The 40th Anniversary of Star Trek

Digitus1337 writes to mention the 40th Anniversary of the original Star Trek series. StarTrek.com's article has a look back at that first episode, and tries to explore the whys behind the popularity that followed it. From the article: "On the evening of the 8th of September, following Daniel Boone, this new NBC show premiered with an episode called 'The Man Trap.' The angle of the story was different, to say the least: It was a love story with a sci-fi twist, borne of a relationship from the doctor's past, featuring a monster that, in the end, just wanted to live. It was moving, tragic and anything but cheesy. The viewers -- at least the ones who were paying attention -- were hooked." Update: 09/09 16:16 GMT by Z : Just to be sure you're aware of it, Slashdot's own CleverNickName is celebrating the 40th anniversary by reviewing episodes of ST:TNG on TVSquad. He begins with "The Naked Now". You know, "You are fully functional, aren't you?"

It has lived long...

[The_REAL_DZA]

...and it has prospered. Who could ask for more (besides the fans...)?

Best captain

[Anonymous Coward]

The best captain was Picard. Then Janeway, Kirk, Archer and Sisco. In that order.

Re:It has lived long...

[AKAImBatman]

Who could ask for more?

Is it so much to ask that B&B be fired for incompetence? But noooooooo. Paramount had to keep them on until the bitter end. :(

attempts to go from movies to TV

[6]

One interesting way to put Star Trek back into the culture of its time is to watch the movie, "Forbidden Planet" and then Watch the first two, filmed, episodes of Star Trek: "The Cage" ie the original pilot, and , "Where No Man has Gone Before."

For a similar effect try "2001 a Space Odyssey" and "Space 1999" or "Star Wars" and "Battlestar Galactica".

Influence on Technology?

[Aqua_boy17]

I was thinking about this the other day when I opened my Razr to make a call. And it suddenly occured to me how much my phone reminded me of the old ST communicators especially when I flip it open to make a call. Too bad I don't have the sound effect to go along.

Now if I could only figure out a way to turn my PDA into a fully functional phaser...

Re:Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner

[admiralh]

Hilarious?

Perhaps if you enjoy 2 hours of homosexual jokes from C-list comedians.

At what the heck was Farrah Fawcett doing there? I checked IMDB. She had never worked with Shatner before.

I think a lot of the reaction clips (the laughs from the audience and the roasters/roastee) were cut in from other times in the show, because so much of it was so unfunny. They certainly seemed uneven to me.

Shatner should have taken Nimoy's advice -- Don't do it.

Never was a fan

[GodfatherofSoul]

I always hated Star Trek. It creates such an unbelievable vision of the future. Everything is so pristine, but you never the the laborers or even robots to keep it that way. Even the actors (in the Next Generation and later) were stiff and spoke perfect emotionless english. Just a bunch of cold automatons moving through pristine sci-fi sets.

Contrast that with the original Star Wars trilogy. Everything is dirty, weathered and worn. The banter added to the credibility of the characters. Humans aren't living in some utopian vision with just the occassional evil alien to battle. I had the Star Wars RPG as a kid and their description of the Star Wars feel nailed it. Lucas' characters felt like they actually lived in their world. They weren't impressed with their own technology. I remember after the first shot of the Millenium Falcon (which is amazing to the movie viewer), Luke calls it a piece of junk. It's a small remark, but it tells you a hell of a lot about the setting the writer is trying to present.

Re:It has lived long...

[ari_j]

If Dr. Pulaski were the worst part of Trek (and she's not), that comment would almost make sense. That said, Diana Muldaur (who played the role) appeared in two Original Series episodes, so it's not like she was brought onto TNG just to annoy you. Regardless of your thoughts on her, Dr. Pulaski was only on the show for one season. Compare that with some of the B&B blunders and it really isn't that big of a deal.

Re:Never was a fan

[Animats]

Lucas isn't responsible for the "grubby future" concept. That was introduced in 1972, in Doug Trumbell's Silent Running [imdb.com]. Although it wasn't a hugely popular movie, it introduced many of the background concepts seen in later SF films. It's worth seeing today; it looks less dated than Star Trek movies made after it.

