Okay whatcha wanna do? Shows? Movies? Shall we start at Star Trek season 1, episode 1???

I'll kick this off odd, with a review of a Nimoy autobiography review I wrote in my own Blog a while back:

I AM SPOCK by Leonard Nimoy (published in 1995)

This is a memoir by Nimoy which zooms through his involvement with the TV series (but gives enough to be interesting) and then more exhaustively covers his involvement with the 6 star trek movies involving the original cast (he also talks about the 7th and his reasons for not being involved with it). It also mentions his involvement with the Star Trek: Next Generation double-episode ‘Unification’ (this is a great pair of episodes, by the way). He also discusses ideas about a prequel Star Fleet Academy movie that was bandied around – which sounds an awful lot like the first reboot movie…

Nimoy writes in a straightforward, non-flowery style, and starts each chapter with some dialogue between Nimoy and Spock, discussing the issues covered in the coming chapter. He also sometimes intersperses these chats within the text. It’s interesting to start, but gets a little odd/pointless. His stories about Star Trek are interesting, but rather dry. Shatner’s books ‘Star Trek Memories’ and ‘Star Trek Movie Memories’ are much more entertaining, and detailed – and a pair of books I thoroughly recommend. If I had to pick one word for Nimoy, it’s ‘earnest’.

The book is also an interesting insight to his inner conflict with Spock and how it dominates his acting career (in this book, he strongly asserts he’s very happy with Spock now compared to earlier in his career – his book previous to this was called ‘I am not Spock’!). And whilst he says he’s happy, reading between the lines indicated Spock still haunted him somewhat back in 1995.

I really think anyone could read and enjoy this book, but really, only Star Trek fans (myself included) will be the ones to read it. And it has a great last line.

let's do it all!

Please tell me that picture was taken in your living room.

I'm currently watching through the movies at my leisure because they are all free on amazon prime(except Search for Spock for some reason) have seen all of them at least once before except for Insurrection and Into Darkness. Watched Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock last night, that's what I call getting ****ing wild on a Friday night.

Didn't remember much from III before rewatching. SpockBoy was weird.

I remember not realizing Christopher Lloyd was a Klingon until about halfway through when he seemed to revert to his Reverend Jim character.

I think Lloyd isn't given enough credit for his performance here. He basically was the first Klingon character we see doing something to do with the story (other than dying) outside of the original series, and he set the template excellently.

Hell, I'm starting a rewatch of TOS, season 1 ep 1. I'll post comments here. I'll aim for 2 a week.

Keep a running tally of how many red-shirts die.

sub'd

I like the movies, but I love the shows. Next Generation and Deep Space Nine are my favorites.

That would be interesting. It is the original and I took this photo at the EMP Museum in Seattle last summer. I did not know they had it. So when I spotted it, it was definitely a highlight.

Recently, I've started re-watching ST and ST:TNG on Netflix. Currently on season 2 of both.

Man, I'd forgotten how annoying Wesley is in season 1. So glad the rest of the show was less Wesley-centric.

Also, man, those redshirt guys really do drop like flies. I know it's a cliche, but in season 1 they're lucky to make it to the title screen before getting stabbed, thrown down a cliff, poisoned by aliens, etc.

To respond to the movie thread, I think generations is easily the second best TNG movie after first contact with the rest of them being completely uninteresting. I don't get the hate for it other than by putting Kirk and Picard in the movie you detract from the strengths of both characters, Kirk doesn't get enough screen time pissing off those that liked the old series and for the TNG fans you don't give them a movie that is about the TNG universe. But if we just go with this somewhat limiting premise there is a lot to like about this movie.

You get this apocalyptic race against a sun destroying maniac and an entertaining emotion chip sub plot where data gets to do some hilarious things (you precious little life forms...). You get an epic (at a time before cgi ran epic into the ground) crash of the saucer section and a pretty cool acid trip into the nexus.

The only problem with the movie is that the it climaxes with the crash of the enterprise and the final scene is a lame fist fight. All that work just so we could get Kirk to punch Malcolm McDowell in the face which is immediately followed by the kirks lame death and rock grave. The movie ends by totally ****ting on the Kirk fans.

Diebitter, do you have a link to your Star Trek podcasts I would love to listen to them. Currently watching season 4 of next generation and totally approve of this thread.

ok, here you go (mods FYI this podcast is non-profit making, so doesn't, I think, break the T&Cs - but delete if there's a problem): http://www.thegoodthebadandtheodd.com/?s=star+trek

I love the movie(generations)... I will always watch it, but it suffers from gigantic issue... a friggen plot hole the size of texas.

A man creates a weapon of unimaginable power so he can get BACK to the nexus... yet, he can not simply fly into it with a ship/shuttle... which is how both he(Dr. Soran) and James Tiberius got into the Nexus in the first place.

I mean I love the entire spectra of the next gen AFTER Roddenberry had passed away and writting duties had passed on... the entire mythos and interaction of picard, data, #1 (the whole cast) is just superb... but story comes first, ALWAYS! Generations just seemed little on the lite side. I like heft and significance to my Sci Fi, whether it be a reconstructed Hamlet or Moby Dick.

The Cage SEASON 1, EPISODE 00



I lied, and watched the original pilot first. No Shatner.

This one had Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike, and a few other personnel changes. Majel Barret, who became the semi-regular Nurse Chapel, was here a brunette and Number 2. Mr Spock was there, but the makeup and mannerisms were different - he smiles (see picture)! The uniforms were also different - no red shirts (and indeed, much of the footage was black and white).

Enjoyable, but Hunter is way too earnest as Pike - it's a massive piece of luck he didn't want to engage after this, and Shatner arrived, with his dynamic and energy.

let's say 7/10, with a whole 2 of those because it's the original pilot

Jeffrey Hunter died a few years after filming this at the age of 42 of complications from a stroke and an accidental fall.

Ya the pilot was really not a great Trek episode imo. I feel like it just drags on toward the end.

I watched an episode last night where there were at least 3-4 red shirts guys/girls... and none of them died(though a political assistant was killed). Some of the red shirt guys actually had speaking lines also. perhaps it was done to contrast the nature of the episodes message.

A Taste of Armageddon

In this episode, the crew of the USS Enterprise visits a planet whose people fight a computer simulated war with a neighboring enemy planet. The crew finds that although the war is fought via computer simulation, the citizens of each planet have to submit to real executions inside "disintegration booths" based on the results of simulated attacks. The crew of the Enterprise is caught in the middle and are told to submit themselves voluntarily for execution after being "killed" in an "enemy attack".

I really liked A Taste of Armageddon - great central idea. The best Star Trek often had a single premise, and ran with it.

^ definitely an amazing premise.

Excellent episode. Imaginative sci-fi premise, social commentary, difficult moral choices, it's got all the ingredients that make Star Trek great.

Despite being a massive fan at the time, I think that TNG has aged really, really badly. I find them to be almost embarassingly unwatchable now. The original series has stood the test of time way better imo

I think that's certainly true for the worst episodes of the series. I can think of a few off the top of my head that are made pretty much unwatchable by having a Wesley Crusher centered theme.

When I was a kid this was always my favorite episode. I remember being shocked to find out that it wasn't very highly thought of by most fans haha.