If it ended with Voyager where do you go?

[CptKirk]

Hello everybody,

So I suppose a Star Trek dedicated forum is a close as its gets to an official meeting joint for Star Trek fans outside of conventions these days.

My Dad introduced me to reruns of TOS on the cathode ray box when I was a kid in the late 70s and early 80s. He then took me to see the movies. He put posters of Star Trek TMP and Spock in my bedroom. Remember them well. I watched TOS whenever it was on.

I did a lot of reading as a kid and still do in my adult life. I watched a lot of series and saw a lot of films. I was a young teenager for TNG, watched most of the entire series, started DS9, got through the first two seasons, and watched Voyager, but I could not spend that much time on it anymore because of exams.

So I watched the TNG movies when they came out. I caught the odd episodes of DS9 and Voyager. A little bit of Enterprise. I never attended any conventions but did try one time. Got tickets a few years back to see Shatner, but Covid happened.

When DVD came out, I got all the Star Trek box sets, watched everything right through to Enterprise season 2, and stopped there.

I think Star Trek ended with Voyager for me. I gave the Netflix series a try, and well, I still think it stopped with Voyager. Prime’s Picard was a treat, but I seem to think that’s more about having Patrick Stewart around for moral support during these dark times we seem to go through. It’s a bit like the X-Files last two seasons were a treat, but X-Files ended for me with season 7 and the rest trying to keep the franchise going for the fans.

I am currently watching Star Trek The Animated Series because I have never seen it. However, what brought me here was Shatner’s two Star Trek books about the series and movies. In addition, I was listening to audiobooks which he narrates. It was very cool. It brought me back to the Star Trek I remember.

I think I qualify as a Trekkie??? However, I wonder what flavor of Trekkie I am, if there is such a thing. If I was at a convention, I suppose I would be most interested in TNG, TOS, DS9, and the movies. Unfortunately, Voyager on the periphery and none of the other trek shows do it for me. DS9 was more dramatic and fun, IMO and the best story arc. TNG was the best SF on TV ever up to that time, and the entry of the borg blew my mind. TOS, of course, and the movies are where it all began. I love 60s stuff, so I can still dig TOS no problem.

I did try to read Star Trek books but right now, not so into them. I finished the original motion picture book and I am stuck on book 2, The Entropy Effect. I will try and breakthrough it but is the TOS book series any good?

So where do I go from here? Any other Trekkie in my position? In a bit of a Star Trek void. Wondering what to do next or where to go? Would love to know your thoughts. Thanks.

 

[dupersuper]

Enterprise? Lower Decks? Prodigy? Short Treks? Strange New Worlds? Fan productions? Comics? Star Trek Online? There's plenty out there...

 

[CptKirk]

Enterprise? Lower Decks? Prodigy? Short Treks? Strange New Worlds? Fan productions? Comics? Star Trek Online? There's plenty out there...

Thanks for the suggestions.

Enterprise totally doesn't do it for me. It really stops at Voyager for me. Lower Decks nor Prodigy would work for me. Older 70s Animation is passable at this point. I will check out more short treks and fan productions. Comics also. I played STO back about 6 years ago for a year and then I stopped. I seemed to remember enjoying the DS9: The Fallen as the last best ST game I played.

 

[Deks]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Enterprise totally doesn't do it for me. It really stops at Voyager for me. Lower Decks nor Prodigy would work for me. Older 70s Animation is passable at this point. I will check out more short treks and fan productions. Comics also. I played STO back about 6 years ago for a year and then I stopped. I seemed to remember enjoying the DS9: The Fallen as the last best ST game I played.

Prodigy actually builds on Voyager's legacy... so if you hadn't seen it, at the very least, try it.

The animated series (Prodigy and Lower Decks) do seem better at writing consistent Trek stories and creating a better sense of progression than the live action presently in production.

Voyager is one of the best Trek series for me (along with Prodigy and Lower Decks). Ds9 didn't really do that much for me... find it a bit 'slow' and not that engaging. Its Trek, so its still watchable, but apart from that, not really 'one of the best Trek series out there'.

