Your favorite Star Trek series?

[Torgo]

So, I guess this is a semi-sequel to this thread. Seeing how the new film is coming out, it's time to get our nerd on.

I haven't seen the animated one since I was a little kid, so I'm not going to judge it. Other than that, I can honestly say I really dug all of them except Voyager, whose bland taste numbs my tongue.

For those of here who were on this board waaaaaaaaaaaay back when, they'll all remember me as the nutjob who loved Enterprise. And I still do. Both it and Next Generation were the two I instantly took a liking to when I started watching them. It took me a while to get into the original and Deep Space Nine. I think the original's aged lines and slight camp aspects threw me off at first, but I grew used to it and thought it was great in the end. Deep Space Nine bored me to tears for a while, then I watched an episode called the Visitor, which I adored. After that, it seemed to go from a chore to watch to compelling.

Anywho, Enterprise for me (lick me). That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Torgo]

Well crap. I've been here for five years and I still suck at this board.

I meant for the poll to be one selection only. I'd fix it if I had an option, but it seems that I don't. Now I feel like a sorry sack of an administrator.

[The Mad Plumber]

Apr 3, 2009 2:23:10 GMT -5 Torgo said:

Now I feel like a sorry sack of an administrator.

Worry not, Torgo. You could still get a job at YouTube.

I'm going to vote for The Next Generation. It's all I really watched. While I like the movies based on the original Star Trek, I really don't feel much like watching the television show itself. It almost seems like to me that every episode involves going to a planet that emulates some moment in Earth history.

[Mighty Jack]

The original was the only one worth a damn for me... Enterprise wasn't bad though.

[Don Quixote]

Honestly none of them were that bad. And, if you'll remember correctly, I was the freak who liked Voyager. There were a few episodes of both Voyager and Enterprise that seemed kinda unnecessary, though (the one with Dwayne Johnson? Or, the Enterprise episode with the Orion slave girls?). I never watched that much of DS9, although what I saw was okay, even though it was essentially an Alpha Quadrant politics show. For some reason, I could never get into Nex Gen. The episodes I've watched were really cool (in fact, I've watched most of the series), but, I dunno... it just never did anything for me. But, I have to go with my gut on this one, and say that the Original Series is my favorite. Because it is. Whether or not its the tolerably hilarious level of cheese, Shatner being Shatner, or the fact that it was one of my earliest introductions to Science Fiction, it still wins, hands down.

[Captain Hygiene]

Every one of them had its moments. TOS will always be my favorite - although it had all the problems pretty much inherent to science fiction shows from decades ago (budget, some of the later scripts, some overacting), and it was often just making up the backstory as it went (as opposed to the huge mythology which has developed, which isn't always a good thing), I think it managed to have the best mix of compelling characters and intriguing concepts of all the series. For all its good and bad, it just sticks out to me so much more than all the other series.

I actually like the Animated version pretty well, although I don't really rank it on the list. Dumbed down at times, and really struggling with budgeted animation and voicing, they still managed to have a good number of legitimately compelling stories. I really like the novelizations of these episodes, which expand the stories quite a bit.

TNG was as good as any of the series at its best, but I think it had a much longer spinup time and a longer time to stagnate than TOS. Still, though, this is what I grew up with, and it seems like the center of everything "modern" Trek-related to me. It would be my second choice for now.

I haven't gotten into all that much of DS9, but what I've seen is a mix - the "big story" episodes are often great, but the others are a mix of goodness, cheesiness, and, uh, boring-ness, in varying quantities. I appreciate what they tried to do in the big picture, but I don't think the rest of the show was always successful.

Voyager and Enterprise had some good episodes, but I haven't seen a whole lot of them, and I haven't liked a lot of what I've heard about them.

[Donna SadCat Lady]

Apr 3, 2009 9:15:59 GMT -5 Captain Hygiene said:

Every one of them had its moments. TOS will always be my favorite - although it had all the problems pretty much inherent to science fiction shows from decades ago (budget, some of the later scripts, some overacting), and it was often just making up the backstory as it went (as opposed to the huge mythology which has developed, which isn't always a good thing), I think it managed to have the best mix of compelling characters and intriguing concepts of all the series. For all its good and bad, it just sticks out to me so much more than all the other series.

