[Stormy]

After tonight's episode of TNG, I have decided to admit something rather shameful. I quit watching TNG somewhere in the middle of its run. It was 35 years ago, so I do not remember exactly when I stopped watching.

A while back I decided to watch all of the Star Trek TV series (with the exception of DISCO, which I loathe, and all of the animated ones) I chose to watch them in chronological order rather than the order in which they were produced, starting with Enterprise, followed by TOS and then TNG. Since SNW has not wrapped up, I could not include it in chronological order but trust me... I will see EVERY episode.

But back to TNG. To be honest, there were things I didn't like about the series. I did not like Klingons as good guys. As a fan of Westerns, I always appreciated the separation between good versus evil, and having the Klingons join the Federation blurred those lines. Picard was too aloof compared to Kirk. Didn't particularly care for Ryker and don't get me started on Wesley Crusher. I did like Tasha Yar but they killed her off, and I thought Beverly Crusher was hot... I've always been fond of redheads.

So, somewhere before Season 3, Episode 15, Yesterday's Enterprise... I quit watching. I simply lost interest.

While I cannot say exactly which episode I quit on, I can say unequivocally that is was prior to this episode because I watched that one tonight. I say that because it has now become one of my Top 5 episodes of TNG. I realize I have a ways to go before making a final Top 5 but I cannot see this one getting bumped. Of course, this episode has everything I like about Star Trek, so that would stand to reason. The Klingons are once again bad guys. Tasha Yar is alive and looking hotter than ever. Picard is less aloof... and Ryker is less annoying. We won't talk about Wesley Crusher. It truly is one of the best episodes I have see thus far.

In time I will complete the series this time, then move on to DS9 and Voyager. We won't talk about how far I got with DS9... This time I am committed to watching every episode... well, with the exception of Discovery. There simply is no redemption in that one as far as I am concerned. But, who knows, though. Maybe one day... Nah! Who am I kidding. I'll go to my grave without watching another episode of that wretched show.

[O'Neill]

I'm very late in replying as I haven't been browsing the forums much but I kind of understand your thoughts.

Sometimes I get tired of watching a show when there were new episodes released every week, even when it's something I enjoy watching. I used to watch every episode of NCIS until members of the original cast started leaving, and that show is still ongoing for about 20 seasons now. As much as I like NCIS, it's gone on for too long and it should have ended around season 10, similar to how Stargate SG-1 finished their run with 10 seasons.

Then there's shows like ST Disco that I refuse to watch because I feel it does not embody the spirit of what Star Trek is, I don't get the same feeling like when I watched TNG, Voyager, and ENT. The writers from the era of TNG, Voyager, and ENT simply aren't in the industry anymore and the writers of today don't even come close to the quality of that era.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is, don't feel bad for stopping halfway through a series. I sometimes can't explain to myself why I stopped watching something but the important thing is watch something you enjoy without feeling guilt. It's a lot less stressful.

[darthnovawave]

Not finishing one or more series of Trek really isn't all that surprising, particularly if you are trying to watch them in order. One of things most Trek series (and a lot of shows in general) have in common is that they usually take a while before they find their footing and start putting out their best work. TNG had a lot of rough episodes in its first few seasons, DS9 was kinda weak until the Defiant and Dominion War (or maybe just Sisko shaving his head and growing a goatee...), etc. I personally have watched all the shows, and honestly any time I decide to throw one on for a rewatch, part of me wants to just jump ahead a few seasons of whatever I'm watching.

Then there is the whole episode count difference. Even though Discovery and Lower Decks managed 5 seasons and Picard matched TOS's 3 seasons, TOS had more actual episodes than any of these "nu trek" series, and TNG, DS9, VOY and even ENT passed their full run episode counts by their second or third seasons. That's a lot of pressure to get the writing, acting, and everything else dialed in perfectly right out of the gate, and I can't even imagine how many potentially great shows we miss out on in general these days because they just can't afford to have any weak episodes, let alone a weak season with these small episode counts.