Viewing order?

[Therin of Andor]

The only DVD/Blu-ray edition ever to get this right was the 40-volume run...

Don't you mean: The only home video edition ever to get this right was the 40-volume run...? I thought that US release was on VHS? DVD maybe, but certainly not BluRay. I seem to recall USA had a sequence of numbered VHS tapes in production order that ended with a mystery last volume, which turned out to be the first commercial release of "The Cage".

 

[JoeD80]

^
Those were the tapes direct from Paramount. Episode 1 was the Black&White/Color mix version of "The Cage" and the tape numbered 99 was the full color version (even though the last tape before that was numbered 79, "Turnabout Intruder.") #16 had both parts of "The Menagerie" on the same tape. That series was released in production order as well.

 

[Warped9]

Production order. You can see the characters and show develop and evolve.

This is how I've been doing it in my current revisit and you really do see the evolution of the show, the characters and other things. You notice when certain things first make an appearance and when certain music tracks were first used. It's rather interesting.

Next time around I'm going to try watching them all in Stardate order including TAS. That should prove fun.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Don't you mean: The only home video edition ever to get this right was the 40-volume run...? I thought that US release was on VHS? DVD maybe, but certainly not BluRay. I seem to recall USA had a sequence of numbered VHS tapes in production order that ended with a mystery last volume, which turned out to be the first commercial release of "The Cage".

I meant what I wrote - those were 40 single DVDs with two episodes each, and they had them in production order. (Well, almost. The 40th volume had Turnabout Intruder and The Cage.)

Here's a link to the first volume on Amazon, and amazingly, it's still available for purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Original-Episodes-Corbomite/dp/6305513406/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

I owned all 40 of them but ebayed them off in favor of the Blu-rays.

 

[Captain Robert April]

For those of you insane enough to try it in stardate order, here ya go...

1. THE MAGICKS OF MEGAS-TU 1254.4
2. WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE 1312.4
3. MUDD'S WOMEN 1329..1
4. THE CORBOMITE MANEUVER 1512.2
5. THE MAN TRAP 1513.1
6. CHARLIE X 1533.6
7. THE ENEMY WITHIN 1672.1
8. THE NAKED TIME 1704.2
9. BALANCE OF TERROR 1709.2
10. THE SQUIRE OF GOTHOS 2124.5
11. WHAT ARE LITTLE GIRLS MADE OF? 2712.4
12. MIRI 2713.5
13. DAGGER OF THE MIND 2715.1
14. THE CONSCIENCE OF THE KING 2817.6
15. THE GALILEO SEVEN 2821.5
16. COURT MARTIAL 2947.3
17. THE MENAGERIE 3012.4
18. CATSPAW 3018.2
19. SHORE LEAVE 3025.3
20. ARENA 3045.6
21. TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY 3113.2
22. SPACE SEED 3141.9
23. THE RETURN OF THE ARCHONS 3156.2
24. THE PRACTICAL JOKER 3183.3
25. A TASTE OF ARMAGEDDON 3192.1
26. THE DEVIL IN THE DARK 3196.1
27. ERRAND OF MERCY 3198.4
28. THE GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION 3211.7
29. METAMORPHOSIS 3219.8
30. OPERATION: ANNIHILATE! 3287.2
31. AMOK TIME 3372.7
32. THIS SIDE OF PARADISE 3417.3
33. WHO MOURNS FOR ADONAIS? 3468.1
34. THE DEADLY YEARS 3478.2
35. FRIDAY'S CHILD 3497.2
36. THE CHANGELING 3541.9
37. WOLF IN THE FOLD 3614.9
38. OBSESSION 3619.2
39. THE APPLE 3715.0
40. JOURNEY TO BABEL 3842.3
41. THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR 3987.6
42. THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER Unknown
43. MIRROR, MIRROR Unknown
44. BREAD AND CIRCUSES 4040.7
45. THE SLAVER WEAPON 4187.3
46. THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE 4202.9
47. A PRIVATE LITTLE WAR 4211.4
48. THE IMMUNITY SYNDROME 4307.1
49. ELAAN OF TROYIUS 4372.5
50. SPECTRE OF THE GUN 4385.3
51. I, MUDD 4513.3
52. THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES 4523.3
53. BY ANY OTHER NAME 4657.5
54. A PIECE OF THE ACTION Unknown
55. THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER 4729.4
56. RETURN TO TOMORROW 4768.3
57. PATTERNS OF FORCE Unknown
58. THE OMEGA GLORY Unknown
59. ASSIGNMENT: EARTH Unknown
60. THE PARADISE SYNDROME 4842.6
61. MUDD'S PASSION 4978.5
62. THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT 5027.3
63. AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD 5029.5
64. THE EMPATH 5121.5
65. THE SURVIVOR 5143.3
66. BEYOND THE FARTHEST STAR 5221.3
67. THE TIME TRAP 5267.2
68. ALBATROSS 5275.6
69. ONE OF OUR PLANETS IS MISSING 5371.3
70. YESTERYEAR 5373.4
71. MORE TRIBBLES, MORE TROUBLES 5392.4
72. THE MARK OF GIDEON 5423.4
73. SPOCK’S BRAIN 5431.4
74. FOR THE WORLD IS HOLLOW & I HAVE TOUCHED THE SKY 5476.3
75. THE LORELEI SIGNAL 5483.7
76. THE AMBERGRIS ELEMENT 5499.9
77. THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER 5501.2
78. THE INFINITE VULCAN 5554.4
79. THE TERRATIN INCIDENT 5577.3
80. ONCE UPON A PLANET 5591.2
81. IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY? 5630.7
82. DAY OF THE DOVE Unknown
83. THE JIHAD 5683.1
84. THE THOLIAN WEB 5693.2
85. WINK OF AN EYE 5710.5
86. WHOM GODS DESTROY 5718.3
87. THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR 5725.3
88. LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD 5730.2
89. PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN 5784.2
90. THAT WHICH SURVIVES Unknown
91. THE CLOUD MINDERS 5818.4
92. THE WAY TO EDEN 5832.3
93. REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH 5843.7
94. THE SAVAGE CURTAIN 5906.4
95. TURNABOUT INTRUDER 5928.5
96. ALL OUR YESTERDAYS 5943.7
97. HOW SHARPER THAT A SERPENT'S TOOTH 6063.4
98. THE PIRATES OF ORION 6334.1
99. THE COUNTER-CLOCK INCIDENT 6770.1
100. BEM 7304.6

Stick with production order. Trust me.

 

[Captrek]

Has anyone watched the series in Stardate Order? I'd be curious to see how or if the story unfolds in a more significant way with regards to character development..

I have watched in in Stardate Order and I agree with Timo, it's better than production order or broadcast order.

This for TOS, not TAS. My recommendation is to watch TOS in Stardate Order, followed by TAS is broadcast order.

For a guide to TOS Stardate order, including my recommendations for the placement of episodes that don't have Stardates, see my post [POST=4270816]here[/POST].


BTW, No. 6: Arrival, Dance of the Dead, Free for All, Checkmate, The Chimes of Big Ben, The General, A, B, & C, The Schizoid Man, Many Happy Returns, It's Your Funeral, Hammer Into Anvil, A Change of Mind, Do Not Forsake Me O My Darling, Living in Harmony, The Girl who was Death, Once Upon a Time, Fall Out. In that order. Feel free to skip Forsake.


ETA: Putting the order in this post for convenience.

 [U]Episode[/U]      [U]Stardate[/U]        [U]Title[/U]
   1x01    1312.4 - 1313.8    Where No Man Has Gone Before
   1x03    1329.8 - 1330.1    Mudd's Women
   1x02    1512.2 - 1514.1    The Corbomite Maneuver
   1x05    1513.1 - 1513.8    The Man Trap
   1x07    1533.6 - 1535.8    Charlie X
   1x04    1672.1 - 1673.1    The Enemy Within
   1x06    1704.2 - 1704.4    The Naked Time
   1x08    1709.2 - 1709.6    Balance of Terror
   1x18    2124.5 - 2126.3    The Squire of Gothos
   1x09        2712.4         What Are Little Girls Made Of?
   1x11    2713.5 - 2713.3    Miri
   1x10    2715.1 - 2715.2    Dagger of the Mind
   1x12    2817.6 - 2819.8    The Conscience of the King
   1x13    2821.5 - 2823.8    The Galileo Seven
   1x14    2947.3 - 2950.1    Court Martial
   1x15    3012.4 - 3012.6    The Menagerie, Part I
   1x16    3013.1 - 3013.2    The Menagerie, Part II
   2x01        3018.2         Catspaw
   1x17    3025.3 - 3025.8    Shore Leave
   1x19    3045.6 - 3046.2    Arena
   1x20    3087.6 - 3088.7    The Alternative Factor
   1x21    3113.2 - 3114.1    Tomorrow is Yesterday
   1x24    3141.9 - 3143.3    Space Seed
   1x22    3156.2 - 3158.7    The Return of the Archons
   1x23    3192.1 - 3193.0    A Taste of Armageddon
   1x26        3196.1         The Devil in the Dark
   1x27    3198.4 - 3201.7    Errand of Mercy
   1x28        Unknown        The City on the Edge of Forever
   2x17    3211.7 - 3259.2    The Gamesters of Triskelion
   2x02    3219.8 - 3220.3    Metamorphosis
   1x29    3287.2 - 3289.8    Operation -- Annihilate!
   2x05        3372.7         Amok Time
   1x25    3417.3 - 3417.7    This Side of Paradise
   2x04        3468.1         Who Mourns for Adonais?
   2x11    3478.2 - 3479.4    The Deadly Years
   2x03    3497.2 - 3499.1    Friday's Child
   2x08        3541.9         The Changeling
   2x07    3614.9 - 3615.4    Wolf in the Fold
   2x18    3619.2 - 3620.7    Obsession
   2x09    3715.0 - 3715.6    The Apple
   2x10        Unknown        Mirror, Mirror
   2x15    3842.3 - 3843.4    Journey to Babel
   2x14    4040.7 - 4041.7    Bread and Circuses
   2x06        4202.9         The Doomsday Machine
   2x16    4211.4 - 4211.8    A Private Little War
   2x19    4307.1 - 4309.4    The Immunity Syndrome
   3x02        4372.5         Elaan of Troyius
   3x01        4385.3         Spectre of the Gun
   2x12        4513.3         I, Mudd
   2x13    4523.3 - 4525.6    The Trouble with Tribbles
   2x20        Unknown        A Piece of the Action
   2x21    4657.5 - 4658.9    By Any Other Name
   2x24    4729.4 - 4731.3    The Ultimate Computer
   2x22    4768.3 - 4770.3    Return to Tomorrow
   2x23        Unknown        Patterns of Force
   2x25        Unknown        The Omega Glory
   2x26        Unknown        Assignment: Earth
   3x03    4842.6 - 4843.6    The Paradise Syndrome
   3x04    5027.3 - 5027.4    The Enterprise Incident
   3x05        5029.5         And the Children Shall Lead
   3x08        5121.5         The Empath
   3x17    5423.4 - 5423.8    The Mark of Gideon
   3x06    5431.4 - 5432.3    Spock's Brain
   3x10    5476.3 - 5476.4    For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
   3x07    5630.7 - 5630.8    Is There in Truth No Beauty?
   3x09        5693.2         The Tholian Web
   3x11        Unknown        Day of the Dove
   3x13    5710.5 - 5710.9    Wink of an Eye
   3x14        Unknown        That Which Survives
   3x16        5718.3         Whom Gods Destroy
   3x18    5725.3 - 5725.6    The Lights of Zetar
   3x15    5730.2 - 5730.7    Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
   3x12    5784.2 - 5784.3    Plato's Stepchildren
   3x19    5818.4 - 5819.3    The Cloud Minders
   3x20    5832.3 - 5832.6    The Way to Eden
   3x21    5843.7 - 5843.8    Requiem for Methuselah
   3x22    5906.4 - 5906.5    The Savage Curtain
   3x24    5928.5 - 5930.3    Turnabout Intruder
   3x23    5943.7 - 5943.9    All Our Yesterdays

 

[Harvey]

BTW, No. 6: Arrival, Dance of the Dead, Free for All, Checkmate, The Chimes of Big Ben, The General, A, B, & C, The Schizoid Man, Many Happy Returns, It's Your Funeral, Hammer Into Anvil, A Change of Mind, Do Not Forsake Me O My Darling, Living in Harmony, The Girl who was Death, Once Upon a Time, Fall Out. In that order. Feel free to skip Forsake.

