How to begin?

Discussion in 'General Trek Discussion' started by Buster, May 12, 2013.

  1. Buster

    Buster Ensign Newbie

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    I'm guessing everyone here will take an instant dislike to me when I admit that I've only seen "The Man Trap" and the two Abrams movies. With your help I'd like to watch the series from start to finish in the best way possible.

    The Original Series is old, yet I enjoyed the episode I watched and would like to continue with the rest of the series. What is the best set to buy? Is the blu-ray collection worth the price and where do I go from there?
     
  2. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Honestly, before you shell out hundreds of dollars on DVD sets you may or may not even like, I'd go with a Netflix subscription, which will get you all five series for under ten bucks a month... plus tons of other stuff. As for disliking you just because you've only seen the NuTrek movies? So what? Everyone went through it for the first time and it's good the new movies are igniting new interest in the franchise. There will be some people here who still think anyone who didn't watch Trek in the 60's is lacking some fundamental understanding, but just ignore em. ;)

    Starting with The Original Series and the Man Trap is a perfect enough place. I'd just go with Charlie X and then on down the episode list. To me, TOS episodes are real hit and miss and admittedly to me the old school... cheeziness.. for lack of a better word, makes it hard to watch at times, but there are great acting performances.

    If you want, you can start with The Next Generation which is more modern, though even it's beginning to look dated. I easily consider Picard the finest of the Star Trek captains and Patrick Stewart is fun to watch no matter what role he plays. He's not the action hero captain like Kirk though. I definitely enjoyed TNG more than TOS, but that's personal taste and it will vary with everyone. Though I wouldn't watch Deep Space 9 or Voyager until you get through at least some of TNG. And Enterprise, despite it being a prequel, is really best watched last of the five Trek series. Though Deep Space 9 is the most serialized of the five series, having a more solid plot over it's seven seasons than any of the other series. Not to mention Trek's best characterization and storytelling in my opinion.

    Another alternative if you're wanting some quick TOS Trek fixes is just watching the first six movies. You can watch those without having seen any of TOS and still follow what's going on quite easily. Either way, have fun with your first voyage through the Trek world, and keep us updated! :)
     
  3. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I've got the original series on DVD and am happy with them, but if you can afford the blurays, they're the way to go. On the bluray you can switch between the original 60's FX and updated CG ones.

    You'll also want to see the first six movies. Each is quite different, so if you dislike the first (many do), don't stop there. I'm especially curious what you'll think of the second movie, coming to it after Into Darkness.:)
     
  4. Buster

    Buster Ensign Newbie

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    Star Trek has always been at the back of my mind as something that I would probably really enjoy. Yet for some reason it took the Abrams movies to push me into actually watching the show. So far TOS series has impressed me. I'm only 18, but movies from the 60's (The Planet of the Apes, Night of the Living Dead, Goldfinger and Psycho) are some of my favorites.

    I "acquired" another episode of the show to see if I enjoy it enough to make it worth spending the money on the blu-ray set. That episode was Charlie X and I really liked it. As a teenager and an only child I really identified with Charlie; although I'm not quite as obnoxious, immoral and short tempered. It made me think about how I would act given his power.

    After I post this I really need to Google that three dimensional chess they're playing. It looks great! :drool:

    TOS Blu-Ray is £80 on Amazon UK at the moment and was £120 a few days ago. So I'm gonna buy that and continue my journey with the USS Enterprise.

    I found this useful guide too: http://i2.squidoocdn.com/resize/squ...dule155461867photo_1322477694how_to_watch.png
     
  5. GameOn

    GameOn Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I pretty much agree with R.Star, even as a kid in the 80's TOS seemed pretty dated to me. It was the movies in the 80's and TNG in the 90's that got me into Star Trek so those are usually my first recommendations.
     
  6. bbailey861

    bbailey861 Admiral Admiral

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    Not at all. In fact, I am envious that you are going to embark on an adventure with fresh eyes.

