Mergath Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I'm a huge SF geek, but I've never really watched much Star Trek. I remember watching a few episodes as a kid, but for the most part I don't know too much about the ST universe. I tried watching the original on Netflix, but I just couldn't do it. I spent too much time either giggling at the "science" or bored. So of the newer ones, which Star Trek should I start with? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 If you don't want to do the original. :confused1: Then I'd do the Next Generation series. It's good Star Trek stuff... I wonder if I love the original because I watched them as a kid. Live Long and Prosper 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Well, probably The Next Generation, but you wouldn't need to watch every single one from every single season. It would give you a good intro, though. Deep Space 9 might be another one, but it would make more sense to watch at least a few episodes from each season of STNG first. Have you seen the movies? If you can't get into the original series, you might watch a few of the movies with the original characters. You would be more likely to get more of the references... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Would it be better to try really, really hard to watch the original again? I can't seem to do it without sitting there going, "Wow, this is so old. Oh my gosh, look at that outfit. That's supposed to be a computer?" :P I really wanted to like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Well, probably The Next Generation, but you wouldn't need to watch every single one from every single season. It would give you a good intro, though. Deep Space 9 might be another one, but it would make more sense to watch at least a few episodes from each season of STNG first. Have you seen the movies? If you can't get into the original series, you might watch a few of the movies with the original characters. You would be more likely to get more of the references... Nope, haven't seen the movies. Not the original movies, anyway. I've seen the reboots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I never really watched much star trek episodes -- we didn't have a tv, but I read all the books. So I don't have a series suggestion, but I have some book suggestions from the original series era! Diane Duane -- anything she wrote is enjoyable reading, although Spock's World is my favorite. John Ford -- The Final Reflection Greg Cox -- The Eugenics Wars books I also recommend the movies 2, 3 (more for plot continuity than anything else), 4, and 6. 1 is an abomination and should only be watched by the truly dedicated. Uhura's Song (book) is ok too, very light but amusing. Edit: If you want to familiarize yourself with TOS but can't get over the horrible visuals (let's give a dog a funny haircut and call it an alien), read the Blish adaptations. Blish was a good SF writer in his own right and that's how I got into ST in the first place. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 You might actually like the old series better after watching STNG....maybe. Of course, STNG is now fairly old, too. Some parts of it have aged well, but not everything....Just start with STNG and maybe periodically watch an old version. Think of it as historical footage. :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 The original is so lame. They're exploring the galaxy so Kirk can hit on all of the aliens, who are just hot babes in tinfoil miniskirts. Gimme a break. The Next Generation is just sooo good! I don't see any reason not to start at the beginning and work your way through them at your leisure. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I've never been able to get into the original series either. I watched it as a child with my dad so I like those memories, but other than that, it's mostly corny. I've always liked TNG best, but I like all of the newer series. I do think it's worth knowing who's who in the original series because they're often referred to later. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I suggest watching the Top Ten original episodes then moving on to TNG and the original series movies (at least II-IV.) http://m.ign.com/articles/2009/04/16/igns-top-10-classic-star-trek-episodes 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Netflix has all of the Star Treks on it: Original, TNG, Voyager, Enterprise, Deep Space 9. Here's how we did ti: Ep 1 of Enterprise on Monday. Ep1 of the original on Tuesday. Ep1 of TNG on Wed. Ep1 of DS9 on Thurs. Ep1 of Voyager on Friday. Ep 2 of Enterprise on the next Monday Ep2 of the original on the next Tuesday...and so on, cycling through ALL of the Star Treks all at the same time. We got bored with DS9 pretty quickly and took it out of the rotation. We never got through all of them because we started watching other things. Living in non-stop Star Trek land for so many months got a little boring. We'll probably pick it back up again in a few more months and finish up our rotations. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I never cared for the original but loved The Next Generation, and I'm not even a big sci fi person. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Netflix has all of the Star Treks on it: Original, TNG, Voyager, Enterprise, Deep Space 9. Here's how we did ti: Ep 1 of Enterprise on Monday. Ep1 of the original on Tuesday. Ep1 of DS9 on Wed. Ep1 of Voyager on Thurs. Ep 2 of Enterprise on Friday Ep2 of the original on Monday....and so on, cycling through ALL of the Star Treks all at the same time. We got bored with DS9 pretty quickly and took it out of the rotation. We never got through all of them because we started watching other things. Living in non-stop Star Trek land for so many months got a little boring. We'll probably pick it back up again in a few more months and finish up our rotations. I read this sentence ten times in a row, trying to figure out why you got bored with your son and stopped letting him watch it with you, before I realized what you meant. :lol: 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I grew up with TOS. Just recently I watched all 3 seasons with my twins. It was difficult at times. I'm glad my girls started with TNG instead of TOS or their Star Trek education might have been very short lived. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 It's looking like the consensus is TNG. :) I'll think I'll start with the link Ravin posted, hit at least some of the highlights from the original, and then watch TNG. I might see if our library has any of the books, too. Thanks everyone! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Season 1 of Next Generation can be sort of ... grating. Better to just hit a couple of highlight episodes in that season, and then move on. I remember when Voyager originally came out. We watched the first few episodes and decided we couldn't stand it. Then years and years later we discovered that it was really a fun series. Although then dd binged watched the entire thing in a fairly short period of time and got so sick of it she doesn't care to see it again. Anyway, the point is that the first few episodes are sometimes not a good way to judge the entire series. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Yes! TNG is the best. I will beat up anyone who says differently. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Whichever one you would like! I started with TNG and then watched the others as they came out. I think the best episodes start in the third season and move forward. The first two seasons are okay, but the series really came into it's own in that third season, I think. Somewhere along the line I saw enough reruns of the original series to piece together references to it. I will say that if you watch DS9, watch it in order - it makes more sense that way. There is a story arc that I didn't get for a long time because I missed some of it along the way. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 ...I have some book suggestions from the original series era! Diane Duane -- anything she wrote is enjoyable reading, although Spock's World is my favorite. John Ford -- The Final Reflection Greg Cox -- The Eugenics Wars books...Uhura's Song (book) is ok too, very light but amusing. Some of my favorite Star Trek novels: Yesterday's Son and Time for Yesterday both by A.C. Crispin, Uhura's Song by Janet Kagan, Ishmael by Barbara Hambly, The Kobayashi Maru by Julia Ecklar, Doctor's Orders by Diane Duane Dreams of the Raven by Carmen Carter and The Pandora Principle by Carolyn Clowes Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 If you can stomach it, I'd try to watch the first 2 seasons of TOS. Campy as all get out, but it sets up TNG well. I love TOS. It reminds me of childhood and my mama. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 TNG, girl. No debate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 TNG, but DD even liked the original Star Trek movies. Those are worth watching. At least 4, the whale one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 The best Star Trek movie is Wrath of Khan. Though... it did give me a life long phobia of bugs in ear and parasites. I can't even watch the parasite episodes of X Files, we have to skip those. (except the black oil ones, you can't really skip those even though I disapprove of black oil and would rather not watch that) I like the original series, sure it is campy but campy can be fun and one misses some really great episodes such as Mirror Mirror or Trouble with Tribbles. You'll never get those jokes if you don't watch it. I prefer TNG, Voyager, or DS9 but I have watched them all. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I read this sentence ten times in a row, trying to figure out why you got bored with your son and stopped letting him watch it with you, before I realized what you meant. :lol: Lol! Deep Space 9 is my favorite! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 TNG kind of bugs me how they stand around talking then walk over to the next scene before they start talking again. Do the cameras at TNG not move at all or is every set on a different sound stage? It does have Jean Luc Picard though, he is a beast. One can actually imagine him as a Captain of a Starship and not expect him to start singing the Pirate King song or something. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 We talked about it a few months ago & there were good recommendations (including my own LOL) there forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/533912-how-would-you-introduce-a-child-to-star-trek/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 We talked about it a few months ago & there were good recommendations (including my own LOL) there forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/533912-how-would-you-introduce-a-child-to-star-trek/ heh...I pretty much said the same thing, "If you don't watch TOS you miss the Tribbles!" :lol: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I also like the Galaxy Quest movie though it is not technically Star Trek. It does have Alan Rickman which is a bonus. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Deep Space 9 has a darker plot line/theme. Watch Next Generation first {it gets better after the first season or so.} then the NGN movies. Of the original Star Trek movies, only the even number movies are any good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 if you don't want to watch the original series - then watch next generation. I personally think tos has better scripts that I can rewatch. (yes, the specials effects are really cheesy, and cheap. they had an almost non-existent budget.) the other series have very *very* few episodes that are interesting enough or profound enough for me to want to ever spend my time watching again. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Slartibartfast, on 25 Feb 2015 - 10:33 PM, said:Slartibartfast, on 25 Feb 2015 - 10:33 PM, said:I also like the Galaxy Quest movie though it is not technically Star Trek. It does have Alan Rickman which is a bonus. it's a fabulous homage . . . (including many references to behind the scenes stuff.) rewatched it recently with dudeling. "whoever wrote that episode should die!" 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Another vote for TNG. I am a huge Star Trek fan and listen to it almost every night. I start at the beginning of TNG and then go forward in order of when the were released (but I listen to all of each series before moving to the next). They all have merit but I don't usually listen to the original series as much as the others. I am listening to Deep Space 9 as I type this. LOL I have insomnia that is worsened by stress. I wake up thinking about things that stress me out and then I can't go back to sleep. I have seen all the ST episodes so many times, I don't have to watch them to know what is happening. I go to sleep watching it probably 6 months of the year. Even if I didn't watch it while I was going to sleep, I set up some episode of ST on Netflix and then I just have to click play if I start to wake up. The episode playing gives me something else to think about and I can go back to sleep instead of dwelling on whatever is stressing me out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 You must watch the Tribble episode at least. I remember watching Land of the Lost and enjoying it as a child. I rewatched a few episodes as an adult, but it was way too corny and fakey to enjoy. However, I did enjoy rewatchng the original Star Trek even if some of them were a bit dated. I also have bug in ear fears after watching The Wrath of Kahn, I told my children they could not watch it. They have watched most of the other Star Wars movies. We like all the Star Trek series, but some of them took longer to warm up to than others. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I'll ask my son. He could probably give you a dissertation. I'm not so into it myself though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 TNG brings back fond childhood memories for me, but I really think DS9 was the best series of them all. I still can't watch the original...DH and I were going to watch through all of Star Trek chronologically, but it only took a few episodes of TOS to make me crazy, so we just skipped that (except for the movies, which are fine), and moved on to Enterprise. Other than the original, I do like them all! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 You must watch the Tribble episode at least. I remember watching Land of the Lost and enjoying it as a child. I rewatched a few episodes as an adult, but it was way too corny and fakey to enjoy. However, I did enjoy rewatchng the original Star Trek even if some of them were a bit dated. I also have bug in ear fears after watching The Wrath of Kahn, I told my children they could not watch it. They have watched most of the other Star Wars movies. We like all the Star Trek series, but some of them took longer to warm up to than others. I still love Land of the Lost! Until the uncle shows up. TOS is still worth watching as far as I'm concerned, love TNG after the 1st 2 seasons. Must watch the movies! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 FWIW, OP, lots of people are mentioning The Trouble With Tribbles which is one of the great episodes of TOS but if you watch it out of context the characters aren't going to mean much to you, nor are you going to understand the relationships involved. City on the Edge of Forever, A Piece of the Action, Mirror Mirror, etc. are also good ones but again without seeing more of the early episodes, the characters won't mean much so you won't get all the references or probably be much invested in what is happening to the characters.. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 TNG brings back fond childhood memories for me :svengo: I'm sorry - did you say childhood? I'm feeling older by the minute. Thanks for that. :glare: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I think you're okay with starting with TNG instead of TOS- it will definitely have more appeal. It took them a while to hit their stride but it is really an awesome series so worth sticking with it- it's my second favorite series of all the Treks. Voyager is my favorite so I recommend that one as well when you're done with TNG. DS 9 and Enterprise were very good shows as well, and it wouldn't matter which one you watched first. THEN, after all that, you have to go back and watch TOS just for the sheer camp of it. Two words: The. Shat. Priceless! Oh, and yes-- the movies! They are defintely worth watching, in order. Some are much better than others- my personal faves are Wrath of Khan, Voyage Home, The Undiscovered Country, First Contract, and the 2009 Reboot... which I know ticked off a lot of fellow Trekkies, but I wasn't one of them. :) Finally-- yes, by Grabthar's hammer you MUST top it all off with a viewing of Galaxy Quest, even if you've already seen it. SO much better when you really get the context. Live long and prosper, Peeps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (Making a list of people to beat up for choosing as number 1 something other than TNG) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks everyone! :) After hearing how many people really like TNG, I can't wait to get started on it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I'm a huge SF geek, but I've never really watched much Star Trek. I remember watching a few episodes as a kid, but for the most part I don't know too much about the ST universe. I tried watching the original on Netflix, but I just couldn't do it. I spent too much time either