New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV series?

[midnight83]

I want to begin by apologzing if this has been asked before, but hopefully I'll still be able to get some help.

On to my question, like many, the Star Trek film last year was my first taste of this franchise. I completely loved the film. NOw, I want to dive into the various tv series. My end goal is to watch every episode of every series, even if it takes me 5 years, but I have no idea where to start.

I've done some searching, but it seems like many of of the discussions of viewing order come from the perspective of long term fans rewatching everything. For all the big Star Trek fans on here, I'm curious what your thoughts are on viewing order of of the TV shows for someone who's only experience in Star Trek is the 2009 movie.

I've seen two different theories on where to start

1.) Start with the original 1960's series

2.) Start with Enterprise since it's apparently a prequel series.

What do you guys think? Where should I begin and then in what order should I watch the other tv series and films? I want to dive into all the material that is out there, but I also want to watch it in a way that is going to maximize my enjoyment as someone who knows nothing about this franchise for the most part.

Thanks everyone!

 

[RegFan]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

I wouldn't suggest starting with Enterprise. I personally love it, but it's the Trek series that has the least fans. Besides, it references many of the later events (though not having watched the earlier series only really detracts from the enjoyment of Season 4). You should watch Enterprise the last.

I think you should start with the original series. If you don't like the first few episodes you watch, continue with the third season of TNG (the first two are horrible).

My order would be, assuming that you really want to watch everything, this:
TOS and TOS films (1-6)
Seasons 3-7 of TNG
TOS and TOS films, if you didn't like TOS at first.
Generations
Seasons 1-2 of TNG (I recommend that you ask for a list of episodes that are good and/or relevant to continuity on the TNG forum.)
DS9 (You can watch it simultaneously with seasons 6-7 of TNG and seasons 1-5 of Voyager, but it's not necessary. The chronological order of the episodes is listed on this page and the subsequent ones on Memory Alpha. The series gets serialized in the last few seasons.)
First Contact and Insurrection
Voyager
Nemesis
ENT (Remember that while the first two seasons are not bad, the series gets absolutely brilliant in the last two. The third season is extremely serialized and the fourth season makes extensive use of the prequel concept. If you want, you can ask for a list of episodes in the first two seasons that are good and/or relevant to continuity on the ENT forum. You shouldn't skip straight to the Xindi arc that starts in the Season 2 finale and makes up the entire Season 3 because there is some continuity in the mostly episodic first two seasons.)

 

[Lunarflower]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

I wouldn't suggest starting with Enterprise. I personally love it, but it's the Trek series that has the least fans. Besides, it references many of the later events (though not having watched the earlier series only really detracts from the enjoyment of Season 4).

I think you should start with the original series. If you don't like the first few episodes you watch, continue with the third season of TNG (the first two are horrible).

Well season two of TNG has a few good episodes (Measure of a Man, Q Who, and Time Squared), which should not be skipped.

Season one, yeah you can skip most of that.

 

[midnight83]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

I wouldn't suggest starting with Enterprise. I personally love it, but it's the Trek series that has the least fans. Besides, it references many of the later events (though not having watched the earlier series only really detracts from the enjoyment of Season 4). You should watch Enterprise the last.

I think you should start with the original series. If you don't like the first few episodes you watch, continue with the third season of TNG (the first two are horrible).

My order would be:
TOS
Seasons 3-7 of TNG
Seasons 1-2 of TNG (Ask for a list of episodes that are good and/or relevant to continuity on the TNG forum.)
TOS, if you didn't like it at first.
DS9 (You can watch it simultaneously with seasons 6-7 of TNG and seasons 1-5 of Voyager, but it's not necessary.)
Voyager
ENT (Remember that while the first two seasons are not bad, the series gets absolutely brilliant in the last two. The third season is extremely serialized and the fourth season makes extensive use of the prequel concept. If you want, you can ask for a list of episodes in the first two seasons that are good/relevant to continuity on the ENT forum. However, you shouldn't skip straight to the Xindi arc that starts in the Season 2 finale and makes up the entire Season 3 because there is some continuity in the mostly episodic first two seasons.)