ST: Discovery was ok while it was still in the 23rd century if you ask me... but things started going downhill when they introduced S31 AI that wanted to destroy all life in season 2. Such a cliche and not really something I was hoping Trek would do (especially because the said AI was produced by UFP)... and it didn't make much sense (like most cliche stories of 'AI wants to destroy everything' didn't make any sense).

Things got worse when Disco got to the 32nd century. There was massive potential here for Trek to finally move forward. But the technology we saw in that era is more fit for the mid 25th century... and the writers keep going with ridiculous over the top 'the universe and all life is in peril'.
It had good potential, but I think it got squandered somewhere along the road by a 'team of writers' who seem to be overshadowed by animated series writers.

The one saving grace I think is that Disco is still upholding high Federation principles and ideals when the crew interacts with others (which is something I like)... however, when the rest of the series ends up throwing nonsensical stuff at you that seems overtly over the top, it unfortunately overpowers the positives.

At any rate, older Trek is far from perfect... but it looks as if newer Trek live action is just avoiding established things from older Trek.
If they wanted a full blown reset, that's what they should have done.

 

[Dumbbell]

I would sit on it for a while.

The best Trek exists only in your own imagination, give it time to come to you.

If you are looking for something Trek-related but that is not mainstream media, tell us more about why you like Star Trek.

What appeals to you?

For some, it is the story about how we can build an optimistic future despite current and future challenges.

For others, it is the action involving starships and crews fighting with powerful weapons in space.

For some it is an intellectual exercise, for others it is mindless getaway.

What do you hope to get out your experience?

 

[Greg Cox]

I did try to read Star Trek books but right now, not so into them. I finished the original motion picture book and I am stuck on book 2, The Entropy Effect. I will try and breakthrough it but is the TOS book series any good?

It's perhaps worth noting that THE ENTROPY EFFECT was published forty years ago, so, for better or for worse, it may not be all that representative of the TOS books being published nowadays, which are being written and edited by entirely different people. Honestly, it's hard to make any sweeping statements about the entire TOS book line since, at this point, it's been around for decades and gone through at least a couple of generations of editors and authors. In my experience, some people prefer certain eras of Trek publishing to others, so my advice would be to sample TOS novels from different decades to discover which works best for you. TOS novels are largely episodic, standalone adventures (like the actual TV series) so you're not obliged to read them strictly in the order published.

 

[fireproof78]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Enterprise totally doesn't do it for me. It really stops at Voyager for me. Lower Decks nor Prodigy would work for me. Older 70s Animation is passable at this point. I will check out more short treks and fan productions. Comics also. I played STO back about 6 years ago for a year and then I stopped. I seemed to remember enjoying the DS9: The Fallen as the last best ST game I played.

I think you would like Lower Decks at least, as it really references multiple past eras of Trek, in addition to having its own flavor.

Not sure what you are looking for, as there are multiple ways to engage the fandom. I personally enjoy doing forum based RPGs and writing in different eras. I love the TOS novels, especially "Yesterday's Son" which is a follow up to a TOS episode. Fan art is always great too.

Really depends on your interests. I tend to stick with TOS/DSC/Kelvin Trek stuff.

 

[Oddish]

If Voyager and before is what turns your crank, that's 24 seasons of Trek for you to enjoy. There is no right or wrong way to be a Trekkie.

 

[CptKirk]

What are the good Star Trek fact books?

 

[CptKirk]

BTW, found the poster my dad got me and hung on my wall as a kid.

and

 

[FederationHistorian]

Prodigy – features Janeway

Lower Decks – plenty of VOY references in the show

Picard – features Seven of Nine. Season 2 comes out early next year.

Season three of Enterprise - I hear what you are saying that the show didn’t do it for you, but the writers were really trying to right the wrongs of Voyager with this show, and the whole season is basically what they wanted for “Year of Hell”. And early on in S3, the episode “Extinction” is supposed to be a do over of VOY’s “Threshold”.

Season 3 & 4 of Discovery – more Voyager references, and season four is led by a female captain.

Strange New Worlds - a prequel to TOS coming out next year, and you can watch S2 of Discovery to see if you like the portrayal of Pike, Number One and Spock.

There must be something here that interests you.

 

[Smiley]

There are plenty of books out there, TOS and otherwise, to explore. Read some synopses and samples online, and see what looks most appealing to you. If you want some books that explore possible post-series futures for TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise, then those are available.

