Unsung Next Generation Episodes

Denerick · 09-01-2010 12:44am #1

Everybody has their favourites (Mine being the one where Picard has to prove that Data is a sentient being, the one where Picard is trapped by a probe which brings him to an alien planet where he has children and grows old to watch the civilisation die off, the one about the ship being caught in a time space loop, the three about Picard and the borg etc.) but what about the unsung episodes? All of those mentioned are the more famous ones, where Star Trek challenges big themes... How about ones where they challenge smaller themes but had a bit more character?

(Oh, forgot to mention that episode where the nervous officer gets flashed by an alien probe, changed into the most advanced human ever, and sends Enterprise hurtling 30,000 light years away...)

L31mr0d · 09-01-2010 1:05am

"I didn't kill just one Husnock, or a hundred, or a thousand... I killed them all... all Husnock... everywhere."

Still gives me a shiver everytime I watch that episode. This mild mannered old man turns out to be a God like being who wiped out an entire species with a mere thought.

nyarlothothep · 09-01-2010 2:44am

L31mr0d wrote: »

"I didn't kill just one Husnock, or a hundred, or a thousand... I killed them all... all Husnock... everywhere."

Still gives me a shiver everytime I watch that episode. This mild mannered old man turns out to be a God like being who wiped out an entire species with a mere thought.

that was a creepy episode, the interaction between picard and that character was very well scripted. Picard was representing the audience in that episode I think, unravelling the mystery, kind of like a narrator detective.

norrie rugger · 09-01-2010 10:21am

L31mr0d wrote: »

"I didn't kill just one Husnock, or a hundred, or a thousand... I killed them all... all Husnock... everywhere."

Still gives me a shiver everytime I watch that episode. This mild mannered old man turns out to be a God like being who wiped out an entire species with a mere thought.

Am I weird that I was thinking
"I wonder if he let their tech out there?"

IvySlayer · 09-01-2010 5:27pm

1. All Good Things - The final one. The best one.

2. Yesterdays Enterprise.

3. Chain of Command

4. Tapestry

5. The Inner light

My top 5. Don't think their 'unsung' though.

Other episodes I love: The Defector, Deja Q, Galaxys Child. I could go on and on :P

Johnny Storm · 09-01-2010 5:45pm

L31mr0d wrote: »

"I didn't kill just one Husnock, or a hundred, or a thousand... I killed them all... all Husnock... everywhere."

Still gives me a shiver everytime I watch that episode. This mild mannered old man turns out to be a God like being who wiped out an entire species with a mere thought.

That ep also has Speaker-to-Animals Worf's best ever line: "Good tea...nice house"

Pride Fighter · 10-01-2010 7:14am

The episode with Dick Jones and 'THERE ARE 4 LIGHTS' rocks.

Britt Reid · 10-01-2010 7:53am

Pride Fighter wrote: »

The episode with Dick Jones and 'THERE ARE 4 LIGHTS' rocks.

Yeah !! Chain of Command - nice to see another captain come in (Captain Jellico - dick jones), do things differently and still get the job done while the crew are uncomfortable with him - echoes real life.

my own favourites in no particular order

lower decks - the junior officers one

the chase - the search for the beginnings of life one

tapestry - where picards heart is damaged and Q gives him the chance to live a pivotal moment of his life again - and live with the consequences - love the ending where picard is laughing looking at the knife

anything with Q, the borg or cardassians is great though

Britt Reid · 10-01-2010 8:05am

Pride Fighter wrote: »

The episode with Dick Jones and 'THERE ARE 4 LIGHTS' rocks.

p.s. (and written by ronald moore of 'Battlestar Galactica')

...............damn, now i have to go watch it............again

eamon234 · 10-01-2010 9:04am

I love the one with Brad Dourif as Ensign Suter the serial killer, who they release when the ship is captured so he can kill all the intruders.

Cookie_Monster · 10-01-2010 1:09pm

Denerick wrote: »

Everybody has their favourites (Mine being the one where Picard has to prove that Data is a sentient being,

Good ep

Denerick wrote: »

the one where Picard is trapped by a probe which brings him to an alien planet where he has children and grows old to watch the civilisation die off,

I hate that one

Denerick wrote: »

(Oh, forgot to mention that episode where the nervous officer gets flashed by an alien probe, changed into the most advanced human ever, and sends Enterprise hurtling 30,000 light years away...)

