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Post by TrekBeatTK on Jun 13, 2013 15:43:14 GMT -5
Dang, that IS a darn good deal. That's about $30 a season.
-TK
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 14, 2013 12:01:39 GMT -5
Dang, that IS a darn good deal. That's about $30 a season. -TK |
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Post by CRAMBAM on Jun 14, 2013 19:02:13 GMT -5
I was going to go for it, until I remembered that they are all on netflix anyway.
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 15, 2013 2:08:19 GMT -5
I was going to go for it, until I remembered that they are all on netflix anyway. Not smart --Netflix may not always have them available for streaming. I could be wrong, but they probably don't have "Babylon 5" anymore, since they took them down and didn't renew that license. |
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 15, 2013 16:18:49 GMT -5
I'll get to this at some point before the weekend is over.
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Post by CRAMBAM on Jun 15, 2013 21:26:43 GMT -5
Netflix may not have them forever, but they have them now. I do have them on DVD, which unfortunately was before the new effects, but it's not like I can't watch any episode I want.
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 16, 2013 1:40:11 GMT -5
Netflix may not have them forever, but they have them now. I do have them on DVD, which unfortunately was before the new effects, but it's not like I can't watch any episode I want. |
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 16, 2013 13:36:38 GMT -5
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Post by CRAMBAM on Jun 17, 2013 8:22:19 GMT -5
No doubt, but ultimately, it's a luxury. This show is pushing 50 years old, and they are still overcharging for it. Even $30 a season is high.
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 17, 2013 15:21:12 GMT -5
No doubt, but ultimately, it's a luxury. This show is pushing 50 years old, and they are still overcharging for it. Even $30 a season is high. |
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Post by TrekBeatTK on Jun 17, 2013 16:45:05 GMT -5
I think it's fair as well. Comparable to what many TV seasons are going for. And when you consider that TOS episodes are far longer than today's TV (a good 5 to 8 minutes longer each), and that there were more episodes per season, you are getting more for your money.
Season 1 is 30 episodes. At $30, that's like a dollar an episode. But factoring in that you get the original and remastered versions on the blu-ray, that's more like 50¢ an episode. And that's not even touching bonus features.
I may resent that blu-ray exists and the way it's been foisted on the public, but even I can admit it's a good deal (and only my present supreme hatred for blu-ray and lack of funds to buy a player prevented me from acting on that offer. I don't even have TOS on DVD).
-TK
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 19, 2013 1:43:26 GMT -5
I don't want to start a new thread for ST V: TFF --it doesn't deserve it. So I'm putting this here.Yes, the REDDIT boards also have a different format that you can switch to, which some people might find more appealing.
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Post by TrekBeatTK on Jun 19, 2013 22:54:07 GMT -5
Over at io9 they've got a thread going with suggestions for what is the worst Star Trek episode ever out of the hundreds that have been made. I'd have suggested one, but it was hard to narrow down (it would probably be an ENT or VOY episode). Several votes for Into Darkness. Currently I'm thinking my top contenders are:
TOS: The Alternative Factor. I just hate it. Though "The Way to Eden" is probably worse. But I will defend "Spock's Brain"!
TNG: Shades of Grey
DS9: Time's Orphan. Especially given where it falls in an otherwise strong season
VOY: really tough to pick one, though Threshold is an obvious choice.
ENT: Extinction. Just one of many bad ideas on this show, espcially as it momentarily derails momentum for the building Xindi arc.
Anyone else have top bad Trek choices?
-TK
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 20, 2013 0:30:55 GMT -5
I like some of your choices, especially "The Way to Eden", "Threshold" and "Extinction". They would all rate up there on my list were I to draw one up, but I don't despise "The Alternative Factor" the way you do. I'm also not sure as to why you would feel it necessary to defend "Spock's Brain". I'd be interested to hear your reasoning on that. Beyond that, I'd have to think about which episodes I truly detest, and that takes in a lot of territory. The list on "Voyager" alone would drag on longer than anyone would care to be bothered reading about, and my mind is just not there at the moment.
The problem I have with posting in response to io9 articles by the way is that if you don't get in there early, your posts get stuck in the unmoderated que indefinitely, and will probably stay there in that state forever.
