Movies and TV What was your favorite episode of Star Trek: TNG? - Page 7

**RealSNR** · 03-16-2011, 06:42 PM

Okay okay okay... quit calling me late to the party. I do this with every popular show out there-- I start watching after it's been off the air for at least a few years. I did it with Frasier, Red Dwarf (although there are new episodes being made) and now I'm doing it with the Star Trek franchise. Back off. I know there are Star Trek fans on this forum, and if you've noticed my posting style (although I have no idea why you would) a lot of my posts are Star Trek-centric. This is why:

My job in the past few months had late hours, so I'd get home and be able to watch one episode per day at 1 in the morning. But man, it was great. I just turned it on one day and started watching and never stopped. Anyway, the series has run its cycle now. I've seen all seven seasons plus the movies (except for Insurrection, which I'll get around to eventually). I've also seen the new one by JJ Abrams. At the moment I'm slowly progressing through DS9 and a handful of the original series.

But until I get through it all, I know TNG is pretty much the only series beloved by ALL Trek fans, not just some.

Here are my personal top 5 episodes in no particular order. I couldn't rank them accurately.

1. "The Most Toys" (S3E22)- There's nothing incredibly powerful or ground-breaking about the plot or the way it was written. But it's very dramatic and quite colorful, which I think is what Star Trek is all about. I kind of have a weakness for Data-centered episodes, and this one is particularly good. It's odd, esoteric, and particularly intense considering he's being held captive as an object in a collection of toys, when really he's the being with the highest code of ethics on the entire rogue ship

2. "The Silicon Avatar" (S5E4)- Perhaps the most tragic of all the TNG episodes. I mean, TNG does this all the time where something bad happens but it ends on a hopeful note- Tasha Yar's death, Worf's vengeance against Duras, etc. Not in this one. It ends on a tragic note, with the doctor now only left to her own madness and questioning of her actions for the rest of her life.

3. "Yesterday's Enterprise" (S3E15)- This episode is on most peoples' lists. I normally hate causality/time travel shit in sci-fi movies/stories. It almost never works out. Here it DOES work out and it's absolutely brilliant. People claim that Picard's decision-making is totally irrational and not at all what a starfleet officer would even consider. Well guess what? He's Picard, and when his back is to the wall he often makes decisions that violate starfleet regulation/the prime directive. And it's not THAT unrealistic. He knows what Guinan is capable of and he also knows that the Federation is going to lose the war. May as well send Tasha Yar back, right?

4. "The Chase" (S6E20)- This is one of those episodes that years from now will be considered genius in a Jules Verne kind of way. This is exactly what science fiction is all about- create a universe and try to explain it. If/when humans discover life elsewhere in the universe we're going to have to answer some real tough biological questions. In the Star Trek universe, this one does a brilliant job of it. I was totally blown away. That takes some real creative-ass minds to think of that kind of shit.

5. "I, Borg" (S5E23)- I chose this borg episode instead of The Best of Both Worlds mainly because it exposes a different side to the story instead of just "We need to find a way to kill the borg nao!" And that different story is: "When we DO find a way to eradicate the borg, are we going to have the balls to do it?" Picard's actions in this episode come up time and time again later in the series/movies (especially First Contact, obviously) and here is one of the most questionable decisions he makes in his entire career as captain of the Enterprise. And yet it's so well-written that viewers of this episode more often than not finding themselves siding with Picard, even though they face a fictional race/character who is more violent, hated, and ire-raising than Nazis.

These are just some episodes I brought up. I'm not bringing up more incase this thread dies quickly. I've already wasted enough time typing this out as it is.

**loochy** · 03-17-2011, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClayWhit

Uhura is not hotter than Denise Crosby:

Am I the only one that was happy when she died?

Frosty · 03-17-2011, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loochy

Am I the only one that was happy when she died?

No.

ReynardMuldrake · 03-17-2011, 08:33 AM

I think my favorite was the one where Worf wakes up and he's suddenly the captain and Troi is his wife. That or the groundhog day one where they keep playing the same poker game. Darmok is up there too. It's hard to pick just one.

Amnorix · 03-17-2011, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClayWhit

Ditto on the Best of Both Worlds cliffhanger.

I remember watching it...I was about 10...and I was thinking "no way do they let it end like this."

And Picard delivers his line...and I'm in shock...and Riker says "Mr. Worf....fire."

And I'm thinking "**** this is going to own."

TO BE CONTINUED

And I screamed out loud. I was so ****ing infuriated.

Yeah, THIS.

