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Oid the talos principle5/7/2023 I'll try not to bash TNG too much, although that won't stop me from making TOS comparisons. (Nitpick alert: Wouldn't phasers be quicker to draw if they weren't placed in a "cross-draw" fashion?) Kinda ruined the whole suspense/danger factor for me. When Tasha was walking through the alien corridors with her hand on her phaser, I could barely see it, and had to think a while before I realized what it was. Being a long time TOS fan, I still prefer the old "gun-style" phasers-they just look more threatening and "action-y". One other thing that bugged me is the new "dust-buster" phaser design. Also, the NCC-1701-D exterior and interior designs look great. I loved the scene with old McCoy and Data-a bit cloying, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I think it's his acting, it's so dramatic that everyone else looks even more dry and stilted by comparison-he almost steals the show! But not to be overly negative-there's a lot of good stuff too. I find myself liking Picard, Worf and Data quite a bit, and John de Lancie as Q - I love that guy already. I'll go even so far as to say that in my humble opinion, the TOS effects and sets were much more convincing! (Even though of course I know they'll get much better) The special effects (the alien ship and Farpoint station matte, for instance) also look really cheap/fake at this point in time. The plot, as Jammer said, is too ho-hum to be much of interest. The TOS actors' energy contributed in no small part to that series' success, so I guess I'm a bit spoiled. The music is wimpy, especially compared to TOS, and the actors lack passion and excitement at this point in time, which contributed in no small part to the overall wimpiness of this episode. I agree with the rating, 2 stars is what I'd give it too. Too bad, because it had a lot of potential, too. "Encounter at Farpoint" isn't too bad, but it isn't too good, either. Welllll.there really isn't much to say here. I just started getting into TNG's 1st season a short time ago, after being a longtime TOS fan. Like this site? Support it by buying Jammer a coffee. The episode has one of my favorite goofy laugh moments: Q invades the bridge and then puts a deep freeze on a threatening lieutenant with a phaser. Funny - that's exactly what I was thinking. "I see now it was too simple a puzzle," Q notes at the end. The notion of asking questions before resorting to violence is in tune with Trek's humanistic message, but the plot's solution is far too transparent and unchallenging to live up to Q's portents of earth-shaking significance. And Picard's debates with Q are the first in what would eventually become one of the series' great running dialogs. I suppose it takes a certain level of guts to make Picard the ultimate anti-Kirk, who announces an unconditional surrender in the first half-hour of the story and frequently showcases a cerebral style. On the other hand, making the ship more of a luxury liner than a military vessel is a definite departure from TOS, as is the character of Picard, who is a mannered intellectual and debater. The unconvincing planet sets and the dramatic music score give the production a definite feel of old-school TOS Trek. Sure, the visual effects are impressive for 1987 television, but there's not much substance to the idea here beyond, "Look, honey! The ship can split in two!"Īs a pilot and as Trek, this is adequate and absolutely no more it establishes all the regular characters while supplying a reasonable (but ultimately disappointing) sci-fi scenario. Meanwhile, there are two overly self-impressed set-pieces involving the separation and reintegration of the Enterprise's saucer section - an action gimmick that's frankly much ado about nothing. The shifts in momentum between plot and character are at times distracting. Slow and talky (which is not necessarily a demerit), "Encounter at Farpoint" suffers in part because it doesn't find the right balance between the supposed urgency of Q's ominous warnings and all the character threads that are in play as the new crew is assembled. Star Trek: The Next Generation launches with an uneven maiden voyage, which admittedly shows its age when compared to today's higher-tech and faster-paced world of drama. Captain Picard finds himself answering Q's charge that humanity is a "savage race." Fontana and Gene RoddenberryĪs the new Galaxy-class Enterprise heads out on its first mission to Farpoint Station, the crew encounters a powerful being known as Q (John de Lancie), who blocks and then pursues the ship, before kidnapping four of the crew and putting humanity on trial. Star Trek: The Next Generation "Encounter at Farpoint"
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