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What Is The Dumbest Episode Of Star Trek TNG?
- Thread starter Schlorgan
- Start date
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The clip show episode gets a slight pass from me though because that was a biproduct of a writer strike
John Rabbit
Banned
Sub Rosa. Total garbage.
I actually like Genesis, it's a fun silly episode.
I actually like Genesis, it's a fun silly episode.
Adam_Vania
Banned
yeah the horror elements are pretty cool, something not often used in Trek.
and Data's cat turning into a lizard isn't just profoundly dumb, it's on some other level of absurdity that i find hilarious.
I lost it at that moment the first time I watched The episode.
Data's cat turning into a lizard is so obviously off the wall that it makes you realize the writers didn't care if the devolutions made sense, they were just going for cool twists and make up effects. Which is why Riker turns into a Geico spokesman while Barkley turns into Peter Parker
Zoe
Member
And All Good Things
ClivePwned
Member
An embarraement of riches. How can I pick just one.
Beverlt Romances, Troi possesed, Riker insane or falsely accused. Any of those is pretty shit.
last episode of Enterprise is also a good answer.
so is Nemesis. Oh shit, that's a terrible movie.
Beverlt Romances, Troi possesed, Riker insane or falsely accused. Any of those is pretty shit.
last episode of Enterprise is also a good answer.
so is Nemesis. Oh shit, that's a terrible movie.
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
True, that's actually one of my favorite TNG eps.
They kind of do. Weren't they splitting effort between TNG, DS9, writing the finale for TNG, and also planning the first movie?
Also, after six years it gets harder to come up with new ideas, and the standards of scripts they accepted had to go down.
Choppasmith
Member
I'll agree with a lot of the choices here but am I the only one that doesn't like The Game? The one where Wesley Crusher and Ashley Judd have to save the crew from an addictive mind control game. It just makes me cringe and I try to skip it in rewatches whenever possible.
Edit: Wow beaten by a minute!
Edit: Wow beaten by a minute!
To be fair, they were the very last ones to get addicted.
But I won't disagree at the annoyance factor of that episode.
Nah, TNG and DS9 had separate writing staffs (although several of the TNG writers moved to DS9 after that show was over). I'll agree that writing the finale and the movie at the same time was a stress on the two writers involved but that was near the very end of the season. It mostly sounds like writer fatigue was the largest culprit. They were running out of ideas so fell back on a bunch of "let's meet the crew's family" episodes.
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
The hell is wrong with you?
i vote The Cost of Living. most of the episode is about Lwaxana Troi and Worf's kid Alexander ditching everyone to go to a holodeck simulation of a planet of free spirits. it is a nightmarish realm of forced whimsy - Cirque Du Soleil as a bad acid trip. large chunks of time are spent w the two complaining while sitting with freaks in a mud bath. upon arriving there to check it out Worf encounters the below monstrosity, a head painted like a rubix cube, floating in a bubble, and prone to making derpy o-faces.
Can I change my answer? Man, season 5
Not even a contest, IMO:
I have a soft spot for that one. Also The Chase, which shows off some terrible understanding of science. Yay Joe Menosky!
ClivePwned
Member
There was also a palpable budget cut once DS9 started. Look at how empty the Enterprise is in the last season (very few extras). Less money to play with means you get stories that mainly get greenlit because they can filmed cheaply.
DS9 didn't suffer so much when Voyager started, mainly because Voyager seemed to have no creativity directed its way in any shape or form.
yeah, Masks is pretty bad too. I've just picked up a TNG rewatch after a year or so. In season 5 and not looking forward to Season 7 at all (apart from All Good Things)
BlastProcessing
Member
You seem confused; this thread isn't about the greatest episodes of TNG.
Weak story ,sure
but still a very entertaining episode imo .
also I agree with Riker about Brenna Odell ( Rosalyn Landor ) :
Brenna : What are you staring at ? have you never seen a woman before ?
Riker : I thought i had .
i mean Dayum.
god damnit Riker, lol
Winterblink
Member
Somehow Genesis has a 7.2 rating on IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708723/ and was directed by Dr. Crusher. lol
SigmasonicX
Member
I almost don't want SF Debris to ever review that episode because I couldn't stand to look at it again.
The Horror the horror
Banned
As a beta kid, I hated Riker, but growing up makes you recognize the brilliance of the man's game.
Planet of the black people.
Freshmaker
I am Korean.
Not even a contest, IMO:
True. Data is right to mask himself after seeing the episode where Westly falls into a flower bed and is slated to be executed for his transgression.
Back-In-Black
Banned
Yeah Lower Decks is a perfectly fine episode
awe hell naw! The Royale is great.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
I honestly think its this. Code of Honor is just offensive. Most of the other's listed in this thread are dumb but at least you can sort of squint and see something conceptually interesting. This episode is just duuuuuumbi vote The Cost of Living. most of the episode is about Lwaxana Troi and Worf's kid Alexander ditching everyone to go to a holodeck simulation of a planet of free spirits. it is a nightmarish realm of forced whimsy - Cirque Du Soleil as a bad acid trip. large chunks of time are spent w the two complaining while sitting with freaks in a mud bath. upon arriving there to check it out Worf encounters the below monstrosity, a head painted like a rubix cube, floating in a bubble, and prone to making derpy o-faces.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Pick a Dr. Crusher episode that isn't the one where she gets stuck in an alternate dimension.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
That one almost makes up for all the others though
The one where she falls in love with Trill dude is alright. At least compared to the rest.
The Horror the horror
Banned
Freshmaker
I am Korean.
How about the one where she falls in love with a lamp?
Vincent Alexander
Member
Damn. Riker a smoother talker than I thought.
breadtruck
Member
Shut you damn mouth
I don't even think it's that, it's that when you know the end of a show is coming people try hard to get their little pet ideas in. So suddenly TNG S7 is spending all this time with random family members we never saw before and Brent Spiner gets his "here's one for your Emmy reel episode ("Masks") and you get the environmental episode, plus the few eps setting up DS9.
The best thing that can be said for later TNG is they actually started doing interesting stuff with Troi and Crusher that weren't just romances (and in Troi's case, really bad romances with prominent forehead rapey ambassadors.) Except, ironically, for "Sub Rosa", but "Sub Rosa" is hokey, yet I don't think it's actually as terrible as people make it out to be, mostly because for all its ridiculousness everyone actually acts the hell out of what is clearly a Season 3 TOS premise.
As offensive as "Code of Honor" might be, it's hardly the worst episode either structurally or from a writing standpoint—its main issue is external from the actual episode. I think "Cost of Living" or any of the episodes killed by insipid Mama Troi or Alexander are far, far worse.
You also get her shutting down Worf, which is always delightful.
IISANDERII
Member
The sixth season is crap too. There was a Western on the holodeck involving a sinister Data
Frozenprince
Banned
Sub Rosa is just weird. Not good Star Trek weird, just weird.
Vincent Alexander
Member
One of these days I'm going to get to watching Star Trek TNG. I've always been a Star Wars fan, but anytime this was on Spike when I was in college I'd watch. And I generally always loved it. Also the one with a female captain I enjoyed too, though Snarf the Chef annoyed the bejesus out of me.
Credibility. Lost.
Frozenprince
Banned
Man though, the episode where he meats the woman who designed the warp engines and she sees his creepy hologram of her is the best.
She reams his ass OUT.
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