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NBA playoffs
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NBA playoffs
Most recent season or competition:
2018 NBA Playoffs
Sport
Basketball
Founded
1946
No. of teams
16
Most recent
champion(s)
Golden State Warriors
Most titles
Boston Celtics (17)
TV partner(s)
ESPN/ABC
TNT
NBA TV
Official website
National Basketball Association
The NBA playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament annually held after the National Basketball Association's regular season to determine the league's champion.
Contents
[hide]
1 Format
2 History
2.1 2006 NBA playoffs controversy
2.2 Timeline
3 Team roster
4 Records and statistics
5 Playoff appearances
5.1 Appearances by active teams
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
Format[edit]
The previous NBA playoffs logo, which was used until 2017
In September 2015, the NBA announced changes to the formula used to determine the format of the 2016 NBA Playoffs. The top eight teams in each conference (East and West), ranked in order by win-loss records, qualify for the playoffs. The tie-break criteria for playoff seeding and home-court advantage have also changed; head-to-head results between the tied teams is the first tie-breaker, and whether a team won its division championship is the second tie-breaker.[1]
These seedings are used to create a bracket that determines the match-ups throughout the series. Once the playoffs start, the bracket is fixed; teams are never "reseeded", unlike in the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) where the strongest remaining teams face the weakest teams in subsequent rounds. The first round of the NBA playoffs, or conference quarterfinals, consists of four match-ups in each conference based on the seedings (1–8, 2–7, 3–6, and 4–5). The four winners advance to the second round, or conference semifinals, with a match-up between the 1–8 and 4–5 winners and a match-up between the 2–7 and 3–6 winners. The two winners advance to the third round, or conference finals. The winner from each conference will advance to the final round, or the NBA Finals.
All rounds are best-of-seven series. Series are played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while their opponent hosts games 3, 4, and 6, with games 5–7 being played if needed. This format has been used since 2014, after NBA team owners unanimously voted to change from a 2–3–2 format on October 23, 2013.[2]
The most common criticism of the current structure is related to parity of conferences. On numerous occasions, Eastern Conference teams with losing records qualified for the playoffs, while Western Conference teams with winning records ended up missing them, including the 2011, 2013 and the 2015 NBA Playoffs.
History[edit]
The National Basketball Association was established in 1949 by merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League but it recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history. In all of its three years the BAA champion was finally determined in a best-of-seven series but its first two tournaments, the 1947 and 1948 BAA Playoffs, were otherwise quite different from the third, which 21st-century NBA playoffs nearly match. In 1947 and 1948, the Eastern and Western Division champions were matched in a best-of-seven series following the regular season, whose winner advanced to the championship round. Meanwhile, four runners-up played best-of-three series to determine the other finalist: the two second-place teams were matched in one short series and the two third-place teams in another; the winners of those two series played another one. In 1947 the Philadelphia Warriors won the runners-up bracket and beat the Western champion Chicago Stags four games to one, which the NBA recognizes as its first championship; in 1948 Baltimore won the runners-up and beat Eastern champion Philadelphia in the final. Both tournaments generated one finalist from the Eastern and one from the Western Division, but only by chance.[3]
In 1949 the third and last BAA tournament matched Eastern teams exclusively and Western teams exclusively, necessarily generating Eastern and Western playoff champions to meet in the final. At the same time, the number of playoff teams was increased from three to four from each Division; two rounds of best-of-three series were played, followed by a best-of-seven championship. The main idea was retained by the NBA. Even the 1950 tournament, following a transitional season with three divisions rather than two, initially determined one playoff champion from each division. The Central champion Minneapolis Lakers became the first league champion under the NBA name by defeating Anderson from the West in a best-of-three, with Syracuse from the East idle, and then knocking off the Syracuse Nationals in six games.[4]
The 1951 through 1953 playoffs changed the division finals into a best-of-five playoff. With only nine league members in 1953–54, the NBA cut its postseason tournament field from eight teams to six (from 1954 through 1966, the period of eight to nine league members). Round robins were played in 1954, uniquely in NBA history—a three-team round robin among the three playoff teams in each division. From 1955 to 1966, the first-place team in each division was idle while its two runners-up faced played a best-of-three. Division finals were expanded to best-of-seven in 1958 and division semifinals to best-of-five in 1961.
With ten league members again for the 1966–67 season, eight teams were again admitted to the tournament, providing a simple three-round knockout (8-team bracket). A year later, the division semifinals were changed to best-of-seven playoff. Then, in 1975 and 1977, respectively, a fifth and sixth team were added to each Division, necessitating an additional first round of best-of-three series.
Finally in 1984, the tournament expanded to its present 16-team, four-round knockout, and the now-complete set of first-round series were expanded to a best-of-five. In 2003 the first round was changed to also be best-of-seven. (Thus all playoff teams from 2003 to present, same as the two Division champions in 1947 and 1948, continue to play at the close of the regular season without idle team ("bye") and may be certain of four playoff games including two at home.)
Beginning with the 2004 season, with the addition of the thirtieth NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA realigned its divisions. The result was that each conference would have three divisions of five teams each, and the winner of each division was guaranteed a top-three playoff seed. This would change slightly after the 2005–06 season; while division winners still receive automatic playoff berths, they are guaranteed a top-four seed, as described below.
2006 NBA playoffs controversy[edit]
The previous playoff format, in place for the 2004–05 and 2005–06 NBA playoffs, after the NBA was re-aligned into six divisions, created controversy during the 2005–06 season and playoffs, and would be changed prior to the 2006–07 NBA season.[5]
Prior to 2005, NBA division champions were seeded higher than the other teams in their conference, regardless of their record. Prior to 2004, when the NBA was aligned into two conferences with two divisions each, the division champions were guaranteed the top two seeds. This meant that top two teams in a conference (by record) would be seeded either first and second (if they were in opposite divisions) or first and third (if they were in the same division). Because of the NBA playoffs' preset matchups in the second round, this meant that the top two teams in a conference could never meet until the conference finals, assuming they both made it to that round.
After the NBA realigned its two conferences into three divisions each, the seeding rules remained largely unchanged. The top three seeds would now be reserved for division champions. However, this meant that if the top two teams (by record) in a conference were in the same division, they would be seeded first and fourth. Assuming no first-round upsets, this raised the prospect that the top two teams in the conference would face each other in the conference semifinals, instead of the conference finals.
In the second year of this format, the 2005–06 NBA season, the two teams with the best records in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks of the Southwest Division, did just that. The Mavericks had the second-best record in the Western Conference and the third-best record in the entire league, behind the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio. However, they were seeded fourth because they finished second in the Southwest behind the Spurs. This turn of events led to the playoff format being criticized by many. Besides the prospect of a team losing earlier in the playoffs than its regular-season record or seeding would suggest, critics claimed that it also created an unfair advantage for teams in the 2-7/3-6 half of the Western Conference playoff bracket, who could advance to the conference finals without playing either of the two best teams in the conference in an earlier round.
The Phoenix Suns, winners of the Pacific Division and possessors of the third best record, were seeded second, while the Denver Nuggets, winners of the Northwest Division and tied for only the seventh-best record in the conference, were seeded third.
The Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers met in the second-to-last game of the regular season, after the top four seeds had been clinched. The two teams were already determined to be the fifth and sixth seeds, and had only to determine which rank higher. The fifth seed would likely need to defeat the best two teams in the conference without home-court advantage to advance to the conference finals, as it would face fourth-seeded Dallas in the first round and likely face first-seeded San Antonio if it managed to defeat Dallas. The sixth seed would play third-seeded Denver in the first round, but would have home-court advantage (since the Grizzlies had the fourth-best record in the conference and the Clippers had the fifth-best), and would not have to face either San Antonio or Dallas until the conference finals at the earliest.
This led to speculation about whether the Grizzlies or the Clippers would have much commitment to winning their match-up in the second-to-last game of the season, since it was clearly most advantageous to lose the game in order to obtain the 6th seed. The Clippers eventually lost to Memphis without much evidence to support the speculation that the Clippers had lost intentionally.[6] In the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers defeated the Nuggets in five games, while Memphis was swept by Dallas. Ultimately, Dallas and San Antonio did meet in the second round, with Dallas winning in seven games and advancing all the way to the NBA finals.
Timeline[edit]
1947: The playoffs were instituted with a three-stage tournament, similar to the Stanley Cup playoffs of the 1930s; the two first-place teams qualified directly to one semifinal where they played each other in a best-of-7 series. Teams finishing second & third qualified for the best-of-3 quarterfinals, where the two second-placed teams were paired in one quarterfinal, as were the two third-placed teams, and the two quarterfinal winners played each other in a best-of-three semifinal. The two semifinal winners played each other in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) best-of-7 final series.
Quarterfinals
Best-of-3 Semifinals
Best-of-3 (one series)
Best-of-7 (one series)
BAA finals
Best-of-7
E3
W3
E3
E2
W2
E2
E2
W1
W1
E1
There were no byes, or idle time, for the division champions – as there would be for higher-seeded playoff teams 1955–66 and 1975–83. All six 1947 participants played their first tournament games on Wednesday, April 2; in 1948 the two Eastern runners-up (E2, E3 in the figure) were idle for a few days only because there was a three-way Western tie to break. Both winners of the runners-up bracket, Philadelphia in 1947 and Baltimore in 1948, reached the final series having played fewer tournament games than their final opponents, Chicago in 1947 and Philadelphia in 1948, had played in the best-of-7 pairings of division champions. And both winners of the runners-up bracket won the final series. The "postseason" actually comprised 11 games played in a span of 21 days for the 1947 Chicago Stags and 13 games in 30 days for 1948 Philadelphia Warriors, the finalists who emerged from the pairing of division champions.[3]
1949: The playoffs were reorganized to match Eastern Division teams exclusively, and Western Division teams exclusively – in two halves of the bracket, so to speak. Thus the BAA tournament generated a playoff champion in each Division. (So did the NBA in each of three 1950 divisions, and so it has done in each half of the league since then.) The top four teams from each of the two divisions qualified. The quarterfinals and semifinals were renamed division semifinals and division finals, respectively, and both rounds were best-of-3. Thus any playoff team might be eliminated in two games, one home game. The best-of-7 final was unchanged.
Division semifinals
Best-of-3 Division finals
Best-of-3 BAA finals
Best-of-7
E1
E4
E1
Eastern Division
E2
E2
E3
E1
W2
W1
W4
W1
Western Division
W2
W2
W3
1950: The BAA was renamed as the National Basketball Association (NBA). With a three-division setup, 12 teams now qualified for the playoffs, with the top four teams from each division meeting in the best-of-3 division semifinals. The winners met in the best-of-3 division finals. With three teams remaining, the surviving team with the best regular season record qualified directly for the finals while the other two teams met in a best-of-3 NBA semifinals.
1951: With the NBA reverting to a two-division setup; the division semifinals reverted to its original 1949 format with only eight teams qualifying. The division finals was extended to a best-of-5 format.
Division semifinals
Best-of-3 Division finals
Best-of-5 NBA finals
Best-of-7
E1
E4
E4
Eastern Division
E2
E2
E3
E2
W3
W1
W4
W1
Western Division
W3
W2
W3
1954: With only nine league members (soon to be eight), the number of playoff teams was cut down to six. The division semifinals was changed to a double round-robin format within the division, with the top three teams from each division qualifying (each team played four games). Following the round-robin games, the top two teams qualified for the best-of-three division finals, followed by the best-of-seven finals.
1955: The number of playoff teams remained at six, but the initial round-robin was dropped after one year in favor of giving the first-place team in each division a bye to the best-of-five division finals. Teams which placed second and third played a best-of-three division semifinal. In 1955 the byes provided five and six extra days idle for the first-place teams.[7]
1958: The division finals was extended to a best-of-seven format.
1961: The division semifinals were extended to a best-of-five format.
Division semifinals
Best-of-3 (1955–1960),
Best-of-5 (1961–1966)
Division finals
Best-of-5 (1955–1957),
Best-of-7 (1958–1966)
NBA finals
Best-of-7
E1
Eastern Division
E3
E2
E3
E3
W1
W1
Western Division
W2
W2
W3
The 1961 to 1966 tournaments alone combined initial byes for seeded teams with best-of-five initial series for unseeded teams. The 1961 byes provided five and seven extra days idle for the first-place teams. By 1966 the schedule provided more rest for the first-round participants with byes of 11 and eight extra days idle.[8]
1967: The number of playoff teams was expanded to eight once more. The division semifinals now included the fourth-best team in each conference. The first-placed teams no longer received a bye. They were matched against the fourth-placed teams in the best-of-5 division semifinals.
1968: The division semifinals was extended to a best-of-seven format.
Division semifinals
Best-of-5 (1967),
Best-of-7 (1968–1970)
Division finals
Best-of-7 (1968–1970) NBA finals
Best-of-7
E1
E4
Eastern Division
E2
E3
W1
W4
Western Division
W2
W3
1970: With an increased number of teams, the divisions were upgraded into conferences, which were then split into two divisions. Eight teams still qualified, four from each conference. The two division winners were guaranteed at least a #2 seed, and the two best non-division winners from each conference qualified as third and fourth seeds. Hence, the division semifinals and division finals came to be known as conference semifinals and conference finals, respectively.
Conference semifinals
Best-of-7 Conference finals
Best-of-7 NBA finals
Best-of-7
E1*
E4
Eastern Conference
E2*
E3
W1*
W4
Western Conference
W2*
W3
1975: The number of playoff teams was expanded from eight to ten. A first round was introduced which matched the fourth and fifth seeds in each conference in a best-of-3 first round series, while the top three seeds received a bye. This is similar to the system used in the NFL from 1978 to 1989.
First Round
Best-of-3 Conference semifinals
Best-of-7 Conference finals
Best-of-7 NBA finals
Best-of-7
E1*
E4
E4
E5
Eastern Conference
E2*
E3
W1*
W4
W4
W5
Western Conference
W2*
W3
1977: The number of playoff teams was expanded from 10 to 12. The first round now included the sixth best team in each conference, which was matched against the third seed. Only the division winners received byes to the next round. This is similar to the format currently used by the NFL.
