Star Trek

[Zumbagirl]

I like the Star Trek with Yoda and Hans Solo. Nah, just kidding, the original of course. There was an episode I think called "A Piece of the Action" where they land on a planet that is run like the 1930's Chicago gangster era. It was great watching Spock and Kirk talking like gangsters.

Favorite line from Spock: I would advise ya's to keep dialing' Oxymyx.

[Raell]

I can only stand to watch the original Star Trek series.
It was mostly based on the short sci-fi stories I used to read in my dad's bookcase when I was very young.
The other series only annoyed me, and seemed whiny and touchy-feely.

[kasspurple]

When they were airing TNG was the best.  But in retrospect I think DS9 has help up the best over time and is the most nuanced and deepest of the franchise.

1.  The decision to put in on a space station allowed for longer and more involved story arcs.  Yes in TNG there is the overall development of Data into a more human character, but the remainder of the characters while brilliant were not quite as fleshed out.  DS9 you had Sisko and his relationship with Bajor, the prophets, and his son.  You had Kira and her transition between her past as a freedom fighter to working within a stable government.  You had Dax and her transition between persons (including gender) among people who knew her as her former self.  Bashir and his growing up from fresh out of school. Odo and the tension between who he is and who he loves.  O'Brien is just kinda O'Brien the whole time, the steady rock.  Garak was the reminder with a twist of intrigue.

1.5 You also have much more fleshed out alien races.  The Bajorans and the Cardiassians for instance.  You learn more about either one of those races individually in this series than you do about any other races in almost all of the other series.  You also learn a good deal about the Ferengi and the Klingons.  It was a nice change of pace from, oh look the Federation is super-inclusive and all, but you know its really a "homo sapiens only club" to borrow a quote with each episode of the other series made up mostly of just human characters. DS9 by contrast had humans (sisko, o'brien, and bashir) and aliens (kira, odo, dax, quark, worf).

2. The decision to put in on a former Cardassian space station was also brilliant.  In TNG, TOS, and even Voyager the big baddies (Borg, Q, Klingons, Romulans) only ever had direct presences in the story.  If there weren't Romulans directly in the episode they rarely had any role to play.  Putting the series on a Cardassian space station and having the Cardiassians be (really the ultimate) baddies was great, because it meant they were always around even when they weren't.  It was a space station designed by them so you always had visual cues reminding you of the foreign nature of the series existence.  Also, having Garak around served to further enforce this point.

[Wednesday]

TNG is my *absolute* favourite. My reasons? Here I go:

1- The space exploring theme is very very appealing to me. In fact, it is maybe my favourite topic when it comes to science-fiction. As an exploration and diplomacy-oriented vessel, USS Enterprise D fits just perfectly for it. Discovering mysterious dyson spheres, dealing with rogue AI issues, navigating deep space areas while avoiding ionizing radiation hazards, dealing with warp engine limitations (they are magic fast but not teleportation), applying safe and non-lethal solutions when stumbled upon foes, looking for our DNA origins in distant worlds... amazing. Just amazing.

2- Captain Picard is just... perfectly well-balanced without falling in the "too perfect hero" cliche. Authoritative but not plain and still accesible and empathizing, wise but willing to make quick choices without enough information if found in dire straits, almost as sharp, clever and insightful at analyzing as Data (who outpowers him when it comes to sheer processing capacity)... and I can go on. While he probably didn't experience much of an evolution throughout the whole series, his character is so dense that you really need several seasons to really get to know him. Plus, Patrick Stewart (Royal Shakespeare Company member) is no joke, he's a really good (and good looking lol) experienced actor.

3- There is enough evolution and good taste in characters (really charismatic). To me, Data is just brilliant. I even had a crush on him lol. His evolution throughout the series is amazing as my namesake @kasspurple pointed out. Plus, holy molly, he's literally a sex-machine He's one of the more charming approaches to full AI androids I have ever seen. Worf experiences a lot of evolution too. Troi experienced a lot of maturing too. Crusher (oh boy he was so cute... another teen crush lol) and LaForge were rather nice characters although they were not as deep as others.

