Earl Grey 145: It's Too Short A Season / by Darren Moser

Essential TNG Season 2.

Daniel, Darren and Phillip continue the proud Trek.fm "essential" tradition of breaking down a season of their favorite series, sorting through which episodes should be officially kept. The trio begins, reluctantly, with "The Child" and makes their way through Next Gen's too short a season, all the way to "Shades of Grey." There are quite a few 2-1 votes for whether an episode is considered "essential" in this installment - that is, whether it embodies the spirit of TNG or sets up much-needed elements for later Next Gen or later parts of the subsequent Trek series. Earl Grey discusses when Lwaxana Troi should "officially" show up, whether "Q Who?" should be "very essential" or "most essential," and if Worf's "two bridges?!?!" must officially be retired. 

Season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation suffered from a series of writer strikes and bad plots, along with captivating stories ("The Measure of a Man"), new characters (e.g., Guinan and Dr. Pulaski), and promotions for our crew. Join Earl Grey as they hold up season two to the "essential" winnowing process.

Running Time: 1 hour 20 seconds
Download / RSS / Send us a message / Discuss the show / Support Trek.fm

CHAPTERS

Episodes (00:05:09)
The Child (Yes)
Where Silence Has Lease (No)
Elementary, Dear Data (Yes)
The Outrageous Okona (No)
Loud As A Whisper (Yes)
The Schizoid Man (No)
Unnatural Selection (No)
A Matter Of Honor (Yes)
The Measure Of A Man (No)
The Dauphin (No)
Contagion (Yes)
The Royale (No)
Time Squared (No)
The Icarus Factor (Yes)
Pen Pals (Yes)
Q Who (Yes)
Samaritan Snare (Yes)
Up The Long Ladder (No)
Manhunt (Yes)
The Emissary (Yes)
Peak Performance (Yes)
Shades of Gray (No)
12 Yes / 10 No
Final Thoughts (00:54:59)

HOSTS

Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

PRODUCTION

Darren Moser (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Michael E Hueter (Associate Producer) Stephen Boyd (Associate Producer) Ron Saarna (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager)

MORE RECENT EPISODES OF EARL GREY
Earl Grey 333: I Will Feel It For the Both of Us
Earl Grey 333: I Will Feel It For the Both of Us

Memorable Goodbyes. We discuss some of our favorite characters saying goodbye in TNG as we also say our own goodbyes to the listeners as we take our leave of hosting duties on Earl Grey.

Earl Grey 332: Woof Woof
Earl Grey 332: Woof Woof

Characters We Never Saw Again. We discuss some of the many characters we only ever saw once.

Earl Grey 331: Troi For Troi Swap
Earl Grey 331: Troi For Troi Swap

Mismatched Episodes. We discuss what would happen if the characters from different Star Trek series were like a deck of cards shuffled and dealt into various TNG episodes.

Earl Grey 330: Tap Dancing With My Eyes
Earl Grey 330: Tap Dancing With My Eyes

Data's Hobbies. We discuss our the many and varied hobbies of Lieutenant Commander Data in The Next Generation.

Earl Grey 329: A Garlic Waffle a Day Keeps the Hiccoughs Away
Earl Grey 329: A Garlic Waffle a Day Keeps the Hiccoughs Away

Season 7 Deleted Scenes. We discuss the deleted scenes from The Next Generation season 7 episodes. All the deleted scenes that are discussed can be found on the season 7 Blu-Ray release.

Earl Grey 328: Yar Is Alive
Earl Grey 328: Yar Is Alive

What if Series: Part 1. In this episode, the hosts of Earl Grey start a new series looking what if scenarios, beginning with Yar, Locutus, and W. Thomas Riker.

Earl Grey 327: Their Intentions Were Good
Earl Grey 327: Their Intentions Were Good

The Good in Low Rated Episodes, Part 1.  In this episode, the hosts of Earl Grey start a new series looking for the good that can be found in the lowest rated episodes, beginning with Season 1.

Earl Grey 326: Fun With Flags!
Earl Grey 326: Fun With Flags!

Introducing New Hosts. We introduce our new hosts, Ria Papageorgiou, Kevin Scharf and Pierre LaRocco.

Earl Grey 325: Polygamy on Steroids
Earl Grey 325: Polygamy on Steroids

Jack Crusher. We discuss the character of Jack Crusher through his appearances in The Next Generation and in some of the novels.

Earl Grey 324: First Born, No Kids
Earl Grey 324: First Born, No Kids

Aging and Death. We discuss the idea of aging and death as perceived in the 24th century. We share our personal stories to growing older and our perceptions of death.

Earl Grey 323: Greebling the Borg
Earl Grey 323: Greebling the Borg

Season 6 Deleted Scenes. We discuss the deleted scenes from The Next Generation season 6 episodes. All the deleted scenes that”

Earl Grey 322: Henry
Earl Grey 322: Henry

Season 6 Deleted Scenes. We discuss the deleted scenes from The Next Generation season 6 episodes. All the deleted scenes that are discussed can be found on the season 6 Blu-Ray release.

