Unsung Episodes: Season 2.

Every season of The Next Generation has episodes that get overlooked or ignored. Well, not here and not today. Most fans will quickly identify "The Measure of a Man" as being their favorite episode from season two. So, if we set that one aside, which other episodes should we celebrate and recognize from this season?

In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Amy Nelson, Richard Marquez, and Lee Hutchison list their three unsung episodes from season two. Each host puts up a good defense on why their chosen episodes should be among the fan favorites or at least viewed with a fresh perspective devoid of preconceived perceptions.

Unsung Episodes is a series that will continue through 2017 highlighting each season in honor of the thirty-year anniversary of TNG.

Chapters
Introduction (00:00:54)
Pulaski (00:2:20)
The Child (00:04:59)
First Pick (00:05:45)
Second Pick (00:07:46)
Spocks Brain (00:12:20)
Third Pick (00:13:13)
Fourth Pick (00:17:08)
Fifth Pick (00:21:56)
Sixth Pick (00:26:30)
Seventh Pick (00:29:14)
Eighth Pick (00:32:47)
Honorable Mention (00:35:30)
Another Honorable Mention (00:37:47)
Last Honorable Mention (00:39:14)
POTFM (00:40:05)
Closing (00:43:57)

Hosts
Amy Nelson, Richard Marquez, and Lee Hutchison

Production
Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

TNG Season Zero Prequel.

We all know and love the trials and tribulations of our beloved TNG crew throughout seven seasons and four feature films ... but how did it all begin for them? Daniel, Darren, and Phillip sit down and create an outline for a "Countdown to 'Encounter' [at Farpoint]" comic book series. The trio imagines a comic book run, similar to IDW'S "Star Trek: Countdown" and "Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness" for the JJ-verse movies, that picks up our characters' lives years before they joined the ranks of the Galaxy-class Enterprise-D. 

Earl Grey begins issue one with the dramatic court martial of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, following the disastrous loss of his first command, U.S.S. Stargazer. Picard must deal with an overzealous prosecutor, Phillipa Louvois, as well as a visit from recent widow, Dr. Beverly Crusher. The next issues focus on young baby-face Lieutenant William T. Riker and Deanna Troi on Betazed, as the gold-suited Starfleet officer finds himself choosing between love and career promotion (along with a new color uniform). Other issues follow a recently discovered and reactivated android, named Data, who finds his life choices continually challenged by a Lieutenant Bruce Maddox. The trio also creates issues focusing on the Cardassian War, with a young Natasha Yar and Miles O'Brien teaming up to defend Starfleet, as well as a time jump forward to the U.S.S. Hood as Ensign Geordi LaForge continually tries to escape the attention of his meddlesome first officer, Lieutenant Commander Riker.  

Join Earl Grey as they tell these prequel stories and more of the early adventures of the soon-to-be-infamous crew of the Federation's flagship, U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-D in Season Zero of The Next Generation.


Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Executive Producers
Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, & C Bryan Jones

Will Nguyen

The Animated Next Generation.

In a laugh out loud roundtable pitch session Phillip, Daniel, and Darren are joined by Aaron Harvey to create the Star Trek: The Next Generation Animated Series. Set in the late 90's after Generations this series will be animated TO THE EXTREME!

Delving deep into 90's nostalgia the story, characters and merchandising  opportunities all align in this crazy pitch session. Imagine Commander Flipper on a skateboard, soccer moms buying Ketracel-white cooler pouches and John de Lancie being a live action character. Premiering next summer on UPN kids, Star TreXtreme!

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Guest
Aaron Harvey

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Executive Producers
Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, & C Bryan Jones

Will Nguyen

Trek Switch - Season One.

Star Trek: The Next Generation offers 176 interesting episodes for fans to enjoy. The Enterprise-D enjoyed various adventures that either originated from TOS, were planned for the scrapped Star Trek: Phase II television series, or were developed more in subsequent Trek shows. In this week's podcast, Earl Grey asks the question - are there TNG episodes that belong in one of the other Star Trek series? The trio begins with season one of Next Gen in this episode and work their way, round-robin style, through Enterprise, The Original Series, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager.

