Star Trek The Next Generation Retrospective/Review - Star Trek Retrospective, Part 8
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Star Trek Retrospective, Part 8: As the Star Trek franchise continued its successful run of movies, higher ups at Paramount considered a new Star Trek show for the small screen. With a new cast of characters on a new ship in a new era, there were many who believed Star Trek The Next Generation was destined for failure.
Sponsored by Treksphere: treksphere.com
Patreon: / rowanjcoleman
Twitter: / rowanjcoleman
Discord: / discord
Facebook: / rjcfilms
Special thanks to all of my Patrons and Members :)
00:00 Intro
00:50 Development
09:10 Casting
21:04 Fan Backlash
22:10 Production
27:21 Encounter at Farpoint
31:49 Season 1
34:22 Where No One Has Gone Before
35:51 Tasha Yar & Skin of Evil
37:14 We'll Always Have Paris
38:37 Conspiracy
40:35 Season 2
45:20 Where Silence Has Lease
47:17 Elementary, Dear Data
48:47 The Measure of a Man
50:25 Q Who & The Borg
53:33 Season 3
56:42 The Bonding
57:53 Yesterday's Enterprise
59:13 The Offspring
1:00:42 Hollow Pursuits
1:02:10 The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1
1:04:50 Season 4
1:05:36 The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2
1:07:40 Family
1:10:00 Remember Me
1:11:55 The Wounded
1:14:01 Redemption, Parts 1 & 2
1:18:36 Gene Roddenberry's Passing
1:19:22 Season 5
1:19:56 Disaster
1:22:56 Unification Parts 1 & 2
1:24:08 Time's Arrow Parts 1 & 2
1:25:28 Season 6
1:26:18 Relics
1:27:50 Schisms
1:29:09 Tapestry
1:30:57 Season 7
1:32:14 Gambit Parts 1 & 2
1:33:19 The Pegasus
1:35:05 Lower Decks
1:36:37 All Good Things
1:40:51 Outro
#StarTrek #StarTrekTheNextGeneration #StarTrekRetrospective #RowanJColeman - Krátké a kreslené filmy
HELP THE CHANNEL GROW: www.patreon.com/rowanjcoleman
One important thing left out from this excellent documentary is the context of American television that Next Generation found itself in.
In the mid-1980s, there was a glut of remakes of beloved old TV shows. I remember "The New Leave It To Beaver" for example, which revisited the characters from the 1950s sitcom in the '80s.
None of these remakes ever really went anywhere, were pretty terrible overall, and so were largely forgotten. And Star Trek was still very much seen as a nerdy, unpopular franchise whose fans were pathetic obsessives. (Modern "nerd culture" as a mainstream popular phenomenon didn't really take hold until the 2000s). Watch the 1997 documentary "Trekkies" for a cringe-inducing look at how fans were seen by mainstream America before nerd interests became a popular mainstream phenomenon.
That's a big reason why very few people had faith that TNG would survive. At first glance it felt very much like any other cheap nostalgia cash grab. What is remarkable is that it was allowed to grow and eventually thrive as it did.
This is one of the best videos i saw here on YT. Subscribed.
Rowan, will you put out an audio outtakes compilation?
This is the best ever review of Star Trek: The Next Generation that I have ever watched on CZcams. I am very impressed at your hard work, dedicated research and excellent delivery on your review of the series. As a HUGE TNG fan for over 20 years, your video is truly superb. Well Done!!
@@ZagnutBar k
Roddenberry: No workplace conflicts in space!
Also Roddenberry: Has workspace conflicts with everyone.
The more you learn of the man, it becomes clear that, just like George Lucas, he was creator of one of the best franchises in history while simultaneously becoming its downfall/worst enemy. The success of both comes from other people who took the creation and did better things with it.
@@SumDumGy I was ready to give heated response to the OP, but after reading your comment, I felt good.I agree with you
@@KH4444444444N I appreciate that.
@@SumDumGy Gene is very important to me.
@@KH4444444444N He is to me as the creator. Just like Lucas. However, both actively worked to destroy their own creations after the fact. There’s no disputing that. I’m grateful for what they imagined but neither had any business/skill as an ongoing writer in contribution. They are both idea men, nothing more.
Lt. Barkley was a character who struggled with mental issues. Instead of being the clown, or a one off pity character, the crew rallied around him and supported him helping him reach his full potential and become a truly valuable member of the crew. I can't think of any tv show before treating mental illness in such a positive way, and showing that people with mental issues are in fact people. It was inspiring for me as teen with issues of my own. Star trek made me believe I could be a beneficial member of society. It might sound silly but this series changed my life.
If this isn’t what Star Trek means then what it is really. Your comment is gold and is the reason why I watch Star Trek.
Yeah..the Enterpise crew loved Lt. Broccoli!
that's great.
Great comment!
@@starknight2006 God damn it Wesley.
I grew up watching TNG and Voyager every night with my dad. It was hinestly one of the best parts of my childhood just sitting and watching Star Trek with him. I haven't watched an episode since he died. It just hasn't felt right watching alone.
This video really brought me back to that time and made me think that maybe it's time to watch it again. Thank you.
*update: Started watching it last month with my girlfriend (She's never seen it which makes it more fun). We're on season 3 now.
Your father was a good man. Prehaps it is time for a rewatch. Just keep in mind that so long as you remember what he stood for... He will always be with you.
It’s time.
When you're ready, watching it could be healing and cathartic. It has been for me. I can relate in my own way... Star Trek reminds me of my dad too.
You're lucky to have a GF willing to watch it with you
I'm 40 years old and I can remember watching Gillians Island with my father when I was 6 or 7. I never remembered any specific episode until I decided to watch them all. It was great being able to watch an episode and immediately realizing I've seen it before as a child. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made even though the show was subpar.
