Ah, Star Trek. Ten-Year-Old-Me's favorite show. That girl would get mad at me if she found out how much I had forgotten, and how long it's been since I've seen it. But let's hope I can remember at least a little bit, for her sake.

Which was the best series? Oh, the original, of course. I love the classic Star Trek because it's so... classic! It's the characters, really, that drew me to the series. I thought the classic show's cast had this perfect chemistry that future series didn't. Although, TNG had some good points as well.

Best captain? This might surprise you due to the answer to the last question, but my favorite captain is actually Picard. I didn't really like Kirk all that much. Picard was more developed, in my opinion; and just more interesting.

Best film? I haven't seen them all, but I remember being very fond of one that had something to do with whales.

I thought the new one based on the classic series was done fairly well. It captured the essence of a lot of the crew members' personalities. I thought it was a bit too special-effects oriented and not as character-oriented as it should be; but I suppose you have to expect that from most modern American Sci-fi movies.

Which characters are your favourites? Doctor McCoy and Spock for the win. Especially together. They were the original frienemies, in my opinion. There was nothing more fun than watching them every day after school on the Sci-Fi channel, fighting and teasing and hating each other the way all best friends should.

I'm also very fond of Data.

Which episodes are your favourites? Miri. I loved that episode so much that I named my bird after it. Really! The Trouble With Tribbles is also brilliant. There was another really good one, but I don't remember the title. It had something to do with "everything you dream about happens" or something... I remember a knight.

Which quotes are your favourites? Oh dear, I'm going to have to get back to you on that one. It's been far too long since I've seen it to be able to remember the quotes. Though, I'm sure the Spock/McCoy conversations would dominate most of my favorite list.

What guest stars did you like best? Kim Darby would have to be my favorite guest star. I loved everything about her episode, really.

And what themes did you like best? Not sure what you mean by "themes"... Do you mean plots, moral lessons, atmosphere? If you mean plots or atmosphere, I always tended to like the spookier, psychological ones. I don't remember the moral lessons...

~Riella

*pops in as Movie Historian/Critic*

Ithy, the Trek film you mentioned, "the one with the whales", is Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986).

*slips out*

*pops in as Movie Historian/Critic* Ithy, the Trek film you mentioned, "the one with the whales", is Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986).

Thank you, Cor. *bows*

Yes, The Voyage Home. The title sounds familiar now. Out of the older movies, I think I only saw two of them. That one and the Wrath of Khan... I remember one where McCoy got some Vulcan influence somehow... Is that the Wrath of Khan or a different one?

I saw about half an hour of a movie about the Borg, but didn't really watch the rest of it.

~Riella

Thank you, Cor. *bows*

Yes, The Voyage Home. The title sounds familiar now. Out of the older movies, I think I only saw two of them. That one and the Wrath of Khan... I remember one where McCoy got some Vulcan influence somehow... Is that the Wrath of Khan or a different one?

I saw about half an hour of a movie about the Borg, but didn't really watch the rest of it.

*tips hat*

The one where McCoy gets Spock's Katra is Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). That one is actually a decent little film, though it usually gets glossed over in favor or ST:IV. And of course, Wrath of Khan (1982) is a must-see classic, even if you're not into Star Trek.

The one with the Borg is Star Trek: First Contact (1996). I've seen bits of this one and it's rather good. It's another one of the "Even Numbered Set" that for some reason always seem to be good.

If you can't tell, I like the movies but have never really watched any of the TV shows.

Which was the best series? I won't offer opinions on best, since I haven't seen them all, but my favorites are Next Generation and Voyager. My wife and I have been watching Voyager (re-watch for her, first watch for me) over the last few months and I've fallen in love with the characters. They engage me like the characters did my first watch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and every watch of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Best captain? Definitely Picard or Janeway. Both of them are great captains for their own reasons, but the qualities I like best are that Picard has a love of life and the arts that makes him more than the (initially) cranky old guy and Janeway is one of those people that no one should mess around with. She doesn't back down and she doesn't give up. She's also a science-minded person, so kudos to her.

