Mike and Rich's Top 5 Star Trek TNG Episodes! - re:View (part 2)

[@dalekbumps]

Get yourself a man who will look at you the way Rich Evans looks at Mike when Mike is ranting about Star Trek

[@tommyc4641]

But not a man who will look at you the way Jay looks at Mike when Mike is ranting about Star Trek

[@sadface7457]

Pitty and disgust

[@Big_Funi_Official]

get a man that look at you the way mike looks at 0:15

[@duffman18]

Can I not just have Rich, please? Not a man like Rich, just Rich himself.

[@pcb462]

LoL

[@JordanManfrey]

>get heckled by bill shatner for being a star trek podcast >immediately become a star trek podcast

[@coal1o1]

They really sold out this time.

[@Byrvurra]

Hey, Mike has been busting his ass being a Star Trek fan for 35 years, show some respect. Now we just wait for the inevitable, on air, shill meltdown.

[@Xetelian]

They treat their guests relatively well, outside of making Macaulay Culkin doing a Best of the Worst screening of a Home Alone sequel, especially a later one. Shatner is really doing himself and Strek Trek fans a disservice by not coming on this show.

[@Mukation]

@@Xetelian Shatner is an almost 90 year old man, do you honestly think he cares?

[@youtubeused2Bcool]

What's a podcast?

[@daveburnt]

Fleetwood Mackerel is the joke you were looking for.

[@MikesPants]

Wonderful

[@duffman18]

You win the comments section

[@scantrahan]

*insert rich guffaws*

[@SteveSmith-wk9dx]

Damn, you got there first!

[@TomWonderful]

🎉🎉🎉

[@shanehudson3995]

These two episodes, reminiscing about Star Trek, is the best Star Trek that's come out in a decade.

[@elwincuevas9035]

Yet at the same time both their number 1 picks don't encapsulate the best episodes and none of their favs overlapped. That alone speaks volumes of the greatness of TNG

[@FuhrerHeisen]

Yes omg it ha so excited to get to next gen just got season 3 of og the movies and then still debating the animated series or skipping it and watching it later

[@AdamRoss1]

On my third loop watching this two-parter.

[@Starduckvalley]

I agree, the best thing since star trek 09!

[@trevorsolis3717]

*four ;)

[@obijac]

I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t just talk about every single episode. I’d pay extra just for that.

[@jimbob9648]

This. If they made one hour re-Views about every single TNG episode, I'd watch em.

[@krankgehtab7103]

Take my money

[@mikethebena]

This needs to be a podcast.

[@informal_variant]

God a season by season review of Star Trek would be amazing.

[@whitehatblackhat]

There’s only so many first season episodes a person should have to watch.

[@videoposter7532]

I imagine Mike as a full grown 40 year old hack fraud running to tell his mom that the enterprise just exploded.

[@Notsram77]

Exactly! Or at least the same head at both ages.

[@mphylo2296]

OH MY GAAAAAD MOOOOOM THE ENTERPRISED JUST GOT BLOWED UP

[@thirdcoming]

Cause and Effect aired in 1992. Mike was born in 1978. He was a fully grown hack fraud.

[@videoposter7532]

@mphylo2296 I can hear that comment

[@MEDPR0S]

@@thirdcoming 14 is fully grown?

[@brainxdrain3617]

"Hanging out in bar. Doing jazz." Rich is a national treasure.

[@Craplatte]

Internet Megastar Rich Evans is a planetary treasure.

[@mista-khan]

Do ya like JAZZ??

[@Radiobed]

All Enterprise crew know is hang out in bar, do jazz, be bisexual, eat hot chip & lie

[@darthnephilim]

He meant to say “Doing Jazzercises”

[@chrisfrawley299]

That made me spit out my coffee

[@ariblue400]

When Mike said that he ran to tell her mom about the Enterprise exploding, I couldn't help but smile warmly because I did the same thing, and my mom just said "Seriously!!? :O" all wide eyed and then I came back running to see what else gonna happen in the episode. It felt so cute to remember that and to realize what Star Trek made feel to two children on different times and from the opposite sides of the world. It's magic

[@benbooth2783]

@@Asahamana And your Dad called the Police, who informed the Secretary of Defence, who advised the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister had to come and talk to you about how crazy it was 😄

[@Around_blax_dont_relax]

@@benbooth2783 hows that schizophrenia holding up?

[@mrredherring2900]

Make that three. As soon as that teaser ended i too ran to tell my mom that THE ENTERPRISE JUST BLEW UP. She didn't care about Star Trek that much (though she did watch a couple of eps with me and she liked the actors, especially Patrick Stewart, Frakes and Spiner) but she was well aware of my love for the show and that ship and i remember her having a somewhat similar reaction😄 It was great. ❤

[@RollMoveReviews]

I imagine Mike spent a lot of time explaining TNG plots to his mother while she ignored him and drank vodka tonics.

[@DistractedGlobeGuy]

Like poetry. You see the echo of where it all is gonna go.

[@ai_serf]

bro... you just killed me. if i had less bladder control, i'd pee while laughing.

[@coolcool233]

You mean Aldebaran Whiskey.

[@chievejobs4687]

@@coolcool233 Alderaan whiskey?

[@carjamlaw753]

gimlets

[@arturick673]

It's so weird to see Rich Evans looking relaxed, happy, and unironically appreciative of something.

[@eliasripley2357]

I love knowing that him n Mike have been best friends since childhood. I have a couple of friends like that, though the "main" one has a tendency to fall off the radar and go AWOL all the time. It makes me sad. Especially since he has the habit of saying he feels bad about not being the friend he should be, after several instances of personal trauma, and says the same to my folks, only to ignore all those positive assurances and disappear again at the drop of a hat....I don't know. I know he's troubled - like I am - but I just wish that he'd understand that I'm here for him and his bring there for me would do BOTH of us a world of good. I know no-one will read this far, but it feels slightly better just to get it off my chest. Pob, if by miraculous chance you happen to see this random comment, drop me a line, dude. I'm always here, ya colossal mess of a friend 😉

[@tommyc4641]

Trojan McCoy - you’re a good person. Your friend is lucky to have you.

[@gregbauer4433]

I always appreciate it when someone makes the "Flowers for Algernon" connection. Rich Evans did not disappoint.

[@frankmerker630]

So rich is proving that he has read a book other than The Catcher in the Rye. Quite a day

[@RobotReg]

Star Trek and minor league baseball is all this poor man has to look forward to

[@psykomancer4420]

I demand more of Rich talking about things he likes.

[@Fablins-kt9ti]

"Kardashians are developing a metagenic weapon" was such a random thing to hear haha.

[@psykomancer4420]

@@Fablins-kt9ti That name choice really did gain a whole new feeling to it after the fact.

[@gzozgo]

Don't don't about things you don't like! Crocodile brain.

[@j.c.lhanze1269]

Kardashians are making a new kind of humans. Silicon based lol

[@gzozgo]

@@almostontimehero5415 Do you know lessons of life?!?

[@the25thprime]

Its never occurred to me that Riker was just a backup Kirk. That's perfect.

[@WalesintheMovies]

It's a fair point, but even with Picard on board, William "T" Riker still serves that purpose.

[@gregbauer4433]

The first season was perhaps the most obvious, when Riker was clean-shaven and Troi sometimes called him "Bill".

