The Animated Series - Good or mere Curiosity?

[Warped9]

The new film seems to have wiped April from existence!

April was only there if you accept TAS as canon as well as the references in the "official" printed references such as the Star Trek Chronology and the Star Trek Encyclopedia.

Outside of the above I, too, could make a case for April never being there.

 

[Christopher]

The new film seems to have wiped April from existence!

No, he could still exist, he just never commanded the Enterprise. I don't get why so many people are jumping to the conclusion that anyone who isn't actually shown on camera in the movie has therefore ceased to exist. We don't see Mars in the movie, but does that mean it doesn't exist? No. It just means nobody pointed a camera at it.

 

[whisperingloon]

I enjoy TAS. And I agree with a number of the other people here. I won't go into great detal, since that's already been done better than I would have, I think, but just to voice my support:

TAS has a few truly great episodes (especially the aforementioned Yesteryear), some cringe-worthy episodes, and some solidly mediocre episodes. In that way, it's much like TOS, although the GREAT to CRINGE-INDUCING ratio isn't the same.

My kids enjoy it, though. It's actually been their introduction to Trek, and they ask to watch it. (My kids are 8 and under.) Because of that show, my wife has to endure my son saying, "I'm Captain Kirk! You're Nurse Chapel! You're Uhura! And you're -- Daddy, what was that cat person again?" (I have one son and three daughters.)

(Then again, my kids are also probably the only kids in America who watch Battle of the Planets on a semi-regular basis. What can I say? We don't have cable . . .)

Canon or not? Well, if it is . . . that means there's a six-story tall Spock out there somewhere. But think about THAT for a moment: THAT'S the Star Trek story Walter Koenig chose to tell when he had his first chance! (Koenig's comic book was better; speaking of comics, though, Goerge Takai's chance at a Trek comic is AWESOME!)

If nothing else, it's a piece of Trek history. Fortunately, it's an enjoyable piece of Trek history. Even the bad stuff.

~ Ben

 

[Jptrekker]

My kids love it (ages 2 & 3), and everybody is now Spock. Their favorite episode is THE INFINITE VULCAN, two Spocks, you see.

 

[Vonstadt]

I loved it as a Kid and still do. I loved the Aqua shuttle and the music is kinda nostalgic for me. For me I guess its remembering saturday mornings after hockey practice and breakfast in front of the TV!

My little one likes it bad animation and silly stories and all. Its part of its charm in the Vons household.

Vons

 

[Christopher]

Ahh, yes, the music. I grew up on Filmation's music and it delights me to this day. It was pseudonymously written by Ray Ellis, who also did the episode scores (though not the famous theme song) to the '60s Spider-Man cartoon (which is now available in streaming video on Marvel.com).

 

[T'Bonz]

I enjoyed TAS, but hated the music. Wish I could see it with different music (and a different "child Spock.")

 

[donners22]

I enjoy Foster's Logs, but I've found making my way through the DVD set quite difficult. It's not purely the age of it - I'm easily able to get through TOS, but there's something about this series that doesn't work for me. Even the Tribbles episode, which I loved reading, didn't raise a smile when I watched it. The occasionally terrible voices don't help (the Guardian of Forever as just one example), but for me so much of a show is seeing reactions.

Casts I'm really familiar with can make me laugh with a facial reaction - some of the funniest moments in Star Trek and The Sopranos for me are without words. That just can't be captured in an animated series.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Vague, kitschy curiosity value. Methadone maintenance for some of us growing up in the 1970s who were not yet too hung-over to get up on a Saturday morning (pre-timeshifting, kids).

 

[Middle Earther]

Good and worth the money to see. More depth in some of the Animated episodes than the recent movie...(sorry, couldn't resist) I have it and enjoy most of the episodes as a good continuation to TOS.

 

[JoeD80]

I felt this cartoon was not dumbed down in any way for the kids...perhaps that's why it only lasted a season...???

It was renewed for a second season, I think specifically because it did well in the ratings (and earned an Emmy). The first season was 16 episodes and the second season was 6 episodes. Not sure why it didn't go past there but I don't always follow what executives are thinking even when they explain it.