First Round
Best-of-3 Conference semifinals
Best-of-7 Conference finals
Best-of-7 NBA finals
Best-of-7
E1*
E4
E5
Eastern Conference
E3
E6
E2*
W1*
W4
W5
Western Conference
W3
W6
W2*
The 1983 tournament is the latest to incorporate first-round byes for seeded teams. The first-round best-of-three series tapped off on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 19 and 20; the second-round best-of-sevens on Sunday to the following Wednesday, April 27. Counting from Tuesday the byes provided five to eight extra days idle.[9]
1984: The playoffs were expanded from 12 teams to 16 teams. All teams now participated in the first round, which was extended to a best-of-five series.
Conference quarterfinals
Best-of-5 Conference semifinals
Best-of-7 Conference finals
Best-of-7 NBA finals
Best-of-7
E1*
E8
E4
E5
Eastern Conference
E3
E6
E2*
E7
W1*
W8
W4
W5
Western Conference
W3
W6
W2*
W7
2003: The first round was extended to a best-of-seven series. This change arguably benefitted the higher seeds as it reduced the likelihood of an upset by a lower seed. It also meant that a team that swept their series 4–0 might have to wait up to two weeks to play their next series against a team that had won 4–3.
Conference quarterfinals
Best-of-7 Conference semifinals
Best-of-7 Conference finals
Best-of-7 NBA finals
Best-of-7
E1*
E8
E4
E5
Eastern Conference
E3
E6
E2*
E7
W1*
W8
W4
W5
Western Conference
W3
W6
W2*
W7
2005: Each conference was realigned into three divisions with each division winner qualifying for a top-three seed regardless of record. The next best five teams from each conference also qualify for the playoffs.
Conference quarterfinals
Best-of-7 Conference semifinals
Best-of-7 Conference finals
Best-of-7 NBA finals
Best-of-7
E1*
E8
E4
E5
Eastern Conference
E3*
E6
E2*
E7
W1*
W8
W4
W5
Western Conference
W3*
W6
W2*
W7
2007: To address the criticisms of having each division champion guaranteed a top-three seed, regardless of record, the rules were changed such that the division winners are now only guaranteed a top-four seed. The team with the second-best record in the conference is now guaranteed the second seed, even if it finishes second in its own division. This ensures that the two best teams in the conference cannot meet until the conference finals at the earliest. The previous system raised the prospect of the two best teams in the conference being seeded 1 and 4 if they play in the same division, thus forcing them to play each other in the second round (given no upsets).
Note: In the example below, the East's #2 seed is not a division champion.
Conference quarterfinals
Best-of-7 Conference semifinals
Best-of-7 Conference finals
Best-of-7 NBA finals
Best-of-7
E1*
E8
E5
E4*
Eastern Conference
E3*
E6
E2
E7
W1*
W8
W5
W4
Western Conference
W3*
W6
W2*
W7
2016: While the playoff bracketing did not change, qualification criteria were changed. The teams with the eight best records in each conference receive playoff berths, with no automatic berths nor guaranteed top-four seed placement for division champions.
Team roster[edit]
Playoff teams must identify their postseason roster before the playoffs begin. They are allowed up to 15 players and can designate two as inactive for each game.[10] Players are eligible to be on a team's playoff roster provided they were on the team for at least one regular season game, and were not on another NBA team's roster after March 1.[11] Previously[when?], playoff rosters were limited to 12 players who were named before the playoffs began.[10]
Records and statistics[edit]
Only five 8th seeded teams have managed to win a series versus the number 1 seeded team: The Denver Nuggets eliminated the Seattle SuperSonics 3–2 in 1994. The New York Knicks eliminated the Miami Heat 3–2 in 1999. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks 4–2 in the 2007 Western Conference First Round (becoming the first 8 seed to beat a 1 seed in the best of 7 format). In 2011, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs, 4–2 and in 2012, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 4–2.
The 1999 Knicks are the only 8th seeded team ever to reach the NBA finals. No 8th seeded team has won the NBA finals.
The 1956–57 St. Louis Hawks, 1958–59 Minneapolis Lakers and the 1980–81 Houston Rockets are the only teams with losing records (34-38, 33–39 and 40–42, respectively) to make it to the NBA finals. In 1981 the Houston Rockets' opponent in the Western Conference Finals, the Kansas City Kings, also had a losing record (40–42).
The 1994–95 Houston Rockets, a sixth seed with a record of 47–35, were the lowest seeded team to win the NBA finals. In the NBA finals, the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic (57–25) in four games. In doing so, the Rockets defeated four teams that had won 50 or more games during the regular season (Utah Jazz at 60–22, Phoenix Suns at 59–23, San Antonio Spurs at 62–20 and Orlando at 57–25), which had never been done before. They are also the only team to have won an NBA title without having home-court advantage during any round of the playoffs.
The Golden State Warriors own the longest NBA playoff winning streak for a single postseason with 15 straight wins in the 2017 playoffs.
Of all the teams with multiple NBA finals appearances, the Chicago Bulls are the only team to have never lost in the finals, winning 6.
The Boston Celtics possess the most overall NBA finals series wins with an overall record of 17–4. The Los Angeles/Minneapolis Lakers have played in the most NBA finals series (31) with an overall record of 16–15.
The longest active playoff appearance streak currently belongs to the San Antonio Spurs with 21 consecutive appearances in the playoffs, beginning in the 1997–98 NBA season. The longest ever streak of playoffs appearances in a row belongs to the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers, who made the playoffs 22 straight years from the 1949–50 season to the 1970–71 season.
In 1983, under the bye-7-7-7 system, the Philadelphia 76ers attained the best record of 12-1, having only lost in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.
In 2001, under the best of 5-7-7-7 system, the Los Angeles Lakers attained the best record of 15-1, having only lost in Game 1 of the Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers.
In 2017, under the best of 7-7-7-7 system, the Golden State Warriors attained the best record of 16-1, having only lost in Game 4 of the Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors and Cavaliers came into the Finals with a combined record of 24-1, with the Cavaliers having only lost in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Playoff appearances[edit]
Current as of 2018 NBA Playoffs
Appearances by active teams[edit]
Team
Appearances[12]
Los Angeles Lakers 60 [A]
Boston Celtics 55
Philadelphia 76ers 48 [B]
Atlanta Hawks 46 [C]
Detroit Pistons 41 [D]
New York Knicks 41
San Antonio Spurs 38 [E]
Chicago Bulls 35
Golden State Warriors 34 [F]
Portland Trail Blazers 34
Houston Rockets 32 [G]
Milwaukee Bucks 30
Oklahoma City Thunder 30 [H]
Phoenix Suns 29
Sacramento Kings 29 [I]
Washington Wizards 29 [J]
Utah Jazz 27 [K]
Indiana Pacers 25 [E]
Denver Nuggets 24 [E]
Cleveland Cavaliers 22
Dallas Mavericks 21
Miami Heat 20
Brooklyn Nets 19 [E][L]
Orlando Magic 14
Los Angeles Clippers 13 [M]
Charlotte Hornets 10 [N]
Memphis Grizzlies 10
Toronto Raptors 10
Minnesota Timberwolves 9
New Orleans Pelicans 7 [N]
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Minneapolis Lakers (1947–1960).
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Syracuse Nationals (1946–1963).
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1946–1951), the Milwaukee Hawks (1951–1955), and the St. Louis Hawks (1955–1968).
