Star Trek

[RusskyParticipant 13503]

I’ve never seen a single episode of it, but there are so many references to in in the culture, that got me curious enough to consider losing my Star Trek virginity.
Despite being a sci-fi nut, Star Trek always appeared boring and lame to me, mostly because I hate soap opera format (with a rare exception of Breaking Bad).
I have no idea how many seasons and movies were made, but I’m assuming I’d need a good year to go through all of it – something I can’t justify.
It’s probably so huge – I have no idea where to start or how to approach it.
So I thought I should ask if there are any Star Trek fans here, who could maybe point me to the most interesting season, or maybe there is something like a glossary where all the Star Trek knowledge is condensed into say a movie-long format – something I could stomach.
Thanks for your help

proud carrier of the 'why?' chromosome

[Anonymous 42]

TV series 1 or two?

Movies? they also made a few those too.

If I were to get a worthwhile series I would go with Kung-fu, lots of MGTOW wisdom there.

I have Hogan’s heroes, another show free of roastbeef except fraulein Helga, Col klink’s suckretary!

[HitmanParticipant]

hey russky,
start with season 1 of the original t.v. series.
amazon should have it..
there were 3 seasons on t.v.of the original.
after that i’m no help because i didn’t like anything star trek related made after the original ..

[TuneoutParticipant]

Hitman wrote:

hey russky,
start with season 1 of the original t.v. series.
amazon should have it..
there were 3 seasons on t.v.of the original.
after that i’m no help because i didn’t like anything star trek related made after the original ..

I’m pretty biased too,unlike most fans

Checkout the Original series and The Next Generation if you want the real meaning of the show,the movies aren’t too bad either but stay away from that Nu Trek crap.

2009 and on it’s just like any other si-fi action flick
the meaning has been lost IMO.

Lifes a bitch,but you don't have to marry one!

[uchibenkeiParticipant 7965]

i would start with the movies. don’t bother with the original 60’s tv show.

I bathe in the tears of single moms.

[DarkRyuParticipant 2354]

Star Trek is great, but the last decent TV series was Voyager (1995). All of the new movies that have come out absolutely sucked. If all you want to do is watch meaningless explosions, have no plot or decent story, and assault your eardrums for hours on end, then the new movies are for you! And no matter how hard they try to convince me, I can’t see those f~~~ed up characters as Kirk and Spock. They’re terrible.

Just like pretty much all movies today, it’s nothing but a money grab. “Let’s s~~~ out this steaming pile and people will buy it because the only stuff out there nowadays is a steaming pile!” No thank you. There are plenty of movies and TV shows from 1980-2000 to keep me entertained. I won’t buy horses~~~.

[bladeParticipant]

Any star trek involving the borg is good.Locutus is head of the borg they are all drones and assimilate others to join there collective.You will see locutus of borg as the ultimate feminist who the star trek crews always f~~~ her up.

THE PLANTATION HAS NOW TURNED INTO THE KILLING FIELDS . WOMAN ARE NOW ROLLING CAMBODIAN STYLE .

[Biggvs_DickvsParticipant 3725]

Russky wrote:

Despite being a sci-fi nut, Star Trek always appeared boring and lame to me, mostly because I hate soap opera format (with a rare exception of Breaking Bad).

It’s only soap opera format until you get familiar with the premise and setting/background which happens after only a few episodes. Then it doesn’t seem that way at all. Trust me on that – I know exactly what you mean.

There is an episode in the 5th season of the Next Generation called “Darmok.” If you want to know what it is about Star Trek that so many of us find truly amazing, that episode will make it incredibly clear.

DarkRyu wrote:

“Let’s s~~~ out this steaming pile and people will buy it because the only stuff out there nowadays is a steaming pile!”

True dat. Hollywood has f~~~ed the franchise lately, but there are some really cool third party productions happening like Star Trek Renegades that have potential to breathe real life back.

Remember, it was ALWAYS about the IDEAS, POSSIBILITIES (of life in the universe), and the writing, not the special effects, or even the acting.

If you approach it with the idea of wondering “what if was like -this- on some other planet, with other beings,” then you’ll be amazed at what it has to offer. Funny how more than one thing from the show has ended up becoming reality mere decades later.

"Data, I would be delighted to offer any advice I can on understanding women. When I have some, I'll let you know." --Captain Picard,

[Biggvs_DickvsParticipant 3725]

I should also mention that the original series (TOS) is well worth watching as well. I TOTALLY get what you mean about the soap opera format – that’s why I never watched the original until long after I had seen the full run of the next generation.

You just have to remember it was in its infancy, it’s was 1960’s (TV!) special effects and sets/props/wardrobe they had to work with, the limitations of being in tv show format on CBS, and William Shatner.

And they still managed to make something that was (and still is) just really really cool. Remember – it’s about the writing and ideas, so you have to give it a chance, look past shatner and some of the cheezy dialog (remember 60’s CBS), and be a little patient for the full picture to come through about what Roddenberry was trying to do.

