Current Events > I've never watched any Star Trek. If I had to pick one series

(+) Yeah! (+)

to hook me on the franchise, which would you recommend?
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All of them.
The original series can feel very dated though, so I'd start with The Next Generation.
Skip the animated series entirely.
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Original and TNG

Fuck the rest
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TNG is consistently better than TOS and is more "Star Trek" compared to DS9
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TNG. Watch the first two episodes and then skip the rest of season 1. The first season isn't that good.
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DS9 or TNG, but the first couple seasons of both are very slow going, so you'll likely get bored before you get to the good shows.

Unless you just really enjoy Trek.

Also, you could wait a bit and watch the new series that starts this month. Probably the least likely to bore you since it's not 20 years old like the others.
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Never watched the shows

My dad is a huge Trekkie though. He's always hated DS9 but I've never understood why.
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Doom_Art posted...

Never watched the shows

My dad is a huge Trekkie though. He's always hated DS9 but I've never understood why.

Because it has the highest potential for a great story arc, but they end up ruining it with nonsense.
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TNG, easily.

(But TNG season 1 is kinda rough, imo)
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Doom_Art posted...

My dad is a huge Trekkie though. He's always hated DS9 but I've never understood why.

it takes a lot of what people like about Trek and its great future, and tears it down reminding you that it's easy to be a saint in paradise
it's really good imo, but it's not a show the older fans tend to like since it's so different from the rest and the hopeful message they share
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N1NJAREB0RN posted...

Also, you could wait a bit and watch the new series that starts this month. Probably the least likely to bore you since it's not 20 years old like the others.

Or he could just stick a bunch of thumbtacks to his scrote
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You might try a few episodes of each series to see which one you like the best. Personally I vote the original because the bad production values add a camp factor I enjoy and I feel like you can best understand the references that way. The followups are much less campy/more straight sci fi.
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Hard to say. Probably The Next Generation.

The Original Series is incredibly dated and goofy now. Voyager is the most mindless, action series, but is incredibly controversial. Deep Space Nine is my favorite, but it is dark and has a very, very different feel. I couldn't get past the first few episodes of Enterprise. It was a hot mess.

The Next Generation is probably the most consistent and critically aclaimed. Be warned, though, the first two season are hit and miss (basically, it gets really good when Commander Riker grows a beard and they switch out the spandex uniforms for wool).

I'm probably in rare company, but I liked Enterprise a lot.
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original if you want to be a true fan

tng if you want to be a casual
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prince_leo posted...

TNG is consistently better than TOS and is more "Star Trek" compared to DS9

I would go with either TNG as it is the best in my book of ST deeo down, or ENT.

TOS is very dated, I have watch a few episodes inbetween DS9 episodes and can't really get into it.

I love TNG and ENT, DS9 is also very good from the 15 season 1 episodes I have seen.
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DS9 starts slow, but it's much more in line with modern serialized TV once it gets going. If you're into long form story driven stuff like The Wire or Breaking Bad, DS9 is as close as Trek gets to that style of TV. It doesn't really get into the serialization heavily until later on, but it has much more of it than TNG which is almost entirely a spatial anomaly of the week sort of thing.
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DS9. Everything else is just "oh, we're the awesome Federation." DS9 is shit getting fucking real.

Edit: Except all that Pah'wraith shit from the last season. Fuck that noise.
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Honestly, TNG.
If you want an unconventional Star Trek, go for DS9. I personally liked Voyager because of the underlying subplot of "must return home" but a lot of people didn't like that show.
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ds9 isn't gene's vision
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Philoktetes posted...

ds9 isn't gene's vision

Gene's dead.
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Philoktetes posted...

ds9 isn't gene's vision

Who cares though

It's just a TV show
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Philoktetes posted...

ds9 isn't gene's vision

Rodenberry gets too much credit. Gene Coon came up with half the shit people remember about Trek, like Klingons, Khan, the Federation, and the Prime Directive. TNG only became legitimately great once Michael Piller took over. Rodenberry's vision includes insane unfilmable nonsense like Risa being a weird gay orgy planet and stupid rules like "no internal conflict among main characters," as if the heart of TOS wasn't Spock and McCoy arguing about shit. Rodenberry's incredibly important, but his vision isn't infallible and often acted to detriment of the franchise when left uncontested.
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CW_McGraw posted...

stupid rules like "no internal conflict among main characters,"

IIRC, he also rejected or forced a rewrite of an episode about a child substituting his recently dead mother with a hologram because "humans won't grieve for the dead in that century."
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TNG

but being honest voyager got me into star trek so i have somewhat of an appreciation for it
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jumi posted...