Barclay, what a legend.

The Pegasus episode is one of my favourites too.

Cookie_Monster · 10-01-2010 1:10pm

eamon234 wrote: »

I love the one with Brad Dourif as Ensign Suter the serial killer, who they release when the ship is captured so he can kill all the intruders.

Thats Voyager rather than TNG isin't it?

nyarlothothep · 12-01-2010 1:19pm

The episode after BoBW, family is really good for exploring the aftermath of Picards encounter with the Borg. It added some more depth to his character.

L31mr0d · 12-01-2010 6:05pm

nyarlothothep wrote: »

It added some more depth to his character.

Loved the ending of that episode with Picards nephew lying at the base of a tree staring up at the stars.

Slice · 13-01-2010 10:13pm

I saw a Voyager episode recently that I thought was disturbing and brilliant - it was one where Harry Kim was trapped in a simulation being taunted by a clown that was the embodiment of fear. Had I been any younger it would have given me nightmares and the ending has got to be one of my favorite Star Trek endings ever

nyarlothothep · 13-01-2010 10:25pm

Slice wrote: »

I saw a Voyager episode recently that I thought was disturbing and brilliant - it was one where Harry Kim was trapped in a simulation being taunted by a clown that was the embodiment of fear. Had I been any younger it would have given me nightmares and the ending has got to be one of my favorite Star Trek endings ever

that reminds me of another voy episode that was actually good, course oblivion where they all die. Its like what would happen to Voy if it was in the real world.

Cookie_Monster · 13-01-2010 11:45pm

Slice wrote: »

I saw a Voyager episode recently that I thought was disturbing and brilliant - it was one where Harry Kim was trapped in a simulation being taunted by a clown that was the embodiment of fear. Had I been any younger it would have given me nightmares and the ending has got to be one of my favorite Star Trek endings ever

I think that may be my most hated trek episode of any series ever!

donfarrell · 17-01-2010 2:45pm

My favorite TNG episode is Genesis

Its about the crew oft the enterprise de-evolving lol except for Data and Picard (which went out to buy some milk)

It scared me when i was a kid when worf turned into this **** scary Caveman Klingon that could shoot acid out of his mouth lol

CSaber · 02-02-2010 8:36pm

Lower Decks, Disaster, Conundrum, Cause and Effect and so many others. Love nearly every TNG episodes, especially ones that focus on Beverly.

nyarlothothep · 02-02-2010 10:38pm

CSaber wrote: »

Lower Decks, Disaster, Conundrum, Cause and Effect and so many others. Love nearly every TNG episodes, especially ones that focus on Beverly.

aye, I liked sub rosa too

Kiith · 02-02-2010 11:05pm

nyarlothothep wrote: »

aye, I liked sub rosa too

Wtf

somuj_2 · 02-02-2010 11:14pm

nyarlothothep wrote: »

aye, I liked sub rosa too

That is probably in my bottom 5 of all time episodes. I really dislike watching:(

nyarlothothep · 03-02-2010 12:28am

somuj_2 wrote: »

That is probably in my bottom 5 of all time episodes. I really dislike watching:(

Yeah it is a pile of crap

Posy · 03-02-2010 1:39am

L31mr0d wrote: »

"I didn't kill just one Husnock, or a hundred, or a thousand... I killed them all... all Husnock... everywhere."

Still gives me a shiver everytime I watch that episode. This mild mannered old man turns out to be a God like being who wiped out an entire species with a mere thought.

What episode is that? It doesn't ring a bell.

Posy · 03-02-2010 1:43am

Oh God, if I started listing episodes I'd probably end up with about 130!

Most of the episode ending cliffhangers are great! And as has been stated, the Picard getting tortured by the Cardassian is excellent. Plus, any Q episodes!

