# I'm watching ST: The Next Generation from the beginning **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181 "2012-02-27T20:20:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/61 "2012-02-29T16:51:49Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > \*\*Jonathan \*\*- you owe it to yourself to watch TNG in sequence, then graduate on to DS9. You’ll thank me later 🙂 But stop there. GO NO FURTHER. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/62 "2012-02-29T17:21:55Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > He did say “Merde” in this episode, which made me smile. Did he? I thought I was remembering that utterance from another episode, where Geordi and Data screwed up by letting the holodeck construct a Dr. Moriarty who was smart enough to outwit Data ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/63 "2012-02-29T17:32:15Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Did he? I thought I was remembering that utterance from another episode, where > > Geordi and Data screwed up by letting the holodeck construct a Dr. Moriarty who was smart enough to outwit Data No, he said it very softly during this episode. I mean he may have said it in the other one, too, I haven’t gotten there yet. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/64 "2012-02-29T17:39:01Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I can’t believe how much the writers jizz in their pants about Westley. Worf too! [Literally!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQQHJukwsLs) (Maybe NSFW? Can clips from ST:TNG really be NSFW though?) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/65 "2012-02-29T17:51:22Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > The Ferengi were rather animalistic, and not how I remember Quark at all, but he’s from DS9 isn’t he? I presume things have changed by then. Yes, the first appearance of the Ferengi was a complete misstep. The original idea was for them to be the new **big scary enemy** of the Federation, but since, as you say, they resembled a bunch of monkeys, no one could take them seriously, so they were quickly cleaned up and relegated to comic relief. > [@teela\_brown](#): > > Did he? I thought I was remembering that utterance from another episode I’m sure Picard says _merde_ at least twice over the course of the series. There’s also that jaunty French marching song he warbles a couple of times. ([“Auprès de Ma Blonde”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aupr%C3%A8s_de_ma_blonde)) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/66 "2012-02-29T18:54:14Z")
Found this: > [@](#): > > Despite Picard having been born in France, he had a distinct English accent. According to TNG: “Code of Honor”, by the 24th century, French was considered an archaic language, but Picard may have spoken French with his family during childhood and he still remembered French children’s songs like “Frère Jacques,” as mentioned in TNG: “Disaster” (and played by him on the Ressikan flute in TNG: “The Inner Light”). He also occasionally cursed “merde” in times of stress, such as in “The Last Outpost” and “Elementary, Dear Data”, and spoke at least basic French (“11001001”). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/67 "2012-02-29T18:58:34Z")
In _Generations_, Picard’s fantasy life included an “English Christmas.” ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/68 "2012-02-29T19:03:26Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > In _Generations_, Picard’s fantasy life included an “English Christmas.” And he likes tea and Shakespeare. Obviously French people can like those things, but for a character that was supposed to be French, they seemed to go out of their way to give him a bunch of British interests on top of his accent. I never got why they didn’t just give the character a British name. I guess Captain Nigel just sounded less cool. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/69 "2012-02-29T19:09:02Z")
Hey, one of _my_ fantasies is a nice old English Christmas! I mean, I agree they gave him a lot of British interests, but that’s what I’m saying; characters can have a lot of interests out of their race - I have a ton of British interests myself. Of course, that doesn’t explain why he doesn’t have many French interests…but at this age I have very few Indian interests and yet firmly hold on to my heritage. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/70 "2012-02-29T19:13:17Z")
I’m doing the exact same thing! My fiancee and I started about a month ago (well, did original series before Xmas and then the movies). She’s not seen much of it before. I think she’s enjoying it - she’s normally very difficult to impress. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/71 "2012-02-29T19:17:34Z")
And I should add, I do still swear in Hindi if you catch me just right. 🙂 Hi, Malden! ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/72 "2012-02-29T19:29:35Z")
Hi, Anaamika 🙂 They do have Picard speak French on occasion (although I smirked on a very early episode when someone reference French as being a forgotten language or something like that). And I remember an episode where he sings French folk songs. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/73 "2012-02-29T19:46:54Z")
I’m kind of amused by how people always harp on Jean-Luc Picard having a British accent, but no one ever complains about the equally-Gallic named Geordi LaForge having an American accent. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/74 "2012-02-29T19:50:27Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Do they ever explain why Picard makes that lazy hand wave every single time he says “engage”? It looks like he’s trying to cast a spell or something (Magic missile probably). Well, there is a name for the standing up and pulling down on your shirt thing. It’s called the “Picard Maneuver.” Because the tops of the uniform had a way of creeping up when you sat down. > **[Urban Dictionary: Picard maneuver](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Picard%20maneuver)** > > Picard maneuver: When \[Captain Picard\] \[tugs\] the bottom of his \[tunic\] after standing up. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/75 "2012-02-29T19:50:48Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m kind of amused by how people always harp on Jean-Luc Picard having a British accent, but no one ever complains about the equally-Gallic named Geordi LaForge having an American accent. It’s not the same, I submit. It’s not like Geordi talks about his past or swears in Celtic or Gallic or whatever. Plus, the French accent is kind of ridiculous except on a really hot girl\*. And I say this knowing the Indian accent is far more ridiculous and really good for nothing but humor and defusing tense situations. \*Ok, Patrick Stewart is one of the few men that could pull it off and make it sexy too. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/76 "2012-02-29T19:52:57Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m kind of amused by how people always harp on Jean-Luc Picard having a British accent, but no one ever complains about the equally-Gallic named Geordi LaForge having an American accent. I just know you’re whooshing. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/77 "2012-02-29T20:11:59Z")
Last night I watched about the first 20 minutes of “Encounter at Farpoint” in HD. It looked really good. I liked seeing O’Brien before he had a name. But my God, it was horrible ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/78 "2012-02-29T20:23:48Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > The Ferengi were rather animalistic, and not how I remember Quark at all, but he’s from DS9 isn’t he? I presume things have changed by then. But you really started to get a feel for what both Data and Riker are going to do with their roles when given a little room. That is indeed Armin Shimmerman playing the monkey-like Ferengi Letek. Quark was an entirely different Ferengi character played by the same guy. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/79 "2012-02-29T20:25:23Z")
As I recall, Colm Meaney (O’Brien) read the script one day and was furious at whoever this “OBrien” was that was replacing him. “It’s okay, they gave you a name,” they replied. Was Encounter at Farpoint the one where they had some of the men walking around in miniskirts? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181/80 "2012-02-29T20:28:50Z")
Yes, in early episodes some male crewmembers wore skirts. And the male officers’ dress uniform was a tunic-type thing that looks like a minidress. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-watching-st-the-next-generation-from-the-beginning/614181.md?page=5)