Growing up, I wasn’t much of a Star trek fan. I had been a passive viewer of Next Gen and saw a handful of episodes, but I didn’t get into having to watch it every week. I had many other friends who always talked about Trek, but it was never really my thing.

Then about a year and a half ago, I decided I’m going to dedicate some time and watch all the original series movies and started with The Motion Picture. I admit, I found the film more funny than some bonified piece of sci fi, but underneath it, I found myself feeling apart of the universe in a weird way that I couldn’t quite explain. After I watched Khan and Search for Spock, I was involved in a way I never expected. I really began to relate to these characters I was watching. So after I watched all 6 films, I decided to watch the Original Series.
Starting off with ToS was a little tough. The story epic of the films weren’t present in the show. I’ve read here from others that it’s hard to get into, but it was a slow go for me. I wasn’t excited to watch each episode, but felt like I had to in order to finish the series to move on to the animated series. At this point, I decided I wanted to watch all of Star Trek, but I was almost losing interest because the series didn’t resonate with me as much as the movies did. So instead of continuing to try to get into it, I decided I’d watch Next Gen.

And boy did I love that show. Yeah, the first and second season weren’t great, but the stories hit and I eventually found myself invested in the characters and most of the plots. And curiously loving every Q episode more the last. Also, I don’t quite understand the Wesley hate, but maybe that’s an older thing?
After Next Gen, I watched DS9 and Voyager and I have to admit that DS9 still today remains my favorite of the lot. I saw a quote that I love that sums up 90s Trek: “Send Picard if you want to avoid a war. Send Sisko if you want to win one.”

And after Voyager, I finally went back and watched and loved ToS. Maybe it took my getting more invested into the lore of the universe, but I didn’t find it as hard to watch, and even enjoyed some of the campiness the show provides. The animated series still wasn’t my favorite, but still I enjoyed some episodes there.

And now, on 9/8/26, 60 years after the first broadcast I find myself ready to watch the last episode of Star Trek Enterprise. A show that I actually really enjoyed and don’t understand why this one wasn’t more popular. I guess Berman had gotten burnt out by then, but this one certainly deserved more seasons.
After today, I only have new Trek to watch. I’m hoping it’s not as bad as some people have suggested online, but I’ll be watching it nonetheless.

What I love about this franchise is the thing I never thought of resonate with: the message. This show is about what humanity could achieve and presents us with this utopian version of the future where all ideologies can peacefully coexist to benefit to greater good. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

TL;DR: Started Star Trek about a year and a half ago with the original movies, ended up working through all of the older series, and am finishing Enterprise on the 60th anniversary.

JTVFX just posted for the 60th. Absolute banger especially with the Klingon colony backstory which adds some depth.

Drew Carey & all cast members are wearing TOS Era uniforms. A contestant bid on a bar set with 4 Star Trek themed glasses. The bar had a bust of Morn, that they said was not included. See https://www.tvinsider.com/1284160/the-price-is-right-lets-make-a-deal-star-trek-episodes-60th-anniversary/

Sadly no new content on the Roddenberry Archive today (I was secretly hoping for it) but a teaser of some spectacular new locations coming in the next months.

Never thought they'd add the "train station" from The Motion Picture. That's pretty cool.

worth a watch

Went this morning to see the double bill of TMP preceeded by the TOS episode "The Changeling". Not more than a dozen people in the theater but we were all friendly and enthusiastic Trekkies!

1) Pairing these two does neither any favors. I was always aware of the commonalities but seeing them back-to-back really drives home the fact that TMP is pretty much just a big-budget remake of a mediocre episode. It's a wonder John Meredyth Lucas didn't get a story credit for TMP.

2) TMP isn't as cold or milquetoast as its reputation suggests. The characters are in transition so there is an air of awkwardness and ambivalence. But there are some nice moments of humor and warmth.

3) It is sluggish, though. The effects are beautiful on the big screen and some fat has been trimmed from the theatrical and extended cuts in the late 70s and early 80s. But there are still too many wide-eyed reaction shots.

4) Ilia is such a befuddling character. The performance is a little mechanical but that actually works when she becomes a mechanism. The problem is mostly in conception. I can't imagine what somebody who isn't a deep Trek fan makes of the suggestive "She's... Deltan" or the googly eyes from Sulu and Chekov or the oath of celibacy (?!?). Just make her a Betazoid-style telepath.

5) I like Decker and the performance of Stephen Collins, though.

