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Star Trek: TNG 2x01 Full Reaction! (Patreon)

Published:
2024-03-09 18:00:05
Imported:
2026-06
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Star Trek TNG 2x01 Full Reaction - Sesskasays

Download Full Reaction (3.7 GB) Full Reaction You are now able to stream the full reaction directly from this website. Alternatively, you can download it to your computer using the button underneath the video player. You

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Ryan

The WGA strike that caused The Neutral Zone to turn out the way it did had actually started when Season 2 was being made, but they still managed to create a full season thanks to an unexpected ace in the hole: Before the "Phase 2" spinoff was junked in favor of movies, several scripts had already been written which could be turned into stories with the TNG crew without much trouble. Though for this first one, the original writers weren't happy at all with how it turned out, and Maurice Hurley (now firmly settled as the new show runner after Roddenberry's departure) later admitted he actually hadn't read it himself when he selected it to be the premiere, and was just going off a brief description that Roddenberry gave him. And you have to wonder how even that could make anyone think a story about Troi being forcibly impregnated could ever work, especially with the rest of the crew having an attitude toward it straight out of the notorious Avengers #200, and made even worse by Worf's usual violent strawman argument for the rest to condescendingly shout down being especially justified here. And if that wasn't bad enough, at the same time Hurley had fired Gates McFadden over rejecting a pass from him (which is also why she made that move toward another potential big franchise role seen in The Hunt for Red October), so it's very hard not to see this as him taking further revenge by proxy. In her place we get two-time TOS guest star (the more memorable one being the blind doctor who hooks up with an impossibly ugly alien; boy, did that show's third season get weird) Diana Muldaur, who honestly could have worked if not for a hideous miscalculation that caused the fans to turn against her immediately. In an attempt to replicate the beloved Spock/McCoy dynamic, Pulaski refuses to treat Data as a person and keeps lobbing insults at his not being human. Of course, the problem here is that the very nature of Data's character meant he couldn't fight back like Spock did, so Pulaski comes off as just a bully who's found the easiest target to pick on. The first season was already a rough start for the show, and this premiere didn't do much to assure the fans that it would get better. We're pretty darn lucky that the standards for renewal were so much lighter back then and TNG was allowed to grow into the crown jewel of the franchise it became.

Josef Schiltz

My own reaction to this episode was that it was emotionally disconcerting and disjointed and very uncomfortable in it's concept. As for that 'discussion' in the briefing room as if Deanna wasn't sitting right there and after she's had this violation is greatly disturbing. As Jess said, the only real upside to this was the scene between Will Wheaten and Whoopi Goldberg, Thank goodness for that. The scene at the end, for me illustrates some of the difficulties that arise from the necessity of some series, and I've particularly noticed this in ST TOS, when you have this unnatural lightening of tone after traumatic events when you think, "Honestly, a gazillion people just suffered and died and you're on the bridge joking? What?" that sort of thing just irks! Gallifrey Gals also had much the same reaction to this episode, of discomfort and frank disbelief. Same here. There are few TNG episodes when I thank goodness that it's out of the way. This is one of them.