I also like 'Data's Day' (I love any Data episode showing his little quirks.)
'Tapestry' (with Q, of course, allowing Picard to go back and change an event in the course of his life. It would have been VERY funny if he'd been left stuck as the timid science officer!) and
'I Borg' because I never thought I'd see another side to the Borg- and it raised some interesting ethical questions about the destruction of a race. Plus Hugh is cute and there's some good moments with him and Geordie.
"You will be assimilated." "Yes, but before that can I just.."

Cookie_Monster · 03-02-2010 9:19am

Posy wrote: »

What episode is that? It doesn't ring a bell.

the one with the single perfect house on the entire fecked up planet, right?
Two old people living there, woman turns out to be fake, figment of his imagination or something

CSaber · 03-02-2010 4:25pm

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

the one with the single perfect house on the entire fecked up planet, right?
Two old people living there, woman turns out to be fake, figment of his imagination or something

Yeah and Troi is mentally tortured by the music box.

Posy · 04-02-2010 8:55pm

I'll have to give it a watch, sounds good!

Johnny Storm · 06-02-2010 9:28pm

That ep includes Worf's best ever line: "Good tea ...... nice house".

Posy · 10-02-2010 1:20am

Johnny Storm wrote: »

That ep includes Worf's best ever line: "Good tea ...... nice house".

Hahaha, I watched this episode and that's so true! Worf drinking from his little china teacup is very funny.

I wasn't sure what to make of the old man in the episode. He let all those people die because he refused to fight; yet all the colonists and the whole Husnock were wiped out subsequently by his actions. I kind of felt sorry for him and think Picard did the right thing by just leaving him alone. His eternity of mental anguish and living in his false little 'bubble' are probably punishment enough. (plus the Husnock didn't seem like very nice people anyway!) :P
L31mr0d was right; that line about him killing "all Husnock... everywhere" was unsettling.

the_monkey · 11-03-2010 2:00am

Time's Arrow ... I love that 2 part ep ... awesome ... everything just falls into place in it.

16-03-2010 1:54pm

Parallels from Season 7...."200,000 incoming transmissions Sir!"

Johnny Storm · 16-03-2010 2:17pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Parallels from Season 7...."200,000 incoming transmissions Sir!"

"I won't go back! I won't go back ! IWONTGOBACK"

TheIrishGrover · 16-03-2010 5:05pm

Obviously I love the usuals:

The Inner Light
Tapestry
Best Of Both Worlds
etc

But one of my favourite "unsung" episode would have to be lower decks. I know it gets a bit of stick but I enjoyed seeing that the world doesn't revolve around Picard, Riker etc.
Oh, and I HATED time's arrow. I wanted to f*cking KILL Twain. SO annoying. He should have stuck with Cancer Man

myk · 16-03-2010 7:27pm

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

Obviously I love the usuals:

The Inner Light
Tapestry
Best Of Both Worlds
etc

But one of my favourite "unsung" episode would have to be lower decks. I know it gets a bit of stick but I enjoyed seeing that the world doesn't revolve around Picard, Riker etc.
Oh, and I HATED time's arrow. I wanted to f*cking KILL Twain. SO annoying. He should have stuck with Cancer Man

I really liked Below Decks when I saw it years ago. Don't think I ever saw Times Arrow.

pah · 19-03-2010 6:11am

Saw Lower Decks on virgin a couple of weeks ago, thought it was an outstanding episode, not having remembered seeing it before.

Definitely an unsung episode. :P

Magic Eight Ball · 22-03-2010 9:24pm

I never considered 'Lower Decks' to be unsung, It's one of my all time favorite episodes.

A few 'unsung' episodes I like are;

"Genesis"
A routine medical treatment inadvertently creates a virus that begins to de-evolve the Enterprise crew while Picard and Data are on an away mission.

"Starship Mine"
Thieves attempt to steal trilithium from Enterprise during a Baryon sweep at the Remmler Array, and the lone Enterprise crewman onboard must thwart them.

"Lessons"
Picard becomes involved with a woman who is serving on the Enterprise, but he must send her into a dangerous mission.

"Disaster"
The Enterprise is without power, trapping Picard in a turbolift with three children and trapping others in various locations. Command of the bridge falls to Counselor Troi, who feels ill-prepared.

