Star Trek: The Next Generation Omnibus review (Unread 013)

IDW Publishing, the current comic book publisher which holds the rights to Star Trek comics has put together a few archive collections of Star Trek comics previously published by other companies. They’ve also put together omnibus editions that collect multiple mini-series that were first published by IDW. It’s a good publishing strategy as mini-series are often overlooked by regular comic book readers and considering that most of IDW’s Star Trek output has been in this format it makes sense to give those minis a wider audience. Since the omnibus collections contain multiple mini-series at a more affordable price, it’s most likely the favoured choice of potential buyers. That’s why I bought this volume. The page per dollar ratio makes it worthwhile purchase. This volume focuses on stories set in The Next Generation series. Four miniseries are collected together. The first of which is The Space Between.

The Space Between

Written by David Tischman

Art by Casey Maloney

Additional Inks by Stacie Ponder and Aaron Leach

Colors by Leonard O’Grady

Letters by Robbie Robbins, Chris Mowry, and Neil Uyetake

Edited by Dan Taylor

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Novel review (Unread 010)

I love Star Trek for a lot of difference reasons. One of the main reasons is that it can provide fans with a wide variety of stories within the franchise’s fictional universe. This is true of a lot of long lasting and ever evolving franchises but Star Trek is still one of my favourites because it does it well and even when it completely misses the mark, there is a lot left to enjoy. That’s true of Star Trek: The Motion Picture and it’s even truer of Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Novel (that title!).

I didn’t really like Star Trek: The Motion Picture the first time I saw it. I’ve always thought it was interesting – how can it not be considering all the characters begin in a different situation than what we’re used to seeing, the uniforms are different, everything feels fresh and new – but I didn’t think it was good. It didn’t compare to the good Star Trek movies. The more I rewatched it, the more my opinion changed. I started to like it because the more I watched it the easier it was for me to notice the thematic elements at play (on full display but difficult to notice due to the slow pacing of the film), the surprisingly poignant character arcs (mostly Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, again, difficult to notice because they’re portrayed differently than we’re used to seeing and that’s the whole point), just how long those damn lingering shots of spaceships and the Intruder are (way, way too long). It also became apparent that the movie’s pacing actually supports the character development which also happens to be the heart of the movie. Having a slower pace allowed for more character reaction, anticipation, and boiling over of emotions, all of which fuel character interaction and allow for the thematic development of the relationships between humanoid to humanoid and human to unknown sentient beings.

Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics vol. 1, 1971-1981 review

Did you know there once was a Star Trek newspaper comic? It’s true. Around the time of the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture Paramount launched a daily newspaper comic chronicling the further adventures of the Enterprise and her crew. The daily strip was set during the timeline of the movie, rather than being set during the time of the original television show’s run. It’s very likely that this was done in order to make the daily strips more marketable and relatable to late 70s and early 80s Star Trek audiences. Having launched at the very end of the 70s and just a few days before the release of The Motion Picture it made sense that the comic strip would tell new stories of Captain Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

This volume collects the first half of the US strip produced by Los Angeles Times Mirror Syndicate. There was also a UK strip which remains uncollected to this day but Rich Handley, who wrote the introduction to this volume, has collected the US and UK strips. He’s responsible for initially bringing this project to Dean Mullaney, the editor of IDW's The Library of American Comics imprint, which resulted in the two volume collection of the entire US newspaper comic. Handley is looking to have the UK strip collected as well but it’s unclear if this is a project that Mullaney and IDW are actively working on.

The Star Trek comics strip debuted on December 2, 1979, just a few days before the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It did not have a long life as it ended on October 25^th, 1981. There are two primary reasons for the short lived existence of the strip. The first is that the young Star Trek newspaper comic had to compete with classic series such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon which had both been in print for decades. There was also a newer rival as Star Wars was also being distributed as a comic strip. There was simply not enough of a fan base to allow for all those various titles to survive in the newspaper landscape. The second reason is that Star Trek received rather poor circulation in newspapers in the US.

There are lots of picture in this post and I have to apologize for the quality of the images. I didn't want
to damage the book on the scanner. I'm starting with this picture because it's a simple image that is
well executed. I like it. 

