Not a requirement

I've rarely had a theme get in the way of enjoying playing a machine. But having a pin under my roof with a theme I don't like would be another thing entirely.

No.

I'm a huge fan of the show, but family and friends aren't all fans. They still enjoy the pin.

No but it makes the game more complete when you understand the callouts

Yeah. Like, i could not care less about the movie "The Shadow", but it's a great game. Demolition Man was kind of a dumb movie, but again, the flow and gameplay on that pin is generally a lot of fun, so it doesn't bother me.

However, there are a couple of pins themed around bands which I happen to consider the #2 and #3 worst bands of all time. I'm sure i'd actively avoid owning those pins, no matter how good the gameplay is.

I guess what I'm saying is it's not a problem at all unless the theme truly grates on you.

It will get you to start watching the show ....

Skip seasons one and two, though.

I mean, okay, there are a handful of decent episodes in the first two seasons (Conspiracy, Measure of a Man), but overall the quality shoots way up in season three, holds its peak through season 6, and dips slightly in season 7. There are still some awesome episodes in season 7, though -- Parallels, Tapestry, and Lower Decks are all top-tier episodes, and the series finale, All Good Things..., is one of the all-time most satisfying conclusions to any TV series.

No, but it is extremely useful to understand WPC boardsets and opto technology to maintain this game.

I have no interest in the show, watched some episodes, didn’t grab me.
The game is awesome. I have had it for 4 years. Love playing it.

As with most themes, knowledge and understanding of the theme goes a long way. Sttng has all of the shows actors custom a speach and modes based on the shows. If you like the show, you’ll have a lot more enjoyable experience. If you don’t like the show, it’s still a fun machine. I owned one for a while, and watched the show as a teen. Great theme integration

I started watching TNG because of the game. Then I started a podcast based on watching the show for the first time (we're nearing the end of Season 2). The game will absolutely spoil you on what theme integration could/should be for all pins.

Owning the game actually made me take the interest in the show. Watching the show make you appreciate the dialog in the game a bit more, but I was attracted to the game far before the show

I’m starting to love this game and I couldn’t care less about Star Trek.

Absolutely not, it is a killer game, and can be very deep. Wide body though! You have been warned!

Actually if you are a fan of Star Trek, TNG is more like a sequel than anything else.

But yeah, it's a good game even if you aren't much into sequels.

never was a star trek fan, but love my star trek pro. same thing with my Baywatch, the shadow, congo, etc.

Never a fan of TNG TV show. And I don't enjoy the pin ...I just didn't click with the game at home . A few months in I knew it wasn't for me. It is long gone ... would I have enjoyed it more knowing the series ? Maybe, maybe not

Don't need to be a Trekkie to enjoy this pin.
It's the only one i own right now, and I'm not a Trekkie at all.
The game is fast, fun, and lots to do.
7 missions then a really fun wizard mode.
Once you learn the rules (like all pins) it becomes more fun and challenging.

Nah

Nope I hadn't even seen the show when I started playing the game . I only decided to watch the show because I enjoyed the game so much.

No way.

Example: I think most people would agree that both the artwork and movie which The Shadow pinball machine is based on is horrendous, but that doesn't stop it from being thoroughly enjoyed by almost everyone. Same goes for BSD. Great games, horrible source IP.

Couldn’t agree more.

I was in the same boat as you. I was always a Kirk/Spock/Bones man, never watched one episode of STTNG. Completely rejected the idea of Captain Picard & a new crew. Wouldn't bother watching the show in the 90's.

Then I bought the pin. Loved the gameplay & callouts. So much fun. Next thing you know, I start watching STTNG episodes on Netflix. Realize Captain Picard is the man! Watch out for the BORG!

If it wasn't for the pin, I never would have never become a fan of the show

Also one of the most underrated games. Prices are more modest than all the overrated games...

snaroff

Saw a nice one for sale for $12000 here on pinside. For that much, it better include a meet and greet with the entire cast

Theres one for sale now on Pinside for 5K @adamross). Including a pinsound card, fidelity speakers, and more. Owned in the past and hated selling it.