[@NoneofYourBusiness667]

Picard: Bold and intelligent leader Riker: Likes Pussy and Jazz. Usually at the same time

[@sineast]

This!

[@MKDumas1981]

Riker/Shatner Bill/Will Riker/kiRk...

[@nrdanger7653]

"Everyone is just hanging out at bar, and doing jazz." I finally get the appeal of this show.

[@gregbauer4433]

Rich made me realize just how much of TNG is those two things.

[@DaneDeon]

Funniest series of words ever. God i love Rich Evans.

[@MS-ho9wq]

Hanging out in bar. Doing jazz... RIP my sides

[@2lostbikes]

To be fair, I think Riker was the only one who was doing jazz. Data was doing classical and Picard was doing...whatever his flute thing was.

[@nrdanger7653]

I need to see an Adam Neely/Riker jam sesh

[@MattDemers]

Me, starting this video: "Man I'm going to miss this when this video is done."

[@RogueCarrot]

@@trutwijd They should just do an episode where they just talk about runner's up and other random episodes. But not that Crusher ghost orgasm episode please.

[@denisonsmock5456]

There’s also many episodes that are not bad, but just very weird

[@Pedro-zu3uq]

Thats the good nostalgia, the one you have for 45 min. ago.

[@RogueCarrot]

J Truts Fine. Give that one it’s own re:View and make sure it’s twice as long as the episode itself is.

[@RogueCarrot]

J Truts I look forward to suffering through it after this whole Corona thing is done with in a couple years.

[@Mordakar]

New RLM series: Trek Chat. Mike and Rich spend a half hour talking about every Star Trek episode individually from TOS to Enterprise.

[@cantecleer]

Only if it's a podcast and they shill Trek products throughout.

[@evrbody]

@@cantecleer Very cool.

[@xscale]

Yes, but Trek Chat is a lame name. It should be called Shat Chat.

[@picklerickenjoyer]

Unironically please do this

[@estarriol7]

This would be heaven. I would pay for this.

[@sanoro2820]

"data's creepy, when he gets the emotion chip he immediately tries to kill his friends" mike: gets a phaser prop + immediately tries to stun rich

[@kidkangaroo5213]

"stun" rich, yeah right

[@Maddolis]

@@kidkangaroo5213 He doesn't need to, Rich is already stunning.

[@flyprdu]

"Hanging out in bar." "Doing Jazz." No one has quite the mastery of the King's English like Rich Evans.

[@gregbauer4433]

It perfectly summarizes Riker's subplot in the episode with Minuet and the Bynars.

[@oliparkhouse]

oi mate the queens still alive innit

[@d3nza482]

@@oliparkhouse No. The bitch is dead. Ding. Dong.

[@tehdii]

@@oliparkhouse yes

[@oliparkhouse]

@@tehdii very much not alive now

[@ELEKTROSKANSEN]

I imagine Jay operating the cameras and staring blankly into space the whole time

[@Canma890]

thats probably true.

[@SumDumGy]

It’s what Jay calls “nap time.”

[@gregbauer4433]

My headcanon is that they caught Jay nodding off while they were talking, and that's why they included that clip of Patrick Stewart nodding off in the middle of a scene.

[@legitbeans9078]

Well Jay knows nothing, and his opinions are literally always wrong.

[@ELEKTROSKANSEN]

​​@@gregbauer4433my head canon is they caught him napping and that's how he ended up in Star Trek Trivia, a fitting punishment for such atrocity.

[@ElectroBeard]

Remember in DS9, when Worf discovered that the O'Briens were having another child, he altered his holiday plans to coincide with the birth, just so there would be no chance that he would have to deliver the baby (as he did with Molly). That was a great call back to Disaster.

[@CarlEusebius]

The computer simulation was not like this. THAT delivery was VERY orderly.

[@tyrgoossens]

DS9 handled Worf as a character so much better.

[@luciephilip]

So glad someone else in the world was thinking the same thing 😁

[@Scerttle]

Agreed, Worf was a much better character in DS9.

[@wesleystreet]

Ha ha! That was a very funny call back.

[@sqaxomonophonen5998]

For reference: Mike's top five: 5. The Best of Both Worlds (Parts 1 and 2) 4. The Drumhead 3. Tapestry 2. Disaster 1. The Nth Degree Rich's top five: 5. The Measure of a Man 4. Deja Q 3. Chain of Command (Parts 1 and 2) 2. Cause and Effect 1. Who Watches the Watchers?

[@hughblaisdell6933]

Thank you sir!

[@ProperZen]

Bless you!!!! Exactly what I was looking for. Going through these from 5 to 1 on Netflix. It’s been 25 years since I’ve even thought about TNG. Some of it is goddamn amazing television.

[@misterwishart]

What's amazing about TNG is they are all great choices...but my Top 5 would also be entirely different. I'd definitely have Lower Decks, Yesterday's Enterprise and All Good Things on mine

[@Wrynwynn]

I love that they're al different

[@SoulCalSiegfried]

@@misterwishart Absolutely, so many damn good episodes. TMG has such a great quality ratio.

[@estarriol7]

Captain Jellico being a competent good guy who does the right thing but has a very different style from Picard absolutely makes the episode. Almost any other show would indeed have made him the bad guy, or a problem to overcome - and indeed they play it like it's going to be that way via Riker - but the deconstruction of standard literary tropes is what makes TNG the great show it is. If the Federation is going to give someone the flagship, they are going to be a damn good captain; if they pick this guy because he knows the Cardassians inside out, he is going to be more effective in dealing with Cardassians than the usual crew. The Picard torture elements of the episode are truly brilliant and would make great generic TV but the way Jellico is handled makes it great Trek.

[@Praiokles]

And it shows how thin skinned everybody is. There could be war and all they complain about is changes in shift and a slightly harsher command tone.

[@dangerouslydubiousdoubleda9821]

@@Praiokles to be fair they have been operating basically as a chill luxury cruise for like 6 years you get use to management ya know

[@FanboyFilms]

It still doesn't make any sense that they send Picard and Crusher on a black ops spy mission. It almost ruins the decent A and B plots of the story because so much of Part 1 is setup and carrying out the black ops. You could almost skip right to Part 2 for the good bits.

[@CaptainPRESIDENT]

The show 24 does this subversion too with Sean Austin. Hell, he subverts expectations in Stranger Things. I now think that Sean Austin is Rian Johnson. You can't convince me otherwise.

[@tiberseptim37]

It's worth noting that the The Last Jedi tried to do exactly this with General Holdo AND FAILED MISERABLY. You could do a case study of them, side by side: the same concept, two completely different executions, and why one works and the other is shit.

[@FifiDosch]

Little Mike running to tell his mom that the Enterprise blew up is absolutely precious.

[@kla4600]

I'm presuming that Captain Jellico was named "Jellico", since the real Admiral Jellicoe was a stuck-up but very competent man who had to deal with a vain, insubordinate showboat in Admiral Beatty. The writer probably was a naval buff of some kind, and remembered the Battle of Jutland.

[@Tuning3434]

+Kenneth Anderson When the leader of your Scouting Group is so terrible at communicating, that you still have to guess how to deploy your battle-line based on gut feelings...and do it PERFECTLY.

[@jamesmckenzie9551]

Tuning3434 cross the T.

