I was re-watching TMP, and I noticed again Shatner's appearance. From his autobiography he said that months before filming was to start, he noticed that he had "let himself go." If you watch some of his movies from the late seventies you can see this. He started working out to get himself back in "Kirk shape." I think that Kirk was in the best Kirk shape during TMP, his face held more maturity than during TOS and his body was in a fine state of trim. Spock just keeps getting better looking, I actually like him better during Star Trek Eleven than during any of the other younger movies, the lines in his face speak of character and his "smokers voice" sound wise and profound. Although during TOS he was a babe. McCoy best look was in TVH, I know part of his slim build was due to his physical health, but he carried it well, especially while wearing something other than his Starfleet uniform. Uhura was best in Mirror Mirror, the half shirt top really showed off her abs. I don't know if Nichelle Nichols worked out to get ready for that episode or it was her natural state, but at that point in time, from a physical body point of view, she was at her hottest. Picard was better in the later seasons over the earlier ones, I was told that TPTB started padding Picard's uniforms, regardless it looked better. I also think that Picard looks better when he somewhat under lit. Nothing against Patrick Stewart, less light brings out his face. Troi's looks best during seasons two and three. And her constantly changing voice was at it's best here too, much better than in the later movies when she gradually stop using her "Betazed" accent. Although the one later episode where she was semi-possessed and being slinky all over the ship was a good body language time for her to. Worf's top look was during the last few seasons of DS9, his body language, the way he moved, said he was more dangerous, in comparison during TNG it was like he was just buffing. Unlike the early seasons of TNG, Micheal Dorn had put on several pounds of muscle. Partly to do with the stage lighting, Worf came off as just more Klingon. Saavik looked more Saavik to me in TWOK, than TSFS. But that of course is due to my preference in actresses. --- What say you?
I agree about Worf. In TNG he wasn't too muscular and ended up with a fairly high body fat %. But by DS9 he trimmed down, bulked up a little (thankfully, not *too* much) and looked quite imposing and agile. I can't comment much on the others. Picard always looked good, I thought. I didn't notice any change in Troi except for hairstyles. And yes, Spock/Nimoy has always looked good. But I'm surprised: no mention of Riker (no beard, beard, no beard again), as well as his tremendous weight gain. ? I'd have thought that'd be in your list.
Troi looked her best in Generations: http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/generations/ch12/gen0731.jpg
I guess I'm showing my shallow self here, but I think the TOS big three all looked best in their t.v. show incarnations, mid-30s to mid-40s in McCoy's case. There's a lot to be said for youth and vigor. I'd certainly choose that time period for my own best appearance. It's almost painful for me to watch Spock Prime as he looks so fragile. To me he appears much older than the actual 79-year old Leonard Nimoy does. I'm sure there's a lot to be said for age and wisdom, but for me physical attractiveness isn't one of them.
I have to disagree. Shatner looked best in season 1 of TOS, when he was still good-looking and slim - he was already gaining weight in season 2 and especially 3. (His acting, however, was the best in TWOK.) Nimoy definitely looked best in TOS, especially season 1 and 2, as I think he lost some weight in season 3. By TMP, he looked too thin and prematurely aged. But, on the plus side, he now looks amazing for his age. More so in real life, though - they made him look much older in STXI. I call that the Iggy Pop syndrome - looking too wrinkled and aged at a relatively younger age (perhaps as a result of too much alhohol, tobacco and other substances), but then staying the same and looking great in old age. Kelley also looked painfully thin by the time of the movies. I must say that the TOS cast changed a lot by the movies - most drastically Doohan - and the only one who might have looked as good or better was Takei. In fact, Takei might have looked his best as Hiro's dad in Heroes. Stewart always looked great, but he looked better once he shaved off the remnants of his gray hair. Frakes probably looked best around season 3 or 4, when he grew a beard and looked more mature, but hadn't bloated too much yet. He was very handsome and slim in season 1 but he had too much of a clean shaven pretty boy look. And in later seasons his face was already getting too chubby. I completely disagree about Troi looking best in Generations. Her haircut made her loo too ordinary, she looked much better in the show with dark curly hair. Avery Brooks, as we all know, looked much better with a goatee and shaved head, i.e. season 4-7. In real life, Nana Visitor might actually look more amazing now than she ever did, she looks much younger than she is and her haircuts tend to be much better now, dark hair also suits her the best; the worst haircut she had was the short, bleached blonde look she had several years ago. On the screen as Kira, I think she looked the best in the middle seasons, when she got rid of the awful season 1/2 haircut (by contrast, I liked her hair in the pilot) but still didn't get the season 7 haircut, which I find too 'ladylike' for my taste. As for the uniform, I pick middle seasons again - I didn't like the season 7 uniform that much, and early seasons shoulder pads were a bad idea. Also, I think she looked really great as a Cardassian. I agree that Worf looked his best on DS9, but I'd say it was a gradual process: he looked his worst in season 1 of TNG, and from then on it got better and better. His makeup underwent a very welcome change in TNG - the TNG season 1 forehead was far too big. Janeway's looks changed all the time depending on her hair. I'm afraid I'd probably have to consult the "Janeway's hair" thread in the VOY forum to check when it was, but I think it might have been in seasons 5 or 6 that she had a very sexy haircut; her worst look was, no doubt, the schoolmarm haircut. Kes looked much better with long hair, in season 3, when she got rid of the 'little boy' haircut. T'Pol looked best in season 3, after she got rid of that dreadful, drab-colored catsuit from season 1 and 2 that made her look even thinner than she was, and started wearing much better costumes and a better haircut. She still wore great clothes in season 4, but she looked a bit too thin early on in season 4 (I think I read that Jolene Blalock had been ill and had lost some weight). She looked good with long blonde hair in the MU episodes, but dark hair suits her better; I'd say she looked the best with long dark hair in S1 "Civilization".