Fun fact: This is an impeccable, deeply satisfying, comprehensive masterclass video on TNG and, in its' own right, a sublime piece of work as well as a work of art.
That's a fact, all right!
I was a kid when this came out and as an adult it is wonderful to have this perspective, and so amazingly well done
I couldn't have said it better.
yeah man, this is Dope af
Yes!
Brent Spiner displayed astonishing acting talent in this show. He has to make an emotionless character interesting, and as Q says about Data, he ends up being a teacher of humanities.
Between Leonard Nimoy and Brent Spiner they managed to strike Gold twice where it comes to portraying emotionless characters in compelling and relatable ways.
@@danielcraig9666 spock was hardly emotionless. He was perpetually annoyed by McCoy's attitude and Kirk's reckless abandon.
And I always found it a little bit funny when Data would say things like "I would be happy to"
Indeed. Especially when you consider the difficulty of pulling off emotionless while also being compelling. Spiner managed it with aplomb.
And all of that dialogue with no contractions
The gift to Data from Q at the end of that ep… The Best.
“Mr. Worf… fire.” Greatest cliffhanger in tv history!!
This retrospective series is a treasure! How in the world you managed to do all of this on your own is beyond me. This is so much better than anything else I've ever seen or read on Trek, and I've been a fan for 30 years. On behalf of fans everywhere, thank you for putting so much of your time and effort into memorializing something we all love so much.
I indeed felt just the same. You are putting us original gens to shame! I have really learned a ton from these retrospectives.
I lived in a tough neighbourhood replete with bullies, poverty and childhood abuse (beatings, insults, sexual molestation). Every Sunday morning, I'd watch the original Star Trek and escape my dismal universe for a while. Thank you for your video essay. It brought back beautiful memories of escape. The work you put, in is clearly a labour of love. Live Long and Prosper you Crazy Nerd!
Everyone in 1986: you can't revive beloved things with new actors. It's futile.
Entire industry in 2021: we will reboot everything forever and you will watch it.
Yup... I'd trade my cell phone, the internet, my 60 inch 8K TV, and having 100+ channels all in, and gladly go back to the 80's. Everything was better then, Larry vs. Magic, TV, movies, and no global bug!
Sequels > reboots? I'm more amazed at the turnover and other problems that TNG and Discovery both share.
@@jamesteegardner2273 Bruh, the internet, your TV and all those channels help you get access to every single movie and tv-show from the 80's. I bet in 30 years I'd be thinking of nothing but how awesome the early 20's were, but we'll always have access to the past.
@@YggdrasilAudio I'll take the low gas prices, better economy, and just overall better mental health as a society from the 80's. And I'm not talking about rewatching something 40 years later already knowing how it turned out, and I mean watching something new as it's happening live, and not knowing the outcome. It was just a better time, the internet is great and all, but I'd rather go back to a time when the things that I like were presented in a much more enjoyable way.
Speak for yourself. Today’s reboots are pure 🐐💩.
A bit of trivia: “Family” was the only episode of TNG not to feature the bridge. 🖖😀
It's also the only episode not to feature, Data.
@@RowanJColeman double mind blown 🤯
Mind blown 🤯
Oh how fun thanks for that. Love stuff like this. I'll watch that episode again.
@@nicholasscratch9781 There must have been times in all our lives when we felt 'I wasn't good enough, I wasn't strong enough', even though events were out of our control. Such an important coda to the best two parter in TV history.
Omg Marina cursing outtake just made my whole day!
Fun fact: There was an official crossover comic between Star Trek and Doctor Who in which the Cybermen and the Borg managed to get in contact with each other across dimensions and forged an alliance in an attempt to take over the universe through chain events. This event drew the attention of the Doctor's Tardis, prompting it to transport the Doctor and his friends aboard the Enterprise, much to the confusion of Picard and his crew, in hopes that the two teams could work together to stop their respective foes.
Apparently, they were actually seriously considering doing an onscreen crossover between the 11th Doctor and Enterprise. That would have been sick.
You know, Troi was hopelessly written in the first few series, but Roddenberry was spot on about mental health taking a much more important role. On a long duration space mission a mental health professional probably becomes a critical necessity. Unless you want half the crew off sick with PTSD or Depression.
A good artist is never appreciated in their own time and I think that can also be said for characters. Awareness and action on mental health is something we sometimes take for granted now.
During the late 90’s my high school friends and I would make fun of her along the lines of her never doing anything really useful on the ship.
Off sick where?
At least on earth they can be given time off to relax somewhere nice.
His conception of how it would work was terrible though, the idea that talk therapy would completely erase any and all psychological issues is laughable at best.
Then theres the lack of functional knowledge the writers producers and actor display, its one thing to technobabble your way through completely fictional technology. But trying to BS your way through psychology is down right dangerous.
@@DrewLSsix Yeah their handling of psych issues was often really bizarre and lame. DS9 would go on to do much better with this, like when they focused on Nog's PTSD after losing his leg.
Any episodes that put Worf into a situation where he has to engage in social interactions are absolutely fantastic. He presented some of my favorite lines in the entire series:
"Good...you must let her see the fire in your eyes."
"Less talk, more sythahol."
"Words...come later. It is the scent that first speaks of love."
"Congratulations. You are fully dilated to ten centimeters. You may now give birth."
"I am NOT a merry man!"
"Alexander, we require large amounts of currency."
"Good tea. Nice house."
What's that one where he says humans talk much but say little.
And my favorite, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGHHHHHH! That is how a Klingon lures a mate.”
"He passed away peacefully in his sleep. What a terrible way to die."
A warrior's drink!
