Pretty much all weekend long I’ve been talking about Star Trek. So much so, that Cami feels she’s missing out a little bit.
Over dinner I expressed that it was too bad that she never got into Star Trek: The Next Generation because it was a really good show.
Much to my surprise, she said, “I’d be open to watching some of those shows if we can rent them using Netflix.”
I just about fell out of my chair.
So now I’m thinking that I have an incredible opportunity to expose my wife to a cultural touchstone, but I’m not sure where to start.
Logically, you would think “Start at the beginning.” But here’s the thing… as much as I love The Next Generation, I don’t think the first three seasons are very good. My rule of thumb is, if Ryker doesn’t have a beard, it’s a bad episode. If Tasha Yar is in it, it’s a bad episode. If Worf doesn’t have his ponytail, bad episode. If Wesley Crusher is in it… Well, you get the idea.
I have it in my head to start Cami out on Season 4, but I’m worried she might miss out on some important character development. Admittedly, it’s been years since I’ve sat down to watch a complete episode. I would catch them from time to time on Spike or G4, but I was never patient enough to sit through the whole thing. Renting the past seasons on DVD would be a way for me to get caught up as well.
So I guess the question is this: For someone who has never watched Star Trek before – let alone The Next Generation – where is a good place to start? Would you suggest starting from the beginning, or do you think there are better episodes to be found in later seasons?
Leave your comments below!
Try her out on those later episodes and see how she likes them. If she’s not a fan, it’s no worth going back to the earlier episodes to get some more back story or characterization. If she’s interested enough to stomach some of those first episodes (and some of them are a bit difficult to swallow), then go for that.
Personally, I’d give her a crack at DS9, which has tighter writing and is a little more self contained. However, later episodes would require her to have watched TNG or even Voyager….
Personally, I always have to start from the chronological beginning in order to really enjoy a TV, movie, or book series or I alway feel like I’m missing out on something.
Even though the bulk of the first couple of seasons TNG are a little off, it still provides a base for the characters and is a good into into the universe itself. Plus, there are a few good episodes scattered throughout. You could probably skip some of the episodes as you both see fit, but I wouldn’t skip the first few seasons entirely.
As much as I’d agree that the first season wasn’t very good, you almost HAVE to show her the very first episode first. “Encounter at Farpoint” introduces the characters and also sets up the next 7 years – proving to Q that humanity is worth it. From there, jump around a bit.
But you really should just watch all three seasons of the original series before you do anything else.
I have to vehemently disagree with MadMup. “Encounter at Farpoint” would be the worst place to start. I love TNG but hadn’t ever seen most of the first season and I am shocked that TNG made it past season 1 based on the utter crappiness of the first few episodes.
I can’t honestly tell you where to start but as you stated, the first few seasons just weren’t very good.
The first episode(s) of TNG I ever saw was the one where Worf is told his father is still alive and he finds the surviving Klingons living a quiet/peaceful life with Romulans. My husband was there to explain a little bit of backstory to me about Worf’s father and the massacre and why it was such a big deal that his dad was still alive- and I was hooked. There was so much emotion and drama to be had that it hardly felt like a science fiction show I was watching. It’s a two parter, so it didn’t feel like a quick one-shot story, and there’s enough of the other things going on that it’s not completely about Worf.
Those are the episodes that got me into TNG and got me wanting to watch more Star Trek (any of it). After that Josh had me watch First Contact and I have been sold since then. Even now, after seeing most of the movies First Contact is still my favorite. It was a great beginner movie that didn’t need that much back story and explanation and it was soooooooo gooooood. Borg Queen = win.
So those are my suggestions. That’s what turned me, knowing jack shit about Star Trek into a non-denial Trekkie.
Production values on “Encounter at Farpoint” were crap, but in terms of introducing Q and how his involvement bookends the series, I can accept why that would be a good place to start.
Of all the episodes in the first season, though – that two-parter is the only one I remember.
I think season 4 is the perfect place to start. That’s where the series really started to take off. The thing is, Season 4 kicks off with part 2 of “The Best of Both Worlds”, which is an amazing episode, but one that might not be super gripping if you don’t know much about Picard.
Once she HAS seen “The Best of Both Worlds”, though, First Contact is a pretty impressive movie to show off.
A lighter way to get her into the series might to be to start off with the Season 5/Season 6 two-parter “Time’s Arrow”. It doesn’t really introduce you to the characters that much, but it’s a light fun story that’s really well told.
Go with “Encounter at Farpoint” include anything with Q in it, then go straight for “Best of Both Worlds” and continue from there. There is no point in rehashing the first three seasons. Not much happens to the characters that is worth noting.