I have yet to meet the person whose passion for each Star Trek series is exactly the same. Love what you love, and watch/read/experience more of what speaks to you. You are no more or less a Trek fan for holding more tightly to the earlier shows.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Hello everybody,

So I suppose a Star Trek dedicated forum is a close as its gets to an official meeting joint for Star Trek fans outside of conventions these days.

My Dad introduced me to reruns of TOS on the cathode ray box when I was a kid in the late 70s and early 80s. He then took me to see the movies. He put posters of Star Trek TMP and Spock in my bedroom. Remember them well. I watched TOS whenever it was on.

I did a lot of reading as a kid and still do in my adult life. I watched a lot of series and saw a lot of films. I was a young teenager for TNG, watched most of the entire series, started DS9, got through the first two seasons, and watched Voyager, but I could not spend that much time on it anymore because of exams.

So I watched the TNG movies when they came out. I caught the odd episodes of DS9 and Voyager. A little bit of Enterprise. I never attended any conventions but did try one time. Got tickets a few years back to see Shatner, but Covid happened.

When DVD came out, I got all the Star Trek box sets, watched everything right through to Enterprise season 2, and stopped there.

I think Star Trek ended with Voyager for me. I gave the Netflix series a try, and well, I still think it stopped with Voyager. Prime’s Picard was a treat, but I seem to think that’s more about having Patrick Stewart around for moral support during these dark times we seem to go through. It’s a bit like the X-Files last two seasons were a treat, but X-Files ended for me with season 7 and the rest trying to keep the franchise going for the fans.

I am currently watching Star Trek The Animated Series because I have never seen it. However, what brought me here was Shatner’s two Star Trek books about the series and movies. In addition, I was listening to audiobooks which he narrates. It was very cool. It brought me back to the Star Trek I remember.

I think I qualify as a Trekkie??? However, I wonder what flavor of Trekkie I am, if there is such a thing. If I was at a convention, I suppose I would be most interested in TNG, TOS, DS9, and the movies. Unfortunately, Voyager on the periphery and none of the other trek shows do it for me. DS9 was more dramatic and fun, IMO and the best story arc. TNG was the best SF on TV ever up to that time, and the entry of the borg blew my mind. TOS, of course, and the movies are where it all began. I love 60s stuff, so I can still dig TOS no problem.

I did try to read Star Trek books but right now, not so into them. I finished the original motion picture book and I am stuck on book 2, The Entropy Effect. I will try and breakthrough it but is the TOS book series any good?

So where do I go from here? Any other Trekkie in my position? In a bit of a Star Trek void. Wondering what to do next or where to go? Would love to know your thoughts. Thanks.

Welcome to this forum.

I would watch ENT season 4, "In a Mirror Darkly, Part 1 and especially Part 2; besides the great episode "Carbon Creek" it is the only episodes I can stand. Creek is the best episode done for ENT but Darkly Part 2 is second.

 

[Greg Cox]

There are plenty of books out there, TOS and otherwise, to explore. Read some synopses and samples online, and see what looks most appealing to you. If you want some books that explore possible post-series futures for TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise, then those are available.

I have yet to meet the person whose passion for each Star Trek series is exactly the same. Love what you love, and watch/read/experience more of what speaks to you. You are no more or less a Trek fan for holding more tightly to the earlier shows.

Exactly. At this point, "Star Trek" consists of ten TV series, thirteen movies, and more than a thousand books and comics, created by divers hands over the course of more than half a century. It's hard to imagine that anyone likes each and every version of "Star Trek" equally. We're all bound to have our preferences.

 

[Shawnster]

The novels, like the episodes, range from forgettable to mind blowing. For the most part you can skip around, just like TOS. You aren't chained to reading all the novels in chronological order.

For many of us here, we lived through (or discovered Trek initially) the drought years between the end of TOS and the start of TNG. Sure the movies started in 1979 but that's not the same as a new episode each week. Novels and comics were how we got our continual fix.

 

[There Be Whales Here]

For those of us where it did end with Voyager (or to be more accurate, ST: Nemesis), I just watch reruns and hope eventually, someday, after a long and necessary hiatus, Post-VOY Trek will come back as something worth following again. But to each his own and whatever floats your boat.