Still the best?

[Valenti]

But GR was the lightning rod, the prism which everybody eventually filtered through to form the gestalt.

 

[CaptainMurdock]

10 years later after discovering TOS, it's still the best.

 

[Herbert]

Yes I agree. They were pushing out beyond explored space, where resources were scarce and assistance was limited. They certainly evoked more of a submarine feel. Enterprise D was too much like a pleasure cruiser and in Voyager they refused to put the characters through the ringer and it diluted the show's concept.

Well, I don't know about that. yes, they could have done a bleaker, grittier version than they did but I would say that they were put through the ringer on several occasions during that show.

 

[Phaser Two]

Whoa about Voyager - those characters were put through the ringer of all ringers IMO.
Anyway, just watched Mirror, Mirror yesterday. The answer to the thread title question is yes.

 

[Vger23]

Well, I don't know about that. yes, they could have done a bleaker, grittier version than they did but I would say that they were put through the ringer on several occasions during that show.

Whoa about Voyager - those characters were put through the ringer of all ringers IMO.
Anyway, just watched Mirror, Mirror yesterday. The answer to the thread title question is yes.

I think maybe what was meant by the "not put through the ringer" comment is that they never really changed or evolved. Yes, they went through difficult things, but they'd just be back to their usual selves (just like the ship would be back to normal) by the beginning of the next episode typically.

 

[Herbert]

Yeah, you have a point. I laughed when the Delta Flyer got done blowed up and there it was all fixed up as if nothing happened. As if it was so easy to reconstruct it.
As an aside, I never bought into the idea that the Delta Flyer could have been built by Tom Paris while on Voyager. Really stretches the disbelief

 

[Balok's Decoy]

Oh man. I never thought TOS could be unseated by any other Trek. After watching all of TOS last year and the TOS films, I was firmly a TOS True-Believer.

Then I watched DS9 and gave up my old gods for the Prophets.

 

[Pauln6]

I think maybe what was meant by the "not put through the ringer" comment is that they never really changed or evolved. Yes, they went through difficult things, but they'd just be back to their usual selves (just like the ship would be back to normal) by the beginning of the next episode typically.

Yeah I meant the tendency to reset most things. Unlimited photon torpedoes, unlimited shuttles, not enough use of recurring cannon fodder crewmen. Of course TOS re-used actors rather than characters a lot of the time and even then rarely after season one. No Trek show is perfect!

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Even after 50+ years (30+ for me personally) TOS remains the pinnacle of Trek for me. All the other series have highlights and their merits for sure, but there is just a visceral love of the series through and through no matter the episode. I attribute this to obviously the performances, ideas, characters, and writing. Though I also believe the color pallette and especially the music appeal to the eyes and to the ears more so than the modern iterations. Exposure since a young age from beta TV recordings to Blu Ray quality have reinforced this feeling over the years. At 34 years of age, I wonder how many others my age feel the same, what with all the alternative forms of entertainment options out there.

The heart of your message is true. With the exception of TAS, which--from time to time--faithfully captured what made TOS a legendary creation, and is a glaring contrast to the largely weaker, bloodless, new age-y franchise series to follow. From their lack of that "charge into adventure and the unknown" overflowing from TOS, but only hit and (so often) miss with the Berman series, JJ movies and Discovery. Star Trek is one of the few entertainment franchises (along with Star Wars' original trilogy) where its original version remains every jewel in its crown.

 

[Valenti]

Transcendental.

 

[MacLeod]

I agree that TOS is pretty sexist as was TNG but done 20 years later when in real life women were allowed to be heads of companies, airline pilots, astronauts etc so it should have been a hell of a lot better. DS9 and VOY had women leads not depending on men to save them.

TNG is plenty formulaic A story B story, Lots of end of episodes saves by technobabble. And aside from Picard, Data and Worf all the other ensemble cast was pretty bland. Still they were pretty likeable.

What perhaps sums up to me why I like TOS better than TNG (and maybe it works the other way for some people) is the episode in which they pick up the frozen humans from the 20th/21st century. This was I think the A story. The B story ws I think Picard had to deliver some 'portant' packages to some Starbase or another. In fact Picard was so busy and important that he couldn't be bothered talking to the unfrozen people, In fact he couldn't be bothered unfreezing them. After some apathetic persuasion Beverley unfroze them - still Picard was so uninterested he couldn't be bothered seeing them, talking to them, welcoming them to the 24th century. Then Riker proceeds to tell them how good they all are in the 24th century, how much better than they are than the people of the 21st century, how they're all vegetarians, non-meat eaters who aren't greedy like we all are in the 21st century. (Sigh - I've never forgiven Riker for this)
When Kirk picked up some guy from the 20th century, he talked to him, personally walked him around the ship, tried to help him. Didn't give him lecture on how much better Kirk and everyone else in the 23rd century was than him.

Yes Kirk goes around space and lectures various races but only when assigned there by Starfleet, to fix a problem or when they try to capture his ship. He never tells them what scum they are, just that peace and freedom are better.

Well with regards to "The Neutral Zone" the episode in question Picard and the Enterprise where assigned to investigate the loss of contact with several coloniesnear The Neutral Zone with the suspesion the Romulans where responsible for the loss of contact. So perhaps he was pre-occupied that.

 

[Push The Button]

Though I love TNG, TOS will always be my favorite. We will both turn 52 this year.

 

[johnnybear]

Maybe that's one reason why the third season seems to be such an abberation compared to the previous two seasons. It's well known that GR turned his back on the show and old Fred Freiberger produced some of the worst TOS episodes ever.

But my Lord, Day of The Dove, The Enterprise Incident, The Tholian Web, Spectre of The Gun, Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, All Our Yesterdays and The Savage Curtain were produced during that period!!!
JB

 

[johnnybear]

This is one of the things that's pretty glaring for me. I think it's in the episode Arena where Uhura screams when Kirk is taken off the ship by the Metron. None of the males scream. There are other similar examples throughout the series.

Maybe it really shocked her and she was scared?
JB

 

[Pauln6]

Maybe it really shocked her and she was scared?
JB

Uhura was always scared! Except when being threatened by Khan's goons.

 

[johnnybear]

There was a fire between her and Joachim, but his way of wooing her was very suspect to say the least!
Is it true that actor Mark Tobin who played Joachim and one of Kang's Klingon goons in Day of The Dove played a Klingon in the Voyager episode where they found a D-7 cruiser on a religious pilgrimage into the Delta Quadrant?
JB

 

[Spock's Barber]

But my Lord, Day of The Dove, The Enterprise Incident, The Tholian Web, Spectre of The Gun, Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, All Our Yesterdays and The Savage Curtain were produced during that period!!!
JB

How true, JB, but also Plato's Stepchildren and Melvin Belli as the Gorgan.

 

[STEPhon IT]

This is one of the things that's pretty glaring for me. I think it's in the episode Arena where Uhura screams when Kirk is taken off the ship by the Metron. None of the males scream. There are other similar examples throughout the series.

LOL! Are you saying males didn't scream of fright or death on Star Trek???

 

[Valenti]

How true, JB, but also Plato's Stepchildren and Melvin Belli as the Gorgan.

You're kidding, right?

 

[Spock's Barber]

You're kidding, right?

Yes. I'm pointing those out as really stinker episodes, not the best of season 3.