To boldly go ... (Star Trek)

[LKB]

The

Star Trek
 was come and gone, and in syndication by the time I was aware of it. I had schoolmates who were fans, and I was largely firsthand ignorant and curious. However TV viewing chez nous ran, I don't think I ever watched am episode myself until I was in college (I remember seeing "The Devil in the Dark" on Rochester's WXXI on a dinky b&w set my girlfriend had. I was pretty much predisposed to like it, but got to know it first by the feature films.
Without gainsaying your core thesis of Star Trek's uniqueness, the italicized item is exactly what drove Serling's creating the Twilight Zone.

Hey Karl, thanks for commenting. 

I wouldn't want to leave the impression that l consider TOS to be superior to Serling's magnum opus... I don't. And I'd agree that The Twilight Zone did present episodes referring to contemporary events and issues. The one making the biggest impact on me personally is probably The Night of the Meek, where at the ultimate moment of Art Carney's showstopper monologue, the camera cuts to a closeup of a young African-American boy.

That was in 1960, and it was both dramatic and ballsy as Hell. For that alone, Serling gets eternal props from this Trekker.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_of_the_Meek_(The_Twilight_Zone,_1959)

I think what distinguishes TOS from TTZ is both the specific methodology of Roddenberry, and the greater impact of certain episodes in a series with three seasons as opposed to five for TTZ.

Also, l think it should be pointed out that Serling had a larger toolkit in that he wasn't limited only to a fixed Sci-Fi, 23rd Century context. Allegory, fantasy and various 20th Century environments were available to him and the other writers. And they could still set stories in some dystopian future, which they did at various points.

On the other hand, Star Trek had the great advantage of a regular cast, and therefore the opportunities for both character development and thematic arcs. While this didn't necessarily translate into great central stories for Uhuru or Sulu, it at least provided a platform for Nichelle Nichols and George Takei to connect with Asian- or African-American young people.

I'm quite willing to celebrate TTZ and its well-earned place in history. I have all five seasons on blu-ray, just as l own TOS and TNG in the same format. Walking Distance, Time Enough at Last and The Howling Man are probably my top three.

[Karl Henning]

I wouldn't want to leave the impression that l consider TOS to be superior to Serling's magnum opus... I don't.

No worries, I didn't read you so. And your summary of the merits of Roddenberry's humane vision, and of TOS, are all well taken.

[relm1]

What are people's thoughts on the animated series from the 70's?  It reunited the cast and writers but was targeted at kids though some episodes are quite good.

https://archive.org/details/1x02Yesteryear

[Karl Henning]

What are people's thoughts on the animated series from the 70's?  It reunited the cast and writers but was targeted at kids though some episodes are quite good.

https://archive.org/details/1x02Yesteryear

I was entirely oblivious.

[DavidW]

I really like the animated series.  Of course I saw it when I was a child!

[LKB]

I never saw any of the animated episodes. When they first appeared l was at the age when boys frequently want nothing to do with " cartoons ", and by the time l outgrew that prejudice music, school and females pretty much consumed my time.

Probably my loss, at least where some of those episodes are concerned.

[relm1]

I was entirely oblivious.

Wait, what?!?!  That's like a season 4 of TOS!

[DavidW]

I was entirely oblivious.

[Karl Henning]

Wait, what?!?!  That's like a season 4 of TOS!

Maybe a matter of time-slot, I dunno. Recall that TOS had come and gone before I was in my teens, I was simply unaware of an animated Trek.

[LKB]

Maybe a matter of time-slot, I dunno. Recall that TOS had come and gone before I was in my teens, I was simply unaware of an animated Trek.

I can remember hearing about it back in the day, but wasn't attracted to it. Then I completely forgot about it for a very long time, it wasn't until I started watching the supplemental materials included with the TNG blue rays that some reference was made that reminded me. So for over forty years, I had forgotten it completely. 

[Karl Henning]

A little "body horror " in the TNG episode, "Genesis," eh?

[Karl Henning]

A little "body horror " in the TNG episode, "Genesis," eh?

Awfully hard cheese on Barclay, devolving into an arachnid!

[LKB]

Awfully hard cheese on Barclay, devolving into an arachnid!

I hate it when that happens...

[Karl Henning]

Awfully hard cheese on Barclay, devolving into an arachnid!

It was a bit of a surprise, seeing him on the bridge, and I anticipated a little humor kind of at his expense. I felt mildly sorry for the actor at the end: first he's excited because (a) he's on the job and (b) back on Trek, but then it's hours in the make-up department, and you need to have Data tell the audience that it's you. Ends on a positive note, though, as they name a disease after you....

[foxandpeng]

The 3 recent ST series have broadly impressed me: Strange New Worlds, Discovery and Picard. Picard S:3, in particular with the Changeling storyline, has shown more promise than any I have seen for a long time. I caught up on the last couple of episodes today, watching on mute and subtitled, whilst listening to music (which I often prefer to do), and it was a great watch.

[DavidW]

The 3 recent ST series have broadly impressed me: Strange New Worlds, Discovery and Picard. Picard S:3, in particular with the Changeling storyline, has shown more promise than any I have seen for a long time. I caught up on the last couple of episodes today, watching on mute and subtitled, whilst listening to music (which I often prefer to do), and it was a great watch.

I haven't seen Strange New Worlds yet but heard great things.  I'm the odd one that liked season 1 of Discovery.  Where it fell apart for me was season 2, the writing was all over the place and I felt like the ending wasn't earned.

I didn't like season 1 of Picard and didn't watch season 2, but I like season 3.

[foxandpeng]

I haven't seen Strange New Worlds yet but heard great things.  I'm the odd one that liked season 1 of Discovery.  Where it fell apart for me was season 2, the writing was all over the place and I felt like the ending wasn't earned.

I didn't like season 1 of Picard and didn't watch season 2, but I like season 3.

ST:SNW has been a lot of fun, really. Old school ST in lots of ways.

I very much liked the reimagining of the Klingons on Discovery, and quite enjoyed the whole cycle spinning forward to the distant future. New legs on an old series.

Picard has been a bit mixed. I didn't think S:2 was great, so unless you are a completist, you're probably not missing a huge amount. Whether the Changeling story fulfils the promise remains to be seen, but it has been a good watch for me. If Picard is in its final series, however, the chance for development of what could be a great arc might not get chance to flourish properly.

We shall see...

[LKB]

I watched the first season of Picard. I was largely ambivalent through most of it, though seeing Stewart back in the role felt good, and l did enjoy Jeri Ryan's contributions.

Then came the final episode. The resolution was completely unacceptable to me, and I've had no interest in the series since.

[DavidW]

I watched the first season of Picard. I was largely ambivalent through most of it, though seeing Stewart back in the role felt good, and l did enjoy Jeri Ryan's contributions.

Then came the final episode. The resolution was completely unacceptable to me, and I've had no interest in the series since.

I didn't even make it that far.  I checked out when I realized that the writers didn't understand that the Federation was supposed to be a post-scarcity utopia.  I felt like they wanted something like the Expanse but with the Star Trek name attached to it.

[foxandpeng]

Picard S:3 really is far better. It functionally ignores the odd twist at the end of S:1, and has no connection with S:2, either. Not suggesting it is perfect, but it is better.