Ranking Every Star Trek TV Series (& No, TNG Isn't In the Top 5)
Vložit
- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- Oh, you're all gonna hate me after this one haha.
✔ SUPPORT ✔
Patreon: / jessiegender
PayPal: paypal.me/jessiegender
✔ OTHER PLATFORMS ✔
Twitch: / jessiegender
✔ SHOP ✔
Book that I Helped Write: bit.ly/39EqtP4
✔ SOCIAL MEDIA ✔
Instagram: /
Twitter: / jessiegender
Facebook: / jessie.gende...
✔ OTHER PROJECTS ✔
What the Frell podcast w/Council of Geeks: councilofgeeks.libsyn.com/
✔ CONTACT ✔
E-mail: jearl1892@gmail.com
Mail: Jessie Earl
PO BOX 85787
Seattle, WA 98145 - Krátké a kreslené filmy
You made me rage flip the dabo table by putting DS9 at #3.
Dude, cut down on the raktajino, switch to decaf.
Alamarain! Did you win? Hardly.
Yeah thats insane
ugh, yeah kinda hate space religion trek. the tailor, and quark are pretty good though...
@@mmm-mmm space religion trek?
I appreciate seeing a list that doesn’t imply Star Trek started at its apex, and only went downhill from there.
I completely agree with you. The exploration of new series is valiant, regardless of some of their shortcomings. TNG is often put on a pedestal for the nostalgia that accompanies it.
@@ozfocus TNG is comfort food, quite frankly. That creates the overall problem, because it makes far too many fans treat Star Trek as a safe, comfortable security blanket,... and that actually does a bit of disservice to the franchise
@@k1productions87 That's only true of 'new' fans, those of us who actually watched at the time of its actual release some of the stories were actually seen as pointed comments on major social issues of the time such as race relations, war-making, the cold war, and social issues. It's only when seen in retrospect that it 'feels safe and a comfort blanket'. The fans who attack 'modern' Trek are just devoid of imagination and never understood what Trek was about in the first place. As a Trek and Sci-Fan who is nearly 70, I despair of the so-called 'real' fans who attack new Trek because its not a re-tread
@@MrDeadhead1952 I had not only watched every episode of TNG as they originally aired on television, but did so with my father (Star Trek was our bonding experience) AND did so as I was beginning my love affair with Star Trek beginning with Voyage Home (i.e. not starting with any space battle or action), so don't go calling me a "New fan"
The major social issues that you speak of (every one of them in fact) were dealt with far stronger in Deep Space Nine, with far greater stakes. And this from someone who actually hated Deep Space Nine when it began, spouting the old standard go-to arbitrary complaints that were no more true back then than they are now. But at least I can acknowledge I was wrong.
@@k1productions87 I'm sorry but I'm talking about The Original Series and the issues raised in that and the manner in which it was done was just as strong as those in DS9 when the seen from the viewpoint of it's period. It was not as subtly done or which the same finesse but they were just as questioning it was just a more naive time. So the point of view of someone who is an original TOS viewer that does make you a 'new' fan but not in a bad way. When I talk about 'new' fans I'm talking about the ones in their thirties who are too young to have seen any of TV incarnations and only saw the Kelvin films before the current TV series. I have no problem with expressing an preference I just get annoyed with them they claim that new stuff is too WOKE when compared to earlier series which is BS.
If you know this channel then you knew Enterprise would be the #1 show.
As it should be. I HAVE FAITH OF THE HEART!!!
@@Seanginty1 AND NOTHING'S GONNA BEND OR BREAK ME
WHY ONLY HAVE 4 SEASONS???? 😭😭😭
I never really got into enterprise sadly, it never caught me like the rest of trek did and I was like 6-7 orso when enterprise came around and I don’t remember liking it as much as the movies or The rest of trek pre-Enterprise
@@LeahBouley Give it a second chance, it's worth it.
The fact that you picked that as your number one show... is... OUTSTANDING! Gotta be true to yourself!
DS9 and Voyager were definitely the shows I remember most vividly on TV, despite at the time they were airing, I wanted to be more of a TNG fan since that was the cast the movies were focusing on. But I eventually had an orb experience and came to realize that DS9 was far more important to me than TNG.
If we're ranking shows based on personal connection, it feels like everyone's #1 show is gonna be generational. Jessie says Enterprise was "my show" cause she's of the right age to have been watching that one week-to-week during her formative years. For me, that was Next Generation. It aired from when I was 4 to when I was 10, and was still heavily broadcast in syndication in the years following. I grew up with it. DS9 and Voyager overlapped in that time period for me, but... The really formative experiences were with TNG.
