I'm a Trekkie from way back. I had seen every original series episode multiple times before TNG came out. I liked TNG growing up, but now watching reruns that they show on BBC, I'm finding the Next Generation episodes VERY painful to watch. Most of them are very wishy washy, and overly politically correct. I cringe when I watch some of those episodes. Anyone else feel that way?
The episode with the J'naii certainly fits that rubric. However, let's not forget that the original series was also very political.
Nope. When the series returned on Spike TV and ultimately on Scifi, I adored the series even more as it aged. Best of Both World Part I and II are a couple of the best episodes... ever, Along with Yesterday's Enterprise, The Inner Light... I can go on forever. Most of the full episodes are up on youtube. [video=youtube;3Q6jZC1sn1A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q6jZC1sn1A[/video]
ST: TNG did seem to age more and seems more dated than even its 1960s predecessor. I think a lot of that is that, no matter how hokey, the iconic original is the original and it benefits from that. As it should. I also think that TNG was intentionally darker and more serious to show that the franchise had "grown up" and differentiate it from the original. There's no doubt that TNG was a better series on the whole, though. But hey - when you don't have Shatner, you concede a little from the get-go.
There were some really good episodes like the ones 1184 mentioned, and some more. But the Troi and Crusher episodes are painful to watch, and certain things stand out in my memory...I'll mention a few of them later.
I can watch TNG all day long. It's light, easy, but well thought out and fun...and very well acted-produced. I tried to get into Voyager and couldn't. Outside of drooling over 7 of 9, it didn't do much for me.