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I just recently rewatched the TNG pilot, and "Justice"... Have you ever noticed that along with the terrible plots and scripts, season 1 has this weird Uncanny Valley thing going on with the acting. I dont know if its the actors' fault or the directing, but none of interactions feel genuinely human. The pacing of the lines is off and it feels more like the characters reciting monologues to the audience than having a conversation.
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Dec 17, 2016 16:16
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VitalSigns posted:Also is there no medical privacy in the future or is this Crusher's horrible medical ethics again. She's totally cool giving out patient medical records without consent because Data's like "trust me I have a good reason" I recently watched the TNG episode "Survivors", and it's funny now watching as an adult - the away team comes down and sees the elderly couple, Crusher pulls out the tricorder and the old woman is scared, and Crusher is all like "don't worry, I'm just scanning you!" I guess medical consent no longer exists in the Federation.
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Jan 21, 2017 16:46
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WampaLord posted:You know Data paused just long enough to make sure the computer wouldn't think it was weird. I feel like the much greater security concern is that the computer didn't go "hey wait a minute, Picard is giving me orders but he's not even on this floor." Seems like voice only recognition is problematic in a world with 100% perfect holograms.
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Jan 25, 2017 18:16
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WampaLord posted:Computer security is such a joke anyway. The amount of times the holodeck has taken over the bridge is insane considering those two systems shouldn't even talk to each other. Didn't Voyager writers justify ridiculous holodeck stuff by coming up with the idea that the holodecks use totally different power sources that are separate and incompatible with anything else on the ship?
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Jan 25, 2017 18:22
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I actually didn't think Genesis was SOOOO bad at the DNA stuff, at least relative to other examples in the series. I appreciated that they at least tried to make it sound plausible (introns and junk DNA that were vestiges of previous evolutionary forms) My biggest gripe in any of these DNA changing episodes is how the changes happen almost instantly (like the transporter turning the cast into children). And then how people are reverted back to 100% health. Do you even get a sick day? I can't imagine what kind of mental trauma would be involved in my brain turning into a lizard and back.
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Jan 31, 2017 18:09
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Phy posted:Caught the Shiny Silver Future Borg episode of Voyager last night. Janeway wasn't memorably psychotic, which was nice. But holy hell does the Fed ever need to update their Weird poo poo Encounter procedures. Ensign Dumbass sees a green glowing room, walks merrily on in to scan it. Falls over unconscious. Next shot is senior members of the crew, walking merrily into the same room. At this rate all you'd need to do to incapacitate half the crew is flood a few random rooms with H2S. My absolute favorite workplace safety moment in Trek, is the first contact with the Borg. This crazy looking robot guy has boarded the ship, is shooting weird electricity into the computer in engineering, and the security protocol is Worf asking one guy to run up and tackle it.
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Feb 2, 2017 18:13
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MrJacobs posted:I liked them in their first appearance, but then it got to be loving stupid when they tried to convert the whole ship into a hologram, and then they became retarded when they created holograms without an emergency shut off. God that episode sucked, the Doctor literally commits treason and everyone is cool with it. Light treason seems to be completely accepted in Star fleet, as long as somehow it can be decided that you are still a good, loyal person (maybe mind melds off-camera?) I think I once counted at least 8 separate times that data took over the enterprise or his abilities posed a grave threat to the crew.
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Feb 21, 2017 06:05
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PostNouveau posted:I think I'm a sucker for his weird shots. A few times an episode he'll do a tight closeup of two characters going back and forth or a shot from the upper corner of the room or something and you know it's a Frakes episode before even going to imdb. I feel like I have seen or read a review somewhere for "Cause and Effect" that was very complimentary of the way Frakes always used different angles and perspectives to make the repetitive scenes different in every loop.
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Mar 16, 2017 23:11
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Hot Dog Day #82 posted:Those old movie TOS uniforms are my favorite, why would the federation ever change away from something so snappy looking I've always wanted to sit in on the meeting at star fleet, where the decision was made to go from the TOS movie uniforms, to the TNG pyjama uniforms in seasons 1 and 2. I think that change would be enough to get me to quit Star Fleet.
