How to Start Watching Star Trek
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2021
- For those new to Star Trek or for those who want to get a friend into Star Trek, it can be difficult to know where to start. So here is my two cents on how to start watching Star Trek.
Patreon: / rowanjcoleman
Twitter: / rowanjcoleman
Discord: / discord
Facebook: / rjcfilms
Special thanks to all of my Patrons and Members :)
#StarTrek #HowtoStartWatchingStarTrek #RowanJColeman - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
I just realized in those big collage shots, I missed out Insurrection. Just goes to show how massive the franchise is by this point it took me until now to spot it.
You missed my favourite movie?! 😯
Clearly a Freudian mistake ;-)
Excellent video
Weirdly, I didn't notice Insurrection was missing from your list either, even though I enjoyed it as a 'typical TNG episode but on the big screen'. I also feel as though Voyager should be placed before First Contact in the list, since it started in 1995, before FC came out in cinemas in 1996.
Unconscious bias 😎
“Just pick whichever one looks good” is what I tell people. Fans really overthink it.
I get fomo. So I just started with The Next Generation recently. Really enjoying it so far. I am eager to try Voyager, DS9
Good to know from this video you can just jump in anywhere.
It's amazing how I feel nostalgic for Star Trek because it seems like it was always on TV as a kid. I just didn't like those kind of shows until later. But I remember as a kid Star Wars would come on either before or after the Simpsons on Sky One in Ireland at least.
They can kinda get a bad idea, though. What if they watch Discovery first and decide to write off the whole thing altogether? What if they watch Lower Decks and become used to that style of writing and humor and then see it nowhere else? What if they watch Picard and kill themselves?
My High School English teacher showed the entire class First Contact - about a year after it came out - and then we read Vendetta as a class (he thought the classics were too boring for high school kids and popular stuff would be better for teaching). Even the kids who though ST was "just a nerd thing" were begging the teacher to finish the movie when he conveniently "ran out of class time" to show the final scene :P
Your class periods were almost two hours?!
@@PixelatedH2O Hah, no, it took 3 or 4 periods to watch the whole thing (including grading homework etc)
How to start watching Star Trek: don't watch star trek for 25 years and bag on how dorky it is. Start putting on TNG when you go to bed to stave off anxiety for the quiet 90s nostalgia vibes. Actually kind of get into it. Start watching the other shows. Tell the same people you used to shit talk Star Trek to how it's a good series actually.
accurate, just watched tng for the first time this lockdown and almost finished ds9 now.
came to trek from buffy the vampire slayer lol... i miss the 90s
This was me I’m a Star Wars guy till I die but then I put TNG on and now I am a hybrid of both
My wife mocked it until she watched it. :)
Rowan, pal, I was JUST about to post on Twitter asking for people's opinions on this exact topic to help get someone into the show. So this is perfect timing, thank you.
My wife won't watch either TOS or TNG style shows, however she'll happily watch Discovery. Modern acting standards and production values make it watchable for her, she's not a fan of Picard but I think it's more of a show made for the fans.
@@indetigersscifireview4360 🖖
@@steruss9481 That makes no sense. The acting in STD is atrocious.
I just wanted to watch First Contact with the wife and my plan was to show her a smattering of episodes of TNG (obviously including Best of Both Worlds) and after watching First Contact if she was still interested then we’d go back and watch from the beginning.
But the day of she says let’s just go all the way through in order with TNG. We did and she was hooked from the Encounter at Far Point onward.
Now we’re making our way through DS9 and Voy (first time for both of us) and she considers herself a full blown trekker.
Buddy when my wife says, “let’s just go all the way” the tv gets turned off 😉
Lucky man my wife watches just to pick apart the storyline 😡
@@pattimcb31 she's a critical thinker. Thas good.
@@seanraines5871 yes and no it robs my enjoyment some times.
I started watching the reruns on The Original Series on the BBC in 1971 : it was broadcast every morning during the school holidays. Best childhood ever. 🖖
One of the nice things about TOS, TAS, and TNG, is the little mission statement at the start of every episode. If someone says "what's this show about then?" well, there's your answer right there at the start of the show.
Your timing is perfect as this topic could hardly be more relevant to me right now: I'm quite experienced with Star Trek and am about to introduce it to someone who wants to start. This will be to see another perspective on how to go about it. :-)
What's important to remember, I think, is that each show (while they are all still Star Trek) has their own style and form of storytelling that may suit some better than others.
Maybe you're not into TOS, but loves TNG. Maybe you're not into TNG but love ENT. Maybe you're more into the current Star Trek shows than the 90's, so on and so forth....
There's more than likely some Star Trek show that will appeal to you better than the others.
I also think you shouldn't discard Lower Decks as a good gateway for Star Trek. Yes, there are loads and loads of references, but the show's characters and storylines are really good in my opinion and all the references might encourage you to want to watch the other series.