4- While pointed out as a downside by other posters, I find quite appropiate not focusing too much on relationships between characters when it comes to this kind of science fiction. It's just my opinion, but after all (specially when it comes to humans)... people is people, just placed with better tools (better technology) in more exotic (spacial) scenarios. So for me, the real crux is in novelty and discoveries rather than in (somewhat predictable) squabbles between the guys.

Taking a look at the other series... my thoughts:

-TOS: As another poster said, just way cheesy to me. Also didn't like much Captain Kirk character. Many shallow stories.

-ENT: Same as with TOS but for the cheesy part. I don't like Archer that much. I don't like the pre-federation era (losses a lot of interest).

-VOY: While I love Kate Mulgrow as Red in OITB, I don't like Janeway character. Same for the rest of the crew, I miss so much a charismatic crew... The first season bored me, so I didn't get further.

-DS9: I saw several seasons, but the fact being on a space station instead of a space ship... is a big downside for me (no space exploration). Also, even when introducing many new alien races may sound like a good idea... the vast majority of them were so much anthropomorphic for my taste (in fact this is something I dislike about all the ST series) that it lost the point.

By the way, sorry for the lenghty post

[kasspurple]

4- While pointed out as a downside by other posters, I find quite appropiate not focusing too much on relationships between characters when it comes to this kind of science fiction. It's just my opinion, but after all (specially when it comes to humans)... people is people, just placed with better tools (better technology) in more exotic (spacial) scenarios. So for me, the real crux is in novelty and discoveries rather than in (somewhat predictable) squabbles between the guys.

I would disagree.  I think TNG focused on character relationships quite a bit.  Picard/Data (mentor), Riker/Troi (lovers), Crusher/Crusher (family), Troi/Worf (lovers), Worf/Alexander (family), Geordi/Data (friends), Picard/Dr. Crusher (friends/more than friends?), Picard/Guinan (friends).  You could even include Troi/her Mother.  There were many episode that dealt with those relationships and where those relationships played a central role.  Picard/Data even carries over to the movies as does Riker/Troi.  Not trying to ruin anything for you, just a thought.

[Wednesday]

I would disagree.  I think TNG focused on character relationships quite a bit.

Keep in mind there weren't so many characters onboard the ship and we're talking about 7 seasons. Its true a number of episodes were centered of character relationships, but I felt that many were mostly "arc filling" episodes; they were the exception, not the rule. Also, some of the relationships were pretty shallow or almost purely platonic.

Always felt relationship plots were very secondary, oftenly a mere resource to "spicing things up" a bit from time to time.

[VeronicaLynn]

I liked all of them, though I don't really like the reboot movies(only saw the first one).

I would really much rather see a next, next generation that took place after DS9 and Voyager. I guess the writers are too lazy to invent new characters and even more advanced technology.

[Wednesday]

I would really much rather see a next, next generation that took place after DS9 and Voyager. I guess the writers are too lazy to invent new characters and even more advanced technology.

Oh, this would be really interesting. But if we want a real "next, next generation" I think it should be "Galactic Trek" instead of "Star Trek" lol.

In ST series they are between Kardashev II-III levels: inter-stellar travel capability, extensive colonies through really vast areas of the Milky Way, a great portion of the galaxy successfully navigated and mapped... Most sci-fi topics regarding this technology levels had been addressed. Going further may involve inter-galactic travel capability (no joke distances, really away from the actual warp engines possibilities), fully level III development (aiming for ultra-hyper-mega-futuristic level IV)... I think it may easily lose its continuity with the actual series, but it really looks as an awesome idea!

[LindseyP]

When they were airing TNG was the best.  But in retrospect I think DS9 has help up the best over time and is the most nuanced and deepest of the franchise.

