How to get into Star Trek?

I have never been into the whole Star Trek thing, not that i hate the series or anything, it is just that i have never bothered before to look into it and see what the fuss is all about. That until a few days ago when i said "what the hell, this could be fun" and decided to search the thing. And then...
Oh my...! I found out that the whole series dates back to the 60's with 6 tv series 11 movies. I'm just way overwhelmed by the scope of it all and the amount of content. Could anyone suggest a starting point to exploring this world? or perhaps some stuff that are not worth it and i should avoid?

Wow, I suddenly feel old...

Watch Star Trek 2. It is one of the quintessential science fiction movies of all time in my opinion. I once was fallaciously told that it also was the first movie to ever use CGI. It turns out that is incorrect (I just looked it up). According to one website, the first movie with CG was Star Wars IV! Lol. Should have guessed... I think that Star Trek 2 was just one of the first times that really complex 3D modeling was displayed in a movie. (You'll know it when you see it.)

Where to start? That is a hard one, for even among die hard Trekkers there is division about the various television series and movies.

I would say start with the most recent movie JJ Abrams 2009 STAR TREK reboot. It is a fun popcorn ride, and it gives you a nice general idea of the characters and the universe they inhabit.

After that....? Well, I am a Classic Trek Lover, so I think the original 1966 -69 series is the best place to start. The remastered set is great, as the picture quality is amazing and has all new slick special effects. If you like those, then go on to the original cast movies.

Of the other television series.... ENTERPRISE (the last series produced) is actually a PREQUEL series about the birth of the Star Trek Universe before Capt. Kirk.
This series is both good and bad, the storytelling a bit on slow side, though the 4 season is excellent but then got cancelled.

NEXT GENERATION brought Trek back into the mainstream, and has a lot of good episodes. But is some ways, it feels the most dated of all the various series.

DEEP SPACE NINE is my absolute favorite sequel series. Rich, complex characters, lots of politics, heavily serialized storylines... very epic in scope.

VOYAGER for me is my least favorite Trek series (though lots of people will disagree with me) but by the time it aired, it felt too much like "been there, done that" to me. And after the complex storylines of DS9, Voyager just felt pale in comparison to me.

But in the end, it will just come down to personal tastes. There are a few BEST OF Trek DVD collections out there, maybe pick a couple up and see what you like.

;-)

^ bob speaks the truth. It really comes down to personal taste, and the series vary a lot. I too am a classic trek lover, and the first film is my favorite. I also think the 2009 reboot is a good place to step in. I really enjoyed it, and it was a fun ride.

The Abrams reboot is fun until you think about it. I left the theater feeling good, but now I can't even bear to watch that movie anymore, and I am not sure a fanedit could save it.

I grew up watching Next Generation, and I still think it had the best writing. DS9 definitely feels a little more modern and is higher octane though.

I prefer Next Gen (DS9 was too much a rip off of Babylon 5 for me). The original show bores me though I do love the movies. Voyager was so-so, and Enterprise has moments. I really liked season 3 when they had an overall arch for the season and not one shots.

ThrowgnCpr said:

and the first film is my favorite

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WOW! I thought I was the only one in the whole universe! :thumb:

I'm no Trek fan, nor a deep connaisseur, but to me it's: classic 60's Star Trek TV series + first two feature movies + JJ's 2010 (09?) Trek "reboot", and that's about it.
Everything else, from New (EDIT: "NEXT" duh..) Generation to whatever other series, I find boring.
I also must say that the first movie is also my favorite, despiste its slow pacing. Wrath of Khan is cool, have nice story, good acting (from the leads) and great ending, but it feels like a "filmed stage play" to me. A thing I can handle with the old TV series, but not on this movie strangely. I think if they had a good budget, Wrath of Khan could have been one of the best SF movies of all time (some say it is anyway).

TMBTM said:

I think if they had a good budget, Wrath of Khan could have been one of the best SF movies of all time (some say it is anyway).

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Ooh, Ooh! That's Me!

Start watching TOS. If it doesn't do it for you, switch to TNG. If that's no good, jump to season 3 TNG. No luck, try DS9. Still no luck? Skim a 'best of DS9 first two season' list. Final attempt, jump to season 3 of DS9.

If all that fails, give it up. You just ain't a Trekkie.

Watch Star Trek II, decide if want to continue if so bear with III then jump on board for a laugh with IV. Skip V and watch VI. If fancy getting into next Gen watch them until season 6 I think, then watch DS9 (IMO the best Trek series) alongside season 6 and 7 of Next Gen. True prob best to skip most episodes of seaosn 1 & 2 of Ds9 but esp after seaosn 4 it really kicks off. Watch the movies 7-10 alongside DS9 and will see little references to Borg attack etc in First Contact. Tehn watch Star Trek 2009.

