Star Trek all series appreciation thread

[last.caress]

What are your thoughts on Discovery and Picard?

I'm enjoying them both so far. I think I might narrowly prefer DIS to PIC but they're both quite different shows. PIC feels a little more... contemplative? Grown up? Maybe it's because it's dealing with a considerably older version of an iconic character. I'm not sure how much I like seeing the great Jean-Luc Picard being dismissed by Starfleet - literally and figuratively - and now having to make do with a ragtag bunch in a ragtag ship, but the story they're trying to tell has legs, and it's been terrific seeing a far more human Seven of Nine.

DIS surely represents the best that Star Trek has ever looked, with arguably the best ship of the bunch in the USS Discovery and that spore-driven "spin" that it performs whenever it makes a jump in space. And most of the characters are a likeable crew, too. I preferred the first season over the second (general consensus on t'internet appears to be the other way around) but the show seems to be in an intriguing place for season three. Plus, even though I like these more modern, arc-driven shows, there's the welcome return to a more episodic format to look forward to when DIS spin-off Star Trek: Strange New Worlds arrives.

[smuts]

I also preferred the first series of Discovery. The second with it's AI goes rogue and tries to wipe out humanity was a bit old hat to be honest.

I prefer Trek a bit more whacky to be honest like when the Enterprise gets stopped by a giant hand or something daft.

[monkeyhanger]

The original 60s has never been bettered IMO. The interplay between the characters was what made it special and the cheesy sci-fi sets and aliens.

I hated the Next Generation as it was everything the original series wasn’t. Issues solved by sitting in the ready room and reaching consensus like some boring corporate entity. It was only interesting when they introduced the rebellious character of Ensign Ro.

Deep Space Nine was the best of the 90s shows as it was a bit wilder and wierder than the others. The episode where they went back to the 60s Enterprise and mingled with the old crew and Tribbles was great.

Of the recent two shows I preferred Discovery but could never get over the fact that they had Shazad Latif aka Clem Fandango from Toast of London in it.

['Appy 'Ammer]

The original 60s has never been bettered IMO. The interplay between the characters was what made it special and the cheesy sci-fi sets and aliens.

I hated the Next Generation as it was everything the original series wasn’t. Issues solved by sitting in the ready room and reaching consensus like some boring corporate entity. It was only interesting when they introduced the rebellious character of Ensign Ro.

Deep Space Nine was the best of the 90s shows as it was a bit wilder and wierder than the others. The episode where they went back to the 60s Enterprise and mingled with the old crew and Tribbles was great.

Of the recent two shows I preferred Discovery but could never get over the fact that they had Shazad Latif aka Clem Fandango from Toast of London in it.

Can you hear me?

[bobby0303]

I think I might narrowly prefer DIS to PIC...

This is interesting, as the reason I ask being that you are a 'newer' Star Trek fan compared to someone like myself. I do prefer Picard to Discovery but that may be partly down to returning characters from my younger days. I also think the story is a bit more interesting and original in Picard with the old hero going out trying to find a meaningful way in the world/universe. The characters come across a bit more well thought out in my opinion. As a long-time ST watcher though, the last couple of episodes didn't sit all that well with me, it appeared they wrote themselves into a corner and desperately tried to find a way out of it.

Disco I've enjoyed also but not quite as much. Again, as a long time watcher, the spore drive doesn't sit well with me as it seems to negate the whole point of adventuring because they can seemingly go anywhere in the universe whenever they want. I love the special effects for it, however. The first season came over as a bit of a mess (not surprising really as they changed the show runner once or twice which kept the shows tone and story changing basically right up until airing). I believe I read somewhere that the whole point of Discovery was going to be showing war with the Klingons, but they quickly changed that with a new showrunner, wrapped up the war as soon as possible and came up with the mirror universe. The second season, yes it's all been seen before, but they had an idea of what they wanted to do going into it and they ran with it. The third season does look intriguing. Oh and Michael is the main character but probably the least interesting, held up only by a decent actor.

Looking forward to Strange New Worlds, the actors playing Spock, Number One and Pike all look like they have fun in their roles.



Also - Jadzia Dax > Seven of Nine > Troi

[monkeyhanger]

Can you hear me?

Yes I can hear you.

[Bend it like Repka]

DIS surely represents the best that Star Trek has ever looked, with arguably the best ship of the bunch in the USS Discovery and that spore-driven "spin" that it performs whenever it makes a jump in space.

Personally I didn't like DIS at all. Maybe the first episodes about Michael but I just found the parallel universe stuff pretty desperate writing. Also I'm being picky but the story pre dates Star Trek yet the spore drive is way ahead of any ship in future series.

I thought Picard was excellent however.

[Bend it like Repka]

Also taking this thread to a slight tangent, I've never watched it first time round, but what are people's thoughts on Battlestar Galactica?

BBC2 have taken to showing them, and the series has good reviews on both IMdb and Rotten Tomatoes.

As someone who watched the original series as a kid I thought I'd like a modernised revamp, but I've seen the 2 pilot episodes and first 2 of the series and it's a bit Meh to me.

