I was born in 1989, so I grew up with the TNG era and ENT, and I always dismissed TOS as a kid as the cheesy 60s original version that TNG remade and left in the dust. It wasn’t until high school that I actually sat down and watched TOS and fell in love with it. I even now wonder if Kirk is better than Picard, it’s a debate I have with myself often. Was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience with TOS?

I still think TNG is better, but TOS is great in its own right.

  • benjamin@artemis.camp
    181·
    11 months ago

    I was the same way. I happened to turn on Pluto a while back, and TNG was on. I remembered seeing it as a kid and not being a fan, but I found myself watching every episode that came on.

    I got so wrapped up in it that I got Paramount+ just to watch every season, then start on all the others I’ve missed.

    IMHO, Picard is a better captain than Kirk (I expect downvotes for this).

    • InverseParallax@lemmy.worldEnglish
      121·
      11 months ago

      Picard is a better captain for the starfleet of his age, kirk was a better captain for his younger federation.

      Picard was a diplomat and mediator looking for the best way to keep the peace. Kirk was a sheriff in the wild west, and in fact westerns were a large influence on tos trek.

    • startrekexplained@startrek.website
      OPEnglish
      9·
      11 months ago

      Yeah I agree Picard is overall still a better captain, but some qualities of Kirk I like more, like how he is more willing to interfere to overthrow the local false god or dictator.

      • Vordus@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        11·
        11 months ago

        Folks tend to say that Kirk is too much of a cowboy, but that’s not really who he is. He’s very much invested in the rules and hierarchy of Starfleet, but he’s also driven by a sense of justice.

        He’s not a cowboy, he’s the Sheriff.

          • kd637_mi@leminal.spaceEnglish
            51·
            11 months ago

            This is a big issue. I’ve said it before, but so many people think they know what Kirk and TOS are, and are wrong about it. It isn’t pure ham and Kirk sleeping with the galaxy. It’s tense, it’s deep, it’s ahead of its time and ahead of a lot of current shows as well. The chemistry between Kirk, Spock and Bones really shines, and there is a real sense of the unknown. Remember that the reruns of TOS are what drove demand for TNG in the first place.

            This isn’t to say that people aren’t allowed to not like TOS, of course some people won’t. I just think people and especially trek fans do themselves a disservice by not giving it a good go.

            Standard TOS defence rant over.

              • kd637_mi@leminal.spaceEnglish
                21·
                11 months ago

                I’m in Aus but I have used a VPN to check out Pluto, I saw that there were a couple of Star Trek channels. Didn’t realise one was TOS, that’s awesome.

      • latca@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        11 months ago

        I’ll have to go with Picard on that one too it is called the PRIME directive for a reason.

    • StillPaisleyCat@startrek.websiteEnglish
      7·
      11 months ago

      TNG Picard was a better captain, I can agree.

      Not sure I can say that about movie Picard, and would definitely disagree that Picard in Picard was better than Kirk in TOS or the movies.

      I’m from an older generation that saw TOS and loved it long before TNG existed. Taking the long view, I think it’s great that the shows are demonstrating that different kinds of leadership work, and some work better in central contexts than others. SNW seems to be making that point directly, but it’s also not afraid to laugh at itself and ask us to join in.

      In the 90s, I became a huge TNG fan, loved its more serious tone, idolized Picard as an leader, and found TOS’ campiness hard to take. So I stopped watching TOS other than the movies that were still coming.

      Another 30 years on, TNGs flaws (and Picard’s) are more evident to me. At this distance, TOS is such an artifact of its time that I can just accept and enjoy it again for what it is.

      But in the 90s, there were other, vocal, OG TOS fans who never got that Star Trek feeling from TNG. They wanted more adventure, but I suspect that some also wanted more of the cheekiness and cheesiness that TOS delivered with a straight face. I felt at the time that both Voyager and Enterprise were to some extent designed to bring them back to the television side of the franchise, but in hindsight were also very much a reflection of the era in which they were made.

      Its really good to hear from 90s Trek fans who are willing to give TOS and new shows like SNW and Lower Decks a genuine try and appreciate them for what they are.

      Now, I hope you and OP will give TAS a try. There’s some great stuff in there!