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Fort Wayne Pistons (1949–1957).
^ Jump up to: a b c d Does not include appearances in the American Basketball Association (ABA) playoffs. Per the conditions of the ABA–NBA merger, the NBA does not officially recognize the ABA history, playoffs and records.
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Philadelphia Warriors (1946–1962) and the San Francisco Warriors (1962–1971).
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the San Diego Rockets (1967–1971).
Jump up ^ As part of the 2008 relocation settlement with the City of Seattle, the Thunder officially shares its history with that of the Seattle SuperSonics (1967–2008).[13]
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Rochester Royals (1948–1957), the Cincinnati Royals (1957–1972), the Kansas City-Omaha Kings (1972–1975), and the Kansas City Kings (1975–1985).
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Chicago Packers (1961–1962), the Chicago Zephyrs (1962–1963), the Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973), the Capital Bullets (1973–1974), and the Washington Bullets (1974–1997).
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979).
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the New Jersey Nets (1977–2012).
Jump up ^ Includes appearances as the Buffalo Braves (1970–1978).
^ Jump up to: a b The New Orleans Pelicans were originally named the Charlotte Hornets, and moved to New Orleans in 2002. A new team, the Charlotte Bobcats, was then established in 2004. When the Charlotte team reclaimed the Hornets name in a 2014 agreement, the Charlotte team also reclaimed the history of the original Hornets; as such, the New Orleans Pelicans were established in 2002, and the Bobcats/Hornets rejoined the NBA in 2004.[14]
See also[edit]
NBA Conference Finals
NBA Finals
NBA D-League Playoffs
NBA D-League Finals
List of NBA playoff series
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "NBA to seed conference playoff teams by record" (Press release). National Basketball Association. September 8, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
Jump up ^ "NBA owners change Finals format to 2-2-1-1-1". NBA.com. 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
^ Jump up to: a b "1946–47 BAA Season Summary".
"1947–48 BAA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
Select "Next Season" from the heading for 1947–48, and so on. Select "Finals" from League Playoffs for the daily schedule of the final series, and so on.
Jump up ^ "1948–49 BAA Season Summary".
"1949–50 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
Jump up ^ "ESPN – NBA announces postseason seeding format change – NBA". ESPN.com. 2006-08-02. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
Jump up ^ "No losers here? Grizzlies win, Clippers get home court". ESPN. 2006-04-19. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
Jump up ^ "1954-55 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
Jump up ^ "1960-61 NBA Season Summary".
"1966-66 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
Jump up ^ "1982–83 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
^ Jump up to: a b Pastuszek, Jon (April 9, 2013). "Pastuszek: Could Yi Jianlian Help an NBA Playoff Team?". SheridanHoops.com. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
Jump up ^ Helin, Kurt (March 21, 2011). "Winderman: Still time to add good player (or Eddy Curry) to playoff roster". NBCSports.com. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Franchise History". NBA.com. February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Details of settlement between Bennett, Seattle revealed". ESPN.com. August 20, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Charlotte Hornets Name Returns to Carolinas". Charlotte Hornets. May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
External links[edit]
NBA official website
Playoff Seeding Criteria NBA.com
NBA Playoffs InsideHoops.com coverage
Basketball-Reference.com Index of NBA playoffs seasons
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Taken (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Taken
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Pierre Morel
Produced by
Luc Besson
Written by
Luc Besson
Robert Mark Kamen
Starring
Liam Neeson
Maggie Grace
Leland Orser
Jon Gries
David Warshofsky
Katie Cassidy
Holly Valance
Famke Janssen
Music by
Nathaniel Méchaly
Cinematography
Michel Abramowicz
Edited by
Frédéric Thoraval
Production
companies
EuropaCorp
M6 Films
Grive Productions
Canal+
TPS Star
M6
All Pictures Media
Wintergreen Productions
Dune Entertainment
Distributed by
20th Century Fox
Release date
27 February 2008 (2008-02-27) (France)
30 January 2009 (2009-01-30) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes[1]
Country
France[2][3]
Language
English
Budget
$25 million[4]
Box office
$226.8 million[4]
Taken is a 2008 English-language French action thriller film written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, and directed by Pierre Morel. It stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Katie Cassidy, Leland Orser, and Holly Valance. Neeson plays Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative who sets about tracking down his teenage daughter Kim (Grace) and her best friend (Amanda) after the two girls are kidnapped by Albanian sex traffickers while traveling in France.
Taken grossed more than $226 million. Numerous media outlets have cited the film as a turning point in Neeson's career that redefined and transformed him to an action film star.[5][6][7] The film was followed by two sequels—Taken 2 and Taken 3—released in 2012 and 2014, respectively. A television series for the series premiered in 2017 on NBC, with Clive Standen portraying Bryan Mills.
Contents
[hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Music
4.1 Soundtrack
5 Reception
5.1 Box office
5.2 Critical response
5.3 Controversy
6 Awards
7 Home media
8 In popular culture
9 Sequels
10 Television series
11 References
12 External links
Plot[edit]
Retired CIA field agent Bryan Mills attempts to build a closer relationship with his 17-year-old daughter Kim, who lives with her mother Lenore and her wealthy stepfather Stuart. While overseeing security at a concert for pop star Sheerah, Bryan saves her from an armed attacker. Out of gratitude, Sheerah offers to have Kim assessed as a singer. Before Bryan can tell her about the offer, Kim asks her father for permission to travel to Paris with her best friend Amanda. He initially refuses, but eventually agrees. At the airport, Bryan learns the girls are actually planning to follow the band U2 during their European tour.
Upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Kim and Amanda meet Peter, an attractive young Frenchman who offers to share a taxi. Kim and Amanda go to Amanda's cousins' apartment, only for Kim to find that they are in Spain. While she makes a call to Bryan, Kim sees men enter the apartment and abduct Amanda. Kim follows her father's instructions to hide and listen closely. After she is dragged out from underneath a bed, Kim yells a description of her abductor. Bryan hears a person breathing heavily and, realising one of the abductors has picked up the phone, tells him that he will not go after the kidnappers if they release his daughter, but warns them that failure will result in their deaths. A man tersely replies, "Good luck."
Sam, an old friend and former colleague of Bryan, deduces that the kidnappers are part of an Albanian sex trafficking ring and identifies the man as Marko Hoxha. Based on previous history, Kim will disappear for good if not found within 96 hours. Bryan flies to Paris, breaks into the apartment and finds Peter's reflection in a picture on Kim's phone. He finds Peter at the airport and tries to capture him. While fleeing, Peter gets rammed by a truck. With his only lead dead, Bryan turns to an old contact, former French intelligence agent Jean-Claude Pitrel, who now has a desk job. Jean-Claude informs him of the local red-light district where the Albanian prostitution ring operates, but warns him not to get involved. Bryan enters a makeshift brothel in a construction yard, where he rescues a drugged young woman who has Kim's denim jacket. After a gunfight and high-speed chase with the brothel's operators, Bryan takes the woman to a hotel where he treats her with improvised detoxification.
