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Cringe Trek

VOY has lots, including Janeway & Paris making salamander babies together, but also awkward pickup lines such as:
"It's pon farr night at the Vulcan nightclub" from the VOY episode "In the Flesh."
 
That, and as a homo myself, the idea that they would still use labels such as "straight" and "gay" in the 23rd century made me want to crawl in a hole. Blegh. That's definitely up there with "Have you noticed your boobs firming up?".

OK, I'm really glad I'm not the only gay fan who didn't like that. Shortly after the episode aired I heard another gay guy talk about how powerful and meaningful he found it to finally hear someone IDed as gay on ST, and I just... really didn't get it. (And got briefly worried my negative reaction was internalized homophobia)

It was outrageous during the Berman era when the producers defense to no gay characters was "the crew is filled with gay people, they just don't need to talk about it anymore in the future, so it never comes up!" But then Disco was actually talking the talk and walking the walk with that! It was so awkward that they suddenly felt the need to slather it in awkward modern buzzwords.

And such labels really would have outlived their usefulness, in a universe where your potential sexual partners include an infinite variety of weird aliens.
 
I could probably come up with a dozen just from Insurrection. I brought relatives to see that and wanted to be swallowed by the chair half-way through. Among them:

* The boobs "joke"
* The slow pan across our heroes as they try to put on tough expressions
* The "day of lightning" line
* The joystick
* Ru'afo's scream
* Riker trying to be a tough guy
* Riker and Troi flirting (though the scene of them in bed together in Nemesis was even worse)…

From televised Trek, Valiant stands out. The Red Squad chant is so painful, and none of the cadets can act.
 
Yeah, that's got to be at the top of my list. There are some Star Trek eye rolling moments, but that was the one that made me cringe the most. My brain was saying "They really didn't just do that, right" and my ears were saying "Yes, they did" :rolleyes:



Yeah, not sure who's brain child idea that entire episode was. It makes "Threshold" look respectable :lol:. Because I'm a completest when watching the shows I'll watch it. Each time I try to find some sliver of redemption for it, something to gain from it but I can't. Even Yar's admission that being found attractive is flattering is cringe inducing. The only bright spot I sort of take is I did like the 'queen'. She was a tough, no nonsense kind of person and I did take some delight when she told Lutan he can be her second now since Yar isn't interested. That's almost worse than losing. Instead of just being able to fade away and hope people forget you, now you have to tag along with the group every time they go somewhere and everyone will always remember what you did an how you lost. "Hey, isn't that Lutan?" Snicker "What a loser"---every day for the rest of your life



Allamaraine you mean? My daughter loves that game, except she calls it hopscotch.

Allamaraine! Yep that's the one. Allamaraine, one two three.. Lol
 
Alien planets with just one culture
TNG Captain Picard's use of the Prime Directive
Turnabout Intruder
Spock's Brain
Justice
DS9 crew playing hopscotch
reboot Kirk kicking the warp into working
reboot Spock screaming Khan
McCoy's racial insults
 
Kirk losing his shit in "And the Children Shall Lead." In fact, the entire damn episode.

Well this certainly comes to mind...

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Chekov's constant bragging about the Russians having invented this-or-that or having done this-or-that first was a goof on real-life Soviet propaganda. At the time, I thought it was pretty funny.

What was cringey was Walter Koenig's phony accent. "Keptin, the alien wessel just wanished!" No Russian speaks English like that!
 
The episode where Wesley fell on some flowers and was sentenced to death.

Kor
 
The episode where Wesley fell on some flowers and was sentenced to death.

Kor
"We're from Starfleet: we don't lie." Ah Wesley...

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That excruciating line in The Maquis Part I about “beer, sausages and liederhosen” on a planet called New Berlin... talk about critical research failure about actual German culture.
 
Every time Troi appears on screen, opens her mouth etc.
Dr Phloxx's tongue
Uhuru singing " . . . .on Antares . . .."
Shatner's paunch in Season 3
 
Every time Troi appears on screen, opens her mouth etc.
Dr Phloxx's tongue
Uhuru singing " . . . .on Antares . . .."
Shatner's paunch in Season 3

nick-young-confused-face-300x256-nqlyaa.jpg
 
Agreed. It's even worse than Planet of the Aryan Nation, also a first season TNG episode with loads of cringe in it.
A friend of mine called that one "Planet of the Blonde Jogging Bimbos."

A few more:

Pretty much any scene in the decontamination chamber on ENT. Especially when they had to rub each other down with decon gel. Fanservice at its most unsubtle and blatant. I'm surprised we never got a nip slip.

Any scene in "Sub Rosa" with Beverly and Ronin. Or Beverly and Troi. Or Beverly and Pi -- oh hell, any scene in "Sub Rosa"!
 
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Um I personally find the mere existence of the character Tilly from Discovery as cringe Trek. Her idiotic attempt at being cool by swearing I still cringe at.
That was her entire function for the first half of season two. Then, they made her competent. Now, I have no complaints.
The entirety of TNG's "Rascals."
The whole Riker is Picard's father gag made the episode worth it. You could see Riker's mind fracturing in real time.
 
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