Was TNG Season 2 Really That Bad?

[@OrangeRiver]

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[@beepboop204]

i guess i will have to eat those meals..... all the way

[@beepboop204]

@@subraxas *arfs in happy*

[@resurrectedstarships]

Congrats for reaching influencer status - and the sponsorship adventure begins lol.

[@OnlyGoodSHHH]

I'll sub if you promise to do every season of TNG and DS9. Deal?

[@MrMightyZ]

Up, cup, but, shut, UH, I was watching Krull when there were too many birds so the government announced a cull, HULL.

[@ehrenmurdick]

In "Peak Performance" when Data first loses the game he thinks something is wrong with him, until Picard tells him, "It is possible to do everything right and still lose. That is not a fault, that is life." This was a very important thing for teenage me to hear.

[@raychapman1134]

I've always thought that it was one of the best lines in the entire franchise. Really one of the best lines ever written for anything.

[@alexanderkantakusiniii8411]

The greatest episode in my opinion too with the best final words...."I busted him up"

[@stevencoardvenice]

That's also the lesson of episode 10 of strange new worlds

[@bpdmf2798]

Picard delivers that line immaculately. You want to believe it and feel like you understand it better because he said. Patrick Stewart was a beast.

[@queenredspecial]

I go to that well ALL the time!

[@wyatthicks16]

TNG and DS9 share one important trait. They both start finding their feet when the beards appear

[@RosesTeaAndASD]

Why is this so accurate!!!

[@Despondencymusic]

😲😳

[@kabulykos]

I'm sorry Frank Langella doesn't deserve this shade

[@blockmasterscott]

Sisko with the beard and shaved head really turned DS9 around, he just seemed transformed somehow.

[@SamanthaIreneYTube]

@@kabulykos the Bajoran political plots are much more interesting in retrospect than they were at the time and underrated too. Good point.

[@IphegeniaRose]

I vote yes to recapping each season. These are great, even when I don't entirely agree (I love the episode 'Royale' -- it reminds me of 80s TV and Data's hilarious). Please keep going :)

[@JLE8811]

And all other trek

[@feartheamish9183]

Agree!

[@OrangeRiver]

Thanks VB!

[@beepboop204]

no reason to stop! keep recapping..... all the way

[@That80sGuy1972]

I'm totally with you. Critics must keep in mind that Deep Space Nine to Voyager to all the movies during and after have roots in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The only middle finger came with Star Trek: Discovery.

[@1337penguinman]

Riker on the Klingon ship was one of the best episodes of the series imho. It set the foundation of Klingon culture for pretty much all the Berman era shows, and was a great Riker episode.

[@ModerateHipster]

Yeah, do seasons 3 through 7. Personally, I think season 7 is just as hit and miss as 1 and 2. Fun to see other opinions!

[@purplehazel4615]

I skip just as many in 7 as I do 1-2, maybe even more.

[@JeremyCaron]

7 was rough, especially with Masks and the Crusher candle ghost episode

[@Necromortus]

@@JeremyCaron The candle ghost episode I always enjoyed for some reason, not because it's a good episode or anything, but it feels like enjoyable shlock, like something Sam Raimi would do. The masks one however is just.... bleh.

[@claytonberg721]

@@JeremyCaron Masks is a very odd one. It's like they had no idea what to do but remembered that Spiner can basically ham it up/act weird with the best of them and just let him go to town. I have nothing to support this but I think the show runner was basically trying to punish the poor cats who make the sets. Maybe they all got roaringly drunk and were late and this was there penance, to have to turn every established set upside down for a week.

[@shannonbayley3684]

@@purplehazel4615 There is no season 8

[@tayzonday]

Let’s just say that Season 1 is B4, Season 2 is newborn Lal and Seasons 3-7 are Data

[@sagesheahan6732]

😂😂 Yes.

[@CalebThomasMedia]

I just love seeing your comments pop up on videos I watch. Makes me feel like I’m watching KZbin right 😂

[@timvanarsdel]

Does that make "ST Picard" Lore?

[@cyrussoxlegion]

I tend to agree, but I still think that DS9 season 1 > TNG season 1. Yes, even with episodes like Move along home.

[@ericsbuds]

haha! perfect

[@Raptorias]

Yes, now you need to cover each season. Love the synopsis.

[@Blynat]

Data's creepy smile while slowly dancing always makes me laugh. I wonder why its not memed more.

