The Best And The Worse Star Trek TV Series
- Thread starter KirkSpockTOSFan
- Start date
I'm happy to have access to even the worst ST series. IMHO, only SG and B5 come close to giving us an extended run of good science fiction. There is 100 other series that is junk compared to ST. But having said that...
1. DS9 - best supporting cast
2. ENT - great stories in the last two years
3. TOS - has not aged well but you have to take it for when it was
4. TNG - frequently shallow
5. VOY - is pretty good if you cut it down to 4 seasons
1. DS9 - best supporting cast
2. ENT - great stories in the last two years
3. TOS - has not aged well but you have to take it for when it was
4. TNG - frequently shallow
5. VOY - is pretty good if you cut it down to 4 seasons
1. TOS (LOVE the characters, and some great stuff despite the cheez.)
2. DS9 (Good character work and interesting way of developing stories.)
3. Tie: TNG (a bit sanitized for me), Enterprise (the last 2 years of E were pretty decent, and E has grown on me over the years)
Then, way WAY below these for me is...
4. Voyager (Just...can't...get into...it.) I'm sure there are redeeming moments in this series as well as some decent characters...like Tuvok, maybe. There's so much else I enjoy in Trek and so little time, V ain't happening for me. I truly wanted to like this series, because I had longed for a woman starship captain as a regular for years. But I've never been able to sit through an entire ep. Sigh.
The worst thing in any Trek series to me is the godawful theme song for E - freaking lame, trite, excruciatingly, embarrassingly bad song. I turn the sound down everytime I watch an ep because I can't bear it.
2. DS9 (Good character work and interesting way of developing stories.)
3. Tie: TNG (a bit sanitized for me), Enterprise (the last 2 years of E were pretty decent, and E has grown on me over the years)
Then, way WAY below these for me is...
4. Voyager (Just...can't...get into...it.) I'm sure there are redeeming moments in this series as well as some decent characters...like Tuvok, maybe. There's so much else I enjoy in Trek and so little time, V ain't happening for me. I truly wanted to like this series, because I had longed for a woman starship captain as a regular for years. But I've never been able to sit through an entire ep. Sigh.
The worst thing in any Trek series to me is the godawful theme song for E - freaking lame, trite, excruciatingly, embarrassingly bad song. I turn the sound down everytime I watch an ep because I can't bear it.
I can't believe someone could like "Voyager" more than "Deep Space Nine". That's just goofy. 
I would rank them:
1) "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
2) "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
3) "Star Trek"
I think TNG is the most consistent, although seasons 1 and 7 (especially 1) and season 6 to a lesser extent are painfully bad on many occasions. Still no other Star Trek series has a season as consistently great as its season 3.
I think DS9 is the most accomplished one - as in, the one that managed to be good in the most impressive ways. None of the other series have had stories and characters as brilliantly original and fascinating as theirs, when they were firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately, it loses the 'consistency contest' with TNG because it would create character and story arcs that are terribly conceived and drag them on to agonizing lengths.
As ambitious as DS9 was, that's how unambitious "Star Trek" was, recycling the same formulas over and over, with only the occasional groundbreaking original villain or story. But you can't blame them given their meager budget, and they deserve credit for being the only show with a uniformly great big 7 cast (although Sulu, Chekov, Scotty, and Uhura were sadly underused).
"Voyager" I hate with the fire of a thousand suns because every episode I've seen has bored or annoyed me (or both) constantly from start to finish and I hate all the characters. I liked some moments of the Q episodes and the way Janeway interacted with him, but everything else was blah. "Enterprise" I haven't seen enough of to really make a statement on, but it will always have a place in my heart for those awesome, awesome, mirror universe episodes.
I've seen a few episodes of the animated show and thought they were very fun and cute, but I don't think it's really fair to compare them to the live action shows...I guess except to say that with its clunky animation, rushed and childish stories/writing, and stiff acting, it's still better than "Voyager".
I would rank them:
1) "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
2) "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
3) "Star Trek"
I think TNG is the most consistent, although seasons 1 and 7 (especially 1) and season 6 to a lesser extent are painfully bad on many occasions. Still no other Star Trek series has a season as consistently great as its season 3.