1.  The decision to put in on a space station allowed for longer and more involved story arcs.  Yes in TNG there is the overall development of Data into a more human character, but the remainder of the characters while brilliant were not quite as fleshed out.  DS9 you had Sisko and his relationship with Bajor, the prophets, and his son.  You had Kira and her transition between her past as a freedom fighter to working within a stable government.  You had Dax and her transition between persons (including gender) among people who knew her as her former self.  Bashir and his growing up from fresh out of school. Odo and the tension between who he is and who he loves.  O'Brien is just kinda O'Brien the whole time, the steady rock.  Garak was the reminder with a twist of intrigue.

1.5 You also have much more fleshed out alien races.  The Bajorans and the Cardiassians for instance.  You learn more about either one of those races individually in this series than you do about any other races in almost all of the other series.  You also learn a good deal about the Ferengi and the Klingons.  It was a nice change of pace from, oh look the Federation is super-inclusive and all, but you know its really a "homo sapiens only club" to borrow a quote with each episode of the other series made up mostly of just human characters. DS9 by contrast had humans (sisko, o'brien, and bashir) and aliens (kira, odo, dax, quark, worf).

2. The decision to put in on a former Cardassian space station was also brilliant.  In TNG, TOS, and even Voyager the big baddies (Borg, Q, Klingons, Romulans) only ever had direct presences in the story.  If there weren't Romulans directly in the episode they rarely had any role to play.  Putting the series on a Cardassian space station and having the Cardiassians be (really the ultimate) baddies was great, because it meant they were always around even when they weren't.  It was a space station designed by them so you always had visual cues reminding you of the foreign nature of the series existence.  Also, having Garak around served to further enforce this point.

I agree.  DS9 was my favorite.  On most of the Star Treks, they'd swoop in, solve a problem, and leave.  DS9 you got to see the result of a decision one week have unintended results down the line.  No Deus Ex Machina mechanisms that didn't have to have logical relevance on an ongoing basis (unless you count the wormhole gods.)

I did love TNG - I avoided it and resented it for a year or two for trying to recreate the original.  I finally got on board and was glad I did.  The juxtaposition between Kirk and Picard played out on a stage of action vs thoughtful response still has a lot to teach us.

I loved ST TOS as a kid.  The idea of going out into space captured my imagination, and I got to watch it with my Dad.  Spock was the template by which I dealt with my gender issues for a long time, even though I only realize that looking back.  I thought the world would be a better place if people acted more on logic and less on emotion.  I pushed down a lot of things in the category of emotion and somehow made it into my adult years.  I am amused to look back and realize the role Spock played in my life. 

Someone else made mention of Babylon 5 and I will too.  This was an amazing series that made good use of CGI to control development costs and deliver a quality product week in and week out.  The epic nature of the story made this a really special run.  JMS (one of the drivers behind Sense8) was the brains behind this project and it was the best written sci-fi program ever produced, even to this day.  Ivanava is still my favorite officer on a space ship, bar none. 

Voyager was my least favorite and I stopped watching a few seasons after Kes was written out.  Enterprise was a prequel - I watched it, but I am more interested on something being written on a blank slate and not knowing where it might be headed.  The next Star Trek on dock is of the prequel variety as well, so I am less excited now about a new Star Trek than I was when I first heard.

[kasspurple]

I agree.  DS9 was my favorite.  On most of the Star Treks, they'd swoop in, solve a problem, and leave.  DS9 you got to see the result of a decision one week have unintended results down the line.  No Deus Ex Machina mechanisms that didn't have to have logical relevance on an ongoing basis (unless you count the wormhole gods.)

This was also something I enjoyed about DS9 over the other series.  The continuity.  Too often the other series felt like, wait what happened last week?  There was a whole episode of TNG where they learned warp drive was bad for the environment and they were going to limit warp speeds, but that seemingly went out the window the next week. 

