If we’re counting two-parters as two separate episodes, I guess this thread started, that week we were watching:
Encounter at Farpoint Station parts 1 and 2
And then the following week we were watching:
Naked Now
Code Of Honor
And this week’s two episodes are:
The Last Outpost
Where No One Has Gone Before
I started watching just the cold open for Last Outpost last night. Looks like we are finally getting a look at these mysterious Ferengi! Already their starship looks pretty badass.
Yes, the gap between Ferengi tech and Ferengi behavior is a bit silly.
Not necessarily. A species that’s focused on business/trade would likely purchase the best tech that other races would be willing to trade. So over time, you’d think they would have maybe the second best of everything available?
That makes sense. I didn’t actually see the first season of DS9 until after seeing the second and third, as I recall, because for a long time I couldn’t find it in our local cable system. I can see how it would play very differently if it was all you knew about the show, essentially.
Sure, if you can accept that those three idiots waiving electro-whips around are actually capable of learning to fly that starship. Or anything more complicated than a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe.
The Last Outpost
This was a pretty ok episode. Not great, but certainly watchable. I got significant TOS Arena vibes from it. You’ve got the Enterprise chasing down a Ferengi ship only to have both vessels incapacitated by a more powerful force. It was nice to see the crew working on figuring out what’s going on, and then have Picard initially withhold their discoveries from the Ferengi. The mysterious Ferengi of course, end up to be colossal tools. I ended up thinking how cool it would have been to run this episode much later in the season, and have several earlier episodes keep teasing the Ferengi as something to be feared. And then have them revealed as mostly harmless, duplicitous idiots.
There’s this silly bit near the end. While Riker is talking with Portal, the 3 Ferengi are kind of milling about in the background making stupid gestures.
I also find it hard to believe Data would be stumped by a Chinese Finger Trap.
And… oh my!
Where No One Has Gone Before
I liked this one quite a bit. I feel like the cast is gelling. It’s kind of a “Wesley” episode, but it got me wondering how much they planed for the Wesley character and how much they were just winging it. All the stuff The Traveler tells Picard kind of set the stage for Wesley, but even in The Naked Now, he was doing propulsion calculations in his head.
Kosinski is a great example of how Starfleet is just filled to the brim with assholes. The actor did a great job. I also had a big laugh at this exchange between Riker, Kosinski, and Chief Engineer Argyle:
RIKER: Could anything he’s proposing damage our system?
ARGYLE: How could it? It’s meaningless.
RIKER: Then we should let him try it?
KOSINSKI: What do you mean, let he him try it? Don’t talk about me in the third person like I’m not standing right here!
ARGYLE: Yes, we might as well let him try it.
Argyle isn’t having any of his bullshit.
Solid episode with some fun images of space and stuff
Yeah, Where No etc. feels like the first old-school ST episode to me. Not great, too much Wesley, but it follows the right formula. I just get real tired of super being after super being.
I think one of those Ferengi was played by Armin Shimerman (who also plays at least one other STNG Ferringi).
You are correct, Sir!
“The Last Outpost”
I think most of you have buried the headline in this episode. After the Enterprise encounter the mysterious Ferengi, they take a series of steps that fail. Picard calls out to engineering to report.
No one answers from Engineering.
Seriously. It’s a scary moment. Is it communication? Or is everyone in Engineering dead?
Picard tries another couple of maneuvers that are unsuccessful. Asks Engineering to report.
Nothing. Oh my god you guys. Engineering is all dead aren’t they? Is this how Geordi will become head of engineering?
Picard sends Riker and Geordi to Engineering to find out what’s going on down there. They take the turbo lift. It’s a tense moment. Will they safely make it to Engineering? Or will they die on the way?
So they make it to Engineering. There’s a few engineers down there doing their daily tasks, minding their own business, trying to keep their heads down.
I see. No wonder Picard was just annoyed that Engineering wasn’t answering and not concerned.
Here’s the best part. Geordi starts working with Riker on a solution of pulling them away. While he’s doing that, Picard calls down to Engineering again to get a report and no one answers! Finally Riker reports on what they’re trying to do.
So what happened to the lead Engineer lady who was in charge down there when Wesley took over in Naked Now?
Theory 1: Lady is in her quarters asleep. Picard calls down to Engineering and Ai routes the request to her quarters but she’s asleep?
Theory 2: They don’t run a tight ship down there. No one wants responsibility for anything so they refuse to answer Picard. What the hell kind of ship is this?
Theory 3: Chief of Engineering quit after being embarrassed about Wesley taking over the ship. And no one has been appointed yet to replace her. So when Picard calls down to “Engineering” it’s sloppy on his part, confusing everyone down there on who should answer him.
The rest of the episode is fine. It does give me serious TOS vines for sure. In fact that’s been the case several times this season so far.
We get to see a conference room where Picard meets with his officers but it’s a very dark room. Someone should install more lights in there. Another difference from TOS is that the effects here are very good compared to TOS. Data displays a holographic to illustrate something and it looks good, even today.
Five lights?
I believe they redid all of the TNG effects for HD, since they were all originally rendered at broadcast TV resolution.
Picard staging Hamilton on the Bridge?
Only if it’s in its original Klingon!
They also redid the TOS episode effects.
Right but the TOS effects were updated to match '60s standards, while the TNG effects were updated to match '80s standards. I just wanted to clarify that when he said that the TNG effects look good “even today”, it’s because people put a lot of work into updating and modernizing the effects.
Rock8man was the one who said “Another difference from TOS is that the effects here are very good compared to TOS.” Take it up with him.
My only point about “the [TNG] effects look good, even today” was pointing out that the effects were recently updated, which is why they look so good.
Yes, that is one of the scenes I was talking about. I was very impressed at how it looked. I didn’t know the effects had been updated. Thank you Andy. And thank you for the comparison shot. It proves I was right! It does look good today, and it’s because of the improvement.
And come on @Telefrog, that looks way better than anything we saw in the TOS Rewatch with the new effects over the last two years.
