The One Where Riker Grew a Beard and I finished TNG Season 2

I finished Season 2 of TNG last Saturday the 16th, but because of my blog posts about Dallas (Part 1, Part 2), it took a little bit longer to get this post up than normal. But, hey, I’m more than happy to have too many blog posts. It’s way better than not enough.

Season 2 of TNG is a marked improvement from Season 1. In fact, I’m not sure there is a season to season improvement in all of Star Trek that would match TNG Season 1 to Season 2. I suppose that is directly attributable to the “Growing the Beard” trope.

Among Star Trek fans, I’d guess that statement wouldn’t require any further explanation. It’s pretty well known that Jonathan Frakes, who had a clean shaven baby face in season 1, came back from the summer hiatus sporting a beard. Apparently, although Frakes says he fully planned to shave the beard before productions began, the producers liked how he looked with the beard much better than without it and had him keep it. Good thing, too, because Riker growing a beard really improves the quality of the show.

Okay, so it’s not as if Jonathan Frakes sporting a beard actually made the show better, but the beard sort of acts as a symbol for the difference between Season 1 and TNG from Season 2 onward. Without a beard, Riker is a bit of a cad who will sleep with any female who will have him, and he comes off as a bit juvenile. The show is the same way. Season 1 has some serious missteps and cannot bring itself to grow from the 1960s sci fi that TOS is known for. But when Riker grows a beard, suddenly he’s a Commander who can playfully interact with his crew while still being worthy of his own ship. The show itself grows, too. It takes deep moral issues and considers them seriously, and the writing improves vastly.

 
The beard is quite an improvement…

Lest you think I’m crazy and making this whole thing up, I googled “Beard theory,” and it turns out that there is an entire page at TV Tropes dedicated to Growing the Beard. Of course, the Trope name comes from my beloved show, and another literal example of the phenomenon is also cited there: Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko) growing his beard before season 4 of DS9.

The Good

• Elementary, Dear Data
• A Matter of Honor
• The Measure of a Man
• Q Who?
• The Emissary

The Bad

• The Child
• The Dauphin
• Time Squared
• Shades of Grey

The Characters

Season 2 has the distinction of being the only season of TNG without Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher. She is replaced by Diana Muldaur playing Doctor Kate Pulaski. Pretty much the only think Dr. Pulaski has going for her as a character is that she’s not Wesley. With Pulaski, it’s clear the writers were trying very hard to create a character more akin to Bones and the complete antithesis to Crusher. It simply doesn’t work. Pulaski is afraid of transporters (a quality that made much more sense with Bones), and she spends a big portion of her time making fun of and minimizing Data. However, unlike Bones with Spock, there is no level of respect and joviality with Pulaski. The initial interaction with Data and Pulaski, where they discuss the two different pronounciations of the word Data is pretty indicative of Pulaski’s entire relationship with Data. Of all the characters in the entire Star Trek canon, I’d venture to say Data is the character that Star Trek fans feel the most possessive of and protective over. Making fun of and belittling Data is sure to fall short. I’m glad the producer who got in a fight with Gates was fired before the end of Season 2 and Patrick Stewart was able to convince her to return. TNG would have been awful without her.

It’s not all bad as far as characters are concerned. I’m sure I’ve mentioned enough that Captain Picard is my favorite character in all of Star Trek, and season 2 is where we finally start to see the Captain Picard that I adore. He’s a by-the-books Captain, but it is clear that he loves his ship and his crew. The stand he takes for Data in The Measure of a Man is probably one of the single greatest moments in all of Star Trek.

Season 2 also takes some time to try to develop some deeper back story for some of its characters. Riker really gets a chance to shine in episodes like A Matter of Honor, The Icarus Factor, and The Measure of a Man. In these episodes we see why Riker was so coveted to be the First Officer of the flagship of the federation. Riker is a ladies man, and he’s friends with many of the people on the crew. But he also takes his duties seriously. He is smart, capable, and dedicated. He’s also deeply in love with Deanna Troi, and there are plenty of Imzadi moments in season 2.

Worf, who has now been promoted to security officer after Yar’s death, also gets some time to shine and develop a more rounded character. It had been quite a while since I watched the episodes The Emissary, and I was surprised at how much I enjoy it. Worf and K’Ehleyr, the half-Klingon woman played by Suzie Plakson, have wonderful chemistry, and I love seeing Worf’s struggle with his traditional Klingon nature after they give in to their moment of passion on the holodeck. This episode really works well as a stand alone development of Worf’s character. I just wish it didn’t mean Alexander were going to show up in a few seasons…

Wesley Crusher is as annoying as ever. Nothing new here.

Final Thoughts:

Season 2 of TNG rarely had any “bad” moments, and those four episodes listed above as bad weren’t terrible at all. Even Shades of Grey, an episode widely cited as an example of terrible television, isn’t that bad. Its only real detractor is the fact that it is a clip show, but the scenes surrounding the clip show are actually quite fantastic. Marina Sirtis does some of her best work in the episode.

Otherwise, season 2 is great, and I’m really glad the show decided to grow the beard. We get our first true Klingon episodes in A Matter of Honor and The Emissary, and they both highlight Klingon culture spectacularly. I wish all Klingon episodes would be like those two. Unfortunately, the Klingon culture will be rehashed and taken to such an extreme that I won’t be able to stand most Klingon episodes going forward. But the show certainly started off pretty well with them.

I have a blog post forthcoming about The Measure of a Man which is, without question, the greatest Star Trek episode ever.

So, yeah, I think my final thoughts can be summed up as: Finally. Finally. Finally. I am finally to the Star Trek that I love so much.

Rating:

According to The Progress, Season 2 was a 5.73. This actually seems a little low, but the show only gets better from here.

#LLAP