What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?

[Farscape One]

Sweet Sybok's Beard, is there any term more toxic or unnecessary as "True Trek Fan"?

People like what they like, and don't like what they don't. So what?

Other peoples' opinions on what shows or episodes they like shouldn't ever bother anyone else, let alone lead to judgment or "dismissal".

And I should know...VOY and DSC are two of my favorites!!

If more people would actually follow those words, the world would be in better shape.

 

[Tallguy]

If more people would actually follow those words, the world would be in better shape.

That's the worst mangling of a Hobbit quote I've ever read!

I find TUC to be as sloppy as TFF, but not nearly as fun or creatively interesting. It may be my least-liked film of the TOS movies. Plot holes galore, contrivances, things that make absolutely no sense, “winky-winky at the audience” moments, tonal discontinuity. I like it, but it’s not a well put together film.

Sadly true. It gets by on a lot of heart, many things that do work, and not being TFF. As awful as the "speaking Klingon" scene is (seriously it makes me want to watch Into Darkness and NOTHING makes me want to watch Into Darkness) it doesn't hold a candle to the one two punch of the fan dance and Scotty "knowing this ship like the back of my hand!"

You put them together and you get the greatest Star Trek movie ever made!

And they both have David Warner!

 

[Oddish]

I'd much prefer to rewatch Spock's Brain than City on the Edge of Forever.

Fair enough... I'd rather watch "Shades of Gray" than "Yesterday's Enterprise".

Undicovered Country is better than Wrath of Khan.

Since they're both considered to be among the best, hardly a controversy.

I'd much prefer to watch Move Along Home than The Visitor.

Fair enough. I'd rather watch "Move Along Home" than "Duet".

Enterprise S1&2 are better than 3&4.

They appeal in different ways, I think. I watched S3 once, and haven't since because you almost have to binge watch it.

Sweet Sybok's Beard, is there any term more toxic or unnecessary as "True Trek Fan"?

People like what they like, and don't like what they don't. So what?

Other peoples' opinions on what shows or episodes they like shouldn't ever bother anyone else, let alone lead to judgment or "dismissal".

Unfortunately, not everyone respects the notion that other people are entitled to their own opinion.

 

[1001001]

Unfortunately, not everyone respects the notion that other people are entitled to their own opinion.

Well, “respecting the notion” is one thing. Respecting the actual opinion is quite another. People often conflate the two.

When it comes to art and entertainment, extremely subjective subjects, by and large one opinion is as good as any other opinion. We simply have degrees of agreement.

When it comes to other more important matters of fact, while we may respect the right to hold an opinion, we can definitely say some opinions are simply wrong.

If one says “the Earth is flat and that’s my opinion”, well they have a right to it, but it is incorrect, and I feel no obligation to respect the “opinion” itself.

Big difference.

 

[cooleddie74]

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[fireproof78]

I will always respect other people and that's the biggest difference. People take the "your opinion is wrong" as "you are wrong," and it becomes a very contentious battle of egos because someone feels threatened. Separating my opinion on Star Trek from my own ego goes a long way in not getting offended by every other opinion out there.

Especially the wrong ones

 

[1001001]

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I love him.

 

[1001001]

I will always respect other people and that's the biggest difference. People take the "your opinion is wrong" as "you are wrong," and it becomes a very contentious battle of egos because someone feels threatened. Separating my opinion on Star Trek from my own ego goes a long way in not getting offended by every other opinion out there.

Especially the wrong ones

It also helps greatly if you don’t care.

 

[fireproof78]

It also helps greatly if you don’t care.

I would expect a robot to say that...

 

[Gul Sengosts]

Infinite diversity in infinite combinations, innit. People are different, have different backgrounds, different desires, etc. You may get something out of TNG and not out of DIS, that's cool. Someone else may get something else out of DIS and not out of TNG, and that's cool too. People are divided over the same episode because it does something that's meaningful to some and something that's off-putting to others. There are hundreds of different reasons why people watch Star Trek, and some of those reasons directly contradict others. It's all fine (unless it's bigotry). It's ok to not like something, just don't be a dick about it. Different perspectives should be embraced, not thrashed.

As long as we all agree on the fact that Star Trek is better than Star Wars, of course.

 

[Oddish]

When it comes to other more important matters of fact, while we may respect the right to hold an opinion, we can definitely say some opinions are simply wrong.

If one says “the Earth is flat and that’s my opinion”, well they have a right to it, but it is incorrect, and I feel no obligation to respect the “opinion” itself.

Of course. The problem is when we stop saying "I think your opinion is utterly deplorable and I refuse to adopt it" and start saying "I think your opinion is utterly deplorable, and I intend to punish you".

 

[Tallguy]

Fair enough... I'd rather watch "Shades of Gray" than "Yesterday's Enterprise".

But but but but but,,,,, Eeeeeiiiiiiieeeee!

