Customer Reviews

Star Trek The Next Generation: Season 1

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am so incredibly pleased that Paramount is beginning to release the entire Star Trek saga on DVD. This is my personal favorite series. Of all the captains, Picard takes the cake. This season begins the entire story of the Next Generation and set into motion some major parts of the show. The impossible romantic attraction between Picard and Dr. Crusher, the introduction of Q, and at the very end there is a subtle hint at the BORG! This season, though not as good as the ones to follow, creates a good foundation for the seasons to come. A terrific addition to ANY Star Trek fan's collection.

My favorite episodes:

Encounter at Farpoint, The Naked Now, Where No One Has Gone Before, The Battle, Hide and Q, The Big Goodbye, Datalore, 11001001, Coming of Age, Arsenal of Freedom, Skin of Evil, Conspiracy, and The Neutral Zone.

Content:
Although some people feel that season 1 was the worst season for TNG, I thought that it had some great stories. Some of my favorite TNG episodes are from season 1. Althought the cast is not yet at their best, it is still good acting and some of what is actually future character development I think is mistaken as a bad portrayal of the character. Season 1 has a lot of good stories and some truely great stories as well. As for the DVD representation, I was not disappointed at all. The menu system looks good and is easy to operate. The picture quality was good. I have read some reviews that say the picture was too dark, but I would have to disagree with these reviews. And I personally like the fact that it was not done in widescreen since it was originally broadcast for television, not widescreen. I was most impressed with the sound quality which is excellent.

Packaging:
Season 1 is packaged in a box with a brushed metal look to it which I think is quite sharp. When you open the box you will find that the inside front cover lists all the discs and what episodes they contain. This outside box contains a fold out book of sorts which holds all the discs plus a booklet introducing the main characters as well as listing the season 1 episodes. Although the disc container book seems a bit awkward, it does look nice and it all has the added advantage of looking impressive sitting on the bookshelf. Especially if you have all seven seasons!

Conclusion:
In conclusion, I have found this set to be most impressive and would recommend it to any star trek fan, or even those who consider themselves casual viewers. Except for 3 or 4 of the episodes, the stories are good to great, and the acting is good. The reason that I only gave this 4 stars is more because I know that there are better seasons coming up. If there had been only one or two seasons, I would have given the series 5 stars. It was a great season and I know that I will find myself watching these episodes countless times.

What is there not to like about Star Trek:TNG? This is not just another science fiction series. Sure, it is fiction, it includes science, but most importantly, it is a profound depiction of the best traits of humanity.
The actors in ST:TNG are superb and convincing. Every character is cast perfectly. My personal favorite is Brent Spiner's performance as Lt. Commander Data, an artificial life form. If only everyone had access to a Data!
The DVD quality is mostly excellent. There are a few isolated instances where the skin tones don't seem quite right, but it is tolerable and brief. The sound is excellent.
After watching this series on TV for years, it is nice to watch the shows with no commercials or annoying "screen garbage." I certainly was hesitant to spend $ on this first season, but I am glad I did. I recently ordered the second season, and plan to obtain all 7 seasons!

This first season of TNG has many ups and downs, but has some classic episodes and delivers for the Trek fan. It begins with the two-hour "Encounter at Farpoint," where the crew of the new Enterprise-D meet Q, an omnipotent being with powers like no one has ever seen. Q puts the human race on trial, and Captain Picard challenges Q to a test. Needless to say, Picard passes with flying colors, and the crew moves on.

While the first ten or so episodes are a bit lukewarm and strongly lacking in special effects, they are different from the rest of the season. Sometimes ("Haven") it's better, but mostly ("The Battle," "The Naked Now," "Justice") it's just not that good. Everything picks up, though, with episodes like "The Big Goodbye," "Datalore," "Coming of Age," "Symbiosis," "Hide and Q," "Conspiracy," and "The Neutral Zone."

The season does not feel consistent through most episodes, but the cast feels comfortable in their parts. What lied ahead for this crew would turn out to be the best "Star Trek" series yet, and a few good movies, too!

I've been a fan of Star Trek:TNG right from the beginning. I'll admit that I agree with what some other reviewers have said in that the shows were not up to the quality of season three on, but always remember that no show does well in its first season and that they were still trying to build an audience. Despite this, they came up with some great stories that I count among my favorite episodes of the series. This includes, "11001001", "The Big Goodbye", "We'll Always Have Paris", "Angel One", "The Arsenal Of Freedom", "Skin Of Evil", and "Conspiracy."
All in all, this first season collection on DVD is a great start to one of the best Sci-Fi shows on television, and will help you rediscover what made you a fan in the first place.
TRUST ME, IT ONLY GETS BETTER!