Earl Grey 321: Joe 10 Amy 11
Earl Grey 321: Joe 10 Amy 11

Trivia with Jim McMahon. Amy and Joe are pitted against each other in a titanic battle that tests the depths of their Next Generation knowledge. 

Earl Grey 320: Dreaming about meetings!
Earl Grey 320: Dreaming about meetings!

Birthright Part I and Part II. We discuss the parallel storylines of Worf and Data in search of their fathers. Both characters must learn about themselves in order to bring closure to their own father's life.

Earl Grey 319: Tests and More Tests
Earl Grey 319: Tests and More Tests

Wesley's Starfleet. We discuss the plethora of exams and courses needed to graduate Starfleet Academy and what may have influenced Wesley to drop out before graduating.

Earl Grey 318: Time Travelling Hotdogs
Earl Grey 318: Time Travelling Hotdogs

Time Travel Fan Set. We discuss "Cause and Effect," "Time's Arrow," and "All Good Things." These three episodes were highlighted in the Fan Collective Set for The Next Generation. 

Earl Grey 317: Picard's Spirit Animal
Earl Grey 317: Picard's Spirit Animal

Favorite Badass Guinan Moments. We discuss our favorite moments showing Guinan as tough and uncompromising in The Next Generation.

Earl Grey 316: Andorians on Enceladus
Earl Grey 316: Andorians on Enceladus

Favorite Exoplanets in TNG. We discuss our picks for favorite planets outside Earth's solar system that we see on The Next Generation.

Earl Grey 315: And Mrs. Picard Is...
Earl Grey 315: And Mrs. Picard Is...

Picard's Best Partner. We discuss who we think is the best romantic partner for Picard in The Next Generation. The discussion includes Beverly Crusher, Vash, Kamala, Nella Daren, and Anij.

Earl Grey 314: A Vulcan Hello
Earl Grey 314: A Vulcan Hello

"Balance of Terror" and "The Neutral Zone." We discuss the introduction of the Romulans in The Original Series and The Next Generation, including the striking similarities and differences between this pair of season 1 episodes.

Earl Grey 313: The Universe's Super Being
Earl Grey 313: The Universe's Super Being

AI in TNG. We talk about artificial intelligence in The Next Generation. The discussion includes Data and his android family as well as the episodes "Elementary, Dear Data," "Evolution," "The Quality of Life," "Emergence," and "11001001."

Earl Grey 312: Neofnu Nifnik
Earl Grey 312: Neofnu Nifnik

The Lost Episodes, Part 9. Discussion with Brian Meloche on the scripts he submitted and story ideas he pitched to Paramount for The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager.

Earl Grey 311: Scientific Realism
Earl Grey 311: Scientific Realism

Science in TNG, with Dr. Erin MacDonald. We're joined by Dr. Erin MacDonald to talk about the excitement of being a Star Trek science consultant, her work as a scientist and science communicator, our favorite science moments in TNG, and much more!

Earl Grey 310: Moral Logical Psycho Collector
Earl Grey 310: Moral Logical Psycho Collector

"The Most Toys." We talk about the character of Kivas Fajo, ruling by fear, Geordi's quest for the truth, and the question of whether Data pulled the trigger in this season three episode of The Next Generation.

Earl Grey 309: Continue Your Work
Earl Grey 309: Continue Your Work

Favorite Badass Data Moments. We discuss our favorite moments showing Data as tough and uncompromising in The Next Generation.

Earl Grey 308: "What did you say?"
Earl Grey 308: "What did you say?"

Deleted Scenes, Season 5. Deleted scenes from The Next Generation season 5 episodes "New Ground,” "Ethics,” "The Outcast,” The First Duty,” "Cost of Living,” The Perfect Mate,” and "The Inner Light.”

Earl Grey 307: As Fragile As An Eggshell
Earl Grey 307: As Fragile As An Eggshell

Genetically Designed People. [Discussion on all eight of Q's appearances on TNG included on the Star Trek: Fan Collective DVD collection.

Earl Grey 306: We Haven't Forgotten Our Past
Earl Grey 306: We Haven't Forgotten Our Past

High Culture in TNG. We discuss high culture in The Next Generation from Shakespeare to the performing and visual arts.

Earl Grey 305: Bird in the Wig
Earl Grey 305: Bird in the Wig

"Half A Life.” We talk about a season four episode of The Next Generation. The discussion includes the episode’s unusual format, the love story between Lwaxana and Timicin, aging and the right to die, and the Prime Directive.

Earl Grey 304: The Mind-Expanding Drug
Earl Grey 304: The Mind-Expanding Drug

Serialized TNG: Q Episodes. Discussion on all eight of Q’s appearances on TNG included on the Star Trek: Fan Collective DVD collection.