TNG episode guide (w/scores and/or genres)?

[Gaith]

I recently ordered the complete TNG Blu-ray set, meaning I'll soon be owning physical copies of all 178 episodes for the first time in my life. Now, I know it's hard to go too wrong with the show, but still, 178 is a lot to keep track of, and I plan on watching an episode now and then, when the mood strikes, rather than attempting a complete linear viewing, especially with the rougher first two seasons. So, I was wondering if anyone has or has made a word document episode guide for the series, maybe with a quantitative rating system, a one-line plot description, maybe even with genre labels (space anomaly, spy story, primitive civilization, time travel, holodeck, Q, etc.) and brief pertinent facts (such as key recurring character introductions/appearances)?

I long ago started a doc along these lines myself. This was before Zack Handlen's AV Club graded reviews, so my baseline for quality was Michelle Erica Green's Trek Today reviews, from which I excerpted a key sentence of judgment. (I've added a few brief thoughts of my own over the years, but only occasionally.) If anyone is interested in this doc, I'd be happy to share it.

So, does anyone have or keep a Viewer's Log of episodes? Or do you all go strictly by memory, and/or only watch the show chronologically?

 

[carcinoGeneticist]

The episodes I like and want to rewatch usually stick out quite strongly in my mind (AKA I go by memory).

 

[Gaith]

^ Thanks for the reply.

So, no one here uses an episode guide, even of their own making? You all remember which of the 178 episodes you like or don't like offhand, and don't feel inclined to write any of it down?

 

[carcinoGeneticist]

LOL not exactly. 178 is a lot of episodes and I often find myself forgetting what a certain episode is. But, as I said,if I particularly like or dislike an episode I'll often remember its title.
Though, I never thought to make my own TV guide. I think you've given me an idea.

 

[Tosk]

^ Thanks for the reply.

So, no one here uses an episode guide, even of their own making? You all remember which of the 178 episodes you like or don't like offhand, and don't feel inclined to write any of it down?

Pretty much.

 

[Doug Otte]

I'm not aware of any ratings, and I wouldn't be interested anyway. Everyone has their own opinions.

However, I recommend 2 books to learn more background about the series:
STNG Companion by Larry Nemecek (this one has details on all the episodes and movies);
The Continuing Mission by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens (this has wonderful photos and design drawings as well as deep behind-the-scenes text about how the series was developed etc.).

 

[Gaith]

I'm not aware of any ratings

I already mentioned two in my first post. I also have an all-Trek print issue of Entertainment Weekly, commemorating Generations' release, which gave best-to-worst rankings of all of TOS, TNG, and the extant DS9 eps. And there must be many more...

Indeed, a Redditor has made massive Gdocs spreadsheets with lots of reviews and sources for the classic live-action series here. It's so big it crashed Excel when I tried to download it, so I extracted a very simple version for my own use (available here, if anyone would like to make a copy and personalize it). It features episode numbers, titles, brief summaries from r/DaystromInstitute, and the letter grades of Zack Handlen at the AV Club. Here's a sample:

A next step might be to make genre labels, say, no more than 10, in which to categorize them all. Conservatively, these might include:

- Weirdness (alternate realities, space anomalies, time travel, Q)
- Pre-warp civilizations
- Starfleet politics
- Ship trouble
- Crew and family drama
- Diplomacy
- Action/adventure

Looking over the summaries, I think these seven categories may be a functional minimum? Obviously, there'd be subjectivity involved if one were to insist that all episodes only get one label, and "weirdness" and "action/adventure" are a pretty big catch-alls, but I can't offhand or by skimming the summaries think of any episodes that don't have at least one good fit.

For instance, "Conundrum" isn't an alternate reality or space anomaly, but since everyone has amnesia, I feel comfortable slotting it into Weirdness. The Moriarty episodes definitely qualify as Ship Trouble. "The Most Toys" may be in large part a psychological drama, but given the hostage element, Action/Adventure fits. "The Pegasus" could be Action/Adventure, but there's enough focus on command structure and the Treaty of Algeron to qualify as Starfleet Politics. All IMHO, of course.

That said, I'm open to suggestions!