Just Became A Massive Fan Of TOS

[StarMan]

Posting here for twenty years, but there you go.

My intro to Trek was TOS but I was young. I grew up in TNG era and only started to get into it proper after ST: First Contact.

I had watched late at night but I quickly fast forwarded to the TNG era and consumed everything: DS9, VOY, ENT (part of TNG era, mind you). Of course I'd seen TOS (at least I thought I had). Seen the movies countless times.

Then I watched "For The Love Of Spock" on Netflix.

So, at the ripe old of age of 37, I put it on let it play. I 'remembered' most of it. But, having it play back to back , episode after episode, one season after another as I had done all the others, I stand in awe. I'm kinda speechless that I've been a Trek fan for as long as I have but never fully appreciated just how spectacular this was.

The relationship between the Big Three. Spock being incessantly teased. I watched " Devil In The Dark" properly for the the first time ever yesterday and was damn chuffed for those Hortas!

So, there you go.

 

[StarCruiser]

I think this is the main problem with a lot of younger Star Trek fans... Most haven't just sat down and honestly watched the original show (I've said this before - "warts and all").

Sure, the effects are outdated (can't really stand the CGI versions) and the sets and props sometimes look a bit dated (don't call them cheesy - practical). It's the stories and the characters that sell "Star Trek" to me.

 

[Phaser Two]

Congrats! It's fitting that people are newly discovering Star Trek in the "golden age of television drama."

 

[UnknownSample]

This is great, StarMan! I envy your getting to watch it all fresh now and discover it.
--------------------
StarCruiser though, warts? I think it's intoxicatingly wart free... I have to put my brain into apologist mode, watching later Treks, but TOS doesn't force me to do that. That includes the visuals. Instead of conforming to present day expectations from sci fi films, TOS came up with the unexpected, a look that actually jars a bit, in a good way, that could be the future, rather than the present with fancier equipment. That's accomplished through art, design.

 

[johnnybear]

It is the best show in the franchise and it is good that new people are experiencing the series as though brand new!
JB

 

[USS Triumphant]

Quite the Discovery you've made.

 

[STEPhon IT]

It is the best show in the franchise and it is good that new people are experiencing the series as though brand new!
JB

I'm still in awe at how strong the first season was; it was if the staff was trying to hit a home run in every episode. Despite the mix bag in the Second season and a terrible Third, I still think it's the best series in the franchise as well.

 

[Phaser Two]

The "it looks dated" criticism is itself getting more than a little old. Actually, it looks pretty fresh and vibrant. Plus, not that I'm picking on these series, because I'm not, but most of TNG and even many eps of DS9 look "dated" as well these days. Not to mention OTHER series made in 1966-1969.

 

[Galileo7]

Congratulations. TOS

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[Mysterion]

Better late than never.

 

[Armus]

I've been getting back into TOS after writing it off for a couple of years. I had been a little bored by the TOS Bones -Spock cliches, some of the corny humor, and the melodramatic in-your-face music. I recently watched the updated effects and they fit in perfectly with the original productions, and give TOS some needed polish.

There are some hokey and forgettable episodes here and there but many hold up as first rate 60's drama and genuine science fiction storytelling. TOS always aimed to tell dramatic or weird or ambitious stories. If the writing ever seemed stale it was when it did too many Kirk must talk a computer to death and free a society from intellectual stagnation stories.

The following observations struck me.

Shatner has so much authority and gravitas as Kirk. He cares for nothing but his ship and his crew, he does his job well, and he is the driving force behind each story.

Spock is more human than I realized. TOS vulcanism is honorable stoicism and Greek philosophy. So Spock represents one aspect of the western human ideal.

Deforest Kelly is the best possible down-to-earth believably real person that could have been cast as Dr. McCoy.

Shatner and Kelley were the best actors, followed by Nimoy. James Doohan is perfect for Scotty but is no where near the same league as the others. Nichelle Nichols is more beautiful than I remember. Takai is solid as Sulu. Walter Koenig gave some of his performances as Chekov when he goes mad.

Although widely uneven, I like the third season because the music is more subtle, the costumes got a slick upgrade, and there is a nice casual energy between the characters. I love how the characters on TOS feel so free to argue with one another!

 

[Herbert]

The "it looks dated" criticism is itself getting more than a little old. Actually, it looks pretty fresh and vibrant. Plus, not that I'm picking on these series, because I'm not, but most of TNG and even many eps of DS9 look "dated" as well these days. Not to mention OTHER series made in 1966-1969.

Agreed completely. Anyone who rejects TOS solely based on what they consider to be dated graphics and sets are being very superficial in their rejection.