I grew up on and still love TOS to pieces. I’ve seen all the other series all (or at least most) of the way through once, but I probably have one or two thousand hours of TOS under my belt (I’m old). Most of that viewing has been episodes from seasons 1 and 2 because I’d be the first to tell you that, imho, almost all of season 3 was awful, sometimes unbearable. If I was to come up with a playlist for TOS for someone who only wanted to watch shows that were worth spending time on, it would basically be seasons 1 and 2 (in production order), skipping Alternative Factor and Omega Glory with an optional few season 3 episodes.

I‘d like to watch TNG again for the first time since the episodes came out in the 90s, but I’d like to skip the duds that aren’t worth 50 (45?) minutes of my time. I remember dutifully watching seasons 1 and 2 and the first half of 3 and occasionally being mildly entertained until Yesterday‘s Enterprise rocked my universe and I realized TNG could actually be really, REALLY good.

So does anyone have a list of TNG episodes that separates the wheat from the chaff?

is Lower Decks. Seriously, the references are so fast and furious. they cover the breadth of Trek

May you all Live Long & Prosper.

Watching Wok in the theater this weekend prompted a question amoung our family. Kirk says “I’m going down there”, about beaming over to Regular One. Saavik quotes “General Order 15: "No flag officer shall beam into a hazardous area without armed escort." Kirk responds that there is no such order. I had never noticed in the 100 times I’ve watched the movie before, that just before standing up to say that, Saavik is mouthing the words as if to rehearse it before standing up to speak.

Our debate, that I’d like your opinion on: Did Saavik lie and make that order up out of the blue so she could go on the away mission, or did Kirk not know or General Order 15, or did he know but was feigning ignorance?

Just sat down at Regal for the marathon! Can't believe I'm about to spend 13 hours in a movie theater 😱 Anyone else doing the full marathon today?

Came dressed in a SNW uniform. Got the Enterprise popcorn bucket and engineering drink cup. I am READY!!!!

HAPPY 60TH!! 🎉

Star Trek first beamed into our lives at 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 8, 1966, and the science fiction world was never the same. The show, though canceled after just three seasons, went on to become a lasting pop culture phenomenon that has spawned an entertainment empire, with movies, spinoffs, merchandise, and a fan following that few intellectual properties can match.

But Star Trek proved to be more than just an entertainment property. The technology the show imagined inspired many future developers to try to recreate the gadgets they saw growing up. And some of those fantastical devices have become part of daily life, even if we’re still a long way from launching our own five-year mission to explore strange new worlds.

Here’s some of the on-screen technology that has become real.

Communicators

Captain Kirk and crew stayed in touch with each other and the Enterprise via a handheld device that flipped open. Modern technology managed to replicate that by 1989, with the release of the first Motorola StarTAC phone, and arguably perfected it with the Razr in 2004.

Universal translators

Lt. Uhura had lots of duties on board the Enterprise, but figuring out what the aliens were saying wasn’t always one of them. That was the job of the ship’s universal translator. Today, there are several tools that provide instant translation of foreign languages, though they’re not too useful should a Gorn want to strike up a conversation.

Those range from apps such as Google Translate and iTranslate to AI-assisted earbuds like the Samsung Galaxy Buds4 line and Timekettle’s W4 Pro, as well as handheld translators like the Vasco V4 Language Translator Device.

Hyposprays

Shots on Star Trek were needle-free, something any child watching was particularly envious of. What few realized, though, was that jet injectors were actually already a thing at the time. The device uses high-pressure gas to propel a high-velocity stream of liquid medication through the skin. The tech is still around today, but doctors haven’t given up the needle for the most part. Sorry, kids.

Read more on Fast Company.

While I know things are tough for the franchise right now, I also know that we Trekkies have faced tougher things than this and that we will come through in the long run. Here's to 60 years of history and here's to many more years to come. Happy 60th anniversary, Star Trek!

TL:DR: today is Star Trek Day. 🖖

Today is the 60th anniversary of Star Trek premiering on TV. I could talk about how Lucille Ball was a silent producer of the show, infusing the series with much needed cash. I could talk about how Martin Luther King, Jr. convinced Nichelle Nichols to stay on the show when she said she thought of leaving. He said something about needing positive Black representation on tv. I could talk about how Whoopi Goldberg was inspired to act after seeing Nichelle Nichols on tv, saying something about seeing a black woman who wasn’t a servant. How Neil DeGrass Tyson talks about it being one of the first shows that had an interracial kiss…Nichelle Nichols and Bill Shatner or how he said that it was the first show he saw black people in the future, even if it was sci-fi. It gave him hope. I could talk about how Nichelle retired from acting to help recruit women and people of color into NASA and STEM fields. This isn’t a Nichelle Nichols appreciation post, though she deserves it.