While I understand why people don’t like them, I actually really love seasons 1-2 of TNG. It really is kind of an 80s vs. 90s vibe though - they could almost be a completely different show from 3-7. 🤷🏻♀️
I loved the first two seasons of tng! I know it was more campy and clunky, buy it felt SO HOPEFULL! I swear, its hard to feel hopeless when watching those episodes. Really makes one feel less shitty about humanity, to me at least :)
You start with The Cage and go in chronological order from there in a massive binge watch.
But maybe skip Spock's Brain, Code of Honor, Move Along Home, Threshold and These Are The Voyages...
@@PetersonZF jokes on you I just watch the Gorn fight on repeat and occasionally shades of grey
it took me 1 years, 5 months, 19 days and counting... Can't bring myself to finish Discovery it is soooooo baaaad!!! i make myself watch one episode a day to finish it. Mind you i watched 5-10 episodes from STNG per day
My story here:
I've recently got a friend into watching Star Trek, and her journey has been very fun to see her go through.
I think a pretty good starting point is for the most part, TNG. I however don't really believe in skipping seasons, so I mainly try to just compile a few "greatest hits" episodes to see if it's their cup of tea. Well with my friend, she said, screw that, and just started TNG from the beginning... much to my nervousness. At first, she really kinda dug it. Then she decided to rewatch it a little since she kinda zoned out at one point... and she started to see why I was so nervous. It wasn't until we took a camping trip a few months ago where I started to geek out about DS9 where she said, "Okay, I gotta get through TNG because I want to see this show you're going on about."
Her getting through those first couple seasons was rough, she admitted (though she really liked "The Measure of a Man" and "A Matter of Honor" in season 2), and once season 3 hit, she pretty much hit the ground running. It was so cool to see her legit first reactions to seeing Picard captured by the Borg and whatnot. She had mixed reactions by the end of the show, as the episodic formula started to really get to her, but her overall impressions were good.
But before I left, we also binged the entire first season of Lower Decks, and she absolutely loved that, and loved the second season, even if some of the reference humor was kinda lost on her.
I was really excited when she started DS9, because seeing her initially express distaste in characters like Kira and Odo, only for them to become some of her favorite characters of the show just warms me up inside. I told her that even at its absolute worst, DS9 has this way of keeping your attention, and so far, she's really taken an interest in where it's going (she's currently in season 3, almost to 4). I've had to bring a heavy band down on my friends who have seen the show to shut up about potential spoilers, because I want her to experience every moment as fresh as possible. I really envy her journey here, because I didn't really have the same journey she's having.
While DS9 makes her a bit nervous about returning to the episodic formula of Voyager and Enterprise, she is curious about Voyager since Prodigy is making us incredibly curious, and her Facebook has been blowing up with Janeway I guess.
Buuuut she also recently started Discovery since the polarized reception of the show has fascinated, and she seems to be enjoying that as well, even if she thinks it can be a bit forced with some dialogue. I mainly tell her what I told her with DS9: "Just wait."
She's taken a surprising amount of love for the franchise in a pretty short time frame, and I love it. I envy her experiencing it all for the first time, but in a way, feel like I'm showing her an entire new world in so many ways. It's kinda funny seeing her once this diehard Star Wars fan, kinda becoming estranged from it and embracing Star Trek. We still enjoy Star Wars, I'm not one of those "one or the other, never both" people, but it is genuinely cool to see her relate to so many characters or themes in this franchise.
It was the wrath of Kan, voyage home, the undiscovered country that got me into star trek. Then I started watching TNG. And now discovery, Picard and lower decks comes on pluto TV so I can watch those for free
I have just started Enterprise. cant wait for the retrospective. I believe watching First Contact first then Enterprise makes sense.
it's necessary. otherwise why the hell are there borg frozen on Earth?
also, DS9 is needed before First Contact to explain why Worf was on the Defiant.
might as well watch TNG before DS9 for further Worf backstory. TOS will help add context to the TNG cameos of Bones, Scotty, & Spock.
maybe just watch them all in air date order...
I actually never watched the original series, it looked too dated when I grew up. I watched re-runs of Voyager, TNG and DS9. I still consider myself a huge Trekkie - not my fault that I was born in the 90s.
Give it a try. I also thought it's too dated for years, decades even (born in the 80s, grew up on TNG/DS9/VOY), but when I finally decided to watch it in its entirety last year I was amazed. It's dated for sure, but the characters and their interactions are timeless! Kirk, Spock and McCoy are just brilliant in TOS.
TOS is really episodic with almost nothing in terms of internal continuity. It would be easy to cherry pick a some good episodes that are part of later series lore (Amok Time, Journey to Babel, The Trouble With Tribbles, Mirror Mirror, Space Seed, Balance of Terror, The Tholian Web) and just watch those in any order. There are other good episodes too but they don't have as much of an influence on the lore within later series, such as The Doomsday Machine.
I was born in 99, I actually went through it BEFORE any of the movies or TNG. I wanted to get it all out of the way, it paid off. I'm now in S3 of TNG and loving every minute of it.
