The TNG Episode That Changed TV Forever

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts (eventually) on the storytelling impact of the old paradigm of having a show like ST:ToS with 79 episodes over 3 years (hitting the syndication requirements of the time) vs. these days when shows deliver 8 episodes every two years (i.e. Rings of Power in ‘22, ‘24, and soon ‘26.)

I recommend to you Wil Wheaton's Memories of the Future - his POV as a teen working on the show, which he was going to extend to all of his work on Star Trek but never did more than that one volume. Memories of the Future is very funny, although also rather bittersweet after I learned what his family life was actually like.

Been a fan of yours for a while, but this one brought me to Patreon. I was 9 when this episode originally came out. I’ll never forget it. As the only sci-fi fan in my household, I had an entire world to myself that summer.

Oh man. Another banger! Your TNG episodes tend to be really good. I think it’s because you love the show so much. I didn’t realize that the American pronunciation of “futile” was “few-dal” - I’d always assumed it was “few-tile”. I guess I learned that word from TNG! And your gagging at the American pronunciation - chef’s kiss. 100% agree.

Not a trekkie, but I wish modern streaming would implement a feature where you could watch a series like it was aired in the olden days. So you had time to wait and marinate between episodes.

Hi Andrew, just for fun, I recently wrote a newspaper editorial-style piece on "Star Trek's Lost Purpose." It touches on global warming, Fukuyama, and Andor; I think you might dig it. It can be found here: https://fanedit.org/forums/threads/st-star-trek.5759/page-64#post-475434

Speaking of continuity, with this video I can't stick to my course of action and restrain from a verbose comment, I'll save it for the next one 😅 My husband and I can be divided on episodic vs serialised shows. He leans more towards the latter, probably for the same reasons you've touched here. As for me, the serialised nature of the modern shows in the franchise prevents me from really enjoying them. I understand that character development isn't easily achieved within an episodic framework, and that some topics need more time to be fully explored. On the other hand, modern authors seem to be able to handle a story spanning several hours only by linking it tightly to an imminent global catastrophe. In the long run it's kinda boring and limiting. I have the same issue with manga: I decidedly preferred Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma ½ and Urusei Yatsura to her Inuyasha. And I think it's the same reason that often prevents me from appreciating the third and subsequent seasons of a show. However, I'd say that Piller brought TNG to the sweet spot between the two, since I love the entire instalment. This might be the right time to ask you if you can recommend any books on ST. Any suggestions? I'm intrigued by "The Ultimate Star Trek and Philosophy: The Search for Socrates". Have you read anything similar?

I've always felt that this is the episode when TNG finally broke out & became GREAT!

"lots of trekkies in there" haha yes, yes indeed

Totally a random thought, but with the right haircut, you could be a Jonathan Frakes look-alike 😋