Fun fact: there's a trope called "Growing the Beard", which is the opposite to "Jumping the Shark" wherein there is a dramatic difference between "before and after" through a series run. The trope got its name from Star Trek: NTG after Commander Riker grew out his beard which coincided with a significant improvement of the show, with an increase in quality and the show growing into its own identity.

It's pretty much agreed that the show takes a while to get it's footing. Some bangers in season 2 though

Season 1 is rough. I don't think I could stand to watch every episode in it now.

So many first seasons of any of the shows feels a lot like the writers are starting with blank paper and having a huge brainstorming exercise episode after episode. I always give a "hall-pass" to any first season on any of the ST shows. Even if the episode is junk, it often times leads to great "what-if" conversations afterwards. I absolutely detested the first season of Discovery, but after that, I did a 180 and quite enjoy it. Strange New Worlds is the outlier for all of this, that show is a billion bars of gold pressed latinum, but that's just for me.

And also to you!

Season One of TNG was very much a "finding its feet" season. It was trying to do a lot of "mysterious space thing of the week" format episodes that harkened back to The Original Series, and hadn't really established its own identity yet.

One example of this that jumps out at me is... I think it's episode one, "Encounter at Farpoint." Riker walks into the holodeck and finds Data trying (and failing) to whistle. Riker whistles the tune, and Data responds, "How easily you humans do that," in this bitter, snide tone of voice that is 100% NOT in keeping with Data but sounds exactly spot-on like Lore. Of course, that was a while before that character had ever been dreamt up, written, or screened, so of course it wasn't, but Spiner's delivery in that scene was just off in exactly the wrong way to freak me the f--- out every time.

So... yeah. Season One is very hit-or-miss but the show really only gets better from there. I would say that later-season episodes "Chains of Command" and "Frame of Mind" were some of the best television I had ever seen up to that point. (The ones directed by Jonathan Frakes are always high-water marks for the show, every single one.) The thing that overtook them all, though, was "In the Pale Moonlight" (DS9) which to this day is the best thing I have EVER seen on television.

I can't imagine watching for the first time right now. I just figure people hate it and think it's stupid. When I watch through tng very five to ten years it's a strong nostalgia factor.

Wait is this an official thing?