Thanks for the response!

I'll dive into TOS first then. Just to confirm, can all the shows be watched in their entirety before starting the next? So in other words, finish all the seasons of TNG before going into DS9, and then not going to Voyager until finishing all of DS9 and so on. Finally, is there any specific order where the movies fall in, or can you just watch them whenever? I'm not sure if they tie into the tv series or not.

 

[RegFan]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

Thanks for the response!

I'll dive into TOS first then. Just to confirm, can all the shows be watched in their entirety before starting the next? So in other words, finish all the seasons of TNG before going into DS9, and then not going to Voyager until finishing all of DS9 and so on. Finally, is there any specific order where the movies fall in, or can you just watch them whenever? I'm not sure if they tie into the tv series or not.

I edited my post. You can look up the answers to your questions there, though I'm not entirely sure about the order in which the TNG movies should be watched.

 

[Alienesse]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

I'll dive into TOS first then. Just to confirm, can all the shows be watched in their entirety before starting the next? So in other words, finish all the seasons of TNG before going into DS9, and then not going to Voyager until finishing all of DS9 and so on. Finally, is there any specific order where the movies fall in, or can you just watch them whenever? I'm not sure if they tie into the tv series or not.

It's probably a good idea to watch each series individually before going to the next, especially since you're watching Star Trek for the first time. That's the way I've approached it and it's been a satisfying experience.

The movies do have a certain order. The first 6 movies follow the story established in TOS and the other 4 besides the latest are based on TNG. The order of the movies is the following:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn
Star Trek: The Search for Spock
Star Trek: The Voyage Home
Star Trek: The Final Frontier
Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country
-- these are 'sequels' to TOS with the original characters and actors

Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Nemesis
-- these are related to TNG

Have fun watching them!

 

[midnight83]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

Well thanks for all the advice! I've been convinced to start with TOS and so I'm going to dive right into that series.

It's pretty exciting to have a whole new franchise to look forward to and I'm sure I'll be on the various boards here asking questions as I go through the episodes.

Thanks again!

 

[Eddie Roth]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

That TNG seasons 1 and 2 are inferior and can be skipped is a myth, by the way. There's no way to say that a new viewer would not appreciate them for what they are. Besides, there are these aforementioned episodes from these seasons that are necessary to understanding plots and character development later on. "Q Who" is but one example.

Besides, the TOS feel of the initial TNG seasons might in fact be a source of enjoyment for a new fan who has just completed TOS. I say watch everything in the original broadcast order.

 

[Jefferies]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

You are in for one hell of a ride. If you have the patience to let the characters and settings of the respective series grow on you, you will be able to get some profound enjoyment out of them. Just don't be disheartened by the occaisonal bland or illconcieved episode. So have a great time and welcome to Star Trek!

P.S. I also recommend the original broadcasting order. It's the way I watch the shows myself and it leads to a far more immersive experience.

 

[Captrek]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

If you’re interested in the whole franchise but aren’t dedicated enough to commit to watching 716 TV episodes and 11 (and counting) films, consider going with “abridged” versions of the TV series. It will save you time, introduce you to more parts of the franchise in a given period of time, and give you a better quality watching experience by focusing mostly on the better episodes.

abridged TOS

abridged TNG

abridged ENT

I don’t have abridged versions of DS9 and VOY. I don’t think DS9 lends itself particularly well to abridgment. Maybe some VOY fans can come up with an abridgment for that series.

 

[Robert DeSoto]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

I

I'll dive into TOS first then. Just to confirm, can all the shows be watched in their entirety before starting the next? So in other words, finish all the seasons of TNG before going into DS9, and then not going to Voyager until finishing all of DS9 and so on. Finally, is there any specific order where the movies fall in, or can you just watch them whenever? I'm not sure if they tie into the tv series or not.

DS9 overlaps with TNG, the TNG movies and Voyager. It`s better to watch it in order if you can. It`s not critical, but it will make more sense because they will reference stuff that happened in other shows and movies.

I watched TNG before starting DS9 and there was an episode in TNG where they were fighting a terrorist group that was introduced in DS9, but I had no idea who the hell they were since I didn`t watch DS9 yet.

