# Protomatter in \_Star Trek\_ **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2004, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protomatter-in-_star-trek_/230852 "2004-02-24T07:17:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protomatter-in-_star-trek_/230852/61 "2004-02-28T19:52:24Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Taste is taste, and someone can like TOS or not. But, TOS was groundbreaking TV. And the amazing popularty of those “lacking” shows are what enabled the Trek franchise to exist in the first place. > > Just like _All In The Family_ for sitcoms (mixing humour with social commentary) completely changed a genre (for American TV anyways), one wonders what modern sci-fi TV (or even movies) would be like if Captain Pike had never gone to Talos IV. I’m not denying that and that is what I was trying to say in my own posts. I’m appreciative of the fans that made it into the phenom it is so that I can watch TNG, DS9, and even VOY and ENT but I don’t like TOS personally. And for what it’s worth, I hated All in the Family too. Archie Bunker’s prejudices and hate-mongering were just too much for me and any humor that may have been in the show was completely ruined by the bigoted main character in my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protomatter-in-_star-trek_/230852/62 "2004-02-28T19:54:41Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > But … but … but, Mr. Spock is just so darn **cool!** I loved him in the movies but not so much in the series. My favorites were Sulu and Chekov despite them being nothing more than window dressing for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protomatter-in-_star-trek_/230852/63 "2004-02-28T20:25:07Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > It seems that the Star Trek franchise has never been very good at social commentary. > > I roll my eyes any time the Next Generation crew launches into one of their “look how primitive and barbaric the people of 20th Century Earth were” spats of mental masturbation. _Gawd,_ tell me about it. At least TOS has the excuse of being made in the 60s, when damn near _everything_ was saying “society is so bogus, man. Dig it.” ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protomatter-in-_star-trek_/230852/64 "2004-02-29T17:59:23Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I loved him in the movies but not so much in the series. My favorites were Sulu and Chekov despite them being nothing more than window dressing for the most part. C’mon, tell us the truth now. You frequently take off your shirt, grab a foil and prance around pretending that you’re Sulu in _The Naked Time_, doncha? It’s OK, you can tell us, really. 😛 😛 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protomatter-in-_star-trek_/230852/65 "2004-02-29T18:02:01Z")
Depends. By foil, do you mean fencing sword or … something else? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protomatter-in-_star-trek_/230852/66 "2004-02-29T22:42:14Z")
He means an airfoil, wrapped in aluminum foil. Curses! Foiled again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protomatter-in-_star-trek_/230852.md?page=3)