[@Jonas_Fox]

Fun Fact: David Warner, the actor who plays the interrogator Gul Madred also appropriately did the narration for the audio-book version of George Orwell's 1984, which was part of the inspiration behind the four lights scene.

[@Letham316]

Oh yeah, the 2+2=5 thing that comes up a few times in the book.

[@theonielson1007]

Warner masterfully portrayed the villain in Baldur's Gate II as well. His voice practically carried the plot at times.

[@tehdii]

o, he died in 2022... I rarelly watch SFDebris and no longer know when ST actors die.

[@ThePhobicSuperior]

One of my favorite things about these kinds of discussions is that everyone typically has a different top five and it just turns into talking about great TNG episodes.

[@cliffpuncher357]

Turns out I really like when Mike and Rich talk about Star Trek. Seeing them talk about something they love is great, and it's even better when it's something I love too.

[@Johnny-rx4hs]

I wonder if they've both watched MASH. There are a lot of great episodes in that show too.

[@Karajorma]

I was about to correct you and say "You mean when they talk about GOOD Star Trek" but then I realised you're correct as the new shows aren't Trek at all.

[@vaughnmonroejr.7122]

So no top five worst episodes of TNG?

[@jadenedaj]

@@Johnny-rx4hs i wonder if they watch Stargate SG1 it's basically the same production

[@EohwaeTube]

Rich Evans doesn't get enough respect for his high quality portrayal of the character Rich Evans. Truly a masterclass in method acting. Amazing as always!

[@dionysos7317]

When he ever gives up on his role, he will suddenly look like Zac Efron within 24 hours.

[@CaptainPRESIDENT]

Much like the character of Barkley, Rich can swing wildly in a single episode. He can go from the confident man that can predict what will happen next to Mike's fumbling whipping boy.

[@JonCom3dy]

Amen

[@pacalolo1862]

One of my favorite lines "We have angered The Picard." That one stuck with me.

[@kohtahirano4546]

After it was revealed that Rich Evans was 22 years old when he almost burned his Grandmother's house down trying to cook french fries. Mike running to tell his Mom the Enterprise blew up has the same energy.

[@thenamelessone6119]

When was the fries thing revealed?

[@legendarydragoon]

For real; at first I was thinking of mike being a kid, but then I started to come to grips with the reality of him being closer to 20 running to tell his mom the Enterprise blew up.

[@Karma20XX]

@@thenamelessone6119 I think it was the episode where they watch George Costanza warn people about fire safety.

[@brooketarvin7931]

I love the part when Ro is HORRIFIED to find out Troi is in charge.

[@chrissawyer1484]

Ro was the audience in that scene.

[@gregbauer4433]

Star Trek never really got a handle on how to successfully write mental health therapists. There's only really 2 episodes of DS9 where Ezri tries to help people, and in both of them it's stressed that she doesn't really know what she's doing. They just gave up in the TNG movies and had Troi fly (crash) the ship in two of them. And in First Contact, when Troi would've been super useful talking to the drunk genius with mental problems, we only see her after the fact, when she's drunk (and somehow never heard of tequila, despite the fact that she's half-human, and we see plenty of exotic beverages on the Enterprise).

[@gregbauer4433]

@@chrissawyer1484 Yeah, Ro had gotten 8 people killed because she disobeyed orders, and even *she* is scared of Troi being in charge. That says it all.

[@goddamndog]

@@gregbauer4433 iirc alcohol on the enterprise was exclusive to people loke guinan and pocard where as crewmates had synthehol

[@gregbauer4433]

​@@goddamndog You're right, most people had synthehol. Those drinks were still imitations of alcoholic beverages, even if they weren't strong enough to get people hammered. Guinan also seemed perfectly willing to share her private stock with the senior officers and did so in a few episodes - in fact I think in one episode she lets Data even tend bar instead. Not to mention the Enterprise would stop at places like DS9 where Quark had lots of exotic beverages in stock. It just seems odd to me that Troi would never have even heard of tequila by the time First Contact took place, especially since she's half-human. That being said, I'm guessing this was just an attempt at an easy joke, and the writers of First Contact probably weren't thinking about it nearly this much.

[@danielkellyuk]

According to Ronny Cox he was brought in as Jellico because Patrick Stewart's contract was coming up for negotiation and the producers wanted to make clear to him that he wasn't irreplaceable...

[@kaijsadragonborn119]

And unfortunately Star Trek Picard has really proved that Patrick Stewart was always replaceable.

[@ISAAC607]

Cold

[@Poopscipade]

Well, it might have proven (at least to some extent) that Picard was replaceable as Jellico does get shit done, but it hardly showed that Stewart was replaceable given how much he's flexing his acting chops.

[@mikebliss3153]

@Irish Jester Patrick Stewart was replaceable. Picard (as written and acted on TNG) wasn't. That's the difference.

[@orenalbertmeisel3127]

Azraiel213 I think elitist liberal hysteria and white guilt is more accurate than far left hysteria to explain what’s going on in affluent Hollywood And I think we can all agree Patrick Stewart is a great actor, but an awful and out of touch screenwriter?

[@falcychead8198]

"Cause and Effect" was rather avant-garde, if you think about it, and is what makes it one of my favorites. The story arc actually incorporates the commercial breaks. Each time the Enterprise blows up they cut to commercials and you zone out to the "Where's the Beef" Lady for five minutes. Then the story picks up at the beginning again, and you have to watch it all over. There's even a "psych" moment when they come back from commercial with the same opening shot and you think "Oh no, not again," but then to your relief they pick up from where they just left off.

[@X3nophiliac]

i had no idea that was a feature when it was put on TV, so cool

[@jackbedient]

Upon initial broadcast, people actually called their local affiliates complaining that there was an error in the broadcast…

[@Medievalannie]

"And now the conclusion" so many DS9 flashbacks with that one....

[@Medievalannie]

@@WetDogSquad or an 8-parter...

[@cormoran2303]

Troi: "So it's like a quantum stream?" O'brien: "No, this isn't Voyager."

[@stevedoolan1540]

Like too much air in a balloon!

[@Amitlu]

@@stevedoolan1540 Malcolm McDowell: did someone say Cosmic String?

[@Yusuke_Denton]

@@stevedoolan1540 It makes perfect sense!

[@RobertJRoman]

The problem with Star Trek engineers is that they never think to reverse the polarity on the neutron flow

[@Jack_Vickers]

@@RobertJRoman That's some advanced shit.

[@ianmilligan6011]

The thing I like most about "Disaster" is the nonstandard pairings for all the little subplots... Like how many scenes have Beverly and Geordi ever had together before this? Same with Riker and Data, Troi and O'Brien, etc.

[@gregbauer4433]

It's a great writing formula that would be used successfully in Avengers: Infinity War. Have all your characters break off into small groups, with each group needing to accomplish something different.

[@gregbauer4433]

@@jjm152 I've watched plenty of them, thanks, rando off the Internet! Hilarious how you think you know me. Idiot.

[@WritesMe]

@@gregbauer4433 It's better to not even respond to people like that. They're the internet's background noise.