I think DS9 is the most accomplished one - as in, the one that managed to be good in the most impressive ways. None of the other series have had stories and characters as brilliantly original and fascinating as theirs, when they were firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately, it loses the 'consistency contest' with TNG because it would create character and story arcs that are terribly conceived and drag them on to agonizing lengths.
As ambitious as DS9 was, that's how unambitious "Star Trek" was, recycling the same formulas over and over, with only the occasional groundbreaking original villain or story. But you can't blame them given their meager budget, and they deserve credit for being the only show with a uniformly great big 7 cast (although Sulu, Chekov, Scotty, and Uhura were sadly underused).
"Voyager" I hate with the fire of a thousand suns because every episode I've seen has bored or annoyed me (or both) constantly from start to finish and I hate all the characters. I liked some moments of the Q episodes and the way Janeway interacted with him, but everything else was blah. "Enterprise" I haven't seen enough of to really make a statement on, but it will always have a place in my heart for those awesome, awesome, mirror universe episodes.
I've seen a few episodes of the animated show and thought they were very fun and cute, but I don't think it's really fair to compare them to the live action shows...I guess except to say that with its clunky animation, rushed and childish stories/writing, and stiff acting, it's still better than "Voyager".
I agree with the OP's assessment of DS9. I don't have any fond memories of watching that show, even though I saw quite a few episodes by default when it originally aired (nothing else on in its time slot among the limited selection of TV channels I had at the time [NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS]). The main thing I remember about the show is that "Ferengi" characters annoy me.
I didn't like the space station setting and I didn't like how it felt like a soap opera. The space station setting was at odds with the name "Star Trek" by the way. "Star Squatter" would be a more appropriate name.
I liked TOS, TNG, and what little I saw of Voyager; in that order. I never saw Enterprise. The movies are my favorite incarnation of Star Trek though, particularly ST: TMP and STIV: TVH.
I didn't like the space station setting and I didn't like how it felt like a soap opera. The space station setting was at odds with the name "Star Trek" by the way. "Star Squatter" would be a more appropriate name.
I liked TOS, TNG, and what little I saw of Voyager; in that order. I never saw Enterprise. The movies are my favorite incarnation of Star Trek though, particularly ST: TMP and STIV: TVH.
People, if Deep Space Nine had been a soap opera, Sisko and Kasidy would have got married and divorced three times by the end of the show, Bashir would have turned out to be Dax's long lost brother and half of the cast would probably have been wiped out in a random shuttle accident round about Season 5. Apparently it departed from Roddenberry's vision, but since there were still fistfights, weird aliens and scantily clad ladies I'm not sure how!
Scantily clad alien ladies were Roddenberry's vision.
But maybe it departed from his vision because the captain did not make out with them (MU excluded).
May I just state for the record that anyone who puts TOS as the worst is a boob!
I'm kidding of course, opinion is opinion, I don't think nor am I accusing you of being boobs (trust me, I'm not the insult kind of guy, especially on the Internet). But remember, without TOS there would be no Trek milieu at all; saying TOS is the worst of the series is like saying The Beatles is the worst rock band of all time.
That doesn't mean you have to want to listen to The Beatles all the time if you're a big U2 fan, for example. But certainly, The Beatles would rank as a great band. Same with TOS.
Anyway, I'm not qualified to answer this question, as I've only seen TOS, maybe half of TNG, the first two episodes of DS9, one episode of VOY, and none of ENT. I like TOS more than the half of TNG I've seen.
I just wanted to put TOS in perspective for people who think that they could have had their beloved DS9 or whatever without TOS. Give them their due!
I'm kidding of course, opinion is opinion, I don't think nor am I accusing you of being boobs (trust me, I'm not the insult kind of guy, especially on the Internet). But remember, without TOS there would be no Trek milieu at all; saying TOS is the worst of the series is like saying The Beatles is the worst rock band of all time.
That doesn't mean you have to want to listen to The Beatles all the time if you're a big U2 fan, for example. But certainly, The Beatles would rank as a great band. Same with TOS.
