Impromptu TNG Runthrough

Too Short A Season: Solid episode I thought. Could see the point of taking the de-aging medication considering the challenge Jameson faced. Definitely feels like the show has grown into its own skin a bit now though. There’s less and less to say about poor sets or odd characterisation by now.

When The Bough Breaks: Strong typical Trek episode. The little red haired kid was adorable. Age made me feel sorry for the kids I don’t remember feeling much for them on first viewing. There’s a kind of heart and deep humanity to the stories now that even SNW hasn’t replicated. DS9 certainly did.

Home Soil: I loved this when I saw it first time round and it doesn’t disappoint now either. Great premise showing up at a terraforming planet and falling into what looks like a murder mystery but evolves into something deeper. Taking time to consider questions of what constitutes life fascinated me as a teen and it’s why I loved the show. I honestly thought this was a season 2 episode. The back 9 in Season 1 is really turning out very good, much better than i expected.

Coming Of Age: A Wesley episode that isn’t annoying. I think this is really a setup for Symbiosis. Seems like Starfleet Academy is a bit too choosy. It’s surprising they have any applicants at all! On a funny note, the Kirkland boy looked like a member of an 80s mid tempo soft rock band!

Heart Of Glory: Klingons! Worf! Nuff said! Great story. I had a lot of empathy for the two Klingons. The daftest thing about the episode is I’d have less luck getting into off limits areas of my office than these guys had getting into main engineering! Seems like anyone can just stroll in. Maybe Riker had to reprimand the guy who left the door open after the credits rolled! A lovely little detail was a mother pulling her kids out of the way as quickly as she could as Worf flanked by both Klingons strode towards them in a hallway! Klingon episodes never disappoint. It’s caught me a little how Worf’s being detached from his Klingon culture has more of an impact and sits deeper with me now than watching as a 15 year old.

I’ve avoided much of season 1 & 2 myself over the years. There seems to be a common belief Tgst they were crap. Even 3 who’s ago I saw a YouTube video ramming this home but it’s actually untrue. I’ll give you that the first 6 are fairly ropey but by ep 7-8 the show is on its way and by tge rvd of season 1 it’s very strong. Tge big realisation the new is how much being much older affects me when watching episodes now. Human and emotional stuff is have pays little attention to on first watch grand be bite bite and really enhances some episodes.

My cousin had a bunch of MAD magazines he gave me around 1990/91 which coincided with me getting really into TNG. At the time it was fun seeing how the show was received in the US in its first season 2-3 years earlier. It’s more fun seeing it now.

The Outrageous Okana: Good episode I thought. Rogue encounters the enterprise and proceeds to bang his way through the female crew members. More light viewing than anything else. Romeo & Juliet with a comedy character added. I did like the contrast with Pulaski in how Okana dealt with Data in acknowledging he was a machine but not making a huge deal of it and not belittling him either. Data’s quest to understand humour made him feel kind of tragic as humour is in the eyes and ears of the beholder and most of us couldn’t agree on the funniest comedian we know which is because humour is subjective. It felt like someone chasing after something they’ll never catch.

Loud As A Whisper: The Enterprise ferries a member of the Bee-Gees and his backing singers to a peace conference. Unfortunately out of the gate a member of one of the warning factions shoots the backing singers so the Bee-Gee is at a loss. Really an episode about disability and overcoming it. My main thought watching this was that surely aids for deaf people had improved in 400 years but they apparently hadn’t. Having the delegates learn sign language was a fair ending. I was left wondering about Fiker and Troi’s relationship. Riva was obviously making moves on Troi but this time Riker into bothered it’d seem.

Tge Schitzoid Man: Brilliant scientist hijacks Data’s neural network to store himself and cheat death. Good outing fur Brent Spiner to act out of character. It was a good conceit but a so-so episode I felt.

Unnatural Sslection: Now we’re finally off! Enterprise encounters a ship where everyone has died from premature aging and the cause is traced back to a C research station where vertically modified kids triggered a human dna mutation to shed up aging. Bloody excellent episode! Pulaski is redeemed here. Mi don’t ever revenge liking her originally but it was because she’d been rude to days and she wasn’t Crusher but watching now I think she’s excellent and, to be fair, Diana Muldaur can act rings around Gstes McFadden. This actually felt like a hard problem and you felt they were lucky to get a solution in time. I’m finding now that Pulaski’s character is touching me more deeply than Dr Crudger. She seems more earnestness passionate. I’d never noticed this first time round! Amazing get 35 years adds! It’s great too to see Colm Meany’s role starting to get established. It’s the first episode where you can see the seeds of what will become the chief engineer on DS9.

A Matter Of Honour: Riker does an exchange as first officer on a Klingon ship. You can’t beat a good Klingon epishde. I loved this when I saw it first. It still holds up. Surprisingly I was totally caught up in it while watching. You can’t really say any more.

The Measure Of A Man: I’d forgotten there was a bunch of iconic episodes in one block in series 2. Another great episode. Haven’t seen it in years but I still got highly animated and deeply annoyed watching this. It really struck all the right notes. Were I to encounter Cmdr Maddox after this I’m sure violence would ensue. Such a massive dickead but he does change by the conclusion. There really were a few sparks between Picard and Phillipa as well. They’d be the ultimate intimidating power couple if they hooked up! I hope for both that their evening at the end lasted much longer than dinner! 😀

The Dauphin: Wesley gets the horn for a 16 year old girl being transported to reunite a planet Run of the mill epishde I thought My biggest take away was Wesley asserting he’d fallen in love and everybody else going along with it There was a much better story here on the loss of freedom and taking on too much responsibility before time and the effect on a teenager Instead we got two googly eyed kids running around behind their elders backs It turned out much better than it should have been I thought

I’m finding myself that I’m coming around to her as well. I utterly went 3 decades thinking she was a terrible character but I’m now finding I like her snark and practical viewpoint on things. If I had to vote now, Beverly would stay gone. As you say she’s not very defined and is kind of just “there”. As doctors go, if I was in medical danger I’d go with Pulaski every time now I think.