What was the worst Star Trek: The Next Generation episode?

I will go with "Shades of Grey". It was limp by the writers' own admission.

....just pick one.

remind me...

so they had Riker get bitten by some plant and he went into a coma, and then as Bev and Troi were dinking around in his brain, they kept triggering memories which were, miraculously, all clips from previous episodes.

Clip episodes CAN work - the Menagerie is a good one - but Shades of Gray was just awful.

Clip shows don't count as real episodes.

after he smashes the lute -- classic early Worf

I heard somewhere that he actually complained. The worf character got his ass kicked all first season by the visiting aliens so some one could say, "OMG, the garflarnks are strong enough to toss a klingon!"

where the Captain (or Riker, can't remember) says the line "let us take our ease in the forest!" and my friend exclaimed, "they've got Es?!"

kidnapped by the Borg and turned into "Locutus"? That 2-part episode ROCKED!

the second part was pure shit, especially the ending. Utter garbage, IMO.

And Descent was just pure shit from beginning to end. For the most part, the only episodes and movies with Borg that weren't utter shit were "Q Who", "Best of Both Worlds, Part I", and "I, Borg".

Best of Both Worlds Pt. II was utter shit
Descent Pts. I and II were utter shit
First Contact was utter, utter, utter shit
And everything in Voyager and DS9 were also, I'm quite sure, utter shit

I'll put a spell on you.

"And everything in Voyager and DS9 were also, I'm quite sure, utter shit"

Which is to say, you probably didn't watch them.

except a few of the Voyager ones with 7 of 9, which was a really dumb concept and totally unnecessary and a total Rick "I am an uncreative paper-pushing piece of shit" Berman creation.

Which is why I said "I am sure". Because I didn't see them, because I didn't want people to think that I had seen them, and to let people know I was making a projection, based on past data. Hence, "I am sure" not "I know for sure" or "I can say with certainty".

So, while you might think you "caught" me doing something wrong, you didn't.

But considering the quick downward spiral of tasteless, uncreative dreck that became associated with the Borg, and the appearance of 7 of 9 in Voyager, I feel quite safe in making the assumption that the way that DS9 and Voyager used the Borg was, most likely, equally as shitty as TNG managed to with two seasons of the Borg showing up and in the (embarassingly cliche, poorly acted, and shitty) movie First Contact.

It is the episode where they meet aliens who speak in metaphors. "Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra" or some gobbledy gook. I HATE that one.

It was something actually original.

That poor friendly but babbling fool died trying to get Picard to communicate with him.

That is definitely one of the superior episodes!!!

I thought it was so sad-and actually quite profound.
My vote is ANYTHING with Wesley (barfo)

but one of the best hours of television ever

That was some serious, creative, excellent writing. Up there with the Edith Keillor one from TOS. Damn, can't think of the damn episode.

Fantastic, wondrous stuff.

I think it was based on a Harlan Ellison story.

It's an absolute classic.

Figures that Ellison would pull off, likely with only minor editing, one of the most incredible and compelling ST stories every written...

I know City On The Edge Of Forever is considered by many to be the finest Star Trek ever, but I thought it was totally average. Anyway, that's original series!

Then again, I was forced through several qurters of literary criticism, so my taste in entertainment is suspect to say the least.

Great episode, sure there is a suspension of disbelief. The whole universal translator is not really explained, except in the DS9 episode regarding the aliens who see Bajor as their home world. How would a computer translate metaphor into English, it would seem a common reference would be untenable. I loved this episode, nonetheless.

We saw that in our English class in my senior year of HS.

I remember thinking it was great. I would love to see it again because I don't remember it well. Maybe I'll search a P2P service for ST episodes.

I absolutely love the concept of a language based on metaphor. It helped that the majority of the episode was performed by two actors who could handle it. Save for one other actor in the cast, I shudder to think of what the episode would have been like had some of the other actors been featured.

there was this big "gay" planet that Riker went and rubbed his heterosexuality all over. Then the little flannel wearin being he does nasties with gets brainwashed. maybe there were good intentions behind it, but the writers missed the mark.

Yar meets "The King and I" with a bit of "Hooters girls wrestling"

I'm still going with "Pen Pals" -- what's the freaking point?

:-(

dislike the episode, but I think you might be misinterpreting it. I haven't seen it in years, but as far as I can remember the idea was that on this planet, everyone was genderless, not gay. But the "problem" was that actually not everyone was genderless---there were some who were actually male or female. These people were seen as deviants and treated (the "brainwashing" you speak of) to make them genderless, like they were "supposed" to be.