Also if you`re new to Star Trek and you`re watching TOS, I`d recommend you look for the remastered version with the updated special effects. Although personally, I watched the original without the updated effects and I liked it just fine.

Keep in mind though that you`re watching the original reality. Not the alternate reality created by Nero. So Vulcan was never destroyed, Kirk`s father didn`t die so young and Kirk was never a bum. In fact Kirk had quite a service record on other ships before becoming Captain of the Enterprise. And although this Kirk didn`t waste his youth getting into bar fights in Iowa, he can still kick some ass. But you`ll get to all that good stuff on your own. Enjoy!

 

[Kelso]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

Just watch the popular ones first on an episode-by-episode basis to get a feel for what you like most.

There is no real benefit to watching the different shows in order.

 

[Gary7]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

^ Your wish is in the process of being fulfilled.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

Seriously, just watch each show one by one.
I watched Enterprise then season 1-4 of TNG then season 1 of Voyager then all of DS9 then all of Voyager then seasons 5-7 of TNG and it made NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER.
Watching in complete chronological order really doesn't add any enjoyment and there's not much to it. TNG and DS9 overlap chronologically but storywise besides one crossover episode, they're pretty much completely separate. As for Voyager and DS9, Voyager is 70, 000 lightyears away so hardly any of their stories relate to DS9 anyway.
To keep it simple, just watch TOS-TNG-DS9-VOY-ENT and don't try and mix episodes in the same timeframe with eachother as it will do nothing for your enjoyment, it'll just be awkward.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

To the OP:

You'll definitely find that everyone will have different ideas on what they like.

I'd say start with TOS...and go from there to the TOS films, TNG-DS9-VOY-ENT, TNG films, then the Abrams film.

Everyone has their continuity, and what they prefer. You may also have your preferences (certain episodes, films, etc) once you're done with the entire series.

Basically, the poster You_Will_Fail had the right idea.

 

[Starbreaker]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

We look forward to arguing with you as you watch the various Treks. You can't find two people on here that agree with three different things.

 

[JiNX-01]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

I wouldn't suggest starting with Enterprise. I personally love it, but it's the Trek series that has the least fans.

What does the size of the fan base have to do with the order in which midnight83 watches each series?

Still, I do agree that watching the shows in the order in which they were made does make sense. There are references to the Original Star Trek -- especially in Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Enterprise -- that won't make sense if you watch the other shows first. (I don't recall there being much mention of elements from TOS in Voyager, so that one might not matter as much. Tho' it's been a while, so I could be wrong).

In any case, welcome to the board and I hope you like it here, midnight83!

 

[RoJoHen]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

I wouldn't suggest starting with Enterprise. I personally love it, but it's the Trek series that has the least fans.

What does the size of the fan base have to do with the order in which midnight83 watches each series?

Well, since it's the least popular of the series, it could very well turn off a new viewer. Better to start with a more popular series.

 

[Captrek]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

I wouldn't suggest starting with Enterprise. I personally love it, but it's the Trek series that has the least fans.

What does the size of the fan base have to do with the order in which midnight83 watches each series?

Well, since it's the least popular of the series, it could very well turn off a new viewer. Better to start with a more popular series.

If you do start with ENT, it’s probably best to go with the abridged version that lets you zip through the first two seasons before settling down to watch Seasons 3 and 4 almost in their entirety. Although I personally haven’t seen much of the first two seasons, it seems to be a strong consensus among ENT fans that S1-S2 are greatly inferior to S3-S4.

 

[JiNX-01]

Re: New to Star Trek - Where to begin in regards to the various TV ser

I wouldn't suggest starting with Enterprise. I personally love it, but it's the Trek series that has the least fans.

What does the size of the fan base have to do with the order in which midnight83 watches each series?

Well, since it's the least popular of the series, it could very well turn off a new viewer. Better to start with a more popular series.

Popularity doesn't mean that the series will appeal to the OP. As I posted above, I do think that watching them in the order in which they were produced makes the most sense because certain episodes in each of the post-TOS series build on what came before.