Does the TOS movies worth watching without watching TOS?

[Hadrian]

I watched the 4 Next-Gen movies and the 2 J.J. Abrams ones and now I'm thinking about watching the TOS movies too. The problem is that I do not want to watch the original series (I have seen a few episodes like Balance of Terror and City on the Edge of Forever,but I just don't like those 60's sets and effects).
So is it possible to enjoy those movies without watching TOS?

 

[Tomalak]

Nah, you don't need to see TOS first. I saw them before seeing the show, I think. Just a vague familiarity with the characters will do.

 

[Galileo7]

Just watch TOS "Space Seed" before you watch Star Trek 2:Wrath Of Khan.

 

[Draculasaurus]

Yeah, I think they stand alone pretty well.

 

[Nebusj]

So is it possible to enjoy those movies without watching TOS?

Of course. There's a couple references that are nice to catch if you're steeped in Original Trek lore. But they hardly matter. It's not like one's appreciation of the Kobayashi Maru scenario is heightened by realizing it's set in the Romulan Neutral Zone, any more than one's appreciation of ``corbomite'' is heightened by realizing Kirk used it as a bluff more than once.

 

[Trekkin]

Honestly (and no doubt people will argue with me about this,) I'd recommend also skipping TMP.

You don't really need to see it to understand the rest, and there's a good chance you'll find it dull. If you find you like the other TOS movies, you can always come back to it.

 

[Terok Nor]

Honestly (and no doubt people will argue with me about this,) I'd recommend also skipping TMP.

You don't really need to see it to understand the rest, and there's a good chance you'll find it dull. If you find you like the other TOS movies, you can always come back to it.

Agreed. 2-6 work perfectly well in their own right as a movie series without relying on TOS or indeed TMP.

 

[Tomalak]

I quite agree. You can skip Star Trek 5 too.

The "trilogy" of 2-4 plus 6 are all linked nicely, and feel very consistent. TMP and TFF are outliers, but worth watching later if you enjoy the others.

 

[Hadrian]

I watched 'Space Seed' yesterday. The effects and the sets were better than what I expected/remembered. I especially liked the 'dinner' scene.

As for TMP...I survived Insurrection. But I will take your advice and watch 2-4 first.
As for TFF: I prefer dullness than 'crazy Vulcan hijacks the Enterprise to find god' (source: IMDB). Maybe it is enjoyable,but I prefer staying away from this kind of movie.

Thank you for your replies!

 

[Shawnster]

I think without TOS as a basis, you lose some of the emotional impact of Spock's death and resurrection, as well as Kirk's midlife crisis.

When I first heard that Valaris was supposed to initially be Saavik, I balked at that idea. Over time I've grown to wish they'd kept Saavik in the role.

 

[Tomalak]

I think without TOS as a basis, you lose some of the emotional impact of Spock's death and resurrection, as well as Kirk's midlife crisis.

I know it's a thirty year old film, but under the circumstances, spoilers?

 

[Warped9]

I've known someone who had no idea there was an original series before the films. When he eventually did discover TOS he liked it better than the films, but thats a different discussion.

 

[Jetboogieman]

Nah, you don't need to see TOS first. I saw them before seeing the show, I think. Just a vague familiarity with the characters will do.

I agree, the only TOS episode that may help is "space seed" to be introduced to Khan, other than that though, WOK does such a good job of introducing him and explaining it anyway it's not even really that necessary.

 

[Hadrian]

I finally watched TWOK and I'm going to watch SFS tomorrow. I think this is better than Into Darkness (except in terms of eye candy explosions and action scenes).

I know it's a thirty year old film, but under the circumstances, spoilers?

It wouldn't have been a big surprise anyway,since the next movie is titled The Search For Spock

 

[DonIago]

By the standards of the time, WOK had no shortage of eye candy explosions and action scenes.

Personally, I think they hold up pretty well today too, though I may have lax standards.

 

[Hadrian]

By the standards of the time, WOK had no shortage of eye candy explosions and action scenes.

Personally, I think they hold up pretty well today too, though I may have lax standards.

There is no problem with their quality. I borrowed the Blu-Ray from a friend,so the picture quality was ok,but the new movie's quality (and the quality of the explosions) was better. (But at least TWOK's plot did make sense. I really hate the very last scene in the new movie.)

 

[Tomalak]

It wouldn't have been a big surprise anyway,since the next movie is titled The Search For Spock

They might have just mislaid him!

 

[Nebusj]

They might have just mislaid him!

``Your anxiety was most illogical. I left a note that I had gone to Biggby Coffee to sample their Birthday Cake Latte and to work on my screenplay.''

 

[Vger23]

I honestly don't get why someone would say "skip this one" or "don't watch that one."

They're MOVIES. It's 2 hours...not an entire season or series. Of course, if you already have preconceived notions, then just do whatever and only watch the "good ones," I guess, because you're not going to be open minded to enjoy them anyway. I can tell you that I've been a fan for almost 40 years...and very rarely do my personal tastes with regard to Star Trek align with what people say are the "best ones" and "ones to avoid."

I think it's a lot more fun if you make up your own mind...but I guess that's just me.

 

[DonIago]

Some people may feel that in some cases it's 2 hours they'll never get back.