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UNCUT - TNG Season 4 Recap Discussion

🕑 Added 2024-11-24 23:30:48 +0000 UTC

Comments

ET

what happened to the whiskey!? S4 forevah! On to the next masterpiece of a season

penoyer79

close enough

penoyer79

we got a little way to go yet. DS9 doesn't start until after TNG s6e11

Collin Freeman

Agreed. Gene was a great idea man, but not so great a writer, and his writing did not improve by the time TNG hit the small screen.

Joe Green

you guys are gonna dig ds9

Prof Moff

Good reminder. I have to catch up the TOS sex score board through ST V by then

Prof Moff

Weasely, Broccoli, Dorf. Do we have any other lovingly given nicknames? I mean Dr. Beverly but that does not really feel nicknamey.

Josh (Target Audience)

Yes, that is when we are watching it. Will be early January for Patreon.

Leyton Jay

Not sure if anyone's mentioned it, but you guys have to watch Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country soon right? Between episodes 9 and 10 of Season 5 I think. ST:VI was released Dec 6 1991, episode 9 was Nov 18 and there were no episodes until Dec 30. You seem to take so many breaks in the US, in the UK we make Christmas Specials of our best shows. We watch Doctor Who on Christmas Day immediately before a soap opera where someone's entire life will crumble tragically in public or an entire pub explodes. We go straight through with high drama, death and sometimes murder and plane crashes on the "happiest day of the year". In EastEnders if you say "this'll be the best Christmas Walford's ever had" you are certain to die screaming on Christmas Day.

James Knight

With Q the writers/ Roddenberry dug a hole by having him put humanity on trial with the threat of complete erasure from existence in Season 1, and then him introduce the Federation to the big, bad, op Borg in Season 2. So in Season 3 they temporarily removed his powers and then in Season 4 he's fairly tame, in both cases allowing other enemies to shine as a bigger threat. Now you're approaching the post Roddenberry era, so it'll be interesting to see your reactions to how things play out.

Angelaina Marie

I think there's like, ONE. And I honestly don't remember for sure but I THINK episode titles used to get previewed in like TV guide, and certainly in the teasers. Although, I simply don't recognize ANY of these episode teasers, as I vigorously muted and ignored commercials from an early age.

Sam Langanke

Dorf means village in German. Makes just no sense.

Column Meanie

Yeah, saying a thing doesn’t make it so.

Sam Langanke

I agree with Owen. I remember Klingon episodes felt very rare so they always were something special. But I also think Joash and Alex were right that an additional episode would have been better for Worf's story.

Sam Langanke

Why ironically? Gene wasn't a good writer. His TMP novel proves it.

Jovet

I think they're all rather benign.

Jovet

Forever!

Josh (Target Audience)

Thanks! Hopefully the set will look much better soon!

T’Pynyn of Vulcan

When I first watched season one, I liked everything about it because I was so happy for more Star Trek. I never believed it could happen. The new set looks great! Thanks for the recap discussion. It is great too!

James Knight

Commander Tebok. ;)

Tony B

He'll always be Dorf to me

Josh (Target Audience)

It doesn’t escape us, it’s just irrelevant to our journey

Regan

I was thinking more about the guest stars, writers and director than the episode titles.

Nolan

There are times where the titles or credits spoil, but the show still acts like they were shooting the show with a potential surprise in mind. Look at Crusher's entrance in Season 3 for example. Her first scene, she's got her back to the camera, her hair is styled short and somewhat curly, just like Pulaski's, and then she turns into camera. If her name hadn't have been in the credits, I feel that woulda been a pop moment.

Nolan

Honestly, the episode titles thing was MOSTLY for "Sarek" as far as I was concerned. Moving forward I don't think it matters as much.

James Bottas

😆

Column Meanie

The other thing they don’t realize is that when these things first aired, we were informed by episode trailers that would air the entire week before, TV Guide ads which would show pictures of characters, etc. These episodes simply weren’t designed to keep guest actors secret until their appearance (unless it was plot crucial, like Denise Crosby in Redemption). In fact if the episode had Q in it, that fact was heavily advertised to bring in the viewers. But that fact continues to escape TA.

Josh (Target Audience)

You’re right, but I will still hold it against them 😆

Josh (Target Audience)

I don’t think we are watching like a hawk.. it shows the episode title on screen for 5 seconds while nothing else is happening.

Randy Benton

I find this recap fascinating.

Ron Hubbard Jr

Gul Macet - Marc Alaimo

thebeefmaster

There is only one episode title that I would recommend that you avoid in season 5. That would be episode 23. All others are quite ambiguous.

Ron Hubbard Jr

Star Trek celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1991 during TNG season 5 and Star Trek VI. It’s hard to believe that was 33 years ago!

Regan

I think the one thing that Josh and Alex may have not considered is that the VAST majority television viewers don't pay any attention at all to the episode-specific names appearing on screen after the opening credits sequence. The names didn't spoil things for us back in the day because we weren't watching them like a hawk the way you two do. We were paying attention to the actual scene and filtering the remaining credits out.

Ron Hubbard Jr

Gul Macet

Josh (Target Audience)

Maybe, but I always struggle to use reasoning like this when you could say the same thing about literally anything in the series and it doesn’t always materialize to us that way. It could definitely be a part of it for sure though.

Turtleboy

Ironically, the writing got better when Gene Roddenberry became less involved

Owen Madden

You guys experienced Worf's saga from beginning to end in a matter of a few months. I think having to watch this buildup over the course of 2-3 year then come to a head is probably why it's more impactful on the Trek Veterans.

penoyer79

I think Wil Wheaton went off to college and that's why he left.

penoyer79

Marc Alaimo played Gul Mercet. He's been in a bunch of stuff... the one that comes to mind is TOTAL RECALL. he played the head cop soldier on Mars.

Collin Freeman

Might have to do a top 20 list instead of a top 10 for this season, which would be completely understandable in my mind. It is truly a great season. Great discussion, guys. Looking forward to season 5 and Star Trek VI.

James Bottas

Hell of a season. With regards to stuff like the credits being spoilers or not.. I'd recommend just taking it as a sign of what the writer's/show's intent was. If they put someone's name right up front, then they did not intend a surprise. I know that sounds obvious, but I'm just saying, can't hold it against them for not delivering a surprise they never promised you in the first place. On the flip side, when they do hide someone's name, like Denise's.. surprise was clearly the entire goal. But yeah, maybe the whole keeping the titles a secret-thing created a minor problem in this case, by altering your expectations. It was still pretty worth it for at least a couple episodes like Q Who and Sarek. I don't think any other TNG titles going forward indicate what's happening in the episode in obvious ways any more, so that can be relaxed as you said.