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Mar 26, 2017 15:59
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Hate to say it, but I agree with him (Not his general racism, but his feelings specifically about Data). Data's complete lack of passion and naivete would make him a terrible captain. ...also his propensity for taking over the ship and harming his fellow crewmembers
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Apr 21, 2017 18:22
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The Bloop posted:The first appearances of the borg really are great scifi though, probably especially Q's (non)explanation for them. Speaking of Q Who, I just watched the episode recently, and while I love it, there are some really bizarre pacing choices, for example all the conference room scenes. There is even a "Captain's Log, supplemental" coming off a commercial break, which implies that right after the Enterprise blasts huge holes in the Borg ship, Picard ran into his ready room, recorded the log, and then came back out to discuss next steps. Edit: Actually I misremembered, it's even worse. Picard records the captains log while they're being chased by the Borg ship at the end... Bucswabe fucked around with this message at 17:32 on May 9, 2017 |
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May 9, 2017 17:21
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8one6 posted:I can forgive that. Odds were good the Borg were going to kill them. You'd want a complete log to send out in the emergency transmission. That's a fair point. I think it just struck me because it's the only time I can think of where they used a Captain's Log in the middle of an urgent crisis situation.
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May 9, 2017 17:44
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If someone wanted to sell me on TNG with a single episode, I would be looking for something fascinating and mysterious that works completely as a stand alone, like an episode of Black Mirror or Twilight Zone. You could probably win me over with Cause and Effect, even if it doesn't entirely capture the essence of the series as a whole. I've also always thought that Disaster would be a decent introduction to the show. You don't need to know anything going in, and it's a pretty fun episode that gives the entire cast something to do. Bucswabe fucked around with this message at 03:04 on May 13, 2017 |
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May 13, 2017 02:56
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After Riker, I would legitimately prefer Crusher in command over everyone else in the main cast. The one episode where she was in charge showed that she had her poo poo together.
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May 16, 2017 13:27
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Jeb! Repetition posted:Watching Arsenal of Freedom and lol: Did Starfleet end up buying those weapons? I feel like that tech could have won the Dominion war...
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May 22, 2017 09:33
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I've never really understood the whole "Romulans try to trick us into shooting first" thing. If the outcome is war with the Federation, what difference does it make who starts it?
Bucswabe fucked around with this message at 15:29 on Jun 4, 2017 |
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Jun 4, 2017 15:16
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My favourite part of "Booby Trap" is how on a ship with a crew of over 1000 people, they had one guy working on the plan to save everyone from immenent death. Like, seriously, what was Data doing that was more important?
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Jul 4, 2017 11:07
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One thing I have always liked about TNG is that the running theme throughout the series is upholding your core values and principles even when it's the hardest thing in the world. I don't know that any other show has ever done this more powerfully. Like, I get the rational arguments for exterminating the Borg. But my human impulse also wanted to see the Pakled crew exterminated for being terrorists, so...
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Jul 27, 2017 18:23
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:What I love the most about these scenes (other than how bad-rear end it is that Data single-handedly took over the entire ship) is how promptly these security features were forgotten. Data is able to close off access to the bridge and the main computer so completely that even Picard isn't able to do anything but stand there getting annoyed in Engineering. I'd really like to hope that after the event in "Brothers", someone thought to say "Hey, Computer, from now on if the voice of the captain is locking out all command functions, please verify that he is at least in the loving room!"
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Aug 11, 2017 17:23
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The "freedom chain analogy" quote that Picard pulls out in his speech is so good that I am actually amazed that it came from a TV writer.
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Sep 2, 2017 23:51
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I completely agree that Section 31 is a blight on Star Trek, even if they are presented as villains. The fact that they were brought up in Enterprise basically implies that they have been a necessary and effective organization for centuries. It completely undermines the idea that the Federation can succeed by staying true to its principles.
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Sep 26, 2017 18:04
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:
See, I'm very torn by this myself. I love DS9, but there is no doubt that it is a radical departure from TNG. I would say the overarching theme of TNG isn't even "optimism" so much, as it is about truly living up to your principles. Picard's speech in The Drumhead is amazing because it clearly warns about what happens when you start to compromise on your values. Time and time again Picard made decisions based on principles knowing that the consequence could be dire (see I Borg, for example). By contrast, in The Pale Moonlight, we have Sisko compromising his values for what he considers the greater good. Given the stakes and how things could have gone catastrophically bad if the plan failed, Sisko's actions aren't even objectively "worth it" (without the benefit of hindsight). But he is rewarded for his actions and never has face repercussions. Picard would have 100% handled that episode differently and it speaks entirely to the different tones of the series. In my personal opinion, there has never been a show that has been more principled than TNG, and because of my age when i watched the show for the first time i think it had a significant impact on my perspective as ive grown up. I think that is the type of show the world needs right now.
