Poll: Which is easier to get into? The Original Series or The Next Generation?

[TIMESWORDSMAN]

I've perceived TNG as the best "gateway" series, being the easiest to jump into without any prior knowledge or understanding. It's how I started. I also think it's the best executed of all the Treks, but that's more personal preference than observed phenomena.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Title says it all; I want to get into Star Trek(no relation between this and Into Darkness), but I have no idea where to start, so I'm asking you, Escapists, where should I start?

Dude I started watching Star Trek a few months ago. It doesn't really matter that much where you start in terms of the original series, you could pick up any episode and watch really, but for Next Gen you should start at season 1 episode 1 and watch it in order, the episodes lead onto each other more than the originals, especially Wesley Crusher's story. I recommend you watch them all in order though, starting with the original series, just because they're all awesome.

Also 60s special effects, though brilliant, are hilariously bad.

 

[redknightalex]

Because I grew up watching TNG, I know that my opinion will be heavily biased in saying that you should go with TNG (Season 1 did have issues, but the first ep has a huge payoff if you watch the entire series), but that's what I will say. I tried to go back and watch TOS and couldn't: too cheesy and even more dated than TNG. The movies for TOS, however, are different, and, yeah, you need to watch Wrath of Khan at some point.

If it helps, TNG had probably one of the best series finales I've ever watched. It also has some of the best episodes I've ever watched. Any good search for "best TNG episodes" will give you a great list to start with, including the heavier action-oriented eps and the philosophical/moralistic ones. Just jump in on the one you think sounds the best (although "Yesterday's Enterprise" may confuse some).

I'd also say give Voyager a shot if you're so inclined. Always thought it was the most underrated of the Star Treks.

 

[Smiley Face]

I started watching Star Trek myself after I saw the 2009 film. I started with the Original Series, because I like to watch things from the beginning if I can help it. With that said, the original series has such cheesy plots, special effects, and acting, that you'll only enjoy TOS if you enjoy watching that kind of stuff. You want good television? Skip right to The Next Generation.

 

[Ardure]

Well I say watch the highlights of the original series... though to be honest the original series is really a great series to get kids hooked into Star Trek, it what happened to me. More action (though somewhat cheezy) and a bit more clear cut in what the plot is about. Though for adults Next Generation is probably a better place to start. Though TNG doesn't really get good until season 3, seasons 1 and 2 are tryind to harp back to the Original a bit too much, still good but it just hadn't found it's legs yet.

Though I do highly suggest watching Star Trek 2-6. Skip the motion picture (aka star trek 1) its slow and doesn't really do anything besides reunite the crew. After seeing Star Trek: Into Darkness, I can safely say that if you are a true scifi fan you will enjoy the original series more... broad sense of original series here Star Trek (original series), Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager and even Enterprise. They are all better than the new "reboot" stuff. The new stuff does not capture what Star Trek is truly about at it's core.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

The one with the gay robot and laser swords silly.

 

[latiasracer]

What other people have said, TOS is good to get into once you have seen some other trek, because it is very cheesy and the effects can be somewhat laughable...


Look up the The Next Generation on netflix or something, and like people have said Season 2 & 3 is when it really starts to get into gear

 

[Sixcess]

Now come on, I think you're being a little unfair to Season 1. Yeah, the other seasons are much better, but 1 has some fantastic moments. Justice and Home Soil are fantastic bits of sci-fi.

I think the problem with season 1 is that it's an extremely awkward amalgamation of 60s storytelling and 80s character development. Rodenberry was still in charge and was drawing on a lot of material from the attempted TOS reboot in the 70s. It's not until TNG stopped trying to be TOS that it really found its own voice in season 2 onward.

 

[ShipofFools]

Personally I don't like TNG at all, but the original series is an all time favourite of mine.
I don't want to talk about Troi's feelings, I want to see a planet of space nazi's damn it!

 

[Entraboard]

Start at the beginning (chronologically speaking).
Start with Enterprise.

