Impromptu TNG Runthrough

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123793332#Comment_123793332

Voyager was the problem. Picard had the cheat codes for beating the Borg and with a valid in world reason.

Janeway taking on the entire collective was just laughable. They should have done Scorpion and then left it at that.

JayRoc

I think First Contact is a fantastic flick and obviously the best of the Next Gen offerings but there is something about the Borg from Q who and Best of Both Worlds…

They were a bit less biological than the later versions and more like walking corpses who want to take away our individuality. What's scarier than that?

squonk

The Borg Queen was the worst development they could have made. They turned them into a glorified beehive. A self organising organism is much more fearful and deadly. Rather than neutering them they should have used them properly. I’d have been happy to see earth take a battering. A darker TNG in conjunction with DS9 could have been great too where they’d have to contend with the Borg from time to time gradually adapting to methods it takes to beat them. It would have been great seeing Picard or Riker taking the decision to unleash a virus on a cube, genocide in other words. I love TNG for taking the time to always consider an issue abd do the right thing in the face of adversity and it was always written to work out. I’d have loved a “them or us” scenario where the existential choice had to be made to wipe out the both or be wiped out by them.

eadrom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123793501#Comment_123793501

..

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123793524#Comment_123793524

Would have loved a one-shot series or TV Movie set in this hellish universe. The haggard desperation of that Riker just wrote so many stories in a very brief moment. Kind of like Year of Hell but on steroids.

squonk

The Best Of Both Worlds - Part 2: I alwsys felt while watching this in my 20s and 30s that this was a kind of anticlimax because Wolf 359! was hung out there as a teaser in part 1 but we miss the whole thing and just see the aftermath. I feel differently now. I thought quick restructuring of the enterprise command structure while dealing with the senseless loss of Picard is really interesting in itself. Riker and Shelby fall into their roles svd there’s not much time to overthink anything either. Meanwhile tge Borg decimating the federation fleet and approaching earth is gut wrenching. Their sheer power is horrifying and the knowledge they can’t be stopped. Data interfacing with the Borg was very credible. I think the only unrealistic thing was the cube self destructing. I know they had to wrap up the story but a sleeping cube just hanging there is a terrible thought. I’d like to have seen more to the story really. I can’t help feeling they picked a great enemy for the wrong show. The Enterpruse is about exploring. A spinoff TV movie dealing with forcing the both to self destruct might have been good. I don’t know really. Perhaps if they’d had Data plant two conflicting commands it might gscevsofhed but that too would have looked crap. Really a fantastic episode. This feels like the point where TNG solidly left the TOS legacy behind and turned into its own version of Trek.

squonk

Family: Picard goes home. Worf’s parents show up. While the enterprise is being repaired at a started orbiting earth, Picard takes time to visit his brother, nephew and sister in law in that part of France where everyone has strong English accents. Jean Luc and Robert have a frosty relationship which tgaws as they settle there differences playfighting in a vineyard. Picard realises his place is on the enterprise. Renee wants to follow in his footsteps. Meanwhile Worf’s parents come on board to support him after his discommutation. A good episude after the excitement of BOBW. I’d like this epishde much better if they hadn’t killed off Reneevavd Robert in Generstoons. A really stupid and pointless plot note I thought. I think it’s mainly a character building backstory for Picard. Quite enjoyable.

Brothers: Data hijscks the Enterpruse following a homing beacon from Dr Soong. LOR shows up following the same beacon. Soong is dieing but has a personality chip fur data which LOR steals. I never found these Soong episodes overly interesting. Bit of a chance for Brent Spiner to play off character really.

eadrom

Family is a good episode. I remember thinking it was so weird they they actually remembered the previous episode in that one. Like it was a "Part 3" but the title didn't say so, and without a "To be continued…" or "Last time on…" to lead into it. Unthinkable! Oh how times have changed.

But a fairly unique episode and a nice little coda on the BoBW drama.

squonk

Suddenly Human: Oh Captain! My Captain. The Enterpruse finds a crippled Talarisn ship crewed by children. One crew members begin is human and it’s established had been taken from an attack on a federation outpost where his parents had been killed. When taken onboard it’s established he’s the grandson abd sole surviving family member of Admiral Rosa. Talarisns seem xenophobic svd misogynistic so the young man isn’t up for counselling or anything like that. He’s only comfortable with Picard which leads to him bunking up in his quarters. Picard starts to get through to the young man but finds it hard to adjust to a roomie, particularly when he returns to his quarters to find the young man chilling in a hammock and rocking out to Talsrian Depeche Mode at full volume. Meanwhile the boy’s Talarisn father and Aldi Kelsey Grammar shows up. There Cardiff between the enterprise and faux frasier to get the kid back. Exposure to Wesley pushes the kid over the edge svd Deccan’s Picard and decides he’s better off back with Frasier Dad. A good episode that keeps you guessing whether the kid is brainwashed, has been abused or is just a normal talarian kid. It turns out he’s well cared for. I wanted to nut like this episode. The subject didn’t appeal to me but it’s strong nonetheless.

Remember Me: Bev’s imaginary friends. After a former colleague of Beverly’s arrive on board she visits engineeringbwhere Wesley is performing a warp bubble experiment. After a glitch Beverly can no longer find any record of her friend on board and over time other crew members begin to disappear also until she’s alone. Interesting episode. I liked that it shows how well regarded Beverly is that her seemingly crackpot tales of seemingly imaginary people are taken seriously and the crew look for answers. It’s a nice callback to the earlier episode with the traveller. The twist towards tge end is quite good. I won’t spoil it.

breezy1985

Family is one I really appreciate now but didn't like as a kid which I'd say is most kids. It's a million miles away from a sci-fi show.

Remember Me though was instantly an absolute favourite for me.

squonk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123798807#Comment_123798807

Yeah, Family is definitely one for the older viewers. I remember just being interested in seeing where Picard came from. Pretty sure I thought Robert was a dick because he wasn’t into starships. It almost seems like a different episode now. I see much more in it that went over my head as a 15 or 16 year old. The joys of maturity! It’s a far better epishde than I gave it credit for. I think if Stewart wasn’t going to come back, Picard returning home and embracing family and a new role would have been a much more satisfying and realistic way to bow out than being pulverised by a blast from the deflector dish.

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123798788#Comment_123798788

Suddenly Human

I sometimes wonder what kind of bollocking Picard got from Admiral Rossa for how he resolved this.

Rossa: What is your ETA to the Starbase? I’ll meet the Enterprise there and take custody of my grandson.

Picard: Yea….about that….

Rossa: What?

Picard: You know that people we were at war with, who killed your son and his wife?

Rossa: Yes…?

Picard: Turns out your grandson prefers them…so we just let him stay there…

Rossa: ….

Picard: Admiral?

Rossa: [End Transmission]

Picard: …..…sh*t….

squonk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123799703#Comment_123799703

I’d say the admiralty are well used to how JLP rolls! Anyone, at any time wandering into engineering or the Bridgend doing damage, crew using the holodeck for creepy invasive sex stuff, a 15 year old at Ops and a few weeks ago the android hijacked the ship bags brought it to a remote planet and JLP is totally cool with all of this. I’d say Admiral Rosa reckoned it was 70/30 the kid wouldn’t come back! 😀