"Rascals" worst TNG episode?

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2005-02-09 03:42pm

Is this the worst of TNG? I remember one called "Masks" was pretty bad, but was it as bad as "Rascals?"

Just for the record, "Rascals" went something like this: A transporter malfunction turns Picard, Guinana and Roe into children. Picard tries to command the Enterprise as a child, and Guinan uses the opportunity to get in touch with her childhood by jumping on a bed. Meanwhile, two or three Ferengi invade the Enterprise and hold the ENTIRE ship hostage.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2005-02-09 03:44pm

Dude, once you got past the awful awful premise it was a fun episode, particularly Picard as a child and one of my all time favorite TNG lines "Daddy!" when kid Picard hugs Riker.

Tommy J · Post by **Tommy J** » 2005-02-09 03:46pm

I cannot even remember the name of the Episode but where Riker gets stung by a plant and goes through a series of flashbacks --- YUCK!

Rascals is agreed a real close 2nd to the above.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-02-09 03:51pm

Some of the First season of TNG was pretty bad too. "Code of Honor" for example just SCREAMS racist.

"The Last Outpost" is nothing but propaganda. "we know the Federation is morally superior because the Portal alien says so"

"Justice" an alien civilization where nothing is a crime UNLESS its within the white markers at which point even an accident is punishable by death. And lets throw out the prime directive for an episode (even though we mindlessly worship it the rest of the time) just to save Wesley

We have "The Big Goodbye" to thank for the 'stuck on the holodeck' cliche

"Datalore" return of the evil twin cliche!!!

"Symbiosis" where an entire civilization is composed of drug addicts. Typical of their one civilization--one issue mentality.

"The Neutral Zone" while the re-introduction of the Romunals and foreshadowing of the borg is nice, the constant slamming on modern day society is rather tedious.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-02-09 03:52pm

Stravo wrote:Dude, once you got past the awful awful premise it was a fun episode, particularly Picard as a child and one of my all time favorite TNG lines "Daddy!" when kid Picard hugs Riker.

<Picard screws up and refers to Riker as Number 1 in front of the Ferengi>

Picard: Uh, he's my number 1 dad!

Gee Picard, how many dads do you have?

Steven Snyder · Post by **Steven Snyder** » 2005-02-09 03:53pm

I agree, Rascals was just mind-blowingly stupid.

If a half-dozen Ferengi can take over the Enterprise...oh nevermind.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-02-09 03:56pm

Tommy J wrote:I cannot even remember the name of the Episode but where Riker gets stung by a plant and goes through a series of flashbacks --- YUCK!

Shades of Grey. The season 2 closer. They WANTED to have a big finale with a borg attack but ran out of money or some such thing.

Rascals is agreed a real close 2nd to the above.

I once mentioned the plot of Rascals to a pretty hard core trek fan but he apparently hadn't seen it. His response?

"Theres an episode where they get turned into kids? <sigh> The halucinagins must have been running prety high that week"

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2005-02-09 04:25pm

Rascals was good, Riker outsmarting the Ferengi, Picard turned into a kid... what more do you want? And we get to see how stupid Riker is again by not ordering fire weapons on full power (which he does in the episode with the Dowd yuk), and not ordering general quarters and everybody grab a phaser.

Flashbacks was bad. Shaved Riker, fuck can't deal with early TNG, Riker just looks too silly without a beard.

Brian

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2005-02-09 04:47pm

A bad premise doesn't necessarily make a bad episode. I'm more concerned with how the thing was executed. "Rascals", from that perspective, was pretty good.

Most of TNG's worst clunkers came in Season 1. If TNG hadn't had the Star Trek name on it, it probably would have failed on the weakness of its stories and writing before it got past its 13th episode.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2005-02-09 06:07pm

Rascals was funny if only to see young Picard throw a tantrum.

"i want to see my father, NOW NOW NOW!" with foot stomps and all.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-02-09 06:15pm

Heh, that was classic.

I agree that there was nothing wrong with "Rascals" other than that it was a silly premise. It still was a good episode. I'd say easily the whole first season is worse than anything post-season three.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2005-02-09 08:17pm

Cause and Effect was pretty godawful, although I think Code of Honor is still the only Star Trek episode where cast members (I know Frakes did) publically admitted they asked for that episode to be removed from syndication because it was so embarrassing.

Pick · Post by **Pick** » 2005-02-09 08:22pm

I didn't mind "Rascals" too much.

I do recall detesting this one episode with... little alternating time-spots. For instance, you'd do stuff and percieve no time travelling elsewhere. Very selective.

All I remember thinking is "Troi is lagging!"

Trogdor · Post by **Trogdor** » 2005-02-09 09:03pm

I liked Rascals. It was silly, yes, but I don't expect every episode to be a dramtic showdown with the Borg or a complex mind game with the Romulans. A funny ep now and then isn't a bad thing. And the first thing Picard did when he got changed back was feel his head to see if he was bald again.

