Romulans Arrive in TNG! | Discussing Star Trek TNG - The Neutral Zone (S1E26)

[@frankb3347]

Something interesting to consider is that Vulcans/Romulans have green blood. Which means for them the new Romulan ships are the color of blood.

[@MrDeathpilot]

It's also interesting to note that the Klingon "Bird of Prey" design (which comes in several different sizes and class names) is also green because it's a Romulan "import".

[@joestacey6185]

I like that idea. Something I've not thought of before.

[@Analog_Mind47]

​@MrDeathpilot my head cannon about both Klingon & Romulan ships being green is that they're coated in a similar material that aids the cloaking device

[@neolex001]

Yeah, but so is a fire engine…

[@MrDeathpilot]

@@Analog_Mind47 The Klingon D7s in TOS were grey and the Vor'cha and Negh'var Classes are more of a turquoise color. If you compare the Bird of Prey to other Klingon designs, you'll see that it's actually quite different in general shape and is more similar to a Romulan scout (Lanora class) in shape and color.

[@JoeCensored]

"It's easy to be a saint in paradise" is a direct quote from another trek series. I did enjoy it being said here without you catching it. You'll eventually get to it.

[@Terminator484]

Since this came first, the later use is quoting this one.

[@heather9857]

Yep, caught that too ; )

[@heather9857]

@@Terminator484 lol

[@guillaumep7660]

I've always thought the easy solution to deal with the financier was to make him an ambassador to the Ferengi. He'd be in the "know" and get his status he wants while being invaluable to the Federation.

[@wmason1961]

He would definitely understand their motivations.

[@maxshenkwrites]

I haven't read it, but apparently in one of the TNG novels, the character is, in fact, made a Federation ambassador to the Ferengi Alliance. An even better twist would have been for him to replace Grand Nagus Zek.

[@JoeMama410]

@@maxshenkwritesDebtor’s Planet. I haven’t read it either.

[@guillaumep7660]

@@JoeMama410 Thanks. I'll check it out. Shame it wasn't an episode.

[@guillaumep7660]

@@maxshenkwrites Hah. I guess don't have the most original of ideas.

[@jpotter2086]

The D'deridex, debuted in TNG, is one of the greatest ship designs in all of sci-fi. Timeless!

[@bandvcreations5955]

Regarding the general apprehension of the crew toward the Romulans after 50 years of no contact, imagine if the last interaction we had with Japan was Pearl Harbor, and now 50 years later we encounter then again. I think being generally apprehensive isn't hard to imagine

[@aaronhenley4741]

I can’t remember if Worf’s backstory was mentioned in season 1 but there’s a very good reason for his hostility towards Romulans. It will definitely come up later.

[@legionaireb]

There was one brief mention of the Khitomer Massacre in Heart of Glory, but the Romulan involvement was either glossed over or completely unmentioned. I don't think we get the details until Sins of the Father in season 3.

[@Billzor991]

Watching this journey of you guys getting into TNG has been a real treat. The Neutral Zone is probably my favorite episode of the season, and totally in my top ten for the show.

[@tomre2769]

A few weeks? Why not tomorrow? I enjoy your trek through these series :-)

[@valdar1978]

Marc Alaimo's first appearance on Star Trek, playing the Romulan captain. I'd almost forgot he was in this episode.

[@gregoryfloriolli9031]

From what I read, this was the start of the original plan to introduce a new big bad. They took things in a different direction. I can’t say anything more without spoilers.

[@jediyakare]

yes B

[@My-Name-Isnt-Important]

Oh yeah. Originally the Ferengi were to be the badguys of TNG, it's why they were mentioned so much in Encounter at Farpoint, and other episodes, but with viewers reactions once they're shown, they're seen as comical and not a threat. So then a new bag guy is thought up quickly, and this episode was a hint of things to come. The plan being to slowly build their way to a reveal.

[@JoeMama410]

I’m so excited to see your reaction to the Season 2 premiere. I’m sure there will be a couple moments that you two find very exciting.

[@bug1494]

I think the idea is supposed to be the two plots are linked thematically. Both are coming "out of the past" and it leads to tension.