DS9. Everything else is just "oh, we're the awesome Federation." DS9 is shit getting fucking real.

TNG - "Yeah, we don't use spies."
DS9 - "Well actually ..."
Voyager - "And we'd never betray our allies."
DS9 - "Except for that time ... "
TOS - "And we never, ever fire first!"
DS9 - "I think ..."
Everyone Else - "SHUT UP DS9!"

Banjo2553 posted...

I personally liked Voyager because of the underlying subplot of "must return home" but a lot of people didn't like that show.

The main problem with Voyager is that (besides it's so-so writing) it is a complete 'what could have been?". The premise was awesome. The idea of the Maquis and Starfleet having to work together is awesome. The idea that Voyager would have to set up a new Federation and fight an evil version of the Federation is awesome. The season long story arcs were a great idea way before their time. Using two different characters from TNG was an awesome idea. A female captain who is a bad ass example of the Federation ideals is awesome. The idea of a ship facing consequences and ending up being a hodgepodge of alien technology by the time they got home. Instead, it was just a safe bet that followed TNG too closely.

Ah, yes, Voyager.

Home of the holodeck that is somehow powered by the ship but is so incompatible that they keep it running because the power it uses can't be used anywhere else. There's even an episode where aliens take over Voyager and attach alien tech to the holodeck, meaning that an alien race from the other side of the galaxy is somehow better with technology they've never seen before than the actual Voyager engineers

.
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pegusus123456 posted...

There's even an episode where aliens take over Voyager and attach alien tech to the holodeck, meaning that an alien race from the other side of the galaxy is somehow better with technology they've never seen before than the actual Voyager engineers

That's actually not true. They use the holodecks for wargames with the crew, but they keep a large contingent of engineers under armed guard to maintain their simulation.

Honestly, a ton of the 'contradictions' or 'plot holes' people point out on the show are actually straight wrong.

DS9 is good, most of the rest is garbage.
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Dash_Harber posted...

That's actually not true. They use the holodecks for wargames with the crew, but they keep a large contingent of engineers under armed guard to maintain their simulation.

They have the holodeck connected to their own ship in one episode, almost positive.
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pegusus123456 posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

That's actually not true. They use the holodecks for wargames with the crew, but they keep a large contingent of engineers under armed guard to maintain their simulation.

They have the holodeck connected to their own ship in one episode, almost positive.

Nope. In the first one, Harry is explicitly held under armed guard to keep the simulation running, a long with a few other support staff who are aware of the simulations. In a later episode, they begin building holodeck training facilities/stations, but that is only after Voyager literally gave them the technology and everything they would ever need to know to use it.

The Force Awakens
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TNG is a very good series to start with. I would only move onto the original series after finishing TNG, and even then dont feel pressured into finishing it. Maybe just watch Wrath of Khan and Generations.
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Dash_Harber posted...

Nope. In the first one, Harry is explicitly held under armed guard to keep the simulation running, a long with a few other support staff who are aware of the simulations. In a later episode, they begin building holodeck training facilities/stations, but that is only after Voyager literally gave them the technology and everything they would ever need to know to use it.

Yyyyyep.

KIM: Look, holodecks require a tremendous amount of energy. I've already rerouted power from all nonessential systems. Anything more, and we'll start losing propulsion, deflectors, even life support.
KARR: I'll transfer a supply of power nodules from my vessel. Integrate them into your systems. I want to expand the holo-projectors into all surrounding sections. Replicate enough emitters for the task.

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Chicken posted...

TNG is a very good series to start with. I would only move onto the original series after finishing TNG, and even then dont feel pressured into finishing it. Maybe just watch Wrath of Khan and Generations.

I'm not even sure about Generations. It had a lot of stupid moments.
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