PATRON TIER LIST TNG S5E19

The dressing down of Wesley for participating in a conspiracy to cover up the truth of how a fellow cadet died... Damn I felt guilty just watching it. I am strongly committed to live a life of truth, but I tell ya, it ain't always easy. It's like every lie I've ever told was laid bare in my mind during Picard's speech.

This is an A-tier episode made into an S by bringing some much-needed character development for Wesley, coupled with him getting a brilliantly-delivered dressing down from Picard. We can still respect Wesley at the end but guess what, it turns out the boy-wonder is human, after all.

"The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, whether it's scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth. It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based, and if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, you don't deserve to wear that uniform. " Great speech, solid episode, it helps Wes's character, because it humanizes him, previous episodes where Wes is chewed out, it is during a time where Wes was secretly absolutely right. But here he is overtly wrong. Bonus points for making the "villain" not be evil but be "principled". That guy legitimately just valued his idea of loyalty over honesty, and when Wes told the truth he took all the blame for the team because of that principle. High A.

This is the Wesley episode we need. Very well acted from everyone, especially the interactions between Wes and Picard.

"Deconstructing Wesley". Always fun to make a former main character an Op, or at least a supporting one in this case. And, a classic Picard speech to boot. Solid A.

I'm one of the three people that like Wesley Crusher, and this is probably the best episode of TNG that he's a focus in. 'A'.

This is Wesley's best episode. I love this episode. He is not the super boy he is often depicted as, look he's flawed like everyone else. We get to meet Boothby which Picard mentioned previously to Wesley. The other cadets are also well acted Sito, T... Nick, and Jean. Courtroom setting, great Picard speech. Whats more to love here?

Come to think of it shouldn't Wesley and pals be charged with manslaughter or negligent homicide? They preformed an negligent illegal act that resulted in someone's death? Do we have any lawyers in the chat?

A tier. Get ready for the best Wesley Crusher episode ever, and it's when the show decides to completely dress down and deconstruct him, unflatteringly. It also has one of the best Picard speeches of all time. Also, pay no attention to the Lacarno behind the curtain. (It'll make sense eventually.)

A decent Wesley Crusher episode, who woulda thought it was possible.

Having one of the best season 5 episodes be about Wesley was not on my bingo card. But this is pretty much everything I would want from an episode that deepens Wesley's character and further builds on his surrogate son relationship with Picard. I really appreciate how the episode does not really redeem Wesley in the end, but lets us sit with his failure and Picard's sincere disappointment. A fantastic example of how the series has really begun to expose our crew's genuine flaws and failings.

An S for me if for nothing else than Picard’s speech to Wesley…”Our first duty is to the truth.” Woefully needed in today’s alternative-facts climate. The only other thing that would have made this episode more perfect for me? Ray Walston telling Wesley and Nova Squadron in Mr. Hand’s voice, “What are you people? On dope?” 😆

This episode is the saving grace of Wesley as a character, I only lament that its way too late in the show to save his reputation as a dweeb saving everyone because prodigy. Easy A, highlight being Picard having to firmly deal with Wesley disappointing him.

Wesley isn't perfect! Glory Hallelujah!

Hey! It's Tom P... Never mind.

This is my favorite Wesley episode. If only we could have gotten more of this. If only we could have waited until the character was old enough to get more of this.

One of my favorites. Ray Walston alone would make it an A for me. Decent story, Beverly a worried mom, another great Picard speech, morals and values, what more could you want? Solid A.

I like this episode. It’s a good Wesley episode with a good moral message. We’ve all felt peer pressure before. Is it the greatest episode of TNG ever? No, but it is easily one of the best Wesley episodes.

IMAGINE THIS: Wes is the leader of Nova Squad and he takes responsibility and resigns from Star Fleet at the end of the episode. THAT would be character development, not Picard giving him no other option but to rat everyone out! Such a weak writing choice….😒

By far the best Wesley-centric episode to this point. An episode that doesn't treat Wesley as a creator's pet, that doesn't make him a perfect little miniature adult, one that treats him as a teenager vulnerable to peer pressure from a charismatic classmate leader, and one that doesn't imply that he's space Mozart.

A door with a knob in Star Trek ? An automatic F! Lol nah I love this episode.✍️✍️✍️🔥🔥note to Alexander’s episodes! BE MORE LIKE THIS !

Character growth for Wesley. Even those "perfect" kids can screw up badly with the wrong influences. Even the leader of the group showed character by taking the fall for everyone. And meeting Boothby! Picard being Picard. So much right with this one. Excellent example of the good character-driven stories completely lacking in season 1

IMO the one episode that Bursts the Wesley’s “perfect” image in the best way. His best episode yet. Conflicting loyalties to peers and mentors. Another Banger speech from Picard. Finally meeting Boothby is a treat. Solid A episode in my book.