 

[eschaton]

My own...admittedly subjective...feelings on TOS Season 3, which I consider the worst of Trek:

Genuinely Good: Day of the Dove (Kang!), and All Our Yesterdays (one of the better TOS time travel episodes).

Okay: The Enterprise Incident, Is There No Truth In Beauty?, The Tholian Web, That Which Survives, Who Gods Destroy. These are all fine episodes, even though they have some flaws.

Bad: Everything else.

I should state I consider a bad episode of Trek to be anything I rate a 3 or lower. Some bad episodes do have redeeming qualities. Like, I think Spock's Brain is so dopey that it's stupid fun. The problem is a lot of episodes (The Paradise Syndrome, The Cloud Minders, The Lights of Zetar) are both bad and boring.

 

[fireproof78]

Of course. The problem is when we stop saying "I think your opinion is utterly deplorable and I refuse to adopt it" and start saying "I think your opinion is utterly deplorable, and I intend to punish you".

Is that the Gul Dukat approach to debate?

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[Lord Garth]

My own...admittedly subjective...feelings on TOS Season 3, which I consider the worst of Trek:

Genuinely Good: Day of the Dove (Kang!), and All Our Yesterdays (one of the better TOS time travel episodes).

Okay: The Enterprise Incident, Is There No Truth In Beauty?, The Tholian Web, That Which Survives, Who Gods Destroy. These are all fine episodes, even though they have some flaws.

Bad: Everything else.

I should state I consider a bad episode of Trek to be anything I rate a 3 or lower. Some bad episodes do have redeeming qualities. Like, I think Spock's Brain is so dopey that it's stupid fun. The problem is a lot of episodes (The Paradise Syndrome, The Cloud Minders, The Lights of Zetar) are both bad and boring.

I won't use numbered ratings, since how everyone defines those ratings can vary, but here's my take...

TOS Season 3
"Spock's Brain" --> Guilty Pleasure. I know it's bad, but I don't care!
"The Enterprise Incident" --> Excellent. This is in my Top 10 of TOS.
"The Paradise Syndrome" --> Okay
"And the Children Shall Lead" --> Terrible
"Is There In Truth No Beauty" --> Mediocre Story, Trippy Visuals!
"Spectre of the Gun" --> Okay
"Day of the Dove" --> Great
"For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" --> Good
"The Tholian Web" --> Great
"Plato's Stepchildren" --> Dead Neutral. I understand what they were going for, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it.
"Wink of an Eye" --> Okay
"The Empath" --> Excellent. This seems to be a "love it" or "hate it" episode.
"Elaan of Troyious" --> Mixed Opinion.
"Whom Gods Destroy" --> Middling. It's true saving grace is that it gave me my Username.
"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" --> Bad, for a whole host of reasons: including False Equivalency.
"The Mark of Gideon" --> Mediocre. I wanted to like this more than I did.
"That Which Survives" --> Okay, but also one I just happen to like regardless.
"The Lights of Zetar" --> Ehhh...
"Requiem for Methuselah" --> I have a mixed opinion of this one.
"The Way to Eden" --> Guilty Pleasure. Just like "Spock's Brain".
"The Cloud Minders" --> Good
"The Savage Curtain" --> Ehhh... It has my favorite President... it introduces Surak... and that's about it!
"All Our Yesterdays" --> Good, but let's be real: It's the Spock/McCoy/Zarabeth storyline that's really carrying it!
"Turnabout Intruder" --> Mixed Opinion. If I pretend Lester-Kirk is Trump, I get a big kick out of it.

Overall:
"Good" or Better --> 7 episodes
"Okay" --> 4
"Mediocre" --> 7
"Poor" --> 2
"Bad" or Worse --> 2
"So Bad, It's Good!" --> 2

Consolidated Version:
Okay/Good/Better --> 11
Mediocre --> 7
Poor/Bad/Worse --> 6

Coming up next (whenever I feel like it): TNG Season 1 and maybe TNG Season 7.

 

[gweeps]

I rank NuTrek:

Lower Decks
Prodigy
Strange New Worlds
Picard
Short Treks
Discovery

 

[Richard S. Ta]

I believe SNW, whilst being a completely serviceable Trek show, is easily the worst of the current streaming series.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

I didn't realize until now that this was a controversial opinion at all but apparently so:

The Empath is classic Trek and just as effective as stories like CotEoF, Balance of Terror, etc.

 

[Tallguy]

Good, but let's be real: It's the Spock/McCoy/Zarabeth storyline that's really carrying it!

And the Library is really cool.

 

[cooleddie74]

I love "Requiem for Methuselah." An example of a Season 3 episode with a story to tell that relies on a bare minimum of special effects. Kirk's love for Rayna is the weakest part of the story but even that has a nice payoff at the end with Spock's mind meld to make him forget her.