Still, I recommend starting with the next generation. For my money, it’s still the most fun, easiest to watch, and has a good look and feel about it.

It also has some of the coolest characters.

A couple of them worth being familiar with so you’re not all like “WTF?” when they do their thing are:

Mr. Data: The sentient android who is always working on becoming more human, can solve complex equations in fractions of seconds, but doesn’t understand something as simple as laughter.

Councilor Troy: Telepathic chick, but can only read emotional states – still VERY helpful in any negotiation because she basically knows instantly if anyone is lying.

Geordi Laforge: Chief Engineer, basically the “Scotty” of STNG. Born blind – that’s why he has that weird headband thing over his eyes.

The rest you’ll figure out quick and easy, but it helps to know what’s up with those three or some of their behavior/dialog might not make a lot of sense at first.

Seriously check out the “Darmok” episode. If you watch that all the way through, you’ll at least understand what it is that we see in the show and will know if you want to check out more.

It also has some genuine MGTOW aspects in that it shows what two determined men can accomplish, even if they don’t speak the same language.

"Data, I would be delighted to offer any advice I can on understanding women. When I have some, I'll let you know." --Captain Picard,

[Anonymous 54]

I watched the original tv show. I loved Bill Shatners over acting. Some where silly. The “trouble with tribles” if you want a laugh.Thers one where Spok falls in love and acts the fool. I love that one. One where the children are in charge. Like today!

[Anonymous 54]

@Mgt. I loved Hogans Heros!
Clink and Berkhaulter eating in a resteraunt, and two tables over Hogan is on a date with Helga! F~~~ing ridicoulus. I thought Ivan Dixon was cool. One of the first Black guys on tv.

[Biggvs_DickvsParticipant 3725]

Anonymous wrote:

I watched the original tv show. I loved Bill Shatners over acting. Some where silly. The “trouble with tribles” if you want a laugh.

Totally. I’m just thinking for a first time out STNG is better to really see what it’s about at the core.

Just steer clear of DS9, definitely Enterprise, and even voyager, at least in the beginning. They’re good for a “fix” once you’re hooked, but start off with the good stuff.

"Data, I would be delighted to offer any advice I can on understanding women. When I have some, I'll let you know." --Captain Picard,

[AwakenedParticipant 35201]

Tuneout wrote:

Checkout the Original series and The Next Generation

Good Choices!!!
You have to “get to know” the original series to become friends with it because as others have stated the limited 60’s tech., and some of the goofy lines/overacting might put you off at first. I have watched the original off and on since the early 70’s and still watch it today.
I haven’t watched The Next Generation in many years, but that gives me the idea that I should order it up on DVD. Good Stuff!!

In a World of Justin Beibers Be a Johnny Cash

[OldBillParticipant]

Star Trek… f~~~…

A mediocre to good with occasional flashes of brilliance television show completely ruined by it fan base. (Doctor Who is pretty much the same.)

Trek, Russky, can be fun, goofy, dramatic, and occasionally brilliant. Trekkies, on the other hand, are a plague. Think of all the bad attributes of feminists, SJWs, or cult members of any stripe and you’ve got Trekkies.

I’m old enough to remember watching the original 1960s version when it was first broadcast. Roddenberry claimed different later, but at first Trek was really just another western. Still, the show did things no one was doing in the 60s and I’m not talking about that “first” interracial kiss nonsense.

One episode, whose name escapes me, has Kirk and the obligatory alien chick seducing each other. The scene changes and, when we get back to them, she’s laying in bed while Kirk sits on the bed putting on his boots. It was obvious even to my young mind that they’d just had sex. Even hinting at that was near taboo for 60s TV, but Trek “got away” with it because it was sci-fi/fantasy much like how the current crop of prime time cartoons like Family Guy, South Park, or Archer, and the like “get away” with dialogue and content which live action TV cannot.

Anyway, as an engineer with a science degree and as a long time reader of sci-fi, I’ve a love/hate relationship with all versions of Trek. At it’s best, Trek is fantastic, but it’s rarely at it’s best despite what Trekkies would have you believe.

As for which episodes to watch, avoid the “techno-babble” ones and look for those dealing with people. The 1980s/90s The Next Generation version will seem less jarring SFX, technically and script wise then the 1960s Original Series. Voyager and Enterprise are basically s~~~ while Deep Space 9 went in for long story arcs in a deliberate attempt to copy Babylon Five.

Others have already mentioned the superb episode Darmok. I’ll add The Inner Light and The Measure of A Man.

Trek, like many things, is mostly s~~~. You’ll find a few worthy nuggets however.

Do not date. Do not impregnate. Do not co-habitate. Above all, do not marry. Reclaim and never again surrender your personal sovereignty.

