Which Star Trek series was best at comedy?

[Kirkman1987]

I think all the series handled comedy fairly well. Even the more serious styled TNG had some really great comedic scenes, like the captain picard day scene.

I have to say TOS was the funniest of the shows. Spock and McCoy's weekly trade of insults could always be counted on for hilarity.

 

[Lateralus]

Who the hell voted for Enterprise? Show yourself!

 

[jamestyler]

I'd pick DS9 with TOS as a close second. Maybe DS9 would win, but that could be down to focusing on more characters and far more episodes.

TNG had it's moments (like the mentioned Picard Day, but it was a different kind of humour. Voyager never really clicked with me and the only thing that I can remember amusing me on Ent was Reed saying something like "Are there explosions?" when asked if he wanted to watch a movie.

 

[azebelys]

Has to be DS9. possibly because at times the acting was so bad it was laughable lol. it also had characters that were in it for the sole reason of being funny e.g. the grand nagus, Rom, and at times, Garek

The least funny had to be voyager for me, but then i'm not a big voyager fan so i'm bound to say that

 

[Mr Pointy Ears]

the original series.

 

[Navaros]

DS9 with TOS almost as good. Others don't even register at all.

 

[Saxman1]

TOS, closely followed by DS9. TNG was ok with humor, even though Picard acted like he sat on a cactus half the time.

 

[dreadpiraterose]

While TOS had some brilliantly funny moments, I think DS9 did it the best. It was a great mixture of dark humor, slapstick (Ferengi, hello!), and witty banter.

 

[TheGodBen]

While TOS could certainly be funny, it never managed to get a good belly laugh out of me like DS9 could. DS9 did do some straight-up comedy episodes, but I always thought the humour worked best in the more serious episodes. The first time I watched Way of the Warrior I was with a group of about 15 people and we all kept on laughing when Garak would do a one-liner or that great Odo/Quark scene about the gun. There was a great combination of good writing mixed with established characters and fantastic chemistry between the actors. It was a perfect storm.

TNG could do humour well sometimes (the aforementioned Captain Picard Day) but often the humour was a little stale. Other than The Doctor I would say most of the humour on Voyager was stale, and the humour on Enterprise was just bad.

 

[Piper]

I've gone for TOS. I don't think any other series quite all-out as The Trouble with Tribbles, and while DS9's more light-hearted romps, such as Our Man, Bashir and Get Me Down to the Holosuite, are okay, I don't think they come close to Tribbles.

DS9 is second though, but one thing I've been surprised about recently rewatching TNG is that there is a lot more humour than I usually give it credit for. There aren't a lot of jokes, but there are plenty of character moments that regularly make me laugh.

 

[dreadpiraterose]

While TOS could certainly be funny, it never managed to get a good belly laugh out of me like DS9 could. DS9 did do some straight-up comedy episodes, but I always thought the humour worked best in the more serious episodes. The first time I watched Way of the Warrior I was with a group of about 15 people and we all kept on laughing when Garak would do a one-liner or that great Odo/Quark scene about the gun. There was a great combination of good writing mixed with established characters and fantastic chemistry between the actors. It was a perfect storm.

TNG could do humour well sometimes (the aforementioned Captain Picard Day) but often the humour was a little stale. Other than The Doctor I would say most of the humour on Voyager was stale, and the humour on Enterprise was just bad.

Garak had some of the funniest lines in all of Trek.

Although I will say that Voyager's Doctor had some great ones as well.

 

[Dane_Whitman]

You know, I was watching Body Parts yesterday and once again realised that DS9 did comedy the best.

 

[MyCylon]

^
That's a very funny one alright. Dark but funny. And, once again, it's got Garak. They used him very well in situations like that, I think.

 

[Dale]

I, too, have to give it to DS9 with TOS a close second... but I have laughed out loud at all of the series.Phlox and Malcolm both had funny moments throughout ENT, Voyager had the Doctor, Neelix and Tuvok, and Harry's reactions to Seven early in her tenure, and TNG had some moments that may seem lame in retrospect but at the time and set against the staid and noble atmosphere of TNG were quite funny. "I am not a merry man!"

 

[M'Sharak]

I, too, have to give it to DS9 with TOS a close second... but I have laughed out loud at all of the series.Phlox and Malcolm both had funny moments throughout ENT, Voyager had the Doctor, Neelix and Tuvok, and Harry's reactions to Seven early in her tenure, and TNG had some moments that may seem lame in retrospect but at the time and set against the staid and noble atmosphere of TNG were quite funny. "I am not a merry man!"

This is pretty close to the way I feel: DS9 on top, with TOS a close second and the others with reasonable amounts of funny scattered throughout, always working best when it wasn't forced and wasn't even necessarily in a "comedy episode". Your mention of Phlox reminded me of this, from the much-maligned 'A Night in Sickbay':

ARCHER: When will we know if the transplant's working?
PHLOX: One step at a time. First we need to resuscitate him.
[...]
ARCHER: If Porthos pulls through, will he need a special diet or treatments having a chameleon's pituitary gland?
PHLOX: You may have trouble finding him. He'll have the ability to blend into his background when frightened.
ARCHER: [double take] You're kidding.
PHLOX: [pause] Yes, I am.

Beautifully done.

 

[miraclefan]

Voted DS9.

 

[neogothboy74]

DS9.

 

[I am not Spock]

DS9 was the best at comedy. With TOS coming in second. DS9 was the darkest Trek series, but it didn't always take itself too seriously, which is what I loved about it. TOS was also very funny, and it never took itself too seriously.

Voyager actually had its funny moments, with the Doctor. And Tuvok, of all people, had some amusing deadpan one-liners. Data also had his moments on TNG. Although, TNG is largely the least humorous of the Treks, arguably.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Has to be DS9. possibly because at times the acting was so bad it was laughable lol.

While TOS could certainly be funny, it never managed to get a good belly laugh out of me like DS9 could.

I agree. TOS can always bring a smile and chuckle, but DS9 had some good old gut busters.

Though, as a rule, Star Trek humor is pretty dry and mediocre.

 

[donners22]

I think Voyager had the outright best comedy episodes. Message in a Bottle and Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy were simply brilliant, and there are a few other shining examples.

TOS was the best at working in comedic moments to non-comedy episodes.