The next morning, the woman tells Bryan of a safe house where she and Kim were kept. Posing as Jean-Claude, Bryan enters the house under the pretense of re-negotiating the police protection rate. When he identifies Marko Hoxha, the meeting erupts into a fight that results in the death of all gangsters except Marko. A quick search reveals several heavily drugged girls, including a dead Amanda. Bryan ties Marko into a chair and interrogates him using parrilla. Marko reveals that virgins like Kim are sold quickly due to their prized value, and identifies the buyer as Patrice Saint-Clair. Bryan leaves him to die from continuous electrocution and visits Jean-Claude's apartment that evening. Having discovered Jean-Claude's corruption, Bryan injures the latter's wife to coerce him into disclosing Saint-Clair's location.
Bryan infiltrates a covert sex slave auction underway beneath Saint-Clair's manor, where Kim is the subject of the last sale. Bryan forces Abil, an Arab bidder, to purchase her. While making his way out, Bryan is knocked out and chained to a pipe, but manages to escape and eliminate Saint-Clair's henchmen. Saint-Clair reveals a yacht owned by a sheikh named Raman before Bryan murders him. Bryan pursues the yacht and eliminates the bodyguards, including Abil, before encountering Raman in his suite where he is holding Kim at knifepoint. When Raman attempts to negotiate, Bryan kills him with a point-blank headshot. Back in the United States, Kim is reunited with Lenore and Stuart. Lenore reconciles with Bryan and allows him to bond with Kim by visiting Sheerah together.
Cast[edit]
Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills
Maggie Grace as Kim Mills
Famke Janssen as Lenore St John
Katie Cassidy as Amanda
Leland Orser as Sam Gilroy
Jon Gries as Mark Casey
David Warshofsky as Bernie Harris
Holly Valance as Sheerah
Xander Berkeley as Stuart St John
Olivier Rabourdin as Jean-Claude Pitrel
Gérard Watkins as Patrice Saint-Clair
Arben Bajraktaraj as Marko Hoxha
Camille Japy as Isabelle
Nicolas Giraud as Peter
Goran Kostić as Gregor
Nabil Massad as Raman
Production[edit]
The film was produced by Luc Besson's EuropaCorp.[8] Pierre Morel had previously worked as a director of photography for Besson, and they had also collaborated on Morel's directorial debut, District 13. Besson pitched the idea of Taken one night over dinner and Morel immediately became attached to the idea of a father fighting to protect his daughter.[9] Jeff Bridges was first cast as Bryan Mills, but after he dropped out of the project, Liam Neeson accepted the part, desiring to play a more physically demanding role than he was used to. Neeson at first thought the film to be no more than a "little side road" for his career, expecting it to be released directly to video.[10]
Music[edit]
The score of the film was composed by Nathaniel Méchaly and released on 27 January 2009.[11]
Taken: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Film score by Nathaniel Méchaly
Released
29 January 2009 (2009-01-29)
Recorded
2008
Genre
Film score
Length
45:50
Label
Razor & Tie
Soundtrack[edit]
All songs written and composed by Nathaniel Méchaly except where noted.[12][13]
Taken (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
No.
Title
Length
1. "Opening" 0:52
2. "Change" (Written and performed by Joy Denalane featuring Lupe Fiasco) 4:12
3. "Permission to Go to Paris" 1:11
4. "Heading Off" 1:10
5. "The Concert" 0:53
6. "There's Somebody Here" 3:22
7. "Pursuit at Roissy" 1:07
8. "On the Rooftop" 1:40
9. "Ninety Six Hours" 6:01
10. "The Construction Site" 2:04
11. "Pursuit at the Construction Site" 1:25
12. "Saving Alex" 1:14
13. "Escape From St Clair" 1:38
14. "Tick Tick, Boom" (Written and performed by The Hives) 3:24
15. "Hotel Camelia" 1:38
16. "The Auction" 1:38
17. "Pursuit by the" 3:15
18. "On the Boat" 1:05
19. "The Last Fight" 1:52
20. "The Dragster Wave" (Written and performed by Ghinzu) 6:09
Total length: 45:50
Reception[edit]
A trailer of Taken was released on 20 June 2008.[14] The film saw its release on 27 February in France, 9 April in China and 26 September in UK in the year of 2008. It was released on 30 January in United States and 22 August in Japan in the year of 2009.[15] The film was released under the title of 96 Hours in Germany, Io vi troverò (I Will Find You) in Italy and Заложница (Hostage) in Russia.[15]
Box office[edit]
Taken grossed $145 million in the North America and $81.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $226.8 million, against a production budget of $25 million.[4]
On its opening day in the North America, the film grossed $9.4 million, scoring the best opening day ever for Super Bowl weekend.[16] It went on to make $24.7 million during its opening weekend playing in 3,183 theaters, with a $7,765 per-theatre average and ranking #1, which was the second highest Super Bowl opening weekend, at the time, behind Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert ($31.1 million).[17] The film is also the highest grossing among the Taken films in North America.[18]
The biggest market in other territories being South Korea, UK, France, Australia and Spain where the film grossed $15.47 million, $11.27 million, $9.43 million, $6.28 million, and $5.46 million respectively.[19]
Critical response[edit]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 58%, based on 168 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Taken is undeniably fun with slick action, but is largely a brainless exercise."[20] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 50 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[21]
Richard Corliss of Time said the film "has nothing more on its mind than dozens of bad guys getting beat up and another one turned into instant roadkill."[22] The Washington Post described the film as "a satisfying little thriller as grimly professional as its efficient hero" and likened the action to the Bourne film series.[23] Derek Elley of Variety described the film as a "kick ass, pedal-to-the-metal actioner [...] that wisely doesn't give the viewer any time to ponder the string of unlikely coincidences [...] the film has the forward, devil-may-care momentum of a Bond film on steroids."[24]
Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times described the film's premise as "unintentionally silly at times [...] Obviously, 'Taken' is not the kind of action film to spend much time worrying about its pedestrian script or largely indifferent acting, so it's fortunate to have Neeson in the starring role." Bryan Mills is characterized as "relentless attack machine who is impervious to fists, bullets and fast-moving cars, he uses a variety of martial arts skills to knock out more opponents than Mike Tyson and casually kill those he doesn't KO".[25]
CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, cinema audiences gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[26]
Controversy[edit]
In 2011, a self-proclaimed counter-terrorism expert was convicted of wire fraud after claiming the film was based on a real-life incident in which his daughter was killed. William G. Hillar, who pretended to be a retired Green Beret colonel, claimed to have spent more than 12 years lecturing US government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation on security issues. However, records revealed he had actually been a radar operator in the Coast Guard Reserve between 1962 and 1970, and had never been in the US Army. Nevertheless, his website claimed Taken was based on events involving him and his family. Hillar, who admitted the charges, was sentenced to 500 hours of community service at Maryland State Veteran Cemetery. He also agreed to repay $171,000 in speaking fees that he had received from various organizations to which he had presented himself as an expert in terrorism and human trafficking.[27]
Awards[edit]
Award
Category
Subject
Result
Broadcast Music, Inc. BMI Film Music Award Nathaniel Méchaly Won
Golden Schmoes Awards Best Line Liam Neeson Won
Biggest Surprise of the Year Taken 2nd place
Saturn Award Best International Film Taken Nominated
Home media[edit]
Taken was released as "Taken (Single-Disc Extended Edition)" on DVDs on 12 May 2009 and on Blu-ray on 9 December 2014. The film also saw release of "Taken (Two-Disc Extended Edition)" on DVDs and Blu-ray Discs on 12 May 2009.[28] As of 5 February 2015[update], the film has sold 5,388,963 DVDs and 607,073 Blu-ray Discs and grossing $79,798,171 and $10,069,116 respectively totaling $89,867,287 in North America.[29]
In popular culture[edit]
In May 2012, the plot of "Leggo My Meg-O", the twentieth episode of the tenth season of the TV series Family Guy, is based on Taken.[30] In "Brian's a Bad Father", Brian mentions that having Zooey Deschanel cast as the daughter in Taken would be thinking outside the box. A cutaway gag then depicts Bryan Mills (reprised by Liam Neeson) instructing the kidnappers to send him the head of Zooey Deschanel.
