Star Trek: The Next Generation - General Discussion

[SVNBob]

On 9/28/2017 at 8:05 AM, kariyaki said:

Yeah, O'Brien was enlisted. Every officer outranks the enlisted. Even Wesley in his field promotion to ensign outranked him.

Hell, Nog technically outranked him, and he hadn't even graduated from the Academy yet.

[readster]

7 hours ago, John Potts said:

Early episodes have O'Brien as a Lieutenant (by both by address and rank insignia) but it was wildly inconsistent (I believe Gene thought only officers should serve on the bridge). By the time of Family (4.02) it was flat out stated that he was always and enlisted man, but that contradicted what had been both said and shown onscreen (though he was never more than a Chef Petty Officer after that).

That's what always bothered me to. I mean Miles did so much, knew so much, and even going down in his own words: "I'm an engineer." So, in the long run, I feel like the writers were trying to have their cake and eat it too. His send off made sense at least, saying he was going to be a teacher now. After all the crap he had been through, I would have said I'm done and gone back to Earth to have a quieter life and watch my children grow up. 

[SVNBob]

7 hours ago, readster said:

I would have said I'm done and gone back to Earth to have a quieter life and watch my children grow up. 

Spoiler

Which is exactly what he did do at the end of DS9.  Well, that plus a teaching gig at the Academy.

[readster]

17 hours ago, SVNBob said:

  Hide contents

Which is exactly what he did do at the end of DS9.  Well, that plus a teaching gig at the Academy.

Oh I know, I was agree, with his choice because I would have done the same. 

[CooperTV]

I've watched 3.19 Captain's Holiday and I've been having Picard's double facepalm expression throughout. What a turd. I think it's one of the worst of season 3, up with Sins of the Father and Booby Trap. The badness even more obvious because the season has a lot of really amazing episodes.

Edited October 29, 2017 by CooperTV

[readster]

1 hour ago, CooperTV said:

I've watched 3.19 Captain's Holiday and I've been having Picard's double facepalm expression throughout. What a turd. I think it's one of the worst of season 3, up with Sins of the Father and Booby Trap. The badness even more obvious because the season has a lot of really amazing episodes.

It's like I say about the: "I hate Wesley" episodes because they have to have all the adults at like complete idiots to make the story line work. To Boldly Go, Datalore or even Final Mission and Journey's End. Everyone acts like a complete idiot, but Wesley is the only one with a brain. Even Wil Weaton admitted it was stupid. Here with Picard it makes him come off as: "Bah, I have no life, I want to be miserable and do my job." "But captain, you need some time off." "FU Troi! But I'll go." Then in Qpid, I think it was perfect how Vash told him: "I'm so sorry you having a life outside of your chair embarreses you." It was like in Galaxy's Child, instead of using phasers, why not just use the tractor beam to push it? 

[CooperTV]

After Worf-centric telenovela The Sins of the Father in season 3 where Worf suddenly acquires a long-lost brother and his old nanny is conveniently turning out to be alive, we have even worse Worf-related telenovela episode in season 4! Worf and the pretty (and badass) half-Klingon lady suddenly have a 7-years-old together, even though they only had sex once two years ago! The pretty and badass lady is killed by Worf's enemies because Manpain and Fridging are The Actual Best Tropes! The Surprise!Child is shipped off to the grandparents because... reasons!

[BBHN]

I liked those Worf-centric episodes. Though I do wish they had kept K'Ehleyr (AKA the pretty (and badass) half-Klingon lady) around as a recurring character.

FYI, the actress playing her also played a Vulcan doctor on the Enterpise as well...

[SVNBob]

Dr. Selar.  Just the one actual appearance, but referred to often.  Which makes some sense.  The Enterprise-D did have over a thousand people on board after all.

Spoiler

She was also the female Q in an episode Voyager.  Her previous appearances on TNG were turned into in-jokes in that appearance.  She said she liked Vulcans and had a soft spot for half-Klingon women.

And later, she appeared as an Andorian on ENT.  So she's one of the pantheon of Trek actors to portray people of multiple species, and a particular subgroup that never portrayed a human.  Such august company includes Mark Lenard.

[marihunc]

13 hours ago, BBHN said:

FYI, the actress playing her also played a Vulcan doctor on the Enterpise as well...

