You and TAS

[jgdst]

Everyone seems to have their own opinion on The Animated Series, whether it's good or bad, whether it's canon or not.

I recently finished watching it and I decided that while the animation itself isn't the best, the quality of the story telling and the vocal talent really sells it. I'm not too keen on really obscure other-worldly aliens, but that's just me. A lot of people like their aliens "alien"

As for the dubious issue of whether it's canon or not - I read that Paramount and Star Trek might be erring towards adopting it back into canon. Personally, I'm happy to take it as canon (for instance, I'm happy to believe April commanded before Pike), unless a live action series specifically contradicts it. So, I suppose it's more like semi-canon... What about everyone else? Do you take it as a nice, quirky "aside" to the Trek universe, or do you see the series as Year Four/Five of Kirk's original mission?

I'm just interested to see how many people just enjoy the series, or take it as a continuation of TOS and argue that there are already six Trek series

 

[Alpha_Geek]

I'd take any episode from the first season and written by someone with a TOS episode script under their belt as canon. This would include "Beyond the Farthest Star", "Yesteryear", & "More Tribbles, More Toubles". These are TAS at it's finest, IMO.

I'd consider some of others "canon-y" due to the writers experience with directing or writing TOS. An example of this is "One of Our Planets is Missing" by Marc Daniels. Daniels directed 14 Episodes of TOS, so he had a good idea of what Trek is all about.

I don't think Walter Koenigs "The Infinite Vulcan" holds up very well, and "The Soft ... err... The Slaver Weapon" by Larry Niven should be canon either. While I do admire the Kzin, I don't think they have any business in the trek 'verse... at least not without puppeteers, trinocs, grass giants, dolphins, and outsiders... but that would stop being Trek and start being Known Space... best to just let the two houses be seperate, IMO.

I found "The Counter-Clock Incident" interesting in the respect that we do see Robert April. I never liked reverse aging stories much though.

OK, there's my hack at it. Next!

 

[BorisX]

I enjoyed TAS, but it had its less than stellar moments. I bought it on DVD when it first came out, but to be honest I've only watched two of the episodes since. As far as cannon goes, it's not. For example, The Magicks of Megas-tu has the crew flying into the center of the galaxy, which contridicts what we see in STV. Also, I was never comfortable with the white space in black stars in The Counter-Clock Incident.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I enjoyed TAS, but it had its less than stellar moments. I bought it on DVD when it first came out, but to be honest I've only watched two of the episodes since. As far as cannon goes, it's not. For example, The Magicks of Megas-tu has the crew flying into the center of the galaxy, which contridicts what we see in STV. Also, I was never comfortable with the white space in black stars in The Counter-Clock Incident.

I'm with you...I bought it on DVD sometime back and have only watched three episodes..mainly because it's just 'slow'. Some of the vocal talent (Shatner included) seems stoned or something..there's no zip when there should be. I know they phoned in their work..

Also, as good as Jimmy Doohan was with other voices, I can always tell its him. So that kind of ruins the illusion, same thing with Majel Barrett's voices too..could you imagne if GR had his way and DOODHAN did Sulu's voice as well as Scotty's and all the male guest stars??? Yikes...

Rob Scorpio

 

[Steve Roby]

I'm just interested to see how many people just enjoy the series, or take it as a continuation of TOS and argue that there are already six Trek series

TAS is a solidly entertaining series, much of it written by people who worked on TOS. There are occasional animation and voice acting problems, but the show's worst moments are certainly no worse than the worst moments of the other Trek TV series.

As for canon... TV Star Trek is gone. Roddenberry and Berman are both irrelevant to the ongoing development of Star Trek, and there are some strong hints that the new movie either changes Trek continuity or creates its own new continuity. We're living in a post-canon age.

 

[BorisX]

...

 

[BorisX]

We're living in a post-canon age.

I think that is a good point. Even if the movie doesn't destroy the established cannon, most of what has come before is irrelevant now. If we ever get Trek back on TV it will be different than what we had with TNG-ENT.

 

[Good Will Riker]

I consider TAS to be part of my Star Trek canon.

Although it has been over 20 years since I have viewed a single episode, there is definitely imagination there that was lacking in some of the later Berman era Trek.

 

[Saga]

i've not watched an episode since i was a kid. back when it was on Sci-Fi ch, feels like ages. the only episide i remember is the one with Robert April.

 

[WillsBabe]

I love TAS. For many years when I was a kid it was the only Trek there was. I dunno if it's a continuation or not, but I love it. And the TAS sound effects turned up in Tarzan years later!

 

[captcalhoun]

i'll cheerfully accept Caitians, Triexians, Nasats and Captain April, but i'm not in love with BEM, the Kzin, life-support belts or giant Spocks, shrunken cities and reverse aging. christ it was bad enough when the de-aged Picard et al in TNG and shrank the runabout on DS9...

