XaiJu
Target Audience
Target Audience

patreon


UNCUT - New Ground (TNG S5E10) | Star Trek Journey 217

YOUTUBE LINK

UNCUT - New Ground (TNG S5E10) | Star Trek Journey 217

Comments

This is actually one of the better kid-focused episodes this season. It’s downhill from here…

Ron Hubbard Jr

🥱

Ron Hubbard Jr

There’s no dead internet here. We’re still with you guys! Ready for more adventures!

Chris S.

Around this time, I feel a lot of TNG episodes start getting phoned in. Part of it may have to do with the budget going to Deep Space Nine. But when the B plot of the episode is something like, "There's a rock in space we're researching; We're about to hit the rock in space; Board room meeting discussing science; Disaster averted after hitting it with a torpedo" then it's pretty much bottom of the barrel.

SuicuneSol

I get that in today's world. In this world, those things are like taking single tissues and hoarding them. I don't see how anyone would care and I don't see how anyone would notice.

Eric Wilson

@Gregg Quinn Warp travel (as portrayed in Trek) isn't that absurd! It is theoretically possible, as far as we know.

Jovet

And this isn't even the big "WE NEED TO CARE ABOUT THE EARTH" episode.

Jovet

Pity the show is guff

ShazD

Eh? Not really.

ShazD

I don't find the actor who plays Alexander to be particularly good...

ShazD

I kinda hate SG1 but I love the movie. They try to be Star Trek jumping into a “wormhole” not knowing where they’re going or if they can get back.. and with modern guns they don’t even have phasers.

Philbot

It was a test run.. put into actual practice maybe they could carry their own Soliton generator. Or still carry warp as a backup.

Philbot

Definitely his first time. Didn’t pull out. Riker: Rookie mistake!

Philbot

Alexander "You don't care about me. All you care about is your honor!" Worf "Alexan...........I mean, when you're right, you're right."

Timothy Nikiforovs

Sex scoreboard short update. Clearly no scores but a comment from the reproduction counter. We almost want to give Worf a -1 score. The reason is he has now infected us with Dorf. If we could go back in time and stop Worf from Klinging-on a little to long or at least using some non Bat'leth protection and producing Dorf we all would be happier. But alas, the scoreboard does not judge the results of the shag just counts the shaggin'

Prof Moff

That is all true, my charitable justification is that it’s the warp equivalent of a train. Only goes on a pre-established route, can’t change course, will be catastrophic damage if it hits anything or derails, etc.

cricketlenny

Quietly shelved, classified and never... oh my god, I just justified something I thought was incredibly stupid & lazy and I don't like it.

Nolan

Wait. So I have to rely on someone else to push me into Warp. I also rely on someone to stop me when I get to my destination. I can't change speed or direction without exiting the wave or else I'm stranded. If someone disrupts the wave I'm either stranded or destroyed. I can't go anywhere that no one's ever been to. I also can't travel to any civilization that doesn't already have its own soliton wave facility. Also the wave I'm riding might destroy the planet I'm visiting if something goes wrong. It might not be a great way to travel, but it makes for a fantastic superweapon. This is a clear example of why judging a show can be complicated. TNG is overall a fantastic series, but once in a while it introduces concepts that kind of break things. The existence of the soliton wave should have serious consequences, but instead it's just forgotten and ignored lol.

Paul Noad

Hopeless maybe the wrong one - maybe clueless

Darren Seal

No way to veer off course to answer a distress call on a Soliton wave. You'd just end up stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Nolan

For once I'm going to agree with Ken R's description. This episode is very much decaf trek. I don't hate it and it has some nice moments between Worf and Alexander, but it just feels bland. I also never really bought into the idea of the soliton wave. I guess I can see a use for it as a cargo transfer device, but clearly it's a less versatile option than warp drives, and of course it ended up being another in a long line of federation experiments that turned into doomsday weapons. With the number of times they've accidentally destroyed planets or even solar systems(or come close to doing so), you'd figure nobody would risk pissing off starfleet.

