Is Star Trek better as a TV series or a film series?

It's kind of not a fair fight. There have been 700+ shots for the TV series and only 12 shots for the film series. If only a measly 20% of the TV episodes are good, there's well over 100 hours of good memories for us to draw upon (an underestimate on my part, but it helps make my point). If up to 8 of the 12 movies can be considered good (TMP, TWOK, TSFS, TVH, TUC, FC, ST09, STID... or some other variation), that's still less than 17 hours. (Heck, if all the movies were good, that's still less than 25 hours.) I'm almost certain that the good "percentage" of the films is higher than that of the TV series.

Of course, we do hold a higher expectation for movies since we pay more. Perhaps it depends on whether expectations are met?

 

That's the thing. No matter how good the movies could be (and in the end I found few of them memorable) it's nowhere near the enjoyment gotten out of the TV series. You can simply do more with a series wherein there are certain expectations shackling the films.

I've found the films, all of them and some more than others, lacking in comparison to what we've gotten on television.

 

TV series produce approx. 26 shows a year. Film series produces one show every few years. No contest on my part.

 

There was so much canon in the 3 series from the 1990s. That could never happen with movies. TV shows are for the fans. With a superb set of characters like The Next generation and great writing a Star Trek TV show could make it with mass audiences.

 

For me Star Trek is a TV series first and foremost.

I've got my own little theory that the movies have definitely have a much wider cache within the broader general audience than the TV show; I've personally spoken to loads of people who claim never to have watched a single episode of Star Trek on TV, but have watched at least some of the movies.

But for me, the truth is that the Star Trek format was birthed on TV, and arguably reaches its greatest potential within the television framework. I guess what I'm saying is that TV is its comfort zone, in a way?

For comparisons sake: in the movie world, Star Trek has always felt to me like a small fish swimming around in a big lake. As a format, it will *never* truly 'belong' on the big screen, and in fact its translation to the cinema was arguably just a set of lucky circumstances.

Whereas on TV, the format can thrive. It 'belongs' in that long-form, 26 episodes a year format, where the characters and situations have breathing space.

A two-hour Star Trek movie can cover some very Trekkian themes (the popular TWOK succeeds because it is Star Trek to its very core). But the reality will always be that being restrained to a two-hour format usually means that compromises have to be made, corners cut and broader strokes applied to how the Star Trek universe operates. Everything must be accessible to the audience right now, as opposed to the deft touch to writing that a TV show (at its very best) allows.

 

I think each venue stands on its own...Star Trek has always been as much about the close up emotion shot or the tight bridge interaction shot as it has been about the epic wide space battle shot and...well, you get the picture...I agree that the movies would not have made as much sense without the TV shows (and devoted fandom and TrekLore and such) but there are many movies out there we all enjoy that never were and probably never will be TV shows...for some, more's the pity, for others...thanks god...anyway...I am just glad there is so much of Trek on the big and small screen to enjoy and discuss and long for...

 

Considering what I pay for my cable, I pay more to watch the series.

 

Come into the 21st century. Get Netflix for 7.99 per month. Imagining that you only pay to watch Star Trek (and TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT), your sum total is $95.88 per year, or about a month's worth of cable (in addition to whatever you pay your ISP).

 

if i could get all of my favorite cable shows on netflix i would.

 

TV all the way. Works for the format, the characters, the everything.