Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episodes 1 & 2: Encounter at Farpoint, Parts I & II (Premiere) [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Had I written a review of this episode shortly after it came out, it would not have been nearly as positive as this one. In viewing it again, I am struck at how well the two "unusual" characters of Q and Data are introduced. While to outward appearances he is human, Data is an android and we are immediately made aware of that as well as some of his "failings." Simple things such as whistling and humor are beyond his capacity at this time.
The outstanding feature is the introduction of one of the best characters to ever appear in a television series, Q, the impish God. Without question, he is a god, possessing mighty powers and yet he is using them to determine the worthiness of humanity to explore the stars. After the dark, foreboding and sometimes bloody descriptions of God in much of our religious literature, it is a pleasure to see one who puns and tests us with puzzles rather than in how well we slaughter our enemies. Of secondary interest is the mention of the Ferengi, although they are described as a people who eat those who displease them.
Dr. McCoy of the original series makes an appearance as an admiral, inspecting the medical facilities of the Enterprise. He is as irascible as ever, yet he also praises the Vulcans as an honorable race, worthy of respect. Data escorts him while he is on the Enterprise, and their conversation is one of the classics in the entire Star Trek genre.
The Enterprise crew gets together and their mission is to investigate Farpoint Station, a structure constructed with unusual rapidity by a people who wish to have the Federation use it as a star base. On the way to Farpoint, they encounter Q and we are introduced to the plot device where the saucer and weapons sections can be separated. This was not extensively used in subsequent episodes, which was unfortunate. Given that families are now on starships, it is my belief that such separations would be standard practice when there is the reasonable expectation of hostilities.
Q creates a courtroom whose spectators are survivors of an atomic holocaust. Humanity is put on trial through the crew of the Enterprise and then they are let free to continue their mission. When the Enterprise arrives at Farpoint, things are not what they appear to be. When the leader of the people who built Farpoint is questioned, he professes ignorance, yet it is clear he knows what is happening. Another "ship" arrives and begins bombarding the city near Farpoint. Rather than immediately firing on the new arrival, Picard seeks information and learns that the "ship" is in fact an intelligent entity that is trying to free its' mate, which has been transformed into Farpoint. By firing energy of the proper form into Farpoint, the Enterprise heals the creature and it frees itself. Q is impressed by this and announces that humanity has passed the test.
Given that there was very little to build on, this episode effectively introduces much of what is arguably the greatest television series ever. Therefore, it can also be considered the best episode of the series.

The U.S.S Enterprise, captained by Jean-Luc Picard, is on a routine investigative mission to Farpoint Station when they encounter an enigmatic, god-like individual known simply as Q. The omnipotent being appears to have no other intention other than to cause trouble and immediately places Picard and his senior officers on trial for the crimes of humanity...

Encounter of Farpoint is not among the best of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes - it merely serves as a necessary starting point for a TV programme that took until its third series to display the type of quality we associate it with. Characters are introduced; past relationships are established (although it does take 178 episodes, seven series, three movies and eleven years for anything to come of it in the case of Riker and Troi). This is a must-have for any fan of the series - watching "Encounter at Farpoint" and comparing it to later episodes will allow you to see just how far the characters - Picard, Riker, Troi, Dr Crusher, Data, Worf, La Forge and Yar - have evolved and how the show as a whole changed over time.

~*Jenna*~

So, alot of the details have yet to be worked out by cast and crew, the acting can be a little forced, but all these are problems of the first episodes of any tv show. Overall, these eps are a must see as to understand ST:TNG, you gotta get Encounter at Farpoint. It is interesting to learn how all the characters relate to eachother.

This was a good start. This show that would eventually become in my opinion, the greatest Star Trek T.V show ever. I love Q, and I loved the Q story line. Not many people say this but Patrick Stewart had a his first great Star Trek performance, especially in the trial scene begging Q for them to be tested on the fate of humanity. It gives the viewer the feeling that this show and this captain was going to be different than what they were used too.

Reviving the Trek franchise nearly 20 years after the last classic episode was filmed at Desilu Studios was no small feat. Trekkies everywhere were thrilled to hear that Gene Roddenberry was intimately involved, but kinda wary - William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy would not be involved. What? No geriatric stars? What the?

In this ground-breaking 2-parter, Roddenberry & co. must introduce a whole new league of characters - a short, bald French captain with a British accent, a Greek empath with go-go boots, hi-cut skirt and lo-cut blouse, a baby-faced first officer, a lovelorn single mother who is the ship's doctor and a Lieutenant that is a machine. All of these characters are new, as is their villain, the newly conceived Q entity that is all-powerful. It took some brass ones to have their first villain be all-powerful - kinda hard to trump that one!

Q introduces himself as omnipotent and immortal, and appoints himself judge, jury and potential executioner of the "savage child race" that have pushed themselves beyond the point in space where the Q-continuum is safe to have them remain.

Picard must deal with Q, while at the same time figuring out the mystery behind Farpoint Station. A mysterious race has created an incredible planet-bound station for the Federation, exceeding Starfleet's expectations and requirements, all in mind-numbing speed. Picard is sent to make arrangements to have these people create more stations, but they are evasive and their empathic counselor, Deanna Troi, is overwhelmed with the feeling of sadness, grief and dispair she is feeling around her.

Visitors to the planet's surface find things to be particularly odd. They will think of something and suddenly it is there for them to purchase. Q keeps butting in and flustering Picard as he tries to figure out what is going on.

Some interesting new concepts, a sweet ending and a whole new Trek franchise - shazam, 1987 was a good year!