Just as they stumble around not knowing what they'll find as humanity takes it's first steps into space, you'll have no idea what's going on either.
What the hell is an Andorian?
What's up with those big eared dudes going on an on about rules of acquisition?
How come those dudes can cloak?
How come Enterprise doesn't have fancy shields or torpedoes like everybody else?

There is no Federation. No hologram doctors or virtual reality rooms. People even mistrust this new "teleporter" gizmo.
It's just a Captain and his crew trying to figure things out with no previous basis or rules.

Then, if you still find it interesting TOS, TNG and the rest of it just seems so much more rewarding.

 

[TheBeatlesProject]

TNG most definitely is the easiest. With the Original Series it had basis in the red scare and the effects were laughable, yet charming at the same time in a cheezy kinda way. For my money Picard is a better captain than Kirk.

 

[BakedZnake]

Honestly, I loved him for how he sat down.


OP: I'd say Next Generation - the first season's a little... odd, but it really picks up in the second season. Original Series is easy to get into if you're a big fan of the campy sci-fi though - outside a few episodes TNG takes itself far more seriously than the original.

Isn't that how everyone sits down normally?!
I think original series like any series in that era was campy, like Adam West in Batman tv series, which tbh I didn't like that much. To be utterly honest I don't like star trek at all, they spend too much time talking.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

Top suggested episodes: Q Who (first ever Borg story, and excellent in its own right), The Measure of a Man, Darmok (two of Trek at its intelligent, thought provoking best) and again once you're familiar with the characters The Best of Both Worlds and Yesterday's Enterprise.

You omitted the excellent The Inner Light from that list.

 

[Soundwave]

They've updated some of the graphics in the TOS episodes on netflix. I personally prefer TOS (for the cast) over TNG (I couldn't stand Troi, Q, Dr. Crusher or Wesley). I think your best bet would be to just watch the first two seasons of TOS and then move on to TNG.

Captcha: Simple steps (how appropriate!)

 

[O maestre]

Yes I finally can repost my quick start trek noob guide... brace yourself

*sigh* Maybe then I should go see the Wrath of Khan, then? Like Doctor Who, I've always wanted to get into this quintessential nerd franchise but I don't know a good starting point for it. Do I watch the original series, do I watch Next Generation, do I start with the movies? I just don't know...
...but, having stopped before I could get spoiled, I'll probably watch this one anyhow.

If you just want to understand khan and his motivations http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Augment

If you want to become a fan I'll give you a list.

Here is s a list I think will benefit a noob, or rather good jumping points. I do not think you will enjoy the original wrath of khan without at least some background.

The list will be in order of how much useful exposition to the universe you can gain

TOS = the original series TNG = the next generation MOV = full length theatrical movie SxE = season and episode
Parentheses will denote honourable mentions but not necessary inclusions.

TOS:
"Errand of mercy" 1x27
"Amok time" 2x05
"Space seed" 1x24 episode with Khan
("The cage" 1x00 or "The menagerie" 1x15,16 the pilot episode or its retcon...yes there was a retcon in the very first season
("Mirror, mirror" 2x10) The original alternative evil universe and what if source for almost all fiction, much will become clear after this... also Spock's beard is in this episode
("The trouble with tribbles" 2x13 great sample of the trek humour and including the cutest aliens in the galaxy, but it also gives insight to political situation of the galaxy
("City on the edge of forever" 1x28) not too much exposition but the best acting in the series, and to be honest most of the acting was really cheasy otherwise

TOS MOV
"Wrath of Khan" second star trek film one of the best sci fi movies, and not just star trek. avoid the first star trek movie like the plague it might make you give up on trek forever
"Undiscovered country" sixth star trek I love this movie drama,action, politics, conspiracies and large hams
("Voyage home") not very serious but very amusing.... well depends on your sense of humour and love for the characters

TNG probably all of it is optional if you just want context, it is however the series with the greatest stories by volume, it has a lot of crap too but nowhere near as much as the other series. Anyway here we go.