    Before you go out and spend your hard earned money, I wholeheartedly agree that Netflix would be the best idea to start with your experience. Go through all the shows - I do recommend in order of series - and then make yourself an informed decision. Be patient, and know that there are some clunkers in there as well as magnificent gems.

    Above all, have fun. I am envious.
     
  7. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Your post makes me happy Buster. I know several people IRL who are working their way through Trek series for the first time after watching the JJ movies. I think it's fantastic to have people discovering Trek.

    I agree with sampling different series, though if you like older television and enjoyed The Man Trap the beginning is always a good place to start. And only 3 seasons.
     
  8. GameOn

    GameOn Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I don't think Star Trek is available on the UK version of Netflix.
     
  9. JirinPanthosa

    JirinPanthosa Admiral Admiral

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    I grew up with TNG so I can't recommend anything but S3 TNG.

    I would say, pick the ten best episodes of TOS by fan consensus and watch them. Then watch a lot of TNG and DS9. If that doesn't make you a Trek fan nothing will.
     
  10. Buster

    Buster Ensign Newbie

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    Watching Star Trek from start to finish will take a huge amount of time and if I ever finish I will have spent more time watching Trek than any other series. I'm fine with that and plan to take my time. TOS is old and when you're watching a show like Game of Thrones at the same time it really shows. Yet even with all the cheesiness I'm enjoying most of it. Even if lines like "NO BLAH BLAH BLAH!" are hilariously bad.

    Skipping to TNG, or just watching the best episodes could work; but I want to watch the show and if I'm going to do that I want it to be in the best possible quality. That means buying the blu-ray set. If I'm buying it I'd be crazy to skip most of the content considering the price. Also nobody else knows what I like. If I listened to recommendations and only watched the episodes other people think are the best I might miss my favorite.

    My TOS set should arrive at some point today and I'm looking forward to watching the show in 1080p with 7.1 surround sound!

    I have more than enough Trek to keep me busy for a very long time and I'm crazy for asking this: Are any of the Original Series books worth reading and what do you recommend? I'm only interested in reading one or two of the best because I'm guessing the quality is even more varied than the show itself.
     
  11. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Well, the thing about it is, all five series will always be there so there's no rush. You'll go through them more quickly than you think too. :)

    As for novels? I can't speak intelligently on the TOS novels not having read any, though I'm sure someone can point you in the right direction. There's more ST novels than I could ever get around to reading though. The DS9 relaunch novels are great and pick up right where DS9 left off though. Some of the TNG novels are pretty good too. Once you get through all five series, I'd definitely recommend the Destiny novels by David Mack.
     
  12. GameOn

    GameOn Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I believe the blu-rays are in air date order but I recommend you watch the start of the first season in production order starting with the "Where No Man Has Gone Before". You could also watch the original unaired pilot "The Cage" first which I believe is included with season 3. Most of it gets shown later in the 2 part episode "The Menagerie" though so it's up to you.

    You can find the episodes in production order here.
    http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series#Episode_list
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2013
  13. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I'd say the hit/miss ratio is about the same as the episodes.

    Some all-time classics:

    Prime Directive
    Spock's World
    My Enemy, My Ally
    The Romulan Way
    Yesterday's Son
    Time For Yesterday
    Crossroad
    The Ashes of Eden
    The Pardora Principle
    Final Frontier
    Best Destiny
    The Final Reflection
    Dreadnought!
    The Lost Years

    And those are just based on the original series and movies. All are old, and can be gotten ultra cheap on Amazon or eBay.
     
  14. Count Zero

    Count Zero No nation but procrastination Moderator

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    There are certainly more than two worth reading. There's also a forum here dedicated to Trek Literature where you could get all of your questions regarding the book line get answered by the experts, so to speak.

    Personally, I'd highly recommend "Ex Machina" By Christopher Bennett which is a sequel to the first movie and the TOS episode "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" - even if you end up being underwhelmed by the first movie.
     
