Star Trek Virgin

[Sam]

Let me start by saying I'm kind of new here. SFDebris popped up on my radar via Linkara of Atop the Fourth Wall mentioning him. And while I had been watching Chuck's vids for at least the past few mouths now, I had been unable to write on this forum up until just recently. So my question is "Where should I start?" I didn't grow up watching Star Trek, I grew up watching Star Wars but not Trek. My mom may have been a fan of both but she only went out of her way to show me star wars but for some reason left me in the dark about star trek. She gave me second hand accounts of some key things but nothing really standing out. So now that i'm grown and have little to no love or knowledge of Star Trek but I am willing to learn. What should I watch and what should I avoid? Important episodes of important series, movies to watch and movies to avoid. It's a daunting I know but Chuck and a few others have peeked my interest in a series that I have little knowledge of. From what I heard the Star Trek movies to watch are 2, 3, 4, 6, First Contact, and Beyond (I saw the first two). I really just want to see the good stuff so I know why people love this campy series so much.

[PerrySimm]

You have the right movie list, if movies are what you're into.

If you want the backdrop, you can catch the shows if you have time. I'll suggest just a few episodes to see that lead into the films.

Star Trek 2, 3, and 4 stand more or less on their own, but a few episodes of TOS are relevant, like "Space Seed" and "Amok Time".

6 is a very strong film on its own, though TNG:"Sins of the Father" provides some useful background.

I wouldn't see 8 (First Contact) without first watching TNG:"Q Who?", TNG:"The Best of Both Worlds", and VOY:"Scorpion".

13 (Beyond) essentially assumes you've seen Season 3 of Enterprise. In particular ENT:"The Expanse" and "The Council" are worth seeing.

If you only want to watch "the good episodes," I recommend following Chuck's reviews or consulting SOS.
If you want to watch all of the shows, reddit has some guides.

[Nessus]

Just as a minor note to the above, "Scorpion" aired (and was written & shot) after "First Contact", so it's a follow up, not a prerequisite.

It is, however, a key moment in the Voyager series (so maybe important if you're interested in Voyager), and would carry the theme well if watched after "First Contact".

[FaxModem1]

"The Trouble with Tribbles" if you're in the mood for a laugh.

"Errand of Mercy" if you want the first episode with Klingons, and to meet Kor.

"City on the Edge of Forever" for time travel stuff.

"The Cage" to see the original pilot, along with "The Menagerie" to see the original cast.

"Mirror, Mirror" if you want some swashbuckling fun.

[The Romulan Republic]

Off the top of my head:

TOS: Amok Time, Balance of Terror, Space Seed, Trouble With Tribbles, Doomsday Machine.

TNG: Yesterday's Enterprise, Q Who, Best of Both Worlds, The Defector.

DS9: Its more a question of what you can skip, probably. Its a more arc-based show (as is the second half of Enterprise's run).

Voyager: Caretaker (just because it sets up the show), Scorpion, The Killing Game, Dark Frontier, Living Witness.

Enterprise: The Borg story (I forget the title).

I also think that among the films, Generations and the '09 film get more flak than they deserve, personally. Both are flawed, plot-wise, but I found both entertaining as well.

[ScreamingDoom]

DS9 probably has the most "modern" storytelling style compared with the other series (in that it has an arc rather than completely stand-alone episodes), so for a gentle introduction I'd start there.

The first season is uneven, but is mostly watchable. There are also some really good episodes in there like Duet. Skip the one about imaginary things coming to life, the Q-Episode and "Move Along Home".

The last season has sort of the same problem but not as pronounced. I can't think of any off the top of my head that I definitely say skip (I think Profit and Lace is the season before, right?).

[Independent George]

I'm going to make a few general points instead of listing episodes:

1. TOS is good to appreciate, but you have to watch it understanding the context of when it was filmed & aired. It's not just a question of dated special effects or the social views of the time, but the dramatic conventions and tropes are jarring for someone who's not used to it. It's essential viewing for any SF fan, but don't go into it expecting it to be uniformly brilliant. It's not. But its best moments hold up very well, and its influence on everything that came after cannot be overstated.
2. TNG: again, it really helps to understand the context. Namely, S1 and S2 basically existed to fluff Gene's ego, and constitute some of the worst dreck I've ever seen. I mentioned earlier how some of the storytelling methods in TOS can be jarring to modern eyes; early TNG episodes were actually even worse despite being made decades later. S3 onwards holds up extremely well, but if you want to ignore S1 & S2, go right ahead. You're better off watching Chuck's reviews than wasting your time on it.
3. DS9: I'm biased because this is my favorite of the franchise, but there's a reason why I (and so many others) feel this way. The characters and stories were really well drawn, and by setting it in a space station, the writers were able to engage in long-arc storytelling that was extremely rare back in the 90s. That said, in terms of where it stands in popular culture, it's nowhere near as influential or groundbreaking as TOS or even TNG, and has no ties to any of the films. I'd recommend watching the whole thing, but it helps if you've finished TNG first.
4. VOY/ENT - It's not fair for me to comment because I stopped watching VOY pretty early on, and really didn't care for ENT.

[Independent George]

Also, does anybody else mentally insert a colon into the thread title? Anyone? Anyone?

[MaxWylde]

I suggest starting at the beginning and working your way through the sequence, but you can avoid the Animated Series if you want. That really doesn't have anything to offer.

Start with The Original Series, work your way to the first four movies, then onto the first season of The Next Generation, followed by Star Trek V, then after two more seasons of The Next Generation, you can follow up with VI, Generations and First Contact. Then DS9 and Voyager, then Insurrection and Nemesis.

This is to give you a good perspective on what fans and critics have had to deal with over the years.

[The Romulan Republic]

I'm going to make a few general points instead of listing episodes:

1. TOS is good to appreciate, but you have to watch it understanding the context of when it was filmed & aired. It's not just a question of dated special effects or the social views of the time, but the dramatic conventions and tropes are jarring for someone who's not used to it. It's essential viewing for any SF fan, but don't go into it expecting it to be uniformly brilliant. It's not. But its best moments hold up very well, and its influence on everything that came after cannot be overstated.
2. TNG: again, it really helps to understand the context. Namely, S1 and S2 basically existed to fluff Gene's ego, and constitute some of the worst dreck I've ever seen. I mentioned earlier how some of the storytelling methods in TOS can be jarring to modern eyes; early TNG episodes were actually even worse despite being made decades later. S3 onwards holds up extremely well, but if you want to ignore S1 & S2, go right ahead. You're better off watching Chuck's reviews than wasting your time on it.
3. DS9: I'm biased because this is my favorite of the franchise, but there's a reason why I (and so many others) feel this way. The characters and stories were really well drawn, and by setting it in a space station, the writers were able to engage in long-arc storytelling that was extremely rare back in the 90s. That said, in terms of where it stands in popular culture, it's nowhere near as influential or groundbreaking as TOS or even TNG, and has no ties to any of the films. I'd recommend watching the whole thing, but it helps if you've finished TNG first.
4. VOY/ENT - It's not fair for me to comment because I stopped watching VOY pretty early on, and really didn't care for ENT.

One point regarding season two of TNG: If nothing else, watch "Q Who". It is a landmark episode which sets up the acclaimed, and pivotal, Best of Both Worlds two-parter.

"Skin of Evil" in season one might be worth sitting through too, in my opinion, if only to more fully appreciate the context of "Yesterday's Enterprise".