# ST:TNG, Encounter at Farpoint makes so much more sense ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2015, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065 "2015-06-21T04:56:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/41 "2015-06-22T14:04:30Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > It also slowed down the storytelling considerably and underlined the stupidity of having children and other nonessential personnel on board the ship. ``` But the children wouldn't safe on earth if those aliens who talk to whales return in a foul mood. ``` ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/42 "2015-06-22T14:08:35Z")
Shields down? Lash some of those pesky toddlers on the aft section (yeah little Billy, that permanent record thing WILL bite you in the ass, contrary to your opinion). Should absorb another photon torpedo or two before the plates start buckling. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/43 "2015-06-22T14:13:56Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > As I’ve noted here many times before, this is pure BS. Service personnel can and do spend long periods of time away from their families; it’s their job. If they don’t like it, they should have chosen a different career path. (And there never seems to be any shortage of personnel willing to endure the hardship.) > > Husband and wife teams on board, of course. Mandatory birth control for unmarried females, absolutely. Reassignment or retirement for pregnant females, makes perfect sense. If a child is born on board ship during a long mission, drop it and the mother off at a Star Base at the earliest possible opportunity. > > Peaceful, shmeasful. The Galaxy is full of dangers we still know nothing about and aliens that would kill or enslave you at the drop of a hat. Exposing children to that sort of thing is downright criminal, and no one incapable of manning a Battle Station has any business being on board. Oh T…you and your quaint 21st century mindset. We in the 24th century have evolved beyond the need for such hand-wringing. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/44 "2015-06-22T14:43:59Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Oh T…you and your quaint 21st century mindset. We in the 24th century have evolved beyond the need for such hand-wringing. …And I’m sure you all die contented. 🙂 Oh, that’s right: You don’t fear death in the 24th century! So you probably \*do \*welcome the release! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/45 "2015-06-22T15:37:41Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Yeah, saucer separation was supposed to be a regular thing (every time the ship had a dangerous mission the civilians would get dropped of somewhere safe in the saucer), but the special effects needed proved too expensive to use on a regular basis. The original Enterprise was also cable of saucer separation, but only in a direr emergency as the ship couldn’t be put back together afterward. > [@terentii](#): > > It also slowed down the storytelling considerably and underlined the stupidity of having children and other nonessential personnel on board the ship. They always said the SFX were too expensive, but I never understood this. They already shot the effects for Encounter. How hard or expensive could it be to just reuse those shots? The real reason has to be that it dragged down storytelling and undermined the tension, but no one wanted to admit that they’d made such a huge storytelling error and tried to make it a central feature of the series, so they just blamed the bean counters. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/46 "2015-06-22T15:38:06Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > They introduced Q. I guess thats the one good thing about the episode. Otherwise it was typical of all the bad season 1 episodes. Its amazing this series got renewed. It wasn’t until season three that they turned it around. I thought the turn-around happened a bit earlier - during this Q-speech in a late season 2 episode "If you can’t take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It’s not safe out here. It’s wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it’s not for the timid. " ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/47 "2015-06-22T15:51:15Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, if they need a _cable_, they’re not really _separate_, are they? Perhaps they used a cable to pull them back together. ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/48 "2015-06-23T01:19:36Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > They always said the SFX were too expensive, but I never understood this. They already shot the effects for Encounter. How hard or expensive could it be to just reuse those shots? > > The real reason has to be that it dragged down storytelling and undermined the tension, but no one wanted to admit that they’d made such a huge storytelling error and tried to make it a central feature of the series, so they just blamed the bean counters. Of course, if they reused the SFX shots, there would then be complaints on reusing the SFX shots ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/49 "2015-06-23T02:12:16Z")
> [@ssgenius](#): > > Of course, if they reused the SFX shots, there would then be complaints on reusing the SFX shots See: the original Battlestar Galactica with the Viper launch sequences. MAD Magazine pointed it out in their parody. “Why do we see this same launch sequence every time?” “Because it’s our most expensive SFX shot and we have to get our money’s worth!” ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/50 "2015-06-23T03:15:41Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > As I’ve noted here many times before, this is pure BS. Service personnel can and do spend long periods of time away from their families; it’s their job. If they don’t like it, they should have chosen a different career path. (And there never seems to be any shortage of personnel willing to endure the hardship.) Agreed in general, but in fairness, is there any service personnel posting that involves going five solid years between seeing your family? Question withdrawn if the Enterprise periodically returns to Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/51 "2015-06-23T03:40:45Z")
The last time I saw the episode, the acting and dialog seemed so painfully mannered; but for all that, _The Inner Light_ was one of the most conceptually brilliant pieces of sci-fi I’ve seen. Captain Picard, you sometimes agonize over the choices you’ve made. You want to see what your life would have been like if you’d chosen a different path? Here ya go: you’re an ironweaver with a little farm, a devoted wife, and, ultimately, children and grandchildren. I thought it deepened Picard’s character, for him to see what joys a family might have brought him. ---
**Author:** ![Gretchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8edcca/32.png) [@Gretchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gretchion)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/52 "2015-06-23T03:55:36Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Yeah, I agree that _ **TNG** _ sucked big-time the first two or three seasons. There were some good episodes but they were few and far between. I can understand the mass hatred for seasons 1 and 2, but season 3 was brilliant. Easily my favorite season of the entire series. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/53 "2015-06-23T04:30:43Z")
Odd how that works. _TOS_ had some pretty good-to-excellent shows season 1 and 2, season 3 just crapped out. And the most recent series, _Enterprise_, hit its peak in season 4 (except for that throwaway last episode). I have no opinion on _DS9_ or _Voyager_ because quite frankly, I was never able to connect with either of those series. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/54 "2015-06-23T05:52:45Z")
I always liked Data’s attempt at standup. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/55 "2015-06-23T05:55:06Z")
> [@Gretchion](#): > > I can understand the mass hatred for seasons 1 and 2, but season 3 was brilliant. Easily my favorite season of the entire series. Looking at a list of Season 3 episodes, I can see there were some good ones. But I still think the later seasons were much better. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/56 "2015-06-23T18:51:39Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I have seen maybe a third of SNG, and mostly not been impressed with what I have seen. The one episode that stands out for me is _Captain’s Holiday_. The character of Vash (who resurfaced in _Qpid_) was so well done. I like the way the viewer really wants to trust her, but always has doubts. And if anyone needed a holiday, it was Picard: [abstrusegoose.com - abstrusegoose Resources and Information.](http://abstrusegoose.com/207) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/57 "2015-06-23T23:16:23Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > And if anyone needed a holiday, it was Picard: [abstrusegoose.com - abstrusegoose Resources and Information.](http://abstrusegoose.com/207) > > 😃 Hence needing a therapist on the bridge with him–despite otherwise being completely useless. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/58 "2015-06-24T00:37:43Z")
This thread might be mergable with the one comparing TOS and TNG. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/59 "2015-06-24T00:58:38Z")
“Do you remember what I taught you, Imzadi? Can you still sense my thoughts?” I didn’t know Betazoids could teach telepathy to humans. That would have been useful for her to teach to…everyone on the Senior Staff. It also implies that Riker at one time _could_ sense thoughts - a skill I would have thought he would have tried to keep sharp. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065/60 "2015-06-24T01:07:15Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > “Do you remember what I taught you, Imzadi? Can you still sense my thoughts?” > > I didn’t know Betazoids could teach telepathy to humans. That would have been useful for her to teach to…everyone on the Senior Staff. G-d, that fellated with great alacrity. I believe she was teaching him Kama Sutra, not telepathy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-tng-encounter-at-farpoint-makes-so-much-more-sense/723065.md?page=4)