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Sep 27, 2017 17:53
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Gammatron 64 posted:Yes yes yes, oh my God, yes. This. The Drumhead is one of my favorite TNG episodes and really defines Picard as a character. That episode probably had a huge effect on me growing up. This is going to make a ton of people roll their eyes, but my moral compass is probably influenced by Captain Picard. I feel there's a serious lack of things like this today. And it kind of shows because we have almost a whole generation of kids who think the ends justify the means. I vehemently disagree with that sentiment because it's what's led people to commit horrible atrocities throughout history. If you have a moral high ground, don't sacrifice it. Ever. If others have done horrible things, that doesn't give you the right to do the same. Always aim to be the better man\woman\whatever. Amen, brother! (or sister - don't want to make assumptions)
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Sep 27, 2017 18:24
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Part of my problem with "in the pale moonlight" relevant to this discussion (I actually really like the episode overall) is that it wasn't JUST a moral dellema, it was a dellema that required taking a massive, unbelievable risk. It would be just as easy and believable to write a story where Sisko makes all the same decisions, but gets caught by the romulans and drives them into an alliance with the Dominian; dooming the Federation. The writers wanted to tell a story where making the unethical choice was undeniably the right course of action.
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Nov 10, 2017 18:49
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Jeb, did you skip the Gambit two-parter? I know it isn't known as a great episode, but I just recently watched it and actually enjoyed it. I'm interested in ideas of leadership so I found it interesting just for the sake of watching Riker take command and then Data very soon after. For a long time I thought data would be a horrible captain, but I now look at this episode and think he did an ok job. He even gives Worf a stern lecture!
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Nov 22, 2017 06:33
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Jeb! Repetition posted:But folks, if Gambit is really that bland and uninteresting my commentary probably wouldn't be entertaining either. It's like how when you're with friends you want to watch either good movies or really bad ones. This is fair, as much of the episode is bland. There was just a few things that I thought would be fun to see your reaction to. For example, there is a scene where Data totally dresses down Worf for being an unprofessional jerk questioning his authority, and then he ends it all by saying something like "I'm sorry if we're not friends now!". It made me burst out laughing when I watched it.
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Nov 22, 2017 18:05
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What always bothers me about Parallels, is when they blow up the Borg-reality Enterprise, the explosion effect is the most pathetic explosion I've ever seen on tv. The edges of the explosion are barely larger than the ship itself. Just no effort whatsoever...
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Nov 26, 2017 16:50
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bull3964 posted:Man, hard critic. Haha you're right, I'm probably being overly harsh. I can't imagine the pressure these production crews are under to get these episodes out on time.
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Nov 26, 2017 18:22
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One other thing that I find amusing about Parallels is the fact that because it's a Worf story, and everyone is focused on his thing, there is basically no reaction from anyone to the fact that Geordie died. It really sucks to die in a Star Trek episode dealing with time travel/alternate realities...
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Nov 27, 2017 18:14
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I really love Genesis... It's one of those rare episodes that can actually be improved by re-watching and knowing what's going to come. All the subtle gestures of the actors (Nurse Ogowa walking like a chimp; Barclay being manic and moving around the room with his arms, etc.) in the first half is just so much fun! It's also amazing to think that an extremely routine medical procedure done on one guy could have potentially taken out the entire crew of the Federation flag ship. Well done, Star Fleet!
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Dec 7, 2017 00:37
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I guess this means Jeb skipped "Bloodlines" (which is fine since its pretty meh). The one thing that really amused me in the episode was how Picard's son was supposed to be 23 years old, despite the actor being 36 at the time (yes, I looked it up).