  15. Buster

    Buster Ensign Newbie

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    I hadn't noticed the literature section before now, thanks for telling me. Although since I only have so much free time and don't plan to dedicate the rest of my life to Star Trek, the novels aren't really a priority right now. When I feel like giving one a try I'll have a look at what people recommend and search the web for it. Hopefully I can get some of them on Kindle. My slow reading speed and mountain of great looking books I haven't even picked up yet will limit my time for them though.

    This series is really capturing my imagination and making me wish I lived in a time where space travel of that kind was possible. I don't think there's anything more interesting than what might be out there in space. Catching up with Star Trek is a monumental task and my lack of free time that isn't spent with friends or playing the latest game is quite small.

    Heh. I just realized every post of mine in this thread reads more like a blog post than a discussion about Star Trek. Too much detail about my life. Only the most bored forum members could find this interesting. Even now I'm not stopping and continuing to type pointless text that some unlucky person will spend their valuable time reading. Oh well. Maybe I should actually start a blog about watching Star Trek for the first time and how it holds up to someone who doesn't look at it through the eyes of nostalgia.

    It'd also give me the chance to improve my writing. Starting a blog might be worth it just for that. Even if nobody reads it. If you've gotten this far you seem to be willing to read my thoughts for an extended period of time. Get ready for more of this boring list of inane details about my life with the occasional mention of Star Trek for good measure. For some reason I have no intention of stopping.
     
  16. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

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    My young friend, you have excellent taste. :techman:

    (Coming from someone old enough to be your grandfather.)
     
  17. Buster

    Buster Ensign Newbie

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    I love media that breaks new ground and the 60's are full of that. TV shows, movies and novels that boldly go where no entertainment has gone before. A lot of popular stuff today is just repeating what has already been done and the majority of it isn't quite as impressive; despite the fancy special effects and great action scenes. Finding something made today that is truly ground breaking and unique is a rare thing.

    Bioshock Infinite is in my opinion one of the rare (and latest) examples of new media really pushing a genre forward. It's the Citizen Kane of video games.

    We're definitely going off-topic here and I'm not sure how strict the topic enforcing is on this forum. I'll try to get back on topic in the next post!
     
  18. Mojochi

    Mojochi Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Nah, the fact that you show an interest in seeing more, actually lends credence to the fact that even though not everyone likes the new movies, we all have to accept that they are likely to bring new people to the fanbase

    I'm a TNG fan myself, but you'd very likely want to check out the original series since you're already familiar with the characters, & you'll definitely want to view the cinematic films of the original cast, from back in the 80's. I can't say whether it's worth it to you to invest in the dvds or blurays, as it would be quite a large dollar amount. Certainly if it's available where you are, Netflix is the way to go.
     
  19. Count Zero

    Count Zero No nation but procrastination Moderator

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    My teenage years in a nutshell. :) Welcome to the fandom!

    By the way, since you're coming to this from the Abrams movies the next series I'd recommend checking out after TOS and the original TOS movies would be Enterprise. In my opinion, the Abrams movies are influenced by the look and feel of that show and there are some references to it in both films. It's set about 100 years before Kirk's time and is thus the only Trek series that exists in both timelines. ;)
    It has received a mixed reception in fandom but I've always been a fan and some of the criticism can be boiled down to perceived canon violations (i.e. contradictions to other, usually later shows) which wouldn't be a problem for you since you haven't seen the other Trek shows. Enterprise also follows up on quite a lot of stuff from TOS. It's relatively short (just 4 seasons) and the box-sets are cheap.
     
  20. TheRoyalFamily

    TheRoyalFamily Commodore Commodore

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    You could start a First-Time watcher thread in the appropriate sections of this very BBS! There's been several, sure, but every person brings a unique perspective, and the old hands love them, as long as you don't write like you're texting (you're doing great so far).