It's a product of it's time like any sci-fi. But there are timeless episodes like balance of terror, city on the edge of forever, amok time. I grew up with it I'm the opposite of you guys: I find TNG bland, boring and tedious!😜
@@zanemagers7465 What are your thoughts on New Star Trek?
Modern Star Trek was my gateway into the franchise. I remember my dad watching TNG, DS9 and Voyager when I was a kid, so while I did catch bits and pieces here and there, I never really knew who anyone was or what was happening in the story or anything like that--I always thought of them as just some space shows my dad liked and something I just never got into at that age. As I grew up, I got more into sci-fi little by little until I eventually realized it’s just another part of nerd culture, alongside comic books/superheroes, board and video games, action figures, anime, etc…, all of which I am also a fan, so anything sci-fi fit right in. At some point, I started hearing nothing but good things about the new Star Trek movie/reboot from 2009, so I figured I would check it out. As it was going to be my first official Star Trek experience, I thought a reboot would be ideal, since both the movie and I would be starting fresh. Long story short, I watched it, I loved it, I became an instant fan, immediately watched both sequels, loved them as well, then jumped into the back catalogue and started watching all those space shows my dad liked. I love that Star Trek has so much content to offer, because I enjoy being able to experience it, but even more so, I enjoy just being a Star Trek fan.
While I still encourage chronological release (after some prepping of screw ups) I got into it watching the 25th anniversary special in 1991. I was into building model cars and they showed how the built and filmed the model of the Enterprise-D. That got my attention. First episode I saw was Darmok...hooked ever since. Watched all 800 hours or so, some multiple times.
The second approach only really works depending on the person you're showing it to. For example I have a friend who had never seen Star Trek at all, and wasn't super interested in it. But as we got to know each other, she agreed to watch some of Voyager with me. She enjoyed it, and then last year, I showed her both parts of "The Best of Both Worlds" and she enjoyed it. I don't know if she'd be willing to watch more or not, but I've actually been afraid to show her DS9 mainly because I can't just show her any episode.
Yes! Thank you! Exactly what I‘ve been thinking!
Also, my wife, who doesn’t know pre 2009 Star Trek too well, still enjoys Lower Decks. Many references are made in a way, they don’t distract too much from what’s going on… actually, I feel often more distracted by those than I think it’s helping the Episode or the humor.
I started watching lower decks and am loving it. Because of that I’m thinking of getting into Star Trek, even though I know Lower Decks is probably as far from other shows as possible…
I started watching Star Trek since Voyager. I would like to see Star Trek Online get refereed in Picard and Lower Deaks.
Star Trek Online is just Beta Canon. So it's virtually nothing; not a part of the official canon at all.
P.S. - STO's dangerously overfilled with conflict, battles, war,.... and more conflicts, more battles and more wars, mainly for the sake of having there a lot of action and that's not a good thing. It's not very "Star-Trekkian", so to speak.
@subraxas oh and I suppose you like the Kirtzmen Trek?
I think people spend too much time worrying about "continuity" and "viewing order" - just watch something and see if you like it. The episode I happened upon that got me into Babylon 5 was Severed Dreams. Whether or not you enjoy something will be determined by the characters and the storytelling, not on some continuity detail that's probably explained by the context anyway.
I grew up in the 70s watching TOS and saw everything else as soon as it came out. I'd be insanely jealous of someone just starting to watch Star Trek now as they have to date 768 episodes across every Star Trek series to watch plus 13 movies. Personally I'd just watch it all in order.
Thank you for not gatekeeping! ❤
Me, who've been watching ST since the early 70s, still find these videos interesting.
Thank you so much for this ❤️ All seems a bit more clear now
I've finished watching Star Trek lower decks last week, and I've never seen any star treck before, and its the reason why i wanna get into it, really great show!
I disagree in your assesment of "Lower decks". I have had troubbles getting my kids interested in Star Trek, but they love the humer in lower decks. I've then been able to use the easter eggs, to show them relevant episodes from the other series.
Yeah, the hardcore porn scene from "I, Excretus" really gets the juices flowing!
@@kc0itf Lower decks is for morons. It is literally the show you would see on a tv in the world of Idiocracy. A perfect double feature night would be Ow, My Balls, with a healthy dose of Kurtman era Trek.
@@ctmmckinney6219 you're not superior to others for having a different sense of humor.
@@ultraprincesskenny6790 No, I am superior to others for being wise enough and aware enough to see pandering, badly written foolishness is not humor. But you do you.
I'm currently watching Star Trek for the first time and started with TNG (perfect choice for me, as it turned out!), but I asked a trekkie relative beforehand and according to them I should've started with either TOS or Enterprise. At the end of the day, it all comes down to what personally makes you want to invest all these hours in a tv show. Follow your instincts!
Best way to watch Trek is ENT, TOS, TAS, TOS Films, TNG, DS9, VOY & TNG Films where it fits between DS9 & VOY. Roddenberry & Berman only.
Perfect advice and something I always wanted to hear. The canon and continuity discussion can get overheated quit fast.
Funny thing. Lower Decks was my entry point.