The upside, of course, is that a publisher has finally collected the strip in its entirety and reproduced it for a new generation of fans. Using Handley’s private collection as well as many others that IDW could get access to (purchased and borrowed), the publisher was able to put together yet another stellar collection as part of their The Library of American Comics imprint. They’ve done a very successful job putting together many collections of classic and influential comic strips and while I’m not entirely certain that Star Trek: The Newspaper Comic deserted such a prestigious reproduction it’s nice to know that IDW continues to produce some of the best archival comic book collections. 

Artist Ron Harris adding some dynamic action in a Sunday page.

I recently sat down and read the first volume and I had good time but it was also a very frustrating read, mainly because of the nature of Star Trek stories and the format of daily newspaper strips. In short, I just don’t think that Star Trek lends itself well to the format. While my overall impression is a negative one there were still some rather impressive illustrations by writer/artist Thomas Warkentin. His drawings were, hands down, some of the best things about this book and it’s unfortunate that some strips simply look better than others because of how well they were able to be reproduced. It reminds you that this truly is an archival project and for that element alone I like this book. Yet none of that really matters if you’re looking at the quality of what’s being reproduced and that’s where even Warkentin, who is without a doubt the best writer and artist of the strip as far as this collection goes, fails to deliver a completely satisfying set of stories.

The first sample of many terrible alien designs to come. Those
things like kind of look like scarves? Arms.

This is a closer look at their faces. They're essentially big, cartoony eyes
with what appear to be a series of neck flats for mouthes. Just nasty and boring.

He certainly has a knack for writing dialogue that feels true to the character and harkens back to the actors’ performance on the original television series. Unfortunately, convincing dialogue and to-the-point storytelling, even when well done, it’s enough to carry the book. The main problem is the format of the newspaper strip. The structure of the comic strip is very simple. Monday through Saturday saw the single strip which is often made up of about three panels. Sundays consisted of a full page in colour. The problem is that three panels a day just isn’t enough to make for a satisfying Star Trek story. It has a choppy rhythm that is ultimately disruptive and breaks any momentum that the creative team can possible build in three-panel doses. The longer Sunday strips are good for building momentum but they’re undermined every Monday by a three-panel recap strip to reintroduce readers who don’t read the Sunday paper back into the story.

Another full page but this time it's with art by Warkentin and it's made up of daily strips.
Notice how it's mostly made up of talking heads? Just riveting stuff.

The comic strip brought with it the writing credits of well-known writers and artists. The most famous contributor to the comic was Larry Niven, famed science fiction writer and Gerry Conway, celebrated comic book illustrator. Unfortunately I did not get to read any of the stories by either of them as the first volume mostly collects the stories written and illustrated by Thomas Warkentin, the first person to work on the comic strip. He held the most reliable and sustained tenure on the title. He left after completing eight complete stories from the first daily in 1979 to 1981 after which he was followed by several other writers and artists. Based on the last two stories that are feature in this collection Warkentin was likely representative of the best stories the newspaper comic had to offer as the stories that followed are of a lesser quality. A lot of that has to do with the art though as Warkentin’s style was cleaner and more precise than that of the artists who drew the last two stories in this volume.

This is the first half of one of the earlier Sunday pages. I just love the red suits
with jet packs which Warkentin took from The Motion Picture. Great stuff from early on.

That being said there could very well be nice surprises in the second volume but I will probably not find out anytime soon. The reproduction of the strip was expertly handled by IDW but that also results in a high sticker price. The books, even when purchased at online bookstores, are a little too expensive for my tastes. I enjoyed reading Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics but not enough to cough up the money for the second volume. The biggest deal breaker here is the format of the comic strip. It simply doesn’t work well enough to justify spending money on the second volume. The newspaper comic format has such a bit impact on my reading experience that I wasn’t able to read this book from cover to cover. It took weeks to read in its entirety because I would sit down on weekends or evenings and read one story at a time. The narrative flow was too erratic and choppy that I wasn’t able to immerse myself in the stories being told, no matter what a particular story was about or how much I enjoyed the art.

Here's another terrible alien design. These poor bastards don't
even have eyes!