[@senorpepper3405]

👍good episode

[@MegaZeta]

Yeah, it's weird to me how well that little cargo bay plot works. Ever since the 1960s, almost every plot in Star Trek has been about characters and contemporary social issues, with the problem-solving aspect informing those main pursuits. The cargo bay plot in Disaster is just, _How are you gonna put out a literal fire?_ And it's a lot of fun. I guess it goes to show what solid writing and acting can do to something that would otherwise be as dry and bland as Saltines.

[@alexmcbay6583]

I was watching "Cause and Effect" yesterday and I realized one great point of the episode's design that I had forgotten about is that each loop is in the span of one act. Everytime the Enterprise blows up, the show cuts to commercial and when you return Picard giving a Captain's Log.

[@itsd0nk]

It's amazing Mike didn't comment on that. He's such a big structure nerd. That episode is structural genius. The writers understood classical structure so well that they knew how to break classical structure format while still perfectly maintaining it. It's basically 1,2,2,2,5 lol.

[@leoburdock3949]

I love Geordie's reaction when he says "It's not just raw intelligence" he's so salty about Barclay being smarter than him.

[@shmunkyman33]

Though what I like is that it doesn't devolve into typical melodrama; Geordie's the one actually defending him when the rest of the crew are talking about disconnecting him from the computer (which would kill him). He doesn't let his emotions get in the way of what he thinks is right

[@PanAndScanBuddy]

Imagine if the guy who made a copy of you to humiliate on the Holo Deck suddenly was actually that much smarter and creative. It's messed up. Plus he was in that shuttle too but he had his visor on so he didn't become Omega Geordi. Double messed up

[@gregbauer4433]

@@shmunkyman33 Yes, I noticed that and you made an excellent point. Geordi's best friend is a super-smart robot that struggles to get respect - it seems only right Geordi might think of Barclay as similar to Data, and defend him.

[@PurposelessRabbitholes]

I’d love “Top 5 Worst TNG episodes” or “Top 5 Best DS9/TOS episodes”

[@Alconium]

@therandom3591 Too easy.

[@td23asus]

I would kill for top 5 TOS eps man, I wanna see more of rich and mike laughing at 60s scifi

[@jamesmoore3879]

Worst TNG (off the top of my head): 1. Code Of Honor 2. Shades of Gray 3. Angel One 4. Justice 5. Haven

[@Kataki1987]

I really just want them to do every series lol

[@JohnSmith-sk7cg]

The pain of Shatner mocking him is still too fresh for Mike to do Top 5 TOS. You can see it in his eyes and hear it is in voice at 48:20.

[@cadkoger]

Crusher always wanted to dance because Gates McFadden is also a choreographer, and she handled the choreography in the David Bowie movie Labyrinth.

[@imransheikhinfo]

Best part of Disaster is that it gives us the opportunity to see characters who don't normally have scenes together have scenes together. Usually it's Data and Geordie, Picard and Riker/Crusher. The mix up here is great.

[@chonconnor6144]

One of my all time favorite episodes because it placed the characters in plausible and challenging situations.

[@stephengrigg5988]

I dont understand why this is an issue with shows. Community had a similar thing where characters like Jeff and Shirley worked amazing off each other but they only ever paired them up in like 3 episodes.

[@mister-monkeyman]

What I like about Jellico is that he has a good bond with Data throughout the episode without referring or making a big point about Data being an android.

[@matijakovacic3361]

My theory is that they're just using these videos to educate Jay on what things like Prime Directive are.

[@Slum0vsky]

What a cunning and dastardly plan!

[@johnferguson4869]

I think Jay will refuse to watch these episodes on principle.

[@michaelgauthier2593]

@@johnferguson4869 Pretty sure he has to edit all of them lmao

[@johnferguson4869]

@@michaelgauthier2593 maybe Jay goes into his ‘happy place’

[@PKAmedia]

Should of got Jay to edit it.

[@PlagueOfGripes]

You should just do commentary tracks for every TNG episode. And have guests!

[@moffant4916]

Oh and you wouldn't mind if they asked you huh? I've seen you do it with SBFs, they were good.

[@zarell1000]

I wish. But I think that listening to old men ramble on about Science Fiction is pretty cool.

[@BackwardRocketStudios]

Volunteering?

[@ElvenSonic]

Idk if there’s a Star Trek side of youtube, but when i think of people that represent its probably now dying fan base, it’s RLM and you, Plague.

[@pescando]

Just think, they could have special guest episodes. Just like the special guest episodes on the show. You could be one of them Plague!

[@FabulousResults]

Ronny Cox is such a good actor. Love him in Robocop, Total Recall, and of course in TNG. A consummate villain who could really sell his control over the situation, even when you dislike him. I loved seeing him as a hero.

[@shugaroony]

Yeah he's one of those actors you love to hate. Gene Hackman could do that too, play a good guy well, but a bad guy even better.

[@The_Empty_Shadow]

Don't forget his recurring role as the villainous senator in Stargate SG-1!

[@TheBigBovy]

He plays a really good aggressive doctor in the first season of ER

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

@@The_Empty_Shadow He did such a good job being a total slimewad in that role that it actually interfered with another completely unrelated character he played. In the HBO miniseries From The Earth to the Moon about the Apollo program, he played a manager at North American Aviation. He played a perfectly straightforward, reasonable and sympathetic character who decided to participate in the investigation after the Apollo 1 fire. He talks another character out of thinking in terms of blame and more in terms of fixing what's wrong. And because I've type cast the actor, it was so hard to buy it coming out of his mouth.

[@CoreIdeas]

Mike talking about how his mom didn't give a shit about the Enterprise blowing up brought back some great memories. So many shows & games that I would lose my mind over but my folks had no idea what to say about them. Good times.

[@TehZergRush]

I remember cracking a Charizard from the original run of Pokemon cards and losing my mind outside of a 7-11 to my mom. She still makes fun of me for it to this day.

[@TheKoboldHoard]

Mike talking about watching trek with his dad and babbling about it to his mom are universal to many trek fans. At the time, we had no internet to bounce our "zomg's" off of, no forums, no Facebook... So we shared our enthusiasm with literally anyone close by whether they knew wth we were talking about or not.

[@SpacialKatana]

This video already has more views than the Picard series.

[@JohnSmith-ww4ce]

Your comment has more LIKES than the Picard series!

[@mr.winters1733]

@@JohnSmith-ww4ce as does your reply!

[@elphive42]

I really don’t get all the hate Picard gets. Yes, it has problems (especially in regards to its portrayal of Starfleet), and it’s nowhere near as good as TNG. But taken on its own, it’s decent sci-fi, and in comparison to Discovery and Lower Decks, it’s far less abhorrent to the franchise’s legacy.

[@HellecticMojo]

@@elphive42 The problem is that it can't be taken on its own because it's star trek PICARD. If this was Star Trek, the dark universe or whatever then at least it might be judged without being compared as much.

[@Luka1180]

Technically not correct.

[@NurWahrheiten]

If there was a KZbin channel where Mike and Rich discuss Star Trek 24/7, I would subscribe to it - and the podcast too

[@MilanousMedia]

But isn't this a podcast?

[@alkazaryyy]

I don't do podcasts

[@Heliosphan15]

Hoookay!

[@hamburgerhelpersalisburyst1507]

This is the way, oh wait....

[@TheDansonT]

That’s a great idea sporto

[@piercecampbell-casey5718]

I think Rich may be the Riker of these episodes. He keeps explaining the plots of the episodes in laymen’s terms purely for the benefit of the audience, since Mike already has them all tattooed on the inside of his brain and doesn’t need to be reminded of them.

