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Why would someone watch Star Trek: The Next Generation (over and over again)

tantric superman

By tantric superman
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tantric superman

tantric superman 4668

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I'm really looking for a defense of two things. 

1) Watching ST/NG - why would an adult watch this once, and then yet again?

2) Do many of you watch virtually anything just because "you are tired and you want to unwind"?

Caveat - I'm a time waster of epic proportions.  So I'm not arguing that my time spent on surly or playing the same fucking song (Colorado Girl) on the guitar listening to political podcasts is time better spent than someone watching ST/NG.  But I'm curious that given how fucking good television is today and how there are so many good movies out there, why would someone watch this kind of thing.

Yes, there are deeper issues at play, but just trying to get some thoughts on this basic point.

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tantric superman

tantric superman 4668

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3 minutes ago, formermav43 said:

Because they like it?

I guess implied in my question is that there is an alternative.  Someone who likes to eat Span when they could be eating steak of course likes Spam.  More interested in why the person would like Spam.

Someone has said it's great TV for it's time.  And when I looked back at "late 80s" tv, yeah, it wasn't a great time. 

Nostalgia does seem like a pretty powerful answer though. 

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formermav43

formermav43 4607

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I’m not sure there’s a good answer to that question, though. It’s inherently subjective. You mention that you listen to political podcasts-that sounds like torture to me. You hate the Shawshank Redemption-most people find that inconceivable. I can’t stand Goodfellas, which I recognize most people regard as one of the greatest movies ever made.

Why does anyone like anything? There’s no accounting for taste.

I say this as someone who has been rewatching TOS recently (my Star Trek of choice over TNG). Why? I like it.

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tantric superman

tantric superman 4668

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10 hours ago, formermav43 said:

I’m not sure there’s a good answer to that question, though. It’s inherently subjective. You mention that you listen to political podcasts-that sounds like torture to me. You hate the Shawshank Redemption-most people find that inconceivable. I can’t stand Goodfellas, which I recognize most people regard as one of the greatest movies ever made.

Why does anyone like anything? There’s no accounting for taste.

I say this as someone who has been rewatching TOS recently (my Star Trek of choice over TNG). Why? I like it.

The subjectivity is assumed.  Just because someone subjectively likes one thing more than another, doesn't mean it is as valuable or as edifying as something else.  We have the ability to compare and discuss one movie or one programs superiority over another. 

Shawshank, and Goodfellas are both movies that are vastly more interesting than a whole slew of other films.  You can put them in a group that are more important, and more edifying and more worthwhile to watch, than most other films.

Comparing the two, Goodfellas is vastly superior.  This is a good list of important films:

https://www.theyshootpictures.com/gf1000_all1000films_table.php

Goodfellas is 77, and Shawshank is 420, and will likely drop in esteem as the years go by.  Whether this is due to the fact that Frank Darabont is laughably inferior to Scorese as a director or just because Shawshank is a bit cloying.  No argument that lots of people like Shawshank.

 

So ultimately, I know you like it.  Why do you like it? 

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 90550

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2 minutes ago, tantric superman said:

Ha ha.  Wife claims this guy (No. 1) is the worst actor in all of tv and movies.

(Picard was great in Dune and The Internship)

Does your wife know Frakes basically did that stuff (the Riker Manuever, etc.), and played up the drama, because he was having fun?  That, and he is tall, and it was easier to handle chairs the way he did it.

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Drew

Drew 2820

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People trashing TNG, especially for how good it was at the time(not talking about a rewatch) is just crying out for attention.

It was great when I watched it(after the first season), and they introduced the whole Cliffhanger finale into the mainstream.

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tantric superman

tantric superman 4668

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Why were they good?  From the outside looking in, my assumption is that were action/drama/comedy in space.  And people like a cocktail of all that shit, I assume.

From my perspective, if a comedy/drama is set in space, and people are wearing pirate outfits on the halodeck and breathing the atmosphere of every planet they go to, it's just a distraction.  Set all that shit in real life and I'll give it more of a chance. 