Phillip take "Justice" and transports the story to the crew of the NX-01, as Porthos must now stand trial for being a bad dog. Darren has Captain Kirk and his intrepid NCC-1701 crew encountering the laser whip-cracking, hissing Ferengi for the first time with "The Last Outpost." Daniel turns "Arsenal of Freedom" into a Quark-centered DS9 episode, where the conniving Ferengi must make a deal to save the crew. Join Earl Grey as they take 20 season one TNG episodes and transport them into other Star Trek stories in this episode of Trek Switch - Season One. 

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Executive Producers
Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, & C Bryan Jones

Will Nguyen

Season Seven Overview.

All good things must come to end, and so it was with the seventh and final season of The Next Generation on television. Daniel, Darren, and Phillip compare this final year to previous seasons and discuss how the quality ebbed and flowed during these final episodes. They sort through their favorite episodes like "Pegasus," "Parallels," "Gambit, Parts 1 and 2," and "Lower Decks," as well as "Sub Rosa"-level episodes ... like "Sub Rosa." 

This season also serves as an ultimate family reunion for the NCC-1701-D crew, including family members we never knew existed, like Data's "mom" ("Inheritance"), Captain Picard's "son" ("Bloodlines"), and Counselor Troi's sister ("Dark Page"). We also meet Worf's brother ("Homeward") and Chief Engineer La Forge's parents ("Interface"). There are attempts to wrap up character story lines, with Wesley turning into an energy being ("Journey's End") and Lieutenant Ro finding a new place for herself with the Maquis ("Preemptive Strike"). The brilliant series finale "All Good Things...", of course, ends the continuing mission of TNG on the small screen. So put on a mask, grab a slice of cellular peptide cake (with mint frosting), and join Earl Grey as they discuss Next Gen's final season.    

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Executive Producers
Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, & C Bryan Jones

Will Nguyen

Season Six Overview.

When "Encounter at Farpoint" premiered in 1987, it was considered the "Great Experiment" of Star Trek - could The Original Series' "lightning in a bottle" be captured again? The sixth season of The Next Generation began the second "Great Experiment" - could two syndicated Star Trek television shows successfully air at the same time? Many TNG fans think of seasons three through six as the epitome of the series; this specific season would feature the return of "Scotty" (James Doohan), the memorable torture of Captain Picard ("Chain of Command, Parts 1 and 2"), and the return appearances of Lieutenant Reg Barclay ("Realm of Fear" and "Ship in a Bottle"), Q ("True Q" and "Tapestry"), and the Borg, along with Lore ("Descent, Part 1").

Daniel, Darren, and Phillip discuss how the sixth season continued to raise the bar of TNG, with only a sparse number of clunker episodes, like "Aquiel." From Crusher playing Quincy, M.D. in "Suspicions," Troi taking command of Romulans in "Face of the Enemy," and Picard making emoticons in warp corp breeches in "Timescape," the sixth season continues to show the power of The Next Generation. Join Earl Grey as they travel from 19th Century San Francisco to the Ancient West as they provide an overview of season six of Next Gen, as well as lost crossover opportunities with the new series Deep Space Nine.  

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Season Five Overview.

The Next Generation peaked during its fifth season, featuring its highest viewer ratings and the long-anticipated return of a main cast member from the originalStar Trek. The season begins by completing the Klingon and Romulan-focused two-parter "Redemption," and then covers new ground with a metaphor-speaking alien species ("Darmok"), the introduction of a new featured character ("Ensign Ro"), and a multi-story episode in "Disaster." Fans of both Star Trek generations finally received their wish with the return of Spock to the television screen in the two-parter "Unification." 

This was unfortunately the same year that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry died. However his legacy lived on in season five as it sought new perspectives on established TNG characters with the returns of Lwaxana Troi ("Cost of Living"), Wesley Crusher ("The Game" and "First Duty"), and the Borg ("I, Borg"). Captain Jean-Luc Picard was faced with one of his greatest challenges in the critically acclaimed "The Inner Light," while the season ended with fan-debated episode "Time's Arrow, Part 1." Join Daniel Proulx, Darren Moser, and Phillip Gilfus as they put on their brand new captain's jackets and examine the fifth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Season Four Overview.

