What is your favorite Star Trek Series?

[Ron78]

I never considered myself a "trekker" or a "trekkie," but I grew up watching different incarnations of Star Trek, and I always considered myself a casual fan of the show.  Lately, I have been rewatching past episodes of DS9, TNG, Enterprise, and TOS (some of which I have not seen in about 20 years).  Watching old episodes of Trek is definitely making me feel nostalgic, and seeing previews of the new crap CBS is trying to solicit internet subscriptions for gives me a renewed appreciation for some of the really well thought-out stuff they did in the 90's. 

 

I never cared for Voyager or the animated series, but my ranking for the shows I did like:

 

4.  Enterprise

3.  Original Series

2.  Next Generation

1.  DS9

[Burgold]

Many of them had their charms, but I'll go for the original just because it was the original. It did set the stage and was actually a pretty darn brave show for its time. Plus, it employed some really top notch science fiction writers. Finally, the main characters and even the secondaries have become larger than their show. Everyone knows Spock and even Scotty.

 

Does everyone know LaForge? 

[Ron78]

9 minutes ago, Burgold said:

Many of them had their charms, but I'll go for the original just because it was the original. It did set the stage and was actually a pretty darn brave show for its time. Plus, it employed some really top notch science fiction writers. Finally, the main characters and even the secondaries have become larger than their show. Everyone knows Spock and even Scotty.

 

Does everyone know LaForge? 

 

I agree that the original had the best characters in the entire franchise, and some of the best writing, but the overall production of next generation and DS9 was just superior.  The acting was often better, the special effects were way better, and the writing was still often really good (in the last 4 seasons at least).

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

DS9 was by far (imo) the best series.

[PokerPacker]

The one with Majel Barrett.

[Burgold]

Yeah, the acting was occasionally cheesy in TOS, but I think the special effects were actually pretty good considering it was the '60's and the network didn't really support or believe in the show. 

 

The transporters still hold up. The phasers and space battles not so much. 

 

Each did did have something going for it. 

[Springfield]

TNG, everything else is for nerds.

[Mournblade]

Original Series remains my favorite. Can't beat the chemistry of Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley. Plus that series was loaded with

hot babes. 

[Riggo-toni]

The original had by far the best characters/chemistry, but after a lame-ass first season, TNG was the best written. I thought Enterprise sucked, Voyager had the lamest characters, and DS9 was uneven, with a handful of great episodes and lots of forgettable ones. 

[Ron78]

1 minute ago, Riggo-toni said:

The original had by far the best characters/chemistry, but after a lame-ass first season, TNG was the best written. I thought Enterprise sucked, Voyager had the lamest characters, and DS9 was uneven, with a handful of great episodes and lots of forgettable ones. 

 

I thought the first season of Enterprise had some decent episodes (particularly the ones with the Andorians) and the fourth season was really good, but the second season was weak and the third season was absolutely awful.

[TradeTheBeal!]

There's really only one.

[Chew]

1 hour ago, Springfield said:

TNG, everything else is for nerds.

 

This.  

[PokerPacker]

So in all seriousness, I can't answer this question fairly.

I didn't get into Voyager when I was younger and never came back to it, so I can't give it a fair assessment.  I do remember not really liking the characters, but again, I was pretty young.

 

Enterprise... well to be honest, I wish I'd given it more time when it was new.  It doesn't really match the feel of its predecessors, but it's not like TNG really had the same feel as TOS, so I may have been unduely harsh on it.  Plus I think some of what took me out of the immersion of Trek was that I was already very familiar with Scott Bacula, and he didn't really convince me that he was Captain Archer rather than Scott Bacula.  I happened to catch an episode the other day and of course it had to be the one with Dean Stockwell in it.  I kept expecting to hear from Ziggy on what he needs to do to fix the current conundrum.

 

DS9 I started watching straight through a couple years back, but stopped after I got a job.  It was pretty good.  Had its weaker moments, but that's to be expected.  Never got into the full swing of the Dominion War, so probably too early to give the show a final rating.

 

Then there's The Animated series.  It really was a great way to continue the Enterprise's 5 year mission.  It was not exactly up to the standards set by TOS, but pretty good in its own right.  You kinda have to filter through what of it to consider canon and what to consider to be necessary due to animation limitations.  On the other hand, though, being animated opened it up to new possibilities like meeting non-humanoid aliens, more elaborate aliens as featured crewmembers (M'Ress and Arex), vehicles (had multiple shuttlecraft designs, as well as a submersible), and technology (the Rec Room held similar functionality to the Holodeck that would later appear in TNG).

 

Then there's TNG and TOS.  Voting purely on TV shows, I think I have to give the edge to TNG.  TOS was a groundbreaking show, and I love it to death, but the messages were often a bit overly blunt, while I feel TNG managed to have a bit more nuance in its allegory.  Plus the obvious difference in production values as TOS was on a shoestring budget allowed TNG to pull off a bit more.  They probably also benefited from a longer leash, being given time to find their legs.

