Not once in the entire season! Take that nay-sayers!
5. Slightly too much Wesley Crusher saving the day.
6. I love the balance of drama and humor. It’s not afraid to tackle big issues, but at times it can be wonderfully light-hearted and whimsical. Like the time Lieutenant Tasha Yar had sex with Data. Seriously!
7. The chemistry between the entire cast is absolutely undeniable. They all blend into their roles and interact so well. They’re really one in a million.
8. Male crew members in miniskirt Starfleet uniforms!
9. While the phaser doesn’t give you the same satisfaction as the big honking “lock and load!” laser rifles found in most other science fiction, you have to admire the restraint of the designers to keep things simple and logical. Why not have a small hand held phaser? It makes complete sense.
10. Patrick Stewart is awesome. He adds so much gravitas to the role of Captain Picard. Plus he loves Star Trek and isn’t one of those people that tries to distance themselves from the role. In a recent interview, he was asked about weird Star Trek fans and he said: “How many do you know personally? You couldn’t be more wrong. Here’s the thing: if you say the fans are weird, that means there is something essentially weird about the show, and there is nothing weird about it. I’m very passionate when people like you snigger.” Um, how awesome is he?
I’m taking a break from Star Trek: The Next Generation for the time being and switching over to the first season of Babylon 5, another science fiction series I’ve never seen. I’m really excited because it seems to have a great cult following. I’ll probably go back and forth between seasons. One season of Star Trek, then one season of Babylon 5, and so forth and so on. The excitement never ends!
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Babylon 5 was AWESOME! The first season is a little tough by some reports, but please, please watch at least the second season. It is worth it. I can’t wait until you start that series.
Contrary to popular belief, there wasn’t a single episode where 3 main characters and 1 extra went on a mission, and the extra got killed. Not once in the entire season! Take that nay-sayers!
For that, you’d have to go back to the original series, where it happens in about 25% of the episodes.
But then again, you’d also have to watch William Shatner, and that’s a horror I’d wish on no one.
You can never have too much Wesley Crusher. Was I the only one who had a boyhood crush on his character?
While the aliens are much more varied on Babylon 5, I found the Star Trek writing to be superior. I will say, that first captain on B5 was a total hottie.
Jon, I didn’t have a boyhood crush on Wesley, as I was in college at the time, but yeah, I had a crush. Still, he was kinda irritating.
Craig, the first season really isn’t all that great, but the second season is really the worst, so be ready for it. The series didn’t hit it’s stride until the 3rd season.
BUt I remember watching the 1st season as it aired, and it was the coolest damn thing on TV. It’s only in retrospect, comparing it to later season, that one realizes how bad it really was.
All your points, though, are accurate. Enjoy it, and be aware, you have a LOT more great shows in later seasons to look forward to!
HUGS…
1. I agree that there was way too much Wesley Crusher saving the day.
2. Another weakness early on is the role ship’s counselor. Although she is a great piece of eye candy, she sits at the left hand of the captain on the bridge but she also keeps office hours so that Crewman Smith can discuss his marital problems. I think it gets better as the series gets into its later years but I think the first few years are a little awkward.
Adam: I totally agree about Troi. Why would the ship’s counselor have such a prime seat while Data, the 3rd in command of the entire ship is up front doing all the work? She should really only be brought up to the bridge when making contact with other civilizations. And what’s with her weird accent? It fades away as the series goes on, right? Kinda like Storm’s African accent in the X-Men movies.
Craig: You said, “She should really only be brought up to the bridge when making contact with other civilizations.” But there is an episode in one of the later seasons where Troi loses her psychic abilities and Picard admits that there is not a requirement for the ship’s counselor to be psychic. So there is really no reason at all for the ship’s councilor to be on the bridge at all. She really needs to be on the holodeck helping LT Barclay work through some of his issues and let the Star Fleet Line Officers handle the crisis of the day.
Ah, Barclay. The only member of Starfleet to ever use a Holodeck properly.
I believe the purpose of having Troi on the bridge was that she was originally supposed to be a brainiac. They ended up with data and her role shifted to that of “eye-candy/sex object”. Just take a look at how her outfits change over the course of the first few seasons.
oops…realized I forgot to capitalize Data. my bad. i’ll say 10 hail Captain Picards for that…or something.
Counselor Troi was on the Bridge because she could sense things the ships sensors couldn’t, like the emotions and intentions of unknown aliens. If I were Capt. Picard I’d have her ass next to me all of the time.
And I love Patrick Stewart on Family Guy, Seth Macfarland is a big fan of TNG.