[@Drak976]

He's the one who makes their sets. He's the only non alcoholic. Rich is the most wholesome one.

[@homersimpson90210]

I love that Mike remembers exactly where he was when the Enterprise exploded.

[@decibelfilm]

For some it's the Kennedy assassination, for others it's 9/11, but of course for Mike it was TNG...

[@kdbrown777]

Haha, it's his personal 9/11.

[@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures]

I still wonder if Jellico is named for Admiral Jellicoe who led the British fleet at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, a high stakes engagement with the German Navy, in which Churchill alluded to the pressure upon him as 'he was the only man who could have lost the war in an afternoon.' Happily Jellicoe though prickly, prone to alienating his officers, cautious and by-the-book made no significant mistakes, lwading to a tactical draw and a strategic victory..

[@EvilishDem0nic8732WhatItDo]

100% for sure

[@duffman18]

He was named Jellico because he's a Jellicle Cat, from the musical Cats, that features a bunch of cats. If Patrick Stewart's new contract had fallen through and Jellico remained captain, the show would have become mostly a musical show, the proto-Glee, but with Andrew Lloyd Webber songs. Data's pet cat Spot was going to be promoted to First Officer after Riker left in disgust as he was always more of a Phantom of the Opera fan.

[@alext5497]

@@duffman18 of course you are correct, this is basic Star Trek knowledge after all

[@foxtrotalphaone]

Absolutely, and I knew that just as you did, really...

[@ahtzib]

I want to like this a thousand times

[@mrchangcooler]

There's few joys in life better than hearing mike and rich talk about star trek.

[@corinne942]

Like what ? Diarrhea ?

[@TheZombieButler]

I know this a couple of years old but this two parter is one I keep coming back to. Thanks fellas. Just one thought the camera work in. Cause and effect is so pivotal to the success of the episode. Check it out.

[@jamesmitchell4927]

"Its one of the worst episodes" --- Ty Rich that sounds like you now need to do a "Top 5 Worst TNG episodes" :D Looking forward to those..... and don't limit yourselves to two episodes, its time for a Star Trek revival, let the old wipe away the new... lead the charge Mike!!!! Worst of the Best!!!

[@orenalbertmeisel3127]

James Mitchell I’m also totally in for a "Top 5 average TNG episodes"

[@dustman96]

I'd like to see the worst of the worst TNG

[@dumbass2798]

@@gajbooks While that's true, S1 also has Skin of Evil, which is a fucking abhorrent episode even for S1 standards.

[@nick_pappagiorgio]

I'd also love to see a top DS9 episodes discussion.

[@bgwinn]

It would be a Lwaxana Troi episode

[@JoeLeasure]

Rofl, the juxtaposition of Beverly doing yoga next to Jordi "drinks booze" just floored me, haha.

[@gregbauer4433]

The engineers in Star Trek seem to drink a lot. I suppose if my job was maintaining a giant bomb of an engine, I'd drink a lot too.

[@anssisorvisto3191]

Worf:"It is over." I laughed so hard. Then, I realized the deeper meaning, no more good Trek.😢

[@tiyenin]

TNG on Netflix Growing up: optional

[@bladwor]

Oof, HARD disagree there. But to each their own! :)

[@RJBond121]

@@bladwor Picard was maybe the worst bit of television I've seen. My wife, who is indifferent to trek, stopped watching Picard. I'm not saying Picard was bad trek, I'm saying it was bad television in general. But, if you liked it, cool. I enjoyed Jeremiah, so its not like I have great taste.

[@bladwor]

@@RJBond121 Ahhh, I mighta misunderstood, I thought we were talking talking about all Trek beyond TNG--I haven't actually watched more than an episode or two of Picard or Discovery... I didn't think they were terrible, but yeah, they didn't really grab me. Watching through DS9 again now because my partner's never seen it!

[@loganhesse413]

Another thing I love about "Disaster" is that we get to see characters interacting who normally don't have much reason to work together (Riker and Data, Crusher and LaForge)

[@wocket42]

Fun fact: "cause and effect" came out a couple of years before Groundhog day.

[@confusu]

11 months ... 2 years ... what's the difference?

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

You only *think* it happened that way round. Boom! Your mind is now blown...

[@UselessDuckCompany]

The episode where broccoli became super intelligent was really a blast to watch

[@TheTuubster]

There is a little encore of this on VOY, where Barclay is sent as a hologram to the delta quadrant to help Voyager come home, and the hologram of him has no insecurities and is super intelligent.

[@thediscostu4127]

Marina Sirtis told the story that she wore a uniform in the first episode and then the show producers thought she didn't look good in one. So she wore all those other outfits but by Season whatever it was she was in better shape (?) so she switched back to a uniform, and Marina even said the writers started giving her smarter dialogue when she put the uniform back on.

[@matthewbowen5841]

Man, remember how cold and unemotional she was in the early episodes? She really loosened up toward the end.

[@manbearpiglett-4110]

In more ways than one ;)😈😏😆😉 Mister Woof! What have you done??

[@nicboo9191]

I like O'Brien, i think he grew to be my favourite character, so reliable, always there to clean up the bodie when his captain decide to phaser to death his doppelganger, no questions asked.

[@VidarUlv]

David Warner, the Cardassian torturer also played Jon Irenicus in Baldur’s Gate 2. Amazing actor.

[@Befuddled_Ostrich]

I'll always remember him best from Babylon 5, the seeker who devoted his life to search for the Holy Grail.

[@jamstonjulian6947]

I remember him fondly from Time Bandits

[@wanderinghistorian]

@@Ashalmawia It is time for more...experiments.

[@Johnny-rx4hs]

@@therocketboost "I would have started with lasers, eight o' clock, day one!"

[@evolution031680]

I freaking HATED him (in a good way) in that game.🤣 Gimme Imoen back!

[@andrewrobertson4070]

I had just moved in with some friends who were huge Star Trek fans (I wasn't at the time), and we watched Cause and Effect "live". I was prepared to be bored for an hour or so . . . but it hooked me hard. I went to great lengths to find past episodes just so I could catch up (thankfully someone at work had recorded nearly every episode on VHS and let me borrow them).

[@brasswirebrush]

OMG when they mentioned The Most Toys at the end I literally cheered. One of my favorite episodes. Saul Rubinek is classic.

[@Misadventures_85]

Rich's list 5. "The Measure of a Man" (S2 E9) (25:06)(previous video) 4. "Deja Q" (S3 E13) (40:36) (previous video) 3. "The Chain of Command" (S6 E10, E11) (0:18) 2. "Cause and Effect" (S5 E18) (21:42) 1. "Who Watches the Watchers?" (S3 E4) (38:03) Rich and Mike discuss the various types of episodes at 20:59 of the previous video Mike's list 5. "The Best of Both Worlds" (S3 E26, S4 E1) (2:49 of previous video) 4. "The Drumhead" (S4 E21)(30:01 of previous video) 3. "Tapestry" (S6 E15)(47:41 of previous video) 2. "Disaster" (S5 E5) (10:01) 1. "Sub Rosa" (S7 E14) (26:24). lol. Mike's real answer is at 26:54. "The Nth Degree" (S4 E19)

[@anthonyspecf]

One of my favorite episodes that wasn't on their list was a Dr. Crusher episode called 'Remember Me' (Season4:Ep5). It was the one where Dr. Crusher gets trapped in a collapsing warp field that contained a mirror universe of her own. As it collapsed people and places would disappear. She knew something was wrong but everyone around her would behave as if the smaller and smaller universe was normal. It was a sort of Twilight Zone-esque episode and I think that is why I really enjoy it.