[@worf7680]

I love star trek because you get a wide range of fans. You've got channels like tyler's which analyze and break down the show in a realistic way and then you've got certain podcasts that ruthlessly make fun of the show but are clearly big fans.

[@johnlrose1979]

I actually like both The Royale, and Up the long ladder, the second one mainly because my Mother who was a animal trainer working for the company that did all the animals for Tng got to be an extra as well as my sister, so it's always fun to find them in the show. Fun fact, I got to go on the set of Generations during the Data finds his cat scene, best day ever!

[@codyofathens3397]

Oh, damn, so jealous!

[@7XDDM]

As an Irishman myself I found the episode hilarious actually. Keep up these videos they're great! Been re watching the series and these seem to appear whenever I finish a season!

[@VectorTracker]

same, i'm in no way offended either

[@OrangeRiver]

I'm personally not the pearl-clutching kind of guy either but I definitely cringed a lot at it lol. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@chrisnotbad]

@@OrangeRiver If you think that episode with the Irish was racist, then you really should stop making videos about what you deem racist because Irish is not a race. People like yourself seem to feel obligated injecting racism into matters where it doesn't exist.

[@shanephillips4011]

Was going to say the same thing, I love it. Guaranteed the only folks upset about it aren't even Irish.

[@YodhrinsForge]

@@shanephillips4011 Bet you a dollar they are "Irish", in the sense of "my great grandaddy came here from The Old Country and we drink green Guinness every saint paddy's day in his honour so we do!". You get the same thing with Americans descended from Scots getting all offended about a kilt joke or whatever when most of us over here range from uncaring to mildly amused. Up The Long Ladder is brilliant.

[@wayner396]

I'd love to see a review and episode guide for seasons 3-7. These have been great fun to watch. I've been trying to get my kids to watch classic Star Trek with me and these have been great at helping me pick out good episodes and avoid some stinkers. I particularly like that you mention how they connect to the series as a whole so if there is a mediocre episode but is important for story and lore reasons it can be worth watching.

[@Oonagh72]

14:24 I think Lower Decks has hit on something pretty ingenious, and I think Star Trek should explore it. That program of going back to check on past planets could be an entire show set in the Picard Universe. They can use the Miranda Class or whatever and either have one crew or they can have different crews and use the one set since it is a Miranda class. Anyhoo they can revisit these different planets. I think the story options would be endless!!!!

[@Knight_Kin]

It's hard to argue anything about lower decks being worth revisiting, tbh.

[@Hunne2303]

Yeah, let´s go back to where Kirk was in "a piece of the action"...time for a round or two of fizzbin!

[@barkasz6066]

I don’t have anyone I could discuss these seasons with so going through it is a very nice road down memory lane. I used to watch TNG with my mom on weekend mornings before she passed away.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

I liked Pulaski too, although Crusher had better chemistry with the rest of the crew, Pulaski reminded me of McCoy. Old fashioned and a bit cranky. Season 2 was a mixed bag. Some really good episodes like 'Measure of the man' and I actually liked time 'Time Squared' A funny and enjoyable analysis, kind of got the feeling you'd been praying at the altar of the Vape god Mordock. I definitely feel you should continue analysing the seasons, to break up your deep dive episodes. The good episodes are worth highlighting and the bad episodes are worth ripping the piss out of.

[@j-hod6274]

I was almost expecting some big reveal where we find out she is McCoy's daughter or something.

[@jasontoddman7265]

@@j-hod6274 I had the same expectation that Q would turn out to be a slightly-more-mature Trelane.

[@pwnmeisterage]

McCoy was a crusty old southern fossil. A distinctive character with interesting personality quirks. It's a little too implausible for yet another Enterprise chief medical officer to share the same peculiar outlook and expression. Unless she is a direct relative.

[@jasontoddman7265]

@@pwnmeisterage Or plain old conservatism / prejudice hasn't been as thoroughly wiped out of human society as the episodes might have led us to believe. After all, I grew up in the 1970s and thought matters like Evolution were a long-settled question, or to learn later in life that there are still a lot of folks (my opinion of which is best left unsaid) who believe in the literal six days of Creation and that Evolution is a lie because it makes the whole idea of Jesus dying for our sins basically nonsensical. I knew racism still existed but was amazed at the true extent of it (having grown up in a rural area where there happened to be no minorities whatsoever). Iow what we grew up thinking we knew often turns out to not be quite correct; or at least not quite in conformance with what other people think *they* know. But yes her character was clearly designed to recreate McCoy's personality. But what worked for Deforest Kelly clearly did not work for Diana Muldaur. For whatever reason. Possibly sexism played a role in that, just like the backlash against other female characters in later Star trek shows and in Star Wars.

