Star Trek The Next Generation

by **Darkwing** 2009-08-17, 22:31

Here is my first review of Star Trek.

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Seasons 1-7

General Overview:
Star Trek The Next Generation was overall a fairly successful series, that redefined Star Trek for the general population, creating two spin offs based on the same format/style of the show. Like most series’ it had its ups and downs, but overall was a fairly decent show that remained for the most part consistent in the story telling and the adventures of the USS Enterprise.

Acting:
ST:TNG had a very large main cast which I felt was just a little too much. I found that sometimes the show tried to focus on too many characters, and there were too many main characters to set up, which caused character backgrounds to take a longer time than normal to set-up.
The weight of the acting is pulled by veteran actor Patrick Stewart. Due to his theatrical background, his performances tended to be more theatrical then film, but it lended well to the character, which does have many similarities to Patrick Stewart. Picard wasn’t the brash strong leader that Captain Kirk of the original series was, but rather a more peaceful grandfather character. Patrick Stewart does an exceptional job pulling off the character of Jean-Luc Picard, and it felt as if he personally connected with the character, which added depth and emotion to the character.

Brent Spiner plays the android named Data, ops officer of the Enterprise. Data was always a particularly interesting character I found, mostly because he was emotionless and android, but had the ambition and will to be as human as possible. This lead to some very interesting character moments throughout the series. Brent Spiner does an excellent job of portraying somebody trying to feel, but it is impossible for the character to feel. He managed to create a sort of caring for Data, as if he were an orphaned child, one with no parents or family. The character also had an intriguing background which was surrounded in mystery and darkness. Of all the characters in the show, i is ironic that Data would be the one to make the most human choices and ultimately sacrifices. There are a lot of wonderful quirks about the character, something I believe Spiner to have injected into the character as he seems to be somewhat like Data in real life.

Will Riker was the character that symbolized adventure and loyalty. Jonothan Frakes was an interesting choice for this role, as he has to almost pull off an Indiana Jones in outer space. I felt like his acting was sometimes empty, or sometimes too repetitive. It felt like his character was supposed to be the one to attract girls to the show and that’s all he was there for. He did have some good moments. Some of Frakes’ best acting in the show is in the two-parter “The Best of Both Worlds”. Frakes does an amazing job at the end of the first part when he has to make the decision to fire upon the borg cube and consequently Picard. Frakes’ face displays turmoil, but knowing, as he knows what he has to do, and he has the guts to do it too, as he realizes what is at stake.

Geordi, Worf, Crusher and Troi were the more secondary characters in the show. To me these characters felt somewhat limited both in their depth/background, but a lot in their acting. Marini Sirtis is my least favourite character in the show, I felt that her character was just too weird in some instances, and she always talked in the same tone/voice. She seemed somewhat limited in her expressions and abilities to go beyond what was written on the page. Geordi and Worf were both well acted, the downfall is mostly in the fictional characters themselves, especially with Geordi’s character. He was a a character that never really got much background time but despite that, the character is well acted and believable. Worf was an interesting character, mostly due to the inner conflict in himself. Michael Dorn does a very good job of this angry character, but yet peaceful. Dorn’s portrayal of Worf makes him dangerous and angry, yet adorable and lovable, an interesting combination. Gates McFadden does an extraordinary job of Doctor Crusher. Though one of my least favourite doctors in Star Trek, her connections to Picard gave the character some interesting depth that some of the other characters lacked. She seems to be more of a theatrical actor as well, and was able to take the screen whenever her usually brief sequences were shown.

Finally, there was Wesley Crusher. The problem with this character was really just the character itself and not so much the acting. It was simply a mistake to have a brainiac teenage boy as a part of the show, but while he was there, at least the acting was half decent for someone so new to acting at the time. I believe it was more of a production mistake and less of an acting mistake with the character of Wesley.

Story:
The series started out kind of shakily, re-doing TOS episodes and the quality of the stories was...unorganized. The stories finally became substantial after the second season, though some pivotal storylines were set-up like Q Who. Once the series became organized, they were fairly creative and entertaining, and remained that way throughout the rest of the series. The series did include some of the best episodes in all of Trek history, including Best of Both Worlds and All Good Things. It did have its low spots from time to time, but generally, the quality of stories were entertaining and thought provoking, a quality that has been lost in Trek over the years.

Cinematography
The episodes for the most part are fairly well shot, though I wouldn’t consider the series as a whole to have consistently engaging shots and explorations of new ways to shoot things. TNG did utilize an impressive SFX system, and I give full points for the exploration of different techniques of their special effects sequences. The quality remains very good even by today’s standards and still even impresses me from time to time. I did dislike the re-use of some SFX shots, especially during Best of Both Worlds, it proved that the budget was lacking at that point, and that they were running out of time, but otherwise very well done. The series used a plethora of sound effects, expanding upon the amazing soundscapes of TOS. It maintained a level of excellence and continued to create the amazing universe of Star Trek.

Final Consensus
A very good series once you get past the first two seasons. This series managed to create a new section of the Star Trek universe, yet keep it fresh and original, but kept on par with the original series. The series for the most part had a strong cast and explorative stories, which makes this an entertaining show to watch over and over, so I give the series an average of 7.5/10, but excluding some of the rough spots, more of an 8/10.