Best Star Trek Series?

[p2xgamers]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

Since this is the ST thread, I'll go ahead and say the best TNG episode was where they got sucked in a time vortex/black hole thing and the same day kept repeating...each time them getting blown up. They finally figured out how to survive by sending the answer through Data with the number 3.

Yeah I've seen that epsidode twice before, a very good one. (though I can't say it is my absolute favorite episode)

[LetsGoPitt]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

I voted that too. The way it unfolded from Season 3 onwards was just amazing with all the political stuff, the wars, the spiritual aspects with prophets/gods/demons. Unless I'm mistaken, it was the only one that really had a storyline developing over many episodes as opposed to the one story per episode that was common to all these series, and I'm not talking about cliffhangers either. The last few seasons, you really had to watch every episode cause it was all part of one big story. Other series have some backstory elements that would creep up here and there but it was basically a single story per episode.

I totally agree. I used to say TNG was the best, but I've started renting the DS9 episodes, and I have to say they're even better.

Even more amazing is the fact that (according to the interviews on the DVDs), the writers were basically winging it though much of the early Dominion stuff. It's not like they sat down and plotted out a whole large story arc or anything. The whole business with who the Founders really were was something that Michael Piller threw out as an off-hand suggestion.

Another thing DS9 has going for it is the cast. Not just the regulars, who were way more interesting than the TNG cast, but the side characters who would weave in and out of stories (like a real universe of characters would). Garak (my personal favorite), Rom, Nog, Brunt, Weyoun, Tora Ziyal, Gul Dukat, etc...all contributed to the overall series in a huge way. The only thing that TNG has that even comes close to that is Q.

[LetsGoPitt]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

Since this is the ST thread, I'll go ahead and say the best TNG episode was where they got sucked in a time vortex/black hole thing and the same day kept repeating...each time them getting blown up. They finally figured out how to survive by sending the answer through Data with the number 3.

Sorry but The Best of Both Worlds (especially Part 1) is the best episode of Trek ever produced. I had no idea what a "cliffhanger" was until that show came on, and boy did it piss me off! (I was 10 at the time).

[Defel]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

Another thing DS9 has going for it is the cast. Not just the regulars, who were way more interesting than the TNG cast, but the side characters who would weave in and out of stories (like a real universe of characters would). Garak (my personal favorite), Rom, Nog, Brunt, Weyoun, Tora Ziyal, Gul Dukat, etc...all contributed to the overall series in a huge way. The only thing that TNG has that even comes close to that is Q.

DS9 was great. What you said is right on point and TNG doesn't even come close to it in this respect, but I think TNG is elevated above them all because Patrick Stewart played the best captain and, in the end, the captain is the focus of the show.

TNG had some brilliant episodes that trump anything DS9 ever had like the episode where that probe makes Picard lives out an entire lifetime on a now extinct planet...or the one where Picard is trapped on that planet with an alien captain who only speaks in allegories or whatever (The phrase "Darmok at Tana'gra" rings a bell...).

The writing was superb (also better than DS9), but I don't think any of the other captains besides Stewart would have made those episodes memorable at all.

[AugustWest71]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

damn trekies...

[jmood88]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

damn trekies...

I don't think I'm really a trekkie but I got into deep space 9 from my dad(who is a trekkie). I used to hate the show when I watched it at first but after awhile I really started liking it. I've seen all the other series'(except for enteprise) and deep space 9 is just my favorite.

[SPTO]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

Wow!

Thank goodness someone else voted for VOYAGER!

[LetsGoPitt]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

DS9 was great. What you said is right on point and TNG doesn't even come close to it in this respect, but I think TNG is elevated above them all because Patrick Stewart played the best captain and, in the end, the captain is the focus of the show.

TNG had some brilliant episodes that trump anything DS9 ever had like the episode where that probe makes Picard lives out an entire lifetime on a now extinct planet...or the one where Picard is trapped on that planet with an alien captain who only speaks in allegories or whatever (The phrase "Darmok at Tana'gra" rings a bell...).

The writing was superb (also better than DS9), but I don't think any of the other captains besides Stewart would have made those episodes memorable at all.

But isn't that really a comment on the series, if it required Patrick Stewart to make a lot of the epsiodes memorable? I totally agree that the two episodes you mentioned were incredible. Another one I like is the one where an ancient race seeded several planets with DNA (Intelligent Design?). But far too many of those episodes were carried by either Picard or Data. Another thing I love about DS9 is that pretty much every character got their share of good (and dramatically-powerful) episodes.

O'Brien's episode where he was brainwashed to think he spent 20 years in prison.

The episode where an old Jake Sisko gets the chance to save the life of his father, whom he thinks has been dead for years

The time when Bashir tries to cure a planet of a deadly plague given to them by the Dominion.

I guess my point is that DS9 actually utilized the entire cast in a much better way than TNG ever did.

[LetsGoPitt]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

Wow!

Thank goodness someone else voted for VOYAGER!

I liked Voyager, but in some ways it was terribly disappointing. The setup was great, but no one ever seemed to know what to do with it. Too many times, there were tie-ins to the Federation or other established groups/people/etc.

[Psyblast]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

I voted for Voyager, mainly for the fact that that was the one that was on when I was growing up watching Star Trek...I was too young to really understand TNG when it was airing.

[Defel]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

O'Brien's episode where he was brainwashed to think he spent 20 years in prison.

That was a good one.

The episode where an old Jake Sisko gets the chance to save the life of his father, whom he thinks has been dead for years

Old Jake was played by Tony Todd, right? I always wondered how he grew up and got such a cool voice.

Everything that didn't focus on Picard and Data wasn't terrible. I would have to say the crappy DS9 episodes that focused on Quark, Nog, Rom, and...Rom's wife were worse than the crappy TNG episodes that focused on Crusher and Troi. I think Kira and Garak had consistently interesting episodes.

Anyway, it's pretty pointless and kind of sad watching two ST fans try to convince each other that both shows were good, but one was better than the other so I'll agree to disagree.

[throwmonkey]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

DS9 is my favorite TV show of all time. Episode wise, my favorite has to be "In the Pale Moonlight" which details Sisko's plot to get the Romulans into the war on the Federation side. The aforementioned "The Visitor" the one with the old Jake Sisko is also a classic.

[mercalnd]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

I guess my point is that DS9 actually utilized the entire cast in a much better way than TNG ever did.

Yeah, the range of emotions and conflicts faced by each character in DS9 greater than in any other series. As much as I liked Patrick Stewart as Picard, I think Avery Brooks did as good a job, if not better with Sisko. This probably has more to do with the nature of the material.

[Lintyfresh85]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

TNG.... What can I say? I am a sucker for Reading Rainbow!

[LetsGoPitt]

Re: Best Star Trek Series?

Old Jake was played by Tony Todd, right? I always wondered how he grew up and got such a cool voice.

Yep. Old Jake was played by Tony Todd, who also played Worf's brother, Kurn.

Everything that didn't focus on Picard and Data wasn't terrible. I would have to say the crappy DS9 episodes that focused on Quark, Nog, Rom, and...Rom's wife were worse than the crappy TNG episodes that focused on Crusher and Troi. I think Kira and Garak had consistently interesting episodes.

I don't think everything that didn't focus on Pirard and Data was terrible. There were some good episodes for pretty much every character (except Wesley, of course).