I agreed with the Ferengi when they expressed their outrage about one thing, viz. clothed females?! How ridiculous!

Which is why we don’t put dogs in charge of things, collie.

The problem with Next Generation was that the word diagnostics was used every time something was going wrong.

You may want to check the Heisenberg compensators. And while you’re at it, reconfigure the deflector dish to emit an inverse tachyon pulse.

The problem with Next Generation was that the word diagnostics was used every time something was going wrong.

eaglescout1998 on February 28, 2009 at 11:08 PM

Heh. The USS Scarface. “Arm photon torpedoes! Kahless, say hallo to my leeetle friends!”

DS9 had great plot arcs and fun villians (Weyoun, Gul Dukat).

Gideon7 on February 28, 2009 at 6:35 PM

DS9 was my favorite too, though Avery Brooks’ (Sisko) acting performances were spotty. DS9 had the best violence and intrigue.

And, yes, the villains were fun, especially Garak. You never knew what was up with that guy.

And DS9 was the first of the series to feature an enlisted man in the regular cast.

eaglescout1998 on February 28, 2009 at 7:38 PM

That was done already. It was called Blake’s 7. It showed what the Federation would really be like.

eaglescout1998 on February 28, 2009 at 7:19 PM

Which is what provides the impetus for man to put down childish things and take to the stars. I think its time for DARPA to start working on those replicators, transporters, and warp drives.

I think that part of the problem with the franchise is they they’ve run out of unique stories to tell. Star Trek was a big cash cow for Paramount and they milked it for all it was worth. An interesting concept I thought of was a story in which the Federation are actually the antagonists.

Oh, and the gold in gold pressed latinum was worthless — it was just a substance that held the valuable latinum.
David

This may sound nutty, but I have long thought of the Star Trek universe as one where communism actually works. Think about it. There is apparently limitless energy and the ability to turn energy into any material good. Thus, there is no longer the conflict between unlimited wants and limited resources.

Ferengi’s aren’t part of the Federation — but really the whole concept of being without money was foolish — trading holodeck time is currency or at least bartering which only proves that capitalism is forever enduring.

Holodecks are the logical conclusion to po n — I mean entertainment. Progression = reading books, listening to the radio, watching television, interacting holodecks.

David
Giligans Island — seriously, Janeway was second to only Kirk in bending the rules including the Prime Directive. Both were rugged individualism in space!

Sure, I watched the various spin-offs, but got really annoyed. For example, in DS9 Sisko is seen sitting in the Captain’s chair, issuing commands to the helmsman while simultaneously commanding a fleet of Starships. Also, the spacing between those ships is REAL tight. Can one imagine a Galaxy-class starship doing tight turns within the range of another? Stretches the imagination too far.

‘sides, I prefer forming the images in my head as I read good Science-Fiction (like David Weber or John Ringo).

Del Dolemonte on February 28, 2009 at 4:03 PM

One thing I notice is most of today’s actors look like modeling school drop-outs. The casting couch hasn’t been just-for-women for a long time. Actors on the old shows had more of an everyman look and there were natural beauties among the actresses (not to mention talent).

When Boston Legal was watchable (barely), I watched because of Shatner. He had a similar reputation anyway, and it was funny watching him play himself.

There is good and evil out there; TOS recognized this instinctively. TNG tried the pacifist approach and ditched it late in the first season. That’s where it got its running legs. People want to see the eternal conflict, and the consequences and lessons in a good story. Liberal fantasies are boring and unrealistic.

But there’s only one Star Trek. Only one Enterprise. No bloody A, no bloody B, just the classic NCC-1701. When men were men, women were underdressed, and everyone talked like starving Shakespearian actors on styrofoam stages.

Feedie on February 28, 2009 at 2:20 PM

You got it exactly right. The original series (or as it’s fondly known, “TOS”), had some absolutely brilliant stories.

Here in New England we have several stations still showing TOS. Fittingly enough, over the past 2 weeks they have been showing the classic episode “The Savage Curtain”-where Shatner gets to “meet” his hero, Abraham Lincoln.