It’s fitting that IDW gave this newspaper comic the prestige treatment as they’ll most likely attract the attention of lifelong and diehard fans of the franchise. The stories (their format, execution and reproduction, and price) are not for the occasional fan of the movies or some of the television series.  The comic strip will likely only be loved by those who have watched and rewatched all the movies and (at least) all of TOS. A lot of what makes Star Trek enjoyable, including the enhanced visual effects of the movies (in comparison to the television series) and the soundtracks, are obviously not part of the reading experience but it’s also missing the momentum and the Act structure of the episodes.  For the most part this is a “talking heads” comic and while that’s pretty true to the TOS episodes at least on the TV series you could see the characters inhabit the fantastic setting of the Enterprise’s bridge. The TOS movies were able to expand on the visions of the original series and it’s unfortunate that the strip, intended to attract the same audiences as the new movie, doesn’t have any of the gravitas of its theatrical counterpart. Likewise, the format itself presents a clear disadvantage to readers compared to other available Star Trek reading material at the before, during and after the original publication of the newspaper comic. I’m thinking primarily of other comics by Gold Key and Marvel Comics but paperback novels were also widely available at the time. I’ve read Star Trek in all three of those formats and the comic strip is the clear loser in nearly all categories.

Before buying this comic you must ask yourself how big of a Star Trek fan you are. Not in order to brag about it or to compare yourself to other fans (doing that will only prove that you’re an asshole) but in order to determine just how likely you are to enjoy this collection of newspaper comics.

Mushroom head aliens? Yes. Only in Star Trek, unfortunately.

Mudd cameo. It's difficult not to love these panels. 

I'll end it here with a great illustration of the Enterprise by Warkentin. 

Where to Start With Star Trek, Part Two: The Movies

My first real foray into Star Trek was watching the movies. My dad used to watch The Next Generation when I was much younger but basically all I remembered from watching some of those episodes with him was the look of the bridge, Geordie’s VISOR and that Captain Picard was played by Sir Patrick Stewart. My entire life I’ve always known about Star Trek through cultural osmosis and the few episodes I watched with my dad but in truth the first bit of Star Trek I actually remember watching is Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. I would watch it about once a year during my teens and as much as I didn’t like the movie over all, I loved some parts of it. Mostly the parts about the crew interacting and how they all seemed a bit too old for the kind of adventure they were having. I wouldn’t see all the other movies until my 20s but once I did, I was more than hooked. For a time I was simply happy to watch and rewatch The Wrath of Khan and First Contact but eventually I wanted more and I watched the rest of the movies, several episodes of The Original Series and finally TNG.

While it might seem unlikely that I eventually became a big fan of the franchise considering my first foray into Star Trek was with the second worst movie, I think it served as a good introduction. The reason being that Star Trek is the kind of series that, at its best, stands proudly with some of the best science fiction stories in any medium, but, at it’s worse, is absolute drivel that isn’t even worth the virtual ink used to write about it. As such, The Final Frontier isn’t the best place to start out with the franchise as it gives us many of the lows and barely enough good moments to keep you interested in the crew of the Enterprise. It never reaches any highs but it’s apparent, even in such a bad movie, that Star Trek could serve as the vehicle to greater stories.

Out of the five TV series I believe there are two series that could act as good introduction points, TOS and TNG. They both have problems which I stated above but really, it’s often hard to find a better starting point than the two series that so greatly influenced the others that followed. As such, it’s hard to beat TOS or TNG. Certainly, any episode of Star Trek could and certainly has served as a starting point for someone but based on the episode and the person watching it, the results can vary. Certainly I would have preferred a number of episodes from later seasons of TNG instead of the sub-par work found in the first season but, at the end of the day, the first season had the same problems as many other television shows have in their first seasons. In short, the show is finding its footing. I would also be remiss to point out that that tie-in media such as Star Trek comics and novels could have served as introduction to some fans but I wouldn’t recommend starting there, mostly because they often act as sequels of sorts to the various television series. According to me, the best way to introduce new fans to the franchise is with the movies. You might immediately disagree with that because the movies don’t accurately reflect what Star Trek television is about. The movies offer something that the television episodes don’t do often: spectacle. The movies can hook you based solely on their imagery. They’re more likely to impress non-fans or new fans because they’re simpler than the TV series and they offer something more familiar to the potential viewers but, it’s still distinctly Star Trek and that should suffice to get them hooked.

