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[marta_bee]

For some reason I decided to start watching the original Star Trek series tonight. I've never seen it, at least not to my knowledge. As far as opening episodes go "The Man Trap" is quite good, but goodness, some of the scenes are overdone. There was this one near the end where McCoy is being attacked by an alien, Spock is trying to fight her off,

Comments

[lindahoyland]

I love the original Trek. Great fun to watch.

[frenchpony]

You've never seen the original Star Trek? Oh, boy, are you in for a treat! That has been one of my very favorite shows since I was about twelve years old. One of the things that's so great about it is its weird combination of B-grade production values (the monster costumes, the fight choreography, the lighting, half the sets, Shatner's acting) and really top-notch other values (some of the later storylines, the dedication to ideas, the social issues [for values of 1967 - 1969, of course], the sheer creativity of working around some tight budget restraints, most of the cast who is not Shatner).

[azriona]

TOS is so much fun for exactly those reasons - the ridiculous compounded with the profound. The production values are pretty close to other shows at the time - maybe a little better - and as long as you take them with a grain of salt, and just resolve to enjoy them for what they are, you can skip over the ridiculous and love the stories. (Because the stories, they were really good!)

[marta_bee]

Production values in sci-fi are a funny thing. I know a lot of people get into the genre for the special effects, but for me a really cheaply done monster is a joy forever. There's just something campy behind it, and the people wanting to be involved with those projects seem to have a real passion for it. But Star Trek's really not that bad. I'm a Whovian, and I've not only watched all the New Who episodes (which are really well done, but also a handful of the classic who episodes. And the cheap quality of some of the props (the daleks jump out, though there are others) is really quite fun

I watched "Where No Man Has Gone Before" tonight, which as a philosopher I absolutely loved. There's some really interesting stuff on what it means to be human, whether we can have too much power and whether that can be a bad thing. I also loved what seemed like a throwaway line: that Spock's judgment should be trusted over the psychologist (the female-god character) because Spoc was free of emotions. That fits the predominant philosophy of the

[ignoblebard]

I have never met anyone who hasn't seen at least one episode of Star Trek TOS. You're like a unicorn!

Everything you said about the show is what makes us love it so much. Funny story about The Man Trap. When they were filming, Leonard Nimoy said they had guests from NASA on set. He's lying on the sick bay set, bleeding green blood, and his line was "Captain, the monster attacked me." He said it was quite embarrassing. Also, IIRC Man Trap was the first episode aired but not the first one filmed. I think that was... Where No Man Has Gone Before. True Trekkers feel free to correct me.

I think you'll enjoy the series. It's so much fun. I never miss an opportunity to watch when I have the chance.

[marta_bee]

I feel a bit ashamed to admit it, but to my knowledge I've never seen one. It's possible one was playing in the background somewhere I was hanging out but certainly it's not something I have any memory at all of.

I'm a bit odd like that. I find stuff I like and I rewatch it repeatedly. Or reread as the case may be. It means I have an almost microscopic level of detail about the things I know - but that set is actually pretty limited. Given how much I love the later series, it's a bit odd.

That story about Nimoy being embarrassed in front of the "real" spacemen is beyond adorable. Thanks for sharing it.

[ignoblebard]

The show has been so ubiquitous throughout the last 40 years that just seems like a person would run into it somewhere along the way. Of course it being on and taking the time to watch it is two different things.

I think we all have our favorites. I know I've seen Star Trek TOS episodes many times but I never warmed up to any of the other Star Trek series. I liked Deep Space Nine first season but nothing take the place of TOS for me. I do like the new JJ Abrams movies though.

[marta_bee]

Btw, I checked on Wikipedia, and "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is described as the first pilot (after "The Cage" was rejected). So I'd say it's the first of the regular series to be taped, but "The Cage" was first.