I never understood why Wesley had to go back to the academy after having been made an officer, because if he graduates he going to be promoted to... ensign?... which he already was. I guess this episode explains why he was never allowed to have friends his own age.

It's easy to get second-hand anxiety watching Picard give this lecture -- you can feel his anger and disappointment. My dad has a saying he picked up in the Army: "I'll kick your ass so hard your breath will smell like Kiwi shoe polish." Wesley definitely walked out of the Ready Room with shoe-polish breath.

Tom... Tom Paris??.......

Uh, oh, Wesley's in trouble at Star Fleet Academy! BIG trouble that resulted in the death of a classmate. It looks like he and his friends will get away with it if they all just keep quiet. Eventually Wesley does do the right thing, but not until Picard lays down the law to him. I rank this as another “Best of the Best”.

This one was good until Wesley turned rat. Ron Moore hated that ending. He felt Wesley should have stood by his friends. He was overruled. I wonder what you think of the actor playing the leader of the cadets. I thought he was pretty good.

No vilain, no phaser, no epic space batle just a simple and human episode that could have been a Top Gun sequel. Still an A for me 🖖

The best opportunity they had to kill off Wesley and they fumbled it. Still a decent episode despite that, B tier.

This is the episode they should’ve brought Wesley back for the first time in, not the idiotic “The Game”.

E! I hated what they did with Wesley. The writers argued that making a big mistake and lying about it humanized him, but here’s my take: for better or worse, Wesley was Gene’s surrogate on the show. Wes had the childhood Gene wanted when he was a sickly kid. Waiting until after Gene was gone to do this (because they knew he’d never approve) just felt dirty.

I .. just ... don't connect with anything in this episode. RDM's leader character is a guy I wouldn't do anything he says. And Wesley only fesses up AFTER he realizes he has no choice. This episode destroys any moral character Wesley should have. Plus, as a court drama, there should have been a hidden twist at the end, but we already simply know they are guilty.

An excellent Picard episode, as well as a great episode by McNeill as the asshat Locarno. I've never thought much of Wheaton's acting ability but he's got better material to work with here. I've wondered if more Star Trek based at the academy would be any good, but I fear that the need for conflict every episode would logically hurt it. Having student characters mess up and stick around with little repercussions makes little sense; nor does having them involved in anything with real, non-classroom Starfleet stakes. As for The First Duty I give it a solid A.

Fun fact: This is the first writing credit for future “The Expanse” showrunner Naren Shankar

Ah yes, the Best Wesley Episode.

OMG! Wesley Crusher is actually a human and acting like an actual teenager! The team leader is kind of an ass. And Boothby is kinda like the Guinan of Starfleet Academy. How easy to want to be part of the "in" crowd and doing everything possible to stay there, including lying to the Admiral. Peer pressure! Then he finally gives in to the peer pressure from Picard and does some real growing-up. Solid A from me. More courtroom drama always seems to be good.

Not one of my favourites. I usually skip this ine. C- at best from me.

It's ironic that Wil Wheaton had to leave the show to get the really good scripts, and this is arguably the best Wesley episode. I think the reason it works is it throws mud on Wesley's squeaky clean image by having him screw up in a big way. In the end however he owns his mistake and accepts the consequences, and ends up a much more mature character for it. We also get one of the all time great Picard speeches. Easy S tier for me.

i love watching the parental reactions - trying to let their children live their own lives, but failing because parental love is too strong - worth many rewatches

Best Wesley episode! We meet Boothby (who I thought was going to turn out to be some alien, but it's Ray Walston from My Favorite Martian) and some great moments between Patrick Stewart and Wil Wheaton.

Weaseley is also a snitch, but he did bang Ashley Judd so.....

Solid S tier for me! The theme of our boy Wesley being browbeat by a charismatic but self-serving Robert Duncan McNeil is a valuable one. It's so tempting to embrace an easy lie. But Picards speech about the first duty if every Starfleet officer is to the truth has stuck with me since it aired when I was 12. This episose is a part of my core values in life.

How do you make a great Wesley episode? Ditch the boy genius and make him a fuck up! Instantly relatable. Picard’s speech about truth is one of his best. S.

A good guest cast. Robert Duncan McNeil does an excellent job playing a character you want to hate. Ray Walston is everything I hoped Boothby would be ever since we heard about him on “Final Mission”. The mystery of the show is compelling enough to keep me interested. What I don’t care for in this episode is the change in Wesley Crusher. I just don’t see this character making the choices that got him in trouble. A Ron Moore writing choice that I just don’t think is accurate for the character. Rating B for “big, bad, out of character Wesley Crusher”

Maybe Wesley episodes aren't so bad after all.

Very surprised to see this is not a universal S tier. I would love to hear your (or the patrons') biggest detractors for this episode.

I give it an S. Wisely having to deal with a horrible decision and trying to make it right was intriguing. Also you get to meet Boothbay in this epidode.

