Meh, I liked the version with Robert Mitchum and Kurt Jurgens better.
The best ST “episodes” ever are:
The Enemy Below
Forbidden Planet
Captain Horatio Hornblower
For clarification, I don’t hate Metamorphosis, or most other episodes. To me, even the “bad” ones have something good*. But I do disagree that TOS has aged better than TNG. I guess I’m a touchy-feely kinda guy, because I prefer Picard finding a non-violent solution the better way. (But he can still blast away with the best of them, should the need arise.) It’s just sometimes hard for me to not cringe at the sexism in TOS.
I think The Emissary encapsulates what I love about TNG. They find a way to not blast the Klingons to smithereens, and it’s clever and fun to watch.
The Corbomite Manuever would be my comparison in TOS. Kirk blasts his way free of the Fesarius, then goes back and helps the survivors. Same with Devil in the Dark. When Kirk defends the Horta against the miners, that a cheering moment. That’s what the Federation should be about.
But when Gary Mitchell reaches back and holds hands with Yeoman Nameless, I want to yell “you’d fly better with two hands on the controls!”
I was in High School when it premiered and a huge TOS fan. I remember being hooked but that may be rose colored glasses. I definitely do remember my friend who was also a Star Trek fan didn’t like it. When I came into school the next day to talk to him about it he was making fun of the “Let’s See what’s out there.” line. He eventually came around to like it though.
TNG gets a bum rap these days a lot but it is still my favorite of the Series (DS9 had higher high points, probably but TNG was more consistently good after the first couple of seasons) and Picard is my favorite character of all of Trek. He’s the boss/father figure everyone wishes they had.
Encounter at Farpoint when it first aired: I was out of the country and I didn’t get to see it or the series until I returned to the States. While I was happy about the new series, the cheapness of the sets and silly acting really took me out of the moment.
Ten years later: Watched the show again and couldn’t believe all of the terrible acting. Remembered that Denise Crosby was one of the lesbians who attacked Eddie Murphy with a bat in 48 Hours ( the other was Margot Rose from the episode The Inner Light). Still annoyed by the low cost set and by then tired of John DeLancie as Q. Also, beardless Riker was less dramatic than bearded Riker. Levar Burton, Michael Dorn and Patrick Stewart were there for the check and it shows.
2014: Hate this episode and the entire first season (and most of the second) Have since seen Denise Crosby in person and I would do her then and now if granted the opportunity. Marina Sirtis’ accent ranges from Greekish to speech impediment. Gates McFadden was not too bad, but the wide hips/flat butt are distracting. No suspense. No drama. Wil Wheaton has aged badly and he uniquely innocent and annoying in the first episode.
Since I’m working 2nd shift, I get to watch BBC reruns of Star Trek: TNG during the day. They routinely start at the beginning every 4-5 months and ***Encounter at Farpoint ***doesn’t get better with repeat viewing.
I was just looking at their pages on Wiki. I guess the first guy was the one I found. Huh! I never would have guessed.
Our Glenn Corbett was on Dallas through the '80s, so I knew he was still around until quite late in the game. He died of lung cancer at the age of 59 (my age now). What a terrible waste!