It wasn't because Riker's relationship with the woman on the planet was heterosexual that it was a problem---it was a problem because she identified herself as female. Theoretically, if she had identified herself as a homosexual woman rather than a heterosexual one and had formed a relationship with another woman, it would have been equally a problem. Actually, the guy that played Riker wanted the actor who played his romantic partner to be male, probably to clear up this possible confusion. The idea of the episode was to draw a parallel with the treatment of the gay community (and perhaps more aptly the transgender community) in the real world.

I'm glad that they made this episode because of what it had to say, but I can't enjoy any episode that features Riker. I just want to smack him.

The one the other poster was talking about was from the first season, one in which women were the primary gender, and the men were smaller, weaker, and not in power.

An interesting set up, but terribly and awfully executed.

was the name of the episode

..they were all pretty feckin retarded by my recollection, but I do remember one where a mysterious ray transformed several crew members to their 8-year-old selves - and somehow shrunk their clothes to match. That's why they call it 'science' fiction baby.

But Angel One was perhaps the most downright offensive episode they've done. A planet where women had the power... and all the while this snickering-behind-the-hand "well this is just wrong isn't it" attitude from the Enterprise crew, all the Angellian (?) men completely fey and gay, and of course Will Reiker the walking penis comes along to "sort the girls out". The only thing keeping it from being as dumb as one of the old, camp, "what is this thing you call love, James Kirk" episodes was that they didn't call the planet 'Sex-O-Tron 5' or something like that.

Sweet Jesus I hate Star Trek. I think the worst thing is the script... if you watch Farscape or even Stargate there's humour and personality in the lines the actors say. Star Trek script is like:

- Let us try doing this.
- Oh, that has failed.
- In that case let us try this instead.
- That has worked. We have been succesful.

etc etc. All attempts at humour in Star Trek are embarassingly pitiful. Bunch of arse.

Actually not that bad, but part of me died when I heard Picard say "mega strength."

(although I like the actor, who is a liberal), but ESPECIALLY the one where Wesley transforms to a higher plane of being, or something.

:puke:

but Wesley is just so irritating.

Everything annoying about Wesley amped up to the Nth degree, then the mumbo-jumbo mysticism and the all-knowing Native American! :puke:

He became something called "The Traveler" I think.

It would have been better if he had been seduced by Q, and decided to actually run off and BE a Q. That would've been fun. Why didn't the writers ever pick up on how much the audience hated Wussley?

Gene Roddenberry identified Wesley with himself.

and kept Wesley around so people would keep watching to see if he'd get eaten or turned into strawberry jelly or done in in some other equally justifiable way.

by far and away the lamest of the lame seventh season (OK, OK, Lower Decks was great...). It;s the one where teh crew "de-evolves"... oh yargh!

Also, any episode in which Data's capabilities are expanded or increased sucks pickled eggs!

That one has my vote too:thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:

It's pretty weird and doesn't really make any sense, but Patrick Stewart is great as he "de-evolves" into some sort of lemur.

I like it when Spot turns into an iguana.

"Felis Cattus is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped carnivorous by nature.
Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behaviour you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend."

Not sure, though.

Was Barclay in that one?

It was the one that Riker and some other crew members were being spirited away at night by some alien race and having experiments run on them.

I think it's called "Night Terror" but I'm not sure on that.

I loved the scene in the holodeck when they were reconstructing the abductions -- well, actually, that scene was well done, but the rest of the episode was rather lame, if I remember correctly

heh it was funny

Extended explanation of why here:

http://www.plaidder.com/spocks.htm

Shudder,

The Plaid Adder

Just saw it again a day or so ago and it still totally sucks!

we'll have it be totally pointless!

At least they tied Yar's death into the exquisite "Yesterday's Enterprise"

Watching Patrick Stewart do a scene obviously written for William Shatner (debating philosophy in a self-congratulatory manner with a giant slimy tar monster) just breaks my heart. Plus, what's the point of killing off a "main character" that's only been around for a few episodes. I mean, who cares? She died like a redshirt!

You've really hit my button here!

I was trying to think of it. It fucking sucked!

....in fact, it probably was.

In the DVD set, Frakes talks about what they made it out of, because he had to get into it and get it over his head and deal with the crap.

I can't remember all what it was....

Though in the scenes where the thing is moving around it clearly DOES look like they used a hefty bag with glitter to get the "special effect".

True, the first season episodes can look a bit lame, this one included. However, I will always love this episode because it marks the end of the anorexic bleached waif with the annoying voice, you guessed it, Denise Crosby, aka Tasha Yar.