The best Star Trek but is it new
viewer friendly?

Star Trek: The Motion Picture to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country – Surprisingly Good Introduction:

Older versions of the crew from TOS make for a fascinatingly entertaining subject. I love the pathos and the history the characters (and the actors) bring to the screen. You don’t need to know much about Star Trek to be able to enjoy these movies. That’s even true of The Wrath of Khan which I first saw while still being unaware of the existence of “Space Seed”. You can easily pick up on the details you need to enjoy the movies in the movies themselves, even when they act as sequels to other elements introduced in TOS. They’re surprisingly accessible.

Some of the worst and some of the best Star Trek movies are contained in the six TOS films. I would say that the first movie, The Motion Picture, has a lot of slow moments thanks to the extended and far too long camera sweeps of various starships. It’s starship porn, basically, but there is a good message to the movie and it’s well acted but its glacial pace will likely turn away potential fans. What will likely be appealing to new viewers is that it feels very much like a beginning and that’s exactly what it does because it kicks off the movie version of Star Trek. Certainly the movie makes mentions of a previous history between the main characters but it doesn’t require any actual knowledge of that time. As such it works well as an introduction but the slow moments might put off viewers that want more action and less thinking. Really though, if you’re that put off by this movie you’re probably not cut out to be a Trekkie anyway.

A better movie to start with is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan but it’s not without its own problems. Newcomers to the franchise might wonder why you’re looking to introduce them to Star Trek with a move that is called Star Trek II. Why not start with the first one? The answer is simple. The Wrath of Khan is nearly unanimously considered the best Star Trek movie and rightfully so. It’s excellent. It can easily be discussed along some of the greatest science fiction movies of all time, regardless of whether or not a conversation includes films that are part of a franchise. This movie, more than any other in the franchise, employs gravitas like it’s nobody’s business. The fight between Kirk and Khan is grounded in the characters’ motivations and their personal beliefs. It’s superbly acted and the characters are given the chance to actually feel emotions on screen. While there is a lot of action it also takes time to establish strong character moments. There isn’t really anything about this movie that gives me reason to complain. I love it unabashedly. It also kicks off an excellent three part movie sequence within the movie franchise and it’s one of the high points of the franchise, in my opinion.

The argument could be made that because The Wrath of Khan is a sequel to the TOS episode titled “Space Seed” that it shouldn’t be used as someone’s first Star Trek viewing experience. I don’t think so at all. There is nothing wrong with starting with the best movie, even if it’s a sequel to an episode. I first watched this movie without the knowledge of “Space Seed” and the movie still works very well. I later took the time to watch “Space Seed” and while that’s a very good episode in its own right, it added depth to the events that take place during The Wrath of Khan. That doesn’t mean that the movie and the episode are dependent of each other. Even if you choose to continue your introduction to Star Trek with the third and fourth films, without taking the time to watch any other movies or episodes in between, an attentive viewer will be able to follow along without any trouble. The powerful story told in the second Star Trek movie is, I believe, one of the best places to start because any way you cut it, the movie grabs you and doesn’t let go. It’s enthralling, majestic and reflective in ways that we rarely get to see on the big screen, especially within a science fiction franchise. It also has a damned good novelization by the great Vonda N. McIntyre.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, though very good movies, aren’t new-Trekkie friendly. Not unless you’ve seen The Wrath of Khan, as I briefly mentioned above. These two movies really embrace their roman numerals of III and IV. They are parts of a larger narrative and because they’re not the first part of that larger story they work best when viewed in order, by which I mean after the previous installments. Don’t believe me? The Search for Spock begins by recapping (read: spoiling) the end of The Wrath of Khan. Right out of the gate this movie doesn’t let you ease into the universe of Star Trek and already you’re dealing with continuity. However, if you started with the first and/or second Star Trek movies, I’m confident that the third and fourth movies will help convince to explore even more movies or television episodes.

Please, don't make the same mistake I did.
Stay away from this movie.