 

[ToddPence]

For example, The Magicks of Megas-tu has the crew flying into the center of the galaxy, which contridicts what we see in STV.

Actually, since the former came before the latter, it's the other way around? STV contradicts Magicks.

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

Personally, I've never cared of its "canon" or not. Its an enjoyable--if flawed--program and its called "Star Trek," which makes it "real" enough for me.

As far as cannon goes, it's not. For example, The Magicks of Megas-tu has the crew flying into the center of the galaxy, which contridicts what we see in STV.

Well, technically it doesn't contradict STV. STV contradicts TAS, since TAS came first. But I don't see how this should affect it canon status, since half of "canonical" Trek contradicts the other half.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Personally, I've never cared of its "canon" or not. Its an enjoyable--if flawed--program and its called "Star Trek," which makes it "real" enough for me.

As far as cannon goes, it's not. For example, The Magicks of Megas-tu has the crew flying into the center of the galaxy, which contridicts what we see in STV.

Well, technically it doesn't contradict STV. STV contradicts TAS, since TAS came first. But I don't see how this should affect it canon status, since half of "canonical" Trek contradicts the other half.

Yep..by this point? Anyone who keeps falling back on canon 'this' or canon 'that' needs to really ask themselves; why? The very fact that fans of TREK have been bickering about the continuity of this franchise as far back as the early 70s is enough proof to me that its a total waste of time...

Rob

 

[Ethros]

I've never seen a single episode myself
I've never seen it aired ever on British television since I've been a Trek fan and that was a long time ago. I could buy the DVDs but at the moment I don't want to spunk money on something that could be total rubbish.

In regards to its canonicity I've read a bit about it though, isn't there an episode about the first warp ship or something, that totally contradicts Zefram Cochrane in the Phoenix in 2063 and all of First Contact etc?

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

i've never really had an opportunity to see it, except bootleg online. all in all, i've only seen one episode, and wasn't too impressed, but I might be able to get into it if I had access to them all.

 

[jgdst]

I've never seen a single episode myself
I've never seen it aired ever on British television since I've been a Trek fan and that was a long time ago. I could buy the DVDs but at the moment I don't want to spunk money on something that could be total rubbish.

In regards to its canonicity I've read a bit about it though, isn't there an episode about the first warp ship or something, that totally contradicts Zefram Cochrane in the Phoenix in 2063 and all of First Contact etc?

It's been forever and a day since I last saw it on British television. I remember it was briefly on Saturday or Sunday mornings back in the late 80s/early 90s when CBBC used to occupy a huge morning slot on BBC2. Probably Sundays as I don't think it was part of Going Live or Live & Kicking on a Saturday.

If you can find a cheap DVD boxset, I'd recommend it. It's not groundbreaking but it's certainly enjoyable and it's only 20-ish minutes per episode, so it's not a huge investment of time. It starts off a bit shaky, but I think it finds its feet after the first few episodes (basically anything after The Infinite Vulcan ).

 

[captcalhoun]

I've never seen a single episode myself
I've never seen it aired ever on British television since I've been a Trek fan and that was a long time ago. I could buy the DVDs but at the moment I don't want to spunk money on something that could be total rubbish.

In regards to its canonicity I've read a bit about it though, isn't there an episode about the first warp ship or something, that totally contradicts Zefram Cochrane in the Phoenix in 2063 and all of First Contact etc?

yes, the USS Bonaventure

 

[Therin of Andor]

TAS was my first exposure to Trek, in glorious b & w. When colour TV arrive in Oz in 1975, I couldn't wait to see the repeat episodes.

I got into reading "Tales of Known Space", "Ringworld" and "Ringworld Engineers" because of Larry Niven's TAS episode with the kzinti. I enjoyed Peter David adding Arex and M'Ress to his post ST IV comics, and was disappointed when Richard Arnold and GR's memo had them removed from DC Comics' Series II. I was thrilled when Arex and M'Ress timejumped into Peter David's "New Frontier" novels for Pocket , and like seeing them turn up in IDW's "Year Four" arcs. Robert and Sarah April in Diane Carey's "Final Frontier" novel were excellent!

TAS is in my personal continuity, as is what's possible to keep from Alan Dean Foster's TAS novelizations (ST Logs).

 

[Shieldsdown]

I purchased the DVD collection about a year ago. Watching TAS again was a fantastic trip down memory-lane to my mid teens in the mid seventies when I caught a number of episodes on TV. I know, rose-tinted spectacles and all that, but TAS has some excellent episodes,and greater imagination than a lot of later Trek. It will remain a valued item on my DVD collection shelf.

Regards