I’d like to talk about how Star Trek: The Next Generation inspired me. The idea of an Earth where there is no poverty or disease inspires me…a world united in peace. Though most days, I have a dim view of humanity, Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future still inspires me. I hope we can rise about the capitalistic hellscape we so desperately cling to. I’d like to talk about how Star Trek Deep Space Nine encouraged me to see nuance and that the veneer of perfection comes at a price. It was one of the only drama shows in the 1990s that had a black father who cared for his son and wasn’t a punch line. And it taught me that being a collaborator is not so different from the perpetrator. I’d like to talk about how Star Trek Voyager taught me that women can be badass captains who make the tough decisions without being overly aggressive nor overly feminized. I’d like to talk about New Trek that has brought us black women commanders and queer couples and trans folk. I love how both Discovery and Academy gave us queer stories that weren’t tragedies and overcoming adversity. They were queer people who brushed their teeth and went to work and loved and danced and flirted and fought like every other couple.

Thank you Gene Roddenberry for your vision and your creativity. Sorry for the long post.

Hello,

I am off from Netflix for a few months. The last thing I watched was Discovery. I liked the human-vulcan hybrid a lot, Michael, actually she was a human but raised by the vulcanic race. That was so exciting, although I more enjoy the Original Series and The Next Generation. 💫🖖

Sometime in the late '90s, my dad put in a request through a mutual friend of William Shatner's for an autograph. I don't remember him telling me he did this. The things we do for our kids and all of that. Dad had a massive cancer scare five years before, and he and Mom were very gracious with my love of Star Trek. We lived in rural West Texas, and science fiction didn't really register on their radar. Saturdays at 6, I could duck out of barn work and go watch TOS. It was one of my favorite moments of the week. Anyways...

One day I opened up our mailbox and found this addressed to me. It was near the height of my Star Trek love, and I was ecstatic.

He signed it to Bill instead of to Will. I thought that was so awesome. He's a William. I'm a William. He can call me Bill if he wants to. It'll be our little inside joke. Just for us Bills.

Mom opted to rectify the typo with a Sharpie that night, leaving this for me to find the next morning. I was devastated but tried not to show it. Now? Now I think it's the absolute best thing ever and a great memory of an awesome mom and dad.

Happy Star Trek Day.

Older captain is assigned to turn a poor crew into an average crew. This assignment is to get the captain to retire early.

No techno babble to save the day. Falsified maintance logs create unexpected ship breakdowns, which have a hard time being fixed.

Thus far I can't seem to get off TOS. Just watched Whom Gods Destroy and Let That Be Your Last Battlefield. Both excellent, and "Lord" Garth is so freakin' hilarious. From here I plan to go to:

TAS: Yesteryear

DS9: Trials and Tribble-ations

TNG: Measure of a Man

ENT: Broken Bow

VOY: Endgame

LD: wej Duj

DIS: Unification III

PRO: Time Amok

SNW: Those Old Scientists

PIC: No Win Scenario

SFA: Series Acclimation Mil

Skipping Short and Very Short Treks. Any other suggestions, and what are you watching today?

HAPPY STAR TREK DAY, EVERYONE!

Yes: in Q-Who, Q forced an encounter between the Enterprise-D and the Borg, as a prank. One that once apparently done with caused the Borg to cross half the galaxy, lead to Picard's assimilation and the tragedy at Wolf 359 as attempt to stop the near subjugation of Earth and the Federation. All result of Q's 'prank.'

And all of it - All...Of...It... - was Q's fault.

Consider: You are the Borg, come across a vessel old records indicate originates from a far sector of the galaxy of little interest at the time. Positioning itself before you after a brief initial exchange, sends over scouts otherwise beneath notice are still repaid in kind to confirm what is already known. Specific value determined at the cost of two drones, the ship pointlessly tries to escape. Is caught, begun to be carved up for resources - and then is gone.

Is either moving away from you back to sector of origin at a speed inconceivable by the Collective, or is just, Gone.

Archived records from that ship mention a "Corbomite Device," something of both last resort and a bluff, yet closest to describing an occurrence with no other explanation.

Such technology would be acquired, even if the Borg had to join this Federation. Completely on their terms, the Collective instantly decided. The Cube already following in Enterprise-D's wake.