giggling at the "science" or bored. So of the newer ones, which Star Trek should I start with? Thanks! Start with the Next Generation. Yeah, the first couple of seasons might not be great, but they're part of the whole history, KWIM? Then you'd do Voyager, followed by Enterprise. You could stick Deep Space Nine in there if you want; I am still trying to like it but not succeeding very well yet. The original series was great in its day; I watched all the episodes when they were, you know, actually new. :-) But you don't *need* to watch it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 OneStepAtATime, on 26 Feb 2015 - 06:07 AM, said:FWIW, OP, lots of people are mentioning The Trouble With Tribbles which is one of the great episodes of TOS but if you watch it out of context the characters aren't going to mean much to you, nor are you going to understand the relationships involved. City on the Edge of Forever, A Piece of the Action, Mirror Mirror, etc. are also good ones but again without seeing more of the early episodes, the characters won't mean much so you won't get all the references or probably be much invested in what is happening to the characters.. :iagree: I, Mudd is one of my favorites of the "humorous" episodes (and Norman!) - but you need to watch Mudd's Women first, for as you say - understand the context. to truly understand the relationship with Klingons (which show up all the time in TNG), you need to watch some TOS eps with Klingons. Errand of Mercy is one. day of the dove another. journey to babel introduces Spocks parents - who we also meet in 2009 reboot, and spock's father is in multiple eps of TNG, and several movies. (incidently - mark leonard also plays a romulan commander in balance of terror.) space seed, and the wrath of khan movie (and yeah - there is that thing about parasites in the ear. like sharks in the lake back in 77) to really appreciate khan singh. (as he is in the last star trek movie). I do prefer ricardo montalban's Shakespeare quoting khan. and the 3rd movie - for again, klingon's. . . . and the enterprise incident for more in depth romulans. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Next Generation absolutely! We still watch reruns every day. It's sort of like comfort food. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I agree that if TOS is too "campy" for you to start with TNG. That said - the first season of TNG the actors and writers haven't really gotten into character yet. I enjoyed them immensely when they first came out - but their quality isn't as good as later seasons. (They also had a few episodes where they brought in TOS characters, and there was 1 episode that was basically a re-do of a TOS episode - but that shouldn't bother you too much.) As I recall Season 2 of TNG was a bit wierd and there were a couple of episodes I really didn't like. By Season 3 everyone was comfortable with the characters/story and it starts getting really Great. In both TOS and TNG they are in the Enterprise (different generations of the ship) - in theory exploring new worlds - but mostly travelling around already known space.... really they seem more to be like a police force / science vessel to me. I also enjoy the first few seasons of Voyageur. At some point I didn't like it as much. Voyageur is different in that it is a 'Federation' ship that has ended up in a totally different galaxy trying to get home even though with the current technology that will take over 100 years. One thing I like - on most of the Star Trek shows the replicators can make anything they want or need (yet people don't seem to take it to excess) - but in Voyageur their resources are limited. I never could get into Deep Space 9 - it just never had any appeal for me. It is different that it takes place on a star-base, so they are always in 1 location. You definitely need to watch it in order or you get totally lost. I also couldn't get that into Enterprise - which goes back to the start of the Federation - back to the first space travel of Earthlings out of our own Solar System. For Movies - unless you get to like TOS, I'd just skip the first 6 with those characters. (I didn't even really like most of them... and I liked TOS.) Actually, I don't like most of the TNG movies either. The Movies I DO like are the 2 latest one where the timeline was altered so everything is different - and I think those would be good to watch even if you hadn't watched other StarTrek shows (although knowing who people are would probably help....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 My dd11 started with Voyager and sucked me in. She loves B'ellana and I think she's the closest thing to a hero for her. She also likes Janeway. I suspect NG will be next but we are definitely enjoying Voyager. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Edit: If you want to familiarize yourself with TOS but can't get over the horrible visuals (let's give a dog a funny haircut and call it an alien), read the Blish adaptations. Blish was a good SF writer in his own right and that's how I got into ST in the first place. Our HS library had two of the Blish novelizations. That's how I got into TOS too! THough I was disappointed to discover some of the episodes were different. Haven't seen them since though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Our HS library had two of the Blish novelizations. That's how I got into TOS too! THough I was disappointed to discover some of the episodes were different. Haven't seen them since though. I happened to be in the UK and found all of them in three omnibus editions. I bought them immediately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 TNG or DSN. I should do a rewatch with you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Agreeing with most everyone else: TNG is the best. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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