One of the biggest stories on my Facebook feed last week was the announcement from CBS that a new Star Trek series was in the works and would be hitting our screens January, 2017. My initial reaction was excitement at the news. I am a big believer that television is where Star Trek belongs. That’s where it started and where it thrived from the late 80’s through the 90’s. Star Trek just belongs on TV, and it has been a while since we have had that, so the fact that they were developing a new Star Trek series was awesome.

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There have been 5 live action Star Trek series over the years, each one different and unique and each one adding to and building upon the Star Trek universe. Each has its own pace and tells its own story, so the argument could be made that none of them is better than the others, they’re all just different. On a certain level, I could and would agree with that. On another level, I also think it is fun to try to rank things and decide and argue which one is best. That’s the point of this post. Which of the series is the best series? Which one is the worst? I’ll be deciding that here, and I’m sure you’ll disagree. All Star Trek fans are pretty passionate, especially when it comes to their own, beloved series. Please let me know which is your favorite in the comments. i would love to hear from you. Here is how I have them ranked:

5. Star Trek: Enterprise

Oh Enterprise, where do I start? I never could get into this series. I tried, I wanted to like it, but I just never could. It was the newest series, but it was supposed to set the furthest back in time of all the series. It was a starship that predated the NCC 1701 Enterprise by about a hundred years. It takes place before there is a United Federation of Planets. In some ways, it was very cool. It was cool to see the struggles of early travel to the stars for Earth, breaking away from the Vulcans who were monitoring everything since First Contact. All of that was interesting, and then it wasn’t.

For me, the highlight of the series was Captain Archer, played by Scott Bakula. He was great, and I had little to no issues with him. He was a cautious captain, but also knew when to take risks. He also ends up being very important for the formation of the Federation. His character was good, and if we were ranking Captains, I don’t know that he would end up in last place.

The low-light for me was the series finale, which was sudden, to say the least, and felt more like an episode of The Next Generation, as a result of the appearances of Troi and Riker, and that they were observing all the events from a holodeck. What a weird way to end a series.

4. Star Trek: Voyager

Alright, I’ll be honest, numbers 4 and 3 are almost interchangeable for me. I enjoyed both series quite a bit, and it is almost unfair to rank one above the other, but I’m going to, and when we get to 3, I’ll tell you why it lands higher on the list for me. One of the best things about Voyager, for me, was that it got back to space exploration, and it introduced a bunch of new alien races, as they were stuck in a completely different part of the galaxy and had to make their way home.

This is a great series to watch if you want to learn about managing and putting together a team. Janeway had her hands full as she had to bring together Star Fleet officers and members of the Maquis, all of whom did not like each other, or the prospect of working together. Janeway was a level-headed commanding officer, and she made it all work, somehow, and brought everyone home.

For me, the toughest stretch in this series is the first season. It is necessary to watch to get what is going on, but the series gets much better after the first season. I love that they have encounters with the Borg, and I also love how the team evolves over time and become a strong crew, despite their initial differences. All around, an enjoyable series.

3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Let the debate begin. You might argue that Voyager was better, because it was more traditional Star Trek, with a starship and exploration and all of that, and you might be right. Nonetheless, I rank this show higher because this was my wife’s first introduction into my geekiness. We sat down and made our way through all the episodes of DS9 together, and she really enjoyed it. That’s why this one makes number 3, and no other reason.

This was a very different series in that it was driven by long story arcs, instead of being more episodic, like TNG and TOS. If you started watching it, you needed to watch the next episode, and probably the next and maybe even the whole season before all the story lines were wrapped up. That takes some adjusting, and may not be what a lot people preferred for the time, but I think it was ahead of its time, really. How many popular shows are there now that are the same? Long story arcs that draw out over a full season, or possibly longer-it happens all the time now.

This was another series where the finale was not so great. The final episode felt cramped and rushed as the tried desperately to wrap all the loose ends form he entire series, which they didn’t really. Then there’s the whole Sisko becoming a god thing. That was just unexpected and strange. I did love, though, that they eventually brought on Worf to boost ratings. Any show with Worf is ok in my book.

2. Star Trek

This is it, the original series, the show that launched the franchise. As such, it automatically gets moved almost to the front of the line. There was nothing like Star Trek, when the series landed on TV in the 60s. It seemed like it had a history and culture already fleshed out when it began airing, and it created a fan culture unlike any other. The series itself only lasted a few years, unfortunately, and then it was canceled. They tried to bring it back as an animated series, and then it was brought back as a series of feature films.

Fans latched onto Star Trek and never let it go. And that all started here with this series. We were racing to get to the moon, and Star Trek provided us an example of what we could do once we got there and then went further. It also painted a picture of a society with intolerance or hate. It was an ideal, utopian society with really cool phasers and communicators, and transporters. The bridge crew was diverse with different nationalities and races represented well, including an alien with pointy ears. The original crew, led by Kirk, will never be forgotten, and there’s a reason that the reboot started with them. Everything we love about Star Trek is thanks to Kirk and Spock and Bones.

1. Star Trek: The Next Generation

What can I say? This was my Star Trek. I don’t think I really realized I was a geek until I started watching this show. I loved it. Granted, watching it now, i wonder how it survived past the first 3 seasons, but I am glad it did. Once “Best of Both Worlds” hit, TNG had cemented itself as the best of the Star Trek franchise, at least in my heart.

This was similar to TOS, but also very different. Everything looked newer and was sleeker, for one thing. no more buttons, it was all touch screen. Picard was a very different captain than Kirk (a debate for another time), and his crew seemed to have a very different mission. Yes, the opening credits said it was the same mission, but in reality, this Enterprise explored less and was more of a diplomatic powerhouse sent in to end in any conflicts within the Federation. The crew had a different chemistry, reflective of the late 80s, early 90s. Picard was in charge, but the crew discussed things a lot more. It was more cooperative, whereas Kirk was much more authoritative.

As I mentioned, the series had a rough start, but got better with each season. I have two measuring sticks when trying to decide if an episode is worth re-watching: 1. How tight are the uniforms? the more skintight, the less likely that it will be one of the better episodes, as this indicates it is an earlier episode. 2. How long is Worf’s hair- the longer the hair, the later the episode, so it may be better.

What do you think? which was your favorite episode? Did you know, that starting in 1987, we had 18 years straight of new Trek on TV. We are now coming up on a full decade without any. I think it’s high time we got a new series of some sort on TV. Trek in the movie theater is one thing, and rebooted Trek is another thing entirely. Where the franchise really belongs is the small screen in a weekly series. That’s what i think most fans want. In any case, let me know in the comments how my list compares to yours. It is always fun to see how people view these things differently.

I am in San Francisco this week, a place that holds a special place in any Trek fan’s heart. It is the future site of Star Fleet Command and Star Fleet academy.  This location has been well established in every era of Star Trek, whether it be the original crew in the movies, or The Next Generation, or even Enterprise, all of them have established San Francisco as the location for Star Fleet command.  Even the new movies establish this town as the base of operations for Star Fleet. It is hard for me to not think about Star Trek when I come to this city. And when I think of Star Trek, I always wonder when or if we will ever see a Star Trek television series again. For me, Star Trek will always belong on TV, in a serial format, and not just in the megaplexes of the world.

A recent post over at io9,by Mark Altman, discusses how one could turn Star Trek into the next Marvel mega-franchise. I may not agree with all of his suggestions, like making Star Trek into the Sci-Fi version of Game of Thrones, but I agree with his sentiments. I think there is huge potential for the Star Trek property to become huge. Bigger than anything else out there. I also agree that Star Trek making its triumphant return to television is key to that happening. Star Trek has never been a franchise that could survive solely on the big screen. We need a series of some sort, and if it were the right series, it could be a mega-success.

So, other than San Francisco making me think of Star Trek, what does any of this really have to do with San Francisco or me being here? Well, none of it has anything to do with me being here. I am here solely for work at my day job, which unfortunately has nothing to do with Star Trek (sadly), but it does have to do with San Francisco, because I have an idea for series that I think could be pretty good. Now, keep in mind that I am not a television series developer in any capacity, so at the end of the day, what do I really know about any of this? This is simply my idea, and I think it might be pretty cool.

The idea? Simple. It would be Star Trek: Academy, and it would take place primarily at the Star Fleet Academy, in San Francisco. Brilliant, right? Well let me tell you more, and maybe you might think so. For all you television producers out there, feel free to contact me directly about a development deal.  I don’t have an agent (just in case anyone like that reads this).

The Pitch

The story would basically follow a class or cadets who all seem to be a little rough around the edges, or they don’t quite fit in (picture Ender’s Dragon Army, full of outcasts, with a dash of Wolverine-a little rough). This group of cadets seems to always find themselves in trouble. They don’t seek it out, trouble just seems to find them. However, they always find a way out, and over time, they begin to earn the respect of their instructors and most of their peers. Of course there would be one rival group of cadets that would always hate them and try to make their lives harder. Their main instructor would be a Captain (I always pictured his name being either John or Jack Wolf) who, due to chronic injuries, has been forced into instructing at the academy, but he sorely misses the action. He plays by his own rules, and he is a survivor, so he passes that on to the students. That’s the basic premise.

Why it Could Work

The beauty about this is that it could take place in any era of Star Trek (Except for Enterprise, without adjustment, anyway, which is fine because I don’t think they want to revisit Enterprise any time soon), whether it be the Original Series, or TNG, or even the new parallel universe. My vote would be in the new parallel universe, so it could coincide with the movies that Paramount is working on. Also, the new universe is a little more action packed, which I don’t like as a traditional Trek fan, but I recognize that it has more of a mainstream audience appeal. So, I would suggest placing it in that parallel universe and going from there.

I also see it working one of two ways. Either this class graduates and new cadets are constantly being refreshed and brought into the group, causing a need for constant adjustment, or it follows just one class through to graduation. A few might change over time, but the core group would remain intact. The first scenario gives you a way to change the crew as needed, keeping it fresh and preventing it from hitting a slump. The downside would be that the audience would never really connect with the cadets, as they would constantly be changing. The burden for that connection would be with Captain Wolf and the other instructors. The second scenario basically subs in the class of cadets for the bridge crew and the audience would be able to connect with them and watch them grow. The downside here would be that the characters could become stale, so they would need to be changed out anyway. I think somewhere in the middle of the two would be best.

The cadets would obviously be based in San Francisco, but they would also spend a good deal of time on short missions.  The missions will always be presented as routine missions, but then something goes wrong, and the cadets, who are all inexperienced, would have to figure out a way to resolve any issues that would arise. The missions would always be closer to home, and so they would involve alien species we already know from the Star Trek canon. This would not be a series of exploration as much as it would be a way for a new generation of Trek fans to be introduced to many of the classic Star Trek races. So, again, while they will be based here in San Francisco (it feels weird to say that), they will not be confined to only San Francisco.

This also gives the Star Trek Universe a place to develop some new characters. Maybe we see one of the cadets graduate and then make it on board the Enterprise with Kirk. Maybe we see some of them graduate and then go on to be part of a bridge crew for a spin-off series. The possibilities are there. This would be just one avenue for new character development.

The biggest thing, I think, a series like this would have going for it is that all the cadets would be fairy young, which could draw in some of the younger crowd. I think it is apparent that most young people enjoy movies and stories where other young people are the main protagonists. That is one of the keys to the success of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Narnia, even Star Wars, and many more. That is what young people want, so if we want to draw in that younger demographic, make the main characters young. Trust me, it will work.

That’s my idea, anyway, for a new Trek series. What do you think? Would a series like that work? Would it help to bring Star Trek back to TV, where it belongs? What would you do if you were making your very own Star Trek series? Let us know in the comments.

 I hope you like cake, because there is plenty to go around as we celebrate a pretty big day in Trek history.  Today marks the 20th Anniversary of the theatrical release of Star Trek Generations.    This film was a huge milestone for me growing up, because it marked the first big screen adventure of my Enterprise crew.  Done were the days of Kirk and Spock.  Now was the time of Picard and Riker to rule the cinema.  Sort of.  I have a love/hate relationship with this movie.  On the one hand, I loved that this movie featured the Enterprise D and her crew.  On the other hand, the movie kind of sucked.  It was long and boring in parts.  I watched it again, recently, thinking maybe I just needed to be more mature to enjoy the slower parts.  I still didn’t, so either I will never enjoy the slower parts, or I just haven’t matured enough yet.  Maybe I will give it another 20 years.  In any case, in honor of the 20th Anniversary, here is a Warp 9 look at 9 random things from Star Trek Generations:

Warp 1- Whoopi Goldberg

In this movie we get a glimpse into Guinan’s origin.  Where she came from and how she ended up in the Federation as a bartender.  Which was great, because as  a Star Trek fan, I often asked myself, “Self, where did Guinan come from?  I hope the base a future movie loosely on her origin.”  And with Generations, they did.  Lucky us.  Mostly lucky Picard, because it is really Guinan that convinces him to leave the nexus.  Apparently, Guinan’s origin story was such a success that it cemented her as a regular for future films.  Or, not so much.  We don’t see Whoopi again until Nemesis, including the crew’s run in with the Borg in First Contact. Whoopi’s eyebrows, on the other hand, have yet to appear on-screen.  We are still waiting…

Warp 2- The Enterprise B

At last we get to see the Enterprise B on-screen.  We had seen the models in the conference room on the Enterprise D for years, and we knew that it was an Excelsior class starship, but up until now, we had never seen it in action.  The Enterprise B was the third starship to bear the name, but the fifth one to show up on film.  Fun fact, David Carson, who directed the film, also directed the TNG episode, “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” which featured the thought to be destroyed Enterprise C.  So apparently, Carson had a thing for bringing old models of the Enterprise to life.  Good for him.  This is one of the highlights of the film for me.

Warp 3- Worf Gets Promoted

In one of my favorite scenes from any of the Star Trek movies, Worf finally gets a little respect as he gets promoted to Lt. Commander.  It only took him 7+ years to achieve, but well done Mr. Worf.  He gets the well deserved promotion, and then he gets all wet.  Good times had by all. Except for Worf who does not look happy at all, or Dr. Crusher, who gets thrown into the water after data tries to be funny.

Warp 4- The World Through Geordi’s Eyes

LaForge gets taken by Klingons in the movie, in one of multiple subplots that are at the route of this films issues, and as a result, they rig his visor to send them video images of what he sees.  We find out through their viewing that LaForge is a pretty voting guy.  Nothing super exciting going on in his life at all, until they get a glimpse of the technical specs for the Enterprise’s shields.  After hours of watching.  Who knew Klingons had so much patience.

Warp 5- Data’s Emotion Chip

We finally get to see the funny side of Data.  In yet another subplot, Data has Geordi install his emotion chip.  What we get as a result is a lot of funny Data, along with scared Data, but really the funny Data is the best.  Check it out for yourself:

 “I just love scanning for lifeforms.”  Classic!

Warp 6- What Could Have Been

Did you ever wonder what a Star Fleet captain has to give up to make it to the top?  For Picard, apparently it was a wife and family.  As he is in the Nexus, we see that this is what is supposed to keep him in there, maybe something he really wishes he had.  It becomes one of the underlying themes of the film- Family- what does it mean, what is really important.  It calls back to when Kirk meets Sulu’s daughter on the Bridge of the Enterprise B, and asks Scottie when Sulu found time for a family.  If it’s important, you make the time.  Both Picard and Kirk are seen in the Nexus experiencing what they have had to give up.  Makes you stop and think about what is really important to you.

Warp 7-A Trio of Good-byes: The Old Oval Comm Badge

In Generations, the crew of the Enterprise is seen wearing a mixture of old and new uniforms throughout the film, mixing their classic look with the new look employed by the DS9 crew.  In addition to the uniform changes, we see for the first time, the new comm badges.  They went from this:

To this:

I guess the more square look was hipper and more modern.  Whatever the reason, it stuck, and we get this comm badge for the rest of DS9, Voyager, and the remaining TNG movies.  I like it more than the original, personally.

Warp 8- A Trio of Good-byes: The Enterprise D

For me, one of the saddest moments of this film was when the Enterprise D is destroyed, and Riker and Picard are standing on the bridge saying good-bye.  I loved that ship.  It was my Enterprise, and it was really too bad that it only got one film.  Don’t get me wrong, Enterprise E is fantastic, but D was a classic.  It was sad to see her go.  But, like Picard points out to Riker, there are plenty of letters left in the alphabet.  Which is true, yet, here we are, starting over at the beginning again.

Warp 9- A Trio of Good-byes: Kirk is Dead.

Ever the Hero, Kirk comes back with Picard to save a planet from impending doom.  He comes back to make a difference, and he does.  The big difference this time is that he dies in the process.  I remember watching this scene in the theatre, and I couldn’t believe it.  Kirk can’t die, I thought.  But he could and he did.   Here are two cuts of the scene.  The first is what appeared in the movie, and the second is a very rough, but slightly different cut.  Enjoy:

So that’s it.  That is our Warp 9 look back on Star Trek Generations.  It wasn’t the greatest Trek of all time, but it’s not the worst either.  It served as a passing of the torch from one crew to the next, one movie franchise to the next.  I enjoy it for what it is, and as a 12-year-old, I loved seeing my Star Trek in the theatre.