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[I collect VHS tapes]

I just finished s1e18 last night. I don't doubt that this show becomes amazing, it's just been a bit of chore getting through through season 1.

my buddy told me to just skip it but I hate doing shit like that. if s2 ends up being more of s1 tho I might consider skipping ahead.

some of season 1 has been pretty good and entertaining, but a lot of these episodes feel like they're 2 hours.

would you recommend I skip ahead or just continue trudging through it?

 

[ManaByte]

Episode 1 of Season 3; "Evolution"

You can skip all of S1, watch Q Who? in Season 2 for the Borg introduction.

NEVER watch Shades of Grey in S2, it's a clip show due to a writer's strike.

 

[clem84]

First two are notorious for being shit. Season 3 is pretty good as I recall. Season 4 and beyond are pretty great.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Halfway S2 I'd say.

 

[Hari Seldon]

It doesn't, the rest of TV sucked ass.

 

[Batiman]

It’s never really great individuality IMO. The show as a whole is just a good experience all around. It’s always up and down but it’s the little things that add up to be a great show. I didn’t really take the show in as I would newer series. It’s more of a laid back experience as most episodes can be watched individually

This is coming from someone who hated it when I was a kid. My dad loved it at the time, though he was never the Trekkie type. I started watching it last year for nostalgia and ended up loving it. The ideas in the show are ahead of it’s time. The Q episodes are overrated. Never cared for him as a character

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

When Beverly Crusher fucks a ghost.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

When it ends and Deep Space 9 begins

 

[nush]

When Riker gets his beard.

 

[Nobody_Important]

From episode 1 of season 1.

 

[Tschumi]

The first season was a flop, they recalibrated it for season 2, the second season is where it gets better. Don't listen to people saying season 3, they might be right in some ways but 2 is good enough and you want to get as much from the series as you can. I haven't watched season 1 in a decade lol

 

[Rival]

Definitely not in the first two seasons. I was legitimately embarrassed for myself just watching them when I did a rewatch a couple years ago. I hadn’t seen most of them since I was a kid.

 

[ShirAhava]

The entire series is so up and down

I don't really agree with the "season 3 it gets good" narrative either

1-2 had some great eps 3 and on had some real stinkers

TNG is either classic or meh depending on the ep no matter what season you watch

Unlike Deep Space Nine which after the 2nd season reaches a level of epicness and is just an amazing ride after that with very few exceptions

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Never liked ST stuff as a whole, but my bro loved the show. When I'd watch it with him when he had control of the TV, I'd say the only episodes I saw which were good were any involving Q. Great character and actor playing him.

 

[teezzy]

watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead like a real man

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead like a real man

I’m actually watching both

Buffy starts off pretty strong IMO and only gets better

 

[Nobody_Important]

This place claims to be a nerd forum and yet it shits on Star Trek?

 

[ChazAshley]

When Riker gets his beard.

This sounds like a joke but it's actually pretty accurate. OP, as someone who just literally plays old ST episodes in the background as 'comfort food' - Once you get to know the characters somewhat, choose any top 10 list of Star Trek TNG and go from there. Appreciate the good episodes, then go back and watch the rest and see how far it's come. As others have pointed out, there are some major stinkers in the later seasons too - but man... every time I pop in Season 1-2 - it's pretty annoying to watch because the characters are just such jerks.

 

[slade]

Star Trek is varying degrees of awful for like 99% of what is out there.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

When it ends and Deep Space 9 begins

I want to boost this post.

Anyway, just google a list of episodes of note for seasons 1 and 2 to watch, and start with season 3.

Then watch DS9.

 

[Lady Redfield]

I only love the original, I couldn’t get in to any of the other ones. Bones was the best.

 

[Xenon]

If you try to binge STNG, it just doesn't work. There is no grand story arch to hook you. Hell even the character growth is subtle and is done over seasons.

My recommendation is not to skip but slow down the consumption to a few episodes a week. Getting to know the characters slowly is a big part of its charm which you would miss out just skipping ahead.

 

[xandaca]

The first season is awful, a consensus almost uniformly held among even the most ardent TNG fans. Season two isn't great either, but whereas S1 comprises almost exclusively misfires, S2 is a reasonable improvement across-the-board and has flashes of the genuine greatness to come (notably The Measure Of A Man). Season three kicks up the quality once again, in an even bigger way: while the season is still a bit inconsistent, the base level of quality is far above that of the preceding seasons and by the second half of the season, great episodes are coming thick and fast. The point at which TNG becomes the TNG of its reputation is the season finale, Best Of Both Worlds, widely considered one of the all-time great Trek stories, effortlessly fusing high stakes, good action and strong thematic and character writing. From then on, you've got a solid three season run where remarkably few episodes dip lower than 'very good'. However, even if the finale is when TNG (for me) completely settles into its groove, S3 as a whole is very strong and you're on safe ground once you get there. Pushing through S1 and quite a bit of S2 is undeniably a struggle, though.

 

[Meicyn]

I want to boost this post.

Anyway, just google a list of episodes of note for seasons 1 and 2 to watch, and start with season 3.

Then watch DS9.