[@Gideon0297]

Thanks for bringing Remember Me up, that's a great episode as well. Now I wanna go rewatch all these great episodes!

[@MrSnaztastic]

The reply after she asks the computer, "what is the nature of the universe?" i always find both equal parts chilling and hilarious. Great episode.

[@mikesully110]

@@MrSnaztastic yeah she asks Picard why him and her would be the only 2 people on a starship 600m in size, he replied "Well we've never needed a crew before"

[@anthonyspecf]

@@mikesully110 lol, I was just going to post this too. I love how it is completely rational to him.

[@fireemblemaddict128]

Aaaaaah I loved that episode! Great space anomaly ep

[@Simte]

Let's not forget that TNG is about family. And that's what's so powerful about it.

[@edding8400]

HAhaha!

[@kerrychristensen7204]

👏

[@YuvalDorfman]

So basically TNG is fast and the furious

[@aaronsolley1674]

It's like poetry, it rhymes.

[@LPJules]

Speaking of which: The TNG Episode "Family" is actually excellent

[@Ivan_against_Cuisine]

"Two old men with paper talking about Star Trek" is much better Star Trek related show than actual Star Trek shows made nowadays.

[@kyleduquesnay1429]

lol you don't like lower decks?

[@frbe0101]

@@kyleduquesnay1429 I like it enough to watch it for free... not any more then that. The writers clearly read the star trek wiki but clearly never watched an episode: they have star trek stuff in it, theme and world building and details, but the characters do not behave as star trek characters, they behave more like futurama meets The Office meets an insane asylum.

[@flyingspaghetti]

@@kyleduquesnay1429 watch a KZbin video named "opposite moral lesson of TNG Vs lower decks" and witness why that Rick and Morty wannabe crap doesn't even compare to the rest of star trek.

[@MegaZeta]

Personally, I can't get enough get this boring, played-out parroting of what we all already know, written in the exact same way as a comment on every single RLM video about Star Trek

[@MegaZeta]

@@flyingspaghetti Literally never watch either Lower Decks or whatever the crap in your comment is, as they are both the maggots squirming in the rotten meat of culture

[@aquariusburke7989]

Alright. This has inspired me to go watch TNG for the first time.

[@bellend333]

how's it going

[@beluga_soup7285]

@@bellend333 good

[@makasete30]

Well, update?

[@NACAM42]

Oh, how I envy you.

[@darknight991]

To semi-quote Rich “What? How can anyone not like TNG? … Oh GOD they started with Season 1! Because of course they would. But oh GOD”

[@thebenalvarez]

The Price is Right “you lost” sound byte moments are perfectly timed.

[@colinmontgomery1956]

I couldn't pinpoint where that was from.

[@jakeic1]

One of the aspects about TNG, and even DS9, is that they get these actors who come in for small reoccurring roles who are just exceptional. Dwight Schultz in particular is just fantastic as Barkley, I also really love how his first episode begins with Riker and LeForge recommending he be transferred off the Enterprise, and as the audience you’re right there with them, then Picard puts them and you in your place by explaining that the problem isn’t Barkley, it’s you.

[@mathiasblack3]

I desperately need more Mike and Rich discussing Star Trek in my life.

[@silentshrimp6163]

I love the 2001: A Space Odyssey reference in "The Nth Degree" where Picard tells Barclay to disassociate himself from the ships computer and Barclay responds with "I'm afraid I can't do that, Captain".

[@Nafferoni]

"Disaster" is such an inspired out of left field pick and I love it.

[@BlueHayterade]

Someone may have mentioned this one, but I loved "Face of the Enemy". Troi centric episode in which she's abducted by a Romulan officer to help smuggle some members of Spock's underground off Romulus. Troi got to really expand her character into spycraft trying to pass herself off as a Tal Shiar officer, Carolyn Seymour was fantastic as the Romulan Commander Toreth, and we got some exposure to life aboard a Romulan ship, as well as Romulan politics and a sympathetic view of what Romulans endure living day to day in a police state. Every time I stumble across this episode, I watch it.

[@alanpennie8013]

It's sad that the Romulans never really got extended treatment in Old Trek.

[@gregbauer4433]

@@alanpennie8013 There's a reason for that. Klingons were cheaper in TOS than Romulans/Vulcans, as the Klingons didn't have the forehead ridges yet. That's also why many times in TOS you see Romulans and Vulcans with helmets on - the ears were not cheap.

[@alanpennie8013]

@@gregbauer4433 Makes sense. Was it in 1979 that the Klingons got those lobsters on their heads?

[@gregbauer4433]

@@alanpennie8013 Yep! And as SFDebris put it, it looked like two halves of a melon sewn together. Kind of funny that the first actor to play a Romulan (Mark Lenard, aka Sarek) also greatly influenced the Klingon language.

[@jamesrogers1554]

Me when I discover Darmok was not included in the list: "Shaka, when the walls fell."

[@saeklin]

I think they mentioned they were avoiding "fan favorites".

[@provenelk]

@@saeklin forever the contrarians

[@MajesticDemonLord]

Tarmac! The River Tarmac! In Winter!

[@mikesully110]

@@saeklin yeah plus they mentioned episodes they find it fun to watch. Such as Chain of Command; Chain of Command is a great two parter with excellent acting, but it's not really that fun to watch - I far prefer to watch the fun adventure episodes. Such as them mentioning Thine Own Self; I liked the Times Arrow episodes ; data going into the 19th century, and getting rich winning a poker game lol. Sokath, his eyes uncovered. I do like the Brocolli episodes too

[@sergentharker7182]

Personally I'd take Alegory in my top 5,it's a good episode

[@shannonbayley3684]

I love how well presented old man Mike is presented here. His hair combed nicely, his Star Trek t-shirt.

[@MildTabascofries]

I’ll never get tired of you two talking about Star Trek

[@Nicholas.Rogala]

For Chain of Command, when you really think about what Jellico is asking when he changes the number of duty shifts from three to four, Riker comes off as more of a dick. The reason being that what Jellico is asking for is the crew being separated into four groups working 6 hour shifts instead of three groups working 8 hour shifts. He's giving the crew more leisure/resting time just in case things get hot and he needs his crew rested and ready for anything. Riker's concern is for the scheduling managers (i.e. him) who would have to figure out how to do it and make the transition.

[@gregbauer4433]

Yeah, it's the same as in any organization when someone new comes in and has ideas about changing things. The people who are used to things being a certain way will resist, sometimes for no reason other than the fact that they are used to things being a certain way.

[@Nicholas.Rogala]

@@justinwbohner The problem with that (as Jellico explicitly explains to Riker when he comes to talk to him) is that he doesn't have the time. There is an imminent threat from a nation/military he knows very well. He has precious little time to get the Enterprise and its crew battle ready and he can't waste it trying to sooth feelings. As he tells Troy, that's literally her job. Further he understands he's ruffling feathers by doing things this way, but the Enterprise is the flagship and he expects the crew to act like professionals.