 

For the movies, TOS all the way.  TMP was better than it's given credit for, but it still is a touch on the slow side, plus it loses points for basically being a retelling of the episode Changeling.  II, III, and IV worked really well together.  I don't think I need to say anything about II; fantastic movie with such large presences.  That they built so much tension between Kirk and Kahn with them only ever seeing each other on the viewscreens is a testament to the writing and acting.I love how the Enterprise is still very beat up in III after the events of II.  IV... well I'm not as big on it as others.  Not super big on doing yet another Time Travel thing, and even then it was a missed opportunity to show the a world ready to be ruled by Kahn as he was due to rise in a decade's time.  I do think it was neat that they went through that whole movie in the stolen Klingon Bird Of Prey, though.  V I'd have to watch again to fairly judge.  VI I place right up next to II.  Really love getting to see some politics at play, the allegory for the end of the cold war, and the fulfilment of the Organian prophecy that the Empire and Federation were fated to become allies.

TNGs movies fell kinda flat.  They tried to be action movies with a cast that wasn't meant for action films.  The one movie people tend to give credit in those terms is First Contact, but that movie had issues.  Not the least of which was level-headed Picard going completely out of character and out of his mind seeking revenge against the Borg.  The same Borg whom he'd previously made a point of not committing genocide against because they had as much right to exist as they.

[Ron78]

25 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

So in all seriousness, I can't answer this question fairly.

I didn't get into Voyager when I was younger and never came back to it, so I can't give it a fair assessment.  I do remember not really liking the characters, but again, I was pretty young.

 

 

You remember correctly.  Voyager had the worst characters in the franchise.  Most of them never really developed well.

 

Quote

Enterprise... well to be honest, I wish I'd given it more time when it was new.  It doesn't really match the feel of its predecessors, but it's not like TNG really had the same feel as TOS, so I may have been unduely harsh on it.  Plus I think some of what took me out of the immersion of Trek was that I was already very familiar with Scott Bacula, and he didn't really convince me that he was Captain Archer rather than Scott Bacula.  I happened to catch an episode the other day and of course it had to be the one with Dean Stockwell in it.  I kept expecting to hear from Ziggy on what he needs to do to fix the current conundrum.

 

Enterprise had some highs and lows.  Looking back, I have a favorable view of it.  I thought Bacula did a decent job.  I also thought the chemistry between the main characters developed more quickly than any of the series that came before it (except the original).

 

Quote

DS9 I started watching straight through a couple years back, but stopped after I got a job.  It was pretty good.  Had its weaker moments, but that's to be expected.  Never got into the full swing of the Dominion War, so probably too early to give the show a final rating.

 

Then there's The Animated series.  It really was a great way to continue the Enterprise's 5 year mission.  It was not exactly up to the standards set by TOS, but pretty good in its own right.  You kinda have to filter through what of it to consider canon and what to consider to be necessary due to animation limitations.  On the other hand, though, being animated opened it up to new possibilities like meeting non-humanoid aliens, more elaborate aliens as featured crewmembers (M'Ress and Arex), vehicles (had multiple shuttlecraft designs, as well as a submersible), and technology (the Rec Room held similar functionality to the Holodeck that would later appear in TNG).

 

Then there's TNG and TOS.  Voting purely on TV shows, I think I have to give the edge to TNG.  TOS was a groundbreaking show, and I love it to death, but the messages were often a bit overly blunt, while I feel TNG managed to have a bit more nuance in its allegory.  Plus the obvious difference in production values as TOS was on a shoestring budget allowed TNG to pull off a bit more.  They probably also benefited from a longer leash, being given time to find their legs.

 

For the movies, TOS all the way.  TMP was better than it's given credit for, but it still is a touch on the slow side, plus it loses points for basically being a retelling of the episode Changeling.  II, III, and IV worked really well together.  I don't think I need to say anything about II; fantastic movie with such large presences.  That they built so much tension between Kirk and Kahn with them only ever seeing each other on the viewscreens is a testament to the writing and acting.I love how the Enterprise is still very beat up in III after the events of II.  IV... well I'm not as big on it as others.  Not super big on doing yet another Time Travel thing, and even then it was a missed opportunity to show the a world ready to be ruled by Kahn as he was due to rise in a decade's time.  I do think it was neat that they went through that whole movie in the stolen Klingon Bird Of Prey, though.  V I'd have to watch again to fairly judge.  VI I place right up next to II.  Really love getting to see some politics at play, the allegory for the end of the cold war, and the fulfilment of the Organian prophecy that the Empire and Federation were fated to become allies.

TNGs movies fell kinda flat.  They tried to be action movies with a cast that wasn't meant for action films.  The one movie people tend to give credit in those terms is First Contact, but that movie had issues.  Not the least of which was level-headed Picard going completely out of character and out of his mind seeking revenge against the Borg.  The same Borg whom he'd previously made a point of not committing genocide against because they had as much right to exist as they.

 

The only Trek movies I really liked were Wrath of Kahn, Undiscovered Country, Nemesis, and Star Trek (2009).  The rest I can do without.  Totally agree about First Contact.  Picard and Worf both were out of character.  Also agree about time travel as a plot device. If the Borg can travel back in time to jack up Earth while the Enterprise is close enough to follow, then the Borg can do it again when the Enterprise is not around.  Eventually, the Borg would accomplish that mission.

