I think to earn "movie" the airing should exceed the standard scope, either visually or narrative-wise, preferably both. The stakes should definitely feel higher, if not the reward.

Very much this too. For me, I never once felt like First Contact (or really any of the Next Gen movies) wasn't showing me something they couldn't show me in a two-part episode.

No love for Picard as Locutus?

I have enough to make up for any lack on other people's part. My friends and I were amazed that TNG actually improved on the excitement of "Yesterday's Enterprise," when we'd previously thought it was probably going to be the high water mark for the entire series.

Yeah, I think they should take more chances or something, and not just with nudity and language. Yeah, now that you mention it, I get what you mean about holodeck eps, but I just wanted one so I could play with it. And I don't see why some of those things couldn't change anything; we've all been changed by stuff we've read or watched, or we wouldn't be here, right?

Picard going into the holodeck, turning off the "safeties", and killing a Borg with a tommy gun? TV writing all the way.

Okay geeks: Which surname figures prominently in both Trek and Batman lore?

(I just stumbled across this tidbit but I expect others know it.)

Grayson.

Troi! (ha)

Where did you watch the first episode of TNG? Did you have a geek gathering of friends?

Saw it in college, in a dorm room, with a group of friends. We were...disappointed.

DS9 was my show, BIG TIME. It only took them a season to work the kinks out. TNG seemed to take longer, and be more inconsistent once they did.

Dana is quick on the draw!

I didn't know that was Spock's mother's maiden name. But I bet it's hard currency in the land of fanfic crossovers.

Here's one guy's list of the best Trek episodes.

His top ranked DS9:

7. Rocks & Shoals
11. In the Pale Moonlight
13. Children of Time
17. The Visitor
22. The Quickening
25. Trials and Tribbelations
29. Our Man Bashir