Tracer Bullet

I've been rewatching TNG in reruns the past couple of months, and I've surprised myself by how little I like it. The characters are bland, uninteresting, and mostly smug and self-satisfied. Really the show had only two or three good years, and even then a lot of the episodes aren't really that interesting. There are a few truly outstanding episodes, but they don't have much if anything to do with the characters, and I find myself not caring what happens to them.

I can't even really think of what the show contributed to the Trek mythos, aside from examination of Klingon culture and allowing Star Trek: Borg on the air.

Am I totally off the mark? Will TNG always be remembered as fondly as it is, or will it get reexamined at some point?

Brian Shannon

I found TNG to be a great show that really hit its mark in years 3,4 and 5.

Great stories as well as story arcs including The Borg, The Klingon Civil War and Q.

I could have done without Wesley but he was not on that much to matter.

The episode "Inner Light" has to be one of the best single episode shows from any series that I have ever seen.

lotsofdvds

Sci-Fi has come a long way since TNG, so some of it feels dated and uninteresting. But it still has more good episodes than a lot of other shows combined.

Red Dog

I thought it was very good after S2.

Chew

I still get a little verklempt when Picard plays the flute at the end.

das Monkey

The genre has evolved a lot since 1987, so it's natural to find it somewhat dated. I think those who hold it much higher than the original series regard it too highly, but otherwise it seems to get about the level of respect it deserves. Most people seem to consider it one of the better science fiction shows, but not the pinnacle of the genre. There are at least 10 episodes that are top-notch television, comparable with the best ever. That's enough to warrant some respect.

das

al_bundy

like any other show there are a few good episodes per season and the rest filler due to budget reasons.

otherwise it's the future as imagined by hollywood socialists/idealists where everyone is almost always happy, the weather is always nice, everyone is a vegetarian and only classical music has survived WW3.

one of the limitations is of course is that there can only be so many characters and this means a few core characters doing the jobs that a lot more people do in real life

Tracer Bullet

I was mostly surprised by how little I actually like the show now. I still really like the big classic episodes that everyone always references, but they have little or nothing to do with the characters. Perhaps I'm watching too much of it, because a lot of the characters in a short time seems for me to be a recipe for extreme dislike.

I also think it may have something to do with the fact that I'm currently rewatching DS9 on DVD and I find that I underestimated how good it is.

kvrdave

It's like watching Busk Rogers now. Tough to compare what it did by looking at how it would stack up today.

DonnachaOne

I remember when it was on and I'd make fun of it in front of my pissed-at-me-for-doing-so brothers and sisters.

"Hey! Is this the one where there's a big threat that they talk a lot about but don't really show, halfway through the episode everything shakes and shields are at 80%, and then everything is resolved in the last two minutes?"

Nearly twenty years on, they're more likely to see it from my view. Not my sister though. She still wants Worf.

Chew

Busk? Will this turn into a "Get Rick" thread now?

milo bloom

Actually, we were watching some S1 episodes not too long ago, and they've actually held up a little better than some of the later season episodes. The crew still seemed to have much more of a sense of wonder.

That said, there are episodes that don't hold up due to the overly leftist-liberal leanings of the producers at the time.

But stuff like Darmok, The Inner Light, Who Watches the Watchers? and several others will still get you right here >

Shady12

It's my sentimental favorite show ever. Loved it when it was one as a teenager. Now some of the more recent stuff on TV makes me realize it's not as good as some other shows maybe but still great.

sracer

I watched TNG on and off for the first 4 seasons. It never connected with me. When it degenerated into the "Wesley the Boy Wonder Saves the Day" show, I stopped watching it completely.

What made Star Trek: TNG so popular is the same principle that makes septic tank run-off a cool refreshing drink to a man dying of thirst.

cleaver

Seasons 3-5 are the best sustained run of any sci-fi show I've ever seen. To me, they still hold up. I don't see how you can argue that it's the crown jewel of the Star Trek franchise: the original show has like 4 good episodes and half the movies are attrocious. EW recently ranked TNG #8 among the top 25 sci fi properties of the last 25 years.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,2003...541_18,00.html

madcougar

I was surprised to see how dated it seems now, after watching a few episodes on G4. But it has been 20 years(!). As with most shows, some have aged better than others.

WallyOPD

You must have watched a different TNG than me. While there were certainly a few groan-worthy episodes with the "Wesley saves the day" dynamic, that was hardly a dominant theme and by the 4th season he had all but disappeared from the show.

Groucho

I never understood the hate for Wesley Crusher. While there were some bad Wesley-centric episodes they were few and far between.

The funny thing about poor Wesley is that his inclusion ended up alienating the very audience members he was supposed to be catering to.

Numanoid

I never got the Wesley hate either. I liked Wil Wheaton enough as an actor, and his role in the series was just fine. And if it weren't for him, I would have never been introduced to a young Ashley Judd.

wendersfan

I never cared much for it actually. I watched the first four or five seasons and then quit. It was all too touchy-feely and PC for me.

wendersfan

[Worf]THE BOY?!?[/Worf]

CreamyGoodness

And jazz.

sracer

He may have disappeared after the 4th season, but I wouldn't have known it because I stopped watching it after the 4th season. More than 1 episode with Wesley saving the day was too many. There were definitely more than "just a few" Wesley saves the day episodes. Either that or there are thousands of viewers who just imagined it.

I'm not now looking back and trying to remember why I liked or didn't like it. I clearly remember what my feelings were at the time and why I disliked the show.

TOS-only for me.

PrincessT

...and some groaners without Wesley. Shades of Grey anyone? Even for a clip show this one was rancid.

Jimmy James

I think the answer depends on what we're evaluating. The show's last 5 seasons were all very good, and about 3 seasons worth of episodes from the series run rate as outstanding. On the other hand, there was really only one very good movie versus 2 downright bad movies and one that was so-so. If you think the rep the show earned for Seasons 3 through 7 applies to the movies and the early episodes, I guess the show is overrated. If you understand the variations in quality, I think the show may actually be slightly underrated today (due to all of the silly "dated" complaints).

I think the way DS9 is seriously underrated by society in general (but overrated by the fanboys) contributes to the questions about TNG's place in pop culture.