"I admire gall"
The Offspring is such a good episode. At no point does Data stop Lal from experiencing her life as she sees fit. He allows her the freedom to make decisions for herself, down to even her perceived gender. He even watches her ascend past the limits of his own programming, yet he doesn't seem to stop her. He finds an expert in the one field he can't possibly understand so that his child can have guidance through her experiences.
Data was a good dad. That episode gets me every time.
My favorite episode.
Most parents I know could learn a great many things from Commander Data and his short time of being a parent.
Just thinking about Picard’s line „We have engaged the Borg” sends massive shivers down my spine
Hahaha. I have not watched Disaster since it aired when I was 14 years old. I am now a doctor and "congratulations, you are fully dilated to 10 cm. You may now give birth" killed me. I will definitely rewatch this.
It is one of my favorite episodes of the series.
I think Star Trek saved me. A couple of years ago I was downtrodden to hell. I started watching Voyager; a show I'd seen briefly as a child. Then came Next Gen. After that DS9. The hopefullness in these shows made me think there's something better to be found. To all reading this; Have a wonderful time!
I agree ! In which case don't watch "Star trek:Discovery". Gene Roddenberry must be turning in his grave. Discovery has ruined the Star trek legacy. It is too late for me. I suffered through 2 series of Discovery before I gave up in disgust.
Let’s keep the dream alive !
That's a great story.
Peace, and long life.
that's an interesting order to first time watch. some would say in order of increasing quality!
TNG is easily my favourite television show ever. It feels like home.
It was mine at one point but I find it mostly unwatchable now
Picard has to have a meeting before every decision
Riker is still a first
Guinan is a better counselor than troi
Geordi shoulda been a breakout character ends up rather boring
Data is fun
Beverly crusher is insanely dull
There’s some great episodes and I loved it as a kid I just don’t feel it holds up mostly it’s pacing is so slow
@@seanodeli7031 I agree with your points but I actually think it’s a positive. I loved the pacing. It was and is still so different.
Agreed. Star Trek TNG and Stargate Sg1 are my absolute favourite shows, they do feel like home and I watch and rewatch them both constantly
DS9 is much, much better. I've watched both several times. I honestly don't think a thorough comparison could arrive at a different conclusion
Yes. It feels like home. Exactly
The episodes where Picard really emotionally breaks down, Family, Sarek and Chain of Command I feel are incredibly strong, really showcasing how powerful Patrick Stewart can be as an actor. Remember Me and Cause and Effect are among my favourite episodes.
wow those are my fav episodes also
"Remember Me" is one of my favorites. And everytime it's super foggy outside I say to myself "The universe is a spheroid region, 705 meters in diameter."
It was the first sci fi show to make me feel suspense!
It was the episode that got me hooked on star trek...... A very long time ago now.
Crusher held her own on that episode
"If there's nothing wrong with me, there must be something wrong with the universe."
lol
Chief O'Brian was unsung hero of ST:TNG. The scene where he and his captain sing "The Minstrel Boy" was powerful stuff.
Well, he is the most important person in Starfleet history... ;)
The hero of Setlik 3.
A good Senior NCO is typically the most colorful person in any organization.
It was that scene that started my love of Celtics and traditional folk music.
Measure of a Man and The Offspring will always hit me in the gut feels. Brent Spiner managed to make an emotionless character the heartbeat of the show. This is felt even up to now in Picard. Data's essence permeates that show.
The Inner Light has to be my favorite episode, superbly acted and so enjoyable.
For those who keep asking, the Retrospective order will go: Generations, DS9, First Contact, VOY, Insurrection, Nemesis, ENT, Star Trek '09, Into Darkness and finally Beyond.
When you talk about the making of startrek and its many shows could you please stop bogging your videos down by antagonising Gene Roddenberry claiming ( with no evidence) that he had "embellished claims", how the Roddenberry vision is just the result of cult of personality, and "took credit" dispite him creating startrek its self. Please stop saying this about Roddenberry becuase it like you have an ax to grind with him. Remember "the Gene Roddenberry DIDNT created startrek"? Where you tried aurguing that point?
@@THX-bz8bi … Most of the claims in this videos can be cross referenced with plenty of sources. At least I’ve heard nothing about Gene here, I haven’t read in one of Shatners Memoirs for example. The point, that Coon and Fontana deserve just as much credit, is well taken.
I don't have an axe to grind with Gene Roddenberry, I have an axe to grind with Roddenberry being mythologized as a creative genius who is often evoked as an appeal to authority during fan discourse. All of my information on Roddenberry is from first hand accounts by those who worked with him, I've made nothing up.
Regarding the "Not the Creator of Star Trek" video, I have since unlisted that video as my opinion has changed slightly since making it. I do believe Gene L Coon and DC Fontana among others deserve a lot more credit in bringing Star Trek to life, but I'm no longer sure I'd say he wasn't the creator of Star Trek.
When i write this comment i dont mean to be agressive or confrontational
If you had to unlist the video becuase your opinon on the subject has changed then it shows that belief is very flawed. Since when you critise him its always about credit which he created the over all set up, the fedaration, a few characters, some plots and his "vision"( yes ive said that) yes its true that others where there to flesh out the bits and pieces that i agree upon. its not hard to admit that he is the creator of the show (and a control freak.)
I dont see how two writers who left early in TNG (Coon and Fontana) deserve any more credit since there is one guy who did way more than the both of them and that is Michael Piller who stuck with the show and the franchised since its third season puting a focus on characters.
On the evidence there is no links except when i try to find the information on the behind the scenes of startrek im warned of embellishments and bias against Gene Roddenberry. Even in the two trek docs "chaos on the bridge" and "what we left behind" both warn the audience in a playful manor of embellishments.
Changing my specific view regarding if Gene Roddenberry should or should not be credited as THE creator of Star Trek is not the same thing as changing all of my criticisms of the man. And regarding Coon and Fontana, when I say they deserve more credit I'm referring specifically to The Original Series. Coon didn't work on TNG.
