Bass
Nexus of the World
I got into Trek when a friend took me to see Star Trek: Generations in the cinema. I hadn't seen any Trek befor that. Generations was Star Trek 7, and the first film for the Next Generation crew. I went out and rented pretty much the entirity of the Next Generation and really enjoyed it, and got hooked.
The thing to realise is with the three good Trek series (Next Gen, DS9, and the original) there is a ratio of good and bad episodes. There is, in all three, a number of god awful episodes that hurt your brain. But they also have a fair number of good episodes, and every now and again, have an amazing episode.
I'll just go through it quickly,
The Original Series - the style of the series is somewhat dated and campy, however, the actual stories, characters (and yes, the acting) is all extremely well done. The thing is, the show didn't have CGI or the money to do huge effects, so the episodes primarily deal with the ethical and moral implications of a situation or encounter, as opposed to big, shiny, action sequences. Virtually every episode takes a strong idea and truly mines it for a lot of dramatic potential. But this doesn't mean every episode is a hit. Some episodes suck, but some are absolutely brilliant, and pretty much every episode has something in it worth seeing. I was telling Adam Hughes, who's a big Trek fan, that the original series doesn't have a much higher percentage of 'good' episodes compared to other Trek shows. It's not the amazing thing it's made out to be. He responded, "Ah, but the bad episodes in other Treks are bad. The bad original series episodes are CLASSICS." He's right.
Some episodes I particularly enjoyed - The Corbomite Maneuver, The Naked Time, The Doomsday Machine, Mirror Mirror, and perhaps my personal favourtie, The Galileo Seven.
The Next Generation - The series is kinda weird and very much like a rehash of the original series for the first two seasons. Then, in the third season, the production values and the costumes change, and the writing steps up. The show lasted twice as long as the original and I think, is a terrific sequel to the original, capturing it's feel and moving on. What's more, the ensemble cast becomes a real family in the show. But what really put this show on the map was the two-parter, "The Best of Both Worlds", which shows the Borg and is most likely, one of the best Trek stories ever made.
Some episodes - Time Squared, Yesterday's Enterprise, Cause and Effect, Chain of Command, Starship Mine, Timescape, and Q Who?, which has the first appearance of the Borg.
Deep Space Nine - Quite boring in the beginning, possessing vast plot holes, and a bit of a rip-off of Babylon 5, Deep Space 9 starts getting into the groove in its third season, and slowly, gradually building up to its seventh season, creates a large arcing story about the war with the Dominion. However, with the exception of the first 6 episodes of season 6, and the last 10 of season 7, you can dive in anywhere and pick it up. The show's main feature is its darkness - it's much grittier than the other series.
Some episodes - Duet, Whispers, Civil Defense, The Visitor, Hard Time, Apocalypse Rising, The Ship, The Assignment, The Ascent, Children of Time, Rocks and Shoals, The Magnificent Ferengi, In The Pale Moonlight
They're all quite enjoyable if you just sit down and watch them.
As for Voyager and Enterprise - they're both terrible shows. That said, each have at least one episode worth watching. I quite liked Voyager's "Someone To Watch Over Me", and Enterprise's "Regeneration" (a Borg episode). But the Borg, pretty much the best Trek villain, Voyager totally ruined. Voyager is the only Trek series in which the Borg suck. But yes, I'd avoid these two shows until you've seen everything the movies and the other three shows have to offer.
As for the movies, the adage is "odd number Treks are ****, even ones are good". I actually dislike only Star Trek 1, and while the odd numbered treks ARE weaker for some strange reason, none are unwatchable. The best though are 2 and 6, no question.
I'd advise starting with, any of the following, because they're brilliant: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, or The Next Generation epsiode, "The Best of Both Worlds".
Those three are a great entrance into Trek. After that you've got the episodic gems of each series that crop up now and again.
The thing to realise is with the three good Trek series (Next Gen, DS9, and the original) there is a ratio of good and bad episodes. There is, in all three, a number of god awful episodes that hurt your brain. But they also have a fair number of good episodes, and every now and again, have an amazing episode.
I'll just go through it quickly,
The Original Series - the style of the series is somewhat dated and campy, however, the actual stories, characters (and yes, the acting) is all extremely well done. The thing is, the show didn't have CGI or the money to do huge effects, so the episodes primarily deal with the ethical and moral implications of a situation or encounter, as opposed to big, shiny, action sequences. Virtually every episode takes a strong idea and truly mines it for a lot of dramatic potential. But this doesn't mean every episode is a hit. Some episodes suck, but some are absolutely brilliant, and pretty much every episode has something in it worth seeing. I was telling Adam Hughes, who's a big Trek fan, that the original series doesn't have a much higher percentage of 'good' episodes compared to other Trek shows. It's not the amazing thing it's made out to be. He responded, "Ah, but the bad episodes in other Treks are bad. The bad original series episodes are CLASSICS." He's right.
Some episodes I particularly enjoyed - The Corbomite Maneuver, The Naked Time, The Doomsday Machine, Mirror Mirror, and perhaps my personal favourtie, The Galileo Seven.
The Next Generation - The series is kinda weird and very much like a rehash of the original series for the first two seasons. Then, in the third season, the production values and the costumes change, and the writing steps up. The show lasted twice as long as the original and I think, is a terrific sequel to the original, capturing it's feel and moving on. What's more, the ensemble cast becomes a real family in the show. But what really put this show on the map was the two-parter, "The Best of Both Worlds", which shows the Borg and is most likely, one of the best Trek stories ever made.
Some episodes - Time Squared, Yesterday's Enterprise, Cause and Effect, Chain of Command, Starship Mine, Timescape, and Q Who?, which has the first appearance of the Borg.
Deep Space Nine - Quite boring in the beginning, possessing vast plot holes, and a bit of a rip-off of Babylon 5, Deep Space 9 starts getting into the groove in its third season, and slowly, gradually building up to its seventh season, creates a large arcing story about the war with the Dominion. However, with the exception of the first 6 episodes of season 6, and the last 10 of season 7, you can dive in anywhere and pick it up. The show's main feature is its darkness - it's much grittier than the other series.
Some episodes - Duet, Whispers, Civil Defense, The Visitor, Hard Time, Apocalypse Rising, The Ship, The Assignment, The Ascent, Children of Time, Rocks and Shoals, The Magnificent Ferengi, In The Pale Moonlight
They're all quite enjoyable if you just sit down and watch them.
As for Voyager and Enterprise - they're both terrible shows. That said, each have at least one episode worth watching. I quite liked Voyager's "Someone To Watch Over Me", and Enterprise's "Regeneration" (a Borg episode). But the Borg, pretty much the best Trek villain, Voyager totally ruined. Voyager is the only Trek series in which the Borg suck. But yes, I'd avoid these two shows until you've seen everything the movies and the other three shows have to offer.
As for the movies, the adage is "odd number Treks are ****, even ones are good". I actually dislike only Star Trek 1, and while the odd numbered treks ARE weaker for some strange reason, none are unwatchable. The best though are 2 and 6, no question.
I'd advise starting with, any of the following, because they're brilliant: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, or The Next Generation epsiode, "The Best of Both Worlds".
Those three are a great entrance into Trek. After that you've got the episodic gems of each series that crop up now and again.