[@pwnmeisterage]

@@jasontoddman7265 I don't think Pulaski's gender was relevant. She replaced a female doctor who eventually returned to replace her. Male or female, the simple fact was that Pulaski was just an unappealing character.

[@luvmenow33]

Awkward is probably the most accurate description for the issues TNG's first two seasons went through. But as bad as some of those episodes were , both S1 & S2 had some of the best episodes in the entire series. I don't think anyone would argue my opinion that s2's Measure of a Man is not just a Top 5 TNG episode but one of the beat episodes of any ST series period. How about S1's The Big Goodbye which gave us Dixon Hill & was the first Holodeck centered episode. As far as S2 I think I'm in the minority but I actually really enjoy The Royale. There are some pretty funny moments. Where Slience has Lease is a good episode considering the fact that it's one of those cheap episodes in which 90% takes place on the bridge. Pen Pals is a good one. Samaritan Snare isn't a particularly good episode but we get some much needed character building for Picard & the artificial heart story is used in Tapestry which is an excellent episode. Ya know I'll agree that S1 was rough & S3 was when they hit the mark , but I don't think S2 is simply a bridge to S3 with a few good episodes. This video shows it was much better then we remember. The biggest problem with S2 is that the Stinkers are REALLY BAD & Shades of grey was a huge mistake.

[@kazeinu0151]

Prime directive would be an excellent topic to scrutinize. There's so much contention there, it's used as an excuse for inaction as well as disregarded when it's convenient, a thorough analysis would be interesting.

[@justfitz08]

There also seems to be too much discussion on where the prime directive applies and where it doesnt. Surely the academy would have a interstellar contact philosophy class that specifically teaches this very subject. There should be little confusion or disagreement amongst the crew on how to apply the prime directive in a variety of situations. And even if there were, the captain should have a handbook ready to reference the details as needed. If it's really so important, then you can't have people disregarding it or coming up with new interpretations as needed. Pen Pals is a good example. If Picard did what he was supposed to do, then he would have told Data and everyone else "no." But then he proceeds to fudge it and receives no consequences for doing so other than it being briefly mentioned in the episode Drummhead.

[@canalesworks1247]

Kirk made a career out of breaking the Prime Directive.

[@stephengrigg5988]

​@@justfitz08the fact everyone has different interpretations of it isn't a stretch. Look at our own laws, and how we'll have one judge disagree with another on what the wording actually means or what the real implied scope of the law is. And the Prime directive is kind of solely based upon ethics and morals, so it's almost inherent that species with free will, will have different interpretations of it. Having a philosophy class to solve the issue, could just compound it even more 😂 Anyway, hopefully that argument can help you to suspend disbelief, because I think it's a valid point

[@oldylad]

@@justfitz08the prime directive is a directive, it’s not a law but breaching it can get you in serious trouble. The federation isn’t stupid, they know that there are special circumstances where it must be breached, but it exists because of many in universe examples of really bad things happening as a result of federation interference. Cultural influence is a pretty big deal, it could cause a nuclear war that wipes out the species, or an authoritarian xenophobic regime that eventually goes to war with them, or many other societal problems. Even the smallest thing, like curing a disease could change the course of that civilization for the worse. I think it was created by the Vulcans to stop humanity the tellarites and the andorans from fucking up other civilizations, and given their study and eventual reveal to humanity once they developed warp this makes sense. We can’t really guess if the directive is smart, but, not interfering with pre warp civilizations is likely the smartest option imo, as the culture shock could be disastrous for billions. Some special circumstances, like a world exploding, are interesting to argue over though

[@ClintSprayberry]

YES! Please do Seasons 3-7 your style, pacing, and insight are spot on my dude! So please do all the Seasons of every Series in Star Trek (or at least what I call "my trek" .... the 90's stuff, yes, I'm old. Shoot me.) ... But fir really real main, do all the TNG, DS9, and Voyager seasons! Do it!

[@Idran]

It's me, the one person who actually loves "The Royale". :P I have no idea why? I just think the episode is hilarious. I feel like if you look at it as a comedy episode, it comes off a lot better.

[@augustday9483]

I'm in the same boat, I enjoyed The Royale and was surprised to hear it be trashed so much. Bad writing? It's funny!

[@LordDragon314]

I 100% would love to see seasons 3-7 done like this. Hell, even seasons of the other series like DS9, Voyager, etc.

