Monday was the anniversary of the original Star Trek's premiere on TV in 1966. At the time, reviewers liked the gadgets but not the plot. By the time I was born, the show was off the air, but fandom kept it alive in other ways.
I didn't encounter a lot of Star Trek in my childhood and early teens. My first significant experience with it was reading a high school friend's books. Later on, in college, I watched the movies with friends; I can't remember if I saw V in the movie theater, but I definitely remember VI. Somewhere along the way I caught up with the other movies as well. I was in college when The Next Generation came out, and I watched episodes with my friends. Later on, when I was in grad school, I found ways to watch the original episodes. I also followed Deep Space 9 and Voyager for a while.
I'm not sure why I stopped watching Star Trek in any incarnation, but it probably had something to do with dedicating myself to writing. There just doesn't seem to be enough time to keep up with the demands of daily life, read, write, and watch TV or movies too. None the less, I still like the world of Star Trek and its thoughtful approach to science fiction--though there are a few episodes that have more fiction than science. In particular, some of the biology-based episodes, like the NG show when everyone de-evolved, make me cringe. But I always like watching Spock and Data show us what it means to be human even when they're not.
How do you feel about Star Trek? Do you have favorite versions or characters? How do you think the Original Series compares with today's science fiction?
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Well, "DEVO" proved that devolution was possible, right? Punk Rock Science, yeah!
ReplyDeleteI've watched some episodes and have nothing against Trek in its various incarnations, but I've never really gotten into it, either.
I watched Trek when I was a kid before Star Wars came out, but, really, I lost all interest in after Star Wars.
ReplyDeleteBesides, until Abrams took over the movies, they were all crap.
Stat Trek was a great love in life for my formative years. TOS first, then later with TNG. I don't think it's aged as well as I'd liked it to, but I'll always have the summer of 89, no matter what time has done to us all.
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