Star Trek - Space: The Final Frontier

  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account
Baldur's Gait said:
So I've been watching the original series for the first time recently, and it's a really good time. The show's got some legitimately interesting episodes and thought-provoking concepts. But what stands out to me the most though is Shatner's acting. Specifically how it doesn't resemble the parodies that have been made of him over the years. Even if it's supposed to be an exaggeration, I still don't see how it resembles him in the slightest. He's not that bad an actor, a little overdramatic yes, but he can act well.

Then again, I'm still on the first season so I don't know if it's like that for the whole series or if his acting degrades.
Click to expand...

The parodies are huge exaggerations, you'll find that most impersonations of any celebrity are (Look at how many comedians fail at doing a Trump impersonation.).

That being said, there are a few episodes that do come close to the parodies, especially in the weak Season 3.
 
GentlemanFaggot said:
The parodies are huge exaggerations, you'll find that most impersonations of any celebrity are (Look at how many comedians fail at doing a Trump impersonation.).
Click to expand...
I get that. It's just so weird how omnipresent the parodies are, especially on shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy, but when you go back to the original show Shatner doesn't do any of the ridiculous pauses and mannerisms the parodies would make you think he does. It's like the parody has created a life of its own.

GentlemanFaggot said:
That being said, there are a few episodes that do come close to the parodies, especially in the weak Season 3.
Click to expand...
Of course. I've heard nothing but bad things about the 3rd season. I think I'll stop after season 2 and continue with Star Trek 2 or TNG.
 
Shatner as Kirk has been parodied to the point of absurd that people forget or don't even realise he was actually solid as hell in TOS (and the movies). The City on the Edge of Forever is imho his best performance on the show. I was floored by how good he was and I'd say his acting along with the overall well written plot is the reason why the episode is one of the best (if not the best) of TOS.
Baldur's Gait said:
Of course. I've heard nothing but bad things about the 3rd season. I think I'll stop after season 2 and continue with Star Trek 2 or TNG.
Click to expand...
S3 is bad, but there's some episodes that are still worth a watch. The Enterprise Incident is a classic, as is The Tholian Web. You have some decent episodes in For the World is Hollow and I have Touched the Sky, Day of the Dove and All Our Yesterdays. Personally, I also enjoyed the hippie episode (The Way to Eden) and the often shilled interracial kiss episode (Plato's Stepchildren), though they're guilty pleasures and not really good. And if you leave TOS without watching the absolute meme that is Spock's Brain, then you haven't truly experienced Star Trek in all its glory.
 
GentlemanFaggot said:
I would say the opposite, I don't think anything can match just how uncomfortable and bad TNG Season 1 was. As bad as Discovery is, I haven't seen anything from it as bad as Code of Honor.
Click to expand...
Difference is, I *know* TNG gets better after season 1, and I will be watching to the end. No such luck for STD.
 
trekkor said:
Shatner as Kirk has been parodied to the point of absurd that people forget or don't even realise he was actually solid as hell in TOS (and the movies). The City on the Edge of Forever is imho his best performance on the show. I was floored by how good he was and I'd say his acting along with the overall well written plot is the reason why the episode is one of the best (if not the best) of TOS.

S3 is bad, but there's some episodes that are still worth a watch. The Enterprise Incident is a classic, as is The Tholian Web. You have some decent episodes in For the World is Hollow and I have Touched the Sky, Day of the Dove and All Our Yesterdays. Personally, I also enjoyed the hippie episode (The Way to Eden) and the often shilled interracial kiss episode (Plato's Stepchildren), though they're guilty pleasures and not really good. And if you leave TOS without watching the absolute meme that is Spock's Brain, then you haven't truly experienced Star Trek in all its glory.
Click to expand...

I agree with Trekkor. S3 is still worth a watch despite the very obvious poorer quality of most of it. It's an experience, to say the least, just like I wouldn't necessarily say to skip TNG S1 as it's interesting to see just how awkward and bad TNG started out as and I think watching it is kind of educational on how to make bad decisions when making a show (Even Code of Honor has something to learn from it...how not to film a fight scene; it makes every mistake one possibly could and makes the TOS fight scenes look masterful!).

And the very last episode of TOS has to be seen to be believed:

Kirk and a crazy female officer switching bodies. What follows is Shatner acting like a hysterical stereotype of a woman from the 50s.

It's a terrible episode, often considered a horrible way to end the series and is usually ignored canonwise (There's a line that says that Starfleet doesn't allow female captains.), but if you want to see Shatner overacting, here you go.
 