I never watched TNG. I did watch Voyager for a while and loved it…
Season one has a quirky sort of retro feeling to it that I like, but as someone said up there, season two is very bad at times, it really only has about three or four episodes you could watch more than once. However, TNG from the third one and onwards, all the way to the end is pure goldpressed latinum. You can look forward to that.
ok, guys time for me to whip out my massive geekiness!
1. The Enterprise was a model, it recently sold for $576,000.00 at auction.
2. The opening was a throw back to TOS.
3. The stand alone episodes are necessary when shows like this have large budgets they make these cheaply so they can put more into the heavy action and FX episodes
4. While no redshirt dies on an away mission (for TNG division colors they would be goldshirts) Ass. Cheif Engineer Singh is killed on board the Enterprise (”Lonely Among Us”). His uniform color: Gold
5. YES! In his online reviews of the TNG episodes, Wil Wheaton states that “The Battle is the episode in which Wesley went from, in Wheaton’s own words, “mildly annoying to vehemently-hated character,” talking about how having Wesley figure out the problem and the solution before the senior staff could was “perhaps the worst way to help the audience accept that this kid (Wesley) is going to be part of the main crew.” Wheaton also remarked that the scene in sickbay where Wesley tells Crusher and Troi that he “glanced” at the scans while Dr. Crusher was researching them and, quote: “…in that brief moment, magically divined exactly what the rest of the professionally-trained crew – including the hypersmart robot – hadn’t noticed: the patterns in Picard’s scan are identical to the low-intensity transmissions picked up from the Ferengi ship. Wesley cements his relationship with Trekkies by muttering, “You’re welcome, ladies… heh. Adults.” after they leave the room. Oh, that’s pure genius writing there, guys; that’s not going to alienate a single fan. Bravo.”
6. “I am fully functional programmed in multiple techniques” now I wish this line could get me some action.
7. see #6
8. Don’t get used to the “skant-style” uniform by the second season it is only seen with pants underneath (makes me wonder if those crewmembers forgot their pants that day)and after that only in the flash back scenes in the series finale.
9. Gene Roddenberry was responsible for the played down weapons after his death phaser rifles make more of an appearance.
10. Mark says it all, Patrick Stewart on Family Guy.
Babylon 5 was a great show, but you can’t skip the first season, whe whole series was written as one long story. If you skip the first season you will wonder what the fuck is going on in the last season.
ok, I will now return to my poor dateless little life.
I’m very interested in your take on the Vorlons.
I’m not looking forward to the Dr. Pulaski season.
ExAstrisScientia: I remember that Wesley scene. It was the worst ever.
I actually thought Dr. Pulaski was the best thing about season 2. I hate and have always hated Beverly Crusher more than any other Star Trek character, even her son.
I’m currently on season four of B5. All I’m going to say is that you have to give it time to grow on you. Some of the episodes early on are downright awful, but it gets better I promise.
One of my professors told me that she really enjoyed Babylon 5 and she suggested I watch it especially since I like Star Trek. She said it started out really episodic (task/monster-of-the-day) then turned into one big storyline. She also said that the show got canceled (or was close to it) so one of the seasons ends with what could have been the whole series wrap up only to continue into the last season after the show was renewed.
My professors are nerds.
One of my all time favorite series..EVAH!
Holodeck.. Data..Deanna ( I had such a girl crush on her)…
There were so many awesome abilities..
I liked Wesley..I had a crush on him, kind of a cougary crush cause I was in my 20’s… but hey
I’m much more a DS9 person. I feel both that and TNG found their stride in their third seasons and were amazing from that point on. That said, I just rewatched the first season of DS9 and it wasn’t nearly as bad as I remember it on its first time out.
TNG took its first two seasons to find its legs. And I agree with earlier comments that the first season of B5 is spotty (I am NOT a Sinclair fan) but I think B5 outshines most of Star Trek just for its adherence to a story arc.
Just a note on TNG season 2:
Season 2 was affected by a writer’s strike, much like the one that just ended, many of the scrpits for season 2 were reworked scripts written for Star Trek: Phase II a series planned for the mid 70’s set on the original Enterprise with a few new characters (Spock would not return). These scripts were not written for TNG and it’s shows in the final product.
Wow, I haven’t thought of TNG for a long time!
I remember thinking Wesley was cute, but being annoyed by him at the same time. I also remember how Riker put on some weight at one point, so that he always seemed to be pulling his uniform down over his belly, lol!
I liked TNG. And, I always liked Voyager. DS9 was okay. Never could get into the Enterprise.
If you like ST:TNG everything is here, Seasons 1 through 7.
http://www.surfthechannel.com/tv/Star_Trek__The_Next_Generation_%5BTNG%5D/
You’re welcome. Right now I’m watching S01E11-Haven
Tell Me What a Dork I Am!