[@jovetj]

yep

[@tux1313]

I 'C' what you did there.😛

[@jcortese3300]

Money dude's "out of touch" speech strikes me as the first self-aware moment he probably had in life. 🙂 But yes, they were all well-rounded characters and had little arcs of their own. I've always been a little ambivalent about what they did with Romulans. But I'm old-school enough to have been imprinted by Diane Duane's "Rihannsu" novels and her view of their society.

[@AceOfSevens]

This is where the writer's strike comes in. This episode & quite a few in season 2 were rushed scripts without the usual rewrite & polish. Some had better 1st drafts than others. This one, it's weird for Picard & Riker to have a problem with checking out the other ship & there isn't much of a resolution. Also, the way Picard looks down on the 20th century people is really heavy-handed. It's decent, but could have been a lot better.

[@greenbrown7776]

Agreed. I think the regular Enterprise crew is at its most insufferable in this episode. Very lacking in compassion. Very smug and judgmental. And they failed miserably in how they started the reintegration into society.

[@clearsmashdrop5829]

Yes, Riker not wanting to check out a spacecraft that is from the 20th century AND in a location, it could not have reached without Warp makes zero sense given their exploration mission.

[@greenbrown7776]

I don't think this ever had the makings of a classic, but this could have been a very good episode. But bad writing just like thing thing you aptly pointed out with Riker demoted it to "good (barely)." I feel like an English teacher who wanted to give an A- or B+ but has to give a C+ or B- because of sloppy execution. @@clearsmashdrop5829

[@vasili1097]

"We're so back" - young Romulans, probably. If only Picard had beaten them to it and said it on behalf of the Federation first.

[@vincentsaia6545]

This is my favorite TNG episode. I loved the way the three people from the 21st century all dealt with their situation in different ways.

[@kramermccabe8601]

Love thr reactions guys. You should do a season one tier list. You fid so well not saying each episode is your favorite. But now you can declare one for season one

[@GrandManor]

There were 3 main complaints after TOS, which were all addressed in the movies or TNG: An indispensable captain leading the away missions (fixed with Riker). A single access to the bridge (fixed in the first movie). And… Lack of character development for the other crew members (pretty much fixed in all subsequent Trek iterations).

[@michaelharris9760]

Decent episode. The best is yet to come.

[@ifitworksproductions]

The first season is only "bad" when you retroactively compare it to seasons 3 onward. On its own, it's still pretty enjoyable, and I'm a bit jealous of you for getting to experience it for the first time now (where I experienced it for the first time when it first aired, when I was 10 or 11)

[@dirus3142]

Season 1 and 2 are a bit stiff, and have some very 70s sci fi finger prints on it. That is due to Roddenberry's rules for the characters, his illness during season 2, and other back stage stress going on. Once that was resolved, and a new show runner came in for S3 things the show really took off.

[@Darkstar72SR]

“Klingons more peaceful ones”? Hahahahahahaha!!! 😂😂😂

[@curtjurgens5538]

You guys noticed the size of the Romulan ship. The Romulan Warbird is twice the size of the Enterprise.

[@gggooding]

*LOVE* y'all using the ole-timey commercials. Thats some solid nostalgia harkening back to days of yore when I didn't have bills or need to see a doctor. As a kid, they were Next Week's Candy! Funny that looking at them now, they spoil, SPOIL, _Spoil_ , *_SPOIL_* every ep. 😂

[@greenbrown7776]

However, they also sometimes distorted things to such a degree I learned not to pay a ton of attention to them. I love seeing them again.

[@clearsmashdrop5829]

I dont remember the commercials but I'm sure I saw them. I too was surprised how the commercial gives away so much.

[@HowToX]

Congrats on surviving Season 1.

[@pigs18]

Let's hold off on that. Season 2 does start with "The Child" after all.

[@cashflowhustles]

😂😅 Yeah they still here

[@montylc2001]

Yeah, that one just....gah.@@pigs18

[@SuStel]

It's a ship with a thousand people on board. They could have spared SOMEBODY to look after the new people and explained things to them.

[@JohnCameron624]

Seriously... how do you know? You just saw interactions with a very few of the bridge crew. Because it was not shown to us, doesn't mean it didn't happen. Imagination, reading between the lnes is required in a show that is just 45 minutes long.

[@SuStel]

@@JohnCameron624 Because they're climbing the walls of this one room, complaining that no one will tell them anything.