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Dec 14, 2017 18:04
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I also preferred their pale white faces to the zombie monster faces that they got starting in First Contact... Also, I hate "Borg nano-probes". It was way cooler when I imagined the Borg drilling their implants into Picard, rather than them just growing from a simple injection. Bucswabe fucked around with this message at 19:06 on Jan 4, 2018 |
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Jan 4, 2018 19:03
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Somewhat related to the genetic engineering discussion, I always wanted to see a Star Trek story deal with a Federation species that reproduces hundreds of offspring per "couple". In the wild, only, like, 2 or 3 offspring would survive, but in a post-scarcity society they have the technology to save all of them. How would the Federation deal with a species that reproduces exponentially?
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Jan 17, 2018 18:09
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Peachfart posted:Any of that would have required creativity, which Enterprise ran out of somewhere in the middle of the first season. I think I pretty much checked out mentally by episode 8. The one where everyone is so excited when they encounter their very first, never discovered before, civilisation. And of course it was just another extremely generic forehead-of-the-week alien.
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Jul 29, 2018 02:33
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Gonz posted:The ship’s sensors can break down the DNA signatures of alien species from orbit around a planet, but god help you if there’s an unauthorized alien anomoly on board the drat ship. Apparently the policy for managing intruders depends on crew members visually identifying intruders. Of course we know this is impossible on a ship with 1,000 permanent crew, and the potential for thousands of more visitors. I have never seen anyone given a guest pass to walk around the ship, and we saw that Worf couldn't tell that that alien invisible friend girl wasn't supposed to be on board when she literally bumped into him.
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Oct 5, 2018 14:11
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I really liked SFDebris's take on the prime directive in TNG. If you look at all the times it is invoked, the directive applies to 3 types of scenarios: 1) don't interfere with the development of a pre-warp civilization; 2) don't interfere in the internal politics of a civilization; and 3) let Wesley be executed for stepping on flowers.
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Oct 7, 2018 16:13
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Cythereal posted:When Q tells Picard that for a brief moment he grasped possibilities and an existence beyond what humanity is capable of in All Good Things, he's not talking about Picard going transhuman in the modern sense. He's talking about Picard touching a higher level of consciousness and being. What a shame that just one week later Picard got the Enterprise destroyed out of shear incompetence...
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Nov 15, 2018 03:38
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McNally posted:I think it's an old ad for Kings Dominion in Virginia when it became Paramount's Kings Dominion. I'm almost positive the logo on the roller coaster is from Canada's Wonderland (an amusement park near Toronto) when it was owned by paramount. They went through a phase where they heavily leaned into Star Trek in promoting the park. I remember seeing TNG Star Fleet officers skating around in an ice show, and Klingons roaming the park like Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.
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Nov 24, 2018 17:27
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FuturePastNow posted:There's just one time I can think of when they've actually show the "real" power of Star Trek's weapons. In the 2-parter where the joint Cardassian/Romulan fleet attacks the Founder's homeworld. They expect to be able to destroy the planet's crust within one hour and the mantle in 5. When they open fire, the Romulan tactical officer reports 30% of the planet's crust destroyed by their first volley. Obviously their plan didn't work out but there's no reason their damage projections wouldn't be accurate. I always get a kick out of the throwaway scene at the end of "Skin Of Evil" when the Enterprise shoots a photon torpedo at the planet during the captain's log. I know the intent was just to destroy the shuttle, but with that much power, I imagine the oil slick monster just kind of standing around right before a gigantic flash atomizes everything around him. Someone on the Enterprise mutters "suck on that, motherfucker!"
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Mar 19, 2019 17:46
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My series: The federation, having absorbed the klingons, romulans, and cardassians, discovers that the key to exploring beyond the Milky Way is a scientific/mathematical principle that will require unifying the entire galaxy to unlock. The new mission: bring the Borg and Dominion into the Federation. But this mission is jeopardized by the newly emergent Borg Emperor, who is a giant being whose body is made of Borg cubes, and whose first act is to declare all out war on the dominion. In order to challenge this, the changlings introduce the Mega-Link which is the merged entities of all changelings to become the ultimate shapeshifter. A huge scale war breaks out with the Federation having to toe the line to try to bring peace. Also, because this is a fantasy show, in Episode 1 there is some kind of disaster that completely destroys the Mirror Universe, Section 31, and the Bajoran race.
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Apr 30, 2019 20:17
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