10 Star Trek Episodes That Just Didn't Work
8. The Naked Now - The Next Generation
The Naked Now is a remake of the Original Series' episode The Naked Time but, this is not the main issue with the story. Though the new crew had more toys to play with, nothing really works, and the audience definitely didn't have time to get to know Picard, Crusher, and Data before they were watching them act like total fools after just two episodes. Some incredibly odd directing choices mar the outing as well.
Crusher and Picard probably have the better scenes of the episode, though it will almost certainly be remembered forever for Data and Yar's encounter. But, in the ready room, Crusher is the one who is in control, while Picard struggles to keep his poise, offering one of the strangest laughs that Patrick Stewart has ever delivered.
The final solution, with Wesley saving the day, is not awful. Turning the tractor beam into a repulsor beam buys them the time that they need, though the stakes never truly feel high enough to justify the perceived sense of threat surrounding the ship. Overall, it simply fails as a stand-alone episode of the new Star Trek show, with members of the Original Series' cast, correctly, blasting it as a sub-par imitation.