Now I'll admit that is a preference for setting.  So question remains.  Why was it good?

And why would anyone give a rat's ass about Harry Kim?

The convincing answers so far are that it was good tv for it's time plus nostalgia.

 

(I'm not completely adverse to the genre (or parodies of the genre).  Wrath of Khan, and the reboot were fucking great.  I just don't get watching it as a series, hanging out on that same goddamn ship, week after week, accomplishing, well, nothing.) 

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nineliveslost

nineliveslost 2966

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Not to get all strange , but it can be a great example of leadership. Watching it as a first time manager inspired me to value diversity , trust my team, lead by example, and communicate honestly and effectively .

 

I actually like the show and saw it original air date and went through the complete episode 3 times after, But then again I have watched all the Star Trek series 

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WhatTheBuck

WhatTheBuck 28904

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It had a lot of great episodes. It had some real clunkers, too. The whole first season was pretty bad. It took some time to find its footing but it developed some good characters and some great stories. But there's a substantial list of legitimate criticisms. Like Q and the Ferengi. 

It was the last Star Trek. Star Trek died with Gene Roddenberry. It used to be more thought provoking. After Roddenberry died it became more of a soap opera (space opera?) and now it looks like they're just licensing the franchise to make sci-fi action flicks. One great episode of TNG was just a courtroom drama where they debated Data's right to life as an artificial life form.

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atomheartbevo

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4 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

One great episode of TNG was just a courtroom drama where they debated Data's right to life as an artificial life form.

And there was more than one courtroom drama episode - Drumhead was awesome.

Enterprise tried to capture some of Roddenberry's spirit here and there, and the idiots behind Picard, they thought were doing something thought provoking.

Strange New Worlds is maybe  the last, best chance at capturing Roddenberry's spirt, and I think the cast could pull it off, but you know, Kurtzman will find a way to fuck it up.

Shame they can't get Ronald D. Moore in and in charge of everything.  I think he could be a Filoni-type show-runner.

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Celery Man

Celery Man 21077

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Is there something that brought this example up in particular?

Star Trek is a good energy for me to watch as I'm winding down and nodding off. Maybe less so the original series. I initially started watching Star Trek because I never had, and it's important pop culture. I watched TNG twice because the first time I think I missed a bunch of episodes, and by the time I had finished I wanted to actually watch through and catch most of it. Picard is a great leader, and of course Sir Patrick Stewart is great. Data is also a really interesting character. My estimation of Riker also improved second time through. But again, a big part of the reason for the time spent is because I'm not watching... The Queen's Gambit or Better Call Saul or whatever new thing that I'm trying to actively watch. I'm watching it while I scroll a bit more and then nod off. I went through DS9 with the same thing - I actually still haven't finished the last episode because I want to actively watch it. Love Quark and Nog. I've started Enterprise as well, but it hasn't really caught me yet.

Anyways, watched TNG again because I thought it was good and wanted to pay more attention. Watched them all in the first place because they are culturally important and I want to know about things like that (also sometimes useful when working in a nerd culture). Spent the time because I'm not watching it in the same way I watch modern dramas. Although actually, I think it is interesting to watch older TV - I've watched a bit of Hill Street Blues over the past few months and it is a good show but also interesting as a time capsule. Still can't believe that the "60 year old roll call cop is dating a teenager" thing was stretched longer than a cringe comment for laughs.

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MadTrapper

MadTrapper 154

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I echo many of the others on this thread after a few bourbons...

But when Picard says, "she, or someone like us will always be waiting for the right time to flourish. Spreading fear in the name of righteousness" at the end of S4 E21. That is so precient right now especially given that TNG focuses on how the good of humanity has the ability to transcend our almost primal urges.

It's solid TV that I enjoy pondering about after a long day. And I think it competes with the many great contemporary shows out right now, but maybe that's my optimistic/naive side showing.

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