I might be the only person in the world that has a bit of a soft spot in their heart for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. To be blunt, it’s a piece of shit. To be fair, this could still be turned into a good movie but I really don’t see the benefit in trying to do that when you could more easily come up with a better idea for a Star Trek story. While it’s not the absolute worst that Star Trek has to offer (it’s rather sad how true that statement is) it’s far from being an enjoyable film from start to finish. I personally find it difficult to completely dismiss it for reasons stated above but newcomers should absolutely avoid it. This is the kind of movie that could easily turn people away from a franchise and I wouldn’t be surprised to say it has. The few enjoyable moments to be found in this movie simply don’t do much to make it enjoyable in anyway. It shouldn’t just be avoided by people who are new to Star Trek but it should be intentionally skipped when watching the TOS movies. Do not take my introduction to this post as indication that this is a good movie. It’s not. I only rewatch it occasionally because of nostalgia or because I’m too dumb to follow my own advice.

The sixth and final TOS movie, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, is yet another good movie. It’s also yet another poor place to start your exploration of the franchise, mostly because of the heavy reliance of Klingons as a main story element. That’s not a bad thing for the movie or for Trekkies. I quite like this movie because it makes good use of Klingons (and Shakespeare) but being good isn’t enough to attract or impress new viewers. Not only would I not recommend starting with this movie without watching previous TOS movies, I would also not recommend watching it unless you’ve seen some of the Klingon-centric episodes of TNG. By the time The Undiscovered Country was released, TNG was in its fourth year on the air and some of the elements introduced or further developed in the TV series developed the franchise’s canonical information regarding Klingons beyond what was established in TOS (both the TV series and the movies). That matters because The Undiscovered Country is basically a political thriller with Klingons as main characters. It’s easy to become acquainted with the crew of the Enterprise but Klingons are more of an acquired taste. I find it hard to believe that people who do not like Klingon like this movie. I find it even harder to believe that people who haven’t seen at least a few Klingon-centric episodes of TOS or, preferably, TNG are able to like Klingons. Stay away from this movie when first discovering the greatness of Star Trek. If you’re starting with the other TOS movies make sure to circle back to this one once you’ve familiarized yourself with Klingons and their culture.

Star Trek: Generations to Star Trek: Nemesis – A Mix Bag, But Could Be Effective:

Star Trek: Generations isn’t a terrible movie but it’s not much better. In essence, Generations is fan service which often doesn’t amount to much aside from surface pleasures. The whole point of this movie is to have a passing of the torch between both captains of the Enterprise, Kirk and Picard. It acts as a movie that is unsuccessful and unnecessary at bridging the TOS movies and the TNG movies. In addition to the multiple problems that already plague this movie, the idea of having two series of the franchise come together in one film isn’t something that would appeal to new fans. Consider also that the whole idea of Star Trek is poorly communicated in this movie you have something that you really should keep away from until you’re more familiar with TOS and TNG. It’s hard enough for me to find things to enjoy about this movie that the idea of initiating a non-Trekkie to Generations sounds like a sure way of steering them clear of the franchise for the rest of their life.

Thankfully the second TNG movie, Star Trek: First Contact, is a much better place to start exploring the franchise. The reason why this is a good starting is very simple. It, like Wrath of Khan, is so good in and of itself it will undoubtedly act as an irresistible hook for potential fans. On most days I would consider First Contact to be the second best Star Trek movie. The score by Jerry Goldsmith and his son Joel Goldsmith is enough to make me want to watch the movie. Add to that a strong story, excellent execution and stellar performances by most of the cast and it’s easy to see why it could work so well for newcomers. The only thing really holding this one back, again much like The Wrath of Khan, is that the primary conflict is the result of episodes form the TNG TV series. Specifically, the two part episode “The Best of Both Worlds”.

That leads us to what I think is the best movie for attracting potential Star Trek fans. A couple weeks I wrote about Star Trek: Insurrection at length. In order to avoid repeating myself, I’d suggest you take a read when you’re done with this post. The simplest reason that I consider Insurrection to be the best Star Trek movie to begin with is that of all (so far) twelve instalments in the franchise, it’s the most representative of the entire franchise. It uses humour, character moments, an interesting science fiction idea and uses them all to develop a Star Trek adventure that also has time to linger on fascinating thematic elements. It also has its fair share of action sequences though it’s by no means the most action pact movie. A lot of people have criticized this movie but I personally like it. It’s essentially an extra-long episode with high production values which gives it more spectacle than most television episodes. To top it all off, there isn’t really any need for prior knowledge of TNG specifically or Star Trek as a whole. I might just be a better starting place that most of the TV series as well. It’s incredibly new viewer friend and I can’t recommend it highly enough for being unabashedly Star Trek in its story and its execution.

The Last TNG movie and the last movie in the originally movie series, Star Trek: Nemesis has few if any redeeming qualities. The above list can be boiled down to the idea that the good Star Trek movies will generally serve as good entry points for potential Trekkies and bad movies are best left unwatched or saved for later. The exception to that rule are Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home because of their story closely follows the events of The Wrath of Khan. Still, if someone was to watch them before watching any other Star Trek, I’m sure they’d be entertained and curious to learn more about the franchise. I can’t say the same thing about Nemesis and the rest of the bad Star Trek movies. Nemesis is infamous for putting an end to the movie series due to being a terrible movie. The main problem for new fans isn’t that this story depends on the preceding movies and seven seasons of TNG. More so, it’s that it doesn’t really do anything with that series’ history and it tries to create, out of thin air, a villain worthy of the Enterprise and its crew. There are many reasons why this movie garnered the smallest box office returns of any Star Trek movie and starting your exploration of the franchise here is equal to a warp core failure.

Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) – Flashy Star Trek with Little Thought:

The best thing that can be said about the rebooted Star Trek movies is that they’ve brought the franchise back into the public’s consciousness after the end of the less than stellar Enterprise series. The problem is that Star Trek (2009) and Into Darkness, more than any of the other movies, are poor examples of what Star Trek is really about. It lacks the inherent optimism of the franchise and the characters are exaggerated characters of the TOS crew. They’re not different but they’re warped to the extent of being unrecognizable as the same characters. They’re caricatures of the TOS incarnations of the characters. Action and unnecessary melodramatic additions dilute the powerful themes that the series often had. It focuses on flash over substance but I would be remiss to ignore that Star Trek (2009) helped to make the series exciting again.

There was one other good aspect about the movies and it’s that they established their continuity in an alternate universe, allowing the rest of the franchise to continue existing without any canonical conflict. While the idea of canon isn’t supremely important to me, it often is to many fans of any given franchise. Interestingly, this idea opened up the franchise to tell unique stories without being limited by roughly 45 years of Star Trek presence. They had to go fuck it all up by rehashing and ruining one of the best TOS movie by making Into Darkness. The lack of originality and the poor handling of the story were bad enough but the movie seems to go out of its way to insult the audience’s intelligence and destroy the main premise of the franchise: exploration on a starship. The movie does this by increasing the capabilities of transporters which allows some of the characters to teleport huge distances, including from one planet to another. Interestingly enough, it’s an idea that Roddenberry considered for TNG. I’m extremely pleased that it was eventually abandoned for the show but to have the idea resurface in the movie is unfortunate as it proved just how bad an idea it is. It should have stayed buried with only a hope of being found by Trekkie trivia junkies.

There you have it, my recommendations on the best entry points for new fans or aspiring Star Trek fans. Even though we live in a time where binge watching television is common practice I’ve suggested ways to speed up your viewing of some of the series in order to put you or your friends on a fast track to some of the best that the series has to offer. Truly though, if you’re interested in the series you can basically start anywhere and the franchise will eventually take shape in your head but I wanted to offer something that present the best possible way to fall in love with one of the most beloved franchise of them all.

Do you think thing I missed something? Chime in the comments if you know of a better introduction point to Star Trek that I didn’t mention above.

Where to Start With Star Trek, Part One: The Television Series

As a franchise that has endured for nearly 5 decades, Star Trek has changed and evolved throughout the years. Different writers, producers, showrunners and actors have brought their own version of the franchise to the big and small screens. While the show has generally remained the same at its core, exploration and understanding new civilizations through communication, some fans like their Star Trek in one way only. Perhaps as a big blockbuster movie? Maybe as speculative fiction that tries to establish some of the problems humanity might face in the 23^rd or 24^th Century? Many fans of TOS consider the franchise to be at its best when it embodies creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a utopian future with an added element of swashbuckling for good measure. It’s clear that there are many different versions of the franchise and many different ways to experience and enjoy it. It’s normal then that it can be difficult to introduce someone to Star Trek or to get into it on your own.

It’s clear that existing fans have many different kinds of Star Trek to enjoy but the rich history of the franchise makes it difficult for potential fans to jump into the mix and start enjoying one of the most popular science fiction series of all time. Since I had a rather bumpy introduction to Star Trek which resulted in my taking years to explore the franchise with any conscious dedication, I want to provide a review of possibly good starting points for potential fans. Here’s a look at the series as a whole with commentary on whether or not particular series or movies are a good place to begin with or should be kept for later or even still, avoided at all costs.

Star Trek: The Original Series – Good Place to Start:

The most obvious place to start is with Star Trek: The Original Series. It’s hard to argue that this isn’t a good idea because a lot of elements that appear in later series were introduced in episodes of TOS. However, based on the kind of person you’re trying to introduce to the world of Star Trek you might want to skip this or select just a few episodes. You can’t deny that the special effects have aged poorly. It’s a clear deterrent for younger audiences. Personally, I can generally put aside my issues with old special effects but since there are so many other Star Trek series and movies that have significantly better effects (or simply effects that have aged better or are still appealing), it’s difficult to sit and watch the original show with its bare bones effects.

If you decide to start here I wouldn’t recommend watching all three seasons of TOS. Like most TV series, there are really terrible episodes to be found in this series. The Original Series is a good starting point if you only watch a few episodes. I would say no more than roughly a season’s worth of episodes. That way you can choose what the Internet will tell you are the best episodes (feel free to disagree with the lists you find) and then base the rest of your Star Trek viewing on that. You can either finish watching all of the TOS episodes or move on to another series. That nice thing to keep in mind is that because Star Trek is (often) episodic in nature you can jump around from season to season without having to worry too much about it. TOS isn’t my favourite series and a lot of that has to do with how old it is compared to the rest of the franchise. However, there are some truly interesting and excellent episodes to be watched and you’re doing yourself a disservice by skipping out entirely on the original adventures of Captain Kirk, Spock, “Bones” McCoy and the rest of the crew.

Star Trek: The Animated Series – For Serious Fans Only:

Most people would be tempted to follow their viewing of TOS with the next series to be produced and often times that will lead them to The Next Generation. In truth, there was another Star Trek series before TNG. It was an animated series with a very unoriginal title. The show is a direct continuation of TOS but in animated form and in episodes that were half the length. It lasted for two seasons. If we consider each season of TOS and TAS as representing one year of the Enterprise’s five year mission, then TAS provides us a look into the last two years. I’ve only seen a handful of these episodes and while I enjoyed them they’re nothing spectacular. The animation is quite old and while it’s clear, it’s also very stiff and lacks emotion. I would stay away from TAS if you’re new to Star Trek. I believe it only exists for the biggest fans of TOS who are rewarded for watching by having much of the original casts provide the voice acting for their animated counterparts. If you’re going to watch an episode of TAS I think you’re better off just watching TOS which is superior to it in almost every way.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Top Contender for Best Place to Start:

TNG will always be remembered as the show that heralded the modern age of Star Trek and it’s definitively one of my favourites. It certainly has a great deal of problems with it, some of which impacts whether or not it’s a good place to start watching Star Trek. Like TOS, TNG is starting to look old. However, it looks much better on screen than anything TOS ever had. As the first series set in the 24^th Century, TNG is a very good place to start because it sets up and leads into a lot of things explored in Deep Space Nine and Voyager. It will be problematic for viewers who wish to watch the entire show from start to finish as the first season is very bad. The second season marks a distinct improvement and the series is very enjoyable from seasons 3 to 6 and slows down a bit for the final season. It’s true that TNG suffered from inconsistent quality from episode to episode but there are enough strong episodes to carry the entire series. It just takes time to get there.

If you’re thinking of starting someone on Star Trek with TNG I fully support it. Similarly to TOS, the show’s execution is still very episodic. Most of the individual episodes happen in a vacuum, but not all. There are a few episodes that have a big enough impact on some of the main characters (notably Captain Picard, Data and Worf) that deal with events from previous episodes. However, I do suggest that you use an approach akin to the one I suggested for TOS. Catch a few of the early episodes of the first season to get you acquainted with the cast (all in all, I think there are less than 5 episodes that are worth your time in the first season). From there you can basically skip to anywhere else you would like to in the series. There are key episodes that are so important they’ll continue to shape major elements in the franchise throughout the spin-off series but a lot of those episodes also happen to be the better ones of the series. As such, look for a list of best TNG episodes and stick to watching those in chronological order. If you’re looking forward to exploring more Star Trek you can then move on to another series. If you’re enjoying all of TNG then by all means, take the time and watch more of it, maybe even the entire series, right away. There is no need to rush into watching the other series; they’ve all been off the air for years anyway.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager – Save the Best for Last:

I think the title says it pretty clearly. DS9 and VOY are two very good series in the franchise and in their own ways they’re better than TNG. DS9 in particular excels in the areas where TNG failed, particularly in the relationships between characters and carrying over elements from episode to episode. As such it was the first Star Trek series to take a serialized storytelling approach. This is no less apparent then during the Dominion War storyline which is also considered to be one of the high points of the series. VOY was also given an overarching story for the series and it not only adds momentum to the show but it gives it an identity that differentiates it from all the Star Trek shows that precede it.  What makes these good series is that they build on the foundation that TNG has setup. For you to be able to enjoy these stories fully you need to be aware of what happened before. It’s crucial to keep in mind that DS9 and VOY are spin-off series.

Consider DS9, the teaser portion of the pilot directly references one of the key points of TNG by dramatizing the events of the Battle of Wolf 359 from Commander Sisko’s point of view. The series also has main characters of a species other than human which include Ferengi, Bajorans and Cardassians, not to mention the importance of the Borg after their introduction in TNG. There are tons of great things to like about these later series and there are many, many really excellent episodes but to start with these series is doing you a disservice. You’re not only missing out on the setup of many important species, ideas and interplanetary politics, you’re also missing out of the stellar episodes from TNG that helped setup or first introduced those elements. I would hold off on watching these series until you’ve had your fill of the best that TNG has to offer. If you’ve tried watching TNG and you’re just not enjoying it as much as you thought you would or if you just want to start with the good stuff, by all means, skip to DS9 but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Star Trek: Enterprise – Do You Really Want More?

Newcomers might be tempted to start with this series and why not? It’s a prequel series and so, chronologically, it’s the first. I like to point out that it’s probably the worst place to start. It doesn’t have any of the highs that the previous series had. Instead, like TNG, it had a lot of expectations to live up to and it had to tell engaging stories while also setting up its own identity because it takes place in a different time that TOS and all three series set in the 24^th Century. The challenge of doing those things was made worse because of its prequel status: ENT had to be a good Star Trek series without employing many of the best elements from Star Trek in the 24^th Century and it had to stay consistent with everything that happens after it, canonically and chronologically speaking. Those particular challenges make the storytelling of ENT rather difficult because you can’t really feed off of too many Star Trek stories despite there being a few hundred episodes by the time ENT began to air.

It’s not surprising that ENT struggled with its identity for four seasons before being cancelled. It’s a problematic series for several reasons and the biggest one, aside from what I’ve already mentioned, is that the focus of the show was always being pulled in two directions. The first direction was acting as a prequel to Star Trek, the entire franchise, and that in itself could have been interesting. How did the United Federation of Planets come to be created and what was it like in its early years? But a show like that could hardly exist if you focused on one starship in particular and that’s what happened with ENT. The other direction in which it was being pulled was that this show is the closest one to our time and so it was used as a show that depicted our future. I think it was just too much to ask of one TV series that it be expected to reconcile the differences between our real world history and Star Trek history to tell engaging stories. In essence, ENT tried to be about too many things and ultimately ended up being about very little; never coalescing into something cohesive. It didn’t pick up steam like the other series before it. 

We’ll conclude on Wednesday with a look at all 12 Star Trek films.