In "Hunt", a fifth-season episode of the TV series Castle, when Richard Castle's daughter Alexis is kidnapped and taken to Paris, Castle follows and Det. Kevin Ryan asks, "Who does he think he is, Liam Neeson?"
A Saturday Night Live opening sketch in March 2014 featured Liam Neeson reprising his character from the film in response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and in defense of President Obama.[episode needed][31]
In the animated Cartoon Network series, The Amazing World of Gumball in the episode "The Kids", Gumball calls Mr. Fitzgerald and asks if he can talk to Penny, Mr. Fitzgerald thinks Gumball is being disrespectful to him due to his changing voice, and threatens Gumball by repeating Bryan Mills' phone speech in a scary voice. Later in the episode, Mr. Fitzgerald drives up to Gumball from his car and says the Bryan Mills line to him once more, but Gumball quickly cuts him off when he rolls up his car window, locks the door, and slams it shut in his face.
In Lego Dimensions, when Bad Cop interacts with Unikitty, Unikitty says she has a particular set of skills. Taken featured Bad Cop's voice actor Liam Neeson in the lead role.
One of the most popular[32] and best-received[33] commercials of Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015, an ad by Finnish game developer Supercell for its popular game Clash of Clans, featured Neeson parodying his character from Taken.[34]
In "Red Means Stop", the finale episode of the sixth season of The Venture Bros., The Monarch and Henchman 21 trick Red Death's family into going to his mother-in-law's and call him claiming to have kidnapped them. Before he could finish his speech, Red Death quotes Neeson's "I will find you" speech. The Monarch apologises and slowly hangs up then start to cower for a few seconds.
Sequels[edit]
In November 2010, Fox announced that EuropaCorp would produce a sequel directed by Olivier Megaton. Taken 2 was subsequently released in France on 3 October 2012, with Neeson, Janssen, Grace, Gries, Rabourdin and Orser reprising their roles from the first film.[35][36][37] A third Taken film was released 16 December 2014.[38]
Television series[edit]
Main article: Taken (TV series)
In September 2015, NBC ordered a prequel series depicting a younger Bryan Mills with Clive Standen portraying Mills, Gaius Charles, Monique Gabriela Curnen, James Landry Hebert, Michael Irby, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Jennifer Marsala and Simu Liu are cast as John, Vlasik, Casey, Sam, Bernie, Riley and Faaron, members of OPCON. Brooklyn Sudano is cast as Asha, an attractive, well-educated young student from an upper-middle-class family who is furthering her education when she first meets Bryan and Jennifer Beals is cast as Christina Hart, the Special Deputy Director of National Intelligence who has taken Mills under her wing. Cultured and powerful with a wealth of field experience, her current government position has her overseeing an elite team of operatives who take care of America’s national security emergencies. Alexander Cary will be the writer, executive producer and showrunner for the series and Alex Graves directing the pilot.[39][40]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "Home›Releases›TAKEN". Bbfc.com. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
Jump up ^ "Taken". Variety. 4 April 2010. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
Jump up ^ Buchanan, Jason. "Taken". Allrovi. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Taken (2009)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
Jump up ^ Franich, Darren (2012-01-30). "Is Liam Neeson really an action star?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
Jump up ^ Hynes, Eric (2012-01-26). "Nearing 60, Liam Neeson, Action Star, Has Finally Arrived". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
Jump up ^ Tobias, Scott (2012-01-30). "Weekend Box Office: Liam Neeson marks his territory". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
Jump up ^ Jaafar, Ali; Keslassy, Elsa (21 November 2008). "New French wave prefers genre films". Variety. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
Jump up ^ Douglas, Edward. "Exclusive: Pierre Morel Talks Taken". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
Jump up ^ Hainey, Michael. "The GQ Cover Story: Liam Neeson". GQ. p. 1. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
Jump up ^ "Taken Soundtrack". last.fm. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
Jump up ^ "Taken (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". amazon.com. Amazon.com. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
Jump up ^ "Taken Soundtrack". cduniverse.com. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
Jump up ^ "Taken trailer". traileraddict.com. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b "Taken Release". imdb.com. IMDB. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
Jump up ^ McClintock, Pamela (2009-01-31). "Box office crown 'Taken' by Fox". Variety. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
Jump up ^ Gray, Brandon (2009-02-01). "'Taken' Captures Super Bowl Weekend". Retrieved 2012-10-28.
Jump up ^ "Taken Series". boxofficemojo.com. IMDB. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
Jump up ^ "Taken International box office". boxofficemojo.com. IMDB. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
Jump up ^ "Taken (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
Jump up ^ "Taken". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
Jump up ^ Corliss, Richard (29 January 2009). "'Taken: The French Disconnection". Time. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
Jump up ^ Kois, Dan (30 January 2009). "Movie Review: The Thriller 'Taken,' With Liam Neeson". The Washington Post.
Jump up ^ Elley, Derek (2008-03-13). "Taken". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
Jump up ^ Turan, Kenneth (2009-01-30). "'Taken'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
Jump up ^ "Cinemascore". cinemascore.com/. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
Jump up ^ "Reputed counter-terrorism expert pleads guilty". Military Times. 2011-04-11.
Jump up ^ "Taken DVD release". dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
Jump up ^ "Taken". the-numbers.com. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
Jump up ^ McFarland, Kevin (7 May 2012). "Leggo My Meg-O". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
Jump up ^ Obama Ukraine Address Cold Open - Saturday Night Live. YouTube. 9 March 2014.
Jump up ^ Gruff, Jeff (6 February 2015). "Liam Neeson's Clash of Clan's spot is the most viewed Super Bowl ad on YouTube". VentureBeat. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
Jump up ^ Grubb, Jeff (13 February 2015). "YouTube viewers voted Liam Neeson's Clash of Clans spot the No. 2 Super Bowl ad". VentureBeat. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
Jump up ^ Chitwood, Adam (2 February 2015). "Watch This Year's Best Super Bowl Commercials". Collider.com. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
Jump up ^ "Are We Going To Be Taken Again?". The Film Stage. 10 June 2010. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
Jump up ^ "Liam Neeson Confirmed For Taken 2" Empire. 17 March 2011.
Jump up ^ "Maggie Grace Confirmed for 'Taken 2'" /Film. 6 April 2011.
Jump up ^ Lang, Brent (January 11, 2015). "Liam Neeson and 'Taken 3': Anatomy of an AARP Action Hero". Yahoo!. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
Jump up ^ Nellie Andreeva. "'Taken' Prequel TV Series Ordered By At NBC With Luc Besson Producing - Deadline". Deadline.
