Something makes the otherwise beautiful bridge set look strange itself. I later found out it was the lighting. It was situated in such a manner, the actors cast three shadows which made the set a bit other-worldly. I had no real first impressions of each character, except none of them seemed very interesting at first. I of course knew they'd get better, so I didn't worry. The best actors are definitely John de Lancie and Patrick Stewart. Most other people are a bit forced.

The first thing that hit me is that the whole first part with Q is not very entertaining at all, despite the actor's immense talent. When we finally get to see Riker, Beverly, Geordi and Wesley, I think; wow, they should have cut their scenes into the beginning of the show. It would have made the show more interesting. The scenes are, after all, supposed to be happening at the same time. The show didn't hang very well together, and originally, Gene wanted the show to be only 45 minutes but the TV station insisted on 2 hours. The Q part was added at the last moment really. In my honest opinion I think Gene was right. The scene where Riker is brought up to date on the "little adventure" is immensely tacky. He takes about 20 seconds in turning away from the viewscreen, then moves his lips slightly, waits a few seconds more and says: "And he calls it a little
adventure." Obviously this is supposed to point out the boldness [baldness, huh? :D] of the captain, but it had been ruined completely when he started crying under the oppression of Q when on trial.

The look of the show is actually the worst part however. I like the sets and computer screens, the uniforms are on par with the original series, which I think are horrid. The Enterprise is nice looking, might have had more detail maybe, but the first time I think it's not at all nice looking, is when they separate. Old story, everybody has commented on it, but the headless chicken looks bizarre. The judgment chamber where Q conducts a trial over humanity, I might add, would have been very much different now. It didn't look like it was in a post atomic horror situation, except for the costumes the people wore.

Although many things are not as great as they could be, the show does have a tension growing, which falls completely down when after an hour it's cut to Cmdr Riker on Farpoint (which is exactly why I wanted to have him appear earlier). The tension grows again after that, but you really need to hit pause and get a sprite and some popcorn before continuing. Over all, the effects, sets and costumes were well done, even if the Starfleet uniforms are not to my liking. Acting-wise I don't have many worries. The disappointing thing about it is that one of the originally most promising actors, Gates McFadden, turns out later to be only a person of average talent.

Picard: Great actor, bad they make him cry and be so afraid.
Riker: Cool guy I suppose, rather dull at first.
LaForge: Interesting the blindness, has some potential as a plot device.
Tasha: I like this tough woman. Might want to take some Karate classes though.
Worf: Yey! A Klingon.
Crusher: Like her moody attitude, which is completely taken away from in upcoming episodes.
Deanna: A bit overplayed, to dramatic and emotional, but has potential.
Data: Data will later on become my favorite character but in this episode I kind of... don't like him.
W. Crusher: Can't really give a take on him at this point.

RATING:

out of 5