 

[StarMan]

This is great, StarMan! I envy your getting to watch it all fresh now and discover it.

Thanks! Great avatar BTW - another of my favorite shows.

The "it looks dated" criticism is itself getting more than a little old. Actually, it looks pretty fresh and vibrant. Plus, not that I'm picking on these series, because I'm not, but most of TNG and even many eps of DS9 look "dated" as well these days. Not to mention OTHER series made in 1966-1969.

Indeed. I took on board what Nimoy said in the doco about how TMP was all about the effects, which he clearly wasn't happy about. All I saw on this proper watch was the characterizations. I thought the sets looked fine.

Not that it was perfect, of course.... challenging bigotry but a plethora of face-palming sexism. There were fewer classics to pick from S3. I even persevered thru "The Way To Eden"... for the first time, I think. Yikes. It lived up to it's reputation.

It's quite a difference cherry picking episodes and watching them several time vs. putting the series on from start to finish. Knowing about it's cultural relevance given the time it was made in vs. seeing it in action.

This is great, StarMan! I envy your getting to watch it all fresh now and discover it.

Thanks! Great avatar BTW - another of my favorite shows.

Better late than never.

LOL. Cheers.

I'm still in awe at how strong the first season was; it was if the staff was trying to hit a home run in every episode. Despite the mix bag in the Second season and a terrible Third, I still think it's the best series in the franchise as well.

I know. The amount of classics stuffed into S1 (and to a lesser degree, S2) is pretty bloody impressive. Not to knock the other series, but you might be able to pick a few from a 26 episode run (S3 TNG has the most next to TOS)... but none of them have got that much quality all in one season as TOS S1 does.

 

[C57D]

Congratulations. TOS

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Watching this clip ( not too sure which episode though), I cannot help but be reminded of Q's similar quote to Picard in TNG's Q Who.
Maybe indicative of the difference of ethos between the two series?
And why I prefer TOS?

 

[Tosk]

^ "Return to Tomorrow"

 

[STEPhon IT]

The "it looks dated" criticism is itself getting more than a little old. Actually, it looks pretty fresh and vibrant. Plus, not that I'm picking on these series, because I'm not, but most of TNG and even many eps of DS9 look "dated" as well these days. Not to mention OTHER series made in 1966-1969.

Agreed. Anyone who feels the series was dated and looked cheap, all they have to do is compare Star Trek to other series running during that time and see for themselves of the true quality and expensive it was. Was Forbidden Planet the inspiration for look? Absolutely, and was Roddenberry, Desilu and NBC spending on something they felt was state of the art? It certainly was, and with remastering the images breaths new life to the series especially making Kirk's duty uniform appear in its true color green, gives new viewers a fresh perspective of what these pioneers wanted to be seen.

 

[StarCruiser]

One of the key things to keep in mind with ANY older TV shows is - "What did other comparable shows look like back then?".

When I hear the "cheesy or dated" comments myself - I say, look at "Lost in Space". Started up just a bit before Star Trek and looks more 1950's than 1960's in style.

Also, when I say "warts and all", that's a reference to the fact that not every episode of Star Trek was a gem in itself. There were a few real stinkers in there ("And the Children shall lead", "Spock's Brain" etc...). Some needed two or three (hundred) script rewrites before filming began!

As a whole - Star Trek is still my favorite classic Sci Fi show bar none. None of the followup series quite match it in re-watchability (is that word?). I can barely stand TNG now, though I watched that all the way through first run. I still like DS9 but, even there, I can't watch it as easily as TOS. Don't get me started on Borager (I know some love it but...). "Enterprise" had it's moments but, I can't watch all of it like the original...

 

[STEPhon IT]

Just shows how timeless Star Trek is, soon after other Trek shows finish their run the production design looked dated. Star Trek was really reaching for the stars when they developed the series in the 60's.

 

[Armus]

The basic designs in TOS, such as the exterior of The Enterprise, the bridge layout, the transporter room, the sickbay, the handprops, and the uniforms all hold up well. Every incarnation of Star Trek is modelled on them.

To me the only thing that dates TOS is the excessive colors, which were implemented after the Cage, which looks more sleek and futuristic than subsequent episodes, some of the flashing consoles(there was too much yellow lights and not enough blue lights) and some over the top cliffhanger musical cues. TOS had some amazing music but the commerciak break cliffhanger music was just too pushy and over the top and it was reused for most of the series.

 

[Delta Vega]

I think Star Trek was waaaaay ahead of it's time, and for a TV series that's older than 50 years, it still holds up well.
It's the best of the franchise, the daddy, the benchmark.
What's not to like ?