ReynardMuldrake · 03-17-2011, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

I really liked the arc about Worf losing and then regaining his honor and the Klingon-centric stories in general. Gawron and K'Ehleyr are probably my two favorite recurring characters.

Plus K'Ehleyr was hotter than a ruptured plasma conduit.

They killed her off way too soon. She should have been a series regular.

Amnorix · 03-17-2011, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

The Inner Light?

The one where he plays the flute. Some of the best tv ever done.

Picard clutching that flute to his chest at the end of the episode and starting to play it, was very powerful TV. His acting chops certaintly helped.

Yes, Inner Light is absolutely at the top along with a very small handful of others, most of which have been mentioned.

One I haven't seen mentioned, which is only a half-notch below, I think, is the one where the Romulan Admiral is set up by the Romulans to betray his people, defects to the Enterprise, tells them about some invasion, and when Enterprise goes to investigate, it turns out to be a trap, and the Admiral had been duped all along.

Defector is the name of the episode, IIRC.

**Donger** · 03-17-2011, 08:42 AM

Pretty much all of them excluding the ones with Troi as the main plot.

BigCatDaddy · 03-17-2011, 08:47 AM

Anything with

Data kicking ass (Especially the one where he captains the ship that catches Yarr's daughter trying to run the barricade)
Q showing up
Seperating the saucer section is required

**Lzen** · 03-17-2011, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guru

Best of Both Worlds part 1 and 2.

I also liked the one where Picard lives an entire lifetime in just a few minutes.

Excellent choices. I would agree. Always loved the Borg episodes.

**Donger** · 03-17-2011, 08:49 AM

GoChiefs, your mission is to find either pictures or a movie of Troi. The specific scene is from the episode where some creepy ambassador comes aboard with his old, crazy "mother." Turns out that he uses women and makes them age, or something. The mother dies and he turns on Troi. She starts going crazy and picks up some young crew member in a turbolift, and takes him back to her cabin to hump him. Riker knocks on her door and she opens it wearing something naughty.

Make it so.

ReynardMuldrake · 03-17-2011, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClayWhit

Just read the OP. Amazing that you just now got around to watching it.

If you haven't seen DS9 start on it now. It's better than TNG and gets really episodic and dramatic in the last 3 seasons. It's Michael Dorn's best work.

I've done this too. Did it with Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond. I plan to do it with the X-Files (I've seen one season, have them all on DVD) and I should probably do it with Babylon 5 and Stargate Atlantis.

I just watched the X-Files for the first time a couple years ago. I enjoyed it a lot. It doesn't get good until the story threads start, around season 2 or 3. It also goes widescreen in season 5 or 6 I think.

ReynardMuldrake · 03-17-2011, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Something I didn't realize- she's the daughter of Bing Crosby and did nude modeling before she did Star Trek.

I just watched 48 Hours this past weekend. You know she goes topless in that movie?

**loochy** · 03-17-2011, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Pretty much all of them excluding the ones with Troi as the main plot.

Yeah, Troi, while looking good, was pretty damn lame. The Troi of the early years was even worse.

However, she is nowhere near as bad as Wesley.

**loochy** · 03-17-2011, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClayWhit

Ditto on the Best of Both Worlds cliffhanger.

I remember watching it...I was about 10...and I was thinking "no way do they let it end like this."

And Picard delivers his line...and I'm in shock...and Riker says "Mr. Worf....fire."

And I'm thinking "**** this is going to own."

TO BE CONTINUED

And I screamed out loud. I was so ****ing infuriated.

And you've got to love the music they play at the cliffhanger moment.

"Mr. Worf...fire." *music hits: DUHNT NUHNT NUHNT da da doom DUHNT NUHNT NUHNT da da doom DDDUUUHHHNNNTTTT NNNUUUHHHNNNTTT NNNNNUUUUUHHHHHNNNNNTTTTT* TO BE CONTINUED...

and yes I know its a repost, but it is so awesome that it deserves to be reposted:

Frosty · 03-17-2011, 09:12 AM

By the way, I couldn't stand the doctor that replaced Dr. Crusher for a couple of seasons.