Timothy Nikiforovs

S6 for sure was a return to form. S5 has a lot of great eps right at the start and in the back half, but a lot of mediocrity as well.

Timothy Nikiforovs

Well buckle up, there's more incoming🤣

Timothy Nikiforovs

This was a decent character episode. The Next one however its one a really loathe to watch again, and while the child performer here was good, the next one is sunk by that chile actor, in fact the next few are rough

Scarpad’s Domain

I mean...it's not really any more absurd than warp travel in general.

Greg Quinn

And where they even trying to catch it at that point?

Greg Quinn

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0705919/mediaviewer/rm3060935424/?ref_=tt_ov_i

Jovet

Well, I wouldn't say totally hopeless, he did finally listen to Troi's advice. And treat Alexander as his son, not his property.

Jovet

@Column Meanie I don't find that absurd. They sure didn't expect the wave to grow in strength like it did. I found that plot twist interesting, a healthy 24th-century mistake. It's absurd that a wave like that can travel faster than light, and that any ship pushed by it could too.

Jovet

Well, the writers "fixed" that by having the characters announced there isn't time to do that. But of course there was, the wave wasn't lightyears across or high, and they could have gone above or below much more easily... it was totally doable. Very weak plot armor there.

Jovet

Worf didn't want Troi's help at first because he was convinced she didn't understand Klingon father/son relationships. But he finally gave in and listened to her.

Jovet

Just boggles the mind what we'll see in the future, right?

Jovet

Whoopsie!

Justin B

Josh "it would be interesting if we could see the progression of technology in real time in the show" Well about that, there's this little show called SG-1

Timothy Nikiforovs

Perfect

Deep Red

Starfleet once again with the tried and true "hey, nice new technology ... it sure would be a shame if it became a planet-destroying weapon"

JGoss

The ups in this season are truly into the stratosphere... One in particular which I won't mention the name of, but we all know what I'm talking about... in my Top 5 episodes of all TV in human history

Paul

Yeah same it actually makes it easier to sync up

Paul

“Sons of Mogh is filmed in front of a live studio audience”

tyranusfan

Yeah, TNG tends to do kids poorly, and too often. I loved the kids in Disaster, tho. Radishes for the win!

rear adm. crackbiscuit

It actually helped me sync the audio last night 🤷‍♂️😉

tyranusfan

The writer are like Khan in that regard.

Greg Quinn

Working to finding a solution as soon as we can

Josh (Target Audience)

The shows audio echoing in your mics makes it slightly unpleasant to watch along to. Hate to be negative, but I don't see anyone else mentioning it.

Thomas Hiatt

season 5 is a bit like season 2 with its wild swings of ups and downs. though i think the ups in this season are higher. i believe there's a top 3 highest rated TNG episode ever this season... i wont say which one.

penoyer79

THIS is how you write Troi. A for that part for sure. Also, the ending Worf / Alexander dialogue.

Chris Mickelson

True and I do like that Worf totally hopeless

Darren Seal

Would you believe me if I told you that this episode was supposed to be a backdoor pilot for a Worf and Alexander sitcom?

Deep Red

Yup, B-ish episode, great Worf character growth, and a great scene with Troi. But the sci-fi stuff is very generic and has no tension, and that's coming from someone who loves sci-fi plots in of themselves.

Paul

What I find absurd is that they used 2 inhabited planets to test this new tech. Not very smart of them.

Column Meanie

I'm going to count that as a tear drop :) Although there is another upcoming episode that I think might pull a few tears -- hoping the guys like it as it's one of my favorites :)

Matthew Ganz

One thing I love about Star Trek is they always think two dimensionally. "Why can't we go around the wave?" How about OVER the wave, or UNDER the wave?

wildhunt1973

@Shanelle Worf's adopted human parents' surname is Rozhenko. So Alexander (or Worf) having and using that surname while a minor being raised by them makes sense. But as adult Klingons, it doesn't.