Say what you will about TNG season 1, it at least still *feels* like Star Trek... (Considering when it came out, that's arguably its biggest problem, as a lot of the episodes feel far too similar to lesser quality TOS episodes, only without the 60's kitsch that made TOS so charming.)
 
Conspiracy is one of the best Trek episodes, period. All the Q stuff in Encounter at Farpoint is excellent. And The Naked Now and 11001001 are both fun episodes. Call me a season 1 apologist, but I think it fares better than season 2 during series rewatches.


gobbogobb said:
Also Vic Fontaine was a better guinan than Whoopi
Click to expand...

Both Vic and Guinan are redundant characters. DS9 has Quark and the Enterprise has an on-staff counselor in Troi. How many fucking psychologists do these people need?
 
Agree 100% with both parts of above post.

Conspiracy had the best terrible special effects. A+ funny ending, would watch again.
 
trekkor said:
Shatner as Kirk has been parodied to the point of absurd that people forget or don't even realise he was actually solid as hell in TOS (and the movies). The City on the Edge of Forever is imho his best performance on the show. I was floored by how good he was and I'd say his acting along with the overall well written plot is the reason why the episode is one of the best (if not the best) of TOS.
Click to expand...

He was a bit of a ham actor and had a huge ego. It's worth noting, though, that one of his massively overacted scenes is one of the best pieces of overacting ever, specifically the KHAAAAAAAAN scream. It's especially good in that it was actually part of a trick by Kirk, too, so Kirk himself was the one acting.

So Shatner wasn't actually overacting in this piece of overacting. He was acting as Kirk, who was himself overacting because he really had to convince Khan that his own trick had worked, and that he was in a state of complete rage at being defeated.
 
My favorite character is probably Beverly Crusher.

Shame Nichelle Nichols has alzheimer's. I wonder if they treated her like shit on the original series. I know Shatner was the one who pushed for the kiss and it triggered a bunch of guys born in the late 1800s.

newsone.com

Video Shows ‘Star Trek’ Actress Screaming ‘For Her Life’ As Son Moves To Control Her Estate

“Star Trek” actress Nichelle Nichols is allegedly in a contentious guardianship battle with her son after being diagnosed with dementia last year.
newsone.com newsone.com

This reminds me of Stan Lee :(
 
Kirk was an over the top character, which is why Shatner was so good at it. There were a lot of TOS episodes where he really shined as an actor. Also, remember that there was a director who approved of the performance Shatner gave so if it was too much, it's not just Shatners fault.
 
Stab You in the Back said:
Conspiracy is one of the best Trek episodes, period. All the Q stuff in Encounter at Farpoint is excellent. And The Naked Now and 11001001 are both fun episodes. Call me a season 1 apologist, but I think it fares better than season 2 during series rewatches.




Both Vic and Guinan are redundant characters. DS9 has Quark and the Enterprise has an on-staff counselor in Troi. How many fucking psychologists do these people need?
Click to expand...

You're a Starfleet ensign, fresh out of the academy and placed in front of a computer. Any second, your computer could explode after the slightest impact to your ship, launching you across the room and the last thing you'll hear is, "He's dead, Jim."

This will be your career for the rest of your life.

Tell me again that they don't need a surplus of psychologists.
 
That episode of Data having a daughter was too sad, she was too cute for her own good.

"His hands were moving faster than I could see, trying to stay ahead of each breakdown. He refused to give up. It was remarkable."

(:_(
 
PreferredPenne said:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fFHu5e-o8bA
Click to expand...

I remember that episode, there was a transporter malfunction that split Kirk into two men. One was meek and indecisive and the other was crazy and violent. These were the two halfs of Kirk that made him who he was and the unstable version damn near almost raped a woman.

The one fascinating thing to come out of the episode was Spock trying to help the Beta Kirk bluff the crew into thinking everything was alright with him was that "A starship captain must be perfect in front of his or her crew". The idea that the rank holds up such high prestige the man who has it must always be calm, collected, rational and professional was really surprising. As Kirk is a flawed man but he was able to earn the rank of captain by meeting these requirements is an interesting dynamic.
 
I see a bunch of people here sucking "Conspiracy" 's proverbial cock, and though I haven't made it there yet in my current re-watch, I will say that it is easily one of the better season 1 episodes...

I've heard from multiple sources that the insects in conspiracy were originally meant to be what became the borg. Any thoughts as to whether or not the show runners made the right choice to change that?
 
In retrospect the bugs were a creepy hybrid of Borg and Founder/Changeling.

Very creepy, but I get why they never came back.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom