Is TAS worth watching?

Discussion in 'Star Trek - The Original & Animated Series' started by FreddyE, Oct 15, 2013.

  1. FreddyE

    FreddyE Captain Captain

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    Simple question, is TAS worth watching? I´ve seen part of an episode ages ago here in germany and it was really awfull. I just found out that the reason for that was that when TAS was dubbed into german it was heavily edited, shortend and dialogs changed for really awful jokes.It´s really quite unwatchable.

    I´m thinking about getting the DVD set, so what is TAS originally like?
     
  2. Gov Kodos

    Gov Kodos Admiral Admiral

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    I thought it was quite enjoyable. Saturday morning fare for sure, but enjoyable. The Alan Dean Foster adaptations were good reads, especially the later log series where he continued the plots, or characters into new tales. My favorite continued from the end of 'Eye of the Beholder' where Kirk and Co. go on a trip outside the galaxy to help their former zoo captors.
     
  3. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I love TAS, but I must admit it's mostly awful and for die-hards only.
     
  4. Kronos

    Kronos Admiral Admiral

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    Yes, it's not perfect but it is certainly better then most of what the last two tv series put on the screen.
     
  5. Commishsleer

    Commishsleer Commodore Commodore

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    TAS is like having an extra 22 episodes of TOS.

    You've got to take into account its in 70s cartoon format - not a Clone Wars type cartoon.

    I once saw a list of the best 20 episodes of Star Trek and I was surprised to see a TAS episode in the list.
     
  6. CaptPapa

    CaptPapa Commander Red Shirt

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    I really do not know . . .
    I think the animated series is well worth watching - I enjoy it very much.
    If you have access to Netflix, you can try it there without investing in the DVD set.
     
  7. jpv2000

    jpv2000 Captain Captain

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    I love TAS. I got the boxed set years ago and still re-watch the series every year or so.

    There are some true gems in the animated series that shouldn't be missed.
     
  8. LOKAI of CHERON

    LOKAI of CHERON Commodore Commodore

    Simple answer: YES!
     
  9. BigJake

    BigJake Vice Admiral Admiral

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    They're like shortened episodes of TOS done in really cheap animation with three members of the original cast impersonating everybody's voices.
     
  10. TheSubCommander

    TheSubCommander Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    The animation is not that great by today's standards. If you grew up on reruns like I did, and hadn't seen it in a long time, it definitely is worth seeing.

    If you never saw it, it really depends on how much of a fan of TOS you are, and if you are a completest, or not. It technically isn't canon, so if you miss it, you miss nothing. It is a mixed bag, though, and I will put it this way: the best episode of TAS is about as good as a medium episode of TOS. I am going to say you should see at least an episode, and decide for yourself, if you want to continue.


    I think if they ever took the audio tracks of the actors lines, and reworked it to a modern CGI animation, and updated the sound FX, it would be a lot better. But this will never happen.
     
  11. Dukhat

    Dukhat Admiral Admiral

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    I had never seen TAS either until just recently when it was put on Netflix streaming. While I'm not a huge fan of Filmation's animation, I will say that TAS has far more of an actual "sci-fi" theme than TOS ever did. If you can get past the animation (or if that's no an issue for you), I recommend watching it.
     
  12. mb22

    mb22 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    That's been debated more than a hundred times over...
     
  13. Hober Mallow

    Hober Mallow Commodore Commodore

    Are you sure the dialog was changed?
     
  14. Shatnertage

    Shatnertage Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    A thousand times, yes! Even if only to see how many voices James Doohan and Majel Roddenberry do. If you're on the fence, start with "Yesteryear."
     
  15. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    And considering later series found way to include TAS references then It strengthens the argument for it being canon. Not that it really matters either way for if you enjoy it then you can count it anyway.
     
  16. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

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    Another yes, absolutely, but with the understanding that some episodes are basically very bad 70s children's cartoons. BUT some episodes are indeed worthy of being "real" Star Trek episodes. And as far as I'm concerned, "Yesteryear" is as good as any live action ep, and equally essential to the canon.
     
  17. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Captain Captain

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    If the OP is talking about some dubbed language version, then perhaps it is not worth viewing. One of the reasons to view TAS is to hear the original actors playing reading their lines. THAT's what makes it special.

    If you're only going to hear foreign dubbing, then it loses an awful lot. Stick with the English version and the real actors.

    Harry
     
  18. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    ST'09 puts a neat temporal twist on "Yesteryear" where Sarek tells young Spock the exact same thing that "Sellek" tells young Spock in TAS. That's definitely a neat extra layer you miss out on if you haven't seen TAS.

    That, and many other references in DS9 and ENT.
     
  19. Frontier

    Frontier Vice Admiral Admiral

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    IMHO, it's a novelty. It's like most 1970s cartoons - dated and pretty awful, unless you where a kid in the 70s and thus can enjoy them via nostalgia.
     
  20. Trevacious

    Trevacious Captain Captain

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    Aside from one gigantic WTF?!? moment over the Guardian Of Forever's new voice - I take it neither James Doohan or the director of this episode ever watched the original story - I'd definitely recommend seeing Yesteryear!