Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Second Season (1987)

An improvement, but the best was yet to come

On balance, the second season of TNG was a big step forward. Everything about TNG, especially the acting and writing, had improved greatly over the show's first year. At the same time, the writers hadn't quite figured out how to consistently write good, much less great, episodes.

Whereas most of the main characters were, at best, rough sketches in the 1st season, most of them finish the second season quite similar to what they would be in the rest of the series. Only Worf would have a substantial way to go. In addition, three new characters are introduced -- Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg), Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) and Dr. Pulaski (Diana Muldaur). While Muldaur's character was never on the show long enough to fully adapt, and in general I prefer Gates McFadden, she definitely improved and was not the disaster that some fans suggest.

This season is definitely highlighted by "The Measure of a Man" (a series classic by any measure) and "Q Who" (which introduces the fan-favorite villain Borg), as well as the underrated "Time Squared". There are also a handful of other very good episodes. The rest of the season is generally unremarkable, generally better than season 1 but weaker than later seasons. Special criticism should be reserved for the awful "Shades of Grey", but it's worth noting that this exceptionally bad episode is not representative of the season as a whole.

Overall, everybody but hardcore fans could skip owning this season - though the better episodes are definitely worth watching. July 5, 2008

WOW

The sound and enhancements make this a must have set. We recently got surround sound and chose Star Trek TNG as our "try out the sound" DVD. It was a great choice. I was never a "Trekie" as I worked days and schooled at night so this was a real treat for me. Enjoy! July 3, 2008

Would give 4 stars but both sets had factory defects!

I love Star Trek OK? That being said, this is the season where Next Gen really took off, starting with The Child, Contagion, the profound Measure of A Man, and culminating with Elementary Dear Data, the monumental Q Who?, and the exciting Peak Performance. Excellent writing almost across the board, excellent acting and superb chemistry between the actors. Can't beat it for Television. And they did all this for a mere 1.5 million per episode. Realize that this is upwards of 267 Million dollars for the Next Gen franchise. That is a huge investment, and in that context, 62.00$ is not too bad for 19 hours of enjoyment!

The one issue I have is Paramount's DVD quality control. If you order a set, FIRST THING YOU DO AFTER YOU UNPACK THIS YEAR'S SET IS INSPECT THE UNDERSIDE OF EACH DISK FOR SCRATCHES OR DEFECTS!! A must! One small flaw and you get skips, or freezes. Major scratches and your disk will come to a grinding halt and will lock up. Usually at the worst possible time, at a critical moment in your favorite show. For this kind of money, you don't need that. Now for the good stuff...

In my collection, you will find Season Three, Season Four, and Season Two, the best, most consistent quality oriented, thoughtful scripts, screenplays and compelling acting in my opinion, however, I had to go through multiple sets of Year 2 because there was at least one major flaw (I mean big ones) on the underbelly (laser burned side) of at least one disk in every set of Year 2 I owned.

Year two premiered the development of Riker's great Sir Walter Raleigh beard, and the debut of Ten Forward, THE place to go to blow off steam or just relax and be human, and have fun. While I thought a few of the first year's shows were indicative of potential, Year Two was when that potential began to be tapped. In Season Two, Troi's accent was not quite so pretentious, Riker became more of a real, vibrant, Machiavellian character, with a great humour, quick wit, and less of a stiff cartoon character. Picard really found his voice, and Beverly took off a year (and thereby, somehow, became a great actress) while she was away having her baby. Worf became a more handsome and believable Klingon, and everything just moved ahead by leaps and bounds. Dr. Pulaski was great in Elementary Dear Data and she sparkled in Peak Performance. This was just great fun, with some powerful philosophy thrown in for good measure, in typical Star Trekian fashion. Top quality entertainment.

Next Gen. really took off in year two. You might notice three or more decibels of additional bridge and engineering sub-bass and engine noise in year two's shows. Your higher powered subwoofer will confirm this. This also added to the moxy and the gravitas of the second (and subsequent) seasons, and added together, they spelled success in capital letters! No other Trek show had this unique idea.

Next Gen was destined for a big splash, and year two, the Second Season, was when it really began to coalesce. The crew became THE Crew. This season cemented the chemistry that made all seven years of Next Gen possible.

No Trek collection would be complete without The Second Season of Next Gen.

Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Second Season February 9, 2008

Great Condition and Fast Delivery

The set arrived sooner than I thought it would. Which always puts a big smile on a buyer's face. It was in great condition. It appeared new. All of the disks worked with out any skips, etc. My husband loves Star Trek and needs to finish his collection. I will certainly shop with the same buyer for future purchases. January 15, 2008

gift

this is a xmas gift for my daughter in law was in good shape an arrived fast thanks December 15, 2007

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