[@physeter_de595]

@@Nicholas.Rogala To be fair, you need extra people for a 4-shift-schedule and with the extra amount of work Jellico is putting onto them, to make Enterprise battle ready, its not easy to manage if at all. But yeah, Riker comes off as a shmog. ;) Though the type of leadership was (intentionally) way different than the Picard type, as well.

[@Nicholas.Rogala]

@@physeter_de595 True, but as far as Jellico's concerned the Enterprise has a lot of crew doing jobs not pertinent to the mission at hand that can be reassigned to make up that gap. It's not an impossible task. Just a hard one.

[@Drak976]

@@physeter_de595 Depends on how they scheduled it you could still have the 3 teams do a 4 shifts they're just going to have rotating schedules now. Jellico is possibly just wanting military readiness if you're on shift for 8 hours you're less alert. It would got shift 1 team 1 shift 2 team 2 shift 3 team 3 and then shift 4 team 1 for then repeat with shift 1 team 2. It's a simple change that they should have been able to accept. It's a space ship it's not like they are using the sun for reference.

[@SushiBandit28]

Captain Jellico was the man. He put everyone in their place, did his job, then peaced out like a boss, never to be seen again.

[@mmjahink]

agreed, I appreciate him more now as an adult than as a teenager

[@superusseljames]

Not to fear, he’s in some of the books as an admiral. Still kicking butt and being a total asshole!

[@santiagoo.6172]

He should have made a cameo in cats as a jellicle cat

[@evolution031680]

I’m just glad that he got Troi to wear a freaking uniform instead of her space PJs.

[@SovietBear91]

Stargazing_Axolotl „Nooo you can’t tell a wahmyn on a military Starship to wear a uniform.“ You are a SIMP.

[@CinemaWins]

Top 10! Top 10! Top 10! 5 more would be cool too. Also, I can't remember if you mentioned it in your list of "TNG episode types" but some of my favorites are the unsettling or creepy ones like Schisms or Remember Me. They aren't as fun if you can remember what's going on, but with years between rewatches, I can still be surprised occasionally. Love "Mike and Rich speaking unironically about things they love," as an RLM genre. --Edit: You absolutely did mention it, 5. Alien Abductions/Threats/Mysterious Illnesses (Nightmarish Episodes)

[@CinemaWins]

Also, Scientific Method which I was sure was a TNG episode until just now. I swear I can picture Picard with needles sticking out of his head, not Janeway.

[@Snorlink]

Great seeing you here!

[@tropicalwargaming688]

They did forget to mention the: "Lt. Broccoli" Picard comment

[@EmiZViolet]

Yesss. So good. And when he's arguing with Einstein.

[@MegaZeta]

No, they just didn't mention it, and you wanted to, and decided to phrase it as a complaint for some reason.

[@rachet9035]

⁠@@MegaZeta And you decided to get real worked up over a random KZbin comment for some reason.

[@TheRapierTheBetter]

I could listen to these two speak about star trek TNG forever

[@pjabrony8280]

It's "Flowers for Algernon." Algeron is the treaty that stops the Federation from building cloaking devices.

[@PetersonZF]

This misunderstanding formed the basis of Admiral Pressman's court martial defence.

[@Adorni]

I remember Dave from Computing Forever talking about Barkley when comparing TNG to a Short Trek. Barkley is a classic example of how people in the world of Starfleet try to find ways to help one another be their best, whereas the characters in Short Trek would just yell at Barkley and tell him to go play with the subroutine relays in Engineering, then mock him while he was leaving. Bleh.

[@Bufflehead_7]

I had always wondered what Mike and Rich thought of Barkley. I liked him, too. He always made me think “cool. A nerdy, awkward guy like me could still get a job on the Enterprise.”

[@chrissawyer1484]

Being shy (though not to the extent of Barkley), I appreciated that he seemed the most "human" of the group. I always wanted Q to interact with him. I felt those two actors could have chewed up the scenery to no end.

[@gregbauer4433]

It always seemed weird that Riker would scold Data on being polite to Barclay when Riker was a complete jerk to the man in his first appearance.

[@Bufflehead_7]

Greg Bauer I know, right?

[@Bufflehead_7]

Chris Sawyer Oooooo! I would have loved an episode like that!

[@anyaabusable9888]

Worf was uncomfortable with Keiko’s baby because it reminded him that he’d abandoned his kid.

[@scotteous]

Ha ha ha! This is a perfect analysis. Poor Worf, he was a constant failure in TNG. DS9 helped him out, until he got widowed for the second time.

[@stranger59]

Worf simply wants to abandon all children equally.

[@Yusuke_Denton]

oof

[@Jshaw71]

That's an interesting viewpoint, I think that he's worried that he isn't very experienced in delivering a child, and what he'll have to do when things don't go according to plan...

[@stranger59]

@J. Curtis Strickland It's in part due to all those flaws that I like him so much. He IS a pretty terrible dad, and he desperately fetishizes Klingon culture in ways that alienate him from humans and Klingons, and he's the first to get slapped down to show how tough a threat is... but he's also really great.

[@maximusironthumper]

Beautifully wholesome entertainment!

[@SpecialAgentBillMaxwell]

These reviews really make me want to rewatch the series. They should keep doing more seasons, just Rich and Mike like this.

[@balakbelek]

I'm way too happy that Mike picked a Barclay episode as number one pick.

[@afinegamingexperience5739]

I...I...I... T-t-totally... I mean, well there's... Yes. Yes it was a good one.

[@meris8486]

Underrated character

[@clutchkman]

I’d love to get hit with that beam of light, except not temporary effects.

[@Turdsplosion]

Me too, I just named a puppy Lt. Barclay a couple days ago! lol

[@gregbauer4433]

Season 2 Picard: *transfers Sonya Gomez* Season 3 Picard: "It's easy to transfer a problem..."

[@zechariahmckenzie7557]

I really want to see "Flowers for Alderaan" now.

[@catriona_drummond]

Just wait for the Mandalorian Series 2 :P

[@neuroblast1681]

I clapped, I clapped when I saw Alderaan!

[@duffman18]

Watch Flowers For Charlie, the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia episode. It's basically the same thing, but with a few twists. Despite the fact it was written by D&D of Game of Thrones shame, it's still fantastic

[@palchristianandersen9086]

Diabetes for Evanon

[@kdrgaming3344]