I was already vaguely familar with Star Trek and I watched the 2009 when I was a kid, but it was Lower Decks the one which git me into watching the rest of tve franchise.
I'd recommend starting with TNG as it is the most classic of all the series, without being as dated as TOS.
I say this as someone who loves DS9 more than any of the other series, but I think part of the strength of DS9 is how it builds on and subverts what we experience in TNG.
Personally, I think someone should start with TOS even if it is dated. It's the foundation.
TOS has the strengh to have the most famous characters (Spock and Kirk need no introduction) wich add familiarity to the show. Also TOS is the most referced serie in other medias, so one discover that many things that one saw in another movie or serie came from TOS.
Start with TOS, then enjoy everything after that, much of it imperfect, much of it, like DS9 and Wrath of Khan are the VERY best of Star Trek, all the way up to…about 2007-8 or so, then you’re all done with Star Trek👍🏼
@@desertmav8632 Well said.
@@desertmav8632 2005, with the End of ST: Enterprise (These are the Voyages may be skipped a well; a third-rate recycled TNG episode that is).
NO ST of _any_ iteration in 2006~2008!
Going to totally agree. Could not get my little brother into Trek untill he watched the 2009 movie. A decade later he is now into Star Trek and will deny ever liking Abrams movies but I know it's what got him into TNG and DS9.
I could have used this back in March when I went on to watch all of the movies and shows but I did all right
Given the vast accumulated material, deciding on "how to start watching" ST may be even more dizzying than commencing the James Bond films.
Basically there are 3 ways to approach this. One, simply follow the years of release (TOS, TAS, its first four films, TNG, #5 and #6 of OG films, DS9...). Another would be to proceed based on in-universe chronology (Enterprise, TOS, TAS...). The third way is to sample from different iterations, e.g. The Naked Time, Yesteryear, the Genesis/Spock film trilogy, The Best of Both Worlds, The Marquis...
I would argue Picard is a direct sequel, not just to TNG but Voyager and probably DS9 at some point too.
Discovery, while not a sequel, hinges its first season's second half on a concept it springs on the audience so it works better if they've seen Enterprise first.
As such, I actually wouldn't recomend either for a completely fresh viewer, despite my fondness for both shows.
Agreed. Plot wise, Picard relies on previous Trek more than any other series, including Lower Decks. For all the Easter eggs on LD, each episode is pretty easy to enjoy on its own terms.
I have yet to see it, as I want to get into TNG first to be more invested in the characters (currently watching DS9 based on recommendation and really enjoying it), but if I understood correctly it's also somewhat of a sequel to Star Trek '09, is it not?
@@YggdrasilAudio Picard and Star Trek 2009 both have the same inciting incident. Said incident isn't really depicted on screen in any series (brief flashbacks in 2009) but both are basically exploring the fallout of that event, among other things.
If you haven't seen TNG yet though, I really would hold off on Picard. It's not a sequel per sé as the tone, story structure, and many of the characters are completely different. But as the show centres of Picard the character, watching it without seeing TNG first would be like watching the sequel trilogy of Star Wars without seeing anything else first.
For me it always worked to have a watchparty with one good episode from each of the five Series. I would still do that 🤷🏻♂️
I got into Trek through TNG reruns in the late 80s early 90s starting from Season 3, and I highly recommend that approach since continuity is relatively unimportant. Next step is Voyager. Its deficiencies won't be as apparent to a first time viewer and there are some great standalone stories, just like TNG. The TNG films may not be a bad idea either (just skip Nemesis).
If they're still interested, it's time for the top shelf material. Original series and DS9, along with the TOS films. Maybe Galaxy Quest and Lower Decks too. The less essential Trek like Enterprise and the JJ films can be approached later, but only if they REALLY want more and don't mind sitting through more middling stuff to do it.
My first exposure to ST was in the 70s as a kid catching reruns whenever they were on. Episodic, goofy, very easy for a kid to jump into. Today, however, I would brace even kids for camp elements and the casual sexism of a lot of episodes. The 2009 JJ Abrams movie makes a good launching pad for kids and teens I know, and they have no problem getting into TNG and some of the movies. IOW you’re right, most places in Trek are fine to jump in uninitiated.
I was a little kid watching TOS in the early 90's while TNG and the Movies existed watching those as well and the 25th Anniversary Special so I was already on board with DS9, Voyager. But I've grown to like certain movies and shows later on.
This is solid.
I'm not a huge fan of the Kelvin timeline but I think they are a great introduction to Star Trek. I think those movies did a lot to increase interest in Star Trek beyond the existing fanbase. I also think the last one was very good.
My introduction to Star Trek as a kid was watching reruns of TNG with my dad and going to see the 2009 movie in theaters. Now I'm growing into a hardcore fan, watching the entire franchise in release order.
Great point about the continuity! If I were to introduce someone, I'd just pick a select few favorites from TOS and maybe a bit more from TNG and then start right with DS9, as it will be the more appealing iteration for a novice audience because of the presence of a story arc. I'd then ask them what aspect they'd like to see more of, and pick the next one based on that, because every other show will be basically a mix of these, so these are great points of reference.
Re-watching TNG and DS9 to get my fiancee into it right now. Since DS9 started airing before TNG ended, and there was a fair amount of crossover between the two series, we're going to try to watch the shows in the order they aired.
I was worried about how she'd react to the first season of TNG, but so far she's finding it very entertaining. I think it helps to go into watching TNG knowing that the first two seasons were somewhat rough.
Good video and I generally agree. I would start them on the best slices of episodic TNG from across Season Three to Six (in the hopes they'll settle in and just absorb the entire run) and actually Discovery as well. Its a good enough, modern, high adventure entry point for newcomers.
I'd probably move them onto something like Voyager afterwards. Not Trek at its best but its comfortable and entertaining. Leave things like DS9 and Picard deeper into their viewing.
Me, who watches Star Trek since 1990: I just like RJC ramble on about Star Trek.
Thank you so much for this. I watched Galaxy Quest and it made me want to watch actual Star Trek so I randomly watched the first episode of the original series. I honestly fell in love and am excited to watch more, but i wanted to make sure i wasn’t doing it “out of order.” I’m a huge Star Wars fan so it’s a little nervewracking throwing myself into a new, super established sci-fi universe lol.
I will sent this video to one of my friend.
I've started watching 'The Original Series' and 'Enterprise' together. I watch a couple of one and then a couple of another. I'm enjoying both of them.
While my parents watched TNG, DS9 and Voyager it never really hooked me as a kid, was probably just too young for it. Only memories i have of it is thinking Q was funny and a visual of Janeway running around in a vest like John McClane shooting giant germs. So really Trek 2009 was my first Trek. Made me wanna see more. So i went back and watched ALL OF IT. Now i've seen TNG, DS9 and Voyager through multiple times. Only watched Enterprise once (though do intend to go back when my 3rd rewatch of DS9 and Voyager is done) Say what you want about that movie, but it certainly wet my appetite. And i still enjoy it a lot, is it what i would want from a Trek movie today? Probably not. But would i watch another movie like Star Trek Beyond? Absolutely. Wasn't the most original storyline ever, but it felt like Star Trek in a way i'd argue even the TNG movies didn't. (Except for Insurrection maybe, but that movie sucks for completely different reasons.)
50 years man.
I was born in 89.
I have a very distinct memory of a much younger looking George Taeki doing a Vulcan salute during a promo for the 30th Anniversary.
I've had an amazing life don't get me wrong. But you ever catch a smell and it brings you back in time in your mind?
Just happened when you said it. Thanks I guess. Almost forgot I was a kid once lol.
This is how I got my younger brother "hooked" into Trek:
Star Trek 2009, TNG The Inner Light, TOS Journey to Babel. Then he showed me Man From Earth and I replied with Requiem For Methuselah.
From then on he was already quite curious. Although I concur there's no right or wrong way to start, I recommended (experimented?) he'd watch everything in chronological order (in universe!):
ENT. DIS seasons 1-2, TOS, TAS, Movies 1-6, TNG, DS9, VOY, Movies 7-10, PIC, LD, (and Movies 11-13, which belong to a different chrono).
He has just reached TNG season 1 and he's loving it!
Being a long time trekkie myself I'll never have the chance to experience the impact of watching the shows for the first time in that order and see how the small reverse cross references play out over time. But I am re-watching everything in chronological order anyway. It's quite fun!
My wife doesn't do trek. But she loves lower Decks.
So, when do we finally see that Dark Invader guy?
A few years ago a friend of mine, who has never watched Star Trek but knew the names Kirk, Spock & Klingons, asked me what he should watch. I actually told him to start with Enterprise and go chronologically. He and his wife would sit together and watch the episodes. After ENT, then TOS, The 6 movies and then TNG, the 4 movies, DS9, Voyager (I think they watched more Voyager first though) and then the reboot series. As far as I know they haven't watched Discovery or Picard yet because they became parents to twins in 2016 and well have been busy. But they are huge fans and hopefully will get to the new shows.
When my son was 11, I told him about Star Trek TNG, saying he would really like it, but he wasn’t interested. “Just watch one episode with me and then if you don’t like it I’ll never bug you about it again.” So he did.
That episode was Cause and Effect from TNG season 5. He has been hooked ever since.
Which Episode?
@@MarcelParraE “Cause and Effect” from season 5
My wife fairly recently got into Star Trek through Lower Decks. We just finished DS9
This is true about continuity. I watched voyager as my first star trek before I knew about Deanna Troi or deep space nine which both featured in the first episode.
I grew up on tng and then ds9. Took me a while to get into tos but they had a top 10 tos marathon and the best episodes won me over, plus you can easily jump into wrath of khan after watching space seed
I think even though Star Trek "shares" a fictional universe, the idea of maintaining strict continuity is just not that necessary as many people claim it to be. When I started watching it I had a difficulty If I should start from the beginning (TOS) or if I should start with the most recent edition (Discovery). I decided to watch TOS but only because I'm a complesionist and I was curious how a franchise which started 50 years ago evolved over time.