Re:Never was a fan

[PCM2]

I always hated Star Trek. It creates such an unbelievable vision of the future. Everything is so pristine, but you never the the laborers or even robots to keep it that way... Contrast that with the original Star Wars trilogy. Everything is dirty, weathered and worn.

In the original show you see the support crew a couple times, in early episodes. Maintenance men don't typically make for great drama. And to be fair, the Enterprise is a military ship. Go tour a Navy aircraft carrier sometime and you'll probably find it's pretty clean and everybody's pretty well-behaved when they're on duty, because that's how you run a military. The inside of the Death Star was pretty clean too. It was just Tatooine that looked like a 70s party town. It sounds like you just prefer the aesthetic of Star Wars, but come on ... do you think the Millennium Falcon would really look like it did, if it was designed to take off and land through planetary atmospheres? All those little panels and radars and things would fly right off. Look at the troubles the space shuttle has just putting a little paint and insulation on its fuel tank. Star Wars looks cool but that's not the same thing as being "more realistic."

Re:My Thoughts: "Star Trek" Follow-ons Are Travest

[kalidasa]

So let me get this straight - you're claiming that Avery Brooks talks like a high school dropout? Dropout from which high school, Phillips? All I can think of is the scene from Hollywood Shuffle when an actor shouts out "I can do it in iambic pentameter!!!"

Re:No it wasn't

[AJWM]

Hispanic isn't a race (despite the little checkboxes on various government forms). Ricky and Lucy were both Caucasoid. Hispanic is a cultural term, Hispanic people can range from blonds to blacks.

That episode may or may not have been (US) TV's first interracial kiss, but you'll have to find a better counter-example than "I Love Lucy".

I think you were not paying attention...

[hummassa]

Women emphasizing their intellect? I was probably watching other shows...

2. Tasha Yar (doin' it with Data!!!) and Deanna Troi (Riker and Worf)...
3. Jadzia Dax (doin' it with Worf!!!)
4. Seven ... of ... nine ... if _that_ outfit was emphasizing her intellect, _I_, for one, wasn't paying attention correctly.
5. Hoshi Sato (doin' it in Risa, and with the mirror Capn'), T'Pol (doin' it with Trip -- and in occasion, imaginarily or alternative-realityly, with Reed, with the Capn' and with the Doc!!!), and _Three_ Green Babes. Don't forget Erika Hernandez (doin' it with Archer!)

Re:It has lived long...

[hdw]

Well. you did refer to a review to prove you point.

As you might remeber, the original post stated that he ranked FC as good.
You then 'proved' that it wasn't.

My point was that if I, or anyone else, ranks j.random movie as good, then we do, and we aren't very intrested in someone telling us that we are wrong.

If you think it's rotten, or ok, or soso, fine, you're free to have your view, but it doesn't mean that you are right and I or anyone else is wrong.
It just means that we have different opinions, which is quite legal, at least outside China.

Re:My Thoughts: "Star Trek" Follow-ons Are Travest

[Eil]

1. Original Series: brash captain, hot-looking women, dangerous adventures in a ship designed for living but not for tourism

If by "brash," you mean "talentless ego-maniac," then yes. Also, I dispute your claim of the women being "hot-looking".

2. The Next Generation: refined captain who talks like an English professor, women who emphasize their intellect, adventures in a ship designed like a luxury hotel

Spot on.

3. Deep Space Nine: captain who talks like a high-school dropout, women who emphasize their intellect, adventures in a space hotel

Wait, what? "Captain who talks like a high-school dropout"? Sisko speaks perfectly well. He was typically a little more jovial than the other captains, but I don't see anything wrong with that. I think you accidentally let some of your racism show through.

4. Voyager: captain who emphasizes her intellect, women who emphasize their intellect, dangerous adventures in a ship designed like a luxury hotel

Just what is it you have against shows that portray females as intelligent people? The whole "women-as-set-pieces" concept should have died along with the original series, what a shame it lives on in the form of you.

5. Enterprise: captain played by an actor who cannot act, women who emphasize their intellect, dangerous adventures in a ship run by characters played by actors and actresses who cannot act

I can handle inexperienced actors, the real travesty here was the writers. "Oooh, I know, let's create a new Star Trek to predate the others, but instead of writing new material, let's just rehash all of the characters, places, and technology from the other series' whilst excusing the overall sheer implausibility of it with a bit of hand-waving!"