TNG - The Masterpiece Society

This forum is for discussing Chuck's videos as they are publicly released. And for bashing Neelix, but that's just repeating what I already said.
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Frustration
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Re: TNG - The Masterpiece Society

Post by Frustration »

CharlesPhipps wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:27 am Extinction is pretty hard to argue against as the worst option there.
To paraphase Frank Herbert: there are worse things than death, even for an entire species.
It's often considered to be the worst episode of Star Trek by many because it basically has Sir Patrick putting the Prime Directive over the people it's supposed to protect.
You seem to be assuming that the Prime Directive's only purpose is to protect the pre-warp cultures.

And your assertion is simply wrong - the fan, critical, and producer consensus is that 'Threshold' is the worst episode of Trek ever, to the point that an agreement has been made to pretend it never existed.
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clearspira
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Re: TNG - The Masterpiece Society

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Frustration wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 2:37 pm
CharlesPhipps wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:27 am Extinction is pretty hard to argue against as the worst option there.
To paraphase Frank Herbert: there are worse things than death, even for an entire species.
It's often considered to be the worst episode of Star Trek by many because it basically has Sir Patrick putting the Prime Directive over the people it's supposed to protect.
You seem to be assuming that the Prime Directive's only purpose is to protect the pre-warp cultures.

And your assertion is simply wrong - the fan, critical, and producer consensus is that 'Threshold' is the worst episode of Trek ever, to the point that an agreement has been made to pretend it never existed.
What if I told you that on their podcast, Garrett Wang and Robert Duncan Mcneill actively defended this episode?
What if I also told you that I cannot find any official declaration at all that Threshold has been retconned despite fans trying to make out that it was? The most I can find is a throwaway line from Paris later in the series which doesn't actually refer to warp 10. Which I find suspect anyway as Voyager is well known for having shitty continuity.

Also, THE worst ever? Not one of the worst, but THE worst? Because I think you'll find ''Spock's Brain'' and ''Profit and Lace'' will go down fighting there.

No offence, but your assertions seem to be equally wrong.
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Frustration
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Re: TNG - The Masterpiece Society

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clearspira wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 3:02 pm What if I told you that on their podcast, Garrett Wang and Robert Duncan Mcneill actively defended this episode?
What if you did?
What if I also told you that I cannot find any official declaration at all that Threshold has been retconned despite fans trying to make out that it was?
'Official declaration'? To my knowledge, there's never been any 'official declaration' about the status of any episode. Producers and writers have spoken about various episodes, including that one.
"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals four. If that is granted, all else follows." -- George Orwell, 1984
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CharlesPhipps
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Re: TNG - The Masterpiece Society

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Frustration wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 2:37 pmTo paraphase Frank Herbert: there are worse things than death, even for an entire species.
You'll have to explain how that applies.
You seem to be assuming that the Prime Directive's only purpose is to protect the pre-warp cultures.
It is stated to be a primary one.
And your assertion is simply wrong - the fan, critical, and producer consensus is that 'Threshold' is the worst episode of Trek ever, to the point that an agreement has been made to pretend it never existed.
And it would be wrong because it's just a typical body transformation episode.

And also has been referenced multiple times by Lower Decks since.
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clearspira
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Re: TNG - The Masterpiece Society

Post by clearspira »

Frustration wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 3:07 pm
clearspira wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 3:02 pm What if I told you that on their podcast, Garrett Wang and Robert Duncan Mcneill actively defended this episode?
What if you did?
What if I also told you that I cannot find any official declaration at all that Threshold has been retconned despite fans trying to make out that it was?
'Official declaration'? To my knowledge, there's never been any 'official declaration' about the status of any episode. Producers and writers have spoken about various episodes, including that one.
So in other words, you pulled the idea that the episode is being ignored out of your bum. You have no proof of anything.
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Re: TNG - The Masterpiece Society

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Frustration wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 2:37 pm To paraphase Frank Herbert: there are worse things than death, even for an entire species.
It's not like anything the Enterprise does makes death no longer an option. If someone would truly rather die than suffer "cultural contamination", then there are plenty of ways they can end their own life.
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Re: TNG - The Masterpiece Society

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clearspira wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 5:41 pm So in other words, you pulled the idea that the episode is being ignored out of your bum. You have no proof of anything.
A quick websearch for "Star Trek Voyager Threshold worst episode" produces lots of results, including multiple critical rankings in which Threshold is the worst or nearly the worst of all of Voyager and even of all Trek.

Then again, people also hate "Sacred Ground", and quick perusal of critics' complaints suggests that they didn't really understand the point of the episode. But the point is not whether they are correct, but whether they are consistent.

And as for "Lower Decks" references, that's just one of multiple questionable decisions that show has made.

Similar searches for "Homeward" produce criticism, but nothing nearly as vehement. (And a few are simply funny: one says the episode " makes all parties involved look like pawns in a philosophical construct rather than human beings exercising choices over other human beings". It's not necessarily human beings making the decisions, and it's certainly not human beings being decided about!)
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Re: TNG - The Masterpiece Society

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Frustration wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 8:19 pm And as for "Lower Decks" references, that's just one of multiple questionable decisions that show has made.
What's the opposite of fix-it fic? We need something to call a show intentionally canonizing the worst interpretation of a previous show's mistake or fan theory.
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