This box set is the best set of movies I own on vhs/dvd period. I have absolutely gotten my moneys worth out of it already and i have only watched it once!! 26 episodes that's awesome. I'm not even a really huge trek fan but something always drew me to stng. It must be the characters. I think Paramount did a wonderful job in packaging this set. The sound and picture quality are good. The menu's are simple and easy to navigate. My only complaint on the menu's is that after each movie you have to kick back out to the main menu, then select the next episode, then push play. While that option is fine I just wish there was a play all episodes option on each dvd. Near perfection will have to do!

The character development is execeptional. Specifically in Capt. Picard, the first couple episodes he is very, very hard and unpersonable especially on poor wesley crusher but by the end of the season you really respect him, for he has proven to be the strongest character on the show. You can also see the evolution of Data in this first season. Data to me is the comic relief of this show even though he can't comprehend humor! As for the other characters you don't see a lot of change to them in this first season.

Now as far as specific episodes go i feel it's unjust to rate. Some are better than others....to me. But you might think otherwise. If you are this far into my review you've most likely seen the episodes already and have your fav's. You are probaly deabting on if you should buy it or not. It is a bunch of money, but it's worth every penny that much I can guarantee you!!!

Season One was a great season when compared to the preceeding shows of the genre. It's stories were imaginative and straddled the line from the original series to the "next generation". It was akin to introducing a new food to a child; People knew what Star Trek was based on Kirk and company only, and to thrust such a radically different universe on them as Season 3 (or higher) was would have turned them off to this new "flavor". The video defects mentioned are NOT due to it's translation onto home media. Rather, they were quite present during the original run; ST:TNG was one of the first shows to be filmed on digital tape, and was sensitive to the equipment used in editing. It's most noticable in the first episode during Picard's close-ups. It doesn't last long, and doesn't detract from the Farpoint storyline. This is a must-own DVD collection that has been too long waiting in the wings. Bravo Paramount!

Let's face facts people, season one of STNG is bad. Like, really bad. As an artifact of a great show finding its way, it has some value. As something to laugh at rather than with, it has a bit more. But as a piece of entertainment in itself, it's severely lacking. The characters are ill defined and the stories are mostly ill conceived. Cringes of note include 'Code of Honor' 'The Big Goodbye' and "Conspiracy." Sadly such poor, and often nonsensical, episodes are the norm this season. Exceptions like 'Where No One Has Gone Before' and 'Heart of Glory' are pretty good, but nowhere near the heights this series would reach in later years.

This season can still be enjoyed by devoted Trek fans interested in seeing our beloved series in its infancy. There's certainly fun to be had in watching your favorite characters in their beta stage, but that's more nostalgia and critical observation than it is investment in what's on screen. There's also nothing essential here continuity-wise, making this the most skippable of STNG seasons.

Extras
The special features are what really make this set worthwhile. The four featurettes range from pretty good, 'Selected Crew Analysis,' to great 'The Beginning.' These are all fun looks back with some intriguing insights on how everything came together. The cast and crew all have some obvious enthusiasm for the material and its evident in interviews given at the time the season aired and those recorded after the series wrapped.

Presentation
The transfer here is neither good nor bad. Some episodes look better than others but, for the most part, it's an accurate reflection of the show as it aired, meaning late-eighties TV quality. Where this set really shines is in its menu system... which is laid out like the ships control panels! This is a purely geeky thing to love, but it's sure to put a smile on any fan's face.

Bottom Line
This is not a set for new fans, or even casual ones. We all know that season one of STNG was the show's weakest and there's just not enough entertainment value here unless you're REALLY into it. Choose a latter season if you're looking to start your collection and circle back to this one only if you're interested in how the series came together and/or have an appetite for solid special features.

A Very good start with the 1st series here. Some very good episodes a few that are not quite as good but genrally good. The tasha yar character is a seems a bit eager (she get's a bit to extreme sometimes) to blow things and Diana Troi can get a bit annoying sometimes (and why is she alway's on the bridge when she is a councellor). It start's the Next Generation of well but it's still trying to find it's feet. It's a good cross between complete sillyness of the orginal series and the less silly DS9 (or real world). It's a very good series and well worth the money.

I really enjoyed this set. The first season was not as good as the others, but to appriciate the next six seasons you need to see the beginning. The behind the scenes stuff is worth watching also.