# Worst TNG episode ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2010, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414 "2010-10-17T05:34:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/181 "2010-10-20T09:21:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That would be Elisa Beth Garver, who doesn’t show up on any search so far. Actually, it appears to be Marianne Robertson. I got the character name wrong. She actually played [Tech #1](http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Tech#1). Silly me. Unlike Corwin, she never got promoted and stopped showing up after a while. I can only assume she got reassigned in early 2259 (another cool thing about B5, each season covered one calendar year, while on TNG you had to kinda make a rough bullshit guess when anything was happening. That said, you’d half expect people to suffer nervous breakdowns every Thanksgiving knowing SOMETHING huge and dramatic was going to happen _every single New Years_ 😃 As far as not having counselors on a starship… eh, we have counselors in the Real Life™ military, although I want to say most of the folks you’d consider “full time” counselors are all Chaplains (that’s pretty much what Chaplains do in the military, though I guess a Chaplain wouldn’t really mesh so great in Star Trek) Incidentally, with the humans being all holier-than-thou about having outgrown such silly character flaws (which they do tend to lord over everybody else), one of the great moments was the season 2 finale of DS9 where Sisko gets taken down a peg by _Quark_, of all people, who basically rips him a new one over it, and points out that nothing in Ferengi history comes close to the stuff humans used to revel in (and indeed, human history on Star Trek seems a lot nastier than it is in real life, at least around the time of the end of the Cold War.) ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/182 "2010-10-20T09:24:42Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > The saddest part about “The Outrageous Okona” is that the actor who played Okona, Billy Campbell, just barely missed out on landing the role of Riker. Instead of a career-making role, he had to settle for a one-shot on one of the least-respected episodes of the series. Thanks for nothing! > > I think I might have preferred Campbell to Frakes in the role. Maybe I can say that because I didn’t have seven years of Campbell to get tired of. But I never really liked Frakes. I kept hoping something bad would happen to him. I liked Riker for the most part, but Frakes’ talents are wasted playing good guys. No, you want to see him play a master villain. The kind of guy who buys castles and has them air-lifted to New York City. Also, to continue the game: Scylla, facing the blimp in the night. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/183 "2010-10-20T11:02:14Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > That would be Elisa Beth Garver, who doesn’t show up on any search so far. > > Good lord, you’ve found something that’s _not_ on the internet. > > Remember this day; we may not see its like again. > **[Elisa Beth Garver | Actress, Writer](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0079139/)** > > Known for: Babylon 5, NoHo, Diagnosis Murder ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/184 "2010-10-20T12:48:02Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > I liked Riker for the most part, but Frakes’ talents are wasted playing good guys. No, you want to see him play a master villain. The kind of guy who buys castles and has them air-lifted to New York City. HAH! i think campbell would have done better in both roles. frakes just looks oversized, like baby huey. plus with the extra lbs he gained as the seasons went on, he became less and less convincing as a ladies’ man. what, because he has a rudimentary grasp of jazz trombone, and three pins on his uniform he gets to slay his way through dozens of vag’s? i don’t buy it. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2010, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/185 "2010-10-20T13:17:25Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Also, to continue the game: Scylla, facing the blimp in the night. Too much detail. It should be “Scylla, when the blimp came.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/186 "2010-10-20T13:25:55Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > what, because he has a rudimentary grasp of jazz trombone, and three pins on his uniform he gets to slay his way through dozens of vag’s? i don’t buy it. He also has that suave “Infinity never looked so beautiful” line, guaranteed to make the ladies swoon. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/187 "2010-10-20T14:08:38Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Too much detail. It should be “Scylla, when the blimp came.” Hal Briston, when the sheep came?😃 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/188 "2010-10-20T14:09:32Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > what, because he has a rudimentary grasp of jazz trombone, and three pins on his uniform he gets to slay his way through dozens of vag’s? i don’t buy it. It’s the jazz trombone in his pants that gets him the vag. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/189 "2010-10-20T14:11:19Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > It’s the jazz trombone in his pants that gets him the vag. 😛 Surely, thats his Jizz Trombone ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/190 "2010-10-20T14:14:10Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Hal Briston, when the sheep came?😃 Chimera, his face in his palm. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/191 "2010-10-20T14:15:09Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Chimera, his face in his palm. Nelson, when he points. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/192 "2010-10-20T14:16:50Z")
[mangeorge](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=198659&highlight=fried+semen), when **he** comes. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/193 "2010-10-20T15:13:08Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Seriously, _Sub Rosa_ was the most blatant example of Star Trek plagiarism in any of the series, ever. The whole plot is lifted wholesale from Anne Rice’s _The Witching Hour_. The Trek producers at the time deny any copyright hanky-panky to this day, but it couldn’t have been more obvious if they’d come right out and thanked Rice for unwittingly writing the episode for them. As far as I know, Rice had nothing to do with the episode, for those who wondered. Copyright infringement is a legal concept with legal boundaries. Copyright law allows copying of _ideas_ and plots. Plagiarism is not a legal concept in the United States, and it has no universally accepted standard. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/194 "2010-10-20T15:37:05Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > You now what would _really_ make more sense aboard a flagship? A flag officer, i.e. Commodore/Rear Admiral or higher. Thank you. This bugged me whenever they mentioned The Enterprise being a flagship. * * * Hal Briston, his workstation left unattended. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/195 "2010-10-20T15:48:01Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > I think having the ship’s Chief Medical Officer going on away missions was like having the chief surgeon at a big city hospital going in the ambulance with the paramedics. No, let them bring the sick and injured to _you_, Doctor. What I meant is that if the mission is, say, setting up a hospital on a colony world, then obviously it’s the CMO who actually leads it. But if they’re doing emergency response to a big disaster I can see the CMO going on the away mission as well, as I doubt even Picard’s Enterprise (with a much larger ship’s complement than the other ships) had more than two doctors on board. > [@](#): > > I also like the idea of having a Ship’s Counselor having equal or near-equal status with the CMO. I think it’s a good idea to have someone whose job it is to keep an eye on the mental and emotional health of the crew. Having the Counselor be an empath is just a perk of serving on the flagship. She _knows_ when you’re BSing her. But… did she _have_ to wear that bunny suit for six seasons? I liked the blue dress. And I could understand her thoughts in wearing it; she didn’t want to be thought of as the person who might relieve you of duty, which is really more Crusher’s call anyway. I wouldn’t want them both to have that authority. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/196 "2010-10-20T15:49:32Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Thank you. This bugged me whenever they mentioned The Enterprise being a flagship. > > * * * > > Hal Briston, his workstation left unattended. :: shrugs :: Change in language. Didn’t bother me. The meaning of _crew_ had changed as well, after all. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/197 "2010-10-20T15:59:05Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > :: shrugs :: > > Change in language. Didn’t bother me. The meaning of _crew_ had changed as well, after all. It struck as fan-pandering, almost a Mary Sue-ish element: “The Enterprise was the flagship, because it was the bestest ship in all the Federation and it had the bestest crew and the bestest adventures and they always saved the day in the bestest way.” But more likely, I figure, the show was being written by people who’d never been in the military, had never had any interest in being in the military, and who actually kinda _disliked_ the military to the point where educating themselves about it would feel like they were admitting failure or something. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/198 "2010-10-20T16:10:53Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > It struck as fan-pandering, almost a Mary Sue-ish element: > > “The Enterprise was the flagship, because it was the bestest ship in all the Federation and it had the bestest crew and the bestest adventures and they always saved the day in the bestest way.” Heh…this reminded me of a fanfic I started writing way back in the late 90s, about an Enterprise ensign who heroically sacrificed his life to defend the last evacuees of an invaded Federation colony. He was beamed up at the moment that he took a phaser hit that vaporized his heart, and his consciousness merged with the ship’s circuitry and created a machine/human intelligence for the ship. After the first two segments were published on alt.star-trek.creative, someone criticized the heroic ensign as a Gary Stu, and I spent about ten posts protesting that. Then realized it was true and the SHIP ITSELF was about to become the Gary Stu, and dropped the story like a hot potato. > [@](#): > > But more likely, I figure, the show was being written by people who’d never been in the military, had never had any interest in being in the military, and who actually kinda _disliked_ the military to the point where educating themselves about it would feel like they were admitting failure or something. But Starfleet wasn’t a military! (Yeah…snark) ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/199 "2010-10-20T16:11:46Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > He also got Ensign Teri Hatcher so he gets bonus points there. Whose quarters are so small that her bed is DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE DOOR TO THE CORRIDOR. Admittedly that was just a setup to show off her wheels, but still, I’d much rather have a half-as-big bunk on the wall. > [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > TNG had Nurse Ogawa as a smaller background character. > > Why did the Universal Translator work the way it did for the Klingon language? They could speak English or Klingon on the fly. I’ll fanwank it. The translator works best when there is a one or two word equivalent for the word in question. Words like “knife,” “ship,” “weapon,” “run,” and “happy” work well. But for terms without such an equivalent, it will just let the original word come through. Thus if Picard is telling the Vulcan ambassador about his memories of winter vacations as a youth, the word _Christmas_ is not going to be translated into Vulcan, because there is obviously no Vulcan equivalent than can be anything but misleading. (The same may apply to winter.) Admittedly the translator could try to handle _Christmas_ by saying something like “the holiday commemorating the mythical Jewish hero in whose honor the religion of Christianity was founded,” but there are obvious problems with doing it that way. In addition, the UT is programmed to ignore certain words even if they could be translated as in a single word. These include proper names and profanities. Take the proper name _Hannah_, which literally means “grace.” Assume the Klingonese word for grace is kil’Poq. If Picard is referring to the philosopher who spoke of the banality of evil, it’s not helpful to give the literal meaning of her name. Likewise, if he’s talking to a species that doesn’t marry, and insults someone by calling him a bastard, it’s best just to let the original word through. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tng-episode-ever/557414/200 "2010-10-20T17:11:41Z")
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