[@ClintSprayberry]

Yup! I was thinking the same thing!!!

[@bertomeeggo]

sure, do Voyager! there's coffee in that nebula! =o)

[@simongvs]

20:53- CarolYN Seymour's Sci-Fi background also goes back to the mid-seventies. She was one of the leads in Survivors, created by Terry Nation previously partially responsible for the Daleks in Doctor Who, and guest starred in a Year 2 episode of Space: 1999.

[@dennisscott1304]

Please do continue! These recaps have been fun.

[@MexxProtect]

I really don’t care that seasons 1 and 2 are not as good as the remainder of the series, TNG feels like a cozy home and even those seasons give me that warm feeling..

[@oldylad]

Same. They definitely aren’t bad, they just aren’t as good as 3-6 tng. I think they have the same issue that the Star Wars prequels do where people think they’re garbage only because they’ve heard other people say they’re worse than the better ones, neither are even bad imo

[@juancho5419]

I would love to see season 3-7. It's been really fun watching your review on them!

[@Dr.Kananga]

I've been watching and rewatching the TNG series since the late 90s when I was in high school, back then the depiction of "racist" was represented by an act of vulgar and insulting superiority of one race over the other, take for example the themes in the movie American History X and the events that take place; nowadays you cannot make a movie like that because some will claim it promotes discrimination and hate. We have to draw the line again between what is reality and what is fiction because we are slowly mutilating satire and creativity to the tunes of constantly redefining what "racism" is. I'm Italian and I've seen plenty of tv and internet content where they show stereotypes like organized crime families, men with greasy hair and white tank tops waving hands, families that always eat for dinner an exaggerated amount of food, how we are always late, how we cannot have anything but pasta, that we are obsessed with fashion, and so on. Some of these stereotypes are based on truths and some are exaggerated while others are fantasy, but we get along and learn to laugh at it because we are mature enough not to get offended by the slight of criticism. Also, consider the time context and how society was different thirty or forty years ago when productions were made. No Italian ever felt discriminated or called "racism" because of The Sopranos or The Godfather when they depict us as greedy-murderer-pasta-eaters. Nonetheless, I applaud you for the quality of your videos and knowledge in ST, keep it up.

[@ProjectVastness]

Nowadays everything is considered racist, sexism, or another "insert some typical and not general butt hurt stuff of the week" here. And admirably most of this young generations are more intolerant, delusional than ever. It seems that people get each day more and more delusional and can't differentiate between fiction and reality. Everything is considered sexism and racism or whatever, and then we get the lowest state of the art , like Hollywood, Disney, etc are nowadays. A bunch of snowflake radicals based on delusional ideologies , etc etc. Soon Pinocchio is a female puppet that menstruates every time that lies, and Geppetto like transgender or whatever sexual stuff they want to modify for the sake of "supposed" gender wars. And art becomes secondary nor relevant. What is curious is that this kind of weird society evolution is more visible in USA (the most delusional country in the world with Russia, North Korea, China, India, England, France side by side) and England and France are becoming a mess also. Weird case study for future humans for sure ( like in future 3 or 5 centuries)

[@prestigemultimediagroup6436]

I agree 100 percent with this... I am so sick of hearing people call everything racist, because they have lived such a spoiled entitled sheltered life they have no clue what real racism is... the worst part is that it's always these super liberal middle class white people who feel the need to be offended on everyone else's behalf...

[@robbicu]

Someday I hope I get the chance to sit down with you over a refreshing malt beverage and talk Trek.

[@Despondencymusic]

Fun Fact: Billy Campbell (who played Okana) originally auditioned for the role of Will Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was the second choice for the part. Jeffrey Combs also auditioned along with Vaughn Armstrong.

[@stephengrigg5988]

I mistook Jeffrey Combs for Jeffrey Wright and now I can't stop thinking how we need to get Jeffrey Wright in Star Trek

[@Omgazombie2k]

Bro I lost it when you kept messing up on hole and hull 🤣 also don’t even get me started on Miranda classes, they’re the bane of my Star Trek online experience WHY DOES CRYPTIC GOT SUCH A HARD ON FOR THEM THERES LIKE 20 VARIANTS I SWEAR

[@NuTacLLC]

The Royal is an amazing episode. Very Twilight Zone. Love that episode.

[@sickofitall8486]

"Need some spreadin' around money!"

[@DataLal]

Yeah, I rather liked that one, cheesy dialogue and all.