While yes it's difficult to find the truth when all we have to go on is what people have said over the years, there are simply too many corroborating accounts of Roddenberry's flaws to dismiss those criticisms.
If you'd like to know the sources of these accounts, I can give you a very long list of books.
I’m so glad I grew up watching this series. Watching it now you realize just how great this was....
NOSTALGIA
One of the great human weaknesses second only to the neck
Absolutely was required viewing for me when I was growing up.
This type of retrospective does highlight how much better it could have been though. Plenty of missed opportunities and concepts that were never fleshed out.
@@DrewLSsix true, but it’s hard to deny they ended it better than any other series that I can remember. Look how well GOT and Lost ended....
This was the first video that I saw of this channel. That was about 48 hours ago. By now I've seen many other video's on this channel. And I just want to thank the creator for making his video's. They sort of helped me out.
Lately I havent been feeling so well, in my head. It's a small battle with myself every day over and over again. Watching these video's didnt only taka my mind of things a bit, but more importantly it felt really great to hear somebody who is obviously an even great fan as I am of all the star trek franchise talk with so much passion, knowledge and personal opionions that I related to all the time, cause it made me realize that I'm not the only one with such a huge passion for something like a tv-series. To me it became pretty obvious after watching more video's like this one, is that the creator is a lot like me. And that made me relate to him a lot, even though I don't know him at all. That simple fact feels good to me. I also realized that there are many more people like us out there. And without knowing any of them personally, I love them all. So I guess that anybody who shares the love I feel for star trek is automatically a friend. And this last thing changed the way I was feeling almost instantly. So thanks for making this. I really appreciate you taking the effort.
🌻🌻🖖🏾
I love how the writers used the best of both worlds to basically create a shift in the federation's policy on defense and war. With the introduction of actual military craft rather than armed exploration vessels.
It's typical Roddenberry to insist on a blind character, but to stick at someone who was bald.
Also, mental health is a major priority in the 24th Century, and humans are all well adjusted. But baldness would even still be seen as something to be cured because body/appearance anxiety is still a major issue. Roddenberry had some weird, arbitrary hangups, and some real blind spots about them.
@@guaposneeze diddnt roddenberry specifically say that being bald would *not* be seen as an issue in the future?
Well Shat is famously bald and wears a piece.
@@purefoldnz3070 is he though? I need a retrospective on this debate. I’ve never felt like Shatner was wearing a piece. People say that, but I just don’t see it. Maybe I should ask him directly on Twitter. He’s active there. Has anyone dug down deep into this question?
@@DeaPeaJay its obvious piece its was a big joke when he was making the Star Trek movies. Plus you can see he was clearly receding in the 60's then suddenly had a perm in the 80's. The Shatner toupee kind of looks like a tribble in hindsight lol.
Easily the best episode of all Star Trek is the one where Picard spends an entire lifetime as a farmer in "The Inner Light". The haunting sound of the flute Picard plays with a note from a long-lost civilization, at the end of the episode, will forever ring in my ears.
The second best is "Darmok", or Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel IV, as I call it.
A captain who is prepared to give his life at the mere chance of communicating with an alien civilization, is, remarkable, unprecedented even.
Darmok an Jalad on the ocean.
I remember that one, "The Inner light". it too was my favorite!
I agree with both of these
"The Inner light" is very well written story and made me cry at end.
True Star Trek moments. The moment we all can expect from evolved human of 24th century
Yeah, just watched that the other day - a really nice story
Damn good video.
I really love that CZcams has provided a space where a person can actually profit from being "The Star Trek Guy".
54:00 "Despite some improvements, the series was once again without a showrunner and without a single creative vision to guide it."
*In the background*
Picard: "It was a dark and stormy night... Not a very promising beginning."
BRILLIANT, my dude!
In the words of an old Vulcan friend.... *fascinating*
“paramount” importance 😂
“Wesley and The Traveler, coming soon to Paramount Plus”
Indeed
TNG is my super weird comfort show. I put it on in the background when I want to fall asleep. I've seen every episode SOOO many times.. the sound of the engine rumble is instant relaxation for me.
I grew up with it... It seemed like it was always around in the 90s
I don't understand how I maganged to absorb it all because it was only on Satelite TV in the UK so I had to catch it at my friend's house on Sky TV. Anytime I would go on holiday abroad, my family would find a cafe or restaurant with televisionsa outside and catch the latest TNG Episode.
I haven't really watched TNG in the last couple of decades, but it makes me feel happy thinking back to watching it as a kid in the 90s.
When was it that it was only on satellite in the UK? Was it just really early on? Just cos I remember watching the first episode with my family on terrestrial TV, and regularly watched it going forwards by myself, and we never had satellite.
I agree. I miss it being on Netflix
@@JustChrisWillDoTa I think it probably premiered on Sky, then came to BBC2 if I removed correctly?
I'd have to look it up. I saw the Simpsons for the first time at my friend's house on Sky as well. Then that moved to terrestrial eventually.
Back in the days of only 4 channels.. wow.
@@giantpurplecowpiepeople787 Me too. I hate the Paramount app😒 But glad it's all available
You might like Ender4life. He does asmr of all Star Trek sounds.
1:13:03 it was awesome to see the raw beginnings of Marc Alaimo’s portrayal of a Cardassian before DS9, very similar to Armin’s first portrayal of a Ferengi.
This video is better than any Star Trek in the last 2 decades.
Patrick Stewart was crucial to TNG's lasting success. Fortunately Roddenberry's problem with Stewart's baldness didn't prevail.
