Boldly going: Star Trek and spaceflight

The Space Review ^ | 11/28/05 | Dwanye Day

[BradyLS]

Ironically, everywhere they went, there were people already there.

I'd argue that the original series ran into a lot more genuine aliens than the later series ever did.

[BradyLS]

Truer words, my friend...

[Hawkeye's Girl]

I'd argue that the original series ran into a lot more genuine aliens than the later series ever did.

Definately. I love Kirk and co., but I'd prefer their series based on that fact alone. None of the later shows ever built off of the great species like the Orions and the Tholians that the original series introduced, and instead went with generic messed-up forehead human ripoff aliens. Took a lot of the wonder out of it.

[Lancer_N3502A]

OMG! That's AWESOME!

[tortoise]

A seminal moment in television history.

With Capt. Kirk, I suspect it was more often semenal.

[Sybeck1]

The fourth season of Enterprise had Tholians and Orions, but it was four years too late.

[DM1]

Deep Space Nine had some Conservative themes to it.

Sisko went off on Worf about limits to Diversity.
Demilitirazation led to enslavement in the mirror universe.
Dax claimed Klingon Justice was necessary for a child killer (Pro Death Penalty).
Faith became predominant at one point and this was the only series i heard them mention Christianity at all.
Quark told Odo to keep it in the closet when people were getting weirded out by shapeshifters.

Now Voyager was PC Garbage but DS9 pleasantly surprised me as they moved away from Rodenberry's Commie Utopia.

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

I liked DS9, especially when they brought in the Dominion, and Garek is possibly the most fascinating character in all of Trek. However, by the time of Voyager, it was time to give Trek a rest. Enterprise was too hit and miss, and the way Berman and Braga absolutely destroyed the timeline is criminal.

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

I've just never been able to get into "Firefly". Now, the new "Battlestar Galactica" is must see TV. They took a cheesy, hamhanded 70's show and actually made it good. Can't wait to see the conclusion of the Pegasus cliffhanger.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Firefly is the best SF series ever made, and not just because Joss Whedon must have been channeling Heinlein while writing the scripts. The total absence of the cheap SF crutch of alien races is a huge plus - it's about humanity, dealing with its own problems in its own future. And the interaction between the characters is so good that the show would work of the nine of them were just sitting in a bare white room talking ...or, more likely, arguing. ;)

[manwiththehands]

Star Trek Next Generation was a great show, but it bored me to tears sometimes with the 'alien' 'costumes'. Most of it was too amateurish and low-budget. There's only so many ways you can put latex on a face. It would have been better having an alien character having 'I am an alien' tattooed to his forehead.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I think DS9 got good after a weak start because of competition from B5.

[hershey]

I agree, when Star Trek morphed into big money, they hit viewers over the head with puerile PC moralizing. It was so bad I couldn't bear to watch it. The ugly truth is that evil does exist -- on this world and surely on others -- and we have to fight it or die. You can't 'make nice' with evil, besides...it ruins the plot. Duller than dishwater.

[Alex Murphy]

With Capt. Kirk, I suspect it was more often semenal.

And between Gene Roddenberry and Nichelle Nichols, there's no "suspect" about it whatsoever.

[DM1]

Darn tootin
first two seasons were kind of lame
then it took off and got awesome

[jmcenanly]

I am just curious as to why they keep discarding the idea of an inflatable space station, rather than playing with Tinkertoys and tin cans.

[KevinDavis]

I don't know either.... Bigelow has the right idea...

[demlosers]

Spock: "That unit is a women."

Nomad: "A mass of conflicting impulses."

;-)

[Zuben Elgenubi]

I had forgotten that!