Your parents’ Star Trek. Cheaply made and over the top acting. Aliens are mostly excuses to show half-naked women or use props from other shows to save money. But it has very important life lessons that everyone should learn.
Your Star Trek. Lots of boring talking, but that’s the best part! Certain episodes have become increasingly problematic as the years go by and even later episodes suffer from limited budgets. But the good ones stand out as the highest points of the franchise and they will likely never be topped.
The kids’ Star Trek. Over-produced, shaky cameras, lens flares, and everyone is a sex-starved alcoholic for some reason. In spite of the frequently cheap filmography, the show has never looked better, never been more accessible, and everyone is proudly represented.
I had to stop at number 2 of your list. (Maybe a bit later since I still watched Enterprise…) but Discovery killed the whole thing for me. I was like… how bad it can be? It’s still Star Trek… well no.
Checked out a few episodes of Picard…, I dunno. That’s also not necessarily the Star Trek for me. :/
(On the other hand, Seth MacFarlane’s Orville was amazing)
Highly recommend lower decks (try getting through the first few eps though, it does take a little to find its legs). I am also not a fan of Discovery and Picard. Strange New Worlds is okay, a few really strong eps (i do adore the design work though, I’m very happy with the original series era being modernized like this)
I watched the first season of Lower Decks, and… it didn’t really clicked. It’s just waaaay too fast paced (and goofy) for Star Trek to me - tho the cartoon itself is good.
With Picard, I checked 2 or 3 eps of it, but honestly I’m not sure I really wanna continue. (Tho I don’t want to punish my gf by skipping them since Star Trek is our daily thing, so I might watch it) and Strange New Worlds is something that awaits. I’ve heard good things about that one so not all hopes lost for me 😅
The thing that really puts a Star Trek show over the top is the chemistry between the crew, and SNW has that in spades. Pike is now my favorite captain.
Pike is the ultimate Starfleet captain, which is crazy.
TNG’s chemistry was all over the place for the first 3 seasons, after TBOTW they locked it down perfectly, Enterprise’s too actually. DS9 nailed the chemistry best till SNW imho, LD too I guess.
(Maybe a bit later since I still watched Enrerprise…)
No, Enterprise firmly and definitely fits into category 2. It had a weird theme song and some people didn’t like how it shoehorned an extra ship named Enterprise into the list, but other than that it was Berman-era Trek, through and through.
My GF didn’t watch much Trek until she met me, and since then she’s watched everything from TNG onwards. Even for a relatively new fan she agrees that Discovery just didn’t feel like Star Trek even though she liked the show.
But her favorite Star Trek show is definitely The Orville.
I’m totally on board with that analysis because Discovery was just wrong (IMO). Didn’t give Enterprise a chance because Discovery used up all my goodwill. Lower Decks I’m leaving open, but so far animation isn’t doing it for me Trek-wise.
I’d recommend sticking with Picard, I think by the 3rd season I was fully convinced. I understand the first season is a little rickety while they find a tone.
But for me, there’s one Star Trek that needs no qualification, no bloody A, B, C, D, or anything else: yeah baby I’m talking about TOS. Technicolor fistfights, ham and corn in abundance, some actual drama; A Good Time Was Had By All. It can’t be replicated, only riffed on. That we’re 50 years in and still going is testament to the intrinsic success of the original making “it” work.
For most people in this community, TNG is your parents’ star trek. It began airing in 1987, 37 years ago. TOS is your grandparents’ Star Trek, at the earliest.
Your Star Trek is MAYBE voyager, but Enterprise has been around over 20 years now, and people with jobs and taxes to pay watched that as young people.
For most people in this community, TNG is your parents’ star trek. It began airing in 1987, 37 years ago. TOS is your grandparents’ Star Trek, at the earliest.
Amazing how you do not think too much about your own age, until you see it staring back at you in black and white!
By this community’s standards at least I can say I did Live long. The Prosper part, not so much.
To me I didn’t watch ST growing up. I started when I was at least a teenager, maybe early 20s, around 2012 or so probably. I started with TNG though, and my favorite is DS9, which started the year I was born. I consider it my ST, even though Enterprise is probably what should be considered my contemporary. For sure, TNG would be my parent’s though, if they watched it.
This misses what makes Star Trek special and what makes the Nu-Trek shows such a failure, in my opinion.
What make Star Trek what it is is that in a world filled to the brim with hopeless dystopian stories and prudent allegorical warning signs in story format, Star Trek offered a uniquely hopeful Utopian view of the future. No, things were not perfect, but it’s clear that many of the trivial problems of our world as well as nearly all scarcity issues were effectively “solved.”