[@onanthebarbarian4842]

The Royale shows the (not so) hidden strength of TNG: Strong directing and good acting. The show is still finding its feet, and it's a very TOS-like episode, but it's got a fittingly cheesy soundtrack, some nice shots centered on the revolving door (the focal point of the episode), and nice character vignettes. Data gets to cut a little unrealistically loose, but that's OK. Data and Riker breaking the bank of a cheesy casino is a good concept in its own right. Baby indeed did need a pair of new shoes.

[@mdood9299]

Interesting you single out this episode, I've always loved this one, probably my favorite of season 2.

[@sickofitall8486]

@@mdood9299 I think this episode is a good candidate for fan banter. For all of the reasons mentioned by the series most devout fans. Any intellectually honest STNG fan will be able to enjoy "The Royale" along with episodes like Parallels, Fistful of Data's etc... By that I mean the great episodes that we always enjoy watching, but never merit 9-10 ratings.

[@EvanEdwards]

If you don't understand why Mudd worked so well, you wind up with Okona. Also, calling back to a recent episode, it would seem Darwin Station had espers. That video made me really want to get the current run of the comics, which features Gary Mitchell and other energy beings. I really enjoy this channel.

[@majorgeek]

I"m sad that you dissed Lwaxana Troi! I've always loved her character. She initially comes across as a very two-dimensional person, but, as time progresses, it becomes clear that she is hiding a lot of deep emotional experiences behind that facade. And, you should definitely do a review of the other TNG seasons. I'd be interested to see if you would recommend more than half of any of the other seasons, as was the case for the first two.

[@robanybody4064]

Lwaxana > Deanna

[@Zzyzzyx]

Yeah, I love Lwaxana. There's a lot to her character.

[@noahletwinski6955]

I've always enjoyed Picard being annoyed by her whenever she's around or at the mentioning of her name but he can't really show it due to being the captain of a prestigious vessel. Always good shit.

[@jameskelly3502]

When Tyler alluded to the worst episode of TNG being in season 2, I couldn't picture which episode he was referring to. But then he showed "Shades of Gray" and then the pain came rushing back to me. I had blocked this episode out. I've seen every TNG episode atleast 6 or 7 times, except for "Shades of Gray". I saw it once and once was enough.

[@MatthewCaunsfield]

When Season 2 hit high, it was amazing. Count me in for further season reviews of TNG!

[@cindya4951]

Well done - I would definitely be interested in seeing the rest of the seasons analyzed in the same matter.

[@JeremyNoblitt]

In " A Matter of Honor and Samaritan Snare" the Klingon captain and the Pakled captain are both played by Christopher Collins. He was the voice of Cobra Commander in the 80's GIJoe cartoon.

[@marshallhuffer4713]

He also voiced Starscream and Wheeljack in Transformers: G1.

[@Marshal_Dunnik]

And Gung Ho; and Michael Bell, who played Groppler Zorn in Farpoint, voiced Duke

[@moxxy3565]

18:50 "Pinocchio is broken, it's strings have been cut." Sounds like something he'd say in Fact or Fiction

[@OrangeRiver]

Lmao

[@Mayo_Magician]

Yes dude, please keep this series going, and when you eventually finish TNG you could do DS9 one. Maybe eventually even Voyager.

[@elrafa111]

Of all the times the Prime Directive was used as a plot tool to test the characters morality, the one in Pen Pals is one of the most egregious I can think of. I thought one of the main points of the directive was to minimize the chances that a potentially warmongering race, who would normally destroy itself before developing long-range space travel, got access to the Federation's advanced technology and knowlege and would then pose a threat to the Federation itself. But in this situation they were about to leave an entire species to die, not because of a nuclear war, but because they were unfortunate enough to be dealing with a world ending natural disaster they had no control over. They even had the means to quickly fix their problem in secret and without contaminating their culture but they still would not have intervened if not for Data's initiative and that always left a sour taste in my mouth.

[@carcasses5131]

I'd really love if you covered the rest of the seasons for TNG, I'm very interested to hear what your thoughts are on the memed "jump" in quality for season 3 onwards I really enjoy your videos Orange, thanks so much for the uploads my man

[@Malkiore1]

The actress who played Sonya Gomez also played in Total Recall as the girl in the bar with *ahem* 3 of something.