Lame clip show was probably the worst. "The Neutral Zone" was bad too, as it made the Feds undeniably communist.

Post by **Kuja** » 2005-02-09 09:51pm

I liked Rascals, and I thought the Ferengi in it were pretty badass.

Isolder74 · Post by **Isolder74** » 2005-02-09 09:55pm

Kuja wrote:I liked Rascals, and I thought the Ferengi in it were pretty badass.

If there was only more that 6 of them!

NRS Guardian · Post by **NRS Guardian** » 2005-02-09 10:24pm

Also, Rascals shows why it is a bad idea for a warship to have kids on it. The Ferengi leader shows that his race isn't all a bunch of morons because at least they know to keep their kids off frickin' warships. or at least ships that get themselves into trouble regularly.

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2005-02-09 10:42pm

Darth Servo wrote:Some of the First season of TNG was pretty bad too.
"The Last Outpost" is nothing but propaganda. "we know the Federation is morally superior because the Portal alien says so"

Well it was easy for the Federation to be moraly superior,the Ferengis acted like jerks

"Justice" an alien civilization where nothing is a crime UNLESS its within the white markers at which point even an accident is punishable by death. And lets throw out the prime directive for an episode (even though we mindlessly worship it the rest of the time) just to save Wesley

They should have sticked to their damn Prime Directives,let Wesley die dammit

The Silence and I · Post by **The Silence and I** » 2005-02-09 11:18pm

Rascals is one of those episodes with a truely terrible premise, which showcases all that is bad and incompetent about federation tactics and security forces and a dozen other things, but in the end it is a good episode with enjoyable characters, dialog and execution. No masterpiece, but its flawed premise isn't the only aspect.

Shades of Grey...that sucked. Recycled footage, not all that well done to boot, and well, it was the fookin season finalie! And it suxored!

Yes, several season one episodes sucked majorly too, but were sometimes offset partly by the higher level of technical uberness then. You didn't get the feeling the ship might be bitchslapped by a decade old scoutship, or overrun by some funky computer glitch. You were ready to believe them if they said they could blow something to hell and back, and I like that.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2005-02-10 12:28am

Darth Servo wrote:"Datalore" return of the evil twin cliche!!!

On the plus side, I respect any villain who turns to Wesley Crusher and says "Congratulations little man! You've just assured your death."

Darth Lucifer · Post by **Darth Lucifer** » 2005-02-10 12:32am

Rascals was cute if silly. My favorite character as a kid was Guinan. Only she could truly appreciate the situation of becoming a kid again, if only for a short while.

Another bad episode that comes to mind is "Manhunt," which I believe featured the Dress uniform that looked like a dress, complete with black leggings as well as a plot so weak I remember falling asleep when it originally aired.

Then there's "The Bonding" where Worf does the R'uustai with Marla Aster's kid, Jeremy Aster. The kid was an absolute retard; there's an alien entity staring him in the face doing all this wacky shit (like recreating his home on Earth and disappearing right before his eyes) and he still thinks it's his DEAD mother. Great addition to the House of Mogh. Sigh, I guess they had to write the boy like that to give Troi something to do.

Skylon · Post by **Skylon** » 2005-02-10 01:09am

Rascals was kinda funny. What was the worst TNG episode (and in my opinion the owrst Trek episode) was the one where Crusher gets haunted and seduced by a ghost who has haunted the women of her family for generations.

This isn't fucking Ghostbusters...

Dennis Toy · Post by **Dennis Toy** » 2005-02-10 02:54am

for me it would be

Dark Page: The fuck, this isn't Days of our Life...This isnt a show about mothers who whine cause their stupidity allowed their children to die.

The one where troi gets psychic photographs and starts experiences memories from some other crewman. In the ep she *damnnn* romances worf.

Rascals: because let that shit with the 3 ferengi happen on a real battleship, those ferengi woulda had there asses handed to them.

Sub-Rosa: this isn't dark shadows...

Dennis Toy · Post by **Dennis Toy** » 2005-02-10 02:55am

Then there's "The Bonding" where Worf does the R'uustai with Marla Aster's kid, Jeremy Aster. The kid was an absolute retard; there's an alien entity staring him in the face doing all this wacky shit (like recreating his home on Earth and disappearing right before his eyes) and he still thinks it's his DEAD mother. Great addition to the House of Mogh. Sigh, I guess they had to write the boy like that to give Troi something to do.

actually that ep was great, it didn't get overdramatic.

Bertie Wooster · Post by **Bertie Wooster** » 2005-02-10 09:53am

"The Offspring" was the worst in my opinion. Data makes a daughter, yadda, yadda, yadda, starfleet wants the daughter, daughter's programming crashes. Come to think of it, any episode that focused on Data tended to suck.