Star Trek: The Next Generation

Engage!

Continued with The Next Generation. A lot better. It actually still look futuristic in the machines and all that if we just go at the technical bits. Although, first season is a bit wonky. And sad to think I assume it's due to the influence of Gene Roddenberry since as he apparently got sicker until his death after season four the series got better and better... well, season 7 has bits here and there one could argue isn't that good, but I assume that maybe have more to do with strained attention for the creative team as they made Deep Space 9 at the same time. 

So now we follow Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Enterprise. There's first officer William T. Riker, chief engineer Geordie La Forge, lieutenant Data the android, Councelor Deanna Troi the Betezed empath, dr Beverly Crusher with her son Wesley Crusher, Mr Worf the first Klingon officer. Or that is pretty much the main cast of the whole show, in fact season 1 had Tasha Yar as security officer until she died before the end of the season and her position was filled with Worf. Which was played by Denise Cosby that was in the music video of No Stranger to Love by Black Sabbath. Of course she came back in later seasons, as a parallel universe, and then as a Romulan daughter. There's Klingons, Romulans and Vulcans from the original series, but here we are introduced to Cardassians, Bajorans and the Borg. 

Compared to the first series, from the second season and on there was episodes I couldn't pull my eyes from since they engrossed me so. Episodes like the Offspring when Delta builds a child that tragically dies at the end, the horror movie feel from that episode in the 7th season, the Klingon civil war, an alien race that only speaks in references (which can't really work in star travels since how will the language be able to be understood by all members of the race if one ship adopts one reference and another a second? Still, interesting concept) and so many more. Stories centres on Worf and his Klingon heritage, Data discovering what it means to be human, La Forge tinkering with the Enterprise and on and on with missions that explore this futuristic world or concepts beyond what the original managed. Of course, sometimes it doesn't work like the episode the Game where Riker after a vacation on the pleasure planet Risa brings back a game that addicts the whole crew and almost topples the whole Federation. Throwing rings doesn't feel that enticing if I'm gonna be honest. 

Still holds up in most areas. Remember seeing it on channel 4 as a kid, but I didn't like it. First episode I recall was the one with Picards double that he shoots at the end. Too much talking over all. I didn't get into it until the show was shown on channel 6 when I was at University. Of course at that time I had already seen 4 or so seasons of Voyager and Enterprise and most Star Trek-movies so I was more into it.... as well getting references and understanding the concepts they discussed. Now it's also fun to notice all the cameos. You got Mick Fleetwood, Bob Kelso from Scrubs, Agent 3 and Dr. Sinclair from The Journeyman Project-game series. Also the reason I started watching this show after playing the second game. And the music, first 4 seasons scored by Ron Jones, the composer for the original DuckTales, can't be better than that.