Firstborn (7x21) April 25,1994
Klingon episode, as I have said if it involves Klingons it is worth watching.
Bloodlines (7x22) May 2,1994
Interesting episode, Bok, a Ferengi has sworn vengeance on Picard and will kill Picard's son. You know, the one we have never heard about from a fling 20 some years ago. They track down the son and the fun ensues. This is one of the best Ferengi episodes of the series because in a mild spoiler, Bok's crew abandon him when they realize there is no profit in vengeance.
Emergence (7x23) May 22,1994
A holodeck extravaganza with the Orient Express, The Tempest, a Knight and all sorts of stuff, I would have hated this episode in Seasons 1-4, but it was nice episode.
Preemptive Strike (7x24) May 16,1994
Ensign,now Lt. Ro, spy games with the Cardassians. Fun episode
"All Good Things ..." (7x25/26) May 25,1994
I began watching TNG Early May of 2013, I watched this on January 21,2014. Episode 177 and 178 of the series and the Finale.
It seemed like Doctor Who with 3 ships,from 3 different time periods of Picard's life, just before Encounter at Farpoint, the present and 25 years into the future. Q returns and we are at the Trial from Encounter at Farpoint, Picard on trial for the sins of humanity. I wish the episode had ended with Q saying " See you out there" and fading away,but we got our epilogue with a poker game and that was fine way to end the series.I thought it was a nice way to bow out
The series in summation :
Where to begin. Overall my reaction to the series as a whole is mixed. We do what I believe to be the best Captain in Picard. The writing and acting for the most part, until the 5th and even 6th season is horrible. I am not even going to compare the show to Sci Fi standard barriers like Battlestar Galactica. Doctor Who (the two defining shows of today's generation),Babylon 5 (the competition during of the run) or even the original series. Television today is so different with most shows having the villain of the half season, or in short runs the villain of the season. The seasons here at long, too long at 26 episodes, the stories don't link. Romulans and The Borg are rarely used,so much potential. I can't help think (salivate) over the thought of the Picard/Locutus plot line lasting half the season. It was common at the time have self contained episodes with no continuity. Past events are rarely mentioned, present events rarely have consequences. It just was the way TV was written in the late 80's and early 90's.
The Good:
-The Acting: By the time you get to the 5th Season the actors are all very comfortable with their roles,You can argue Micheal Dorn and Marina Sirtis were not the best actors in the world, they did grow into their roles and played them very well. Patrick Stewart was wonderful from the start,he only gets better. Jonathan Frakes,LaVar Burton,Gates McFadden all by the end know there characters so well. If you have been reading this blog from the beginning, you know I can't stand Data, much of it has to do with the actor and the writing. It was a good,functional, if not occasionally interesting character, that the writers,producers just went overboard with.
-Klingons, Any episodes that featured Klingon culture was going to be a high point. The writers found something they did well and did it just enough to not let it get old.
The Good/Bad:
- The writing. Early episodes with Sherlock Holmes,Data wanting to get a cold. The first 3 seasons seemed cookie cutter plot lines, Ambassador from planet X arrives, The Enterprise is testing some new prototype something, crew member X parent is on board. The first two seasons were horrible, the 3rd,4th and 5th showed promise,but failed more than it succeeded. One of the things I blame the most was the number of episodes, the seasons are endless and the cookie cutter plots were just redundant at times. The 6th and 7th season, the series really seemed to find it's legs. The Cardassians proved to be an interesting foe, episodes began to deal with adult topics like Suicide,the death of a crew member and the swerve writing of Worf/Troi hooking up.
-Data. This is all my personal opinion. I see what they wanted to with him, I think they over did, If you love Data, I don't. Agree to disagree.
Because of the quality of the final two seasons, I found myself missing the show. It does not have the iconic status of the original. I am looking forward to seeing the movies again. So we are on to Deep Space Nine, I am looking forward to a new cast,new settings and new everything.
See you when I write the first DS9 in early February I hope.
Please let me know who if anyone is reading this....