Viewers flocked to the season-four premiere of The Next Generation to see if the Enterprise-D would survive the Borg attack and whether Locutus of Borg versus Captain William T. Riker would mean the end of Jean-Luc Picard. The rest of the season introduced the family members of our crew ("Family," "Brothers," "Reunion"), saw Chief O'Brien get married ("Data's Day"), and Wesley Crusher finally moved on from the Federation flagship ("Final Mission").

In this episode of Earl Grey, Daniel, Phillip, and Darren discuss the introduction of the Cardassians, the expansion of the Klingon civil war arc (featuring Daniel's favorite shadowy Romulan), and what episodes made us laugh, think, and cry the most during the season that fully established TNG as a Star Trek incarnation with its own identity and success.

Hosts

Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, and Darren Moser

Editor and Producer

Darren Moser

Associate Producer

Will Nguyen

Chapters

The Best of Both Worlds (2:03)

Family (5:51)

Passing TOS (11:03)

Family Season? (16:51)

Wesley Leaving (21:03)

O'Brien (30:25)

Highlights of Season Four (33:37) 

Fun with Titles (38:58)

Q (44:20)

Final Thoughts (47:00)

Closing (52:03)

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Season Three Overview.

The third season of TNG introduced uniform collars, a promoted La Forge, the last full season for Wesley, welcomed back Dr. Crusher, and ended on the greatest cliffhanger in Star Trek television history. In this episode of Earl Grey, Darren, Daniel, and Phillip discuss why Season Three is their collective favorite out of all seven years of the series, how most episodes introduced storylines that would continue throughout TNG's television run (in addition to other Trek series and feature films), and how many times Riker smiles during other characters' embarrassing moments.

Send us your feedback!

Twitter: @trekfm

Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm

Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm

Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact

Chapters

Opening Thoughts (2:18)

1 Evolution (4:42)

2 The Ensigns of Command (9:00)

3 The Survivors (11:25)

4 Who Watches the Watchers (14:14)

5 The Bonding (16:35)

6 Booby Trap (18:25)

7 The Enemy (22:00)

8 The Price (24:03)

9 The Vengeance Factor (27:09)

10 The Defector (28:04)

11 The Hunted (31:01)

12 The High Ground (33:26)

13 Deja Q (34:58)

14 A Matter of Perspective (39:07)

15 Yesterdays Enterprise (41:17)

16 The Offspring (45:21)

17 Sins of the Father (47:38)

18 Allegiance (51:28)

19 Captain's Holiday (54:43)

20 Tin Man (56:10)

21 Hollow Pursuits (58:40)

22 The Most Toys (1:00:00)

23 Sarek (1:02:37)

24 Menage a Troi (1:09:42)

25 Transfigurations (1:12:30)

26 The Best of Both Worlds - Part 1 (1:14:20)

Season Two Overview.

After the first season of The Next Generation premiered, it become clear that the show was successful enough to warrant further seasons. After dealing with cast changes, a writers' strike, and a now-famous beard, Season Two is a bit of an anomaly within TNG. In this episode of Earl Grey hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx discuss their favorite and least favorite episodes, character changes, and even the infamous "Shades of Grey" clip show.

Season One Recap.

Season One of The Next Generation is frequently maligned and considered inferior to most of Trek. However, not all is bad and in this episode of Earl Grey hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx talk about a few episodes that go against the preconceived notions of the first season. From “Where No One Has Gone Before” all the way through the penultimate episode “Conspiracy” and a few in between, the crew discusses some of the highlights of Season One and what makes some of the season not only worth watching, but a vital piece of Star Trek.

TNG Season Eight.

Going into Season Seven, many of the actors from The Next Generation were contracted through Season Eight. At some point, the decision was made to end the show so that the creatives could focus on movies and the launch of Voyager. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx discuss various aspects of TNG’s lost season. What would we have wanted to see? What would we want to avoid? What might we have gotten? We also discuss how an eighth season of The Next Generation might have affected the other incarnations of Star Trek.