 

Generations had other issues due to the time travel plot device.  If you could travel to any point in time to stop a villain who wants to destroy a sun, why would you do it at a point when he has the upper hand and is only moments from accomplishing his goal?  Why wouldn't you do it at a time when he is more vulnerable (like when he was on the ship)?  Also, of all the people you are going to enlist to help you stop this guy, why would you pick fat old man James T. Kirk?

[FanboyOf91]

If DS9 had been today, it would be contending for Emmys.

 

33 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

  II, III, and IV worked really well together.  I don't think I need to say anything about II; fantastic movie with such large presences.  That they built so much tension between Kirk and Kahn with them only ever seeing each other on the viewscreens is a testament to the writing and acting.I love how the Enterprise is still very beat up in III after the events of II.  IV... well I'm not as big on it as others.  Not super big on doing yet another Time Travel thing, and even then it was a missed opportunity to show the a world ready to be ruled by Kahn as he was due to rise in a decade's time.  I do think it was neat that they went through that whole movie in the stolen Klingon Bird Of Prey, though.

 

Underrated sci-fi trilogy tbh.

[RemoveSnyder]

 

[Riggo-toni]

2 hours ago, Ron78 said:

 

I thought the first season of Enterprise had some decent episodes (particularly the ones with the Andorians) 

That actor who played a different alien in all the newer ST series is really good. His line about "pink-skin" was amusing.

[DCSaints_fan]

For those that voted TOS, tell me you can watch this with a straight face

 

 

[Larry]

I can. 

 

Is it cheesy by today's standards? Absolutely. In fact, the plot of the episode was, let's say below average. But I'm willing to forgive that. 

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

Enterprise.  Outside of most of the movies and the original series, I never watched a lot of Star Trek.   The original series I enjoyed as a kid (it was re-runs every Saturday for me), but I was into Star Wars a lot more, so it was just another cool show to watch, but never a priority.  My favorite movies were The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home.  

 

I never got into TNG, Voyager or DS9.  I watched some in college as my roommate was a fan, so we had to share the TV.  Whichever one the Borg was in, I liked that and found it pretty cool.  After the movie reboots, I got into Star Trek more.  I've loved/enjoyed all the new reboot movies and I could care less about getting hard core Trekie hate for it.  

 

I was going to try and watch the series in order of the date range it started in instead of the order of the series.  I watched Enterprise and loved it.  Right now I'm watching TNG and Voyager, flipping back and forth with those.  I know I should watch TNG first but I don't care.  I've not gotten far enough into the first season of either to be honest.  But, I can say I'm enjoying both of those series as an adult and am glad I started watching them.

 

As for the new series, I think it will be fine and it looks like I would enjoy it.  Again, since I really just started getting into the series recently, none of the things that bother most impact me in any way shape or form.  What I don't like is I'll have to get CBS Access to watch it.  And evidently the Stargate franchise took the same approach for the new Stargate series coming out this fall.  You have to subscribe to Stargate Command and stream the new show.  Looking forward to that show as well, I'm a huge Stargate fan.

[Destino]

The Next Generation, likely because that's the one that was on when I was old enough to care about star trek. 

 

There was an animated series? 

[nonniey]

15 hours ago, Burgold said:

Yeah, the acting was occasionally cheesy in TOS, but I think the special effects were actually pretty good considering it was the '60's and the network didn't really support or believe in the show. 

 

The transporters still hold up. The phasers and space battles not so much. 

 

Each did did have something going for it. 

Oh I don't know about the weapons part I always thought the original photon torpedoes got it right and all the movies and follow-on shows screwed that up. The original photon torps had multi megaton blasts - a hit to an unshielded target and it is over (near misses could cause serious damage or even destruction) the newer versions have tiny explosions that may destroy parts of a vessel and have to get a direct hit to cause damage).

 

That said the original by far is the best show. Best writers/stories, best characters (more likable too), and heck more mystery (The Crew seemed to have to learn/ grope their way around to solve the problem of the week the later series especially TNG, just seemed to come across as know-it-alls that needed to convince the problem to adapt to their superior ways).  

 

So My rankings

#1 TOS

#2 DS9 (They tried to correct some of the stupidity of TNG)

#3 Enterprise (Vulcan Eye candy)

#4 Voyager (Borg Eye Candy)

#5 Animated series - no eye candy

#6 TNG (One of the really good things about the Star Trek reboot is it erases Ryker's existence - it got a bit better in later years but some of the characters, show's attitudes, and notions were so bad it can make one retch)

[AsburySkinsFan]

It may be blasphemy, but I love the new series. 

[PokerPacker]

7 hours ago, Destino said:

The Next Generation, likely because that's the one that was on when I was old enough to care about star trek. 

 

There was an animated series? 

Heck yeah there was.  I've got it on DVD.

[China]

19 hours ago, DCSaints_fan said:

For those that voted TOS, tell me you can watch this with a straight face

Kirk vs. Gorn

 

 

I voted for TOS, because many of the stories were true original sci-fi even if the acting was overdone, and the special effects dated.

 

If you want an episode to laugh at, go for Spock's Brain: