dvdstitch

I am finishing up watching season 6 of Star Trek TNG.
I really enjoy this series a lot. I was never into the original series at all, but got interested in ST when this series came around.

Question: What series came after TNG - was it Voyager?
Was it any good?

Should i get that next or go right to Deep Space Nine which i have heard is excellent

Thanks!

das Monkey

I assume you mean TNG?

The next series after TNG was Deep Space 9. It's quite a bit different from TNG in a few ways, most notably that stories are told over longer periods of time, and things aren't always resolved by the end of a single episode. It's also a darker show and isn't just about the do-gooding Federation always saving the day. You may like it, you may not; it's hard to say. A lot of people think it's really, really good, and it's certainly superior to TNG in some ways.

The next series is Voyager, and it's closer to TNG in style (not to mention there's very little creativity, so much is "borrowed" from TNG). It has a great premise and some talented actors and even a pretty good start, but IMO it's a terribly inferior show, for the most part, with little direction or value. Still, some people like it, and maybe you'll be one of them. Of the two, it's more episodic, and heavily employs the "reset button" where events from one episode don't really carry over too much into the next unless it's very convenient to do so.

If I were you, I'd try Deep Space Nine first, since it's both chronologically next and a significantly better show. Then, maybe sometime in the future, you can catch Voyager in syndication. While risky, blind buying the DS9 DVDs would be a worthy risk. I can't see a reason, however, to buy the Voyager DVDs.

Good luck.

das

dvdstitch

excellent advice!
The one complaint i always had about TNG was that themes/stories did not always carry over well. I liked the character ensin roe but she doesn't show up consistantly.

Thanks - DS9 it is!

das Monkey

Then you'll be pleased to know that one of the primary characters in Deep Space Nine is heavily based on Ro Laren (and in fact was originally supposed to be Ro Laren).

Enjoy the show.

das

Fok

I'd skip deep shit 9 and buy Voyager.

dvdstitch

How about a ranking of all of the Star Trek series by those that have seen them all.

Is there any value in going back to the original?
It's difficult for me to watch with all the cheesy special effects

flmfreakcentral

If you think about it, they're not really any cheesier than the Commodore64-level CGI of ST:TNG. And I always did find the original series' transporter effect more convincing than that of any of the spin-offs.

Have you seen any of the movies? They're collectively better than either "DS9" or "Voyager", in my humble opinion. STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN is genuinely one of the best films ever made.

Bill C
filmfreakcentral.net

dvdstitch

Yes I have most of the films

JoeR63

I watched all three series (when the episodes were new and in syndication.) I pretty much agree with das Monkey's comments. If I had the $$ I would like to own them all, but I would rank them in order of their debut...TNG, DS9, Voyager. Although saying that, I also feel that DS9 in some ways was the most superior series, but TNG paved the way with the new Star Trek "universe" so to speak. I liked Voyager, but I think overall it was a step down from the other two.

das Monkey

There's value, certainly, but it's not essential. You may want to track down "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "Mirror, Mirror" as some Deep Space Nine stories are based on them, in addition to simply being great episodes. Personally, I think the original series is the best of them all, but I recognize that opinion is heavily influenced by its uniqueness and a nostalgia for that time. While I think you're missing out by dismissing it because of its special effects, you don't particularly need to see it to enjoy Deep Space Nine.

das

sfsdfd

Moving to TV Talk Forum.

- David Stein

strife

please explain what you don't like about DS9 and how you can push Voyager over it.


I prefer DS9 over all others. I like the arcs and that the characters are not perfect all the time. The early seasons are sort of cheesy at times, but later seasons are kick butt.

mikehunt

no need to blind buy ds9 if you get Spike. it's on daily

Tracer Bullet

What CGI did TNG employ? If I recall correctly, the special effects consisted of model shots and matte effects.

lisadoris

I would certainly go with DS9 as the characters, story arcs, and acting IMO are far superior to Voyager. Spike is running DS9 at the moment but this is a show you want to watch from the beginning. If you dont' want to do a blind buy because of the price you shoudl snag the first couple seasons through Netflix just to make sure you like it.

And I second das' recommendation to watch TOS "Troucle with Tribbles" and "Mirror, Mirror." since both tie-in with specific episodes.

Chew

DS9
Original
TNG
cliff dropoff
Voyager
Enterprise (although this season it's climbing and could overtake Voyager if it keeps going like it is)

xVladx

While it's not Trek, you may want to consider checking out Babylon 5 if you're interested in a more consistent storyline. The whole five-season show is just one long story, with a definite beginning, middle, and end. I can't think of a single instance of the "reset button" being pressed, and some of the character development that takes place over the five-year story puts Trek to shame.

El-Kabong

What, you mean aside from rock solid writing, great chemestry, and thought provoking stories? No youre right, there's no reason to go back to Old School Trek.

The breakdown of the various series? It's pretty easy - everything before Gene died is either pretty good or solid gold classic stuff (cept for season 1 of next gen). Everything after he died is a rapid decline into complete shit.

I'd go:
Old School
Wrath of Khan
Undiscovered country
Animated series
Search for Spock
Voyage Home
Next Gen (Season 2 through 6)
Final Frontier
Motionless Picture
Next Gen seasons 1 and 7
Deep Space 9
Voyager
Enterprise
Movies 7-10

riley_dude

Voyager was a definite missed opportunity. The creative team behind it were too lazy to inject anything or importance or value but instead took the easy way out for 7 years with sub par writing and a bit reset button. After a few seasons, you know they will eventually get home and keep watching waiting for something good to happen. Dont get me wrong, there were a few good ones in there but I can count those on both hands.
Go rent DS9. I second the B5 recommendation and while you're at it, get Farscape to watch too!


If you are just into effects with little substance than watch Voyager or Enterprise. Star Trek is (or should be) about the characters not the effects.

Fartface

For sheer originality, none of the sequels can even come close to the original. The stories were unique and have never been surprassed, though they have often been duplicated. TNG was OK, but had a very poor supporting cast. Of the sequels, Voyager is my personal favorite. I never even watched DS9, except for a couple of episodes. The acting was way over the top, and the stories were incredibly weak and unoriginal. With veterans like Rene Auberjonois and Louise Fletcher, it had the potiential to be good if it had had some good writers, but it never came to fruition. But I must say the current series, though it may have the best effects, has to rank as the worst of them all. With the last 2 movies, they have probably burnt out the series for good, unless they can convince Nicholas Meyer to come back to the fold. He directed and wrote 2 of the best films (number 2 and 6) and wrote much of the 4th film.

Bandoman

I'm not sure how you reach that conclusion based on your admission to having watched only "a couple of episodes". IMO DS9 had the best story arcs of any of the Trek series.

riley_dude

It does have the best story arcs and the best writing but some people, I have found, don't like that type of storytelling. There has to be fans of the type of storytelling that Voyager and the last two Star Wars movies have supported, and it is easier to digest after all. Something you can kinda watch while you are doing two other things, ya know?

kvrdave

The first few seasons of DS9 were not great, but that might also be because TNG was still on and it was better. But the last few seasons of DS9 were as good as any Trek.

Fartface

Easy, I can spot bad acting and bad writing when I see them, can you? Besides, I hate shows that are actually soap operas where you have to watch every episode just to know what's going on. With the original you could watch any single episode of the show without ever having had to see another and know what was going on. In earlier TV days they had to rely on good writers, actors and directors to keep people interested in a show, not 'continuing stories', but then if all you've watched are current TV shows, you wouldn't know that.

riley_dude

Sounds like you like "Simple" shows that you dont need to think much about when wratching. Where most fans of Trek have been complaining recently that there Trek isnt intelligent enough, it sounds like you want it the other way around.
So if you do story arcs it means you dont have good writers or directors?
HUH?
Continuing stories takes more of a talent than say, Braga and Berman who didn't want to do continuing stories because they didnt think people would stay interested and thought their attention spans were too short. Maybe we finally found someone they were catering to.