The TNG series rapidly improved, I believe, when Patrick Stewart finally realized that his "by the book always" approach wouldn't work, especially after "The Best of Both Worlds" and "Family", Picard's character was fully exposed, and more of his humanity came out. Picard finally became a more fleshed out character...
Yep. In the future we don't care about baldness.
@@ColtraneAndRain it's just vanity... didn't humans outgrow that?
also, the preference for baldness has arisen, in universe, a few times since his casting. (Avery Brooks made it look even better)
@@PyrokineticFire1 Yass! And wasn't there a bald female character? I think she was vulcan. She was beautiful!
Patrick Stewart was also responsible for the decline of the TNG movies. It's almost like he didn't understand his own character and neither did the writers that allowed those changes.
I remember the joy my dad expressed when he first heard Spocks voice on TNG screen.
_"Cowboy_ diplomacy!"
This whole series might be my favorite set of video essays, TV/Movie reviews, and star trek videos on the entire platform
I like how the actual interests of the actors made it into traits of the characters they played, like with Beverly's interest in dancing. . I think this is a good way to write characters by casting good actors for a part and then fleshing out their traits by analyzing what the actor actually enjoys and values.
This retrospective series deserves a boxed set release =)
Dude, How could you miss Patrick Stewart's role in the 1981 cult classic movie Excalibur? He was one of the pivotal Lords that held out to the last in accepting King Arthur as the rightful heir to the crown. His acting is so strong that there is no missing him in the movie as one of the Knights of the Round Table.
He played none other than King Leodegrance who, in Arthurian lore, was the father of Guenivere and original owner of the Round Table (he gave it to Arthur as part of the wedding dowry).
Wow, I learned 2 new things about the Arthurian legend today!
Terrific quality, terrific narration, well researched and professionally presented. A real Star Trek fan puts the time, love and work into making a real TNG documentary. Instant sub.
Am I the only one who chuckles when Ryker stands up and does the Placard maneuver. I do think it's a nice touch, it shows as acting captain he was emulating the best Captain he knew.
If you've been following this series of retrospectives, and feel daunted by the length of this one: don't be. It rattles along really well, and is a tremendous achievement. The end came before I really noticed.
I paused it at one point, and was disappointed to see I was already halfway through!
Daunted by the length
🍆🍆🍆
Your retrospectives really taught me why Roddenberry was so infamous. Not casting the perfect actor for Picard simply because he's bald? Like, what the fuck, dude?
Much like how "Person Of Interest " had that episode where the machine finally speaks to Harold , This episode was in the same vein ...Loved it ^ ^
comprehensive, tasteful, and at times hilarious, Rowan J. Coleman's retrospective is stellar!
The first season felt like classic 80's scifi. Then, it grew into something amazing.
My dad grew up watching reruns of TOS and to this day says any other series “isn’t Star Trek”. It doesn’t surprise me that there was a lot of resistance from fans at the time. But I think that, despite the rough early seasons, TNG not only ended up living up to TOS, it surpassed it.
I think the problem is when fans want to dub something as "not Trek" it would be ok if they've at least watched it. I hate discovery and picard. I watched the first couple eps of Discovery and it wasn't for me and I've kept up with the story in hopes it will appeal to me, it hasn't. I watched all of Picard and hated it, won't bother with a second season. It isn't Star Trek for me, I'll happily rewatch the TNG era and the Orville until some day they might decide to appeal more to myself. Ultimately maybe someday people will look back more favourably on those 2 shows, who knows.
@@notanactualuser Indeed. Rowan makes subtle jabs at people who dislike the current incarnations of Trek, but I think there is a real difference between ST:D & ST:P vs TNG, DS9, and even Voyager. The Starfleet & Federation of todays shows are fundamentally warped versions of what we've seen before, and the characters are dumbed down nearly to the point of parody. Star Trek succeeded because it held up a mirror to the controversial issues of the day, but maintained an optimistic utopian outlook in Starfleet & the Federation and showing an optimistic potential resolution to those issues. Todays shows insist that Starfleet & the Federation will be just as fucked up, and in mostly the same ways; doing so with poorly written & realized characters. It fundamentally misses the point of what made past Trek great.
I grew up on TOS and was a young adult when TNG aired. I love TOS best but was excited for any Star Trek, while I did enjoy TNG at the time, I can't sit through reruns of it, it is just to PC for me. I can re-watch any TOS or ENT episode, but not TNG...I never could get into the other shows, a space station seemed boring, a lost ship in a foreign galaxy might have worked, but the cast didn't click for me like the other shows casting. I think that is my problem with TNG, the cast just seemed like ingredients in a cake, they would never hang out together in real life.
I think there's a tendency to judge current works in long running franchises in a hyper current "the way it is now is the way it will be forever" and excessively negative "if it isn't exactly what I liked before, it's trash" viewpoint. You saw it a little bit in the fandom with TNG judged against TOS, and with DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise against TNG, but by 2009, the internet had developed to the point where people who have either decided not to like something based on what they imagine the concept to be or watching the first few episodes (which has, with the exception of TOS, always been the biggest struggle for Star Trek) and swearing off of it forever, get the option to raise a megaphone in every online social gathering place and shout about how the new stuff is an insult to the stuff they loved decades ago that has the benefit of being complete and much easier to focus on the highlights and minimize the failures.
Imagine if there was still a loud contingent of Usenet era fans complaining about how TNG is garbage based on how they watched the first five episodes of season one and spent the rest of the show's run cherry picking every misstep of the rest of the Berman era from secondhand and thirdhand sources, who sometimes seem to set up shop in every space that Star Trek is being talked about except when explicitly disallowed. (Writers can't think of anything to do with the sexy woman but have her get assaulted again, do they really have to bring back that Trelane knockoff every year who even likes him, what the hell is going on with Data turning the ship into an Aztec temple with space magic, who asked for yet another Wesley return they were supposed to have gotten rid of him, THEY CHANGED THE WARP SCALE, #FireBerman!) And unfortunately the people who are saying things like "it's not to my taste" and "it's fun but there's some glaring flaws" get bundled into flame wars on the side of the full time Thing Bad, Thing Abomination people, so if you like it overall, you have to publicly be almost 100% positive just about all the time.
