Every episode I've seen (about 30 throughout the last 10 years) have had TERRIBLE acting, terrible costumes (unbelievable at best), and terrible special effects and sets. Why does this series even exist?

I have asked the same thing billions of times.

Also, See: Stargate SG1

Let the debate begin!

Voyager had a lot of passable effects, as did DS9. If you want to talk bad special effects look no further than Babylon 5. But B5 is arguably the best sci-fi show I have ever seen.

Because it is very enjoyable and relaxing to watch. The costumes, special effects and acting is just gravy tbh.

Because it represents a positive outlook for the future, which almost no other sci-fi show does.

[For the record, I'm not a star trek fan, but this is what I've always heard]

fishstickz has it pretty much. Plus the premise and storyline is pretty interesting, making the future seem more militaristic than pirates everywhere trying to fend for themselves. It's just interesting to watch, and the characters are great (Espescially in TNG and the original star trek. DS9 only has a couple, and I can only think of two interesting people in Voyager)

I watched the first five minutes of the first episode of Babylon 5 and stopped right there. I just couldn't take the cheesy effects and the horrible hairdos anymore. (ANOTHER smilie?!)

I used to hate Star Trek, now I don't mind watching it. It's not a show I would ever follow for the reasons you mentioned, but I find the older episodes and series are fun to watch to just to see how they approach sfx and how shows were however many years ago. At the time it aired it must've been mindblowing.

Personally, I thought B5 was mostly terrible (although the second season was a lot better than the first, so maybe it gets better as it goes along).

I think Star Trek's pretty good, but it's been completely beaten to death. They should let the franchise sit for ten years or so.

If you are talking about the original series, then I should point out that you're a moron for not realizing that it is from the 60s.

Also, SG-1 had decent acting at first, good acting (even great at times, some characters), and now weak acting again. The sets and special effects have only gotten better over the years. The sets for Atlantis are

It gets so much better it's not even funny. Sinclair ruins season 1, the actor that plays him is terrible.

You want to know why you don't like Star Trek?

It's because Star Trek paved the path FOR THE WORLD.
It came out during the 60's, wehre there was cold war tension and the civil rights movement.
Because of Star Trek, we now look at each other that much more equally.

Also, we use alot of devices used on star trek. Cellphone/pda/communicator/personal computer/small laptops/fingerprint readers, etc.

We've passed star trek up, that's why it's boring to you now.

Yeah, I'm kinda satireing it up a bit, but to a degree, it's true

Yeah, I agree. I'm amazed that B5 got made at all given how bad the pilot is (I've seen the first two seasons and the pilot - the show goes from awful to kind of good).

Tribbles.

Seriously, man, Tribbles.

I don't know what else to say.

The reason Star Trek is so successful is it does an excellent job at mixing science fiction and philosophy - basically, they explore the philosophical and moral issues that arise with new and advanced technology. That's interesting.

I got hooked on TNG, because I liked watching the ship zoom by on the screen....I was also three years old back then. Why did I keep watching? I think Freelancer hit the nail on the head.

We must be talking about different shows then. From what I gather various threats, most notably the Borg, are more than capable of wiping the Alpha Quadrant powers off the map. Hell ONE Borg ship can hold the entire Fed fleet at bay! Several instances they've only been saved by way of sheer luck or the sheer unbelievable luck of having the upper hand on the bargaining table.

Several powers would like nothing better than to strangle each other for past grievances...

Positive? I think not...

The main problem I have with the borg is: they've assimilated all those species into their collective, yet their tactics are appalling! Didn't any of those species have a military? For example, if a borg is pursuing someone, perhaps he should, you know, RUN instead of waddle toward his opponent like a zombie.

Robots don't need to run. You never see Robocop move faster than a slow walk and yet he kicks all kinds of ***.

I had planned to explain that I like it for the characters, but instead I looked at Picard ytmnd's for an hour. All I have to say is http://picardlaughedoutloud.ytmnd.com/

Are their pathetic tactics actually working that bad for them? Redshirts aren't exactly competent infantry...

Shipwise they outclass just about everyone else, that's before we factor in their numerical advantage...

Do they even have a reason to adapt tactically...?


This doesn't change that fact they would drop like flies to Imperial Guard Conscripts, Storm Troopers, or any actual semi-competent infantry force ever conceived.



By Trek standards: Yes.

By everything else's standards: Not even close.

I loved watching TNG as a kid. Then it went to cable and I never saw it again. Though, I guess I could always get the DVD's. . . ya know, if I wanted to.

Following up on the Robocop point, who would win: Picard or Robo?

Is that the point? The borg are all about perfection. They would be a lot better with tactics.

I've never watched enough Star Trek to get hooked. Just that "First Contact" movie and random excerpts from random episodes.

DarkMateria's Picard Song is awesome, though.

But the human race lives in peace. No internal wars. I guess that's mainly due to their lack of money. (there is none in Star Trek)

That's why I don't like Star Trek.

Star trek DOES show a positive outlook at the future, but it also explores lots of things that at the time of the airing were controversial and difficult for shows to address without getting hate mail.

Star trek has the first ever televised racial kiss (Kirk made out with Uhura) that was big... that was unthinkable to be had at the time and many people were shocked, but it also showed the world that black woman CAN be just as sexy and worthy of a main role as white women.

Star Trek was also i think the first show on TV to cast a Black Woman as a reocuring MAIN character.

It also had a varied and mixed crew, Scottish engineer, Russian weapons officer, Japanese navigation officer, black comms officer as well as the white cast.

TNG explored the first lesbian kiss on T.V, it also explored a lot of philosophical things that make people think.

DS9 went into alot of religious waters as well as in the later seasons dealt with terrorism and eventually war.

Not only that, but alot of the stories were well told and fun to watch, Anything with "Q" in it is a good episode in my books, but the episode where Tasha Yar was killed by the Tar Creature was a very sad episode and the way they dealt with it didn't seem so much like they killed the character for any old reason, they killed the character such a senseless way that it made it seem more real, like any of the characters could just die, but her will was inspiring and wonderful.

Personaly I hated DS9 when it first aired, the first season was cool, it was a new premise, something we'd not seen before in trek, but it got stagnent when it was the same thing over and over again on the same station, but when they got the defiant assigned to DS9 and the Dominion war broke out the Stories became mroe gritty and there was for the first time in star trek history a sense that it could all unravel at any second and the federation could be consumed by a massive quadrent wide war.

The story telling really got much better when they started doing war arc stories and got into the darker side of the federation, sure they stand for peace, but when push comes to shove they will stop at nothing to restore that peace, even at the cost of hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of lives.

But not only is trek great for those reasons, it also spans like what... 40 years of television, 11 movies and 5 series? thats pretty damn impressive.

to sum it all up, Star Trek Really did go where no man (or T.V Show) has gone before. well... before society started to accept this stuff and now it's commonplace, but Star trek really did alot for television.

I suppose it's part of the American culture. Hence, I can ignore it altogether.

If I could get my hands on TNG I would love to watch all of it. The characters are just so interesting. Data has got to be one of the best television characters of all time.

And racism as well, "Far Beyond the Stars," was probably my favorite DS9 episode. Most of it takes place in the 1950s, I think the actual space station is only in the episode for about 5 minutes total.


As for B5, its one of those series you have to stick with to get a great payoff. The whole thing is built on a five-year arc. But once you watch it all you really feel like you witnessed something great. My favorite episode is probably from the second season called, "Comes the Inquisitor." Wayne Alexander rules.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise

Ma-ma-ma-make it so.

You know, I have to agree about the moral/social/religious issue thing. All of the Star Trek I've watched is because of these things. It'd just be nice if the crappy acting, up and down plots, and poor special effects weren't there.

Star Trek's utopia moneyless future always felt a bit...unrealistic to me. Basically all of mankind gets into one large tussle by lobbing nukes at each other. Bloke invents warp drive, Vulcans come down and greet human folk and within a CENTURY everyone's all happy and nice to each other. You mean to tell me in the 5 to 6,000 years of human civilization we were able to resolve all cultural differences in a century. Hah!

well maybe if you watched Enterprise you'd realize everything wasn't all honky dory right away.

I cant say theres any star trek I didnt like (bar the DS9 Ending with the main character dead but not dead). I've been trying to find a voyager episode where Tuvok has flashbacks to when he was on the Excelsior (All in old uniforms). Always seem to miss it.

Its also not really utopian exactly, but instead of mankind killing each other they are trying to get along and do what mankind does best. Explore

I think this is the same reason why I like it too, especially TNG and not so much for the adventures even though some of those are good too. I think Kirby, the reason why they live in a moneyless utopia is because of replicators which can replicate almost any physical thing without much complexity so the lack of food, vehicles, drink, and money itself is gone.

Gandalf said that. Don't be mislead by our Jedi ways.

You don't need to see our identification.

These aren't the droids we are looking for, move along now....


dang nabbit