Star Trek is 50!

[Ruslan]

September 8, 1966, exactly 50 years ago: a little-known science-fiction series by the name Star Trek premiers in the US. Happy birthday, USS Enterprise!

[Manga Shoggoth]

No responses? Is the popularity waning?

I was quite surprised to hear about this - in my case because El Reg has run a series of articles:


Star Trek film theory: 50 years, 13 films, odds good, evens bad? Horta puckey! (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/07/star_trek_at_fifty_in_defence_of_the_films/)
Forget Khan and Klingons, Star Trek's greatest trick was simply surviving (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/07/star_trek_against_the_odds/)
Hello, Star Trek? 25th Century here: It's time to move on (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/08/star_trek_whats_beyond/)
Star Trek's Enterprise turns 50 and still no sign of a warp drive. Sigh (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/08/star_treks_starship_enterprise_turns_fifty/)


I can't blame Star Trek for turning me on to Sci Fi and Fantasy as I had already experienced a lot of the good British stuff, but I have many happy memories of the original series and the following cartoon series, and I remember being very unimpressed when Next Generation came on the scene with Encounter at Farpoint (to be fair, it quickly got better - but it took a long time for me to appreciate Deanna Troi as a character). Unfortunately, by the time of DS9 I had pretty much stopped watching broadcast Television.

That said, although I enjoyed the franchise I was never really a fan. My only link with the fandom came during a 4 1/2 month posting in Atlanta when I went to Dixie Trek (mostly just to see what a convention was really like). It was the high point of my stay there.

[Malimar]

I've been thinking about Star Trek a lot recently as I've been considering running a Star Trek game (either over a tabletop or on these boards, depending on interest from my usual tabletop group). Watched DS9:"Trials and Tribble-ations" the other day. I wouldn't say it's the best of DS9 -- I'd put some more self-contained DS9 show, like DS9:"In the Pale Moonlight", in that slot, instead of this TOS homage -- but it's still good.

[Mystic Muse]

I'll probably finally actually watch Deep Space 9 on my day off this Wednesday. I've watched bits of TNG and enjoyed it, and watched a fair portion of the original series.

[factotum]

I'll probably finally actually watch Deep Space 9 on my day off this Wednesday. I've watched bits of TNG and enjoyed it, and watched a fair portion of the original series.

Bear in mind DS9 is a fairly different beast to any other Trek series--they emphasised the seedy underbelly of things a lot more than ever happened in TNG or Voyager. We're talking a series which isn't afraid to have instances of attempted genocide, for instance.

[Metahuman1]

Bear in mind DS9 is a fairly different beast to any other Trek series--they emphasised the seedy underbelly of things a lot more than ever happened in TNG or Voyager. We're talking a series which isn't afraid to have instances of attempted genocide, for instance.

And yet, at someone who's not an Edgelord by any means, the series is so very much better off for it.


It does take a bit of time to build up to full steam, but not as long (and it doesn't usually hit the lows of.) as TNG did. Seasons 1 and 2 are perfectly watchable and even good.


There are a few dud episodes with a comedy gimmick. A few. Even some of THOSE work well. (There's a totally skippable episode in season 6 called "Profit and Lace" and a rather mediocre one in season 4 I think called "Bar Association." that basically serve as the series low water marks.)

But yes, I whole heartedly recommend DS9.

[factotum]

And yet, at someone who's not an Edgelord by any means, the series is so very much better off for it.

Oh, I wouldn't disagree at all, but I'm just saying that liking TNG and TOS aren't necessarily going to mean you like DS9.

[Arcane_Secrets]

I'll probably finally actually watch Deep Space 9 on my day off this Wednesday. I've watched bits of TNG and enjoyed it, and watched a fair portion of the original series.

The later seasons of DS9 are absolutely amazing, but it's very different from TNG. I'd practically tie it with TNG as my favorite series out of the whole bunch.

[Metahuman1]

Oh, I wouldn't disagree at all, but I'm just saying that liking TNG and TOS aren't necessarily going to mean you like DS9.

This is true.


I know a friend of the family who's been the biggest Trek fan since TOS started airing back in the 60's. Until the Abrams movies came out, he was adamant that the worst thing in the entire franchise, was DS9, on the logic that it wasn't Trek and was a deliberate slap to the face to Gene Roddenberry's vision.


Given some of the messed up ideas Gene introduced, especially during Next Generation however, I find this hard to take seriously, but I do know the mindset exists. (Among things that were unforgiveable, the idea that we couldn't just invent new teck to totally avoid war with the dominion, the idea that any feriangie ever could have more then the TNG depicted personality traits/aspects, let alone have any actual morality or be able to make a point, that any religious anything that wasn't Vulcan could have any kind of actual validity or be deserving of respect, that the federation, even in the wake of Wolf 359 and a threat like the dominion, would EVER build a ship explicitly to be a warship, and that there was any possibility of the federation being in the wrong with the Ma'ki under any circumstances except one or two, at most, officers being duped by the aliens, which should be put right by episodes end at most, cause humans are now perfect. )