[GrumpyParticipant]

Watch them all, make up your own mind.
I mostly liked all of the star trek versions, A few I had issues with, but that’s my issue.
For me, the franchise is about what could be possible, in an entertaining way, sometimes interspersed with social agendas.

There was a time in my life when I gave a fuck. Now you have to pay ME for it

[narwhalParticipant]

What I’ve always liked about a lot of the Trek shows is that they were not just about special effects, some make believe stories, or just the novelty of space. Quite frequently, the contents of the story were a reflection of real life. The issues the characters faced were issues that watching can understand and be familiar with. Space was just the backdrop and method for getting the message across in a creative way.

Most shows these days are just about getting good ratings. It’s shock value and telling people what they want to hear. You can’t take anything away from the show except wasted time.

Ok. Then do it.

[StandUpGuyParticipant 334]

Deep space 9 rocks; it is known as dark but it is really cool.

For my money I like Babylon 5 : Who are you? What do you want?

Love it.

[OldBillParticipant]

Anonymous wrote:

… Hogan’s heroes…

Despite watching it as a kid, I can’t watch Hogan’s Heroes these days without getting a slightly creepy frisson. Knowing what I know now about Bob Crane’s “leisure” activities, nearly every line and scene comes across as a double entendre.

I mean, we’re talking about a man whose murder is still unsolved primarily because there were too many suspects.

The woman in the picture with him was Crane’s second wife, Sigrid Valdis. They met on the show and apparently shared similar “interests” so Crane divorced his first wife and married her. The son they had set up a website a several years back selling copies of Crane’s “home movies”.

Crane’s son from his first marriage wrote a book recently in which he stated his suspicions that Valdis was somehow mixed up in Crane’s murder. Crane and she had separated a few years before his murder. While she claimed they had reconciled and Crane’s older children claimed they hadn’t, it didn’t matter because Crane hadn’t changed his will and she got everything.

Do not date. Do not impregnate. Do not co-habitate. Above all, do not marry. Reclaim and never again surrender your personal sovereignty.

[RemovedParticipant 4676]

I enjoy all of the original series.

Next Generation, avoid any episode that focuses on Troi. She is worthless and annoying. The best episodes are focused on Picard, Geordi and Data. Riker is too much of a woman pleaser.

Deep space nine is a good background noise show. I like Odo. That is about it.

Voyager is annoying in every way. Janeway is a nutcase that follows no logic. Worst captain of the lot. Seven is a hot body with an average face. Way too much freaking romance. Should be called Love Boat Trek.

Enterprise, never watched it, never will.

[OldBillParticipant]

Removed wrote:

Voyager is annoying in every way. Janeway is a nutcase that follows no logic.

That was a deliberate choice on Mulgrew’s part.

I attended a Q&A session with her when she was touring in a one woman show about Kate Hepburn. She had some rather interesting things to say about the theater. Everyone kept asking about acting, role prep, stage anecdotes, and so forth but some f~~~ing Trekkie with a neckbeard simply had to ask her about Voyager. Mulgrew didn’t pull any punches, so much so that I thought he was going to cry.

Anyway, the Voyager scripts turned to s~~~ very early on and things got worse. Whatever creative drive Paramount’s Trek production division had years earlier was drying up, a common occurrence in TV production. That division was also spread too thin by trying to run three shows at once and the studio was constantly pressuring them because the Trek shows were the linchpin of their UPN network launch.

With all the pressure and constant corporate oversight, the Trek production staffs became increasingly anal about everything, up to and including the actors changing lines or even words. (Billy Mumy has a great story about his brush with that level of control during a guest appearance.) The cast reacted to the s~~~ty scripts and increasing control in different ways.

The woman playing the first blonde alien decided not to bother, got out of her contract, and left the show. The guy playing the “Injun” did the opposite. He constantly bitched, moaned, and whined about the poor material, bombarded the production staff with memos, and was a general pain in the ass on the set. The staff reacted by all but writing him out of the show. The rest of the cast settled on keeping their heads down and cashing their checks. Mulgrew was a little sneakier however.

She noticed the scripts were s~~~ well before the audience did. She also noticed their was weak or no continuity for her character from script to script. Rather than argue that Janeway shouldn’t do X because she’d done Y last week, Mulgrew chose to gleefully emphasize Janeway’s increasing lack of continuity and irrational nature.

Mulgrew told the Trekkie flat out that she played Janeway as a schizoid. She didn’t even bother to make suggestions to or ask questions of the staff. Whatever s~~~ the staff handed her, she played it verbatim while “punching up” Janeway’s irrational behavior.

I’d have thought it impossible, but that basement dwelling Trekkie was whiter after hearing Mulgrew’s answers than he had been before. I don’t think he even bothered to finish his Cheetos.

Do not date. Do not impregnate. Do not co-habitate. Above all, do not marry. Reclaim and never again surrender your personal sovereignty.

[Author]

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