Star Trek made its return to the television airwaves with the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. It was apparent from the beginning of "Encounter at Farpoint" that this new series would be more cerebral and less dependent on green-skinned slave girls and bare-chested captains. This was going to be a series that emphasized that humankind could co-exist in harmony with the technology of its creation and would only resort to violence to solve problems as a last resort.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) sets a course for Farpoint Station on his newly commissioned Enterprise-D to pick up new crew members Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), and Wesley Crusher (Wil Weaton). However, with Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), and Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) already on board, the Enterprise is intercepted by the mysterious Q (John de Lancie) who chastises Picard for humanity's inability to leave behind its more savage impulses. Picard objects to the accusation and argues that humankind, while still far from perfect, has abandoned its more destructive habits. Q decides to test this claim by subjecting the Enterprise-D to a test at Farpoint Station which will determine just how far humanity as a whole has evolved.

Being the first episode in a new series, "Encounter at Farpoint" has the usual problems typical of television pilots. The dialogue and performances are a little stiff and the nuances between characters had not yet had time to develop. Yet, "Encounter at Farpoint" is notable for expanding the Star Trek mythos considerably in just a single episode. We are introduced to a new class of ship, a new uniform design, new alien beings, the infamous holodeck, and given a history lesson on important developments that preceded the advent of Starfleet. A cameo by Admiral Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) also provides a nostalgic link to the fondly-remembered original series. It would take some time before Star Trek: The Next Generation found its stride but "Encounter at Farpoint" did its job by establishing a solid foundation on which to build upon.

Star Trek: TNG is one of my favorite television shows, I actually watched Encounter At Farpoint and the rest of the rerun episodes of the first season after I had watched episodes from the second season and I wasn't disapponted because it answered some questions I hadike how they met Q and who this Tasha Yar was who was mentioned in some of the second season episodes. Okay, Encounter at Farpoint isn't a superb episode but it's not awful, not one of the few dud episodes of the series at all and I actually found this series pilot quite entertaining especially the scenes with Q played by John De Lancie who I think was great and so was Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-luc Picard and I think all of the other actors were good too, yes their acting wasn't as good as in other episodes but since as this was the pilot I think they just hadn't hit their stride yet and found their niches with their characters and when the characters were more fully developed their acting improved a lot and really impressed me and though Encounter At Farpoint is not a 5 star episode I think it's worth 4 stars just for the scenes with John De Lancie and Patrick Stewart and in other first season episodes and later seasons you will get to see great acting from LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden Marina Sirtis, etc.

Everybody who doesn't like Star Trek doesn't like it because they don't know whats going on. But with episode 1&2 you learn what happens in the beginning.

While 'Encounter At Farpoint' is only average at best it's important to take into consideration that it is the series opener. In many such shows most of the production staff and especially the actors tend to be concerned whether or not the show will succeed; additionally the actor's character portrayals naturally become sharper and better defined. Considering the daunting task of attempting to revive the series with an all-new cast it is completely understandable that there should be some hesitation or reservations present. The debut of this Trek serialization was penned equally by the seasoned and distinguished series veterans D.C. Fontana and the show's creator Gene Roddenberry. Reportedly the story went through several changes but basically retained the same original plot of the new Enterprise crew at the edge of known Federation explored space, find the peculiar conundrum and expose the culprits. The Farpoint scenario isn't really fleshed out well; what really works best in this episode is the inspired invention of Q, brought to vivid life by the underrated and underused John De Lancie. He became more of a scamp and a thorn in the side of Picard in later episodes, but here he is genuinely nefarious and quite ominous. His performance in his relatively few scenes is more than memorable and adds punch to the proceedings when it is lagging. There is also a natural lead-in to the future episode 'Hide And Q' that comes near the end when Q first meets Riker face-to-face.

Though the show falls flat where it is concerned with the Farpoint station, the concept of Q is well developed; an omnipotent, all-powerful being appears and tells the humans they can come this far and no farther. Incapable of battling against such a potent foe the humans strike the only bargain they can: test us. See if we've advanced beyond our primitive and savage desires; watch us and make certain we don't corrupt and defile everything and everyone we come into contact with. The challenge comes at an opportune and delicate time too as the Enterprise is beginning their new mission. Sure it's a convenient plot element but it gives the writers something to work with right out of the gate and besides future Q appearances give the viewer something to look forward to in later episodes.

Initially the main characters themselves don't really come off too successfully; with the exceptions of Jonathan Frakes as Riker and Brent Spiner as Data everyone would appear to be only a distant reflection of what they were here in the episodes immediately following. At times Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard comes off as more of a classroom instructor grading the crewmembers in some sort of a starship mockup exercise; Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar seems mousy here in comparison to the rest of the series; Michael Dorn as Worf speaks lines only so that Picard can chastise him; Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi wavers uncomfortably between strong and meek characterizations, unable to discern which quality she should be projecting; other cast members get too little screen time for us to get any real impression of them. By the show's end though we get a good feel of what to expect of them in future episodes; the addition of past histories and relationships between some of the key bridge officers is a great twist. Later the writers would make the most of these opportunities drawing us into the problems of being both a superior officer and a friend, defining the lines that can and can't be crossed.

This episode is the epitome of what the Q should be characterized as. In it, Q (John De Lancie)is a god-like judge presiding over the trial of the human race--the ultimate authority figure! Q is seen as a very menacing figure, first appearing as a fireball that relentlessly chases the Enterprise, then appearing as a threatening judge, ready to exterminate the human species if the verdict is guilty. I think if the creators had stuck with this original notion of a menacing god-like figure instead of a sort of supernatural comic relief as characterized in later episodes, they would've had a much more powerful and appealing character in Q. Unfortunately throughout later episodes Q is made to look like a fool, and his respectability as a true villian is severely compromised. Berman should bring back the Q as a true evil menace in future Star Trek endeavors. If you're like me and want to see Q as a powerful malignant force rather than a court jester, then get this episode!