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Post by TrekBeatTK on Jun 20, 2013 5:27:08 GMT -5
"Spock's Brain" definitely has its laughable elements. Some of it is the script ("A child could do it!") and some of it is the execution. But at its core I think it has a lot of interesting ideas at play about artificial intelligence, about reliance on technology, about gender differences. I think there's a subset of feminists who really wouldn't mind banishing all men to the the surface like that only to be used for breeding. It's a great set-up for an episode too; an intruder mysteriously steals someone's brain! Similar to what they did in "Phage" when Neelix had his lungs removed. While it sounds like something out of some B-movie, the idea of waking up to find your first officer has been surgically attacked is the stuff of nightmares as well (like the urban legend of waking up in a hotel bathtub full of ice with your kidney gone).
And after all, it inspired a wonderful moment on The Wonder Years as well.
"Spock's Brain" is the whipping boy for bad TOS, but there are worse episodes. "The Omega Glory" is a mess, and all the worse for trying to be a "message" show. "The Way to Eden" is a worse campy third season story. Season 3 has several pretty bad episodes. "The Cloud Minders" is similar to "Spock's Brain" and I find it less memorable. And then there's "The Empath" which I like a lot but which is arguably the least Star Trek of all TOS.
-TK
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Post by CRAMBAM on Jun 20, 2013 11:51:18 GMT -5
Flashback--it was not only terrible and sloppy, it was a tribute show to TOS that actually ended up insulting it.
It was the poster episode for how Berman and Braga hated the original series.
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 20, 2013 19:51:06 GMT -5
A fan of modern Trek samples the original series finally for the first time, and actually loves it . . .
I found this guy interesting because he also explains just why he loves it, and when I see a post like this it actually leaves me thinking that perhaps there is hope for the younger generations who grew up watching mostly crap; maybe some of them do possess the capacity to know better (i.e. "Voyager").
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Post by TrekBeatTK on Jun 21, 2013 7:16:01 GMT -5
"The Cage" is REALLY good, especially for the time it was made. Even the effects work is great. Sometimes TOS can be an easy whipping boy for its effects or sillier elements in some episodes (but the same can be said of all Trek) or its seeming sexism, but "The Cage" has none of that really. It's just a solid science fiction story. Hope this guy enjoys his journey through TOS!
-TK
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 21, 2013 13:38:40 GMT -5
"The Cage" is REALLY good, especially for the time it was made. Even the effects work is great. Sometimes TOS can be an easy whipping boy for its effects or sillier elements in some episodes (but the same can be said of all Trek) or its seeming sexism, but "The Cage" has none of that really. It's just a solid science fiction story. -TK Of all the Trek series' pilots, that one is the best. It's much better than "Encounter at Farpoint," which was pretty flat. |
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Post by TrekBeatTK on Jun 21, 2013 20:08:03 GMT -5
Yeah, if I were ranking the pilots, it would probably go:
The Cage
Caretaker (seriously!)
Where No Man Has Gone Before
Emissary
Broken Bow
Encounter at Farpoint
-TK
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 21, 2013 22:29:51 GMT -5
Yeah, if I were ranking the pilots, it would probably go: The Cage Caretaker (seriously!) Where No Man Has Gone Before -TK Excuse me? I don't even know how to react to that, other than with a gag. I'm literally appalled. |
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Post by TrekBeatTK on Jun 22, 2013 16:33:40 GMT -5
Of course it has ultimate plot problems like why can't they have set timed explosives on the array and then gone home, and bits like Janeway fixing her hair in two seconds, but I think it's a very good pilot. It was the best of all the Modern Treks in introducing the cast members without making it feel like "here's our Doctor! Here's our engineer!" It had a solid science fiction premise but a decent amount of action and humor. Obviously The Cage is better. But I think "Caretaker" was very Star Trek and I enjoyed it. What other Trek has the gall to kill off half the ship in the first hour? We were just getting to know some of these people only to find they weren't regulars at all! I liked that. Arguably we could say the same of Gary Mitchell, I suppose. I'm not saying I like Voyager more than TOS because I don't. In fact, after watching the second episode and seeing the preview for the third, I gave up on Voyager for a good two and a half years minus a couple episodes. The pilot had promise; the show just didn't deliver.
