From: kanamori@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Atsushi Kanamori)
Subject: Re: Series' beginnings
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 13:49:57 GMT

In article <s914rINNnh1@network.ucsd.edu> intertxt@network.ucsd.edu (Jason Snell) writes:
>In article <9204120533.AA22655@rachael.CFSMO.Honeywell.COM> ottoh3@CFSMO.Honeywell.COM (Otto Heuer #3) writes:
>>
>>Someone (sorry, the article was too long for me to sift through
>>to get an attribution) started comparing TOS's "Where No Man
>>Has Gone Before" to TNG's "Encounter at Farpoint".
>>
>>This is interesting, because I was just thinking to myself that
>>almost EXACTLY half the TNG episodes have been better and half
>>have been worse than the original two-hour premier.
>>
>>On the other hand, at least 90% of the TOS episodes were better
>>than WNMHGB.  From such a lame beginning, it was extremely hard
>>for them to come up with a worse piece of dreck than the opener.
>>The only ones that come to mind right now are "Charlie X",
>>"The Doomsday Machine", and "And the Children Shall Leave."
>>At least "Spock's Brain" and "The Way to Eden" were fun to 
>>laugh at.
>>
>
>Wow, Otto, I think you're totally out of the water here. 

It's not unusual. I've always thought of Otto as the second most 
out-of-the-water r.a.s. tide-bucker (behind me, of course :-) 

>TNG is indeed a sorry
>show if "Encounter at Farpoint" is the midpoint in episode quality. 

Well, I gave it a "C" which is around midpoint in TNG quality (slightly
higher than midpoint, actually.)

>"EaF" is a
>hideous episode. Worst acting I've ever seen in a TV series? Well, yeah, Don
>Rickles in "CPO Sharkey," but second up is Denise Crosby's "You've gone too
>far.." speech to Q in "EaF." 

Crosby was awful, I agree, but that was about five lines worth. Most
of the regulars were acceptable. I didn't care for the guest stars though --
DeLancie camped up the Q role way too much for my taste (the way he mugs
when wearing that "drug-warrier" outfit on the bridge especially comes to
mind) and the guy who played Groppler Zorn overacted his role. 


>Makes me SICK to this day. Couple that with "I
>sense pain.." repeatedly from Troi. Mix in a boring and transparent plot about
>space jellyfish, and you've got more of a TOS parody than a real episode. the
>show's only satisfying bits are the introductions to the characters
>(Picard/Riker, Bev/Wes, Bev/Picard, Riker/Data) and the Data/McCoy scene.

I'll agree with the last statement, but I tend to give it more weight
than you do. It's pretty par for the course as a pilot -- though as I said 
elsewhere, starting with a strong plot and fleshing out the characters more 
slowly would have been an interesting alternative.


>The thing was padded more than a Chicago Bears lineman. Yuck. I recall liking
>it at the time (and still liked it after having to watch "Code of Honor"..),
>but in retrospect it really was a vile piece of junk with few redeeming
>characteristics.

It was weak, but it wasn't vile. JUSTICE, or NEW GROUND -- *that's* vile.


>Now, to flame point #2: "Where No Man Has Gone Before," which, in my mind, is
>one of TOS' best episodes. 

Yep.


>I won't argue with you about the idiocy of "Charlie X", "Spock's Brain", or
>"The Way to Eden", "And the Children Shall Lead", "The Cloudminers"..
>though your choice of "Doomsday Machine" also baffles me. 

As does me. I thought it was a fine episode -- it combined action and
character drama with plenty of crackling personal conflict, humor
and some of the best music ever to appear on TOS. One of my favorite
TOS episodes.



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TNG Lifelines: From "Yesterday's Enterprise" To "Cause & Effect" --
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