You definitely want to watch TOS first. The entire franchise is built on it.
Here’s mine.
For canon chronological order. Enterprise.
For when it was made. TOS
For quality experience for new comers. TNG.
For “modern trek”. Kelvin timelines movies. Heck I got into the fan base because of the 2009 movies.
When it comes to quality TNG Seasons 1-2 are downright hard to watch. I‘d start at Season 3 (may some episodes before that for context) if you really get into it, you can always go back.
And I would always stop after Beyond. There was nothing of note after that 😁
@@p5ych0p4th That works too.
Lately, I’ve been interested in getting into the Star Trek franchise. After years of being aware of the series, I only just now wanted to get invested in it. I’m one of those people that feels like you should start at the ground floor, so I’m going to start with TOS.
As a born in 2000s kid i started watching from the jj Abrams movies and then only now i finished strange new worlds, fucking love it
Since a lot of the shows start slow, I've told people to just watch episodes that have an IMDB user score of 7.0 or higher in the first 2 seasons & go from there. They get the intro with the pilot, then still catch early character development & some of the world/relationship building while also not suffering through some of the really bad stuff (and 20+ episodes).
By the time the shows find their footing, they can just start watching everything & skip the IMDB stuff all together. It worked for me when going back to TNG, & it felt a hell of a lot more enjoyable.
what i did with my mum was show her the best of the original series then showed her the next generation episode the high ground once we finished the original series theb i showed her earlier season episodes and kinda just showed the best and most important ones we are currently on season 4 of tng
Yeah, I'd recommend most people start with TNG, although my cousin tried it after watching TOS and those first two seasons really put him off (Not that I blame him because these episodes are so boring) so it's really important to warn people of those early seasons, like how I already knew that season 1 of the clone wars was not as good as the others when first watching it, but went through it anyways since I had some kind of insurance that the next seasons would be better and boy are they better.
I grew up with TNG on tv and watched quite a few episodes here and there but never followed it closely. I did however watch the TNG movies, and enjoyed them. I actually really started following with Enterprise, and have since watched all the shows and movies that preceded Enterprises release. Started the newer stuff but had a tough time with Discovery. Stopped watching after S2, but will likely go back and finish it once the series wraps up.
If a friend were to ask me which Star Trek show would be a good start to watch and learn about the Star Trek universe, I'd suggest start from the beginning and go on from there. It makes sense.
I gotta say, I don't personally think Picard is a good jumping on point. It is pretty mired in the TNG history (plus, I personally just find it dull even knowing the history).
Outside of that, I think you're spot on. Discovery, in particular, drew in my wife in ways no Trek has before.The shows are all self-contained, if we're honest with ourselves, and the tyranny of "canon" and continuity is all too often just passive-aggressive gatekeeping.
Agreed on Picard, I'd say that's the least good intro of the non-animated series
Totally agree with this. I love Star Trek but the truth is a deep understanding of the continuity and backstories of minor characters is the final 2% of enjoyment - at least 90% is accessible from a new viewer on a first viewing.
I can think of about 6 TNGs to get the novice hooked. I can also think of Trek that would permanently put a novice off. TNG ended like a good book. Picard’s final interaction and conversation with Q wraps the series perfectly when Picard, as as idealized as he is and as far out as the series took us, is finally forced to open his mind to an unknown beyond description. TNG’s flaws were expertly spun off into DS9. It was fun to live in the Enterprise done up like a good Hilton, but DS9 lived at the farther parts of the federation where “normal” included uncomfortable constants and flaws in the federation. That DS9 literary fiction worked because of the federation’s ideal in TOS and TNG. Without that ideal, all that friction and conflict in DS9 would lose half its power. Fast forward to the series Picard, etc. It looks cheap, completely out of place with the literary construct going back to the flawed but **FUN** TOS series 50 years ago.
I think this is a more complicated topic then getting someone into Star Wars - there's a widely held 'right answer' for that which is 'chronological release order'.
With Star Trek its more a case of who we're talking about introducing to the series. Someone who already likes science fiction can watch anything and be satisfied (or not). Someone who is brand new might need a more tailored recommendation.
Personally I usually recommend either watching Enterprise first or TNG. Enterprise for the sci-fi (or anime, frankly) fans and TNG for the soap opera fans.
I just had an epiphany. If someone was into classical music and knew it really well, you could present them with a modern piece of music related to one of their favored composers: let’s just say Mozart. So, you have two modern pieces. One is a heavy metal band playing Mozart music, and the other is an orchestra composed of Mozart’s favored instruments but playing music that Mozart didn’t write. To the fan, they’d recognize both as being related to Mozart: the former is literally Mozart but using modern style, and the latter is something new that is built from the foundational elements of Mozart. The former might appeal to people unfamiliar with Mozart, while the latter might appeal to those already fans of Mozart.