Although I might include “Conspiracy” from season 1, just for the shock value.
Avoid any early episodes where people (men included) wear uniform skirts.
Season 3 is actually where I consider the good stuff to start. You’ve got “Who Watches the Watchers,” which introduces the philosophies that guide this new show, gives a good intro to the characters, and lets Picard get his gravitas on.
I’d say every episode in that season after “Booby Trap,” (just working off the Netflix list… I don’t have the order memorized) is worth watching. And you can’t miss the beginning of “Best of Both Worlds.”
If it was me I would start of with the first two episodes to introduce the cast and Q then move to the episode “Q Who?” to introduce the borg then pick up at “Best of both worlds”
Tom, I’d say just start her from the beginning. My roommate had the same situation with his girlfriend, and she slogged through the early episodes no problem. I think by now, she’s seen most, if not all of the movies, and even ended up watching some of Voyager and Enterprise.
I think the best way to get her into to Star Trek is to ask what she knows about and pick an episode that conforms around her expectations. Then ease her into the more, for the lack of a better word, goofy episodes. My personal favourites, these vary week by week though, are “Datalore”, “A Matter of Honor”, “Q who”, “I, Borg”, and finally “All Good Things”.
Danny, that is an EXCELLENT suggestion. I guess I haven’t bothered to ask what she already knows about Trek. I can see that really easing the transition. Thank you!
No problem, Tom. It’s a trick that has worked for me pretty reliably.
Season 3 is when the show really took off and it has a TON of great stuff in it. I think you’d be doing yourself a disservice by skipping straight to 4. Season 1 and 2 have some bad episodes, but some great ones as well. Go to Memory Alpha ( http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Star_Trek_The_Next_Generation#Episode_list ), read the synopsis, and cherry-pick. Just skip the really bad ones like “The Naked Now” or “Justice” (where Wesley steps on the grass and is sentenced to death– or for fun take a shot every time they refer to him as “the boy”). Episodes like “The Measure of a Man”, where Picard champions Data’s rights as an individual are incredible and show off TNG’s early potential.
My suggestion is to watch the first two seasons compressed, and then watch Seasons 3 through 7 in their entirety.
Here’s my recommended viewing list:
1×01/1×02 “Encounter at Farpoint” (optional) – Pretty cheesey in retrospect but it it’s the first episode.
1×06 “Where No One Has Gone Before” – The Traveler is introduced and takes them to the ends of the universe.
1×09 “The Battle” – A Ferengi shows up with the Stargazer, Picard’s first command, and tries to exert revenge.
1×10 “Hide and Q” (optional) – The episode where Q gives Riker his powers.
1×11 “Haven” – First appearance of Lwaxana Troi.
1×12 “The Big Goodbye” (optional) – Picard’s first foray on the Holodeck as the fictional detective Dixon Hill.
1×13 “Datalore” – Backstory on Data and the first appearance of Lore.
1×16 “Too Short a Season” – A geriatric Admiral rapidly starts to get younger as he tries to make up for past sins in a long-ago war.
1×26 “The Neutral Zone” – The reintroduction of the Romulans for TNG.
2×03 “Elementary, Dear Data” – A great Data/Geordi episode. The introduction of Moriarty, the self-aware hologram.
2×04 “The Outrageous Okona” – Data wrestles with humor. Crazy guest appearances by Joe Piscopo and Teri Hatcher.
2×08 “A Matter of Honor” – Exchange program with Riker on a Klingon ship.
2×09 “The Measure of a Man” – Picard defends Data’s rights as an individual. Really good.
2×14 “The Icarus Factor” – Riker is offered his own command. Worf has a birthday.
2×15 “Pen Pals” – Data talks to a little girl on a doomed planet, forcing Picard to wrestle with the Prime Directive.
2×16 “Q Who” – The first appearance of the Borg. Sets up “Best of Both Worlds”.
2×17 “Samaritan Snare” (optional) – Picard needs a new artifical heart while some Pakled try to steal the Enterprise’s technology.
2×19 “Manhunt” (optional) – Lwaxana Troi visits the Enterprise, trying to find a husband.
2×20 “The Emissary” – Great Klingon episode. Introduces K’Ehleyr, one of Worf’s former love interests.
2×21 “Peak Performance” – Picard and Riker engage in mock battle while Data struggles with losing a game of Strategema.
This has been a very long comment, but hopefully I’ve given you a reference guideline that will help you in some fashion.
Late to the party, but I had to give a cheer for Matt, above. Some of these episodes were really good, and I’m getting a nostalgic kick out of the list. I loved the one where Riker winds up commanding a Klingon ship! I’m surprised that was so early in the series.