Meanwhile, Nu-Trek seems actively and solely focused specifically on tearing down or critiquing that Utopian view. I’m not opposed to critical consideration of a property, in fact in most cases it’s an excellent way to re-evaluate a property. But in the specific case of Star Trek all it really accomplishes is turning this uniquely hopeful thing of beauty into just another generic and cynical piece of mild social commentary in a field absolutely crowded with exactly that sort of content already.
I’m not precious about Star Trek, I’m not above the idea of critiquing and reevaluating it, but when doing so accomplishes only taking away what makes it unique so it becomes just another interchangeable piece of Sci-Fi in the crowd… Well I guess I just have to ask “What was the fucking point?”
Picard is definitely the worst for this. It’s woefully generic and miserable.
On the other hand, SNW feels like it has much more of the TOS-era vibrancy, LD is pretty similar to TNG in terms of setting (plus modern humor of course)… Prodigy even takes the novel approach of seeming like generic sci-fi at first only to become probably the most similar to 90s Trek out of all the new shows, albeit in kid’s show format. Still, it’s really fun and is all about the hope the Federation represents.
And for that matter, while early Discovery is pretty dark, I feel like Discovery gets more hopeful. Sure, the 32nd century has kind of a “fallen utopia” thing going on, but it very quickly turns into rebuilding and by the end they’re looking hopefully to the future as they’re expanding their borders again. It’s different from the previous eras of Trek, but it’s still hopeful.
You have to specify which era, at least:
Your parents’ Star Trek. Cheaply made and over the top acting. Aliens are mostly excuses to show half-naked women or use props from other shows to save money. But it has very important life lessons that everyone should learn.
Your Star Trek. Lots of boring talking, but that’s the best part! Certain episodes have become increasingly problematic as the years go by and even later episodes suffer from limited budgets. But the good ones stand out as the highest points of the franchise and they will likely never be topped.
The kids’ Star Trek. Over-produced, shaky cameras, lens flares, and everyone is a sex-starved alcoholic for some reason. In spite of the frequently cheap filmography, the show has never looked better, never been more accessible, and everyone is proudly represented.
I started Star Trek from 0 around 2 years ago.
I had to stop at number 2 of your list. (Maybe a bit later since I still watched Enterprise…) but Discovery killed the whole thing for me. I was like… how bad it can be? It’s still Star Trek… well no.
Checked out a few episodes of Picard…, I dunno. That’s also not necessarily the Star Trek for me. :/
(On the other hand, Seth MacFarlane’s Orville was amazing)
Highly recommend lower decks (try getting through the first few eps though, it does take a little to find its legs). I am also not a fan of Discovery and Picard. Strange New Worlds is okay, a few really strong eps (i do adore the design work though, I’m very happy with the original series era being modernized like this)
I watched the first season of Lower Decks, and… it didn’t really clicked. It’s just waaaay too fast paced (and goofy) for Star Trek to me - tho the cartoon itself is good.
With Picard, I checked 2 or 3 eps of it, but honestly I’m not sure I really wanna continue. (Tho I don’t want to punish my gf by skipping them since Star Trek is our daily thing, so I might watch it) and Strange New Worlds is something that awaits. I’ve heard good things about that one so not all hopes lost for me 😅
Snw is personally amazing, it’s an attempt to rebirth trek from scratch. It’s not ds9 or the best of tng, but pike really nails it so you don’t care.
Picard season 3 is solid, especially the first half, otherwise don’t bother with s1 and s2.
The thing that really puts a Star Trek show over the top is the chemistry between the crew, and SNW has that in spades. Pike is now my favorite captain.
Pike is the ultimate Starfleet captain, which is crazy.
TNG’s chemistry was all over the place for the first 3 seasons, after TBOTW they locked it down perfectly, Enterprise’s too actually. DS9 nailed the chemistry best till SNW imho, LD too I guess.
This is addressed in an episode. I won’t say which episode or series because it’s a spoiler but it is addressed.
ah, good to know
No, Enterprise firmly and definitely fits into category 2. It had a weird theme song and some people didn’t like how it shoehorned an extra ship named Enterprise into the list, but other than that it was Berman-era Trek, through and through.
yeah, you may right. I was hesitant for a second when I put Enterprise too into categ. 3. But It’s still sorta in-between…
and that theme song wasn’t that bad afterall :P. at least the OG one.
My GF didn’t watch much Trek until she met me, and since then she’s watched everything from TNG onwards. Even for a relatively new fan she agrees that Discovery just didn’t feel like Star Trek even though she liked the show.
But her favorite Star Trek show is definitely The Orville.
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Some women are different from other women and like different things.
