"First Contact" is among the best of Star Trek (all time). IMHO (but also, fight me)

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monji_cat@reddit

Here i am thinking this was about the second TNG crew movie, and then realizing its actually about the proto vulcanoid race episode.....

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I never liked the end resolution in First Contact (s4e15) The Malcors basically say "let's wait and see" based on fear of a social upheaval. But it's going to come out that govt concealed the knowledge- and that upheaval would probably be 10X worse. A more forward-thinking leader would've ripped the band aid.

I did like all the Mirasta stuff. This actress came back to play Romulan Commander Toreth in Face of the Enemy (s6e14) and I hated her as much a I liked Mirasta.

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VeneMage@reddit

I think she’s a fantastic actress too. My only gripe is how she sharply inhales before every line - once you hear it you can’t not notice it each time 😬

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SneakingCat@reddit

I think that episode is pretty well liked. I'm also a fan of Who Watches the Watchers.

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Used-Gas-6525@reddit

Man, if you liked Who Watches The Watchers? you must've loved Insurrection. It's essentially the identical plot. FTR: WWtW is a great episode.

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Tylertheguyler@reddit

Insurrection is about an ancient technologically advanced civilization that lives simply being exploited, pretty different than a bronze age civilization being studied 🤔

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Used-Gas-6525@reddit

Correct me if I'm wrong (I saw it once or twice years ago), but aren't the people in Insurrection being studied very anti technology (by choice)? Both the episode and film had a clandestine/cloaked surveillance system overlooking a non-technological society and then it is exposed to the locals, inciting the core plot. It's not beat for beat, but they're super similar.

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Tylertheguyler@reddit

Fair enough, but the tone and ethos of the stories are worlds apart, while the scaffold (clandestine surveillance of a world without tech) is the same.

There's clear good and bad guys in insurrection, and the world's inhabitants are being taken advantage of to use the de-aging properties of the planet, but they are post-warp and live simply by choice.

Who watches the watchers is more of a story of geopolitical complexity, with accidents and ignorance driving the conflict rather than malevolence... It feels more like a classic trek story where you learn through the thought experiment played out in the episode.

Nerdy rambling over 🙃

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penguins-are-me@reddit

I love Who Watches The Watchers.

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Geochara@reddit

I kind of want to see the Mintakans of the 31st century. Maybe their civilization is developed enough for joining the Federation after 800 years...

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MindlessNectarine374@reddit

Will they remember about the Federation?

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bebopmechanic84@reddit

It’s no Undiscovered Country

But I do love it

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RootbeerninjaII@reddit

You should watch it in the original Klingon

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Ciserus@reddit

It's not as flashy or emotional as the usual candidates for best TNG episodes, but it might be one that best captures the essence of the show. It's probably the episode I would use to introduce someone to TNG.

It digs deep into the "first contact" concept that is one of the most fascinating parts of the Star Trek universe but we almost never see.

I really admire how they pull off the structure of the story, where you spend the whole episode rooting for a certain outcome only to be told it's the wrong outcome. And you realize they're absolutely right, not because anything was hidden from you but because you were too focused on the heroes' perspective.

It was a brave move for them to grant that the radicals were actually right, but for the wrong reasons. This planet should not be part of the Federation. Society needs to function for its most flawed members, not just its best.

It was a level of nuance that was and continues to be rare on mainstream TV.

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JoskoMikulicic@reddit

It is one of my favorite episodes. I also like to play it for someone who hasn't watched any Star Trek to familiarize them with the show before starting from beginning.

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Used-Gas-6525@reddit

Yeah, trying to get someone into TNG with season 1 is just inadvisable. Begin with a good episode and go from there. It's not like there's some big overarching storyline like The Wire or whatever.

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Fun-Tooth-622@reddit

The one where Riker is sexually assaulted?

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GargamelLeNoir@reddit

It's certainly the best movie (which isn't saying that much). But it's not the best Star Trek, simply because it doesn't do much of what makes good Trek: Good clever people solving problems intelligently and morally.

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RealAmbassador4081@reddit

So funny watched it again a couple nights ago after 10+ years. Looks great for an old movie.

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The_Demolition_Man@reddit

This episode just finished on Pluto TV haha.

I agree, its an all time great. I especially love that the Malcorians decide against opening relations and the Federation just...agrees. Its a very mature episode in that it doesnt proselytize or lecture. It acknowledges the reality of the situation and moves on.

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AlarmingLecture0@reddit (OP)

Yep. Watching late night on Pluto is what inspired me.

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Bob4Not@reddit

Yes, absolutely. That episode really was worthy of being a fully featured film.

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Flufnstuf@reddit

It’s my favorite TNG episode but we never learn what happened to Mirasta after she left with the enterprise. I suspect she ended up at the Federation Home for Fish Out of Water with Kirk’s girlfriend from ST4 and Bareesh the little alien kid from Future Imperfect.

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Bhaughbb@reddit

It's right up there with Galaxy Quest.

Not sarcasm.

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BuckyRainbowCat@reddit

Yeah, it's certainly one of my favourites! Some of it is a bit hokey (affectionate), but it's also not afraid to explore emotional depths and implications that were beyond the scope of the episodic, meant-for-syndication tv format of the time. Two standout parts for me:

- when Picard and Lily are in the Dixon Hill program to evade the Borg and he just starts gunning them down with a machine gun. On the surface level - gratuitous Noir violence. Just under the surface - Starfleet was right to keep the Enterprise away from whatever was going on because Picard clearly still has serious unaddressed PTSD from his time as Locutus, for crying out loud it's the 24th century and they still don't know how to treat mental health properly yet

- when Worf & team go outside the ship to stop whatever the Borg are doing to the deflector dish. I feel like the cinematography is really good - tense and claustrophobic, it adds to the emotional and dramatic tension of the scene, and for a franchise that's set in space, we so rarely get to see scenes that take place in space.

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AlarmingLecture0@reddit (OP)

erm.... I meant the TNG episode. Sorry!

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AlarmingLecture0@reddit (OP)

I do indeed mean the TNG episode

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detectivescarn@reddit

Movie or episode?

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AlarmingLecture0@reddit (OP)

Episode! Fair question