Encounter at Farpoint

'Encounter At Farpoint' is the double-length pilot episode of The Next Generation and introduces us to the characters, the ship and... the writers, who at this point were the weakest link.

The two main plots are engaging enough. Going on commentary from Roddenberry, the Q entity was written in later at Paramount's behest but, to me, is the most amusing part of this outing. Q almost represents the studio's viewpoint - in the show, the whole human race is on trial, in reality, the entire TNG concept was on trial. His presence is a definite highlight and he would go on to be one of the most memorable characters of any Star Trek incarnation. Q's presence interweaves comfortably with 'the trial' itself which is the unravelling an enigma: how did an obviously technologically deficient race build a frontier outpost of high-technology to service the Federation, and can the mystery be solved without resorting to violent methods thereby proving Q correct in his definition of the human race as barbaric and child-like?

From a technical standpoint this episode is respectable. For particular commendation I would single out Industrial Light and Magic's excellent special effects work. The models of the Enterprise-D and the alien spacecraft(s) set a high watermark which remains, for me, an engrossing aspect of the show to this day. We now take complex and expensive shots like these for granted in television shows, but until TNG it wasn't all that common.

As for the performances, the cast are still tentative within their new roles, finding their comfort zones and strengths. Some of the dialogue allows them chances to connect with their characters and therefore with the audience, other sections would be better delivered tongue-in-cheek rather than with deadly earnestness, or omitted entirely. My own assumption is that at this point Roddenberry was working towards the strengths of the old cast, whom he was familiar with, expecting them to be partial clones of Kirk and crew instead of relying on his new actors to take Star Trek in interesting new directions. When he stepped down as Executive Producer and handed more responsibility to Braga (who, sadly, would go on to lose his deft touch while in control of Voyager) many of the problems were ironed out.

'Encounter At Farpoint: Parts I and II' represent some of the best moments of the first season but not necessarily the entire Next Generation run or the four films that would follow. It is abundantly obvious that the premise has great promise, but it would not be until late into the second season that consistency would improve and truly great stories would be added to the Star Trek canon.

I have not watched any episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" since they first debuted. Now, two and a half decades later plus, I am going to watch and review them all.

As for this first episode, I remember hating it when it debuted. However, I am giving it a fair shake...and then I'll explain why I hated it!

The show begins with Captain Picard taking command of the Enterprise. Soon after, a super-being, Q, takes control of the ship and explains that humans are all savage idiots--and he advises them to go back to their own solar system...NOW. Picard, of course, doesn't comply with this decree and soon finds that Q IS pretty much all-powerful. Eventually, Q places Picard and the crew on trial--a trial that MIGHT result in their obliteration. The trial is a total farce and it's interrupted when Picard suggests that Q examine the PRESENT human race to see if it still savage--at which point Q releases everyone for them to continue their original mission to Farpoint. Could it be what they do at Farpoint determines what Q will do next?

After re-watching the show, I realize that I was a bit harsh-- though it is not a particularly outstanding episode either. While I really grew to love the Q episodes, this one is VERY preachy about how noble the human race has become--one of the more annoying aspects of the Star Trek future. Additionally, the show is a bit slow compared to later shows--but I cannot blame everyone, as the show was trying to find its way and establish itself. Worth seeing but not particularly noteworthy aside from being the first two episodes.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's pilot episode is a mixed bag. On the one hand, there's a decent cast and everything LOOKS better than the original series -- the spacecrafts, F/X, costumes and sets -- but, on the other, half of the story is goofy and awkwardly implemented into the main story.

The "goofy" part is the character of Q, an omniscient being, who suddenly appears on the Bridge of the Enterprise just past the 5-minute mark (!) and shortly later transports most of the Bridge crew to some absurd trial against humanity with a bunch of barbarians as the audience. This part of the story was written by Gene Roddenberry and he was pressured to add it to D.C. Fontana's script to make "Encounter at Farpoint" a double episode.

The problem with the Q subplot is that it's premature. The purpose of a pilot episode is to establish the characters and the basic tone of the series. Fontana's story about the cast grouping together and their experiences at the Farpoint station accomplish this, but Roddenberry's Q story seems tacked-on, outlandish and premature.

Sure, the character of Q was based on Trelane from the Original Series episode "The Squire of Gothos," but (1) that episode wasn't introduced until the second half of the first season when the serious tone of the series was well established, and (2) Trelane was presented in a believable way despite his goofy antics. It's called good writing.

In "Encounter at Farpoint," by contrast, it's not 6 minutes into the story -- the very first episode of the series -- and this goofball character suddenly appears on the Bridge and proceeds to kidnap the Bridge crew and take them to some bizarre trial in the midst of a bunch of uncouth barbarians. These events take place in the first half hour and it just mars the seriousness and credible-ness of the rest of the 2-part episode.

Thankfully, everything else is like the Original Series, just better, at least as far as appearances go. The writing wouldn't catch up till the third and fourth seasons, although there are some gems here & there in the first two, e.g. "Heart of Glory," "Conspiracy," "The Schizoid Man," "A Matter of Honor," "The Dauphin" and "Q Who."

The pilot runs 1 hour, 31 minutes.

GRADE: B-/C+

As this series progressed and we got to know and love these characters, we must harken back to the inception of the series. It's an awful lot to throw out there. Multiple characters, most of whom continue in their roles for all or most of the series. The introduction of Picard, who is a real contrast to the James T. Kirk flamboyance. There is adventure and control. We are shown the ship and get to know how she came to be. Q enters at the start and will be a factor in the future. I've always struggled with this being because when a nearly omnipotent creature show his face, it diminishes the powers of the poor crew whose efforts seem somehow futile. It's good that he bows out, for the most part, as the series continues. The expense and effort of this experiment asked us to accept a new, modern version of the somewhat tacky, though highly entertaining, original. Commander Data takes on the Spock role, but as an android brings a different kind of detachment. His programming has a couple of interesting subsystems. The first plot test Picard and the crew to become more global (universal?) in investigating a force in the universe that doesn't play by their rules. How they approach this and deal with this while being tested by Q works very well for the most part. When I first saw this, I was so pumped. Just the thought of intelligent science fiction on prime time television made me long for its success.

I remember watching Encounter at Farpoint with my kids for the first time. My middle daughter was taking a Sci-Fi Philosophy class in school (lucky kid!) and they showed this episode on a day when she stayed home sick, so she wanted to catch up with the class. Naturally, I was only too happy to help her with her homework.

I had watched a lot of TNG episodes with my daughters over the years, but I avoided the pilot because I remember it being a little cheesy. Upon rewatching, it was better than I remembered. They did a good job of introducing the new Trekosphere.

There was a "bit of the old, bit of the new" feeling to the pilot. On the "old" side, we had the ladies wearing mini-dress uniforms, a cameo by McCoy, an all-powerful being behaving badly, and a plot that was very much in the "seek out strange new life" vein. On the new side, there was the holodeck (fun!), children on board (what?), a Klingon on the bridge (gasp!), an Enterprise that could separate the saucer (squee!), and a Captain that was very much Not Kirk. (In the future, we will have evolved beyond the need for toupees...)

I told my kids that when TNG first aired in 1987, loyal fans of the original series had been waiting 18 long years for another ongoing Trek series, and the anticipation was huge. I still remember the closing scene where Picard leans forward in the captain's chair and exclaims "Let's see what's out there..." I got a charge out of that line Back In The Day, and I got a charge out of it again.

It was fun to boldly go again, and especially fun to watch it with The Next Generation of fans in my family.