Any thoughts?

[last.caress]

Also taking this thread to a slight tangent, I've never watched it first time round, but what are people's thoughts on Battlestar Galactica?

You can keep the original Battlestar Galactica from the seventies with Lorne Greene and Face out of The A-Team but the mid-noughties remake was, imho, outstanding. Truly exceptional. Tripped over itself a little right at the very death but it had given me more than enough by then to overlook its inability to quite stick the landing. Honestly, can't recommend it highly enough.

[bobby0303]

Agreed, stick with Battlestar Galactica. I think it was my favourite sci-fi series of all time.

[Clacton-ammer]

You can keep the original Battlestar Galactica from the seventies with Lorne Greene and Face out of The A-Team but the mid-noughties remake was, imho, outstanding. Truly exceptional. Tripped over itself a little right at the very death but it had given me more than enough by then to overlook its inability to quite stick the landing. Honestly, can't recommend it highly enough.

It's on BBC i player & I am going through it at the moment. Agreed, it is outstanding, it is also arguably the sexiest/erotic sci fi series ever, it's such a tease

[sanchoz]

Personally I didn't like DIS at all. Maybe the first episodes about Michael but I just found the parallel universe stuff pretty desperate writing. Also I'm being picky but the story pre dates Star Trek yet the spore drive is way ahead of any ship in future series.

That is the thing that sticks in my mind when I think of DIS. When the series runs its course they will have to come up with some sort of storyline where everything is put under the most strictest of confidentiality/locked away in the Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark warehouse facility, never to be referred to again or the timeline gets totally lost to another dimension/reality. Voyager could have really used some of that technology and knowledge when they got stuck in the delta quadrant.

[last.caress]

I'm being picky but the story pre dates Star Trek yet the spore drive is way ahead of any ship in future series.

they will have to come up with some sort of storyline where everything is put under the most strictest of confidentiality... never to be referred to again... Voyager could have really used some of that technology and knowledge when they got stuck in the delta quadrant.

From Memory Alpha (LINK) (I've blued it out because it's a bit spoilery for those who may still have DIS on their watchlist):

After a pitched battle with Control's forces, Burnham successfully opened the wormhole, taking Discovery through with her. Pike, his first officer Una, Spock, and acting Section 31 chief Tyler all reported to Starfleet Command that Discovery was destroyed with all hands. Spock furthermore recommended that in order to prevent such incidents with Section 31 from happening again, that all participants in the event were to be barred from talking about Discovery, her crew, or her spore drive under penalty of treason. (DIS: "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2")

It's a reach for sure but then again so is most of it.

[Bend it like Repka]

It's a reach for sure but then again so is most of it.

Yes, because when Earth was going to be assimilated by the Borg, or destroyed by Nero in later years I'm sure Starfleet would prefer to keep the Spore Drive off limits.....

[last.caress]

But were the crew of the Discovery entirely on the record about exactly how they were operating the spore drive, ie via the tardigrade and, later, Stamets? If that information is lost, it won't be much use ~100-odd years later when the Borg attack.

I think it's probably just one of those wonky, don't-quite-fit things that we have to simply let go, like Picard being fast-tracked to "Locutus of Borg" when all the rest are drones (I think it would've been more distressing in its way to have seen Picard assimilated as just another Borg on a random cube tbh), or The Dominion going through Romulan space to attack the Federation, or the ever-changing faces of the Klingons, no matter how many times they attempt to explain it away, or how Janeway is able to issue starfleet senior ranking positions to Maquis members. Or, taking it away from Star Trek but looking at another long-running franchise, the Simpsons-style approach to the timeline in the James Bond movies (not the Daniel Craig ones, which reboot the character), where he's an active agent at his peak for forty years. It's all incompatible if you think about it for a minute, but it also all works if you think about it for a lot more than a minute and are happy to perform a few mental gymnastics whilst squinting.

[smuts]

The BSG movie (or double length TV episode) was great especially with the added bonus of Jane Seymour.

The remake started off brilliantly especially the episode where they had to make light speed jumps constantly but it did disappear up its own arse towards the end.

[sanchoz]

From Memory Alpha (LINK) (I've blued it out because it's a bit spoilery for those who may still have DIS on their watchlist).........

Yes, because when Earth was going to be assimilated by the Borg, or destroyed by Nero in later years I'm sure Starfleet would prefer to keep the Spore Drive off limits.....

I'd still think a file on the whole situation would be kept under the strictest lock and key in Starfleet HQ which would only be accessed in case of emergency.

[Bend it like Repka]

I'd still think a file on the whole situation would be kept under the strictest lock and key in Starfleet HQ which would only be accessed in case of emergency.

In fact as proof of this in both Star Trek - Insurrection and Into Darkness there were secret wings of Star Fleet building illegal weapons subject to the laws of the time.

['Appy 'Ammer]

Discovery series 3 is back on and not bad. Series 6 of TNG really took off as a great show.

[Bend it like Repka]

Into series 2 of Battlestar Galactica, and it's still fairly Meh.

Don't see what the fuss is all about really.