TLDR: Lower decks got me into star trek
I was 8 years old when I watched the J.J Abrams movie and was more interested with the action scenes rather than the story and thought (at the time) that star wars was a better franchise. Fast forward 12 years and I watched the lower decks and fell in love with it.
From there I went back and watched the 3 movies again, watched the next generation and am currently watching the original series.
Safe to say I am now a Trekie and to anyone who doesn't know where to begin, just begin anywhere and go from there.
I got into Star Trek after watching J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. Quite embarrassing, no?
No, not at all.
The 2009 is one of my favourite Trek movies. I personally prefer it over Wrath Of Khan and First Contact.
@@jolan_tru It's a fun movie no doubt and I very much appreciate that it introduced me to Star Trek, but I do prefer Star Trek Beyond, Wrath of Khan and First Contact more.
I have a friend who was never into sci-fi or fantasy and said they would NEVER watch Star Trek EVER in their entire life... After a great deal of nagging and betting our friendship, I got her to watch Discovery's pilot... Then we did a binge watch to the end of season 2 (current at the time). She's since seen the 2009, and is eager to binge more.
That's a beautiful story. :-)
It's very simple. Just start with the original 1960 series and go from there.
I consider myself as a Trekkie, since the early 90's with TNG, even though I'm from Bolivia South America, I watch TNG and Voyager, on Re-runs And I love then Both,I haven't Watch DS9, and I saw Enterprise when Premier in the early 2000's
I started my wife to watch Star trek with TNG, and we currently on the six season, an we will continue with DS9 and Voyager
I hook my wife with Babylon 5, but we skip season one, but we saw the last 4 episode of that season
I got my girlfriend into it by watching in airdate order. By the time we got to TOS season 3, she was already into it, and by the time we finished the first 6 movies (technically a bit of a deviation from airdate order), she was a committed fan. 5 episodes into TNG season one, and she was humming the theme song (to be fair, we did skip *that* infamously racist s1 ep). We're currently starting season 2.
My plan for once we start hitting the seasons of TNG that overlap with DS9 is to alternate seasons, and to continue that with Voyager once TNG ends. The TNG movies will be strategically placed between seasons (i.e., no watching them all in rapid succession after TNG ends and having her wonder why that 'tough little ship' is stealing the Enterprise E's screentime, or what the fuck the 'Dominion War' is, to say nothing of spoiling all of Voyager by watching Nemesis before Caretaker).
I think Star Trek: Picard is the same deal as Lower Decks; it’s good but you’ll not understand near enough without watching TNG first.
I have a friend who recently decided she wanted to get into Trek. She asked me this same “how do I start?” question. She was really interested in DS9. I told her she could start with that, but I also gave her a “must see” List of TOS and TNG episodes. That way, she didn’t have to slog through 2 other shows first, but, any of the biggest callbacks on DS9 would be things she was aware of having seen those specific episodes.
I tried to get into the original series for the longest time and never for myself able to sit down and really get into it. But my ex really really love voyager. After I gotten them an autograph book from Kate Mulgrew, I sent down with him navigate to Watch. Voyager and I was instantly hooked . I needed a less episodic show To get me into the world. Now I have watched All of the movies and I have finished the original series next generation voyager and I’m currently on deep space nine. Your truly is no way I have one way to start
I chose to watch TOS first, wanting to experience Trek in a similar way to original fans who were there from the start watching things in the order they were released. And once I was through most of TOS, I started Discovery simultaneously, as season 2 of that was currently airing so I wanted to catch up and be able to experience that in real time. After I finished TOS, I watched TAS and the first 4 movies, and then needed a long break to detrek and refresh and stop feeling sad about (near enough) running out of Kirk, Spock and the original crew content, and felt ready to start new adventures with and meet the characters of TNG, which I’m currently working my way through :) Next I’ll watch movies 5 and 6, then Picard so I can catch up with and watch season 2 of that in real time, then DS9 and at some point the rest of the movies, then Voyager, then Lower Decks, then Prodigy, then Enterprise :D
I became a Trekkie after watching the 2009 movie. It came out when i was 15. I asked my uncle since i knew he was big Trek Fan. So i said i like Star Trek 2009 and wanted to watch the OG series. So he gave the entire TOS and TNG run on DvD. So for about 2 years i would see about 1-3 episodes of Star Trek a day and really enjoyed it. The only series i havent seen to completion is Voyager. Simply because i started watching it during a shitty period in my life so i feel off it and have a hard time mentaly to pick it up again. I will one day!
Those JJ Abrams movies Startrek movies sucked. It wasn't what Startrek was meant to be. They took a great sci-fi saga and turned it into some silly action adventure crap. But that's just my opinion.
As someone who is not a treky. I can recommend the Kelvin time movies since they are good action movies in themselves. So you don't need to like Star Trek to enjoy those movies.
Kelvin Timeline got my partner into Trek, too.
@@tipi5586
For a start, abortion is legal, thank goodness.
Secondly, that's still kind of a revolting thing to imply.
@@jolan_tru Comments has been deleted. But for the love a good why are people arguing about abortion in the replies about how the the Kelvin time line moves are good?