I think Discovery, especially Picard (way to stretch a decent four hour story with a definite end into ten with an opening for another season), and even Lower Decks a little bit, have their flaws, but it's much harder to stand back and appreciate the overall shape of them because they're not complete, they're Right Now and the flaws are up in your face because they're the new thing. The franchise "failures" of the 90s and before are getting fondly reevaluated all around us and I'm sure that in ten or twenty years most of us will be taking about today's shows like we do about at least Voyager or Enterprise.
I grew up on TOS and even watched a lot of episodes as originally broadcast as a kid. So I originally felt the same way. Tho by the time season 3 of TNG was over, it became my Trek.
i'm only 25m in but as an almost lifelong fan of star trek (let's say 25 years) this video is SO FRIGGIN AWESOME
I've bee crying all day going through these. I really needed a reminder of Trek!
I can't even imagine a TNG without Picard
I'm glad you mentioned the Nagilum episode. That one freaked me out and the crew's decision (spoiler) to commit suicide rather than do the bidding of the entity was insanely powerful.
Reminds me of the last planetside scene of "The Cage". Easily the best in the episode!
Given the behind the scenes upheaval of season 2, notably the 1988 WGA Strike, it's a simple, imaginative and highly effective episode.
We always need a Star Trek. It's one of the best human traits- to be able to imagine the future.
It's not an understatement to say this show changed the course of my life.
Just seeing Data's daughter again brought tears to my eyes and for me, it's even more heart wrenching that data can't share in her pain and truly be with her in that moment. Her last moment. Such a beautifully painful moment in an amazing show.
I cry every time...... Im 49 😂
I never understood at the time why they didn't just have Data design and build a bunch of children. I wondered what they really thought they could learn from Lol from dismantling her that they couldn't learn from her while alive. Then I grew up and encountered beauracracy.
@@campbellmaclure7386 I cannot rewatch this episode. Hurts too much.
And the Hollywood powers that be look down on science fiction.
Oh how Picard rode that corpse to town
The glaring flaw in "Measure of a Man": defense counsel never challenges the assertion that Starfleet even has a valid claim of ownership since they didn't create a Data but only found someone else's "property."
Yeah, that has always bugged me, too. Starfleet are basically claiming the right to absolute ownership of any property they find left behind by deceased humans, regardless of the owner's wishes. If they'd found Noonien Soong's calculator, with a note saying "Please do not remove from lab", would they respect these wishes? How much more ought they respect the wishes of technology that passionately asserts its own independence?
that and how starfleet conveniently forgets that Data had to sign documents in his application to willingly join starfleet academy. property cannot sign for anything let alone join something. my washing machine cant sign an application to wash my clothes :/
Finders keepers
@@Scripture-Man well, we do know that archeology and obsessive art collectors both exist in the ST future. We watch Picard himself do what some might call looting the dead but in the name of science. If you really want to break your brain arguing over property and Starfleet - what if some ancestor in San Francisco claimed ownership to the mine where they find Data's head after meeting Mark Twain. Does that mean someone could own his head since it was left there for hundreds of years? Is his head archeological claim? Does Data's inoperative body have any claim over his inoperative head? Oh to be a lawyer in the future!!
The glaring flaw in your claim is _that's what the episode is about._
6:00 Battle Section vs Saucer Separation
This makes so much more sense now!
The original intent was for the Battle section to be a small part that detached, not the Warp Drive Section itself.
the final version we got is just weird, because separation means stranding your civilians in a saucer with no engines.
Have a battle section detach to stand ground, while the rest of the ship (with engines) escapes makes more sense.
I literally yelled "YES" when you mentioned Disater near 1:21:00 It's honestly one of my most watched episodes of the series. It shows just how capable the crew of The Enterprise is even in situations where they're out of their element. There are threads that include some great humor. There is actual tension throughout all of them and it really shows WHY this crew is the crew of the Federation's flagship.
I love this retrospective, however I’m going to have to argue your comment that best of both worlds part two was contrived. I didn’t think so. I thought it was an intensely clever method of getting to the Borg. Essentially they stooped to the Borg’s level. They took one of them, used an intrusive and invasive procedure to gain information on the Borg collective. You know full well they never could’ve beaten them in battle. They knew it too. So a covert intelligence mission to gain an inside advantage was perfectly acceptable and not contrived in any way.
I’m strangely saddened that we didn’t get Leslie Crusher.
Just wait for the reboot and it will happen
She sounds like a Mary Sue. No thanks.
@@robertromero8692 so just regular Crusher?
She might have been less annoying to watch
@@elizabethbeck4071 Nah, she would have been MORE annoying.
This was great! I was planning on watching this over two or three viewings but it was so good that I ended up watching it all the way through in one. Fantastic work, Rowan!
I just pop my headphones on and listen 😂
I work to long to watch it, but sometimes ill rewatch after work
I know this will seem strange. I can vividly recall the episode when they rescue Montgomery Scott. I bawled my eyes out at the thought of him feeling alone and irrelevant. I was so sad for him, it broke me! There's quite a few episodes I carry with me, but that one remains on top as like a depressing reminder of getting older, and how the universe moves on no matter how we feel, ready or not. I've developed this fear of suddenly feeling alone and there being a day that all of me is no longer needed and all my knowledge is beyond outdated- just like Scotty.
Yeah that’s a killer episode.
I feel exactly the same.