Anyway, I'm not qualified to answer this question, as I've only seen TOS, maybe half of TNG, the first two episodes of DS9, one episode of VOY, and none of ENT. I like TOS more than the half of TNG I've seen.
I just wanted to put TOS in perspective for people who think that they could have had their beloved DS9 or whatever without TOS. Give them their due!
I would argue that Deep Space Nine did more seeking out new worlds and new civilizations than any of the other Star Trek shows. While it didn't give us the foreheads of the week, it gave us in depth looks into the Bajorans, the Cardassians, the Dominion and The Klingons. They turned these races into cultures, which to me, was the best part of DS9.
Don't forget the Ferengi and the Federation itself. I agree that they actually explored those strange new worlds instead of just seeking them out.
May I just state for the record that anyone who puts TOS as the worst is a boob!
I'm kidding of course, opinion is opinion, I don't think nor am I accusing you of being boobs (trust me, I'm not the insult kind of guy, especially on the Internet). But remember, without TOS there would be no Trek milieu at all; saying TOS is the worst of the series is like saying The Beatles is the worst rock band of all time.
That doesn't mean you have to want to listen to The Beatles all the time if you're a big U2 fan, for example. But certainly, The Beatles would rank as a great band. Same with TOS
Except that acknowledging signifigance != opinion of quality
I recognize that TOS started the franchise, and I appreciate it for that. Doesn't mean I have to think it's a great show.
DS9 Wins hands down
1. DS9
2. Ent/TOS
3. TNG
4. VoY
TNG is in 3rd place because the first few season is such cheese, so 80s but still has some good moments. Ent is tied with TOS as I believe that should it renewed for 5th season would of been def up there with the likes of TOS. TOS is in the 2nd as again its cheese but that’s ok as it was made in the 60s and I like how stories told then is coming true. For example genetic engineering.
1. DS9
2. Ent/TOS
3. TNG
4. VoY
TNG is in 3rd place because the first few season is such cheese, so 80s but still has some good moments. Ent is tied with TOS as I believe that should it renewed for 5th season would of been def up there with the likes of TOS. TOS is in the 2nd as again its cheese but that’s ok as it was made in the 60s and I like how stories told then is coming true. For example genetic engineering.
I have the same problem, especially when it comes to DS9 vs. the rest of Trek. With the exception of the first season (which is why i think it receives so much hate from most DS9 fans) the show was a continuing story. This was rarely the case in the rest of Trek (except possibly with Ent of which I have seen little). But if it comes down to it I guess this would be my ranking
1. TNG ( I find that over time I watch this more than the others)
2. DS9
3. TOS
4. Voyager
5. Ent (Stopped watching mid season 1, so it could move if I ever get back to it)
I like them all, but in order of preference
1. TOS
2. DS9
3. TNG
4. VOY
5. ENT
1. TOS
2. DS9
3. TNG
4. VOY
5. ENT
Whoops, forgot TAS.
1. TOS
2. DS9
3. TAS
4. TNG
5. VOY
6. ENT
1. TOS
2. DS9
3. TAS
4. TNG
5. VOY
6. ENT
Best
1. DS9
2. TNG
3. TOS
Worst
4. Voy
5. Ent
1. DS9
2. TNG
3. TOS
Worst
4. Voy
5. Ent
Best: TOS and about 80% of TNG.
Worst: Tie between ''Voyager'' Season 4 and onward, the first 2 3/4 seasons of ''Enterprise''
In the middle:
-- The Animated Series. They had some good episodes, but I don't think they really took advantage of the oppourtunity they had.
-- Deep Space Nine. I liked the show, thought it could be up there with TOS and TNG at times, but sometimes it veered to far from the "feel" of 'Trek, IMO.
Worst: Tie between ''Voyager'' Season 4 and onward, the first 2 3/4 seasons of ''Enterprise''
In the middle:
-- The Animated Series. They had some good episodes, but I don't think they really took advantage of the oppourtunity they had.
-- Deep Space Nine. I liked the show, thought it could be up there with TOS and TNG at times, but sometimes it veered to far from the "feel" of 'Trek, IMO.
Yep.
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