"The Game"
Wesley visits the Enterprise, but finds the crew addicted to a mind-altering computer game.

"Remember Me"
After an apparent failure of a warp-field experiment, people begin to disappear from the Enterprise with only Dr. Crusher remembering they ever existed.

"The Drumhead"
A witchhunt ensues for suspected Romulan spies aboard the Enterprise.

"Allegiance"
Aliens kidnap Picard and replace him with a duplicate, who sends the Enterprise to a pulsar. Meanwhile, the real Picard and three other captives try to escape from their prison, but one of them turns out to be Picard's captor.

"Booby Trap"
The Enterprise falls victim to an ancient booby trap set to snare starships; while in an effort to find an escape, Geordi finds himself falling for the holodeck's representation of a famous Federation engineer.

I dunno if anyone else considers there 'unsung' or not.

Svalbard · 22-04-2010 11:08pm

Is Lower Decks the one where Ensign Sito Jaxa dies? Fantastic episode.

I also really like Q Who - the first time we see the Borg, thanks to Q. The music and atmosphere were very sinister.

Conspiracy was also frightening and sinister - in fact season 1 and 2 were much darker than later episodes and while most of TNGs best episodes were in later seasons, there was something interesting about those early seasons, like it showed a glimpse at where TNG might have gone.

Loved The Game - Wesley and Ashley Judd were great. Classic Trek.

Disaster, Starship Mine, the Renegade

And the one where Troi is kidnapped and altered to look like a Romulan.

Seasons 4 and 5 were the best by far.

Posy · 25-04-2010 12:07pm

Svalbard wrote: »

Is Lower Decks the one where Ensign Sito Jaxa dies? Fantastic episode.

Yeah- I thought that was a great episode. Showing the young ensigns on the ship had never been done; especially since Wesley had left. When they were all up on the bridge waiting for the shuttle I knew she wasn't coming back- "noooooooo!"

I liked the last scene, where Worf goes to sit with Sito's friends, aw. I love Worf.

Jessibelle · 04-05-2010 8:20pm

Frame of Mind is one of my all time favourite TNG episodes, shows that Frakes could act when he wanted to

Chain of command also really shines, although weirdly very few I know seem to like it.

Johnny Storm · 05-05-2010 8:07pm

Jessibelle wrote: »

Frame of Mind is one of my all time favourite TNG episodes, shows that Frakes could act when he wanted to
Chain of command also really shines, although weirdly very few I know seem to like it.

I like both of those eps. Frame of Mind has a Phildickian, "reality is not what it seems" kind of vibe.

norrie rugger · 06-05-2010 12:54pm

Jessibelle wrote: »

Frame of Mind is one of my all time favourite TNG episodes, shows that Frakes could act when he wanted to
Chain of command also really shines, although weirdly very few I know seem to like it.

How can people not like Chain of Command.
Had to stop and watch it, last weekend, on Virgin.

Oustanding story

Jessibelle · 06-05-2010 3:51pm

norrie rugger wrote: »

How can people not like Chain of Command.

Oustanding story

I'd agree

but some I know really don't like the realism in it, they want their sci-fi high on the fi

. I think it was commended by Amnesty International for the realism of the torture scene?

sombaht · 06-05-2010 4:08pm

For me the two-parters were always the best in particular Redemption and Descent. Although Darmok is still one of my all time faves as well.

Cheers,
sombaht

norrie rugger · 06-05-2010 4:32pm

Jessibelle wrote: »

I'd agree but some I know really don't like the realism in it, they want their sci-fi high on the fi . I think it was commended by Amnesty International for the realism of the torture scene?

Stewart and Warner's on tscreen time is awe inspiring.
There are nuances in their body language, facial expressions, tone of voice that were an uncomfortable joy to watch. It felt like high theatre in a Sci-Fi show

nyarlothothep · 06-05-2010 10:16pm

norrie rugger wrote: »

Stewart and Warner's on tscreen time is awe inspiring.
There are nuances in their body language, facial expressions, tone of voice that were an uncomfortable joy to watch. It felt like high theatre in a Sci-Fi show

It needed to be done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAdGhMRBbzY

Unsung Next Generation Episodes

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