I have owned or been responsible for about 5 of these. The #1 problem to be aware of is the poor grounding of the auxiliary 8 driver board. Basically, STTNG (and a couple of other games of that era) exceeded the number of coils that could be driven off of a WPC driver board, so they added an additional 8 driver board next to the big one. Problem is, that board is grounded by running a tiny wire to a drop target solenoid near the top of the playfield. If that wire fails (and it will), many of the coils being driven off that extra board will tend to fry themselves. From memory, most/all of the coils on the elaborate under-playfield-subway ramp are controlled off of that board along with a few flashers.

Most of the repair notes will have some suggestions for fixing this situation before it becomes a problem. I have a little pile of those light brown wrapper coils used to the control the subway diverters that say you should do what those notes say.

Otherwise it's no better/worse than other games of the era.

Familiarity is certainly not required to enjoy the game.

However, the fact is that Next Gen has by far the best theme integration in terms of audio and call outs of any machine ever. While it is a good machine in its own right, it is the immersive experience from the theme integration that makes it exceptional.

i've owned mine for about 5 years now. my advice is get one with a clean subway, or clean the subway yourself right away.

the most common problem i see with STTNGs is the game either losing track of the ball, or kicking a second ball out on to the playfield unexpectedly. both malfunctions are often the result of dirty optos. you can clean them off, but they will just get dirty again quickly if your subway is filthy. a dirt-free playfield and subway really helps the reliability of this game in my experience.

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There are multiple threads about it but the optos are definitely the biggest pain, and can be hard to resolve because the problems are sporadic. Along with everything else that's been said making sure the solder on the two left VUK optos is solid and then the IDC connectors on the opto board being reliable are the things that made my problems go away. I've had the game for a long time and recently thought about selling it for that reason but then couldn't really come up with any games I thought deserved to replace it in the same price range so it's staying a while longer.

Great game!

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Season 2 is pretty bad honestly. Katherine Pulaski may be the most annoying character in all of Star Trek. The show really takes off when they get new uniforms. However, I will say the show is the reason I bought the game, and I'm extremely happy I did. I'll never sell mine.

Man I gotta disagree with you nerds there. Although you'd miss Skin of Evil and meeting Q, I can understand a pass on Season 1; but season 2, no way. True the fist great ep is Measure of a Man, but season 2 has a lot more than that.
Moriarty, Riker traded to Klingons, Picard being a dick to his double, Strategema, Shutting down Pulaski's smug ass!

Good stuff, not all perfect of course.

Pulaski was a huge miscalculation by the writers. It wasn't the actress's fault. They wanted someone to have a Bones-Spock dynamic with Commander Data, so they had Dr. Pulaski come in and try to be kind of his human "counterpoint", to take jabs at him and debate him.

But there were several fundamental problems with this. The primary problem is that Data, being an emotionless android, was never going to hit back. So Pulaski just came off as a bully. It's not a friendly rivalry when the aggression is completely one-sided. Spock and Data were both masters of logic, but unlike Data, Spock was also a master of sarcasm and wry wit. He could punch back in a way Data couldn't.

Second, there were problems with the way the writers went about it. They had Pulaski adopt completely untenable positions, like denying Data's sentience, or insist on mis-pronouncing his name even after being corrected, for no reason other than to be mean.

Yeah, fair points, I do like all of those episodes. The writing in season 2 is still pretty stilted at times, though, and Frakes and Patrick Stewart are still not quite at the peak of their game. Picard is still a little too cranky, and Riker is still a little too smug .. in later seasons, those traits are tempered a lot. But that's nit-picking I suppose.

You guys are at a whole other level of STTNG nerdism.

I just enjoyed watching the show, I never analyzed it to that ^^^^^^ level!