I know I will be attacked by some, those with over active hormones actually find her attractive. :puke: Her character was weak, and easily replaced. Who really thinks Yar was better than Worf as security chief?

I, too, was glad to see that talentless actress, and stupidly written cliche-ridden shitiot character, die.

When she came back later Yesterday's Enterprise and in the Romulan stuff, she still was a shitty, pisspoor excuse for an actress.

Miserable. Just miserable.

I have nol idea why anyone was ever enamored of her as a character. All I can figure is that it's because guys tend to like big boobs, and has nothing to do with the actual character and/or actress.

In short, the majority of seasons 5 and 6 episodes.

:dunce:

her as any stripe of health-care professional. As for the repressed romance, they are together floating on a ship in space. Who would have cared if they bumped uglies. What did they gain by holding back but some really awkward "oh gee, it would be nice if we could get over ourselves and shag scenes".

But that's just my opinion. :)

it could pose some psychological problems to have a relationship with a person who:
Is your boss
Was good friends with your husband
Ordered your husband to his death

when your son by that marriage is still on board

but, I tend to overanalyze

and part of my problem. As a chick myself, everything you mentioned would stop any desire I had to ever see him naked. If he were shooting the puppy eyes or rubbing against me, I would tell him to back off in no uncertain terms. I am aware that this is fiction and we are talking about a tv show which thrives on these very conceits.

I did dig the worf and troy thing.

I love the episode Attached---their scenes together were beautifully executed.

I also like Beverly as a character, even if she isn't too interesting.

I have a thorough dislike, however, for Will Riker. And he plays the trombone (like me), which drives me crazy!

died and left her the ghost/entity that gave her orgasms?

Damn! My Grandmother died and all she left me was a trust fund!

That episode's name is "Sub Rosa". Lots of people don't like it. I don't think it's great, but I don't think it's awful, either. Certainly not in the bottom rung of bad episodes.

It's just mediocre.

but there's really nooooo competition -- as far as the worst episode that's not a clip show, I would have to say Pen Pals -- it is just awful

and could not get out of their. arrgh!

I liked the touch about encountering the remains of previous explorers, though

but far from the worst.

OT but there is a list of "Things We Will Never See In Star Trek," and number 36 is "Someone gets drunk and pees all over himself in 10 Forward."

I would so dearly love to see that!

http://winn.com/bs/st-never.html

*cringe*

I completely understand the cringing, though

Turned the channel as soon as those kids stepped off the transporter.

The one where Bev. Crusher is seduced by a ghost that had been her mother's lover. :wtf:

the scene where the old lady's dead body is re-animated and speaks ALWAYS makes me think of the scene in "54" where the same actress dies on the disco floor after overdosing on coke.

Ugh.

I always seriously disliked that one where Tasha Yarr gets killed by a big pool of evil. It was really lame.

Nothing like fakey Irish accents and stereotypes to ruin a show. It was called something like Up the Long Ladder (i.e. DNA).

Let's not forget the 'belly' version of the Irish fisher's sweater on the episode's 'hot chick' designee...:eyes:

Perhaps it was so terrible that it's subconsciously fallen from memory. That's a good thing.

I think you are correct about it being collectively blocked.

He played a porn director. Talked one of the officers into starring in a porn film. :o

:)

:scared:

The 421 episodes centered around 'Wesley Saves The Ship Again' were also pretty tedious, but anything involving Troi's mom sucked so hard it bent light.

Everyone was dressed lik genies, and the women ruled the planet.

Then one of the crew had to fight the queen on some jungle gym.

That would have been a bad episode of the old Battlestar Galactica.

And welcome to DU! :hi:

Id love to try to start one, but Im first trying to get the DU Gaming group first.

Angel One Please, painful to watch.

Pen Pals Data and some alien kid hook-up, eeeeck

Shades of Grey Enough said.

Cost of Living Just shoot me

Sub Rosa The number one worst episode. I will not watch this stinker, even If I haven't seen an episode for a month, I would rather watch corn float in the toilet than this nightmare.

Masks Please, just insult every fan with more than one functioning brain cell.


Fortunately, the real stinkers are numbered on a short list.:evilgrin:

the holodeck

Wesley

Riker and/or the Betamax (as principal character for the episode)

obviously one of those scripts they got $ from the US gov't for, but it was totally ham-fisted (Wesley: "Gee Cmndr Riker, why would anyone do drugs, anyway!?!"). It stuck out like a sore thumb in the episode about that game, which was a hypnosis thinger...

On Edit: It was called, ironically enough, 'The Game'. Ashley Judd played his gf