Jovet

Perfect parents are boring and cliché on television.

Jovet

I was waiting for it to fall, lol

Shanelle

🫣

Shanelle

It's scientifically absurd. But I found it much more interesting than TA did.

Jovet

I wonder too if it was supposed to be a close shot but they ended up using wide. (Look at me, learning about direction, lol) I laughed when Josh told Data to back up.

Shanelle

The best part of the warp drive plot is Geordi being excited about it. I like the opening scene with him getting frustrated that Data and Worf don't share his enthusiasm. I'm an engineer myself, so I really related to him there.

Jeff Cornell

S5 has never been my fave of the show, I prefer s3,4 and maybe 6 over this one

Darren Seal

Ah Worf never going to win father of the year… it’s got some decent character development but year C tier for me. Just bland

Darren Seal

Alexander was given the surname Rozhenko. Could have happened after his stay with his grandparents. Or, could Worf have taken that name on earth as well? That thought popped into my head while reading your comment.

Shanelle

His name is also not "Colonel Worf."

Joe Concepts

I’m glad you mentioned the weird atmosphere in the briefing room, I too noticed how close Data is sitting behind Geordi. Watching it again my take is that Spiner is goofing around and trying to make LeVar forget his lines, he looks like he’s suppressing a smirk the whole time. Apparently he was notorious for winding people up

Worf and Riker Ride Again

That isnt my job to make allowances for terrible writing, like little Timmy acting out because mommy has died and he has to live with daddy on A Very Special Episode of TNG. This is garbage from "Different Strokes" and Afterschool Specials circa 1976 starring Eve Plumb.

Ken R

I am so glad you mentioned make-up!. THE Michael Westmore one of my heroes.. This guy did a lot of Star Trek make-up from TNG to DS9 and VOY and some of the movies..but he has been doing make-up since 1963, and the Westmores are famous famous make-up people in Hollywood. He won the Oscar for the movie Mask and Oscar nominated for Star Trek:First Contact I recently read his biography, and it had some of the best behind the scenes old time Hollywood stores I have ever read...make-up people know all the gossip..

Badger

Worf: Galaxy's #1701 dad. Good scenes in a "The Return of Dorf," but not enough to elevate it past a C.

Paul O'Neal

53:08 This episode is the first allegory against fossil fuels in the series.

Jovet

@Ken R But there are children and families on the Enterprise-D. Children are on the ship and they're going to be in the plot sometimes.

Jovet

🤦

Jovet

3:40 Worf's name is Worf. That's not his first name or his last time. That's just his name. If clarification is needed, he is Worf, son of Mogh.

Jovet

Reaction is pretty much identical to my thoughts on this episode. Some great character development mixed in here, but otherwise a somewhat forgettable episode.

Lovok

This episode is better than I remembered it, especially the bits with Troi. For sure, Dorf is here to stay. While not all the episodes with him are fantastic, they're not TOO bad. It's just that the writers kinda made a bad take on Worf among multiple hands. Have faith, though. The storyline eventually reaches a very good conclusion. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that.

Shortskirtsandexplosions

Totally, it's 100% written with 12 and under in mind. There is no other explanation for this neverending parade of 10yr olds, and it's always a 10 yr old. It must be producer mandated too, because when the same writer went to BSG he kicked Boxey to the curb after two episodes. The only time TOS featured kids they were either serving an evil demon, or they were on a planet where all adults die. They never did this stuff, and to add insult to injury this show has in the past given storylines more suited for teens to adults, like Geordi having trouble with girls, or Geordi having a shy friend at school he can't relate to but then dad gives him a little speech telling him to try again, and wouldn't you know it, the shy guy turns out to be ok after all . All that stuff is very "Eight Is Enough", a show about a widowed dad raising 8 kids and every week a different kid has a problem while a b plot centers on someone else having a lesser problem. All I can say is thank whoever for Ensign Ro. She brings a more adult energy to her scenes, and is now my favorite character on the show.

