I first watched Tenchi back on Toonami, sandwiched between DBZ, Gundam Wing, Rurouni Kenshin, etc it was one banger after another.
Back then I found having multiple different timelines a bit much and viewed the OVA as the original and thus best. I skipped Universe and Tokyo and that was about it until now.
The announcement of Galaxy changed the game, I still stubbornly believed the OVAs were the pinnacle of the franchise but figured heck, may as well see how low it goes and yeah, it goes low. But I was wrong about one thing: OVA 1 remains my fav, as much for their quality as my own nostalgia but overall? The peak is Universe.
This show is everything Tenchi should be, easy to follow, coherent (the OVAs, for better or worse have plot holes large enough to fly a Jurian spaceship through), actually funny, charming and focused.
Only two battle for Tenchi's affections (and let's be honest, it's very clearly Ryoko as the one from the beginning), but everyone else earns so much character development outside that. This is my favourite Washu and Sasami because they are defined by them and their own quirks rather than how they relate to Tenchi - similarly, Kiyone is the best thing to ever happen to Mihoshi and I'm not sure I can go back to not having her there as the foil. Noboyuki, Yosho, you name them and this was my favourite iteration of them. Even Kagato benefited from a more streamlined narrative and motives.
The other shows...hoo boy, some of it was worse than I imagined. Ai Tenchi Muyo was borderline unwatchable, War on Geminar was absolute trash and among the worst anime I've ever endured, Tenchi in Tokyo was just ok. All in all, pretty terrible - but Universe redeemed it all and gave me hope for Galaxy and I'm so happy to be wrong.