Lol. Finding a coherent episode order for The Prisoner makes trying to figure out the proper order of Star Trek look like child's play in comparison. I'm kind of annoyed they presented the episodes in broadcast order on those Blu-Rays, too -- except, of course, that there isn't really any "proper" order to them.

 

[mb22]

^
Those were the tapes direct from Paramount. Episode 1 was the Black&White/Color mix version of "The Cage" and the tape numbered 99 was the full color version (even though the last tape before that was numbered 79, "Turnabout Intruder.") #16 had both parts of "The Menagerie" on the same tape. That series was released in production order as well.

The 1985-88 VHS tapes that were sold had one episode per tape (including one tape for both parts of "The Menagerie"). They were released in groups every few months in broadcast order. The numbers on the pine however were the production order. The B & W/color "Cage" episode (relaesed in fall 1986) was #1. When the all-color version was released in 1989 it was #80.

 

[Captain Robert April]

In the next edition of the Concordance, we'll probably be putting them in production order (apparently, it's been editorial interference that's forced previous editions to list them in airdate order).

And, just to make things interesting, I've managed to put together a list of the TAS episodes in production order.

 

[Potemkin_Prod]

I haven't seen the production order of the animated series before. When will that become available?

 

[Hober Mallow]

The best way to watch the show is in reverse production order starting with Turnabout Intruder. That way, the show gets better and better.

 

[Captrek]

The best way to watch the show is in reverse production order starting with Turnabout Intruder. That way, the show gets better and better.

Definitely some stinkers in S3.

The worst part of Stardate Order is having four of TOS's worst episodes — And the Children Shall Lead, The Empath, The Mark of Gideon, and Spock's Brain — all in a row.

In Production Order, you have ATCSL, Spock's Brain, Is There in Truth No Beauty?, and The Empath, almost as horrible.

If you go by original broadcast order, I guess the worst crap is a bit more spread out. I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. I'm curious, who decided it was a good idea to use Spock's Brain as the season premiere?

 

[Kelso]

I watch them in mood order.

 

[JoeD80]

They were released in groups every few months in broadcast order.
...
The B & W/color "Cage" episode (relaesed in fall 1986) was #1. When the all-color version was released in 1989 it was #80.

Well I didn't buy them myself, I just recall the numbers on the side were production order from what I saw at video rental places at the time. But I recall "The Cage" tape was definitely numbered #99 and not #80; you can see the cover that says "Episode 99" on amazon and that numbering carried over into the initial DVD release as well.

 

[Greg Cox]

I'm watching them in airdate order right now. Despite some minor glitches, it's interesting the experience the show just as viewers did the first time around . . . .

 

[plynch]

There's so little reference to past missions in TOS, and no arcs, does it matter?

 

[Nerys Myk]

There's so little reference to past missions in TOS, and no arcs, does it matter?

For me, as I said before, its about watching the show and characters develop. For example: Spock and Kirk aren't quite the Kirk and Spock we now know in the earliest episodes.

 

[GNDN]

Truthfully, with the time it takes to swap blu-rays and sit through the CBS logos, I only go out of my way to watch early S1 in production order.

I still remember when the season sets first came out on DVD that Paramount made a big deal of announcing they were being presented in Airdate order as that's what The Fans preferred. I don't remember if there was an online vote or such to help with that decision.

 

[Captain Robert April]

I haven't seen the production order of the animated series before. When will that become available?

It's available now, for anyone willing to arrange them according to their production number.

 

[Captrek]

I haven't seen the production order of the animated series before. When will that become available?

It's available now, for anyone willing to arrange them according to their production number.

If you're wondering where to find the production numbers, you can find them at Memory Alpha.