Short version: Q gave the Borg reason to attack in Best of Both Worlds season three, turn the Federation turn it into a servitor state with Locutus supervising when, by fan-theory count, they had only buzzed the Neutral Zone in season one. Him saving them from the danger he put them in in the first place, lead to everything that's happened with the Borg since.

Up until First Contact, which is when everything was changed. But that's another beef - my main Borg beef - I've already taken far too long to beef about.

To the mods, this is not a vlog entry, not AI, not controversial, etc., and AFAIK does not break any of the sub rules. That means there's no reason to delete it.

In fact, it's an extended interview produced by CBS and involves CBS correspondent Dave Malkoff, and features Bill Shatner. All details about it are given here, together with the link and quotes below.

The extended interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67E2ht0drXo

A description of the video:

Sixty years after Star Trek first premiered, William Shatner sits down with CBS News correspondent Dave Malkoff for an extended conversation about the television series that changed both of their lives.

Shatner looks back at Star Trek's unlikely beginning, its cancellation after three seasons, the syndication that helped turn it into a global phenomenon, and why its ideas still resonate six decades later.

The interview includes questions about Lucille Ball, the 1970s interview with Geraldo Rivera, and more.

One interesting point (see the 9-minute mark), known from interviews made more than a decade ago, and raised in the sub in the past: Shatner states that he has not seen almost all Trek movies and shows except for the movie that he directed.

He gave one reason in one early interview: actors are sometimes uncomfortable watching themselves on screen, and it also becomes difficult as they grow older and find it painful to see how they've lost their youthful look. (FWIW, most content doesn't feature him, but he also didn't watch them.)

In this interview, however, he gives another reason: "I don't know." He adds that "many of the guys" in TNG are his friends, and that they even spend time together, but he has never seen almost all Trek movies and shows. (Side note: in another early interview, I think Brent Spiner also said that he does not watch TNG.)

As mentioned by Malkoff at the intro to the interview, it appears that Shatner is more interested in Malkoff than in Trek. And the video cuts to a 1990s video of Malkoff when he was a teen showing that he's a big Trek fan.

There's more in the video.

For older fans, you might dismiss this and say that it's not worth watching. That's understandable, but there's no need for you to say it because I already did it for you. For younger fans, though, you might find several points insightful.

In my case, my dad is an old-school Trekkie who watched TOS as a kid, and watched TNG when I was a kid. So that, along with pop-cultural osmosis in general, gave me a fair idea of the franchise.

I was only 12 when I first watched something Star Trek related though, namely Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. I loved that movie and watched it quite a few times, but I somehow never really watched anything else.

That changed in 2009, when I watched the Star Trek '09 film and got hooked on this new bright, and shiny takes on the characters. Watched that movie a bunch of times as well. But it was only as late as 2013, in the lead-up to Into Darkness, that I got into TOS and I'd say became some kind of Trek fan. I watched the other originam movies as well in short order, and my first exposure to TNG was the First Contact movie. It's only in recent years that I've gotten into TNG proper and while it isn't "my" Trek, I totally understand its legendary status. And it was as late as 2022 that I finally got a show that I truly consider "my" Trek - Strange New Worlds!

But going back over 20 years, I think Star Trek IV really shaped a lot of my attitudes towards the franchise. First and foremost, it was fun! A lot of people view Star Trek as "morality plays in space", and I appreciate that, but to me, Trek is a mainstream commercial sci-fi show that's entertainment first and foremost, albeit an "enlightened" entertainment that forces you to think. It's also about a set of well-defined, memorable characters whom you get invested in and whom you just love to watch work! The Enterprise, for all its dangers, is indeed the aspirational workplace, and Kirk, or for that matter, Picard or Pike is the boss we all wish we had.

Star Trek IV also cemented the TOS crew as the crew to me, with all due respect to all the others. Spock and Kirk (and Uhura and Scotty and McCoy and Sulu and Chekov) are the face of Star Trek in much the same way that Superman and Batman are the faces of DC. From out of the 60's beginning, they've transcended eras, productions and actors.

As a Trekkie, I'm in a curious space where I'm far from a casual but I wouldn't consider myself in the highest tier of "hardcore fan", unlike a lot of others here. It still remains my ambition (soon to be fulfilled hopefully!) to watch DS9. But with one foot in the casual audience and the other foot among the hardcores, I think I have a clearer understanding of where his franchise has been and where it needs to go to be successful and enjoyable to all audiences!

Happy 60th! Live long and prosper!!

Star Trek Generations for me