Moralizing in Season 5

[Bryan Moore]

This might be my all time favorite season, with solid episode after solid episode. Easily competing with 4 and 6 for the honor. I noticed, however, after watching the season again that we have so many episodes that are really just morality tales, more than any other season.

Silicon Avatar, New Ground, Hero Worship, Violations, Masterpiece Society, Ethics, The Outcast, The First Duty, The Perfect Mate, and even Darmok and I Borg had some pretty obvious moralizing going on and the plots often seemed to focus far more on making not-so-subtle attempts to speak out on issues than they did on character development. This is not a bad thing, nor is it unique to this season, or to TNG (loads of it everywhere), but it seems REALLY obvious this season to the point where the serious TV voiceover guy should start every preview with "Next week on a very special episode of Star Trek, the Next Generation, ___________ learns the meaning of __________."

I don't think it necessarily detracts from the quality of the episodes much, but it was a bit annoying this time around.

[Nickswitz]

One of my all-time favorites is Darmok, because not only is it saying right out in the open that different =/= bad, just means you have to learn, and that just because some people are one way, doesn't mean that the rest are going to be that way as well...

But, aside from the moral story, it showed that the universal translator isn't a god tool, and can't do grammer...

[Bryan Moore]

One of my all-time favorites is Darmok, because not only is it saying right out in the open that different =/= bad, just means you have to learn, and that just because some people are one way, doesn't mean that the rest are going to be that way as well...

But, aside from the moral story, it showed that the universal translator isn't a god tool, and can't do grammer...

Oh I LOVE Darmok, don't get me wrong. An all time favorite here as well, but you can see what I'm saying.

[Captain Seafort]

But, aside from the moral story, it showed that the universal translator isn't a god tool, and can't do grammer...

And that neither Data nor Troi have yet grasped the concept of a Boolean query...

[Nickswitz]

Oh, certainly, but that made them somewhat better, and somewhat worse to a point...

[Bryan Moore]

But, aside from the moral story, it showed that the universal translator isn't a god tool, and can't do grammer...

And that neither Data nor Troi have yet grasped the concept of a Boolean query...

Haha, I never noticed that until I watched it the other day. Worst fact-finding search ever.

[Nickswitz]

I need to rewatch that episode, does hulu have it?

[Teaos]

I think you'd only notice/care when you watch them close together.

[Bryan Moore]

I think you'd only notice/care when you watch them close together.

Yes, I like that assessment. I've moved onto season 7 by now, and am not overly looking forward to it.