[@SuStel]

@JohnCameron624 P.S.: Reading the lines themselves, just just the spaces between them, is pretty important too. Give it a try sometime.

[@daikosart]

1:09 I like the 'randomness ' of the Romulan return because it's like - They don't care what you are dealing with, theybare just going to come in when it fits their terms and timeline

[@MackerelCat]

Always enjoy seeing the old tv spots!

[@pauld6967]

Josh: "...unless they put more Romulan in it..." Me: So is that the Star Trek version of the Christopher Walken "It needs more cowbell" skit from Saturday Night Live?

[@thomasgrimm1664]

I like your take on Picard/Riker and their differing personalities. Hopefully you'll keep an eye on how they both develop during the series. If you ever get around to watching the new Picard series, some kind of retrospective would be quite interesting. I've never watched both series back to back but it sure feels like the characters are written differently.

[@talynstarburst2l2l2l]

We made it through season 1! I definitely didn’t find it to be a bad season either!

[@Pope-enhiemer]

The production quality is lower in the first two seasons. That's really what people mean when they say they're bad. And then there's the writers strike episodes coming up in Season 2. They suck so bad ughh

[@Daviddaze]

Season 1 has a sense of new character, new era, to it. beginnings. . I find S7 clunkers more unwatchable.

[@TheNoiseySpectator]

@@Pope-enhiemer Don't speak for all of us! 😒 The production quality was only one problem. What about the lousy stories? I could have overlooked the outdoor sets that were clearly on a soundstage, the equipment that looked like it was made by "Little Tikes", the uniforms that looked more like lycra jumpsuits, the characters with makeup and costumes that looked more like they were going to an "X - Men Wannabe" convention, and etc. If they had just written more reasonable stories. 🤢

[@JohnCameron624]

@@Pope-enhiemer Nah... they don't... with one big exception.

[@tomspinach2368]

how did you reply 3 days before the video came out?

[@mitchy17]

Love you guys. I am really looking forward to season 2.

[@kojiattwood]

They missed a possible comedic moment by having one of the frozen people having male pattern baldness, waking up and seeing Picard.

[@tvdroid22]

One of the messages of TOS was that we had grown up and weren't afraid of our differences. I would think that would be more than strictly racial.

[@StarlancerAstro]

You will love the other Romulan episodes, they are some of my favorites

[@5ilver42]

Oh wow. Is this the first star trek episode with Marc Alaimo in it?

[@stillhuntre55]

I thought it was very telling that he said, "We're back", since it implies they *intentionally* withdrew and have now intentionally re-engaged.

[@greenbrown7776]

This is my reading in between the lines: They've had internal issues that are now settled. And they are alarmed at Federation growth while they focused on that. But that is over. And I think Picard gathers as much when he say, "I think our lives just got a lot more complicated."

[@bobbuethe1477]

I remember being disappointed by this episode when it first aired. It felt like it had two B plots and no A. And the B plots were watered-down versions of "Balance of Terror" and "Space Seed," but with no payoff.

[@williamjackson6705]

Tracey Torme who wrote the teleplay for Conspiracy died on 1/4/ 24 of complications of diabetes. He was 64. He also co- created Sliders.

[@jasoncaldwell5627]

The frozen humans were ultimately a throwaway storyline. The missing outposts is the big plot point- and it pays off big time later on

[@davidboda1640]

Riker would have separated saucer section returned to Pacifica with Troi

[@greenbrown7776]

I'd love to see some magical series where each Next Gen episode has some kind of alternative twist like that! Imagine Wesley being executed for violating the Edo flower bed!

[@LeutnantJoker]

⚠ NO SPOILERS PLEASE ⚠ I am one of the moderators of this channel. Alex and Josh have not yet watched Star Trek beyond this point and they would like to remain spoiler free. So as they define it: "If it is information regarding anything THAT DOES OR DOES NOT HAPPEN after this season, don't include it in your comment." Any comment violating that request will be deleted. But please make my job a little bit easier so Josh and Alex can read the comments and interact with their community without worry. Thank you

[@TheNoiseySpectator]

I understand. ✔️ How does one get to be a "Channel Monitor"? Do you meet them in person? Are you paid by Alyx and Josh or by KZbin?