[@stephenjohnston7630]

Keep going with these, very enjoyable. Watching these first seasons at time of broadcast was a chore, especially as here in Ireland their scheduling was so slow and chaotic that we watched most of them on rented VHS (2 episodes to a tape). A Canadian friend brought us home-taped Season 3 episodes while we were still at the start of Season 2 - and it was a horrible shock dropping back from that to this.

[@rochesterjohnny7555]

I remember those VHS tapes we had them at a Blockbuster video I worked at

[@mynkedari]

I subscribed just so you will do the rest of the seasons! This is now our contract!

[@moizrashid6373]

I dare any star trek show from 2017 to give me an episode even half as good as "Measure of a Man"

[@pedro-on-wheels]

You started this ... now you have to do the rest of the seasons! I really enjoyed your commentary.

[@OrangeRiver]

Thanks Pedro!

[@dizzlebizzle8424]

i've seen every episode of every season but probably never going to do a watch-thru again while still having good memories and nostalgia for TNG, so i fully support you doing videos on every season not just the first 2 because i will certainly watch to get my fix

[@PaulTheadra]

I remember watching as a kid, I love every season, it was so moralizing, hopeful and excepting. Growing up around bigoted family members really made TNG a place to escape to. With each episode, an injustice/problem appears and the crew seeks a resolution that treat one another with dignity, respect and tolerance (usually). Also, I'll be here whether or not you make reviews of seasons 3+, great content all around, but I really like these

[@beepboop204]

for me, as someone who wouldnt get diagnosed with Autism for another 34 years, i was captivated by Data and his writing internal routines became something i do. my mental life is very vivid and nuts, it all highly derivative from Data lol

[@OakCityGamers]

9:05 yeah but its so easy to dunk on Crusher… i mean every turn shes making odd leaps of judgement and is probably one of the worst depictions of a doctor I’ve ever seen. You’ll start to see it now Ive pointed it out, also Pulaski is twice as bad.

[@robblerouser5657]

I love it when you include your outtakes... :)

[@connorbrisson5785]

Please talk about them all, I always love your vids. Very calming

[@ClintSprayberry]

Hey hey, by the way, kudos on the Hello Fresh sponsor!! That stuff is good!

[@OrangeRiver]

Thanks Clint!

[@rahdo]

yes, keep going, then do all the seasons of all the other ST shows as well!!! :)

[@thewewguy8t88]

there is an interesting scene in the episode pen pals which i feel like is so suttble and never talked about but it is the start of a character ark with riker which plays an important part best of both worlds. because in that episode riker is so sure the thing to do in every situation in pen pals is to ask yourself one question what would picard do. and in the best of the worlds it turns out its the one thing you have to not do in order to save the day. it almost feels like in some ways the best of the worlds was calling out season 1 and 2 for its sumg way of thinking. saying that way of thinking needs to change. its funny because i have no idea if that was intentional to have riker have to figure out he is the captain and has to not think like picard to save the day or not but it feels too subtle to be intentional lol but if its not intentional then it somehow ends up fitting perfectly with rikers established character.

[@DarthCalculus]

I love the content, but I had to stop and comment halfway through because your bloopers are just so funny. Please keep including them, I love it so much

[@travisblack8767]

🎉 almost to 50k subs man you can do it

[@OrangeRiver]

Thanks Travis! Yes, we're almost there :D

[@lander77477]

8:17 yeah well thats what happens. An actor is hired to read the lines and play the character on screen. They are not hired to criticize the writing. If she wants to write her own sci-fi series, she can do that, but she was not hired for her opinions on the writing. Same thing happened to Crispin Glover in the first Back To The Future

[@OrangeRiver]

Well, certainly, actors also play a role in helping shape their character and are often allowed to make suggestions. That's a fact.

[@lander77477]

@@OrangeRiver Yes they are allowed a certain creative freedom in shaping their own character, sure, for example it was Christopher Lloyd's idea for Doc Brown to have wild hair like Albert Einstein, and various other character traits, but that it about the limit of their playpen. But when they start trying to act like the boss, saying the writing overall lacks this or that, and start making demands about the writing overall, thats when it becomes a problem. They were hired to act, not to write, and certainly not to cause problems for the people in charge. Don't get me wrong, I love Gates Mcfadden and can sympathize with what she was trying to do, but at the end of the day, its a business, its a production, and they don't want a trouble maker throwing a wrench in the works.

[@OrangeRiver]

For sure. Everything played out as one would expect from a studio

[@amehak1922]

Measurement of a man is one of the best episodes of whole franchise

[@bartolomeus_7z7z7]

More seasons please! Format is getting better! Love the jokes and outtakes left in! More of this! Good job!

