6 Reasons to Love TNG Season 1

6 Reasons to Love TNG Season 1

When Star Trek TOS got cancelled in 1969, I;m sure no one imagined that it would eventually come back from the dead. Then in 1977, Star Wars came out and everyone tried to get a piece of the sci-fi action. Star Trek got a major motion picture following partial development of a new television series. The first film spun off numerous sequels and by 1986, Star Trek was back on top. Hence, Star Trek The Next Generation was conceived.

The first couple of seasons take a lot of flack due to numerous things that were going on behind the scenes. But mostly, people rib it for the recycling of scripts meant for the ill-fated Phase II project. These scripts ranged from the borderline weird to the downright outlandish and at times they could even be considered completely nonsensical. Needless to say, there are quite a few sources out there that have pointed out the flaws in season 1 in the past so today, we’re going to look at some of the strengths.

1. Psi 2000: The Original Series wasn’t exactly known for using tight continuity in their stories. In fact, it wasn’t until “The Cage” was finally aired in the 80’s that two TOS episodes actually continued each other’s stories. When TNG first premiered, the idea was used to include McCoy in the story to kind of give the new cast and crew a proper send off. However, the second episode of the series, “The Naked Now”, took that idea several steps further. It’s a direct sequel to the TOS episode “The Naked Time” The terrain was mostly unexplored at that point, but the episode played beautifully. The setup was exactly the same as the Original Series episode, right down to someone taking a shower in their clothes. The comedic script hit every point just right and the tension built throughout is exciting. At this point, it would have been really easy to just transpose the new characters onto a TOS counterpart, but great lengths were taken to ensure that each character was their own person. It was truly a classic episode and it paved the way for more cross continuity throughout the franchise that eventually led to Star Trek becoming one of the first Cinematic Universes.
2. Dixon Hill: The episode “The Big Goodbye” introduced audiences to Picard’s alter ego, Private Investigator Dixon Hill. While the character wasn’t used a ton, it did become a beloved facet of Trek lore and it paved the way for many fantastic holodeck adventures to come. From Data and Geordi playing out Sherlock Holmes mysteries, to  VIc Fontaine’s dive, to Captain Proton, the course was set and the formula was proven. It turned out to be a formula that would bring several great episodes, like DS9’s “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” and it gave audiences a unique way to grow closer to their beloved characters.
3. Q: The list just wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of Q. The character started the whole journey, after all. Usually, omnipotent characters are boring, but the decision to use Q as the human perspective character in the show made for some interesting storytelling. Here is a being that knows all that there is to know in the universe and yet he can’t understand what it means to be human. The tactic paid off as the Q character went on to appear in both DS9 and Voyager. And the episodes never failed to entertain.
4. Lore: I’m sure that for Brent Spiner, portraying the Data character presented a number of unique challenges, mostly due to the android being devoid of emotion (although he does appear to exhibit an awful ot of emotion during the first two seasons). However, early on in the show, Spiner got to flex a few extra acting muscles while portraying Lore, Data’s brother. The character was the yang to Data’s yin. Where Data was awkward and un feeling, Lore was deeply aware of his emotions. Data was honest and trusting. Lore was duplicitous and conniving. They complimented one another very nicely and it opened a gateway to explore Data’s origins as the show progressed, which only served to make audiences love the character more. Taking an otherwise potentially flat character and making him more multi-faceted, Lore became a fine addition to the Trek mythology.
5. Romulans!: It’s pretty well known that when TNG aired, the Ferengi were supposed to serve as the primary adversary to the Federation. However, just go back and watch the episode where they’re introduced and you’ll quickly begin to understand why this would have been a bad idea. Sure the Ferengi were cunning, duplicitous and volitile, but they just lacked a certain je ne sais quois (It was the ears). But Roddenberry insisted that TNG stand on its own legs and from that frustration and desperation, awesomeness was realized. I don’t know who exactly had the idea to bring back the Romulans to the show, but they weren’t getting paid nearly enough! Two of the best episodes of TOS featured the Romulans. They had been set up to be steeped in mystery and they’d proven to be a formidable adversary intellectually, which made them a perfect adversary for the TNG crew with their more pacifist view of the universe. Their reintroduction in “The Neutral Zone” couldn’t have been more perfect. The tense moments of vulnerability while the ship is cloaked and then the grand reveal as the Romulans de-cloak nose to nose with the Enterprise. I tell you, whenever I see that scene, I still get chills. The payoff goes well beyond TNG, too. The Romulans became major players in DS9, and they even managed to cause a few incidents during Voyager.
6. Remmick: Alright, I know I'm going to take some lumps with this entry, but hear me out. Remmick first appears in the episode, "Coming of Age". He's portrayed as a glorified bean counter whose sole purpose in life is to find something, anything wrong with the Enterprise and Picard. He probably would have gone so far as to invent a problem had he been allowed to continue. Needless to say, by the end of the episode, the audience is made to hate him. He makes a second appearance in the universally panned episode, "Conspiracy". In this episode, the Starfleet brass have mostly all been seized by parasites that are using the bodies of these officers to exercise their own agenda and take over the Federation. Remmick as it so happens, is the leader of these parasites. The episode became the foundation for what would eventually become the Borg, one of the most destructive and fearsome adversaries ever used in the Trek mythos. In fact, other aspects of the lore created around Remmick later got used as te basis for some of the Founder lore in DS9 and the lore of Species 8472 in Voyager. Sure, the special effects were super cheesy, but they were done in only a week and on a television budget in 1988. I'd say that't pretty impressive. Also, once you get past the special effects and some of the lesser points of the story, the overall plot is extremely fascinating and the tone manages to do its job exceptionally well. The feelings of tension and foreboding that the writers imbued the episode with are just incredible and the fact that the story did not end on a nice, happy note with everything tied up neatly just added to that. Indeed, that technique would be used many, many more times in Star Trek and especially where the Borg were concerned. The episode filled you with dread and just left you feeling vulnerable and for that, I think it deserves a place on this list.

There you have it. Six viable reasons to love, or at least not hate, TNG season 1. Yes, there were some Sure there were some silly things being done, but amid all the missteps, a foundation was being laid that would lead to a rich mythology and hundreds of hours of seriously entertaining television. So next time you see Armus, just smile inwardly and think to yourself, “We couldn’t have done it without you, buddy.”