Why do I rank it above Where No Man Has Gone Before? Another great, perfectly serviceable episode. There's good character drama. But there's something about it that's not as good as The Cage for me. It ends up getting a little too action-oriented (which of course is what NBC wanted) and some elements feel a bit shlocky to me. By contrast, The Cage manages to always feel adult and weirdly doesn't feel dated in most respects. I just prefer it over the other, and I don't think that WNMHGB quite established enough of the Kirk-era dynamics of what the show could be in the same way The Cage did for Pike's crew. So just for me, Caretaker edges it out. But it's not a landslide win or anything.
Every series after TOS (well, not TAS) had a two-hour pilot. If we view "The Cage" and "Where No Man" as two halves of a two-part pilot whole, then they win. But split... Maybe it's just nostalgia talking. Certainly I think Caretaker is the best MT pilot. The rest of this is personal hair-splitting. Actually in some ways Voyager never got better, which is what was wrong with it.
-TK
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jul 9, 2013 17:56:08 GMT -5
Over at TrekNews.net:William Shatner’s ‘Captains Close Up’ Series Coming To DVD Captain’s Close Up, a five-part mini-series, which premiered on EPIX earlier this year, is set to be released on DVD later this summer. Featuring interviews conducted by Shatner himself, former Star Trek captains Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Patrick Stewart, Scott Bakula, and Chris Pine are featured. The series builds upon Shatner’s 2011 documentary, The Captains. Captain’s Close Up is set to be released on August 13th and is available for pre-order now on Amazon. Description: Read More » www.treknews.net/2013/07/01/william-shatner-captains-close-up-dvd/
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jul 9, 2013 18:03:09 GMT -5
This can be viewed in its entirety online and has a running time of 47 minutes. I watched the first seven minutes on my phone this afternoon and plan to look at the rest on my TV perhaps later tonight. Based on the portion I've seen it looks to have been put together well.
Over at TrekNews.net:WATCH: Smithsonian Channel’s ‘The Real Story of Star Trek’ Last month, the fifth season of Smithsonian Channel’s documentary TV series, The Real Story premiered with an episode exploring of the Star Trek film and TV franchise. The episode looks at the life of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and the scientific advances and inventions that were inspired by the series. Featuring interviews with Leonard Nimoy, Roddenberry’s son, Rod, and original members of the Star Trek fan club, the entire episode is available to stream for free on Smithsonian Channel’s official YouTube channel and for download on iTunes. Scroll down to watch the embedded video below. Description Read More » www.treknews.net/2013/07/07/smithsonian-channel-real-story-of-star-trek-video/
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Post by TrekBeatTK on Jul 9, 2013 21:09:03 GMT -5
I wonder if these are new interviews Shatner has conducted, or further footage from his original "Captains" sessions.
I'd love to see if Avery Brooks comes off any better.
-TK
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jul 10, 2013 18:20:57 GMT -5
They had to throw TOS in with TNG together. :::Ahem:::
Over at Blastr: Trek beats out BSG, Twilight Zone for 'best sci-fi show ever'By Trent Moore Tue, 07/09/2013 - 4:34pm  The folks at TV Guide are working up a list of the 60 greatest sci-fi shows in history — and their rankings might surprise you.
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Post by StarFuryG7 on Jul 10, 2013 18:24:02 GMT -5
I know you guys have already seen this too.
Over at Blastr:Lucas admits Star Wars 'stood on the shoulders' of Star TrekBy Trent Moore Wed, 07/10/2013 - 9:19am  Star Trek vs. Star Wars. The great, geek debate has raged for decades. But now, the architect of one of those properties has admitted he owes a pretty big debt to the other.
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Post by Mel on Jul 12, 2013 10:29:08 GMT -5
It as nice of Lucas to admit that out loud.
It only took him 36 years, or more.
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Post by CRAMBAM on Jul 12, 2013 14:18:06 GMT -5
BSG is ranked way too high. There are quite a few Scifi shows I liked better than that. Not even close to third. Doubt it would even make my top ten. It was a good show, but third best ever? No.
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Post by TrekBeatTK on Jul 12, 2013 14:23:36 GMT -5
Totally agree BSG is ranked way too high. And I'm shocked that even after a decade of hindsight over what a mess it ended in fans are still quick to defend it like it was some masterpiece. It wasn't. I suppose it has a certain cultural significance and is an important sci-fi series of the 2000s, but ranking it number 3 just shows a lack of perspective.
-TK
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