Need help!

[Hadrian]

Hello everyone! I'm very new here and maybe my question seems foolish but.....can someone sum up the best episodes of Star Trek? I know a few things about The Next Generation but nothing more than the names of the main characters.

I've read some Best-of compilations on several websites but I want to hear the (hopefully helpful) advice of you.

Thanks In Advance!

 

[T'Girl]

Duet isn't too bad.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Duet isn't too bad.

And there we have it, the Understatement Of The Year 2015

 

[Joel_Kirk]

The best episodes will differ depending on the person. My picks are:

TOS:
-Balance of Terror
-The Enterprise Incident
-Trouble with Tribbles
-Mirror, Mirror
-For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
-Obsession
-Amok Time
-Journey to Babel

TAS:
-Yesteryear

(I'm sure there are more. I may be watching and reviewing TAS later).

TNG:
-Haven
-Code of Honor (Interesting because it shows a planet of black people, which is basically which Star Trek is supposed to stand for - different types of planets with different shades of people. In this case it was a planet of dark-skinned individuals, which was awesome). It's not solid in it's writing and acting, but it's interesting...and something that could have been built upon in future episodes.
-Heart of Glory
-The Arsenal of Freedom
-Booby Trap (Captain Gloval and....ahh, wrong series)
-Parallels
-The Pegasus
-All Good Things
-Yesterday's Enterprise (Not as good as when I initially saw it. I liked it because Tasha Yar returned).

DS9:
-Duet
-Trials and Tribble-ations (DS9 meets TOS!)
-The Way of the Warrior
-The Sword of Kahless
-Homefront
-Paradise Lost
-Through the Looking Glass
-The Assignment
-For the Uniform
-A Simple Investigation
-Sacrifice of Angels
-In the Pale Moonlight (One of the best!!!)

(I'm sure there are more. You'll find which ones appeal to you).

VOY:
Hmmm.....

ENT:
-In a Mirror Darkly, Parts 1 and 2
-Demons
-Terra Prime
-Bound (mainly because of Cyia Batten's Nevar)

 

[Hadrian]

Thanks for the reply, Joel!

TOS:
-Balance of Terror
-The Enterprise Incident
-Trouble with Tribbles
-Mirror, Mirror
-For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
-Obsession
-Amok Time
-Journey to Babel

A friend of mine told me that the original series had very awful effects. But I think that I should give it a try. Maybe I will like it.

TAS:
-Yesteryear

Seriously,60's-70's animated television series? Those people in charge not even had proper CGI. Anyways,it sounds interesting.

DS9:
-Duet
-Trials and Tribble-ations (DS9 meets TOS!)
-The Way of the Warrior
-The Sword of Kahless
-Homefront
-Paradise Lost
-Through the Looking Glass
-The Assignment
-For the Uniform
-A Simple Investigation
-Sacrifice of Angels
-In the Pale Moonlight (One of the best!!!)

I've heard that they're basically on a Space Station.
But the second one sounds incredibly interesting

 

[Kor]

A friend of mine told me that the original series had very awful effects. But I think that I should give it a try. Maybe I will like it.

While the effects may look primitive by today's standards, they were very good (and costly) for 1960s television.

Story and character are more important than the visual trappings, anyway. Television at that time was more like a stage play; all this business with visual effects was still very new, and rarely used at all on most TV shows. TOS was significant in including special effects in every single episode.

If it's too hard to look past the vintage special effects, then there are HD re-mastered versions of all TOS episodes on blu ray and Netflix, with contemporary CGI effects (unnecessary, in my opinion).

TAS:
-Yesteryear

Seriously,60's-70's animated television series? Those people in charge not even had proper CGI. Anyways,it sounds interesting.

The same thing; focus on story and character, not the minutiae of visual trappings.

Kor

 

[Greg Cox]

Depends on individual tastes. Some people can cope with the fact that TOS is fifty years old, some find that a deal-breaker, etc. On any given day, i might choose another episode, but it you want a sample of the best of all series:

TOS: "Devil in the Dark"

TAS: "Yesteryear."

TNG: "The Measure of a Man"

DS9: "Duet."

VOYAGER: "Caretaker"

ENTERPRISE: Honestly, I don't that know that series by heart, so I would have to think about it. No disrespect intended, btw; ENTERPRISE is simply the only Trek series I've never written for, so I've never needed to rewatch it as much as the other series.


Note: I deliberately stayed away from atypical, format-breaking, alternate universe eps like, say, "The Inner Light" or "Far Beyond the Stars" because, as good as they are, they're aren't really representative of what a "typical" high-quality DS9 episode is like.

 

[nx1701g]

I've heard that they're basically on a Space Station.

DS9 is an awesome show. To be honest it's become my favorite and there's a pretty strong group of fans that agree (Niners).

 

[Greg Cox]

I've heard that they're basically on a Space Station.

DS9 is an awesome show. To be honest it's become my favorite and there's a pretty strong group of fans that agree (Niners).

But, yes, you heard correctly. it's set on a space station in a dangerous region of the galaxy. And, trust us, it's a great show that just keeps getting better and better.

 

[nx1701g]

I've heard that they're basically on a Space Station.

DS9 is an awesome show. To be honest it's become my favorite and there's a pretty strong group of fans that agree (Niners).

But, yes, you heard correctly. it's set on a space station in a dangerous region of the galaxy. And, trust us, it's a great show that just keeps getting better and better.

And they do, eventually, get a ship too. It's called the Defiant and its an awesome ship.

 

[TheGoodStuff]

Hello everyone! I'm very new here and maybe my question seems foolish but.....can someone sum up the best episodes of Star Trek? I know a few things about The Next Generation but nothing more than the names of the main characters.

I've read some Best-of compilations on several websites but I want to hear the (hopefully helpful) advice of you.

Thanks In Advance!

Why? I assume your intention is to watch them?

Reading your OP and other posts in the thread you don't seem to know much about Trek. Perhaps it is just my continuity-OCD but I would really recommend that you pick a series and watch in order. [especially DS9 which has one large story and is not episodic like the others].

For example, TNG's 'Measure of a Man' is absolutely fantastic...but some of its affect will be lost on you if you do not know much about Data [or Riker, or Picard.]

I would also strongly suggest watching TNG's 'The Inner Light' and DS9's 'Far Beyond the Stars' which are two of my all time favourite episodes [and I'm surprised have been excluded so far]. Again though, you will lose something by just watching these episodes outwith the context of their respective shows as a whole.

 

[Greg Cox]

Hello everyone! I'm very new here and maybe my question seems foolish but.....can someone sum up the best episodes of Star Trek? I know a few things about The Next Generation but nothing more than the names of the main characters.

I've read some Best-of compilations on several websites but I want to hear the (hopefully helpful) advice of you.

Thanks In Advance!

Why? I assume your intention is to watch them?

Reading your OP and other posts in the thread you don't seem to know much about Trek. Perhaps it is just my continuity-OCD but I would really recommend that you pick a series and watch in order. [especially DS9 which has one large story and is not episodic like the others].

For example, TNG's 'Measure of a Man' is absolutely fantastic...but some of its affect will be lost on you if you do not know much about Data [or Riker, or Picard.]

I would also strongly suggest watching TNG's 'The Inner Light' and DS9's 'Far Beyond the Stars' which are two of my all time favourite episodes [and I'm surprised have been excluded so far]. Again though, you will lose something by just watching these episodes outwith the context of their respective shows as a whole.

I beg to differ. Yeah, I'm sure you lose some nuances if you don't watch every episode in exactly the right order, but that's probably not the ideal way to introduce or convert people to STAR TREK--especially since most of the series (aside from DS9) weren't really into arc plotting anyway.

Presumably, the OP wants to sample the series to see what this whole STAR TREK thing is all about, which is a reasonable approach considering the sheer quantity of TREK out there. If they like what they see . . . fine, they can explore the series at greater depth if they feel so inclined, but that's not mandatory at first. (And let's be honest, TNG's first season has not aged well and might well discourage the casual viewer from sticking around until the show found its sea legs.)

The last thing we want to do is give interested newcomers the idea that "No! You have to watch several hundred episodes in order to really get a taste of what STAR TREK is all about."

 

[Triskelion]

Greg Cox has some good advice in this thread. Listen to it.

The idea is to get a feeling for a series in general, in a standalone episode that doesn't depend so much on context or backstory; but serves as a good, archetypal example in tone and character.

It never pays to start with exceptions before understanding the basic principles. Going right to exceptional stuff and calling it a shortcut to expertise - in any endeavor - isn't.

Here's my choices, which might be different tomorrow:

TOS Gamesters of Triskelion /Balance of Terror
TAS Yesteryear
TNG Q Who / Booby Trap / The Defector / Peak Performance
DS9 Duet / In the Pale Moonlight
VOY Time and Again / Prime Factors / Counterpoint
ENT Strange New World / Chosen Realm

 

[Hadrian]

While the effects may look primitive by today's standards, they were very good (and costly) for 1960s television.

Story and character are more important than the visual trappings, anyway. Television at that time was more like a stage play; all this business with visual effects was still very new, and rarely used at all on most TV shows. TOS was significant in including special effects in every single episode.

Yeah I watched Balance Of Terror and it was very exciting and in the end I didn't really cared about the special effects.

I also watched "Trials and Tribble-ations and Measure of a Man.

The thing I hate about the DS9 episode that they're using a magical-religious diamond-like thing for the time travel,but most of it was nice (but why does Sisko calls Dax as old man?)

From this three episodes, I liked Measure of a Man the most,because it had a very deep moral question and I like that kind of thing.

I will watch the "Sword of Kahless" and "Parellels" and I will then decide whether I like them or not.

Nevertheless, Happy New Year and thanks for the helpful advices

 

[Joel_Kirk]

The thing I hate about the DS9 episode that they're using a magical-religious diamond-like thing for the time travel,but most of it was nice (but why does Sisko calls Dax as old man?)

Dax is a slug that changes host when the host passes away. Jadzia, as the Dax host at that time. The previous host was an 'old man' named Curzon and was Ben Sisko's mentor. Note: Since Curzon had the slug, he was 'Curzon Dax.'

It's sort of a running joke that Sisko is calling a young beauty an 'old man.'

 

[TheGoodStuff]

Hello everyone! I'm very new here and maybe my question seems foolish but.....can someone sum up the best episodes of Star Trek? I know a few things about The Next Generation but nothing more than the names of the main characters.

I've read some Best-of compilations on several websites but I want to hear the (hopefully helpful) advice of you.

Thanks In Advance!

Why? I assume your intention is to watch them?

Reading your OP and other posts in the thread you don't seem to know much about Trek. Perhaps it is just my continuity-OCD but I would really recommend that you pick a series and watch in order. [especially DS9 which has one large story and is not episodic like the others].

For example, TNG's 'Measure of a Man' is absolutely fantastic...but some of its affect will be lost on you if you do not know much about Data [or Riker, or Picard.]

I would also strongly suggest watching TNG's 'The Inner Light' and DS9's 'Far Beyond the Stars' which are two of my all time favourite episodes [and I'm surprised have been excluded so far]. Again though, you will lose something by just watching these episodes outwith the context of their respective shows as a whole.

I beg to differ. Yeah, I'm sure you lose some nuances if you don't watch every episode in exactly the right order, but that's probably not the ideal way to introduce or convert people to STAR TREK--especially since most of the series (aside from DS9) weren't really into arc plotting anyway.

Presumably, the OP wants to sample the series to see what this whole STAR TREK thing is all about, which is a reasonable approach considering the sheer quantity of TREK out there. If they like what they see . . . fine, they can explore the series at greater depth if they feel so inclined, but that's not mandatory at first. (And let's be honest, TNG's first season has not aged well and might well discourage the casual viewer from sticking around until the show found its sea legs.)

The last thing we want to do is give interested newcomers the idea that "No! You have to watch several hundred episodes in order to really get a taste of what STAR TREK is all about."

I'm not suggesting anyone watches 700+ episodes of anything. I think you are taking my post a little too...seriously. I did mention my own continuity-OCD kicks in and I hate watching anything out of sequence. I also noted that DS9 is really the only one to be avoided as it's the only one with a continuous story [Dipping into TNG/VOY/TOS/ENT wont have too much effect. Simply dipping in to what people here feel are the best episodes might not actually be the best way to start with Star Trek.

All the series are quite different from each other [in tone, approach, style etc]. Perhaps instead of individual episodes the OP could even start with a specific season of one of the shows to give a more rounded feel for the show s/he is watching? It'd also be interesting to hear from the OP what style of show they prefer. TOS is campy and quite silly, TNG is quite preachy and slow paced, ENT has a more 'realistic' edge to it, VOY is just generally very fun to watch without being too deep or too silly. And, of course, DS9 is the dark horse of the bunch.

What springs to my mind is perhaps as a newcomer to Trek watching the 'best' might not even be the best course. Why not seek out 'good' to 'very good' episodes, for example, watch TNG's 'Where No One Has Gone Before', which is a S1 episode but is really quite good.

Just some food for thought.

 

[Greg Cox]

The thing I hate about the DS9 episode that they're using a magical-religious diamond-like thing for the time travel,but most of it was nice (but why does Sisko calls Dax as old man?)

Dax is a slug that changes host when the host passes away. Jadzia, as the Dax host at that time. The previous host was an 'old man' named Curzon and was Ben Sisko's mentor. Note: Since Curzon had the slug, he was 'Curzon Dax.'

It's sort of a running joke that Sisko is calling a young beauty an 'old man.'

Yep. Think DOCTOR WHO, where the Doctor "regenerates" periodically. Dax used to literally be an old man.

Hadrian: If you liked "Trials and Tribble-ations," you might enjoy checking out the original "The Trouble with Tribbles" from TOS.

 

[Terok Nor]

The best episodes of each series (IMO) are

The City On The Edge Of Forever - The Original Series
Yesteryear - The Animated Series
The Best Of Both Worlds - The Next Generation
The Visitor - Deep Space 9
Scorpion - Voyager
I hated Enterprise so I can't help you there.

The best movie overall is Star Trek 2 : The Wrath Of Khan (you could watch the episode Space Seed before it if you wanted). The best Next Generation movie is First Contact and Star Trek 2009 is the better of the 2 Abrams movies.

You can't go wrong with the first 2 seasons of The Original Series, Next Generation is great from Season 3 until (IMO) Season 6, Deep Space Nine gets really good from Season 4 onwards, Voyager is up and down quality wise thoughout its run but the 4th and 5th seasons were the best to me.

 

[Triskelion]

I disagree that you'd watch "The Best" episodes as an introduction to a series. Give yourself sth to look forward to....what's the rush?


I like your list tho, Terok....

 

[Hadrian]

I disagree that you'd watch "The Best" episodes as an introduction to a series. Give yourself sth to look forward to....what's the rush?

Yes you're right ,but in April, I have to go back to Sweden so I won't have Netflix and I hate torrenting... I also think that I won't be able to watch 700+ episodes. That quantity is what scares me.

All the series are quite different from each other [in tone, approach, style etc]. Perhaps instead of individual episodes the OP could even start with a specific season of one of the shows to give a more rounded feel for the show s/he is watching? It'd also be interesting to hear from the OP what style of show they prefer. TOS is campy and quite silly, TNG is quite preachy and slow paced, ENT has a more 'realistic' edge to it, VOY is just generally very fun to watch without being too deep or too silly. And, of course, DS9 is the dark horse of the bunch.

Well, after reading a lot of threads I've noticed that:

a, Most people hate ENT
b,They hate the new movies,too.

Also, it maybe important, that I prefer medium to fast paced episodes/movies. A bit of combat (between forces roughly equal in strength and in quality of leadership),a bit of diplomacy and alot of exploration. Also, I would love to see episodes centered on certain characters.

As of now, after watching 9 episodes of various series during the week, I decided that, as you said, I will watch a certain season of either TNG or DS9 or TOS. The next question is : Should I start right in the middle of a series,or watch it from the very begining?