Screen Rant posted a new article a couple of days ago ranking every Trek series from worst to best. What do you all think of it and its reasoning? Is it time to reconsider our own rankings through fresh eyes? (No, I’m not asking for them.)
Screen Rant article ranking every Trek series
- Thread starter Arpy
- Start date
Personally I think ranking the shows on a tier list makes more sense, because then you are able to place some of them on the same level, even if within that level you can rank them as well.
Here’s how that looks like for me right now …
Would love to see other people post their tier lists as well!
Here’s how that looks like for me right now …
Would love to see other people post their tier lists as well!
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What's an S? Last I looked S was Satisfactory in most grading systems I've had.Personally I think ranking the shows on a tier list makes more sense, because then you are able to place some of them on the same level, even if within that level you can rank them as well.
Here’s how that looks like for me right now …
Would love to see other people post their tier lists as well!
Yup. TOS is 7th? That's ridiculous. Sorry, TNG can't be the top tier when TOS lays out the ground work for what it does. TAS is definitely not the bottom tier for me. That's Enterprise.
According to Wikipedia: “'S' tier may stand for "Special", "Super", or the Japanese word for "Exemplary" (秀, shū), and originates from the widespread use in Japanese culture of an 'S' grade for advertising and academic grading.”
S-Tier usually means top of the line or "special."
According to Wikipedia: “'S' tier may stand for "Special", "Super", or the Japanese word for "Exemplary" (秀, shū), and originates from the widespread use in Japanese culture of an 'S' grade for advertising and academic grading.”
Thank you. That is news to me.
Not sure how to do such a list so I'll just do it with text:
S: TOS
A: DS9, SNW
B: DSC, LD,
C: TNG, TAS, PIC
D: VOY, ENT
Unrated: PRO, as I have not finished it.
You S tier nicely mirrors your avatar. Personally I hesitated to put Strange New Worlds even higher on my list, because even tough I love it to pieces right now, who knows how they might fuck it up in the seasons to come?
That list absolutely tracks with how I know you, @fireproof78. Although, if I had guessed, I would have thought you’d put up Discovery and Picard higher on there.
Taken as a whole, I have to move them down simply because they there are some lows that really drag it down. Also, when I put things in a top tier they have to be having significant highs that overwhelm such lows.That list absolutely tracks with how I know you, @fireproof78. Although, if I had guessed, I would have thought you’d put up Discovery and Picard higher on there.
Makes total sense to me.
Damn. And I haven't had my coffee yet.Makes total sense to me.
They haven't messed it up in two seasons and the cast is simply stellar. So I say they are on the best track to maintain that level of quality.
I will do it with text too
S: DS9
A: LD, SNW
B: TNG, PIC,
C: TOS, TAS, PRO, DSC
D: VOY, ENT
S: DS9
A: LD, SNW
B: TNG, PIC,
C: TOS, TAS, PRO, DSC
D: VOY, ENT
As far as I'm concerned, they've had a perfect run so far. The show doesn't have a weak point. Every episode, every actor, the music, the vfx, writing, etc. They're all knocking it outta the park in a way not seen since TOS season 1.They haven't messed it up in two seasons and the cast is simply stellar. So I say they are on the best track to maintain that level of quality.
Agreed. If they end the show on this kind of high, I will seriously have to think about ranking it up on my tier list.
As for the rest of my choices....
S-Tier:
TOS belongs at the top simply for being TOS. It started this whole thing and brought us rich and interesting characters that stood the test of time.
A-Tier:
I put DS9 this high because it dared to actually show flawed characters that actually acted like beings with emotions and feelings. This opposed to the practically emotionless Zombies of TNG. The series took genuine risks and broke free of the old formula of storytelling and managed to create some of the more interesting character and story arcs of the entire franchise.
With Enterprise, I appreciated taking us back to a point where humanity was weak and vulnerable. We were the new kids on the block and not part of some almighty Federation. I'll admit the first two seasons had their ups and downs. But, by seaso three, I feel the show had founds its voice. I appreciated how the Boy Scout of a Captain had to rather forcefully grow up and face reality. The galaxy is a tough place. A special shout out goes to production design and vfx. The NX-01 was gorgeous and probably one of the best designed ships in the entire franchise.
B-Tier:
The older I get, the less I enjoy TNG. The characters haven't aged well in my opinion. The series is soaked in Roddenberry's late in life vision of the future of humanity. Soulless characters devoid of conflict or emotions. Gone is the charm of the TOS characters. That said, the series brought Trek to a new generation, and dispite its flaws, managed to entertain me most of the time.
With Lower Decks, I find the show highly entertaining. It's guaranteed to make me laugh at least a few times an episode. I enjoy the characters and find the series surprisingly deep at times. That said, it can be a little heavy handed with the callbacks and Easter eggs. Granted, the entire show is somewhat based on that nostalgia, so we'll let it slide for a half hour comedy.
C-Tier:
Picard season one got points from me for genuinely trying to be something different. It botched the landing, but I appreciate the characters for being flawed and interesting, Picard included. Season two...... sucked. Season three was about as shallow and hollow as Trek can get. The entire season was based on nothing but bad ideas, member berries and fanwank. Whatever highs can be said about the series are immediately pushed aside by the inclusion of The Borg.... again.