TMBTM said:

I also must say that the first movie is also my favorite, despite because of it's slow pacing.

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lol, fixed it for you. To quote Redlettermedia: "I like my sci-fi slow and boring"

In all seriousness, TMP actually feels like a really good film to me, where as Wrath of Khan (though I do like it) is more like a fun movie. It's just too silly at times. evilgasms galore:



not knocking it though. Like I said, the TV series and movies vary quite a bit, and it all comes down to what you like

I am really torn since I want to bring star trek closer to people just because I love it so much and I want to share it (like every nerd).

I think the reboot did a fantastic job in making Trek interesting again. I love it and would definately start with it.

The one that got me into trek was first contact which I still consider the best. It was a gritty fascinating sci fi movie. Yes it has a lot of action but the sets are amazing, I like the characters, the conflicts

On top of that First Contact works best to introduce the universe/ideas of trek and Cochrane is something that amuses me every time

Personally, I think JJ's Trek is the absolute worst place to start. Stylistically speaking, it has little in common (beyond the superficial) with the majority of Trek, some of its plotting is moronic and illogical, and most of the secondary characters are paper thin.

...But hey, maybe that's just me.

I think JJ's Trek is possibly the best way to start in terms of it is more "accessible" to non-trekkers. Watching TMP may be hard going for a non-trekker.

I'd go with '09 Trek. Thats where I started. Loved every minute of it. Then I dived into Classic Trek. And surprisingly enjoyed that as well. For the Classic Trek movies, I checked out Bionicbob's edits of those.

While I don't consider myself a prime trekkie, I recommend watching the episode Space Seed, as it introduces Khan, and then watch Wrath of Khan. Then watch 3, 4, 6, 7, 8. I myself still need to work on watching the shows themselves and not just SF Debris' summations.

Nic Sticinski said:

While I don't consider myself a prime trekkie, I recommend watching the episode Space Seed, as it introduces Khan, and then watch Wrath of Khan. Then watch 3, 4, 6, 7, 8. I myself still need to work on watching the shows themselves and not just SF Debris' summations.

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tbh i think introducing people to trek with a TOS episode is probably more detrimental than helpful. The movie makes it pretty clear what Khan's motivations are. Introducing trek in the wrong way might scare people of because "it looks dumb"
i know it is a shallow way to judge it but it is a natural response to people who are not into the material. If you are a sci fi fan you know that people had little money and technology and you accept bad sets because they have fantastic stories. but if you are not used to this look then you might not even give it a chance

thatswhy i love the new movie so much because it polishes and reinterprets the look for newcomesr

bondukkevin said:

Watching TMP may be hard going for a non-trekker.

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Maybe so, but TMP was the first piece of Trek I ever watched, and loved every second of it. I'm very much with Throw in everything he stated.

TOS still seems the best place to start, though.

geminigod said:

Wow, I suddenly feel old...

Watch Star Trek 2. It is one of the quintessential science fiction movies of all time in my opinion. I once was fallaciously told that it also was the first movie to ever use CGI. It turns out that is incorrect (I just looked it up). According to one website, the first movie with CG was Star Wars IV! Lol. Should have guessed... I think that Star Trek 2 was just one of the first times that really complex 3D modeling was displayed in a movie. (You'll know it when you see it.)

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As far the first crew goes, I second this suggestion for a starting point, but I would add that you hunt down the episode form the original series 'Space Seed' and watch it before getting to the movie. It is not only the basis of the whole plot of the film but doubles as a pretty good intro to the characters and general concepts behind the original crew. You can decide to keep watching the movies or maybe check out some of the episodes from the 60s.

For a somewhat more recent take with the original inspiration almost intact go with the Trek revival of the late 80s, I say start at the beginning with the pilot "encounter at farpoint", its just a re-introduction of the Trek universe and the decades later crew. You wont need to be deeply immersed in the previous generation to grasp whats going on, and keep watching the series - and IMO The Next Generation is one of the best scifi tv series of all time. Deep Space Nine was launched a couple of years later and overlaps a little bit, it is quite good as well but not essential.


Or if you prefer to go with current trends, The JJ Abrams reboot from a couple of years ago works for people who prefer more action and huge space battles over the relatively low key brainy stories of yore. Lots of things got overhauled, some for good and some for bad, while I did enjoy it overall UA's concerns are quite valid.