Getting into Star Trek, what should I watch!??

[lurok]

Greg's list is perfect (though not really a fan of Devil or Arena; just a bit too cheesy for my taste). All the Trek series are dated now and have their problems but they're easy to get into for anyone who has more than a passing interest in character and story. Yes, even VOY and ENT.

regarding series 'tasters', why not watch pilots of each series? All bearable. Though the DS9 one is a bit weird and the TNG one meh.

[MacLeod]

Greg Cox wrote:

---

Okay, for TOS, the best eps include:

"Errand of Mercy" (first appearance of the Klingons)
"Balance of Terror" (enter the Romulans)
"Journey to Babel"
"Amok Time"
"Devil in the Dark"
"Mirror, Mirror" (first appearance of Mirror Universe)
"City on the Edge of Forever"
"The Trouble with Tribbles"
"The Doomsday Machine"
"Arena"

I'll let somebody else tackle the latter-day series.

I might in episodes like

"The Corbomite Maneouver"
"Errand of Mercy"
"By Any Other Name"
"The Ultimate Computer"

[jayrath]

I'm surprised that "The Corbomite Manuever" hasn't come up. That TOS episode is, for me, the beginning, middle and end of all things Trek. A perfect introduction with superior lighting and performances.

[MacLeod]

^Read my post directly above yours.

[Greg Cox]

Regarding the earlier cycle of movies, the best ones are:

The Wrath of Khan
[The Search for Spock--probably need to watch this one, too, for continuity's sake.]
The Voyage Home
The Undiscovered Country
First Contact

[Star Wolf]

jinglebellrok wrote:

---

Greg's list is perfect (though not really a fan of Devil or Arena; just a bit too cheesy for my taste). All the Trek series are dated now and have their problems but they're easy to get into for anyone who has more than a passing interest in character and story. Yes, even VOY and ENT.

regarding series 'tasters', why not watch pilots of each series? All bearable. Though the DS9 one is a bit weird and the TNG one meh.

I know I choose two first year episodes out of my three DS9 suggestions but generally aside from TOS I would avoid the first season of the spin offs. It was like the production staff and actors were intimidated by the history of Trek and its survival after decades of syndication with the rapid Trekkers thus went too far in protecting Gene's legacy and not far enough in producing entertainment.

In any event I would recommend episodes that were fun, not episodes because they established the canon.

From Voyager
The Year of Hell
Endgame

[You_Will_Fail]

One of the first episodes I ever saw was TNG "Cause and Effect", really got me liking and interested in Trek. I might recommend that. I'm not a huge fan of TOS like some here, have a look at my 30 favorite Trek episodes video and you can have a look to see which episodes looks good. Then simply google their name alongside "memory alpha" and you'll find the series/season and episode.

[BillJ]

From the Star Trek prequel Enterprise:

Strange New World
Carbon Creek
Dead Stop
Regeneration
Impulse
North Star
Observer Effect
Bound
In A Mirror, Darkly I/II

[Greg Cox]

jinglebellrok wrote:

---

regarding series 'tasters', why not watch pilots of each series? All bearable. Though the DS9 one is a bit weird and the TNG one meh.

I'm not sure that "Encounter at Farpoint" (the TNG pilot) is something I would recommend to any newbie. Maybe "Measure of a Man" which was possibly the first truly classic episode of TNG.

For DS9, "Duet" is far and away the best ep of Season One--and a good indicator of things to come.

VOYAGER, on the other hand, had probably the best pilot of any of the latter-day shows. A nicely-paced introduction to the series and its characters.

Meanwhile, I hesitate to recommend certain "change-of-pace" classics like "The Inner Light" or "The Visitor" or "Far Beyond the Stars" just because, as memorable and creative as they are, they're far from representative of what those series were usually like (which is part of the reason they're so good). Great eps, but not ones you'd want to use to introduce somebody to Trek . . ..

[Mr_Homn]

Greg Cox wrote:

---

VOYAGER, on the other hand, had probably the best pilot of any of the latter-day shows. A nicely-paced introduction to the series and its characters.

Ick. I thought it was absolutely terrible. I thought DS9 had the best pilot of the later treks. Enterprise had a decent pilot too. TNG pilot is a mixed bag. The first time you see it, it's kinda sucky, but it's pretty cool once you have seen the whole series I think. Which of course means it's not very good as a pilot....

[JRoss]

Greg Cox wrote:

---

Okay, for TOS, the best eps include:

"Errand of Mercy" (first appearance of the Klingons)
"Balance of Terror" (enter the Romulans)
"Journey to Babel"
"Amok Time"
"Devil in the Dark"
"Mirror, Mirror" (first appearance of Mirror Universe)
"City on the Edge of Forever"
"The Trouble with Tribbles"
"The Doomsday Machine"
"Arena"

I'll let somebody else tackle the latter-day series.

To Greg's list I'll add "The Savage Curtain."

[Bishop76]

Mr_Homn wrote:

---

Ick. I thought it was absolutely terrible. I thought DS9 had the best pilot of the later treks. Enterprise had a decent pilot too. TNG pilot is a mixed bag. The first time you see it, it's kinda sucky, but it's pretty cool once you have seen the whole series I think. Which of course means it's not very good as a pilot....

Agreed. Voyager's pilot was embarrassingly bad, in my opinion. Want some corn?

Emissary was really slow, but set up the premise of the series solidly and Broken Bow was probably the best of all the latter series pilots, which is a shame that the show couldn't follow suit. Encounter at Farpoint is laughably bad, but the show got better so it's easy to forgive it. There's no question though, The Cage or Where No Man Has Gone Before are the best pilots of the franchise.

[R. Star]

You'll have noticed contradictory opinions on this thread, and in the end that is what they are(despite some opinions being offered tentatively as facts) opinions, so really in the end you should just start watching and form your own conclusions.

[The Overlord]

King Daniel Into Darkness wrote:

---

If you like new new films, you want The Original Series, of course! It's lots of campy 60's fun. Much more accessable and fun than the later series', which took themselves a bit too seriously.

Also the first six Trek movies, all featuring the original cast. Movies II, III and IV are a loose trilogy, the rest are stand-alone.

Enjoy!

I am not sure Star Trek TMP and Star Trek V are the best ways to get new people into Trek. I would say Star Trek II, III and IV are better for attracting new viewers.

[Greg Cox]

The Overlord wrote:

---

I am not sure Star Trek TMP and Star Trek V are the best ways to get new people into Trek. I would say Star Trek II, III and IV are better for attracting new viewers.

Heck, let's not mince words. Star Trek V should be avoided at all costs!