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  • 02-04-2013 6:04pm
    #1
    Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭


    I've a long summer ahead and want to get through a few entire series and will be focusing on Sci Fi so with Star Trek I was wondering what's the best way to go about watching it. Is it as simple as chronological order?


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    Star Trek: The Original Series {TOS} - Ran for three seasons, 1967-1969. Its a fourty four old sci-fi show, so don't expect Avatar-esque like effects :P The episodes are mostly, if not all, unconnected to each other & there's some pretty good vintage sci-fi viewing in there. It has been recently enough remastered on Blue Ray, & the effects have been replaced with CG ones if thats your posion.

    Star Trek TOS-era Movies: Six movies, picking up after the tv show ended. 2,3 & 4 form a loose arc & should be watched in order. 2 & 6 are by far the best.

    Star Trek: The Next Generation {TNG} - Set about 70 years after the events of the final TOS era movie, TNG is a new ship & a new crew. It ran for seven seasons, & again, the majority of the entire series is episodic & there's no big story arcs. TNG's first & second season havn't aged all too well {they are 26 years old!} but after that the show hits its stride & really raised the bar for Star Trek. Very highly rated show, again though, you have to stick with it through its shaky roots.

    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine {DS9} - Ran concurrently with TNG from season 6 onwards. Its set in the same time-frame as TNG & focuses on another entirely new crew. This time however, its set on a fixed location, a space station that doesn't travel around...adventure, comes to it! The station is beside a stable wormhole, that leads to the other side of the galaxy, & that allows further development. Like TNG, its beginnings are weak up until about season 3 {though season 2 had some fantastic eps}. but it seriously hits a stride from then on. Its the first Trek to introduce a very long story arc, in the form of a war which runs until the very end of the show. Its absolutely brilliantly brilliant stuff, & prob my personal favourite. Its a darker, gloomier setting & explores everything from Religion to War.

    Star Trek: Voyager {VOY} - This ran concurrently with DS9 from about season 5/6 onwards. Its about a ship named Voyager, that is thrown from one side of the Galaxy to the other...& its entire seven seasons is one long story arc about their journey home. Again its an all new crew on an all new ship. Its set in the same time frame as TNG & DS9, but there's very little crossover given how far away the ship gets stranded. I've done a recent enough rewatch of this, & like the previous two...its starts terrible but does improve. I enjoyed it a lot by the time I'd finished, & feel it got a worse reputation that it deserved. Its worth watching, but TNG & DS9 are largely superior.

    Star Trek TNG-era Movies:

    Star Trek: Generations - This was the first of the TNG era movies, it aired after TNG had finished on tv.
    Star Trek: First Contact - This came next, was a far better effort.
    Star Trek: Insurrection - Third outing for the TNG crew on the big screen. Not as good as First Contact.
    Star Trek: Nemesis - The final TNG movie. None of these movies, perhaps except First Contact, require you to actually know anything about Trek. Though its prob best you avoid these until your more familiar with it.

    Star Trek: Enterprise {ENT} - This is a prequel show, that was chronologically the most recent one, but is set about a hundred years before TOS. Its about the very beginnings of Trek, how it all got started etc. Obviously a new crew & ship...though this only got four seasons. It gets a lot of flak from fans, but its actually a great show & by the time it was hitting the fourth season, it was well up there with TNG imo.

    Star Trek: XI - This is a reboot of Star Trek & a JJ Abrams film. Its set in the TOS era, featuring the TOS crew {obviously different actors} but is set in an alternate timeline to the already established Star Trek. This allows it to do whatever it wants as its separate from everything else that came before it. There's a sequel to this film coming out in Summer, Star Trek Into Darkness.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    I've left out the Animated Series which was set between the end of TOS season 3, & the first TOS movie, you can disregard these for the moment.Well, with all that out of the way...it should paint an idea of what your getting yourself into :P My own personal recommendation to you would be this:

    Star Trek 2 - The Wrath Of Khan
    Star Trek 6 - The Undiscovered Country


    Both TOS-era feature films. Watch them, & it will give you a feel for the TOS, & fine examples they are. Next:

    Star Trek TNG:

    Season 2 Episode 16 "Q-Who?"
    Season 3 Episode 15 "Yesterday's Enterprise"
    Season 3 Episode 26 "The Best Of Both Worlds Pt.1"
    Season 4 Episode 1 "The Best Of Both Worlds Pt.2"
    Season 4 Episode 12 "The Wounded"
    Season 4 Episode 26 "Redemption Pt.1"
    Season 5 Episode 1 "Redemption Pt.2"
    Season 6 Episode 10 "Chain Of Command Pt.1"
    Season 6 Episode 11 "Chain Of Command Pt.2"

    That will give you a fairly good idea on the strengths of TNG. By now, you should be well hooked! If you like what you see, go back & watch the whole show from the beginning. After that:

    Star Trek DS9:

    Season 1 Episode 19 "Duet"
    Season 2 Episode 13 "Armageddon Game"
    Season 2 Episode 14 "Whispers"
    Season 2 Episode 22 "The Wire"
    Season 3 Episode 7 "Civil Defense"
    Season 3 Episode 17 "Visionary"
    Season 3 Episode 20 "Improbable Cause"
    Season 3 Episode 21 "The Die Is Cast"
    Season 4 Episode 8 "Little Green Men"
    Season 5 Episode 2 "The Ship"
    Season 5 Episode 24 "Empok Nor"
    Season 5 Episode 26 "Call To Arms"

    I'll not recommend anything after season 5 of DS9 incase it spoils the way the show builds up & ends. But from the above recommendations, you should have your appetite fairly whetted for more. If you like what you see, go back & watch the whole show from the start.

    I think that should be plenty of watching for you over the summer if you have the time. Basically watch Star Trek 2 & 6, then all the eps I mentioned above. After that you'll either want to watch from the start or not. I'd leave out watching any of the TNG era movies for the time being, I'd also not worry about VOY or ENT until your happy with what you see in the above episodes. If you complete TNG & DS9 fully, then move on to Voyager. Then watch the TNG movies, & finally watch Enterprise :) Enjoy man, oh and...

    welcome-to-the-party-pal.jpg


  • Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Thanks for that but I have to...



    :o


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    Lol, yeah, I like Star Trek :o I'll be interested in seeing how you get on so keep us posted :)


  • Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    It'll likely be a couple of months before I really jump in what with exams etc., going to get short stretches in for that time, the odd season of a show here and there. When I do get onto full series I expect I'll do BSG (short and simple) first before settling in for Star Trek. Gonna be a fun summer. ^_^

    EDIT: Sorry just one last thing. I think it was last year I saw one of the channels on Sky advertising a HD version of TOS. Obviously HD would be nice but I assume that that version is the one with all the updated CGI etc.? I'm open to correction on Star Trek specifically but in general I much prefer original stuff so I assume I should stick with SD sources?


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    Watch the two movies at some stage first {2 & 6}, see what you think. Have you ever watched any Trek at all before?


  • Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I remember TOS when I was a kid seeming good. :pac: I'm sure I remember some of TNG being good and intended to watch DS9 ages ago and never got around to it. Haven't watched any of the films.

    Probably not the way to go into it but I know I'll like it. I'm going to absolutely fly through it and it'll be nice to have more than 90 episodes of something (well... :pac: ) to watch in a few-week marathon. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    I remember TOS when I was a kid seeming good. :pac: I'm sure I remember some of TNG being good and intended to watch DS9 ages ago and never got around to it. Haven't watched any of the films.

    Probably not the way to go into it but I know I'll like it. I'm going to absolutely fly through it and it'll be nice to have more than 90 episodes of something (well... :pac: ) to watch in a few-week marathon. :)

    I envy you, good times ahead sir. Seeing most of it all for the first time :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,551 ✭✭✭Goldstein


    I'd start with some solid character based reset-button episodes but steer clear of the epic blockbusters at the start (BOBW for instance). Save those gems for when you're more familiar with the characters and setup so you'll really be able to appreciate the spectacle and weight of what you're seeing. Some great examples mentioned above and we could easily throw another 30 where they came from at you if you enjoy those.