Discovery improved slightly in the later seasons…
slightly
I’m totally on board with that analysis because Discovery was just wrong (IMO). Didn’t give Enterprise a chance because Discovery used up all my goodwill. Lower Decks I’m leaving open, but so far animation isn’t doing it for me Trek-wise.
I’d recommend sticking with Picard, I think by the 3rd season I was fully convinced. I understand the first season is a little rickety while they find a tone.
But for me, there’s one Star Trek that needs no qualification, no bloody A, B, C, D, or anything else: yeah baby I’m talking about TOS. Technicolor fistfights, ham and corn in abundance, some actual drama; A Good Time Was Had By All. It can’t be replicated, only riffed on. That we’re 50 years in and still going is testament to the intrinsic success of the original making “it” work.
58 years in… The 60th anniversary of the first trek is two years away
I am not even calling discovery startrek, it is simply not. Picard is meh.
But you need to watch strange new worlds and lower decks, if you haven’t - these are amazing.
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For most people in this community, TNG is your parents’ star trek. It began airing in 1987, 37 years ago. TOS is your grandparents’ Star Trek, at the earliest.
Your Star Trek is MAYBE voyager, but Enterprise has been around over 20 years now, and people with jobs and taxes to pay watched that as young people.
I’m the Enterprise crowd. I was 10 years old.
EDIT: I grew up on TNG. Saw First Contact in theaters at age of five.
Amazing how you do not think too much about your own age, until you see it staring back at you in black and white!
By this community’s standards at least I can say I did Live long. The Prosper part, not so much.
I took that as 1 being TOS/TAS/OG Movies, 2 being TNG/DS9/VOY/ENT/TNG Movies, 3 being everything from the 09 movie onwards
You might want to realize that you are not “most people”
To me I didn’t watch ST growing up. I started when I was at least a teenager, maybe early 20s, around 2012 or so probably. I started with TNG though, and my favorite is DS9, which started the year I was born. I consider it my ST, even though Enterprise is probably what should be considered my contemporary. For sure, TNG would be my parent’s though, if they watched it.
I remember watching TNG with my mom as a kid. She recorded it on VHS and we’d fast forward through commercials.
This misses what makes Star Trek special and what makes the Nu-Trek shows such a failure, in my opinion.
What make Star Trek what it is is that in a world filled to the brim with hopeless dystopian stories and prudent allegorical warning signs in story format, Star Trek offered a uniquely hopeful Utopian view of the future. No, things were not perfect, but it’s clear that many of the trivial problems of our world as well as nearly all scarcity issues were effectively “solved.”
Meanwhile, Nu-Trek seems actively and solely focused specifically on tearing down or critiquing that Utopian view. I’m not opposed to critical consideration of a property, in fact in most cases it’s an excellent way to re-evaluate a property. But in the specific case of Star Trek all it really accomplishes is turning this uniquely hopeful thing of beauty into just another generic and cynical piece of mild social commentary in a field absolutely crowded with exactly that sort of content already.
I’m not precious about Star Trek, I’m not above the idea of critiquing and reevaluating it, but when doing so accomplishes only taking away what makes it unique so it becomes just another interchangeable piece of Sci-Fi in the crowd… Well I guess I just have to ask “What was the fucking point?”
Picard is definitely the worst for this. It’s woefully generic and miserable.
On the other hand, SNW feels like it has much more of the TOS-era vibrancy, LD is pretty similar to TNG in terms of setting (plus modern humor of course)… Prodigy even takes the novel approach of seeming like generic sci-fi at first only to become probably the most similar to 90s Trek out of all the new shows, albeit in kid’s show format. Still, it’s really fun and is all about the hope the Federation represents.
And for that matter, while early Discovery is pretty dark, I feel like Discovery gets more hopeful. Sure, the 32nd century has kind of a “fallen utopia” thing going on, but it very quickly turns into rebuilding and by the end they’re looking hopefully to the future as they’re expanding their borders again. It’s different from the previous eras of Trek, but it’s still hopeful.
I’ve only gotten through two seasons but when I watched Picard I couldn’t help but think “TNG would have wrapped this up in one or two episodes”.
I was deliberately generalizing for the sake of humor. There’s a lot that I knowingly glossed over or oversimplified.
Very fair. Cheers.
Sorry to say but TNG and Voyager were the Star Trek shows that my mom watched.
I unironically also pick the one with sex too because I associate Trek heavily with sex. It’s always been horny.
Absolutely. nuTrek is supposed to be the sex starved one? Commander Riker would have something to say about that, but he’s busy on holodeck four.
I pick the one with representation.
So…diversity over plot?