[@emj6724]

Tyler I just wanted to thank you I'm just getting into TNG and your videos help to catch me up and they are lots of fun you are rocking it dude please keep it coming

[@jamesabernethy7896]

I'm old enough to have experienced TNG at the time, but I watch it straight through every few years. I appreciate some of the good stories more deeply as an adult than I did when I was much younger, I only skip some of the truly atrocious episodes. There are some cringy and dated episodes as Tyler points out, but there's some great episodes too which haven't been poisoned by the political activism of recent Trek.

[@jiteshvora86]

28:33 - 29:15 The actress was also in Total Recall (1990). She played the Martian with the three breasts!!

[@bonghunezhou5051]

Deanna Troi might have been saddled(?) with 3 boobs - but writer/producer DC Fontana squelched that proposal!

[@flexorlamonticus]

YES! I would love to hear your takes on all of the seasons. Hearing your input now is interesting both as just a good review of the episodes in and of itself, and it is also fun for me because at the time these shows originally aired, I loved them all equally and uncondtionally with the hubris and "blank slateness" of youth. Now, when I rewatch them, I find some of them have aged well and some, obviously, haven't, so it is *VERY* interesting for me personally to hear you disect the why of that. And I would love to hear you go on and do that for the rest of the series. Either way, though, thanks for your insights on the first two seasons! I look forward to rewatching these takes every now and then throughout the years!

[@BigNoseDog]

37:32 Shades of Grey didn’t come about because of budgetary issues. It was the result of the writers’ strike. That same year, other shows had to resort to doing clip shows because they too had no scripts. What makes this one especially awful is that the show only had two seasons worth of material to mine and we already know how bad most of that was. You can’t make a good highlight reel when you have few highlights.

[@OrangeRiver]

It was the result of both, though you're correct to point out that other shows suffered from the same lack of scripts as well. The classic story is that they had used up their budget on special effects in the earlier episodes, unless you're claiming that story is an outright lie -- which I wouldn't rule out :/

[@jansenart0]

I wonder at what point TNG passed the Bechdel test.

[@jaffanyhughes4516]

Yeah, the only reason that the discussion to murder the helpless infant in the child doesn't get any worse is that they actually believe it could pose a threat to the whole ship. Fortunately, starfleets dedication to life would harden, showing a hatred of killing innocents in episodes such as the masterpiece society and I, Borg. Now if only real societies could stop butchering children

[@quantafreeze]

I liked Pulaski too. She showed growth. Elementary Dear Data is one of my favorites! I've often wondered if Okana was a backdoor pilot? Its just so out of place with a typical episode.

[@grassojerry1081]

Yes, do the rest of the seasons. You are informative and entertaining.

[@lancebaylis3169]

This was a lot of fun to listen to. Please do Seasons 3 - 7, I'd love to hear what you think about the uptick in quality.

[@fred40587]

the holodeck at 13:10 also had "Ronald B Moore" on it

[@agoffgrid640]

I absolutely would enjoy more seasons broken down..this and your season 1 are good videos

[@shophet125]

21:59 this episode was called "the quarter pounder" in America

[@purplehazel4615]

Yes, all seasons please. Then all the others... DS9, Voyager, Enterprise... there can never be too much Tyler geeking out on Trek!! ❤🖖🏻👽

[@erikalcala06]

I also want you to do all the seasons.

[@Raphmatic5000]

I'd love to hear your perspective on the entire series, I was 3 when season 1 aired, and I have fond memories of watching the show growing up, and I actually enjoy some of the really bad episodes, but that's just the warm fuzzy feeling of nostalgia. I like seeing other perspectives, especially from people younger than me.

[@MrJohndoakes]

32:05 If the host doesn't point this out, this episode nearly made Colm Meany leave the show because the characters/caricatures were just **that** over the top. I think they were trying to make them Irish Travellers and hoo boy, the ball was dropped. Hard.

[@OrangeRiver]

See? I'm glad you pointed this point, because it's exactly correct. I wish more people knew this or maybe they wouldn't try to gaslight me so hard (I know, wishful thinking)

[@alexanderbusch8014]

Just found out about your channel and almost instantly subcribed :D And I would like to belive, that we all can agree to love to hear you talk about all the other seasons of TNG :D Keep up the good work!

[@OrangeRiver]

Welcome Alexander!

