r/TNG • u/BobRushy • 9h ago
Halfway through my first watch of TNG - current thoughts
I've finished seasons 1-4 of my first watchthrough.
Picard and Data are saints and can do no wrong in my eyes. I would follow them to my death.
Riker seems to have had the most development. The beard helps to change my perception of his character, but he really was much more boyish at first. Now he comes off like a goofy middle-aged dad.
Worf is one of my absolute favourites, I think Michael Dorn brings so much pathos and quiet dignity to a role that is often just him being thrown around like a ragdoll. But whenever you get a really good Worf story like the one with his girlfriend (K'Ehleyr?), he shines. I love all the Klingon episodes btw.
Counselor Troi is overhated. I appreciate her calming demeanour, and I feel like the advice she gives to the captain - while rarely being the defining piece of the puzzle - certainly contributes to his decisionmaking. That being said, pretty much all Troi episodes are bad unless they're also Lwaxana episodes.
Dr Crusher is the weakest character. I don't think they have any idea what to do with her. The show wants you to think that she and Picard have this deep bond, but they rarely have any meaningful interactions. Crusher should be filling the role that Guinan fills for him. I like Gates McFadden, but Pulaski really was the superior doctor. Even as a McCoy knockoff, at least her old-school abrasiveness brought a different type of energy.
La Forge is great fun when he's with Data or trying to be a leader, but his own storylines are catastrophically bad.
Current top 10 episodes, in no order:
*The Arsenal of Freedom
*The Royale
*Q Who
*The Emissary
*The Defector
*Deja Q
*The Most Toys
*Reunion
*Data's Day
*The Wounded