I actually like the Animated version pretty well, although I don't really rank it on the list. Dumbed down at times, and really struggling with budgeted animation and voicing, they still managed to have a good number of legitimately compelling stories. I really like the novelizations of these episodes, which expand the stories quite a bit.

TNG was as good as any of the series at its best, but I think it had a much longer spinup time and a longer time to stagnate than TOS. Still, though, this is what I grew up with, and it seems like the center of everything "modern" Trek-related to me. It would be my second choice for now.

I haven't gotten into all that much of DS9, but what I've seen is a mix - the "big story" episodes are often great, but the others are a mix of goodness, cheesiness, and, uh, boring-ness, in varying quantities. I appreciate what they tried to do in the big picture, but I don't think the rest of the show was always successful.

Voyager and Enterprise had some good episodes, but I haven't seen a whole lot of them, and I haven't liked a lot of what I've heard about them.

CH hits the nail on the head pretty much, as far as I'm concerned.
Of course, in my case, TOS is the series I grew up with, at least in reruns. So I experienced all the slow increase in popularity of the show over time, and the way it's become a cultural icon.
TNG came along when I was already a grown woman. It's one of the few shows my husband and I have ever watched faithfully, especially during the first seasons. The Locutus of Borg cliff-hanger--yeah, those were the good ol' days. I even subscribed to the StarLog TNG magazine! Heck, I still have a crush on Data.
When DS9 came along, we tried to like it. We watched a good many of the shows. But it just never clicked. It never really felt like Star Trek. And it was one of those shows that if you only catch an episode once in a while, you end up completely lost (and somewhat annoyed at what's happened to characters you liked).
I've only seen bits of an episode or two of VOY. I never got into it. When Enterprise came along, I didn't even bother. And, as CH says, I haven't liked what I've heard of them.

When I say that the later series didn't feel like Star Trek to me, I mean that they lost something. It's not just the sense of optimism about humanity's future that usually identified as a hallmark of ST. It's a sense of confidence--in the fundamental decency of human nature; in thinking beings' capability to work out their problems without slaughtering each other; in the basic difference between right and wrong, founded in a belief in the basic rights of living beings; and in the ability of thinking beings to recognize the difference, however slowly and grudgingly.
The later shows are more modern, I guess, in using ambivalence, internal conflict, self-questioning, situational ethics, and main characters who are jerks. Maybe it's a more mature viewpoint. I dunno. It's just not my cuppa tea.

[Mod City]

Ah, Star Trek. I had to vote for the original series, because like many have already stated, it's the series I grew up with.

None of the newer incarnations did anything for me, although I did find myself liking the few Voyager episodes I saw, and I actually really liked what I saw of Enterprise, although that might have had something to do with the fact that it was only available on a UPN affiliate that I had to tune in over the air, so it was kind of fuzzy. It gave it that late-night, adjust-the-rabbit-ears feel that the original series gave me from time to time.

[Shep]

The original. Some of the writers from that time--Richard Matheson, George Clayton Johnson, Jerome Bixby, Harlan Ellison, etc.--also wrote for shows like "The Twilight Zone," "The Outer Limits," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents/Hour," etc. Those guys were amazing.

Harlan Ellison's "City on the Edge of Forever" is my favorite. If you get a chance, check out his original script which is even better than the filmed episode.

[crowschmo]

I like the original, I guess. I loved it when I was younger and watched it whenever it was on. Now, I've seen it, so I probably wouldn't watch it anymore if it was on, it doesn't have that staying power for me now.

I loved TNG when it came out, but now it feels kind of dated. TNG, dated - you know you're old when you say a thing like that.

I tried the others, but couldn't get into them.

After watching Farscape, where characters had flaws (sometimes with drastic results), and showing actual EMOTIONS, the Star Trek shows just seem kind of sterile to me. Deanna and Will were supposed to be in love, but they had NO CHEMISTRY whatsoever. Gimme Crichton and Aeryn.

[Afgncaap5]

Well, I personally have never seen a Star Trek series that I didn't enjoy (I say this having never seen the Animated Series.) Each series had some great episodes, along with some bad ones, but all in all I think each series was a generally good thing.

Having said that, I needed to vote for TNG. I really grew to love each of those main characters in one way or another (yes, even Wesley. I blame the writers for not using him correctly as a character, and I'm a minor fan of his post-Trek work in the world of nerds and geeks.) And I especially loved Q (who admittedly did show up in an episode of DS9 and episodes of Voyager, but we all know that bugging Picard is where he really belongs. Besides, I sorta felt like Voyager explained him way too much.)

I've not seen enough of Voyager and DS9 to really rate them fairly, I admit, but I have enjoyed what I've seen. I think if I had to rate my Star Trek shows, I'd put it at...

-Next Generation
-Deep Space Nine
-Original Series
-Enterprise
-Voyager (again, nothing against it, just haven't seen much of it.)
-Animated (again, haven't seen it.)

[mummifiedstalin]

I think I usually go with Next Gen over the Original for a superficial reason: they had more time to develop character. Both had some great sf-for-TV premises and "speculation" episodes. Both mixed camp with high seriousness and did their fair share of whiz-bang-gosh-wow combined with actual drama. But TNG just had more space to stretch out and become something that could age. The originals did a great job of establishing character with their relatively limited run, and you could make a case that because they had less than half the episodes, that shows they could accomplish more with less. But TNG also brought Star Trek back from its core fandom to a true mainstream cultural phenomenon.

And much as I love DSN, it could only have been what it was on the back of the other two series.

So TNG gets my vote.

[siamesesin]

My dad is a Trekkie. I was raised that way too. ;D

My brother never got into Trek, and my mom was indifferent, so it became a really important "just us" thing for me and my dad. We always watched the original series when it was on. The animated Trek was especially "ours"-no matter whta had happened during the week or even the night before, we'd roll out of bed to watch it together.

I saw plenty of episodes of DS9 and never got as much into it. It had some decent stories but the characters never grabbed me as much. I think I've seen a handful of Voyager and liked it even less. Haven't seen any Enterprise-I've got the same worries as CH and Donna on that.

But I must admit to leaning towards Generation as my favorite. I like the cast, I like the updates to the mythology. In a weird way, it was like it was "my" Trek, as the original was my dad's. It was the only show I was ever allowed to put off homework for.

[Torgo]

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELSHYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

[inlovewithcrow]

I've only seen one Enterprise ep, the one on the DVD Borg collection that I own. It seemed fine, but it didn't make me want to rush out and see it all, either. Actually, the mere idea of getting to know another eight Trek characters exhausts me!

I agree that none of the series seemed awful, though most of them were terribly uneven, with standout good episodes and terrible ones.

I voted for Next Gen, but the truth is, I disliked the first year and hated all its episodes about: Klingon politics, Data/Lor, Q, the Holodeck, and Troy's mother. (which pretty much was 60% of them, wasn't it?) My favorite ep is "Lower Decks" from the final season, which is mostly not about the principles. I enjoyed the way it brought the franchise to task, in a sense, about "the man in the red shirt" phenomenon--dramatizing that background characters who die in combat are real "people" with complex lives and leave behind people who are devastated by their deaths. The ep can make me cry and cry, every damned time. (I like crying over movies and TV, btw. This is not a bad thing. (ooh, that's girly of me, isn't it?))

I haven't seen all of DS9, but I did like the darkness of it and adored that Cardassian spy/tailor character. I could have watched a whole series about him. It had the funniest Trek ep I've yet seen, "Little Green Men."

Harlan Ellison's "City on the Edge of Forever" is my favorite. If you get a chance, check out his original script which is even better than the filmed episode.

Yes, and Yes. He may be a horse's ass (though he did get arrested in Mitchell, lol), but he could really write in the 60's. This is the best dramatic episode of that series. And unlike some other eps from TOS, it actually aged well. I've watched it recently and thought about how it stands up to time.

I was such a s-f fan in my youth, that the original series existed at all was a blessing. I was one of those kids who watched it originally and every single day on reruns.

And finally (I'm feeling like a trekkie for going on so long!), there were some gorgeous women on those shows: Jennifer Lien, Gates McFadden, and Terry Farrell are all real beauties, imo.