And she also played the female Q on Voyager :)

[rereader2]

On 11/12/2017 at 1:08 AM, BBHN said:

I liked those Worf-centric episodes. Though I do wish they had kept K'Ehleyr (AKA the pretty (and badass) half-Klingon lady) around as a recurring character.

FYI, the actress playing her also played a Vulcan doctor on the Enterpise as well...

The actress's name is Suzie Plakson, and she also played a female Q in Voyager, and some character on the series I refuse to admit ever happened, IIRC.

[BBHN]

Quote

and some character on the series I refuse to admit ever happened, IIRC.

You mean on Enterprise?

Interestingly enough, there were plans for a romance between Selar and Worf. I think some of the novels did follow through on that idea...

[rereader2]

10 hours ago, BBHN said:

You mean on Enterprise?

That might be the name of the show, had it ever happened, but it never did. :D

[John Potts]

Suzie Plakson is one of Trek's go-to actors for "people who can act with a pound of rubber on their face". She also played the female Q on Voyager. Admittedly not quite at the level of Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun/Brunt/Shran), but certainly a notable Trek actress (Trektress?).

Edited December 1, 2017 by John Potts

[Joe]

So I rewatched First Contact yesterday. It's stranger than I remember. But I think I know why. It's from Berman, Braga, and RDM. Based on their later work, I suspect that Moore did the bulk of the drama and Borg stuff, while the others focused more on the dumb comedy. Memory Alpha doesn't say anything about this. Anyone else know?

[readster]

First Contact is based on how people would feel if they suddenly were faced with a situation like that. I know the how did a survey for a month on how people would feel on the situation. It basically came off like the episode, the one thing that bothered me the most about First Contact. Is not the security guy and his attitude of: "I must save my people." It was the mob that basically kicked the shit out of Riker, even when the episode started. He apparently found himself in the middle of a protest. What was the protest over? Why were these people so hate ridden. I felt like the episode was trying to show this kind of isolation, we are alone in the Universe. It came off like a bunch of ignorant people who I'm surprised even made it to warp drive. 

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, readster said:

First Contact is based on how people would feel if they suddenly were faced with a situation like that. I know the how did a survey for a month on how people would feel on the situation. It basically came off like the episode, the one thing that bothered me the most about First Contact. Is not the security guy and his attitude of: "I must save my people." It was the mob that basically kicked the shit out of Riker, even when the episode started. He apparently found himself in the middle of a protest. What was the protest over? Why were these people so hate ridden. I felt like the episode was trying to show this kind of isolation, we are alone in the Universe. It came off like a bunch of ignorant people who I'm surprised even made it to warp drive. 

Now you know why the Vulcans were so reluctant to let humans develop anything beyond basic warp drive for a couple of centuries after its discovery.  Enterprise also dealt with this theme towards the end of its run ("Terra Prime"), and the take-away from both that episode and this one is that the final barriers that races who are new to alien contact must overcome in order to be truly ready to explore "the final frontier" are the psychological ones of their own xenophobia and paranoia.

Edited January 1, 2018 by legaleagle53

[Bort]

2 hours ago, readster said:

First Contact is based on how people would feel if they suddenly were faced with a situation like that. I know the how did a survey for a month on how people would feel on the situation. It basically came off like the episode, the one thing that bothered me the most about First Contact. Is not the security guy and his attitude of: "I must save my people." It was the mob that basically kicked the shit out of Riker, even when the episode started. He apparently found himself in the middle of a protest. What was the protest over? Why were these people so hate ridden. I felt like the episode was trying to show this kind of isolation, we are alone in the Universe. It came off like a bunch of ignorant people who I'm surprised even made it to warp drive. 

Are you talking about the episode, First Contact? Because I think @Joe was talking about the movie.

[readster]

6 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Are you talking about the episode, First Contact? Because I think @Joe was talking about the movie.

My bad, I thought you meant the episode and not the movie. 

[legaleagle53]

1 hour ago, readster said:

My bad, I thought you meant the episode and not the movie. 

Well, that's an entirely logical assumption, since this IS the thread for discussing the TV episodes and not the movies.