 

[Warped9]

^^ I think part of what hurt the show was the very fact that it was scheduled for Saturday mornings. For most people that may well have suggested to them this would more likely be a kiddy show and so they may not have even bothered to seek it out.

For my money TAS was closer to the equivalent of the early '90s Batman TAS in terms of overall tone.

 

[Too Much Fun]

Are you kidding? Granted I have only seen two episodes (one of which was serious), but I can't imagine it ever getting as serious as "Batman: The Animated Series". That series may have had comedic episodes, but it is one of the most intense, dramatic, and adult animated shows I've ever seen in episodes like the one about Two-Face's origin. As a filmation cartoon aimed at children, I doubt the animated Star Trek could approach the levels of maturity that the 90s Batman explored in its most heavy moments.

 

[Christopher]

^Well, TAS wasn't "aimed at children." It was made suitable for children by cutting out the violence and mushy stuff, but otherwise the scriptwriters' mandate was to write the stories the same way they would for TOS, but at half the length and with the assumption of an unlimited special-effects budget.

In fact, that was why Roddenberry went with Filmation instead of another animation studio -- because they were the only ones who wanted to do a faithful adaptation that wouldn't retool it for kids by adding teen characters or cute robot/alien mascots. (Although Filmation's preliminary proposal actually would've added young counterparts to all the characters, an idea that was quickly dropped.)

Still, you're right that there's no comparison to B:TAS. American animated programming evolved considerably and grew more sophisticated between the '70s and the '90s, in terms of storytelling, animation technique, voice performance, the works. Even a relatively "grown-up" '70s animated series is fairly simplistic compared to animated shows aimed at a similar demographic in the '90s or today.

 

[Hober Mallow]

I think the animated series is AWESOME!

No it's not canon. Gene said it wasn't.

Gene also said Star Trek 5 and parts of Star Trek 6 weren't canon.

 

[Warped9]

Are you kidding? Granted I have only seen two episodes (one of which was serious), but I can't imagine it ever getting as serious as "Batman: The Animated Series". That series may have had comedic episodes, but it is one of the most intense, dramatic, and adult animated shows I've ever seen in episodes like the one about Two-Face's origin. As a filmation cartoon aimed at children, I doubt the animated Star Trek could approach the levels of maturity that the 90s Batman explored in its most heavy moments.

I may have stated myself incorrectly. I didn't mean it was equal to Batman TAS. I meant that in its day was above the usual Kiddy cartoons in an equivalent way that Batman TAS was above the then contemporary after school and Saturday morning animation stuff.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

The new film seems to have wiped April from existence!

No, he could still exist, he just never commanded the Enterprise.

Agreed, the timeline in XI began diverging at the time of the Kelvin incident. The ramifications of that encounter would no doubt change the future history of more and more people as time progresses.

Given what we see in the movie, I'd say that 1701 is launching at least 5 years later than in the prime timeline, placing Pike in good position for this command. April would be elsewhere, already years into a patrol.

The lightning storm in space has created a butterfly effect in space.


Oh, and I'd add "the counter-clock incident" to the good list of TAS!

 

[Christopher]

Given what we see in the movie, I'd say that 1701 is launching at least 5 years later than in the prime timeline, placing Pike in good position for this command. April would be elsewhere, already years into a patrol.

It's generally accepted (though only conjectural) that NCC-1701 was commissioned in 2245. The supersized Enterprise of the Abrams timeline has its maiden voyage in 2258, 13 years later.

 

[Warped9]

I see much of TAS like third season TOS in that there are stories that have something very good in it, but takes an abrupt turn into WTF! “Spock’s Brain” has a good story at its heart and just needed some focus, a better title and some rewriting to make it flourish. “The Infinite Vulcan” is just fine until the WTF! moment of seeing a 50ft. Keniclius and 50ft Spock clone.

 

[Penhall99]

I like TAS and consider it to be canon. Some of the episodes are a little dull, but its neat seeing "new" adventures with the original crew.

I think the animation was pretty cool (the drawings/designs), but I do wish the characters had more movement. But like every TOS episode and movie (besides TMP) it had to deal with budget limitations.

Kinda unfair that TNG show/movies and all the other Trek shows got huge budgets to do pretty much whatever they wanted when TOS had to constantly cut corners...even in animated form!