"The neutral zone" 1x26 ROMULANS---ish
"Q who" 2x16 BORG!!! main enemy of the series and progenitor of many cybernetic hive tropes... not the Swedes

"The measure of a man" 2x09 this is mostly to illustrate what tng was about, not so much space adventures but ethics, it is one of the reasons it has aged better than the rest of trek. Many of the ethical and moral dilemmas the crew face are some our society has yet to deal with or are in the process of dealing with

"Times squared" 2x13 good old time paradoxe, good adventure story

("Darmok" 5x02 or "I borg" 5x23 or "The enemy" 3x09 "The drumhead" 4x21) same description as "the measure of a man, TNG is littered with these humanist episodes

("Frame of mind" 6x21) some of the best acting in the series and one of the greatest stories, but not very trekish
("A fistful of Datas 6x08) this epsiode demonstrates what thee humour of TNG was like
("All good things" 7x25,26 few series have a good final episode, this is a text book example of how to do it.

TNG MOV
"First contact" eighth film a lot of lore and exposition and great action. in general all the even numbered trek movies are good or passable, the odd numbered ones are crap and best to be avoided like the plague


Hope this helps you get into the series it will certainly help you spot where some of the greatest sci fi concepts have come from. A general rule of thumb is that if didn't come from Star Trek it probably came from the Twilight Zone...

captcha: end of story :-D

fascinating, i thought it would take ages before i could repost this

 

[O maestre]

Start at the beginning (chronologically speaking).
Start with Enterprise.

Just as they stumble around not knowing what they'll find as humanity takes it's first steps into space, you'll have no idea what's going on either.
What the hell is an Andorian?
What's up with those big eared dudes going on an on about rules of acquisition?
How come those dudes can cloak?
How come Enterprise doesn't have fancy shields or torpedoes like everybody else?

There is no Federation. No hologram doctors or virtual reality rooms. People even mistrust this new "teleporter" gizmo.
It's just a Captain and his crew trying to figure things out with no previous basis or rules.

Then, if you still find it interesting TOS, TNG and the rest of it just seems so much more rewarding.

I dont think people who like enterprise for being enterprise will appreciate the"later" shows. Most trek fans vehemently hate Enterprise due to the changes in themes and lore, as well as enterprise focusing heavily on character arcs, where the other trek shows were more about contained stories. While it is part of the same universe, the direction and focus of Enterprise are without a doubt the least trek like, and I wouldn't recommend it to a newcomer.
Especially if that person is interested in finding out why Star Trek became as popular and as huge a phenomenon as it did. Star Trek managed to astound the imagination of its viewers twice(TNG TOS) that is including fans and non fans. Enterprise bombed, not just with the general viewer-ship but it also bombed with trek fans, hell even Voyager gets more love.
Unlike other versions of trek, Enterprise failed to inspire anything but apathy. There are few within the fandom that like Enterprise so it cannot be recommended as a representative of the franchise.

 

[Entraboard]

Well, I got started on Enterprise and it worked for me.
There just wasn't so much baggage/legacy.
The others seemed to dated (even Voyager), and just couldn't get into it.
After Enterprise, I didn't care about the visuals. Enterprise piqued my interest in more Trek.

I'm not one to read reviews... is Enterprise really so shunned?
Why no love?
How Archer goes about being a spaceship captain was half the fun, seeing how it lays the seeds for the future (or past) series. And I wouldn't know about the change to themes and lore... maybe that's why I liked it, going back to the point of not having the baggage/legacy of previous Trek series.

If it helps, just imagine that the changes to lore/themes was because historians (in any time period) aren't all that accurate.

 

[Do4600]

2 years ago I thought I would try star trek (the most scfi show I had watched before was stargate).
I watched the first 2 episodes of every sub-series of star trek.

That's because the first season of TNG was barely fit for television. Watch, "Sins of the Father" and "Drumhead" then branch off from there. Watch the first season after you're curious about how the characters evolved.