Not to worry. Speaking as a 70 year old, it's a relief to see others picking up the rope and pulling and those you love successfully meeting the challenges of their times
Why don't you find a woman, get married and have kids then? Humans have been doing it since the beginning of time because it works.
It's like the new series of ST. Rather then do what has been proven to work time and time again (previous ST series/marriage), they decided to try something new and it was garbage until Picard season 3, when they decided to go back to what was proven to work again.
I was quite literally a homeless junkie ready to die who's always said "fuck Dem kids" and now I'm a sober husband and father who's never been happier. I don't know how you feel about it but most people these days rather stay single but start regretting it once they hit 50 and realize their friends/,one night stands won't be there for them as they get old so they start regretting their decisions as they hit the wall.
Great to learn about Michael Piller's role.
The revolving protagonist formula was a stroke of genius in the days when seasons had over 20 episodes to fill.
Well done! I am in agreement with you: I really appreciate G.R. for giving us ST. At the same time, I am glad other people took over to make his dream more palatable. All of us ST fans owe M. Pillar a big thanks!
Star Trek TNG was my favorite show when I was a kid…I remember when the series finale premiered!
What an awesome send off!
It shall always remain one of my favorite shows of all time.
Season 5; Disaster is hands down my favourite episode as well. Favourite scene has to the discussion between Ro, O'Brian and Troi as to whether to separate the saucer section or not. Super powerful acting. Such a powerful scene. Such a good episode.
I’d say this series is to Star Trek what Clever Dick Film’s videos are to Doctor Who.
Don’t know if you’ve seen those but this is very much a compliment.
I have seen those! That video series was a huge inspiration on this one. To be directly compared to those videos is a massive compliment :)
I second this. Great videos well written and edited. I'd frankly be down to watch you do a whole TNG season by season series. Well... maybe we could go ahead and jump to Season 3 ;) I enjoy not just the recapping and nostalgia, but pointing out and exploring ongoing aspects that are more obvious now in retrospect (like Keiko & O'Brien's home life, Ensign Ro's arc, or the addition of Admiral Nechayev). Great vids, man, keep it up!
Great to see other Clever Dick fans!
@@PetersonZF
Big Dick fan here!
Remember Me is one of my favorite episodes. I agree, Beverly Crusher should have had more to do in the series. She is absolutely wonderful in this one. I especially love when she's walking around, outsmarting the computer
Wild imagining Avery Brooks as Cpt Pickard. Funny too that they came back around to him later for DS9.
Fantastic documentary. I agree "Disaster' is utterly brilliant. I love how Picard has to remember how to lead, not command, when finding himself in charge of children
This was my Star trek growing up. It still holds up, mostly. This made me a fan, and ascsn adult I watched Deep Space Nine, it's a great show as well!!
But it started for me with TNG...🛸
The Dennis McArthy STNG theme gives me strong Galaxy Quest vibes.
This channel is a goldmine for Trekkies. I admire the amount of work put into each video for us to enjoy. Thanks for uploading!
I don't think Gene Roddenberry is a creative god, but he did come up with the basic idea, and I'd say that's worth something
The girl who played Ensign Gomez also played the three-breasted girl in Total Recall.
I liked Ensign Gomez. Would have liked to see more of her.
@@EnsignRedSquad - Lycia Naff - I got to know her a bit in the eighties and she seemed so young and lost then. Apparently she is a journalist.
@@dennismason3740 Definitely chemistry there between she and Geordi...
@@marknorth8904 - Hee ha hoo-boy. I used to see her around West Hollywood in the eighties and she didn't really have three breasts.
I've always considered ”Family” as the best episode of the series. Worf's parents, Wesley's father's message to his son and Picard's breakdown in front of his brother are the highlights of the episode.
you are correct
I don't think I saw that one. I will check it out. Thanks!
i'm more partial to "Tapestry," but that's definitely a good one.
Especially coming after Best of Both World 1&2. The 3 parter was my favourite. They did similar in Voyager with Scorpion 1&2 followed by The Gift.
Picard was my favorite character of any spinoffs of the trek series. Data is a close second. I never thought any show could be better than kirk Gen trek. But after the 2nd season of STTNG stole my vote and continued to entertain me for years after and I still sit here watching the episodes over and over. Despite the other attempts to make other spinoffs being great in their own way TNG is the best. Voyager has my childhood crush in 7 of 9 and was an amazing addition to the series. Picard, data, worf, crusher, LaForge, Riker, and more and more people who are amazing too but that core took a child's attention and turned me into a sci-fi nerd I am today. The writers were brilliant and kept building brilliance. And now picard is amazing. I hate they waited so long that Stewart is so old now but it too keeps me going back for more. I hope this isn't the end of star trek. I hope they continue with another series like TNG. Forever a trekie!
I found this due to an answer on Quora and I’m so glad I clicked the link. Very interested in viewing your other Trek content. This was an excellent introduction to your work and at times put me right back in college for the first four years of the show.
It's so rare for a show to get the series finale right, Q's speech at the end still gives me goosebumps. Great video, you clearly have good taste!
When he's about to whisper something in Picard's ear, but holds it back and say's.. "You'll see". Dam that gets me every time.
Best series finale ever. Although I was really disappointed that it was over it's probably best they quit while they were still getting better. It would be sad if they just kept going and the series got crappy.
@@darkwillow57 TNG getting out of the way of DS9 was also a boon for the franchise as a whole.
VOY would've benefited from being delayed until the 6th season of DS9, though, or even waiting a couple years after DS9 ended, to give the creatives time to recharge. The premise for VOY was a great one, and the characters as initially conceived were wonderful, but during DS9's run it seemed like VOY was mostly getting the less talented writers working on it, and so much of the initial concept became so bland and watered down. I do defend VOY quite a bit against its critics, and during its run I tuned in weekly for every episode, excited to see the next one, but the show was so inconsistent, and squandered so much of its potential.
