I grew up on TNG. But by the time I knew I liked 'that show', there were re-runs of TOS on sometimes. I knew it was star trek, and my grandpa explained that was the original before TNG was on. But I never really watched in depth or concentrated on any of the TOS shows. I just bought TOS Remastered on Blue-Ray. So excited to see the originals from start to finish! This completes my StarTrek Collection! I now own all series and all the movies. Crazy! Anything I should keep my eyes out for while I watch?
You have an amazing journey of truly classic Sci-Fi entertainment ahead of you, all I can is - ENJOY! Minor recommendation though, watch "The Cage" first, and then production order subsequently.
Yes that is my only quibble with the DVDs and Blu-Rays of TOS, they're in broadcast order and not production order.
Have fun, Levi. TOS is, far and away, my favourite of all Trek. I hope there are a few episodes in there that are new to you. Keep in mind that there are a few clunkers in there but weighed against the more than excellent episodes, they are minor and even those offer some keen glimpses into Trek lore. Enjoy.
I don't know if it makes that much of a difference what order you watch the series in. Broadcast order didn't prevent the series from being a long time favorite and going through the discs to find the "next episode" in production order is an added chore. It's not serialized, all that happens is that sometimes people look a little different, or Uhura wears gold, or there's a scene that kind of introduces a regular (and that's "kind of"). As long as you realized the show was firmed and broadcast in different orders, that should suffice. Otherwise a great episode is just as great in the 3rd viewed spot is it is in the 10th. And I actually liked not seeing the full version of "The Cage" until well after I saw the rest of the series. It makes "The Menagerie" two parter more effective and there are truly great scenes in the envelope in part one. However, if you truly want to watch it in the order in which they were filmed, then hop in and enjoy (after "The Cage," watch the unaired "Where No Man Has Gone Before" for a real "production order" viewing - it's also a superior edit). But it really only makes the most difference in the first half of the first season. After that, the series is pretty solidly established without major costume, character or makeup changes. Not for anything, "Amok Time" is a much stronger intro to the second season than "Catspaw" could ever hope to be (which was specifically meant to run later to coincide with Halloween anyway). But then again, broadcast order puts "Spock's Brain" at the start of the 3rd season, so what do I know? I sometimes enjoy Broadcast Order because it gets me into the "watching it in the 60's" mood. But that's a personal preference. In any order, enjoy!!!! I kind of envy you discovering this for the first time!
Yeah, you can look at the original effects as a curiosity, but there's really no point in watching the inferior quality of them. I find new or occasional ST viewers tend to feel the new FX are seamless and they prefer them greatly to the old ones.
As well as that, the new shots fit more correctly the context of the episode in question. The old effects being limited and reused often looked so out of place and out of context, that it could take you out of the episode going from a colourised set to a near B/W attrocious space shot of a generic view of the Enterprise doing...something. Say what you will about them, having essential shots now match the story properly does wonders for the episode in general.