How long did it take you guys before you realized they were guilty?

Did you notice that Wesley’s room at Starfleet Academy didn’t have automatic doors? Just a doorknob. Goes to show that college dorms/barracks are always the last to get upgraded!

Ray Walston (Boothby) was no stranger to science fiction. He played the title role in the 1963-66 sitcom “My Favorite Martian.”

Easily the best Wesley episode. That's not saying much but this one is actually good. It's also the first episode that doesn't portray him as being perfect. It features one of Picard's best verbal smackdowns.

Surprisingly good Wesley episode! I like the strain this episode puts on him and on his relationship with Picard. I think it's kind of nice how he doesn't feel like Little Mr. Perfect anymore after this. I thought Robert Duncan McNeill was a good guest actor as Locarno.

As of now no votes lower than B. I guess it's because, love or hate Wesley, either way this episode satisfies. This ep really set the show apart. Many of us can identify with screwing up in life and for them to be willing to use Wesley to teach that lesson was totally bold and unexpected. It's never too late! There is always hope! But it is not all peaches and cream along the way.

The first genuinely excellent Wesley episode, with a court-drama to boot! I think Josh will give this an A, Alex will. give it a B+

The appeal of Boothby is mostly the actor, I think trek fans like it when we watched this episode with family and someone older said "hey we used to watch that guy on tv all the time".

One of the better Wesley episodes. It truly deserves an A, but I'm giving it an S due to....spoilers.

I'm sure one of you mentioned during 'The Game' that you wished Wesley had been one of those succumbing because it'd be nice to see a 'perfect' character mess up for once. Well, this is your chance! Wesley finally makes his first serious mistake and has to live up to the consequences. I love Picard in this episode and how he doesn't hold back on telling Wesley just how disappointed he is. That scene is intense.

Pretty good episode but looks like I scored it worse than most here (B). I think Alex and Josh may like it even less than I.

Easy S tier for me. This is the right way to use a character like Wesley. Too often he's just the prodigy who does everything right, and being a prodigy is a fine aspect of his character, but episodes like this humanize him better by showing he can still get in over his head and sometimes needs firm guidance, like any kid does.

Best Wesley episode ever, not even close. Treating the character like a human being, not a ‘genius wiz kid’ leads to better stories. Who could have guessed?

The best Wesley episode there is. Pretty much everyone has that "I effed up" moment in their youth. Wesley's is particularily harsh in that someone died. Picard's had him getting stabbed through the heart. And on top of that is one of the best Picard speeches yet. "The First Duty is to the Truth!" What a thing to have in mind in this "post truth" era. Especially worthy of note is how Picard then elaborates on the different *kinds* of truths that are out there. There is no singular "Truth" but a variety. Life isn't about following a single Truth, but about finding the balance between multiple truths. Some damn fine nuanced stuff. S tier for me.

This Is a real good one and has one of the classic Picard speeches from the whole series. Also, Wesley gets some depth and isn't a know-it-all the way he has been most of the rest of the series.

This is up there as one of the best TNGs I've seen. Easily Wesley's best episode, and here he was given a problem that is relatable to just about anybody. It's a shame he went part-time just as he was reaching the age to handle more complicated stories. I gave it an A.

Boothby! Real conflict! Wesley not being so weasley! Cool maneuvers. Great Picard speech. What more could you want? I particularly liked the subplot with the dead kid's father thinking the whole thing was his son's fault.

Intense speech for Picard. I never questioned that convicton..........until now. I really dont want to be stared down by him like that. A for me.

This is a good "send off" for Wesley, for so many reasons. Enterprise relationships are special, but so are the ones with your classmates at the academy. Wesley is in an impossible position and this actually shows how young people act. The writing here is great and does EXACTLY what it needs to do. One of the few, but an A for a Wesley episode.

A for me, possibly the best Wesley episode so far, and a good one for Picard as well. We see Starfleet Academy for the first time as well as Boothby who was mentioned by Picard in The Game.

Based on THE TA FORMULA: C plus WESLEY GETTING HIS ASS HANDED TO HIM = SSSS!!!! I love watching Wesley get in deep trouble for a change. Another great Picard speech too.

This is a generally excellent episode in which Wesley's shining halo finally gets tarnished. A tier for me.

How awesome are those cadet uniforms?

B tier. Nice change of scenery being at Starfleet for most of the episode and a good Picard speech. If this has been the quality of writing between Picard and Wesley for the first four seasons, I don't think people would have held such a negative view of him.

MUCH better Wesley episode, and among his best of the series. Plus, Picard’s speech about ‘The First Duty’ to the Truth is just CLASSIC Trek through and through. Great stuff, hope you enjoyed!

Wesley is on the other side of a Picard speech for once.

Gets an A, if nothing else because it’s better than Wesley’s last appearance…