These kinds of recommendations are always weird to me, as though DS9 doesn’t have its own growing pains in the first two seasons. You literally have an episode of characters singing that annoying allamaraine song while playing alien hopscotch, and even the actors themselves are phoning it in because of how dumb the whole episode is.

DS9 doesn’t find its footing until season 3. But I wouldn’t recommend skipping any of the first two seasons, and likewise for TNG. For all the flaws of the early seasons, there are little things you end up missing in later seasons by not having knowledge of the earlier stuff. Like when you see a certain actor reappear in later seasons for TNG.

All of Trek should be watched IMO, in order to truly get the full experience.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

These kinds of recommendations are always weird to me, as though DS9 doesn’t have its own growing pains in the first two seasons. You literally have an episode of characters singing that annoying allamaraine song while playing alien hopscotch, and even the actors themselves are phoning it in because of how dumb the whole episode is.

DS9 doesn’t find its footing until season 3. But I wouldn’t recommend skipping any of the first two seasons, and likewise for TNG. For all the flaws of the early seasons, there are little things you end up missing in later seasons by not having knowledge of the earlier stuff. Like when you see a certain actor reappear in later seasons for TNG.

All of Trek should be watched IMO, in order to truly get the full experience.

Ohh quite a bit of S1 and S2 of DS9 were hot garbage, but I just want to evangelize the cult of 'DS9 Trek is best Trek' when you take the series in its entirety.

Every other Trek series are defined by the episodes you must watch, DS9 is defined by the episodes you can skip.

 

[k_trout]

all seasons have the good the bad and the terrible

 

[BouncyFrag]

When the crew faces the Borg for the second time and Riker says:

Spoiler

fire

 

[Meicyn]

Ohh quite a bit of S1 and S2 of DS9 were hot garbage, but I just want to evangelize the cult of 'DS9 Trek is best Trek' when you take the series in its entirety.

Every other Trek series are defined by the episodes you must watch, DS9 is defined by the episodes you can skip.

Yeah, that’s fair. DS9 is easily the best Trek to date. Shame it still doesn’t have a proper remaster.

 

[Tazzu]

I'm one of the very few that only liked S1 and 2 despite the did episodes.

 

[jufonuk]

When Riker gets his beard.

Never a truer word spoken.

 

[AJUMP23]

Episode 1 of the series at Farpoint station is very good. Then when the Number 1, gets his facial coverings the show takes off.

Wait until you meet Darmok.

 

[Fugitive Sex]

What exactly does "great" mean to you?

Have some patience and just enjoy the show. If you aren't enjoying it and it's not explosive enough for you, then move on.

 

[Alter_Fridge]

It's mostly great, what is wrong wit chu

 

[jufonuk]

Episode 1 of the series at Farpoint station is very good. Then when the Number 1, gets his facial coverings the show takes off.

Wait until you meet Darmok.

 

[Trogdor1123]

I say around season 2 myself.

 

[AJUMP23]

Darmak around covid, when the masks fell.

 

[Happosai]

From episode 1 of season 1.

This! I collect VHS tapes . Nearly anywhere you go - you'll read someone who states that the 1st season is skippable or "bad" with Star Trek: TNG. Right from the first episodes with Q, we're given the context and layout of for what the series would be. The first time I watched the entire TNG series was when I was about 13-years old and didn't care much for Seasons 1 or 2. I wanted the silly episodes and the intense darkness of the 'borg' episodes. When I rewatched Season 1 when it first came out on DVD; I realized how great the writing was and how much depth was given to the characters. But like a well directed season, they leave many questions unanswered which is laid out more so in the preceding seasons. Stewart also seemed to be a bit more intense himself as Picard in season 1. Keep watching. There are a few episodes to come which...suck (thinking about "Data's Day" off the top of my head) but you'll appreciate Season 1 more once you get to say...Season 5.

 

[darrylgorn]

Halfway S2 I'd say.

 

[Valonquar]

With the TNG Edits

 

[Lord Panda]

From episode 1 of season 1.

Episode 1 was goddamn terrible.

 

[wvnative]

star trek curse, all shows are very average till season 3 then they go super sayain 3

 

[Shadowplay1979]

Never got the hate for season 1...sure TNG only gets better after 1 but season 1 has great episodes. Watch them all...later seasons will be that much better because youll see characters change.

 

[Kenpachii]

With the TNG Edits

The first one really showcases you how fucking scary it is when u could find humans into space that act exactly the same as these guys.

 

[Daniel Jackson]

Season 2's The Measure of a Man is an early sign of the show's later greatness

 

[BigBooper]

I love the show, but season 1 does have some rough episodes and acting. It also has some great episodes though, so I absolutely don't agree with skipping season 1. Some episodes, liked Naked Now, maybe watch for a few minutes to see if they grab you but are skippable.

The show gets greater the more you watch it. If you make it to season 3, you will like it even more in season 4.

 

[Pagusas]

All the great series have horrible first seasons then found their footing in season 2 and got great in season 3.

TNG, DS9, Babylon 5, The Office, Parks and Rec, hell I'd argue even the Sopranos, Buffy and Angel.

 

[LaughingStock]

I'd pick a list of the best episodes and watch only those. I need to do it someday. The only trek I watched from start to finish was DS9.

 

[Cleared_Hot]

It's all better then these new series. Discovery and Picard are dogshit