[huahaha]

On my Mother's Day wishlist:

http://io9.gizmodo.com/in-the-new-star-trek-the-next-generation-comic-a-mirr-1824045573/amp

[DavidJSnyder]

New of Alex Kurtzman's renewal deal include sources saying there's a possible of some kind of CBS All Access series with Patrick Stewart as Picard.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/alex-kurtzman-inks-25m-deal-extension-cbs-tv-studios-will-expand-star-trek-tv-franchise-1104232

This follows a video from Red Carpet News where Patrick Stewart said he hadn't seen any Star Trek Discovery yet, but he might have a reason to watch it shortly.

[legaleagle53]

This just in:  Captain Jean-Luc Picard is back -- and so is Sir Patrick Stewart!

[millennium]

Just caught that on mediaite.com.

Best news I've had in weeks (I have no life, lol).  

[Lebanna]

So the storyline seems a little vague, but even if they later announce that this is a series about Captain Picard at an all-species retirement home on Risa, I will be so in.

I don't care. I will watch Picard paint water colours of Borg cubes and take Klingon calligraphy classes if it means we get more Picard.

I just do not care what this is. I love it already.

[VCRTracking]

[millennium]

watch, now he'll die.   life is so like that.

[BigBeagle]

Hope there's occasional interactions with other Trek series characters

[legaleagle53]

4 minutes ago, BigBeagle said:

Hope there's occasional interactions with other Trek series characters

There probably will be.  This will be set in the original Trek universe (since, as I recall, Picard was never born in the rebooted timeline because his ancestor was wiped out during one of the temporal upheavals). I just think it would be fascinating to have some shout-out to Discovery, since that series is also supposedly set in the original universe.  Maybe Picard will reference Discovery's contribution to Federation history.

[legaleagle53]

22 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

You know what I think is amazing?  Sir Patrick doesn't look a day older than he was when TNG ended and the TNG movies stopped after Star Trek: Nemesis.  Did he get Q to give him the secret of longevity?

Edited August 5, 2018 by legaleagle53

[TVbitch]

Please bring Data and Q back too! 

[legaleagle53]

11 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Please bring Data and Q back too! 

Brent Spiner is going to be busy playing the Vice President on Supergirl.

[Joe]

16 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

Brent Spiner is going to be busy playing the Vice President on Supergirl.

Armin Shimmerman pulled double duty as Quark on DS9 and Snyder on Buffy. There's a chance.

[millennium]

Spiner also had serious qualms about playing a character who doesn't age even as time began to tell on him.  As I recall, that's why he insisted on Data dying at the end of Nemesis.

Edited August 5, 2018 by millennium

[millennium]

4 hours ago, Lebanna said:

So the storyline seems a little vague, but even if they later announce that this is a series about Captain Picard at an all-species retirement home on Risa, I will be so in.

I don't care. I will watch Picard paint water colours of Borg cubes and take Klingon calligraphy classes if it means we get more Picard.

I just do not care what this is. I love it already.

If we were to discover that he is married to Mrs. Troi ... that would be a deal breaker for me.    Don't see that happening though.

[legaleagle53]

1 minute ago, millennium said:

If we were to discover that he is married to Mrs. Troi ... that would be a deal breaker for me.    Don't see that happening though.

I can't see that happening, unless they recast the role -- and the late Majel Roddenberry would be a very tough act to follow!

[blueray]

13 hours ago, millennium said:

watch, now he'll die.   life is so like that.

The sad thing is I thought this as soon as I heard the news :(. But I believe he is healthy, so hopefully this will not be the case.

 

I am excited about this show. It does seem like they have no idea what it'll be about. But with Pecard it should be great. It would be cool if they got Michael Dorn to reprise Worf at some point. I believe he at one point was interested.

[Bort]

9 hours ago, millennium said:

If we were to discover that he is married to Mrs. Troi ... that would be a deal breaker for me.    Don't see that happening though.

 

9 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

I can't see that happening, unless they recast the role -- and the late Majel Roddenberry would be a very tough act to follow!

What's Gates McFadden up to lately?

[millennium]

re: my comment about Spiner not wishing Data to exhibit signs of aging ...

Wasn't it in the final episode -- the one where Picard bounces back and forth between past, present and future -- that Data had deliberately affected a mildly aged appearance?   Maybe there's a canonical reason right there to explain why Data now appears older.

