[TNG] Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2 (Netflix: S1 E1): Encounter at Farpoint Pt. 1 & 2
Rating: 3
This episode feels like it is split into two distinct stories: the Farpoint story, and the Q story, with character introductions mixed throughout. The Farpoint story feels like a 2 and the Q story feels like a 4, so the overall rating is a 3. It is important to watch if you want to feel the full effect of the series finale and it’s interesting to see how each character is introduced.
Read more at Memory Alpha
A.V. Club gave it a B-
Wil Wheaton did a review of this episode
Notes:
Cool opening shot of the enterprise. A lot of this episode is showing off the ship.
Introduction of Q
File Under: John de Lancie (Q)
The helm chair position have the helmsman practically laying down.
WWIII uniforms look amazingly dumb
Troi is a bit more involved with ship operations in the first episode.
They show off separating the saucer section and make a really big deal out of it, even playing the opening music while it happens. They also make it seem like something they would do more frequently than they ever do.
O’Brien in red!
The humans in the trial audience seem like aliens and the aliens at Farpoint seem to be humans.
They make it appear like there’s a lot of pressure on Riker “manually” reconnecting the saucer section but he just tells O’Brien to do it.
41:00-44:00 The scenes between Picard and Riker are pretty fantastic.
I’m guessing that they just thought the visor looked cool on Geordi, because thinking that blindness isn’t curable in the 24th century is pretty dumb. They don’t even bother saying that it’s some kind of special blindness or something.
Bones is an admiral. And terrible music follows him around.
Worf almost shoots the viewer with his phaser, and Riker commends him for acting fast.
53:08 They mention the Ferengi. They eat people
That ensign has the hots for Riker!
Also, the computer is much more polite and conversational.
1:02:38 Picard hates kids
Now there’s a gigantic space ship!
Further Analysis:
To most people this episode is too clunky, oddly paced, and too littered with strange scenes to reach above an average rating. It’s weaknesses are pretty clear, and hard to dispute. There are a few strengths that pull this episode above average.
First is that the Q story is very good. Most people recognize this. They acknowledge how John de Lancie and Patrick Stewart do a fantastic job. A.V. Club’s Zack Handlen (who gave this episode a B-) brings up a good point that the stakes of the Q story are only really felt when Q is actually on screen. This is true, and it’s also true that we never actually believe Q will destroy everyone, but there are still great scenes (like the courtroom one) that have a real sense of danger. Having Picard facing down Q in a room full of people mocking and shouting is very effective. If I’m honest, I found these courtroom scenes so compelling that it may be the primary reason for liking this episode. These scenes cover familiar themes in Star Trek, but maybe one of the best iterations in a single sequence. This is exactly what a premiere of TNG should include.
Another reason I like this episode is a little more controversial: Picard is kind of a jerk. For StarTrek.com’s Jordan Hoffman it seems like one of the main reasons for giving it a 1.5/5 rating. Most people think Picard (and especially Patrick Stewart) is still cool in this episode, but are put off by how mean he is. I actually liked it. I like how everyone is afraid of him. I like that he yells at Wesley, and hates kids, and forces Riker to prove himself. A lot of people appreciate the ways Picard is made to look different than Kirk in this episode (which I agree is good), but I kind of liked it when Kirk was mean too. I also liked it when Sisko was mean, and had problems with Janeway and Archer not being able to convincingly sell their toughness. It might just be personal taste, but seeing the aggressive or impersonal side of a captain adds a dimension of reality to a person with that position. Captains with a mean streak are awesome.
<Previous Episode——————————————————– Next Episode>