Best film? I grew up watching the Original crew movies, and of those my favorites are II and III. (Actually, the films form most of my familiarity with the original crew and I often avoid watching TOS because I find Kirk annoying and difficult to watch.) However, the newest film Star Trek is probably my favorite film overall, though I have not seen most of the TNG films yet (just Generations and bits of Nemesis).

Which characters, episodes or quotes are your favorites? Difficult to say, because there are so many. From TNG, Picard and Data. From Voyager, Seven of Nine, the Doctor, Janeway and Kes. Scotty, Bones and Spock from TOS. Can't say so much as far as episodes. I don't think I've ever seen one multiple times so favorites would be difficult to determine. Same for quotes.

What guest stars did you like best?
So far, Jason Alexander's appearance on Voyager and John Rhys-Davies' appearance as Leonardo da Vinci have been my favorites that I can recall. The appearance of so many Star Trek actors on Gargoyles has been a great thing to hear and see (and I'm sure stargazer will agree ).

And what themes did you like best? The themes of what constitutes life (often involving the Doctor or Data, sometimes Seven) is always a fun one. I also enjoy episodes that explore the nature of time and personal responsibility.

A new Trek Special Feature! I look forward to discussing this franchise again with other fans.

shastastwin, you're absolutely right about all the Trek voices in Gargoyles. In fact, I first began watching that show upon the recommendation of a friend who pointed out that connection. We counted about 28 different Trek voice actors from all the series existing at the time (ENT hadn't aired yet), counting both regular and guest roles in each show. Most notable perhaps were Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis as regulars both in Gargoyles and TNG.

The original series first aired when I was 9 years old. I still remember watching a few episodes prime time - but not exactly classics of the series:

"The Apple" - redshirts galore!
"The Way to Eden" - still considered the 'infamous space hippies episode' decades later
"Wink of an Eye" - best of these three.

I really got into TOS in its syndicated days in the mid-1970s. It was usual to watch it right after lunch on Saturdays at university.

When TNG began, we made a habit of watching it at Ryadian's parents' house each weekend. Her older sister was born the year before it premiered and grew up watching it.

DS9 and Voyager were also series we made a point of watching. DS9 was unusual for its day with its long Dominion story arc stretching over several seasons, though newer shows like LOST made a point of using this technique.

I saw all Enterprise episodes as well, but was less than impressed with most of them - though it finished well enough.

More on these shows, and the movies, later on (except to say I saw the latest movie, the Abrams reboot, the other night, and still enjoyed it a lot).

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you! It was tricky to know exactly how to answer my own questions... plus I kept getting distracted with other things too.

I'm not entirely sure if I'm totally satisfied with these answers or not. But I've made you wait long enough. So, without further ado...

Which was the best series?
Now, I know I'm biased, but TNG. Mostly because it's the first one I knew… my introduction to the franchise. But looking back, I still like it best anyhow. Though VOY is a very close second.

After that, I think ENT, TOS, and DS9 are tied for third/last place. But that's just a guess. Each series had it's strengths and weaknesses. And I enjoy them all, to be honest. But yeah, TNG is my specialty… and therefore I'll have more to say about it, than any of the others.

Best captain?
Picard, no question. I will eventually go into more on each of them on my blog. But for now, I'll give a short rundown of my thoughts:

Jonathan Archer- Nice man, but kind of a sloppy leader. I mean, he obviously cares about his crew, the ship, and their mission. But I'm guessing that he is one of the main reasons why shows that took place later (chronologically speaking) had the Prime Directive. Just sayin'. Though you have to give the man points for having his heart in the right place, and for bringing his dog on board.

James T. Kirk- The man was good at his job, I'll give him that. And he inspired great loyalty in his crew. But he was also quite reckless at times (one of those 'Act now, think later' kinda guys). And I didn't like how he was a womanizer. But I did like his friendship with Spock and Bones… they brought out the best in each other. And I admire his commitment to his job.