    I showed a buddy (who's well able to appreciate a quality tv show) who doubted the class of DS9 but hadn't seen many eps In the Pale Moonlight and his reaction was less than stellar - he just didn't get it and couldn't appreciate who the characters were or all the facets and nuances of their personalities that had built up over time - something I'd taken for granted. Naturally I threw him out an airlock without further ado but I won't make that mistake with the next inductee!


  • Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    So many years later I watched TOS through on Netflix and the first 2 films so far.

    Obviously the third season drags and is a bit rocky but the first season and a half are just outstanding. So funny to see tropes and references I recognise and realising that they all came from a show that was on the air 40+ years previously.
    Looking at the show with "modern" eyes does it something of a disservice. Some of the criticism of the acting is unfair when it's put in its proper time and context I feel. But hey, haters gonna hate. :pac:

    Will get through the rest of TOS films (pain they're not on Netflix) then will just go chronologically for a bit.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,723 ✭✭✭Evade


    If you happen to be watching the films on Sky the version of Star Trek VI they have is a shorter version that leaves out a few important details in the ending.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,207 ✭✭✭✭TheValeyard


    Evade wrote: »
    If you happen to be watching the films on Sky the version of Star Trek VI they have is a shorter version that leaves out a few important details in the ending.

    What they leave out? Curious now.

    Fcuk Putin. Glory to Ukraine!



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,723 ✭✭✭Evade


    What they leave out? Curious now.
    The biggest thing that comes to mind is the identity of the "Klingon" sniper in the climax is completely cut out


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 35,941 CMod ✭✭✭✭pixelburp


    Do we know why they do that? Running time or censoring violence I guess?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,723 ✭✭✭Evade


    After a bit of googling it looks like it's the theatrical cut vs home release. I'm not sure why the Sky on demand version is the theatrical version, I'm almost certain when it's on scheduled Sky movies it's the longer version.


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,557 ✭✭✭✭AMKC
    Ms


    So many years later I watched TOS through on Netflix and the first 2 films so far.

    Obviously the third season drags and is a bit rocky but the first season and a half are just outstanding. So funny to see tropes and references I recognise and realising that they all came from a show that was on the air 40+ years previously.
    Looking at the show with "modern" eyes does it something of a disservice. Some of the criticism of the acting is unfair when it's put in its proper time and context I feel. But hey, haters gonna hate. :pac:

    Will get through the rest of TOS films (pain they're not on Netflix) then will just go chronologically for a bit.

    I envy you this journey you are taking.

    Don't watch any of the TNG films untill you have seen all seven seasons of TNG or you will just ruin it. You could I suppose possibly watch "Insurrection" but I would definitely leave the other films untill you have seen all of TNG.

    Live long and Prosper

    Peace and long life.



  • Registered Users Posts: 262 ✭✭tromtipp


    This podcast, put together in 2016, followed the timeline of the ST universe as established, doing Enterprise first, then TOS and TAS, then dodged between the subsequent series as they were aired, so that some things alluded to in more than one series unrolled in the 'right' order. It worked well I think. The quality of the short podcast episodes varies, but the better ones add interesting and enjoyable stuff.

    http://www.trek.fm/from-there-to-here-home


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,207 ✭✭✭✭TheValeyard


    Just to reminder to the OP



    TNG got a HD remaster in Netflix.

    DS9 has not, so prepare for a bit of a CGI downgrade. But special effects on DS9 still hold up well.

    Fcuk Putin. Glory to Ukraine!



  • Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    By the time I get to DS9 it'll probably have a 4K remaster.😁



  • Registered Users Posts: 12,207 ✭✭✭✭TheValeyard


    I'd love it, but apparently the original tapes needed to convert to HD were lost. Or something like that. Fingers crossed though!! Some fans did a small clip or two with its potential.

    Fcuk Putin. Glory to Ukraine!



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