[@LeutnantJoker]

@@TheNoiseySpectator No I'm just one of their earliest Patrons and they asked me if I could moderate

[@MrDeathpilot]

"With great power comes great opportunity to abuse your authority." 🤨

[@excalibur2024guy]

Yeah, we get it.

[@ryannelson1297]

Super excited to see you all move on to season 2! I definitely gained a bit more of an appreciation for season 1 because of your positivity towards it and i'm excited to hear your thoughts on season 2. IMO, season 2 is overall better than season 1, but can still be a bit hit or miss. There are some aspects of season 2 that really rubbed me the wrong way in the past, but I'm curious to see how my opinions may shift on this viewing.

[@greenbrown7776]

Yeah, I'm interested in how I react to it as well. In general, Josh and Alex have me re-evaluating upward.

[@joonaa2751]

The ”funny music” in the scene with the woman fainting upon seeing Worf is a variation of the main theme. Also in regards to the music, the general rule of thumb at this point is that Ron Jones and Dennis McCarthy alternate every other episode

[@MAMoreno]

I'm glad you liked Season 1 so much. I quite like it too, especially when I remember that it's a throwback to TOS and that it takes time to set up the dynamics that pay off so well in Season 3. Now, Season 2, on the other hand...not a fan. I generally find that when people say that Season 2 is an improvement, they're referring to one episode and one episode only. Now, maybe you'll like it, but I bet you'll be incensed out of the gate by one big creative decision that really shakes things up in the cast lineup (and not in a good way, though to no fault of the performer). I won't say what it is, but I think you'll know it as soon as you see it.

[@jovetj]

10:40 The "funny" thing, to me, is that Troi was not on the bridge to assist with the Romulan encounter! She was with the revived human female.

[@reichensperger1847]

9:10: Josh: "There's got to be lawyers around for something on earth." And Josh is right. We've already seen them; for example, in "Court-Martial." When Ralph Offenhouse says "rest assured, that firm is still operating," do you think it's headed by Samuel T. Cogley?

[@GeorgeBratcherIII]

The Season ONE finale really is just a TEASER of what is to come in the next 6 of the 7 seasons, but no spoilers, will let you get there on your own!

[@kramermccabe8601]

Love the community here. Haven't seen a single jackass yet

[@clearsmashdrop5829]

I do like this episode despite its big flaws. Of the three 20th century folks I like Sunny the most. Yes, he is a cliche but I like how he takes the whole thing in stride. The actor who plays him shows up In HBO's Deadwood decades later. One line that I do remember really impacting me was that TV won't last much beyond 2040. At the time of showing I was pretty addicted to TV, like most people back then, and thought no way that would happen. Here it is 2023 and the only TV I watch is Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune when I eat dinner with my dad. Otherwise I was almost zero TV these days.

[@JacobStJules]

Great discussion, gentlemen. Thank you.

[@scrapperlock9437]

I won't say anything specific, but based on your comments, you two will LOVE some of the episodes coming up in the next few seasons.

[@jediyakare]

The destroyed bases were little explored, but they are important in the following 6 seasons

[@retromillenium]

and beyond

[@cashflowhustles]

Romulans have always been cool villains IMO. Very intelligent and sometimes menacing or even brutal. I actually like them better than the Klingons but the Klingons are cool too and really grew on me.

[@jovetj]

I found the arrogance of the Romulans quite emphasized here. The whole "once we saw the level of destruction, we knew it could not have been you" line was an attempt at a harsh jab at the Federation ... with the truth being "once we saw the same result to your outposts, we knew it wasn't you destroying ours"...

[@Alexandrashepiro]

Yes, They are Back and better than ever! Specially their ships!!!

[@maxshenkwrites]

I feel like I'm in a minority when I say that I've always hated that line "We are back." It sounds less like something a Romulan commander would actually say than it does a tagline for an episode preview commercial.

[@beard78748]

I think 24th century people see the 20th century as we look at people from 15th century

[@matthewconstantine5015]

You hit on something that I think is correct about TNG. I won't go into it, on account of spoilers, but because you said it, I'll just say that I agree. I think the culture/personality of the Klingons and the Romulans were essentially switched between TOS and TNG.

[@bobbuethe1477]

I'll go one step further, and say that the new Klingons replaced the Vulcans, the new Romulans replaced the Klingons, and... I'll stop there.

[@RubesGoodBrainCoffee]

When season one was first broadcast, I never had a problem with it. The biggest complaint I would hear back then was: 'This isn't REAL Star Trek because real Star Trek is with Kirk, Spock, and Bones.' There seemed, also, to be a lot of resentment between the original cast and the new series; and, I think, a lot of fans took sides with the original crew out of loyalty to them. This, to me, was extremely frustrating. Eventually, the original crew slowly warmed to the Next Generation -- as did everyone else, it seems.

[@russellharrell2747]

Yeah, once TNG grew the beard it became synonymous with Star Trek.

[@michaelharris9760]

I was in the service when TNG first aired. No personal TV. I walked by someone watching TNG in 1988. I assumed Riker was Captain because he was Kirk-like and Picard the doctor because he was old 😂 Became a big fan 1991 and caught up.

[@darthmaul13]

Can’t wait till u get to an episode in season 2 where it ties to this episode but it makes u think about how close to federation space they were.

[@Terminator484]

No spoilers... but... those destroyed stations and colonies are the first hint at what's lurking beyond known space... It's not safe out there. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross... but it's not for the timid.

[@karidrgn]

One of the things you might do before next season is dig up various shows that did skits on TOS. Carol Burnett, SNL did at least 2.

[@beyonderbill3409]

I heard a little bit of Sisko in one of those Patron comments. Cant wait for DS9.

[@racookster]

Josh and Alex aren't affected by something that hurt the audience's perception of ST:TNG during its original run: comparisons to The Love Boat, which went out of production just as TNG came in. Multiple story lines were part of that. So were the bald captains and the luxurious look of the ships. There are still memes floating around that compare the two shows.

[@mrhomes204]

Wasn’t Jonathan Frakes a guest star in an early 80s episode of the Love Boat?

[@racookster]

@@mrhomes204- Wasn't everybody? 😁

[@GeorgeBratcherIII]

Saturday Night Live did a skit with Picard (Patrick Stewart) on the Love Boat as the Enterprise in 1994, it was hilarious! You can find it over at VIMEO under "boat of love the next generation"

[@themoviedealers]

Loving the promos with Ernie Anderson...

[@wackyvorlon]

If you want to hear where a lot of film and television music has come from, listen to Stravinsky’s Firebird. Him and Holst. Also listen to Mars by Holst.

[@VonWenk]

No thoughts on Picard's final line about not going back and moving forward? That seemed like an interesting note on which to end season 1.

[@karlsmith2570]

3:46 "Would This Kinda The TOS Episode 'The Balance Of Terror', Without The Frozen Humans?" I'd sat it's like a mash-up of "Balance Of Terror" and "Space Seed" minus the genetically modified humans

[@tomspinach2368]

Tim :"I think it's pretty easy to be a saint in paradise"... qoute taken straight from Sisko's mouth.

[@VolkXue]

cryogenics was after Walt Disney died and the whole frozen thing for him is an urban legend

[@impishmisconception7762]

Since the Star Trek year is 2364 and it's 2024 now, that means in 340 years from now, we'll be living like that.

[@shinyagumon7015]

The Romulans are a bit of an advertised extra here, but it's still a fun episode to wrap up the season.

[@goldenshark3182]

Oh they’ll come back to who’s destroying those space stations, it’s the best episode of Season 2.

[@maxshenkwrites]

16:34 "The 'we are back' is a bit much." YES. TOTALLY AGREED. I always hated that line and thought it sounded forced... like an unnecessary, gratuitous line, inserted not for purposes of the story or plot or characters, but as "cool tagline to use in commercials."

[@greenbrown7776]

I always liked it. But then I liked "KKKHHHHAAAAANNNNNNNNNNN!" as well! LOL.

[@brettharris7696]

I wanted to give the new split format a fair chance before giving my 2 cents but, I liked it better as a single video instead of split in two. Just my opinion I’ll be watching either way.

[@Spock4771]

Honestly with the Romulus nit being seen buy anyone in 50 years it make sence that crew are recommending to fire because thats what they probably were traind on picard was the only one that probably as experienced interactions with Romuluns with his age

[@jimsalina9290]

Just curious. I noticed a couple lady crew members were wearing skirts uniforms. All I have seen this season has been the pants and uniform shirt. Kinda put me in the mind of the TOS skirt uniforms. Did I miss it the rest of the season?

[@js3599]

No spoilers.... You will get to see Riker at his best at some point in the future episodes of TNG...

[@harrypothead42024]

I just wonder what's destroying all these bases and outposts😊

[@a35362]

I never liked Picard's "But Data, they were ALREADY DEAD" line. No they weren't! Not all of them! Three of them are on your ship right now! It doesn't sound like anything Picard or any Starfleet captain would say. You have the chance to meet people from the 20th century! You can interview them, and learn from them, and find out what a "homemaker" is! BTW thank you for including the TV promos in your videos -- that announcer's voice really takes me back... "On STARRRRR TREK, THE NEXT GENERATION!"

[@Mr.Sequiro]

So a recently discovered you guys. I love the reactions for TNG. I would only say I wish there was more, even just 1 more Friday episode reaction would be nice, these individual episodes are so short and we only get two of them per week, it probably feels worse because the few other reactors I've found double up and do two episodes of the show per video. When I first found you guys I got excited and I can't wait till you get to DS9 only to realize it actually be 2369, the year DS9 starts in, before you get to it.

[@realtonysolo]

I dont know why people are down on season 2. Lots of memorable eps in that one. I just think because of a certain character they dont like, but the season was very good.

[@maxshenkwrites]

I have never ever fathomed the hatred for that certain character. Based solely on season one, the character whom she replaced was, quite honestly, lukewarm. It took me several seasons to warm to her, but the season two replacement, I liked instantly.

[@ammaleslie509]

I think everyone has a special season 2 episode where they started to think "damn, this new series is really good", and they're waiting to see how the guys react to it. i'm not going to reveal mine in advance, but i am defintely eagerly anticipating their reaction to one particular certain season 2 episode! Well, more than one... But I know which one comes first!!!

[@CrankyGrandma]

Nah. Season 3. Season 2 had some good episodes but my least favorite is in s2. Season 3 is where most of the second wave of trek hits its stride.

[@ammaleslie509]

@@CrankyGrandma and a lot of people's least favorite episode is in season 2... that writers' strike messed us up

[@XKenny77]

@@ammaleslie509 True, but S2 also includes one of the all-time great Trek episodes.

[@ammaleslie509]

@@XKenny77 we may be thinking of the same one. There is a season 2 episode that is in my top 5 all time

[@greenbrown7776]

I have five silvers and one gold in S2. If I were handing out medals. @@XKenny77

[@robertfindley921]

If you're from the city of Romulus, Michigan does that make you a Romulan? Good episode. Ends in a cliff hanger for next season.

[@Shootingstarcomics]

Romulans probably live 200 years or more so these guys remember stuff.

[@soulbasedliving]

Llyods of London company is 350 years old.

[@giantclam1822]

Star Trek can go on in perpetuity

[@Anthyrion]

For the law office of the one guy: I don't think, that it is still around. According to the background, Roddenberry invented for the Star Trek Universe, first the Eugenic Wars, started in the late 90's, because Khan Noonien Singh and some of his genetic advanced followers after they have usurped over 40 states of the earth. They were defeated in '96. Then in 2026 WW3 happend. The UN collapsed and while the conflict lasted until 2053, over 37 Million people died. Up until 2079 Judges made show trials for the people. So you see... it's very unlikely, that his Law Office survived that time.

[@bobbuethe1477]

He could always hire Samuel T. Cogley. 😊

[@UFDFNaruto]

Nah, you guys got the Klingons wrong, they aren't more peaceful lol, the difference between TOS and TNG is that they are allies of the Federation in TNG, where as they were openly hostile towards the Federation in TOS borderline enemies

[@targetaudience]

“They aren’t peaceful… they’re allies”

[@UFDFNaruto]

@@targetaudience Being an ally does not make you peaceful :D, i mean if you want to say that the Klingons and the Federation are at peace with each other then yes, they are, but the Klingon people are anything but peaceful lol Plus we have only seen them once so far in the series. Looking forward to season 2 :D

[@richwagener]

@@targetaudienceThe difference between Klingons and Romulans is their concept of honor.

[@paulanerruhrpott6188]

Yeah great music for the first 3 seasons. Enjoy it as long as it lasts. Its funny that at the point where most people say that the series becomes extraordinaryly good, the music will start to suck. As the powers that be wished! So that the audience wont be too distracted by the music😅

[@m.e.3862]

That rule about "distracting" music pretty much tells me that Rick Berman didn't know what makes entertaining tv. 😛

[@tvdroid22]

Actually, the Romulan Ale McCoy said needed a while to ferment wasn't very old. That was the joke. It might've been a year old.

[@spohlso]

Tiny bit of trivia, in a background joke on the animated show 'Lower Decks' you find out that the musician (Sonny Clemmons) DOES become a star in the 23rd century.

[@StephenSchoettler]

Intro to Marc Alaimo this episode aka Gul Dukat

[@andygrams6344]

“What if season 2 is bad…” 😂 I would say the highs are higher than S1 and the lows are lower than S1. S2 is far more memorable and iconic (in a good way)

[@tjkhanks]

That's very accurate. It really feels like the writers didn't have time to fine tune the scripts. Even so there are some great stories.

[@andygrams6344]

⁠@@tjkhanksthat is also a fair observation, especially since it was the 1988 writers strike (the longest ever, still beating out the 2023 strike) that really hampered season 2 - it’s amazing that season 2 fared so well given that, but even the producers point out the strike as direct cause for, let’s say, ‘simplified’ episodes 😉

[@greenbrown7776]

I totally agree. At least five episodes of the upcoming season are next level compared with the best of S1. But I also think there are a few stinkers in S2 that fall below the bar of the worst S1 episodes ("Code of Honor" or "When the Bough Breaks," for instance). And then there are a couple of S2 episodes that I personally like a lot but fandom in general seems to hate. I think most Trekkers have a few episodes they personally like that goes against the common judgment.

[@Daviddaze]

With different directors thru the episodes , was the clear winner Coming og Age? Your director reaction about that one was distinct.

[@targetaudience]

The interrogation scene is definitely one of the best directed scenes of the season

[@MsAlexisPiazza]

Bringing back the Romulans, the mutual threat represented by the attacked outposts, and the neural parasites were all done to raise the stakes and create a more serious threat than the Ferengi which had quickly reduced to being a comical nuisance instead of a serious adversary.

[@monkeytime9851]

Until the Wrath of Rom movie comes out next year....

[@vagonkhan7278]

No spoilers, just a tease. Just wait until you find out what destroyed the outposts!

[@ProfAfonso]

Tng 1° Season is 2364, TOS 2266 and Khan is 2285

[@My-Name-Isnt-Important]

Less episodes for Season 2, due to the Writers Guild Strike of 88. So there will be 22 episodes instead of the usual 26.

[@carolynebrennan7121]

Season 2 takes some time finding its footing, starting late due to a writers strike.

[@davidboda1640]

They cobbled it together

[@MichaelJohnson-vi6eh]

In universe suspended animation was used alot in the 21st century so encountering people who woke up later than expected would not have been odd to them. I think Romulans are weird/interesting because they aren't hell bent on taking over the universe. They have a very complex political culture. Sometimes they have warmongering leaders and sometimes not. Foreign policy always depends upon who is in charge and what their motivation is.

[@maxshenkwrites]

When you two and others keep saying "NO SPOILERS" but then talk about things being "teased all season," completely unaware that the bases being destroyed in this episode by someone other than the Romulans is, in itself, a teaser... This is my favorite episode of season one. It feels most like the more fully realized episodes of later seasons. That phrase sums up my feelings about season one. Not "bad" or "awful;" just "not fully realized." The characters were not as deep and nuanced in this season as in later seasons. The writing in season one was acceptable but not quite as strong as it could be. The writers' and producers' understanding of Things Trek (prime directive, role of Starfleet, the Ferengi, the Romulans, the Klingons)... all of these were perfectly acceptable in season one and made for enjoyable TREK... BUT... as the writers'/producers' understanding of all those things deepened AND the actors got more comfortable playing their characters, things really took off. I don't know if it's a spoiler to say that season two contains three of my all-time favorite TNG episodes, at least two of which are essential to elements of the ongoing TREK story. It'll be interesting to see, once you've gotten to the end of, say, season four, how you feel about season one, and I am wagering you'll feel as I'm saying now.

[@matthewconstantine5015]

I forgot how much they used to spoil in the trailers.