Jump up ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 22, 2016). "NBC's 'Taken' Prequel Series Finds Lead in 'Vikings' Star". The Hollywood Reporter.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Taken (film).
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Taken
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The Perfect Mate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"The Perfect Mate"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
The make up designed for Famke Janssen as Kamala (pictured left) was later used on Terry Farrell in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Episode no.
Season 5
Episode 21
Directed by
Cliff Bole
Story by
René Echevarria
Gary Percante
Teleplay by
Gary Percante
Michael Piller
Featured music
Jay Chattaway
Production code
221
Original air date
April 27, 1992 (1992-04-27)
Guest appearance(s)
Famke Janssen – Kamala
Tim O'Connor – Briam
Max Grodénchik – Par Lenor
Mickey Cottrell – Alrik
Michael Snyder – Qol
David Paul Needles – Miner #1
Roger Rignack – Miner #2
Charles Gunning – Miner #3
April Grace – Transporter Officer
Majel Barrett – Computer Voice[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Cost of Living" Next →
"Imaginary Friend"
List of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes
"The Perfect Mate" is the 21st episode of the fifth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 121st overall. The episode was credited to Gary Percante and Michael Piller from a story by Percante and René Echevarria. Percante was a pseudonym of Rueben Leder, which was used by the writer in protest against re-writes. Four endings were written, with two filmed. "The Perfect Mate" was directed by Cliff Bole.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Federation starship Enterprise. In this episode, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) develops feelings for Kamala (Famke Janssen), a woman destined from childhood for an arranged marriage which hopefully might end a war between two planets. Picard steps in to help in the peace ceremony and later gives Kamala away at her wedding.
The episode was the second acting job for former model Janssen, and she would subsequently turn down the offer to join the main cast in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Her makeup seen in "The Perfect Mate" would end up being used on Jadzia Dax in that series. Also appearing was Max Grodénchik, who would go on to play Rom in Deep Space Nine. "The Perfect Mate" received Nielsen ratings of 10.8 percent, and received a mixed reception from reviewers, with criticism directed at the presentation of Kamala and the Ferengi, while Janssen was subsequently praised.
Contents
1 Plot
2 Production
2.1 Writing
2.2 Casting
3 Themes
4 Reception
5 Home media release
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 External links
Plot[edit]
Kriosian ambassador Briam (Tim O'Connor) comes on board the Enterprise with some cargo, ready for a peace ceremony with the Valtian. As the ship heads to the rendezvous, they save two Ferengi from a failing ship. Despite security being assigned, the Ferengi enter the cargo bay and deactivate the stasis field on Briam's cargo, revealing a young Kriosian woman named Kamala (Famke Janssen). With the Ferengi secured, it is revealed that she is an empathic metamorph who can sense what males around her desire and react appropriately. She was being brought as an arranged marriage to the Valtian representative. Kamala is generating pheromones that can affect males around her, which was why she was kept in stasis until the ceremony.
Briam tells Kamala to stay in her quarters, but Captain Picard allows her to travel throughout the ship, with the unaffected Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) as her escort. This results in a fight nearly breaking out in Ten Forward, when Kamala begins to interact with several miners. The Ferengi seek to bribe Briam to turn Kamala over to them, but he rejects their offer. As he leaves, they attack him, causing him to fall, hit his head, and lose consciousness. The Enterprise turns the Ferengi over to the nearest starbase to stand trial, but Briam is unable to participate in the ceremony. Kamala helps Picard to take on Briam's role, and the two become close. He seeks to resist her abilities and tells her to be herself, and she explains that the woman he wants her to be is who she actually is.
They meet with the Valtian ambassador, Chancellor Alrik (Mickey Cottrell), who is uninterested in the marriage and wants to pursue trade agreements. With the arrangements made, Picard visits Kamala to say goodbye; she tells him that she has permanently bonded with him instead of Alrik. Kamala explains that he has changed her for the better, and will continue in her duty for her people to marry Alrik. At the wedding ceremony, Picard escorts Kamala down the aisle and watches as she marries another. After the newlyweds have returned to the planet, Picard says goodbye to Briam in the transporter room. When asked how he resisted Kamala, the expression on Picard's face reveals how much of a struggle it has been and how much he feels he has lost.
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
The story for "The Perfect Mate" was created by René Echevarria and Rueben Leder and then written as a teleplay by Leder and executive producer Michael Piller.[1] A great deal of edits were made to the script by a number of staff members, and Piller felt that it was a difficult one due to the subject matter. As Piller explained to Echevarria in a memo, he felt that Kamala had to be a well-rounded character which would be loved by the viewer in order for the episode to work.[2]
Fellow executive producer Rick Berman recalled heated discussions over the content of the script,[2] and following re-writes to the draft, Leder elected to be credited only under the pseudonym Gary Percante. This was the only time during Piller's tenure as executive producer that a writer chose to be credited under a pseudonym. Piller subsequently praised the episode, saying "We have Beverly argue the point that Kamala's mission amounts to prostitution, and we have Picard taking the other tack; that whether or not we approve, we can't change or interfere with the way these people are. And if you accept [Gene] Roddenberry's vision, which we are built on, you have to respect that."[3]
Two of the scenes seen in "The Perfect Mate" built upon references in earlier episodes. The morning meeting over tea between Picard and Crusher seen here was previously mentioned in "Qpid", while in "Family" there was the mention of Picard taking piano lessons as a child. In "The Perfect Mate", he relates that these were only briefly taken because his mother wanted him to.[3] Four endings were written for the episode, with two filmed. Piller preferred a "trick ending" in which Picard daydreamed of objecting to the wedding, but ultimately with Kamala rejecting both him and Alrik having been enlightened by Picard's influence.[2]
Casting[edit]
Famke Janssen had worked as a model before appearing in "The Perfect Mate".
