What exactly is the "no personal conflicts" rule and how does it come into play? I'm asking because the scene from "Gambit, Part II," in which Data reprimands Worf for insubordination, is often brought up as an example of two characters working through their differences like mature adults.
Basically, they were allowed to have opposing points of view, even some clashes, such as Riker and Jellico, but this wouldn't turn into something that either damaged their relationships outside of a professional view, or vice-versa (Jellico and Riker hated each other, but respected their positions). Nor said clashes would affect the show in the long run (Ie. they'd be solved in a single episode, such as that reference, Data and Worf had a professional clash that didn't end ruining their relationship).
Which is different from DS 9 where Miles loathed Bashir from day 1 and had several moments where said hate was an issue (such as the episode where they are stranded in a hostile spot), but at the same time this inter-personal conflict allowed them to become friends. Or the drama between Bashir-Ezri-Worf. Or the Kira-Odo romance.
Ah, I see what you mean.
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Peak Star Trek, crooked, bent in some places and slimy, but still the peak.
While I honestly prefer TOS, I have to grant that in most aspects, TNG is superior.
This is the series where you'll see the best speeches, the best conversations, the best ethical dillemas. A simple Youtube search and you'll find many snippets where characters talk about their points of view and make arguments, and its not without a reason. The series picked every single point of TOS and was able to improve or expand it. Sure, you'll have to go through the awful mess of the first two seasons (pick a guide, seriously) and survive the infamous last season (where the writers were either out of the boat or out of ideas, although there are some really good episodes there), but after it, you'll be seeing Trek at its best. Patrick Stewart is a powerhouse as Jean Luc Picard, placed as Captain of the Enterprise because he represents the best of mankind: an arbiter and moral compass of the Federation that is guided both by his reason, sense of duty, ethics and empathy and isn't afraid of using neither kindness nor force when the situation calls for it, but always using force as a last resort and trying to see the situations through the lenses of his adversaries. The themes touched by the
For old (really old) trekkies, its interesting to see how the dynamics shifted between series. If in TOS mankind was able to step out of its greed into an enlightened state and offer help, here Mankind has to defend said state. Be arguing to insanely powerful beings that we are not savages anymore, prevent needless wars, fighting alien threats or simply be vigilant against threats from within. Its subtle, but to me, I prefer the raw optimism and joy from TOS.
Now, to the not so good aspects. Frankly this might be one of my least-liked crew outside of Nutrek, the cast was really green in their acting chops, needing three seasons, and there was a LOT of tampering from producers preventing characters from being truly fleshed out, such as the infamous 'No personal conflics' rule which was as much as a blessing than it was a curse, not letting the narrative be bogged down by cheap drama, but at the same time depriving much needed character growth. I ended separating characters to 'what they do at their best/ what they do at their worst' and found out that I gravitated towards Picard, Geordi, Worf and Dr. Crusher. I found Riker to be the kind of guy that is good to work with, but a nightmare to work FOR, turning into a self-conceited jerk whenever crossed for any reason by anyone and having little patience with underlings. Troi's treatment by the producers was downright criminal, with what could have been a shining example of a therapist in the next millenium being relegated to be a constant victim of sexual assault. Weirdly, while Data was often used to show the best in mankind while trying to learn to be human, I could never shake that people ignored how much of a threat he could be to the whole ship, being constantly hijacked, tampered with or altered, and nearly destroying the enterprise by himself, what, five times? I'm not advocating for treatment of synthetics akin to the Picard series, but acknowledging differences, and adapting to them, would feel better than just sweeping under the 'status quo' rug (probably because of the 'no-conflict' rule), discuss them! Its what makes this series superb, the willingness to discuss hard topics! Another point of contend with me is that, whereas Kirk often needed help and was often confronted by his bridge team, Picard feels more like he is surrounded by yes-men, rarely being opposed or questioned. But I enjoy the fact that they acknowledged the distance between Picard and his crew, and made it a plot-point in the finale.
And while many episodes and themes are far ahead of its time, its impossible to ignore that many other episodes didn't age well, with either blatant sexism, goofy annoying plots or a mix of those. This is also the series that rapmed up the use of Technobabble (with varying degrees of of use from 'needed to the plot' to 'ok they're clearly making up words now to pad up the plot', which would develop a blight in the franchise. The constant tug-o-war between writers and producers (and sabotaging from Gene, whom I think was the greatest enemy of his own franchise) also tossed the whole federation into weird loops, with 'this is the best ship of the federation, but a bunch of thugs can hijack it using a straw and a paperclip', 'pacifism to the point of stupidity' and the abuse of the prime directive, both used as a justification for the plot-of-the-week to happen instead of, you know, being the base of the plot.
In the end, even if it's far from perfect, I think that the best parts far outshine the rest. The interactions and meaningful dialogues between crew are far better than the characters, with a solid writing that delivers many great lessons even during bad or bland episodes and several points that are debated to this day. Many points were insanely far ahead of its time, with discussion about A.I rights, gender roles, drug use, euthanasia, medical ethics and many, many more, even the interior design of the ship itself was ahead: A deep-space exploration ship with wide corridors and clear colors and many recreational facilities in a design acknowledging that humans can't live in cramped grey corridors. So whenever you need an inspirational speech or see how good humans can be, give this series a chance.