Worst of Star Trek: TNG Season 1
The Five Weakest Episodes of the Next Generation's First Year
Dec 18, 2008
In September of 1987, anticipation among the terminally geeky was at a fever pitch. At the end of September, the first episode of a new Star Trek series was due to premier and for Trekkies around the world, September 28, 1987 was an early Christmas.
Sadly, the first episode, Encounter at Farpoint, was far from the action packed space adventure that many expected, focusing instead on character relationships and a somewhat obvious morality tale. Fans were left hopeful that it would get better, but generally underwhelmed.
Underwhelmed is a word heard repeatedly in relation to the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episodes were generally mediocre, at best, as writers, directors, producers and actors struggled to define both the characters and the show itself. While there were occasional flashes of brilliance, the bad generally outweighed the good in season one. Thankfully, the show would take a distinct upturn in its second season.
Code of Honor
Any episode that revolved around Tasha Yar was likely doomed from the outset. Denise Crosby's wooden delivery would work reasonably well when she was recast as a Romulan, but as the Enterprise's security officer she just grated on viewer's nerves. Add a poorly filmed and choreographed fight inside an alien jungle gym and watch a complete episode meltdown.
The Last Outpost
Probably the best of the worst, but still an awful episode. The Ferengi make their first appearance and rather than a new race to fear, fans met a new race to mock. For some inexplicable reason, the alien guardian of the outpost backs down from Riker after hearing a quote from Sun Tzu. Also of note, the introduction of what might be the silliest weapon in science fiction history, the energy whip.
Justice
Aside from an abundance of well toned flesh on display, the poorly acted, poorly scripted episode is silly, predictable and unsatisfying. Between Beverly Crusher's overwrought moments and Wesley Crusher's underwrought ones, the episode simply collapses under the weight of awful acting.
Angel One
With the abundance of beautiful women desperate for acting work in Hollywood, it is simply unbelievable that the female guest cast of this episode could be so uniformly awful. From the stilted, embarrassing (yet somehow successful) attempt by the planetary leader to seduce Riker to the stilted, embarrassing modeling of Riker's outfit, Angel One was an utter failure.
Too Short a Season
Clothes make the man, but makeup can ruin an episode. The transparently obvious "old man" makeup on the young guest star playing the aged admiral blew the premise for the audience from the moment he appeared on screen. Throw in an over the top villain, the less than quality acting from the young guest star and some awkward "May - December" moments with the admiral's wife and the result is almost unwatchable.
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