Comments on: TNG@20 – EW’s ‘Oral History’ Of TNG

By: flier1701

flier1701 — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:05:51 +0000

Frakes as Riker brings a familiar quality to the show, especially in the later seasons. To me, he was a combination of Kirk and McCoy rather than just a Kirk Clone. He had an everyman quality to him that was comforting. I think this has mostly to do with the way Frakes played him, rather than the writing or what was intended. But I am biased as Riker is my favorite character on that series.

Maybe after all this time, it’s hard to see another actor playing that role over the fifteen year journey that is The Next Generation.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:32:26 +0000

That’s an awesome article, and its really neat to see Rick Sternbach posting on here.

Personally, I’ve always really liked the TNG bridge, cushy chairs in all…really, I love almost everything about the series (from season 3 onwards, that is…), so I guess I’m not exactly the most objective evaluator.

As for Jeffrey Combs as Riker, I’m a big fan of his, and especially of his Weyoun character, but I have to say I can’t imagine him as the true-blue Kirk substitute that is Riker. Ditto for the Traveler… really, I like Jonathan Frakes’s Riker better than I would any other actor’s take on the role.

So yeah, I’m a Trek apologist…but at least I’m not a rabid TOS-Kirk-Shatner fanboy….

By: DJT

DJT — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:56:15 +0000

Question for everybody.

Was anyone on the old AOL Star Trek Message boards YEARS AGO?

I mean like 1997/98? I remember those things were hot right up until the end of DS9.

Having Robert Orci and others post on here reminds me very much of the days when Ron Moore (and Brannon Braga once in a while) used to reply to fans on those message boards.

I’m just curious if anyone is still around from those days.

-DJT

By: Cygnus-X1

Cygnus-X1 — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:44:33 +0000

#22 – New Horizon

– It’s far more comforting driving into battle in a tank, than it is in a sedan! It made the audience feel at home, and in that sense..it brought the sense of comfort, awe, suspense…further into the living room –

Interesting theory. The spacious, living-room-esque bridge lulls the audience into a false sense of security, as though they might be visiting with Grandma, and then….

BAM!! The Borg come along, in their technophobia-inducing Cube-ship and invade the sanctuary of Grandma’s living room, thus the creep-factor is maximized.

I’m not sure if it worked quite that way on me, but it seems plausible.

By: steve623

steve623 — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:48:49 +0000

“I liked Frakes by the second or third season. In season one, my namesake was wooden as hell. I think he benefitted from being around Stewart. Or else he just took a while to loosen up. ”

It was the beard :-)

By: New Horizon

New Horizon — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:27:18 +0000

- WHY did they want the bridge of the new ship to be more open, homey, tranquil and inherently less exciting?

To contrast the dramatic nature of the show. It’s far more comforting driving into battle in a tank, than it is in a sedan! It made the audience feel at home, and in that sense..it brought the sense of comfort, awe, suspense…further into the living room than it would have had if the ship were more like the future sterile spin offs.

By: pizza hotdog

pizza hotdog — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:16:40 +0000

I would love to read something similar on the making of Star Trek 2008.

457 dtST

By: Trekker670

Trekker670 — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:55:48 +0000

I walked into my English class yesterday, and my teacher handed me the mini-magazine version of the article which was included in the Entertainment Weekly Magazine!

By: Harry Ballz

Harry Ballz — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:09:47 +0000

I remember the time I stayed up half the night cramming for a blood test!

By: CmdrR.

CmdrR. — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:09:44 +0000

Looking back at some of the episodes, I wonder whether the uniforms restrained some of the physical action that should have been there. In the early seasons, I can see awkward movements at times, as the actors try not give themselves wedgies. From season 3 onward, there’s a noticeable effort not to show the actors’ backs (and that GINORMOUS seam) which seems to affect the blocking at times. There are exceptions of course. But, there’s a lot more who-gives-a-poo-about-$2-velour in TOS. I miss all the gratuitous shirt ripping. (There are at least two times where Picard is wounded without his shirt getting mussed that really bother me — “Who Watches the Watchers” and the horrible one where Troi gets aged into a crone and stabs Picard.)