Prodigy is fine. It's entertaining enough. It hasn't really struck a chord with me, but I can appreciate what they're doing. I've watched season 1. I'll watch season 2. If that's it, I'm fine with it ending.
Voyager is near the bottom because it remains the series I'm most disappointed in. The premise of the series was brilliant and filled with possibilities for adventure, conflict, hardship, and deep, emotional storytelling. Instead it was squandered and the show became TNG-Lite. How disappointing.
Discovery is a real mixed bag for me. Part of me feels I've ranked it too low. The series suffers from having too many different ideas, and not really sticking to any of them. Granted, they've gotten better in recent seasons. I look foward to season 5. The show itself is beautiful and I like the characters. In terms of social issues, I appreciate how we finally have decent LGBTQ+ representation in the franchise. It was a long time coming and the fact it took this long is a black mark on the franchise. All this said, the series suffers from simply being "all over the place." I can't think of any other way to describe it.
D-Tier:
The Animated Series...... too 70's for me. It was before my time. I was ruined by the gloriousness of 80's cartoons to appreciate the simple animation of the 70's. It's not the shows fault, it's mine. I've watched it, once. That was enough.
S-Tier:
TOS belongs at the top simply for being TOS. It started this whole thing and brought us rich and interesting characters that stood the test of time.
A-Tier:
I put DS9 this high because it dared to actually show flawed characters that actually acted like beings with emotions and feelings. This opposed to the practically emotionless Zombies of TNG. The series took genuine risks and broke free of the old formula of storytelling and managed to create some of the more interesting character and story arcs of the entire franchise.
With Enterprise, I appreciated taking us back to a point where humanity was weak and vulnerable. We were the new kids on the block and not part of some almighty Federation. I'll admit the first two seasons had their ups and downs. But, by seaso three, I feel the show had founds its voice. I appreciated how the Boy Scout of a Captain had to rather forcefully grow up and face reality. The galaxy is a tough place. A special shout out goes to production design and vfx. The NX-01 was gorgeous and probably one of the best designed ships in the entire franchise.
B-Tier:
The older I get, the less I enjoy TNG. The characters haven't aged well in my opinion. The series is soaked in Roddenberry's late in life vision of the future of humanity. Soulless characters devoid of conflict or emotions. Gone is the charm of the TOS characters. That said, the series brought Trek to a new generation, and dispite its flaws, managed to entertain me most of the time.
With Lower Decks, I find the show highly entertaining. It's guaranteed to make me laugh at least a few times an episode. I enjoy the characters and find the series surprisingly deep at times. That said, it can be a little heavy handed with the callbacks and Easter eggs. Granted, the entire show is somewhat based on that nostalgia, so we'll let it slide for a half hour comedy.
C-Tier:
Picard season one got points from me for genuinely trying to be something different. It botched the landing, but I appreciate the characters for being flawed and interesting, Picard included. Season two...... sucked. Season three was about as shallow and hollow as Trek can get. The entire season was based on nothing but bad ideas, member berries and fanwank. Whatever highs can be said about the series are immediately pushed aside by the inclusion of The Borg.... again.
Prodigy is fine. It's entertaining enough. It hasn't really struck a chord with me, but I can appreciate what they're doing. I've watched season 1. I'll watch season 2. If that's it, I'm fine with it ending.
Voyager is near the bottom because it remains the series I'm most disappointed in. The premise of the series was brilliant and filled with possibilities for adventure, conflict, hardship, and deep, emotional storytelling. Instead it was squandered and the show became TNG-Lite. How disappointing.
Discovery is a real mixed bag for me. Part of me feels I've ranked it too low. The series suffers from having too many different ideas, and not really sticking to any of them. Granted, they've gotten better in recent seasons. I look foward to season 5. The show itself is beautiful and I like the characters. In terms of social issues, I appreciate how we finally have decent LGBTQ+ representation in the franchise. It was a long time coming and the fact it took this long is a black mark on the franchise. All this said, the series suffers from simply being "all over the place." I can't think of any other way to describe it.
D-Tier:
The Animated Series...... too 70's for me. It was before my time. I was ruined by the gloriousness of 80's cartoons to appreciate the simple animation of the 70's. It's not the shows fault, it's mine. I've watched it, once. That was enough.
Very well said! And I can agree with almost everything and understand your reasoning where our mileage varies. I feel I’m perhaps not being entirely fair to Discovery and Picard either. The disappointment I felt watching these shows is much fresher in my mind than for some of the other shows and I suspect given another decade or so I might assess some of it more favorably.
Just in general I like to say that I’m one of these fans that pretty much finds something to like in all of the shows, even if I might rank them differently in overall quality for a tier list like this. I’ve found and can still find enjoyment in all of the shows. At the end of the day a series will always win me over with its characters. And I simply find something to love about all of the main characters in Trek. Even on a show like Picard, that I found so incredibly dull and stupid at so many times … I still grew to love the characters they created and the people that are portraying them.
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