Jean-Luc Picard- Intelligent, loyal, diplomatic, and a gentleman. I think I admire him partly, because he does something I'm not so good at all the time… thinks before he acts or speaks. Besides, he likes archaeology, the arts, and refuses to leave even kids behind. (even though he's not good with them) Plus, he made his crew feel like a family. Which reminds me of the speech Riker gave that other captain once. Sure, Picard was kind of stand-offish at times, but the crew was happy with him onboard. When others were in charge, it was a severe blow to the morale of the crew.

Benjamin Sisko- I really wish I remembered him and DS9 better. But all I remember about him, was that he was a father, and

Kathryn Janeway- Ah, my second favourite captain! She's cool because she has the smarts of Picard, but is tactically like Kirk. And she was really courageous… I mean, whenever there was a problem, the other captains could contact Starfleet Headquarters. But she was on her own. And she fought tooth and nail to get her crew (who she considered her family) home to the Alpha Quadrant. Plus, the lady spent half of her holodeck time hanging out with da Vinci. Now, that's just plain cool… even if the guy was crazy!

Best film?
Some of you will be pleased to know, that I have seen more of these since our last two special features! Now, I know I haven't seen them all… and for the ones I recognise… I might have only seen parts. But here are the ones that sound familiar:

TMP
Wrath of Khan
Search for Spock
Generations
First Contact
Insurrection
Nemesis
And the 2009 one.

Since I haven't watched all eleven, and because my memory is fuzzy on the ones I have seen, I will wait to say which is best. Hope that's alright!

Which characters are your favourites?
My Fave: Now, I know I'm in the minority here, but Wesley. As for explanations, I don't want to go into all of that now… it takes too long. But if you want to see my thoughts on him, and how I think other fans treat him, see my blog post about it. (thanks!)

Others on TNG: Picard, Data, Geordi
VOY: the EMH (and not just 'cause I recently met the guy )
ENT: Trip
TOS: Bones and Spock
DS9: Don't know

It's hard, because in general, I like everyone on each show. It's just a matter of: I like some more than the rest. That's all. If that makes any sense. Maybe my brain wasn't wired to pick just one and be done with it.

Which episodes are your favourites?
Oh, gosh… what did I get myself into in asking this?
I don't know if I could come up with just one. I mean, in TNG alone, I have several favourites a season! And as for the rest… I could only guess. I don't know them as well. But, I could try and name a few to give you an idea! (I'll be using wiki to help me, by the way. My memory's not this good)

TOS- I don't remember too many of these, I don't think I saw every episode. Now, I don't know if this is my favourite, but it's definitely the one I remember… season one's "Shore Leave". (Riella, I think this is the one you were thinking of in regards to the knight) There are a few others, but I don't remember much… and it would take too long to dig them up. Sorry!

TNG- How about I just name a few of the ones I like best each season? I won't name all of my favourites, because we'd be here all day if I did. But, at least this could give you a sampling of the types I tend to like.
Season 1- "Datalore", "When the Bough Breaks", "Coming of Age", and "Heart of Glory"
Season 2- "The Outrageous Okona", "Loud as a Whisper", "The Measure of a Man", and "Peak Performance"
Season 3- "The Bonding", "Déjà Q", and "The Offspring"
Season 4- "Family", "Remember Me", "Final Mission", and "Data's Day"
Season 5- "Darmok", "Hero Worship", "Ethics", "The First Duty", and "I, Borg"
Season 6- "Relics", "Rascals", and "Suspicions"
Season 7- "Interface", "Phantasms", "Attached", "Lower Decks", "Eye of the Beholder", and "Journey's End"

DS9- Again, I don't remember this one at all, really. So, finding a favourite or best remembered episode would be hard. Can I get back to you, once I reintroduce myself to it? (and that could be awhile, as reruns don't show on tv, and I don't own this series yet)

VOY- Hmm… ones that stick out. Probably the two I recently saw: "One Small Step" and "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy" are on the list. Along with: the ones about the borg children, and the ones where Neelix looked after Naomi Wildman, when her mom was unable to do so. But the one I remember the best? I think it's called "Innocence", it's the one where Tuvok is stuck on this moon with some kids. (but that's all I'll say about that, as I don't want to ruin it)

ENT- Oh, gosh… I don't know. It's been awhile since I've seen any of these episodes. Can I get back to you at another time?

Which quotes are your favourites?
Something tells me that a great deal of them would come from Wes or Data. Though, Picard had some really good ones over the years! Hmm… it's hard to know what to put here, because there are so many… I could probably fill a whole Word document with quotes from the franchise! But I guess I could put a few down…

"The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth… whether it's scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth. It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based. Now, if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, you don't deserve to wear that uniform!"
-Jean-Luc Picard

"Oh, very clever, Worf. Eat any good books lately?" -Q

"I would gladly risk feeling bad at times, if it also meant that I could taste my dessert." -Data

"The real secret, is turning disadvantage into advantage." -Riva

"I'm with Starfleet. We don't lie." -Wesley

"You're welcome ladies…" *pauses, while they leave the room* "Heh, adults!" -Wesley

"Sir, I protest… I am NOT a merry man!" -Worf

"I AM relaxed!" -Worf (who is clearly NOT relaxed)

"I think that's the first time anyone's used that particular word to describe me." -Wesley (sorry, it's funnier in context)

"You were right, Sir. I DO tend to babble." -Data

"Things are only impossible until they're not!" -Picard

"Well, Number One, I can see why you want to keep the away missions to yourself. That's where the excitement is. So, what's been happening here? Same old routine, I suppose?" -Picard

"Sometimes, Number One... you just have to... bow to the absurd." -Picard

Ok, that should hold us for now, don't you think?

What guest stars did you like best?
TNG- Gabriel Damon, as Jeremy Aster in "The Bonding". (but I liked him in Newsies too, so...)
Oh! And the kid who wanted to be an android like Data, in "Hero Worship".
Ohhh! And the girl who plays Sito Jaxa in "The First Duty" and "Lower Decks".

I don't remember too many others… sorry!

And what themes did you like best?
Come to think of it, Riella, I'm not entirely sure what I meant by that! Though I think your guess is pretty close!

As for what themes I like best, I tend to agree with Smalls (stwin). Though I usually tend to like the ones about family a lot too.

You make a lot of good points, PA, both in terms of characters and favorite episodes.

Just a few of my favorites for each series:

TOS:
Balance of Terror
The Trouble With Tribbles
The City on the Edge of Forever
A Piece of the Action
Friday's Child

TNG: Far too many to name!
The Measure of a Man
The First Duty
Yesterday's Enterprise
The Inner Light (among my favorite of all Trek episodes)
Lower Decks
Qpid
Darmok
Relics (Scotty!)
Rascals
A Fistful of Datas (Spaghetti Westerns meet the holodeck)
Remember Me

DS9
Any of the half-dozen or so episodes dealing with the fallout of TOS' Mirror universe
Little Green Men ("You're going to invade Cleveland?" )
Our Man Bashir (Trek meets James Bond)
Trials and Tribble-ations
Time's Orphan

VOY
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Future's End
Before and After
Real Life
Message in a Bottle
Bride of Chaotica!
Living Witness
Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy (the EMH sings!)

ENT
(the Temporal Cold War was an interesting story arc)
Storm Front (an alternate timeline of WWII)
Regeneration (featuring Borg from First Contact)
In a Mirror Darkly (more Mirror Universe fun)

I found the ending to Enterprise quite disappointing (right up there, in my opinion, with that of Quantum Leap).