[millennium]

Then again, temporally speaking, Data was destroyed in Nemesis, meaning that the future Picard witnessed was not accurate (unless Data somehow cheated death).

Edited August 5, 2018 by millennium

[legaleagle53]

Sorry -- nothing to see here, folks!

Edited August 5, 2018 by legaleagle53

[legaleagle53]

3 hours ago, millennium said:

Then again, temporally speaking, Data was destroyed in Nemesis, meaning that the future Picard witnessed was not accurate (unless Data somehow cheated death).

Also, that possible future was itself probably destroyed when Picard reset the timeline by having all three versions of the Enterprise (past, present and future) destroy the temporal anomaly that Q had created in an attempt to wipe humanity out of existence by preventing humanity from ever being born.

[millennium]

Then there's that whole unfortunate B4 thing ...

[kokapetl]

I’m a little concerned we’re gonna get angry movie Picard. 

[marinw]

Despite my trepidation about going back to the Star Trek well yet again, I’m excited for this because I love Picard, and also because we will finally get to see what the post-Nemesis Federation looks like. How is the Fed holding up to its ideals with the Borg, Dominion, and other threats? Enough with the prequels already!

Also, Sir Patrick looks GOOD.

Edited August 6, 2018 by marinw

[TVbitch]

I forgot Data was destroyed :( ... ... but we could still have Lore! Maybe his programming could finally get fixed.  

Q has to be part of it, he is Picard's archenemy. 

I wouldn't even mind some Wesley Crusher after seeing what a good sport he has been on Big Bang Theory. No reason we can't have Troi, Riker, Jordie, Worf, Crusher, Guinan and whoever I am forgetting be, if not regulars, at least pass through some episodes.  

Picard was by far my favorite captain, especially in the more poignant episodes, and the rare humorous ones. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

On 8/4/2018 at 6:49 PM, millennium said:

Best news I've had in weeks (I have no life, lol).  

Agreed, and I am looking forward to it -- however, this is just validation that writers in Hollywood have just out of any original ideas.

Plus, Patrick Stewart is 79, so shouldn't Jean-Luc be off retiring in the Norpin colonies a la Mr. Scott -- maybe he can stop off at the Dyson sphere on the way, see what they've found out about who built it.

[millennium]

3 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Agreed, and I am looking forward to it -- however, this is just validation that writers in Hollywood have just out of any original ideas.

Plus, Patrick Stewart is 79, so shouldn't Jean-Luc be off retiring in the Norpin colonies a la Mr. Scott -- maybe he can stop off at the Dyson sphere on the way, see what they've found out about who built it.

I think it speaks volumes about Patrick Stewart's talent and charm that at the age of 79 he can still send a shock wave of enthusiasm through fandom.   It's a rare, shining moment in an industry that traditionally devalues performers once they reach a certain age.    

Normally I would agree re: Hollywood writers lacking original ideas.   But maybe in this instance it's a rare case of giving the audience exactly what it wants.   Whenever I watch Nemesis and see that final scene of a smiling Picard walking through the ship's corridor, I think, This cannot be the end.   And now it isn't anymore.   

[ottoDbusdriver]

4 hours ago, millennium said:

I think it speaks volumes about Patrick Stewart's talent and charm that at the age of 79 he can still send a shock wave of enthusiasm through fandom.   It's a rare, shining moment in an industry that traditionally devalues performers once they reach a certain age.    

Normally I would agree re: Hollywood writers lacking original ideas.   But maybe in this instance it's a rare case of giving the audience exactly what it wants.   Whenever I watch Nemesis and see that final scene of a smiling Picard walking through the ship's corridor, I think, This cannot be the end.   And now it isn't anymore.   

If you ever get the chance to see Patrick Stewart in the short-lived show 'Blunt Talk' check it out.  It's absurd, but funny watching Patrick play a petty, narcissistic TV show host.

The ending of Nemesis was the worst for the ST:TNG franchise.

[marinw]

7 hours ago, millennium said:

I think it speaks volumes about Patrick Stewart's talent and charm that at the age of 79 he can still send a shock wave of enthusiasm through fandom.   It's a rare, shining moment in an industry that traditionally devalues performers once they reach a certain age.    

I saw him in The Tempest on Broadway way back in 1994 ad it was great.

He was also the perfect Professor X.