Um.... Farscape? 
In Trek, it would have to be Sulu. Because duh. "Actually, this will be my *first* attempt.*
In Trek, it would have to be Sulu. Because duh. "Actually, this will be my *first* attempt.*
Poll What Is Your Favourite Pilot?
- Thread starter Bry_Sinclair
- Start date
I picked Caretaker but that's the tiniest of tiny gaps between that and Emissary. Emissary slightly loses out because of the Bajoran religion and politics that always leaves me cold in a DS9 episode. Broken Bow would be a close third.
Ironically while TNG is my favourite series, I find Encounter at Farpoint hard work in hindsight because it feels nothing like the series that followed. I always cringe at this line: "Using print-out only, notify all decks to prepare for maximum acceleration. Now hear this, Maximum, you're entitled to know, means that we'll be pushing our engines well beyond safety limits." Yes Captain Picard, they're Starfleet officers. They know.
Ironically while TNG is my favourite series, I find Encounter at Farpoint hard work in hindsight because it feels nothing like the series that followed. I always cringe at this line: "Using print-out only, notify all decks to prepare for maximum acceleration. Now hear this, Maximum, you're entitled to know, means that we'll be pushing our engines well beyond safety limits." Yes Captain Picard, they're Starfleet officers. They know.
I think I've mentioned this elsewhere but the DS9 pilot had a profound emotional impact on me. Don't think Star Trek has ever made me cry like that.
Emissary and Caretaker for me, not only because DS9 and Voyager are my two favorite series, but also because of the ways in which they set up the basic premises of their respective shows and introduce us to each and every one of the main cast members.
I can't quite decide, out of all the pilots it's a choice between Emissary and Broken Bow there really is not enough between them to actually vote since I can only vote one.
Caretaker
Where No Man was pretty influential on my childhood because the SF trope of a human becoming superpowered and losing his/her humanity is scary and delightful. The Cage is smart and interesting, but it's fairly easy to see why Jeffrey Hunter was a no go. Encounter at Farpoint - I remember watching that one and thinking, well... maybe it will get better. Emissary is an episode I still regularly rewatch - smart, thought-provoking, intriguing characters and most of all, very, very human. Caretaker was ok but I've never had the urge to see it again and I didn't even make it all the way through Broken Bow the first time. Final vote - Emissary.
WNMHGB
For me, aside from 'the Cage', the other pilots were too devoted towards establishing the character and show premise. WNMHGB was more of a straight up story with all the "this is who I am and this is how I roll" speeches.
IMO is also one of the best Kirk performances- you saw him all over the range of emotions and ending it with having to kill one of his close friends was well done.
For me, aside from 'the Cage', the other pilots were too devoted towards establishing the character and show premise. WNMHGB was more of a straight up story with all the "this is who I am and this is how I roll" speeches.
IMO is also one of the best Kirk performances- you saw him all over the range of emotions and ending it with having to kill one of his close friends was well done.
"Where No Man Has Gone Before," without a doubt. The other pilots don't even come close as we get right into the story and the characters without an hour of earlier setup. At the same time, there was the sense of rawness, of the beginning of a brand-new world...
"Where No Man Has Gone Before." It's quintessential Trek. Kirk makes a decision, takes a risk, and has to face the consequences of that choice.
Whether good or bad, STAR TREK up till now has been about the captain and the decision he/she has to make, as Bryan Fuller has pointed out. And this episode exemplifies that, Kirk wrestles with the difficult decision on what to do with Mitchell, whose condition was caused by a decision Kirk made. It's great drama.
Also, I wish they carried over the Kirk-Spock dynamic in this episode to the series proper. I liked how they didn't see eye-to-eye on the issue. And I'm glad they brought back a bit of this tension in the new movies.
Whether good or bad, STAR TREK up till now has been about the captain and the decision he/she has to make, as Bryan Fuller has pointed out. And this episode exemplifies that, Kirk wrestles with the difficult decision on what to do with Mitchell, whose condition was caused by a decision Kirk made. It's great drama.
Also, I wish they carried over the Kirk-Spock dynamic in this episode to the series proper. I liked how they didn't see eye-to-eye on the issue. And I'm glad they brought back a bit of this tension in the new movies.
If it were an option, I'd choose "The Corbomite Maneuver," which in its own way is a better pilot episode for TOS than "The Cage" or WNMHGB.
"Where No Man Has Gone Before." Straight forward action-adventure show. Introduces the 2 main stars (Shatner and Nimoy) with a story line that showcases how Kirk and Spock interact with each other. Kirk has to make command decisions that are sometimes very personal with Spock giving him a unique perspective to help him come to the correct decision. The logic/emotion relationship is set down right from the first scene with the chess game and continues to the gripping decision to strand Mitchell on Delta Vega. "The Emissary" would be my 2nd choice. It delineates the characters better than "The Cage." But it suffers from the abrupt scene changes and cuts from the orb/prophet encounters much like the Talosian dream sequences, which gives the 1st place nod to WNMHGB.
Where everyone has gone before:
WNMHGB
WNMHGB
If Emissary had just been an hour long episode, I would vote that top. As much as I love the Sisko/Prophet story, I find that a lot of it drags.
Where No Man Has Gone Before remains my favourite, then Emissary, The Cage, Caretaker, Broken Bow and then Encounter at Farpoint.
Where No Man Has Gone Before remains my favourite, then Emissary, The Cage, Caretaker, Broken Bow and then Encounter at Farpoint.
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