*Troi looked best in First Contact.... *Technically always Beverly looked good; but, in particular, that episode where Barclay has her in the imaginary holodeck program; Sub-Rosa... *Dax looked best in the early seasons of DS9; too because she was a bit more mysterious. She also looked really good in 'Trials and Tribble-ations.' *Classic Uhura looked best in 'Mirror, Mirror.' *Kira looked best in the 7th season with that new hairstyle. *Leeta always looked good. *Geordi looked best when he wasn't wearing that damn band over his face, and he got the contacts...
Another one: T'Pol looked her best with long hair, and the ears sticking out of that hair...in 'In a Mirror Darkly'...(Of course, her in the blue science duty skirt and boots was a plus, too!)
Troi looked best in seasons 3 and 4 of TNG for me, season 6 was her worst look, her hair looks awful. I heard that Sirtis usually wears a wig when playing Troi, but in season 6 she didn't.
Shatner was at his heaviest toward the end of season 2. You can tell the production order of the last few second-season eps by the size of the Shat's expanding waistline. Generally, though, he looked his best in the 1960s, when he was in his thirties. He had the best toupees then, too.
Troi's make-up in Encounter at Farpoint was horrible. After season one it became much better. Some of the characters do not have a best time for their appearance, Tuvok really looks the same from the start to the finish of Voyager.
Random observations: Riker definitely looked his best with the beard, as did Sisko. Kira looked best in the middle of Season 5 after she'd had the baby when she had the looser shirt instead of the standard catsuit. Troi looked best in Seasons 6 and 7 after she got her uniform. Everyone on TNG looked a lot better from Season 3 onwards, because the uniforms were so much more flattering and professional looking. T'Pol looked better in Seasons 3 and 4, though I never liked her costumes that much. Bashir always looked best when he was bit roughed up.
The reason for the radical change in Worf's forehead appearance between season 1 and season 2 of TNG is that they had to recast Michael Dorn's head. According to Michael Westmore, the head of their makeup department, some time during hiatus someone broke into the makeup trailer and stole the mold used to make Michael Dorn's forehead appliances and they had to replace it. I don't know if that's what actually happened, or if that was the explanation to cover for someone being clumsy, but the end result is they came up with a far better looking mold, and better looking appliances. So good on them for that.
I think both Deanna and Beverly look terrible in the films First Contact and Insurrection, they're way too skinny (especialy deanna who was always very curvy) I think Beverly looked best with her hair properly ginger, not that weird blondy colour and Deanna looked best when she was actually wearing a proper Starfleet uniform instead of that horrid thing that made her ass look saggy! Riker looked better with a beard, it added structure to his face and made him look more mature although I never thought he was half as good looking as he was meant to be! Data looked better right at the beggining of TNG as he was younger so his face paint didn't stick to the lines on his face and make him look ancient as it does later on in the series and in the films! His hair also was also better. Spock is one of those people who just look good even if they're middle aged! I mean I liked how he looked in TOS because he was young then and I continue to like him up until the TNG episode Unification. From then onwards (ie in the 2009 film) he's just too old for my liking.... I like ZQ Spock as well though. As for Picard......well he never seems to change in my view! Looks exactly the same right through all the episodes and films! Geordi definately looked better with his visor even though it obscurred his face. I'm sorry but those implants just looked creepy and kinda took away part of the actual character in my view.
I seem to be in the minority here, but I thought the TOS cast looked best in Star Trek VI. Yes, they were old (and fat), but they looked a lot more distinguished. The exception to that would be Bones, who did look rather sickly in the later films.