[@TWGarg]

Diana Muldaur was also guesting on LA Law at about the same time. She played an equally abrasive character, and got one of the most disrespectful and hilarious kill-offs in tv history. Look up Rosalind Shays She brought that interpersonal conflict that makes for good stories and disappointed Gene so much.

[@yetinother]

Yes yes yes! All the seasons will spice up our life! Thanks for all you do!

[@isendahl1054]

Awesome overview. I really appreciate you taking the time to make these vids. Please make more. I'll watch for sure.

[@aj_chan]

You offer a balanced retrospective on these often derided seasons. Because of that, I'd rather see your analysis on the other overlooked seasons from other series (basically the first/second seasons).

[@luvr381]

That first clip from Shades of Gray, the woman at the bar sure looks like Kate Mulgrew.

[@Numba003]

I would definitely enjoy more TNG retrospectives, and maybe some videos on the other Treks too. Thank you for another excellent one here! God be with you out there everybody! ✝️ :)

[@queenredspecial]

I don’t know why everyone hates on Pulaski! I loved her and would have liked cameos in the future. I also love Beverly and am glad she returned.

[@AudioVisual82]

one of your best videos yet, tyler. really prod of your development.

[@artimusprime626]

Great video. One correction though: Riker wasn't threatened with losing his commission if he didn't prosecute against Data in 'The measure of a man', he was told if he didn't, the court would summarily rule against Data. His only hope of saving Data was to argue against him and hope he lost. It gives his position far more tension in the episode, and is the reason why Data thanks him at the end, as he accepted the personal pain of risking losing his friend on the hope of saving him. Another excellent aspect to one of the best written episodes of Trek.

[@iamgeorgesears]

Man, yes, I want to hear about the rest of the seasons! Great coverage.

[@FeedEgg]

I remember seeing time squared on my grandmas giant tv when I was a kid, it scared the poop out of me!

[@WhiteChocolate74]

Your grandma had a giant TV?

[@dang2898]

Loved it. Please do more seasons

[@claytonberg721]

I'd sooner watch season 2 than season 7. I'm probably forgetting an episode or two but the only ones I like from season 7 are lower decks, the one where worf goes to the bat'leth competition and the finale. Season 2 has a 50 percent success rate and considering the writers strike and the strife behind the scenes how they made so many watchable episodes. It's also striking how much better season 3 is.

[@konker420]

I love these break downs. I would love to see you do the rest of TNG. If possible I would love to see this for Voyager and DS9. Your videos are awesome. Your cuts, your jokes, and your mannerisms keep me laughing and watching. It's refreshing to watch a youtub video and not be inundated with political messaging. I don't know your politics and I don't care. We are all Trekky sci fi nerds. That's all that matters. Live long and prosper.

[@BTScriviner]

Love a Friday with a new OrangeRiver video. And add me to the list of wanting to see you do season reviews of the entire series.

[@ClintSprayberry]

RIGHT!! I enjoy looking forward to Orange River videos on Fridays!! Really keeps my spirits up during a grueling work week!

[@syndicalist-0]

I love reviews like this. Thank you for your work

[@billberndtson]

12:48 Yeah, but Teri Hatcher, so...

[@cha02psc]

I always thought it was a shame that they never referenced the Moriarty hologram on Voyager. They essentially created the base code for the EMH programme *by accident*

[@TheLoveMuffins]

100% do the other seasons, I would also say if the series is successful enough in views for you, do DS9 and Voyager as well. DS9 I believe being on-par if not slightly better than TNG.

[@ClanOKeefe]

I’m totally loving this! Yes to seasons 3-7!!

[@Linuxdirk]

The older seasons were filmed in the Eighties. In retrospect not everything was good but back then this is what was state of the art. But looking at this 40 years old content with a not 40 years old point of view just doesn't work well.

[@BL-qs6iq]

Time Squared is one of my favorite tng episodes, mainly because of Stewart's performance.

[@tigerstein]

For some reason the Royale episode is one of my favorite. Don't know why. But it stuck with me. Also yes, do all the seasons, this series is great. (I mean your video, but of course TNG is also great)

[@lildecc9300]

I would love to see individual videos on the remaining seasons of tng! I also really enjoyed the more silly parts of this video. great work as always!

[@purplehazel4615]

Tyler + F-Bomb = 😂

[@OrangeRiver]

😂

[@lildecc9300]

@@purplehazel4615 occasionally

[@MeghanTheShade]

Picard's face at 33:43 had me cracking up, especially given the fact that Lwaxana is pursuing him so aggressively in that episode.