Prior to working on The Next Generation, Famke Janssen had worked as a model in Europe for seven years.[4] Her first acting role was on the television series Fathers and Sons, with Star Trek representing her second acting performance.[5] Two days after auditioning for the role of Kamala, she was on set filming the episode.[4] She later described how this did not give a great deal of time to prepare for the role, and that new script pages would be delivered on a daily basis through the seven day shoot which she found difficult due to her lack of fluency in English at the time.[4][5] However, she said the cast were friendly and described them as a "family". Regarding the make-up, she said that on the first day they created a stencil through which they applied the spots on the following six days. Janssen said that Kamala was "very intelligent and educated".[4] Berman described Janssen as "about as beautiful as any woman any of us have ever seen and she gave a delightful performance".[2]
Following her appearance in the episode, Janssen was offered a five-year contract to appear in the main cast as Jadzia Dax on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine but turned it down as she did not want to be tied to a long term series contract,[4] and felt it would have made her lazy as an actor. The makeup worn by Janssen was used on the actress cast in that part, Terry Farrell, although without stencilling.[6] This was as a result of Berman's rejection of the original Trill makeup from "The Host", with Kamala's makeup suggested as a replacement.[7] At the time of an interview with Starlog magazine in 1993, Janssen said that she would be happy to return to The Next Generation to portray Kamala once again.[4] She did not return to the series, but went on to appear as Jean Grey alongside Stewart in the 2000 film X-Men and subsequent films in the series.[8] She found working with Stewart easy when they were reunited, because of their previous work on "The Perfect Mate".[5]
"The Perfect Mate" was one of several episodes of The Next Generation where Max Grodénchik portrayed a Ferengi. He would subsequently audition for the role of Quark on Deep Space Nine, but this went to Armin Shimerman. Grodénchik then portrayed "Ferengi Pit Boss" in the pilot of Deep Space Nine, "Emissary", who was subsequently written to become the brother of Quark, Rom.[9] Michael Snyder went on to appear as another Ferengi in The Next Generation episode "Rascals".[10]
Themes[edit]
Robin Roberts discussed "The Perfect Mate" in his 1999 book Sexual Generations. He explained that the premise of a perfect mate had been seen elsewhere in science fiction, such as in The Stepford Wives, and said that he found it disturbing when works of the genre depicted this as a role model for women.[11] He called "The Perfect Mate" the exemplification of the "depiction of woman as a passive reflection of a male partner".[12] He compared the Federation non-interference in a people who treat women as gifts to the involvement of the United States in the Gulf War in defence of Kuwait, a country which limits rights for women.[13]
In Chris Gregory's 2000 book Star Trek: Parallel Narratives, he compared "The Perfect Mate" to the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Elaan of Troyius" to the ancient Greek poem the Iliad. He said that the influence of Picard caused Kamala to abandon any potential sense of happiness and replace it with an increased sense of self-awareness and remove the ability for her to legitimately love Arik.[14]
Reception[edit]
"The Perfect Mate" aired during the week commencing May 10, 1992, in broadcast syndication. According to Nielsen Media Research, it received ratings of 10.8 percent. This means that it was watched by 10.8 percent of all households watching television during its timeslot. This was the lowest first run episode of the season.[15] It was the lowest rating since "In Theory", broadcast during the fourth season,[16] and no episode broadcast afterwards during the course of the season received ratings equal or lower.[17]
Starlog magazine reported in 1993 that the reception from female fans of Star Trek was mostly negative due to the manner in which Kamala was presented,[4] while some reviewers offered a similar opinion. Michelle Erica Green, in her review for TrekNation in 2013, praised the chemistry between Stewart and Janssen but called it "a terrible episode, an enormous setback in terms of how Next Gen presents women in the 24th century, and the fact that I appreciate several of the performances doesn't mean I don't wish it had never been produced." She questioned that if Kamala's gender was switched about whether the arguments presented in the episode would have remained, and felt it was a missed opportunity to tackle social issues.[18] Keith DeCandido hated the episode in his review for Tor.com in 2012, giving it a score of 2 out of 10, and said that when he first watched it, the episode had left him "seething". He explained that he would "expect a storyline rooted in tiresomely traditional gender roles from a show airing in the late 1960s. Not so much the early 1990s." He said that Janssen was "flat", and did not have any chemistry with Stewart. DeCandido also criticized the Ferengi "at their absolute worst" and the absence of Deanna Troi from the episode.[19]
However, other reviewers received the episode more positively. Zack Handlen gave the episode a rating of a "B+" in his 2011 review for The A.V. Club. He called the Ferengi "as awful as ever", but otherwise praised the episode. He said that Janssen was one of the reasons why it worked, with the evolution of Kamala through "The Perfect Mate" showing "a sense of someone coming into their own as a sexually aware, potentially powerful individual." Handlen compared the situation to the "Elaan of Troyius", and found the imprinting of Kamala on Picard an unexpected twist.[20] It was ranked in 47th place out of the top 100 of the entire franchise in Charlie Jane Anders' list for io9,[21] In the Toronto Sun's list of the 50 top moments of the franchise, Janssen's appearance as Kamala was placed 13th.[22]
Home media release[edit]
"The Perfect Mate" was first released on VHS cassette in the United States and Canada on October 7, 1997.[23] The episode was later released in the United States on November 5, 2002, as part of the season five DVD box set.[24] The first Blu Ray release was in the United States on November 19, 2013,[25] followed by the United Kingdom on November 18.[26]
See also[edit]
"Precious Cargo" (Star Trek: Enterprise) The first meeting between Kriosians and humans
Notes[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b Nemecek 2003, p. 199.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Gross & Altman 1993, p. 245.
^ Jump up to: a b Nemecek 2003, p. 200.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Bloch-Hansen, Peter (December 1993). "Perfect Mating". Starlog (197): 58–62 – via Archive.org.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Famke Janssen Talks TNG & Her New Film, Jack of the Red Hearts". StarTrek.com. February 24, 2016. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ Erdmann & Block 2000, p. 245.
Jump up ^ Westmore 2000, p. 133.
Jump up ^ McDonnell, David (July 27, 2013). "Starlogging With David McDonnell: Lunch With The Perfect Mate". StarTrek.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ Reeves-Stevens & Reeves-Stevens 1994, p. 9.
Jump up ^ Nemecek 2003, p. 224.
Jump up ^ Roberts 1999, p. 66.
Jump up ^ Roberts 1999, p. 73.
Jump up ^ Roberts 1999, pp. 74–75.
Jump up ^ Gregory 2000, p. 186.
Jump up ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings – Seasons 5–6". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 5, 2000. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings – Seasons 3–4". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 5, 2000. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings – Season 7". TrekNation. Archived from the original on June 22, 2001. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ Green, Michelle Erica (November 6, 2009). "Retro Review: The Perfect Mate". TrekNation. Archived from the original on November 12, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ DeCandido, Keith (August 17, 2012). "Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch: "The Perfect Mate"". Tor.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (April 28, 2011). "Star Trek: The Next Generation: "The Perfect Mate"/"Imaginary Friend"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ Anders, Charlie Jane (October 2, 2014). "The Top 100 Star Trek Episodes Of All Time!". io9. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
Jump up ^ Slotek, Jim (June 3, 2016). "Star Trek's 50th: 50 great moments for Trekkies to celebrate". Toronto Sun. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Star Trek – The Next Generation, Episode 121: The Perfect Mate (VHS)". Tower Video. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ Ordway, Holly E. (November 5, 2002). "Star Trek the Next Generation – Season 5". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ Miller III, Randy (November 19, 2013). "Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Five (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
Jump up ^ Simpson, Michael (November 11, 2013). "Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Blu-Ray Review". Sci-Fi Now. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
References[edit]
Erdmann, Terry J.; Block, Paula M. (2000). Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-50106-8.
Gregory, Chris (2000). Star Trek: Parallel Narratives. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-333-74488-8.
Gross, Edward; Altman, Mark A. (1993). Captain's Logs: The Complete Trek Voyages. London: Boxtree. ISBN 978-1-85283-899-7.
Nemecek, Larry (2003). Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (3rd ed.). New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-5798-6.
Reeves-Stevens, Judith; Reeves-Stevens, Garfield (1994). The Making of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-87430-8.
Roberts, Robin (1999). Sexual Generations: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and Gender. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-06810-2.
Westmore, Michael (2000). Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-04299-8.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Perfect Mate
The Perfect Mate on IMDb
The Perfect Mate at StarTrek.com
The Perfect Mate at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
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