Thomas Corp

Same here, Jess. Though there were first season episodes that stood out more than others, they all seemed quite fresh and enjoyable, save for one or two, and even then, it was a delight to share them with you. Ergo, I heartily concur with your thoughts of that boding well for what’s to come. Now to this mixed bag of an episode. Yeah, this episode was a lot. Start by saying I loved your reactions to the introduction to Riker’s beautiful beard and the reveal that our dear Geordi is now chief engineer. Then there was your adorable reaction to the puppies. There is the question of where the puppies’ parents are. This episode provides a great introduction to Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan. I love the behind-the-scenes story of how Whoopi made it known that she wanted to be part of the show, even going so far as to say that she’d play Klingon number five. And they gift her with the wonderful character of Guinan who has a strong Yoda energy. And it’s beautifully touching as Whoopi gained the inspiration to become an actress because of our dear Nichelle Nichols as Uhura. Like Whoopi always tells it, when she first saw Nichelle as Uhura, she yelled to her family “Come quick, come quick, there's a black lady on television, and she ain’t no maid!” To then see this fantastic introduction to Guinan is wonderful, and you can tell Whoopi is delighted to be part of the show, and her scenes with Wesley are great. I like that you liked those scenes a lot. Concerning the Not the Messiah style pregnancy plotline. ...Yeah, I’m pretty much in agreement with everything you expressed, especially the reactions that most of the crew had of seeming remarkably calm about the situation, and their open and frank discussion whilst Deanna is sitting right there, and they don’t bother inquiring about if she’s all right, or what her choice is. It recalls the blooby-blob episode from the original series, where I get largely what they were going for, I just wish they had shown more weight, thought, and care to the writing for it. Particularly when dealing with the topics in the episode, which I knew would be elements of the episode you would bristle at knowing your triggers, especially where it concerns consent. When there was objection to armed guard during the kid’s birth, I too was yelling, “How do you know there’s no cause for alarm; that this kid’s not a little Damien in the making!? I can already hear the Jerry Goldsmith music playing, for fuck’s sake!!” The resolution was indeed bizarre, I went, “...Is he dead!?”. And to end with a “Well, that was weird. But all over now. Let’s go, guys.” is odd to the point of insulting. I’m all for Marina getting prominent episodes. I would have liked a better one for her. And that’s all I’ll say about the pregnancy plotline as I’m afraid of anything further I say could be misinterpreted and/or deemed too indelicate or insensitive. I will say, Jess, I understood everything you had to say. I thought what you had to say was very good. Now to the elephant in the room. The absence of our dear beloved Beverly. A surprise to find out you didn’t know about that. The reason for Beverly’s absence is a source of conflicting reports. As I understand it, they originally said that Gates departed for similar reasons that Denise wished to leave leading to Tasha’s death. In actuality, behind-the-scenes politics are to blame. One of the primary writers, Maurice Hurley, had conflicts with Gates over the writing, primarily for the boys’ club atmosphere which she rightfully spoke out against. I see Ryan has commented that Hurley also made a pass at her which she rejected. That combined with the other conflicts lead to him firing her. Gates has spoken about it, saying, and here I quote, “I had been in conflict with one of the male writer-producers about certain things I thought were sexist. What I’ve heard is that he said, “Either she goes, or I go.” I was shocked that they let me go, because I knew my character was really popular. But he was going to be writing more and more and didn’t want to have to deal with me.” Concerning your reactions to Beverly being gone, I’m probably more upset about it than you, though I did appreciate your voicing what you voiced. Which leads to the introduction of Dr. Pulaski. I said before that of the main crew that Wesley is ranked last. Say Dr. Pulaski is included in the ranking of the main crew, she would be ranked last, not just because she’s not Beverly, though that plays a MASSIVE role in that. I do like you are willing to not judge too harshly. I also hear what you’re saying about pitting women against each other, and to be clear, my beef with the character has nothing to do with Diana Muldaur who is great. I hold no ill will toward Diana. Shame the same could not be said for the writing of her character. Main objective issues are they try to make her Bones 2.0, and it just doesn’t click, which primarily is showcased through her scenes with Data in the effort to recreate the type of scenes that Spock and Bones used to have. Ryan sums up the problems with that well. I’ll speak more about it myself later. One such scene where it sticks out like a sore thumb being where she comments on Data not having the human touch, though that did lead to Deanna getting a nice and subtle heartwarming moment of sticking up for Data by classily saying, “Pump your brakes there, Lady. That man is my friend!” I liked your reaction to that. As to how you said you look forward to Beverly’s return, you and me both, Jess. Much though we both wish we could have had a stronger start to the season, this was still a terrific reaction, thank you, Jess.

Tsuliwaensis

honestly, during the 80s and 90s you couldn't watch any science fiction or fantasy series without coming across the dreaded "mystical pregnancy" horror story. I'm so glad we have more women in writing rooms now and that's - well not entirely over, but at least managed. the most jarring element of this episode for me is the stance it takes on abortion. it was very clearly written by someone who believes that good women don't have abortions, no matter what the circumstances of the pregnancy are. a good woman will always be delighted by a surprise pregnancy and love the child unconditionally. so, Deanna Troi is relegated to playing the brainless and senseless saintly martyr who would sacrifice her body, her sense of safety and her peace of mind in order to bring who-knows-what into the world to do whatever. it's depressing shit and not much else. thank goodness they had the little scenes with Wesley and Picard, Wesley and Guinan and Wesley and the bridge crew sprinkled in. otherwise this would've been entirely unwatchable. the episode - not the reaction.

Ian Smith

Considering the behind the scenes Hollywood troubles of 1988, I've always felt that this opening story did the best it possibly could. Whether or not the 'miraculous impregnation' storyline works, Marina Sirtis gives a lovely performance and its good to see her character be more than just That Empathic Woman On The Bridge (who often didn't even appear in Season One stories!). I think the alien pregnancy is a strong concept - what doesn't work for me is the connection with the second storyline. Why does her child cause the deadly microbe to also grow? They appear to be linked in some way (other than thematically), but why and how? Nonetheless (whether through accident or design) the episode very clearly announces that it's not going to tiptoe about uncertainly with it's characters; as it often did (or ignored them altogether) in Season One. Troi's personal situation; Guinan; Pulaski; Wesley growing into adulthood on his own - this is all good character stuff. Troi electing to name her son Ian is, of course, an EXCEPTIONAL and positive character trait!

Alvin Cura

"There were problematic issues of consent" I think is pretty concise and makes perfect sense.