And of course, they immediately jumped into another series with ENT right after that, which ended up getting itself canceled. I defend ENT, as well, except for the third season which was all kinds of terrible. And it was clear in the fourth season that they were going to go somewhere great, had the show continued to a seven season run. But I think if they had waited after VOY, it could have been so much better and succeeded in its seven season plan. Even just avoiding some real world events in the timing of the show (9/11) would've saved ENT from its third season ever happening.
Anyone else get goosebumps the second that the Borg theme from Best of Both Worlds started to play?
Seriously, though - great work, Rowan. Thank you for this. :)
BoBW - probably one of the best cliffhanger/episodes, but I'm a committed Babylon 5 fan so no contest - in Valens name, B5 had much, much better.....
"The Measure of a Man" is the perfect Star Trek episode. It may not be the absolute best in the franchise history, but it's the crystallization of all the things that make Trek what it is.
Patrick was 46 years old when he got this role. It just shows one can become famous at THE RIGHT TIME.
the fact that Roddenberry thought Sir Patrick Stewart would be a bad choice as Picard makes me question just how good he was at his job.
Edit- nevermind, he was the one who made Q, so he's clearly a genius.
Roddenberry may have created Q, but it was John de Lancie who _made_ Q.
Almost brings a tear to me eye. They sure dont make 'em like this anymore...
I was a small kid when STNG premiered: I had been watching the original series before in reruns. I remember I did get excited about TNG after seeing a write up in my local newspaper: and I would watch the whole series on TV while growing up.
"The Bonding" has me in tears every time: "No one ever has to be alone on the Starship Enterprise."
I remember watching TNG when it was in the heyday from '89 onwards. Picard's breakdown in "Family" still brings me to tears & I am NOT a crier- I'm talking openly weeping. That moment is so raw & heartfelt; something you would never see Kirk do ("you Klingon bastard, you've killed my son!" notwithstanding).
As it approached its 25th anniversary, Trek was a full-blown pop culture phenomenon, the 'Golden Age' of the franchise to be sure. When episodes like 'Unification' with the return of Spock or the wonderful episode with Scotty, 'Relics', TNG became a competent & bold accompaniment to TOS & the Kirk-era movies and it was an must-see event to watch every week. There's nothing like it nowadays to compare it to.
DeForest Kelley said that one of the major factors to its longevity was its moments, like the crossover episodes with TOS cast or a stopover episode taking place at DS9 or the brilliant 'Yesterday's Enterprise.' Between special moments like these (now are described as "fan service") and the strong character-building, Trek was at its creative peak. It was a GREAT TIME to be a Trekker!
I mean, the break down Kirk has on Spock's death is pretty agonizing.
46:50 I like the character too. The relationship between Pulaski and Data is something special. She struggles with treating Data as sentient being, even though she knows it's wrong to not treat him as one, often catching herself slipping up and apologizing for it (seen most notably in "Where Silence Has Lease"). Then later in the season, they've become close friends, with Pulaski often helping Data during difficult times (especially after losing to Kolrami in "Peak Performance"). I mean, Crusher is a great character, but I kinda wish we could've had both.
Pulaski was great, for sure. I would have liked to see her brought back as a guest star, or at least mentioned more often.
Disaster is also an all-time favorite of mine. A great reminder that space is incredibly dangerous and will end your existence in a heartbeat for no apparent reason at all.
The fact that your series Retrospectives are the biggest on the internet speaks volumes to your dedication to the craft :)
Can you imagine if Maurice Hurley's plan for the Borg was allowed to happen? It'd be the Dominion War storyline done a bit earlier!
A marvelous reminder of the pleasure I had watching TNG when it arrived in the UK, first a handful of episodes on rental VHS then on BBC 2 and retail VHS.🖖
Is that you Gremlin?
@@lexiburrows8127 it is indeed. Hey, how's you and yours? Hope all's well!
@@grahamturner1290 Hi. Great to hear from you. Unfortunately, my husband was sent to prison! Are you still at No. 5 thingy street? Do you still have your old Mobile number?
@@lexiburrows8127 great to hear from you too! Wow, sorry to hear that. Yes, my number is still the same. Feel free to call, if I don't reply immediately leave a voice message or text me. I lost your number a while ago! If that doesn't work for any reason I'll give you my email address.
@@grahamturner1290 Cool.
Telling us that Jonathan Frakes worked beside Montalbán on Fantasy Island while showing Montalbán next to Hervé Villechaize was…..f*ckin HILARIOUS
I never anticipated watching all of this.
I thought it was too long, but the narrator, explanation and presentation were top quality.
Better than many television productions.
It was enjoyable, entertaining and informative. The narrator is voice perfect to keep this interesting.
I watched the entire 1:41:00
7:22 Man, I get gooesbumps when that theme comes up. It's so quintessential nowadays, and the show has shaped a good deal of who I am.
I remember watching this with my mother when it aired back in the early 90s I was six or seven years old. And I still to this day I remember every moment, both the first and second part. I remember the speculation and waiting for an entire year summer before we actually knew what happened. It is by far one of the most epic Star Trek episodes of all time, one of the best science fiction television episodes of all time, and one of the best episodes of any program ever aired in the history of Television. It’s fucking amazing, and still head and shoulders above how people right nowadays. It might not be perfect, but it’s damn near. In retrospect you can say it’s not a strong, but there was a good 15 year. With this was deified as one of the single best Star Trek episodes ever created.
Ne too! I'd sneak downstairs at night to watch it on the TV while my dad snored away (he often fell asleep watching his own shows). Ah, memories
Jeffery Combs is MY favourite actor EVER!! Re-Animator is my jam