@@michaellewis1545
I know, right?
Usually there are lists of best episodes of the different series. Maybe start with them. Most are fan favorites and would most likely be in their watchlist anyway.
I had started trying to watch a few episodes of TOS and Next gen and couldn’t get into it. My now ex loved voyager and so I watched that to see why he loved it so much and I fell in love I then went back and watched everything and found now that I got into the world everything was a lot easier to get Into
I really don't think you should recommend TOS to someone who is interested. It's a good show, but I don't think modern audiences will really appreciate it that much.
The sexual politics are awful, which might put off some modern audiences, and there are a lot of dud episodes. I'd only recommend it after they're already into Star Trek
@@R0ssMM Exactly.
Yeah, I would mildly agree with you on this one, but it's all largely individual.
I began watching Star Trek at the turn of the '80s and '90s when I was around 6 or 7; my parents had a couple of TMP era films on VHS, plus TNG was being aired on telly.
By the time DS9 launched in January 1993, Star Trek was already "my thing" and I considered the premiere of the spin-off a huge event. :-) I still vaguely remember how tremendously excited I was during the scene Sisko shared with Picard on the Pilot; I considered Patrick Stewart at the time to be one of the biggest stars in the world. :-D
I first watched reruns of TOS in the mid-'90s and I severely struggled to get into it. I was in my pre-teens back then.
Lots of those stories and plot developments were just ludicrous. Lots of the actors' performances were ludicrous. Another turn off were some of the cheap props (you land on an alien planet and they've got there wooden "Human" furniture). Plus, I totally hated most of the VFX shots; the "toy" on wires called Enterprise looked just laughable. A total killer for the suspension of disbelief.
It took another decade and the then-new Remasters for me to properly get into TOS. Today I do like the show very much and have watched it in its entirety like "gazillion" times, but quite a lot of stuff in it should be treated as the so-called 'soft canon' in my personal opinion.
Modern audiences seem to appreciate films from the 1960s such as Psycho, Lawrence of Arabia, and The Thomas Crown Affair.
@@bonghunezhou5051 Sure, but movies like Lawrence of Arabia or Psycho haven't really aged. The effects look fine, the editing and cinematography are still fantastic, the acting is superb, and the storytelling and themes are phenomenal. Lawrence of Arabia might very well be my favorite film ever. TOS, on the other hand, truly feels like a product of its time.
How I watched Star Trek
Random TOS, Next Generation & Deep Space 9 episodes in syndication in the 90s > The Voyage Home on TV movie blocks in the 90s > Star Trek Nemesis in a theater >The first 2 seasons of Enterprise > Star Trek 2009 > Into Darkness > Wrath of Khan > The Undiscovered Country > Beyond
I really should make more of an effort to watch more.
Funny, I was just thinking about that yesterday. Basically I agee with you in that continuity is not the main issue to consider when choosing a how to intruduce someone to the universe. However, relying on general popcultural awreness of basic premises and characters works only when we are talking about friends or older family members. In my case I was thinking about it because my son is approaching the age where I started watching the first TOS episodes, and in this case, younger family members, you can't rely on them already having any previous knowledge by cultural osmosis.
I think I'll try with some standlone TNG episodes to find out whether he is interested, but I think starting with DS9 or Voyager would make him miss the impact of the introductory episodes of some characters/species/concepts/etc.
In my opinion, there is no bad Star Trek, just some that’s not quite as good as others. (I’m looking at you last episode of Enterprise!)
I started watching the next generation after watching picard and strange new worlds, I’ve been enjoying it so far and I’m still on season 1. So if this is considered the weaker part of it I’m excited for what’s next!
Rowan: Just start watching a show.
Me: Eh. Voyager would stop me on the first episode right there. Lol. And my first exposure is ST2. That is what hooked me.
I watched the OS and the OS-Crew Movies as a kid with my parents. (My dad is sort of a Star Trek purist I guess. "What? A Klingon as officer? Nah. Won't watch that." and quit the Series with TNG.) My Girlfried watches Voyager as a Teen and it was this first Nerd-Franchise-Thing for her, where you copletely overobsess and read all the Trivia. So together we started watching TNG and it is like a coming together of cultures. Whenever a thing comes up, one of us doesn't know we ask "Is this an OS thing?" or "do they explain that later in Voyager?" And it is amazing. And now the Cardassians are coming up and we both jus NEED to watch DS9 :D
I've recommended wrath of khan as a jumping on point, motion picture is not as necessary to watch before it
I would recommend watching in this order.
Enterprise
TNG
DS9
VOY.
Then watch whatever else you want, if you want!
There was this guy on the Star Trek subreddit who chronologically listed ALL the episodes and movies. you'd have to jump from series to movies, back to series.
my last girlfriend... she was not into star trek, barely knew about Star Wars other than the overt things on social media... so I got her to watch a few Discovery episodes, she thought it looked cool and wanted to continue watching, that is when I said "you should update your profile to include Star Trek curious" at which point I got the stare of death and effectively had my tv rights taken away for the next few days.