"Star Trek: The Next Generation" Thread (Off-Topic)

by General Vagueness , The Vault of Sass, Monday, May 19, 2014, 00:11 (3848 days ago) @ ncsuDuncan
edited by General Vagueness, Monday, May 19, 2014, 00:32

So how did it go? Is Data now your favorite being ever, or is it Riker, or maybe Worf? It's OK if it's Picard or Geordi, they're fine too. No but really, I don't know who my favorite character is. They all take turns delighting me and once in a while annoying or boring me. I have a place in my heart for Dr. Crusher but it's not as... gooey as the others. Barclay is good in small doses, and that's always how he shows up, so it works out. Chief O'Brien was a good straight man and average crew member with enough details to be interesting at times, I felt. I will counter the sentiment that counselor Troi was useless or pointless or had no reason to be there other than plot points set up for her:
- Lwaxana Troi-- one of the best things about the show, also better in small doses and delivered in small doses; she couldn't be quite the character she is without her daughter
- sometimes she did actual therapy work with crew members
- there was an episode where she lost her unique ability and I thought it was interesting and a nice exploration of her character
- in one of the later seasons she has to kind of step up to the plate as far as leadership and how that plays out kind of makes me cringe, but because of the situation and the character and how they go together, so kind of in a good way, and it's followed up in at least one later episode, so she does get some development (unlike most of the things that happen to Geordi)
- most of the glimpses into her Betazoid heritage, at least for me, were interesting
Which all brings me to something else, actually-- if you're watching Star Trek for sci-fi, and looking at it in a critical scientific light, you might not enjoy it-- because it's not really about sci-fi and to a large extent it's not about sci-fi premises or themes, it's about people and their obstacles (and even with money and its quirks removed as an obstacle 99% of the time and disease removed as an obstacle over 80% of the time, that can still be interesting).
Anyway, I was asking about you.