A few thoughts on the movies:
Many have noted that the even-numbered movies tend to be better (with the exception of The Search for Spock (3),which is enjoyable enough).

1- The Motion Picture - slow pacing. But to see the Enterprise again, in a new adventure, so many years after TOS went off the air, was still pretty exciting at the time.

2 and 4: The Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home are among my favorite Trek movies. Fun to rewatch.

5 - The Final Frontier - I've only endured this one once in its entirety. Run away, run away!

6 - The Undiscovered Country - I liked this one in the theatre, but really haven't watched it much since, so I'm not sure how it holds up.

7 - Generations - TOS meets TNG. Things blow up. Jonathan Frakes' character (Riker) echoes a theme of his Gargoyles character Xanatos ("I plan to live forever.")

8 - First Contact - my favorite until the 2009 film came out. Fun quotes, Zefram Cochrane, Borg and Vulcans...

9 - Insurrection - this seems more like an extended TNG episode than a feature film. But it includes references to both Gilbert and Sullivan, and Irving Berlin.

10 - Nemesis - defies the 'even numbered movies are better' logic.

Star Trek (2009). Very enjoyable. Even my non-Trek friends liked it. one nitpick:

Trivia note:

Brief thoughts on the films:

1. The Motion Picture- Great visual effects and an amazing score by Jerry Goldsmith (one of his very best!). Besides that... it's slow, strange and boring. If you want a great (and hilarious) review of this film, I recommend checking out the Nostalgia Critics review on Youtube*.

*The video is probably a harsh PG-13 in content, if it was rated.

2. The Wrath of Khan- Perfect. The best of the Original Crew films and just a great film all around.

3. The Search for Spock- A downgrade from the previous entry, but still a fun film. The scope of the special effects were starting to expand and it's nice to see a film do a decent direct carry-over from the previous installment.

4. The Voyage Home- "You know... the one with the whales." A ton of fun and a decent conclusion to the "Spock trilogy" of films. If only Leonard Rosenman's music had been a little less... goofy.

5. The Final Frontier- "Excuse me, but why does God need a spaceship?" <--- sums up the movies quite nicely. Avoid this one like the PLAGUE! Nothing to see here.... hey! Stop looking!!

6. The Undiscovered Country- Nicholas Meyer (ST:II director) returns to close out the Original Crew series and wow... is this a good film! Dark, interesting and with just the right amount of humor. This is a really good film and I recommend all fans/non-fans watch this one.

Good to see you two back in here!

gazer, it seems we have some favourite episodes in common! That's cool.

Cor, I'm thinking we need to get you to watch the shows, now... seeing as you like a lot of the films.

"Sir, I know this may finish me as an acting ensign, but..."
Nah, just kidding.
It's been three days... I'm allowed to post again.

Anyway, I just wanted to rescue this thread before it reached page 2 of the SO. I mean, we want as many people as possible to know this thread is here, right?

Oh, and for those interested, I've already started posting my newest TNG graphics in Non-narnian. So far, they are pretty much all of Wesley. But I have quote sigs in there too, and will be making some sets of other characters soon. So, keep a sharp look out!

Ok, return to your stations!

A bit of trivia I picked up on tonight's national news:

In an item covering the death of Monkees' lead singer Davy Jones at age 66 today, the comment was made that the appearance of a new TOS character (Pavel Chekov) was partially influenced by that of the wildly popular singer. Seeing the images side by side only seemed to reinforce that notion.

Which was the best series? The Original Series, of course! All of the series are entertaining to watch, but none had the synergy and pure chemistry between the actors like the first one. TNG comes close.

Best captain? Captain Kirk! I know there's a lot of love for Picard on here and I chalk that up to his being the Captain that most grew up with. And he was a great captain...except for that time where he surrendered to the Ferengi in 2 minutes flat without a shot fired. Well...if you're going to have a French starship captain...

Best film? Star Trek II. I really like the new Star Trek film, but II will always be my favorite.

Which characters are your favourites? from TOS it's Kirk, Spock, and Bones. When the three are together in one room the show comes alive, especially when McCoy and Spock are arguing back and forth about the issue of the week.

TNG: Favorites are Data and Lt. Barclay, the latter of which reminds me of me from my awkward teenaged years. I only wish he was in more episodes! And I absolutely love Q, played by John DeLancie. That is a character that I never get tired of watching.

DS9: I didn't really watch it enough to know. Quark I guess.

VOY: Tom Paris and Harry Kim always make a fun team on screen, but the Doctor is definitely my favorite!

ENT: Trip, the ship's engineer is great. His loquacious, shoot from the hip style and southern accent give the engine room a bit more relaxed feeling, yes? I also like the doctor quite a bit.

Which episodes are your favourites?

TOS: The Doomsday Machine! Best. Episode. Ever. Special mention goes to Devil in the Dark, Gamesters of Triskelion, Balance of Terror, and on and on.

TNG: The Best of Both Worlds, anything with Lt. Barclay, any episode with Data portraying Sherlock Holmes

DS9: That episode where the cast gets to participate in the Trouble with Tribbles episode from TOS.

VOY: Scorpion

ENT: Through a Mirror Darkly

Which quotes are your favourites? Any line uttered by Doctor McCoy in which he says "I'm a doctor not a X", X being any job classification he isn't that week...ie; bricklayer, lawyer, gunfighter, etc.

What guest stars did you like best?

If you can count this answer.....the Borg.

And what themes did you like best?

Combative themes, specifically good old-fashioned ship to ship combat. A lot of episodes feature people trying to talk their way through trouble, even with the most obnoxious aliens they run across. You've got a Galaxy-class starship bristling with phaser banks and photon torpedoes. Use it already!

Yay, more posts!

That is an interesting bit of trivia, gazer!

When the three are together in one room the show comes alive, especially when McCoy and Spock are arguing back and forth about the issue of the week.

Yeah, I did like it best on that show, when the three would all be together. And I agree that the most fun part was hearing McCoy and Spock bicker.

TNG: Favorites are Data and Lt. Barclay, the latter of which reminds me of me from my awkward teenaged years. I only wish he was in more episodes! And I absolutely love Q, played by John DeLancie. That is a character that I never get tired of watching.

It would have been fun to see more of Lt. Barclay! Luckily, we see him some on VOY. Now, Q... I must have to be in a certain mood to enjoy him. Sometimes he drives me crazy, and other times I find him hysterical. But that could just be me... (I also felt that way about Lwaxana)

ENT: Trip, the ship's engineer is great. His loquacious, shoot from the hip style and southern accent give the engine room a bit more relaxed feeling, yes? I also like the doctor quite a bit.

Yep, Trip did make engineering more easy-going! The only times he wasn't, were when he was yelling at T'Pol.

What guest stars did you like best?

If you can count this answer.....the Borg.

Interesting choice! But they really were fascinating. I still don't know if I totally like them, but they were a neat concept... that's for sure!

You've got a Galaxy-class starship bristling with phaser banks and photon torpedoes. Use it already!

......
New Questions, to keep the thread going!

Question #1- How much do we know about the 12th movie? I know that the villian will be played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and that the movie will come out in (supposedly) the summer of 2013. Do any of you know anything more than that?

Question #2- Does anyone know anything about Star Trek Online? (the game) I read some stuff about it the other day, and it sounded interesting. So, I thought I'd ask you all if you'd heard of it (or played it).

Question #3- Where do you guys stand on the whole Star Trek vs Star Wars issue? I've personally been a fan of both, for as long as I can remember... and think the feud kinda silly. So, what's your take?

Oh, and SL? I know you will always like Kirk best, and I would never dream of swaying your opinion on that. (honest!) Even still, I think you might find this interesting.

And one more comment from me for now... you all do know that you can talk about more than just answers to my questions, right? This thread is for anything Trek related!