Broadcast vs production, does episode order matter?

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

I'm watching the show for the first time on Blu-ray, and it's probably my 3rd time seeing the series as a whole. Most episodes I've forgotten, so it feels like I'm just watching for the first time, and I am having way too much fun. Given there's only 3 seasons, I'm just taking the show one disc at a time and making it last. Now, I have a question for the hardcore TOS fans. Does broadcast vs. production episode order matter? My Blu-ray sets are in the original 60's broadcast order. However, I did skip ahead to "Where No Man Has Gone Before" as it's the pilot episode and then circle back to the first episode, treating that as the first "regular" episode. I never understood why this was broadcast as the 3rd episode. To me, it just flows better to watch the pilot first and not as the 3rd episode.

 

[King Bob!]

Maybe for the first ten-or-twelve episodes, there is some importance to production order. After that? I think you can watch it in pretty much any order.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I'd say it's best to watch Where No Man Has Gone Before and The Corbomite Maneuver first, then I lean towards airing order to separate Court Martial and The Menagerie a bit, but it doesn't really matter.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

I'd say it's best to watch Where No Man Has Gone Before and The Corbomite Maneuver first, then I lean towards airing order to separate Court Martial and The Menagerie a bit, but it doesn't really matter.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" is the 10th episode, but wasn't it the 2nd filmed? Why broadcast as the 10th? NBC was really weird about episode order.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I think Corbomite was delayed because the visual effects needed more time, Where No Man Has Gone Before was held back because it wasn't representative of the final look, and they didn't want Mudd's Women to be the first thing viewers saw of the show, so the order was all messed up right at the start.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

I think Corbomite was delayed because the visual effects needed more time, Where No Man Has Gone Before was held back because it wasn't representative of the final look, and they didn't want Mudd's Women to be the first thing viewers saw of the show, so the order was all messed up right at the start.

I supposed that makes sense. While not TOS, one episode order goof that I think was left uncorrected for the DVD was on Star Trek: Voyager. In S7, after the premiere episode, the 2nd and 3rd episodes were broadcast backwards (oops), and I think this error made it to DVD.

Spoiler: Voyager - Season 7

In the 2nd episode, the Delta Flyer is already rebuilt, and Tom and B'Elanna have wedding rings. In the 3rd episode, the Delta Flyer is newly finished and going on test flights. By episode's end, Tom and B'Elanna are married. - Oops!

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Funny thing is, that mistake happens in both the airing order and the production order. You'd have to watch in stardate order instead! (Or just swap the episodes. Or ignore it).

 

[King Bob!]

"Skin of Evil" was produced before "Symbiosis".

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Yeah, you definitely want to watch the later shows in airing order, or else you end up with things like DS9's Through the Looking Glass being in the middle of the Improbable Cause two-parter, or Basics, Part II coming three episodes late.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

"Skin of Evil" was produced before "Symbiosis".

True, but this was the 80's, and broadcast vs. production was very different then compared to the 60's. For TOS, episode broadcasts were picked based on which the order NBC thought would best draw in the audience. For TNG, the episodes were produced to be seen in a specific order. Filming episodes out of order had more to do with production schedules than anything else.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Yeah, you definitely want to watch the later shows in airing order, or else you end up with things like DS9's Through the Looking Glass being in the middle of the Improbable Cause two-parter, or Basics, Part II coming three episodes late.

I understand broadcast order being the way to go in television programs from the 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's, and 20's. I'm really just asking about TOS, but I wanted to note VOY, because it's such an obvious goof.

 

[M'Sharak]

Broadcast vs production, does episode order matter?

No.

 

[Esteban]

I prefer production order. That's where it's a little easier to catch things like Kirk's green wraparound having no black border in "Doomsday Machine", the first 2nd season appearance of that tunic. Or Nimoy's skin blemishes that come and then go on a more predictable timeline. Or Shatner's weight adventures...he's pretty porky in the end of the 2nd season and early 3rd season, but trims down...for a while. Or the color of the Phaser 2 handles. Or Jimmy Doohan's hairstyle.

These things ARE, after, the important things in the life of a fan!

 

[Kor]

Personally I prefer production order. But generally, within a single season, and even when it comes to the whole series, watching episodes out of order doesn't matter too much as there's no serialization.

But over the entire course of the series there are certain episodes that would be best watched in a certain sequence if you haven't seen them before, or if it's been a long time. For example, S1 "Balance of Terror" before S3 "The Enterprise Incident." And "Mudd's Women" before "I, Mudd." And "Errand of Mercy" before the other Klingon episodes.

Kor

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Personally I prefer production order. But generally, within a single season, and even when it comes to the whole series, watching episodes out of order doesn't matter too much as there's no serialization.

But over the entire course of the series there are certain episodes that would be best watched in a certain sequence if you haven't seen them before, or if it's been a long time. For example, S1 "Balance of Terror" before S3 "The Enterprise Incident." And "Mudd's Women" before "I, Mudd." And "Errand of Mercy" before the other Klingon episodes.

Kor

I'm just watching sequentially the broadcast order that's on the Blu-ray's.

 

[Zombie Cheerleader]

Watching in production order you can see the show and characters develop. Kirk and Spock undergo quite an evolution.

 

[Frontis]

Personally I always prefer the production order, in every show when watching it for the first time.
I want to see how things develop.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Even when it puts the story out of order?

 

[Frontis]

Well, nobody tells you in which order to watch it for the story, so how should I now?

 

[Saul]

If we are talking specifically TOS then production order. It's weird to me to see episodes out of order as they were in broadcast order. My opinion is that the broadcast order is mostly posterity and those who perhaps viewed it on original broadcast. When I did my first full watch through of TOS (on VHS) it was all in production order and it made for satisfying viewing, not only to see the true evolution of the show but also for the tiniest hints of continuity based on the production order. From a TV broadcast standpoint I think it matters less, especially to casual fans and viewers but now with the advent of streaming it does take on more significance. Today's generation who didn't grow up with television aren't going to watch episodes out of order. To be honest, they'll probably view the show as clips on Tik Toc first and then decide to watch it on a streaming service at X3 speed while they play some game on their phone.