[Artesia]

This was also something I enjoyed about DS9 over the other series.  The continuity.  Too often the other series felt like, wait what happened last week?  There was a whole episode of TNG where they learned warp drive was bad for the environment and they were going to limit warp speeds, but that seemingly went out the window the next week.

That episode was probably the worst written episode ever.  They did in future episodes ask permission to go faster than Warp 7 or so, but only a couple of times.

[BLEMISH]

I started with the 2009 movie and fell in love. Still working my way through TOS, but I love it so much!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Steph Eigen]

TOS is masterfully unique, and represented numerous important firsts in TV of the era.  Despite the often visibly low budget scenery and props, I remain fascinated by it and have seen each episode dozens and dozens of times over the years.

If you have not seen the CBS re-issue of the series (available on DVD or on-line through Netflix) you are missing a real treat.  This is exquisitely digitally remastered film from the original '60s TOS with all the special effects graphics and music replaced by (1) modern high impact, high resolution CGI digital graphics and (2) new performance, newly recorded theme music and soundtrack.  It is spectacular.  Not to be missed by ANY Star Trek enthusiast.

[HappyMoni]

I wonder if anyone else noticed this. Everyone knows in the original, the guys who beam down to the planet with red shirts on are doomed, right? Watching recently, I noticed that just about everyone  of importance not in a tan uniform was dead in real life. Kirk and SooLu, Checkoff, tan uniforms, alive.
Moni

[BeverlyAnn]

I remember watching TOS when it was originally broadcast. (Yeah I'm old)  They had these desk top computers that talked, tablets to read on and these flip open communication devices.  My comment was, "Yeah, right. Not in my lifetime."  I was wrong.

Among the series TOS is still probably my favorite along with Enterprise.  Then TNG and Voyager with DS9 as my least favorite.  That whole Prophet thing just annoyed me.  I have TOS, Voyager, Enterprise and the Animated series on DVD.  Animated is ok.

The autograph I love most in my collection I got at work at Delta.  He was traveling out on a flight and he wrote, "To (male name), Live Long and Prosper.  Gene Roddenberry."

[Dena]

I remember watching TOS when it was originally broadcast. (Yeah I'm old)  They had these desk top computers that talked, tablets to read on and these flip open communication devices.  My comment was, "Yeah, right. Not in my lifetime."  I was wrong.

Your still wrong  All those functions are combined in an iPhone and other mobile devices. They kind of overshot the size thing. 

For about half of my life in computers, I never envisioned one day I would be carrying what was in those days a super computer around in my pocket. Cat scans modern ultra sound and MRIs have given us the ability to examine the inside of the body  without exploratory  surgery.   Now if we could just get the warp drive thing worked out.

[Michelle_P]

Now if we could just get the warp drive thing worked out.

Keep an eye on research being done on the Alcubierre metric and in particular the measurement experiments with the  White-Juday warp field interferometer.    It's a long, long way from theory to engineering practice, but we'll get the first hints within our lifetime, I think.

[HappyMoni]

Keep an eye on research being done on the Alcubierre metric and in particular the measurement experiments with the  White-Juday warp field interferometer.    It's a long, long way from theory to engineering practice, but we'll get the first hints within our lifetime, I think.

Michelle, you forgot the research on the hot tub time machine.
Moni

[Cindy]

Late to this thread.

I recall the very first episode when it was released in the UK. My sister was on the phone, which was a bakelite or plastic thing with a dial in the hallway, and she broke up with her first boyfriend and then came into the lounge room with fake tears saying - 'I told him that Spock was on TV and I was in love with him instead of you -  now what's happening?'

Ah young love!

[BeverlyAnn]

Now if we could just get the warp drive thing worked out.

I'm waiting on the transporter.  I mean if they can disassemble you in one spot and reassemble you in another, why couldn't there be just a slight modification of the program running the transporter to reassemble you a little differently?  Five foot two, eyes of blue?