I'm surprised that they haven't been saying more about these episodes. In the first part, they went through almost the whole episode scene by scene, but in this 2nd part, it seems they are rushing through them a bit more. So here are some really cool things about those episodes that they missed: They didn't even talk about the famous line in "Disaster" from Worf to Keiko "You are not fully dilated to 10 centimeters. You may now give birth." Or how Picard who hates kids and is forced to take them on a tour of the sciencey parts of the ship but all the kids want to do is see the Battle Bridge and the Torpedo bay, but Picard says no. When the turbolift falls Picard breaks his leg but the kids don't because they don't weigh nearly as much as an adult does, so the crash didn't harm them as much. But Picard orders them to leave him behind so that they can survive but the kids mutiny in order to save his life. They're climbing up what seems an endless amount of ladder and one of the kids freezes up from fear and Picard has them sing to keep their minds off of dying a horrible death. They're able to make it up to an open door and Picard is able to bond with kids for maybe the first time in his life. At the end of the episode, Picard then starts their tour of the Enterprise with the Battle Bridge, that was a really nice thing to do for the kids. And they didn't talk much at all about all the cool things in "Cause And Effect" like in the Poker game after they've been through the loop a few times and they are all able to predict and say every single card that gets delt before it's delt and Data goes "This is highly improbable..." And all the other things that the crew was noticing like Picard not noticing as much as others because he was reading a book at the time, but he just assumed that he had already read the book long ago and forgotten he read it. This was a Dr. Crusher Episode, so it focuses mainly the things she notices, and when she's alone in her quarters, she eventually gets so paranoid that no matter what she does she either realizes she's done it before or is paranoid that she may have even if she hadn't. And what's really awesome is her glass of maybe wine, she breaks it the first couple times through the loop but then when she starts realizing what's happening, she does everything she can to not break that glass, but no matter what she does, no matter where she puts the glass, she ends up breaking it in loop after loop after loop. I love that one of the times through we get to hear the glass break on the intercom from Geordi's perspective. The glass breaking is clearly a metaphor for the Enterprise blowing up from the Spacial Anomaly, and Crusher seems to even almost realize that, like she's paranoid that if she cannot even manage to save that glass from breaking... how the hell is she supposed to save the Enterprise from complete destruction? The glass breaking is a nice nod to how you can't escape fate. It's so good! I love this episode. They didn't even say how they were able to save the ship by sending messages to data back through time, he can only send one word basically. When the Soyuz class ship comes through (not Miranda class) there are 2 options, use the tractor beam to push the ship out of the way which was Data's idea, or decompress the main shuttle bay to blast the Enterprise out of the way which was Riker's. Data's choice gets chosen every time but ends up with everyone getting incinerated. Before the ship blows up, Data sends the number 3 back in time to indicated Riker's rank so that his idea gets picked instead. In the following loop, the Poker game starts out again with everyone realizing they're saying the same things they used to and then want to predict the cards again. But instead, they're all dealt a 3 each. Then they all get dealt three of a kind. What's funny is at the very beginning of the episode, Riker makes a passing remark that "I wonder if isn't stacking the deck" referring to Data's shuffling the cards, Data replies that "the cards are sufficiently randomized." But when Data gets the message from past/future data, (whichever way you want to look at it) he actually does stack the deck subconsciously. He encounters the number three over a hundred times that day. In the end, he disobeys Picard's orders and decompressed the main shuttle bay instead, saving the enterprise in doing so. Great pick, Rich!

[@jeremyfinch2835]

I'm in absolute AWE of your recall...or Nerd status. Either way, you're an inspiration!

[@cantecleer]

>At the end of the episode, Picard then starts their tour of the Enterprise with the Battle Bridge, that was a really nice thing to do for the kids. Picard: >nervous laugh< "I'm a role model." Admiral Blackwell: "I'm sure you are. Starfleet out." (and yes, I know that's an entirely different episode, just makes me smile because to those kids in Disaster, you can imagine Captain Picard is the coolest guy ever!)

[@taopilot2669]

I was hoping for a mention of the DS9 episode that did a callback to Disaster, when Worf hears that Keiko is pregnant again and he freaks out.

[@mkandy81]

Or the spawning of the meme, "Push Keiko, Push" "I AM PUSHING!"

[@DETHMOKIL]

sir, I think you may have caught mikes "talk about star trek a lot" disease.

[@wibbleclarke6784]

Miles O'Brien mansplains her rank to her is my favourite moment of RLM history.

[@orhanHuntington]

The ultimate guilty pleasure episode: A Fistful of Datas. The first time I watched it, Data's southern accent had me laughing so hard that I had to pause the episode.

[@locustboy8448]

Okan Akalın Really fun episode.

[@themastermindwithahat607]

Yes!! It's my second favorite of TNG precisely for that reason

[@moe47988]

Okan Akalın Now search for brent spiner’s appearance on night court, and you don’t have to thank me..

[@kevinprendiville9429]

I was rolling the first time I saw Brent Spiner in drag at the end of the episode

[@Karyonic]

Vamoose ya li'l varmint!

[@TALCOLMINTHEMIDDLE]

Rich missed the chance to talk about the inventive cinematography they used in Cause and Effect to shoot the same scenes multiple times. It's a true filmmaker's episode

[@jackflash8567]

Yeah I don't get why they spent so little time on that one. It's such a gem in every way.

[@frankmerker630]

That sounds more like a direction choice, not necessarily a cinematography choice. But yeah supposedly they cut out like half an hour of conversation in editing so maybe they did talk about it more

[@TALCOLMINTHEMIDDLE]

@@frankmerker630 Whatever it's called, it was a real highlight of the episode. Is that extra talk on their patreon or somewhere?

[@DogmaBeoulve]

The dude that plays the torturer Cardassian, David Warner - he has an AMAZING role in the old isometric RPG, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. His voice acting in that game helps to elevate an already amazing series all the more!

[@senorpepper3405]

irenicus🤣i didn't even catch that

[@gregbauer4433]

Did you catch the conversation where Centeol the spider queen mentions him back in Baldur's Gate 1?

[@senorpepper3405]

@@gregbauer4433 I'm actually playing siege of dragonspear right now(for the 1st time). on the original from 98 she doesn't say irenicus but something close to it. irecus or something? but they changed it on the updated versions. also, one of the npcs that just pass by foreshadow neverwinter nights in the original version. i think his name is mr foreshadow.

[@gregbauer4433]

@@senorpepper3405 Yes! I'm glad you mentioned that. She does say "Icarus" in the original, but then it's updated to "Irenicus" in later versions. And yes, Lord Foreshadow I think is his name, on the road early on. I'm also playing Dragonspear for the 1st time, that's a great coincidence.

[@johdousha]

And now I want to play Baldur's Gate on my Switch right now...

[@roshieifra]

I always come back to rewatch these star trek TNG videos.

[@CataclysmDM]

Ah Rich's face as he gazes fondly at Mike whilst thinking of the Beverly Crusher harlequin romance episode.

[@redrhinos55]

Kinda surprised that "Darmok" didn't make one of the lists.. Shaka, when the walls fell.

[@dangritsko3103]

Plinkett, his face black, his eyes red.

[@emptyplaces1928]

Shitty episode anyways.

[@justindearmond1]

Timba, his arms open.

[@Daniel73-51]

Not me, the alien metaphor language became a sort of meme, but the episode was meh

[@kaiserjoe2316]

"Leaves elevator. His face smiling." - A Tamarian's thoughts on Abrams/Kurtzman

[@balakbelek]

I had to pause at 12:29 because that genuine smile from Mike warms my little heart

[@dongilleo9743]

My favorite bit from "The Nth Degree", was when Picard asks if anyone has noticed any dangerous or concerning behavior from Barkley, and Troi responds, "He made a pass at me; a GOOD one". Riker is immediately showing signs of jealousy. We already knew Barkley was interested in Troi from "Hollow Pursuits". We've seen that he is quite intelligent. Perhaps the alien probe didn't change Barkley as much as it just greatly enhanced what he already was, kind of how the Super Soldier Serum transformed Captain America from a good man to a GREAT man.