Ken R

I think anyone who was a kid in those years can attest that kids wanted more episodes about the Enterprise fighting the Borg, not more episodes about kids.

bab

Michael Westmore also came from a famous family in Hollywood that is known for their makeup skills. He was a gift to Trek!

Column Meanie

It has nothing to do with stealing. It has to do with taking things that don’t belong to you because it is something you can control. A child that has experienced trauma often times will hoard things (toys, food) because they have a deep fear of loss. Rationality does not factor when a child is dealing with trauma.

Column Meanie

Your notes on the technology improving during the show — Stargate does really well with this.

xadg

"Dad, who is this kid named Jeremy I've heard about it?" "We referred to him as 'Damien'. He shall not be spoken of again."

Collin Freeman

I totally agree with your feelings about the kids. One theory I have is that the network at the time was insistent that this is "a space show for kids", so they kept demanding that stories involve children and teens. They probably wanted to appeal to the "family show" demographic in order to get more viewers, while not understanding that by season 5 the show had a very solid audience of adults, young and old, who just wanted a well-written, entertaining series to watch.

Jeff

A couple of things... one item a downer. 1) The actress who played Worf's mother died a few months after this episode was filmed. I only recently found out when I was curious about who she was. (Edit: As I continue to watch your reaction, I see that you mention this. I'll leave it here, anyway, for anyone that might miss it from the reaction.) 2) Do you remember the TV show Family Ties, with Michael J. Fox. The boy who played Alexander was a regular in that series. His name is Brian Bonsall. I don't know if Patreon will permit this link, though I doubt it will even be turned into a link. But check out what Alexander REALLY looks like: https://www.remindmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/brian-bonsall-family-ties-474x720.jpg Yes, that's him. But it wasn't the same child actor as the first episode that had Alexander in it.

Tom Occhipinti

I agree with Alex, i give it a low B too. I also agree with Josh the Deanna and Worf scene was great. I'm glad we are thinking similar again lol.

jon bolton

It’s actually quite hilarious this stretch of episodes happened upon your return lol

Josh (Target Audience)

I never understood stealing in the future there....why does the teacher not want the kids to take the models? Surely she isn't holding on to those things for another year for the kids later, when she can spend 3 seconds and replicate all new ones. She going to sit there and clean those old ones and store them? And in a society when anyone can get anything they want for free, why woludnt Alexander just tell them computer in his room he wants a model like the one in the school and just have it make one for him instantly and for free. The whole concept of most private property would be gone except for things that have some sort of intrinsic value like a grandmother's ring, a father's weapon, etc

Eric Wilson

This was a bad episode. I think I saw a very similar plot on "Good Times". This kid shit has become a running problem, and it doesn't really have a place in ST in my opinion, but TNG has been pushing it since way back in season one when Data had the child pen pal that was just oh so precious. I just don't get it. In the last few episodes since I've returned to TA, there was this, the child traumatized by his dead parents he thought he killed, and an elevator full of kids. Its too much.

Ken R

Was that a tear I saw in Josh's eye during the Worf + Troi scene? Your eyes looked mighty glassy 👍

Matthew Ganz

The makeup artist Michael Westmore was given a lot of freedom to come up with his own designs and prosthetics unless the script or producers were looking for something specific. Sometimes he had more time and money, and you'd get more elaborate prosthetics and sometimes there wasn't.

THE LORE!!!

Yeah, I think Season 5 is the best for the fans, (especially the last half) but the best season for you guys will either be season 4 or possibly season 6. Those seasons have a lot more episodes that fans tend to gloss over, but are actually more your style. Like Night Terrors for instance.

BN13

Finally uncut Star Trek reactions!

Patrick Smith


More Creators