03-16-2011, 06:42 PM
RealSNR Special Teams ACE!!! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Where the hell is SNR Casino cash: $2000208	What was your favorite episode of Star Trek: TNG? Okay okay okay... quit calling me late to the party. I do this with every popular show out there-- I start watching after it's been off the air for at least a few years. I did it with Frasier, Red Dwarf (although there are new episodes being made) and now I'm doing it with the Star Trek franchise. Back off. I know there are Star Trek fans on this forum, and if you've noticed my posting style (although I have no idea why you would) a lot of my posts are Star Trek-centric. This is why: My job in the past few months had late hours, so I'd get home and be able to watch one episode per day at 1 in the morning. But man, it was great. I just turned it on one day and started watching and never stopped. Anyway, the series has run its cycle now. I've seen all seven seasons plus the movies (except for Insurrection, which I'll get around to eventually). I've also seen the new one by JJ Abrams. At the moment I'm slowly progressing through DS9 and a handful of the original series. But until I get through it all, I know TNG is pretty much the only series beloved by ALL Trek fans, not just some. Here are my personal top 5 episodes in no particular order. I couldn't rank them accurately. 1. "The Most Toys" (S3E22)- There's nothing incredibly powerful or ground-breaking about the plot or the way it was written. But it's very dramatic and quite colorful, which I think is what Star Trek is all about. I kind of have a weakness for Data-centered episodes, and this one is particularly good. It's odd, esoteric, and particularly intense considering he's being held captive as an object in a collection of toys, when really he's the being with the highest code of ethics on the entire rogue ship 2. "The Silicon Avatar" (S5E4)- Perhaps the most tragic of all the TNG episodes. I mean, TNG does this all the time where something bad happens but it ends on a hopeful note- Tasha Yar's death, Worf's vengeance against Duras, etc. Not in this one. It ends on a tragic note, with the doctor now only left to her own madness and questioning of her actions for the rest of her life. 3. "Yesterday's Enterprise" (S3E15)- This episode is on most peoples' lists. I normally hate causality/time travel shit in sci-fi movies/stories. It almost never works out. Here it DOES work out and it's absolutely brilliant. People claim that Picard's decision-making is totally irrational and not at all what a starfleet officer would even consider. Well guess what? He's Picard, and when his back is to the wall he often makes decisions that violate starfleet regulation/the prime directive. And it's not THAT unrealistic. He knows what Guinan is capable of and he also knows that the Federation is going to lose the war. May as well send Tasha Yar back, right? 4. "The Chase" (S6E20)- This is one of those episodes that years from now will be considered genius in a Jules Verne kind of way. This is exactly what science fiction is all about- create a universe and try to explain it. If/when humans discover life elsewhere in the universe we're going to have to answer some real tough biological questions. In the Star Trek universe, this one does a brilliant job of it. I was totally blown away. That takes some real creative-ass minds to think of that kind of shit. 5. "I, Borg" (S5E23)- I chose this borg episode instead of The Best of Both Worlds mainly because it exposes a different side to the story instead of just "We need to find a way to kill the borg nao!" And that different story is: "When we DO find a way to eradicate the borg, are we going to have the balls to do it?" Picard's actions in this episode come up time and time again later in the series/movies (especially First Contact, obviously) and here is one of the most questionable decisions he makes in his entire career as captain of the Enterprise. And yet it's so well-written that viewers of this episode more often than not finding themselves siding with Picard, even though they face a fictional race/character who is more violent, hated, and ire-raising than Nazis. These are just some episodes I brought up. I'm not bringing up more incase this thread dies quickly. I've already wasted enough time typing this out as it is.
Posts: 90,713

03-17-2011, 08:33 AM	#93
ReynardMuldrake 2 Legit 2 Colquitt Join Date: Sep 2010 Casino cash: $4195754	I think my favorite was the one where Worf wakes up and he's suddenly the captain and Troi is his wife. That or the groundhog day one where they keep playing the same poker game. Darmok is up there too. It's hard to pick just one.
Posts: 4,719

03-17-2011, 08:42 AM	#97
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10009900 VARSITY	Pretty much all of them excluding the ones with Troi as the main plot. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 181,667

03-17-2011, 08:47 AM	#98
BigCatDaddy The Beast Inside Your Head Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $1669122	Anything with Data kicking ass (Especially the one where he captains the ship that catches Yarr's daughter trying to run the barricade) Q showing up Seperating the saucer section is required
Posts: 25,918

03-17-2011, 08:49 AM	#100
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10009900 VARSITY	GoChiefs, your mission is to find either pictures or a movie of Troi. The specific scene is from the episode where some creepy ambassador comes aboard with his old, crazy "mother." Turns out that he uses women and makes them age, or something. The mother dies and he turns on Troi. She starts going crazy and picks up some young crew member in a turbolift, and takes him back to her cabin to hump him. Riker knocks on her door and she opens it wearing something naughty. Make it so. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 181,667

03-17-2011, 09:12 AM	#105
Frosty Go Beavers! Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Warshington Casino cash: $5448243	By the way, I couldn't stand the doctor that replaced Dr. Crusher for a couple of seasons.
Posts: 14,502