DS9 was, objectively, the best Trek series, I think it's hard to argue against that. It had the most consistently good delivery through its whole run (even TNG during its heyday alternated incredible episodes with some real stinkers). But TNG is "my Trek" purely through accident of birth. For my older friends, that's TOS. And for some kids today, that's gonna be Discovery. And that's great! It's kinda like Star Wars, where some people became fans with the OT, some with the prequels, and some with the sequels, and that's a good thing, for diversity of experience in a community.
Also just like Jessie, and I think might also be SOMEWHAT generational, I have a bigger connection to the TOS films than to the series. I think I saw the films before, and more often, than any of the series. I love bits and pieces of TOS, and I love that it started this whole thing, but when I picture the NCC-1701 no bloody A, B, C, or D in my mind, I picture the film refit version.
@@KyleWoodlock feel the same way. I love the 80s Star Trek movies with the original cast, but I'm not nearly as attached to TOS series.
@William George As someone who grew up long after these shows finished there runs. And would later binges star trek from TNG all the way too enterprise on Netflix, I feel Voyager and TNG are Star trek in its purest form. And are better at setting out gene Rottonbary's vision. I like them best because it follows the themes very closely. DS9 is great in a different way because it sets its self out to pull the curtain from over star trek to give us a more objective view of the universe. Discovery first 3 seasons were trash, Picard is meh after season 2. It's not generational imo. You just need to look at your favorite series from an objective view. Anyone can still like garbage.
Btw, I grew up along enterprise airing and its far from my favorite. You got to take your blinders off and look objectively.
I feel similarly but mine is Voyager because Spike TV was doing a week to week replay when I was in elementary and middle schools that started with a huge Trek the halls my 5th grade Christmas (my introduction) for 4 days. I've grown to love other Treks but Voyager is my first and my favorite
Somewhere, in an alternate universe, there is an intense debate in the fandom whether Manny Coto or Ira Steven Behr is the best showrunner, and Enterprise's seasons 5, 6, and 7 will be fondly remembered alongside DS9's.
My #1 is deep space nine. I didn’t appreciate it when it first aired but my recent rewatch was everything. It was a show ahead of it’s time.
Still is.
Nice to see the Animated Series is acknowledged for once.
“We feel fondness in absence.”
*cries in Community: The Movie*
"Enterprise" has never been even in my top 3, but I understand why you place it there based on your personal experience. My first Star Trek show was TOS. I saw it first-run as a kid (Yeah. I'm really old!), and I was totally WOWED by it! Looking at it now, it is extremely dated, and some of the episodes are really, REALLY bad, but at the time it was by far the best science fiction show on TV (compare it to "Lost in Space", for example) and many episodes were superb. "Balance of Terror" and "City on the Edge of Forever" come to mind immediately. Nevertheless, I would put "Deep Space Nine" top of the list for the best Star Trek show ever, and it has really stood the test of time.
I saw most of the TOS eps first-run as did you, Christopher. I was of a mind that it could never be bested. TNG was pretty awful the first two seasons, proving my point. I still think “City on the Edge of Forever” is the best Trek ep. Having said that, I became a rabid TNG fan starting with season 3. What an improvement! As the 2000s have rolled around, I also find TOS creaky for the most part with a few gems scattered throughout. The sexism is particularly grating (women can’t be starship captains, etc). I think at the time of this writing I feel the TOS movies are overall better than the series and as Jessie said, really explore the characters in depth. I would now put DS9 ahead of TNG with ENT pretty high up there. I love all the new shows, therefore it’s hard to rank them! I must admit I was blown away with how good Lower Decks was out of the starting gate. It’s a great time to be a Trek fan!
@@roberthelme8000 I love Lower Decks as well, and I'm impressed with both Discovery and Picard. But Lower Decks is such a loving send-up of "classic" Trek that I can't help but love it!
Hey don't badmouth Lost In Space lol
@@johnnyjuicebox7069 Say, there was that "Young Sheldon" episode where Sheldon went to his first sci-fi convention, and one of his teachers showed up dressed as Professor Smith.
Riker:"...quadruples their sex drive..."
Deana quietly: "...or more..."
Riker: ".... Or more..., you didn't tell me that."
Deana: "I didn't want to frighten you."
I loved this scene.
We know what Riker is doing on Nepenthe and why he needs a shield around his house.
@@jjmfrees They need soundproofing, probably. 😁😁😁🖖
I'm still sad that Enterprise didn't get further seasons. It was really coming into its own, and I feel it could have been incredible.
The last season of Enterprise was great. It's really sad that it was cancelled right after its best season.
They wasted 2 whole seasons, maybe three. Just wasted. Trek shows keep taking a while to find their footage, but Enterprise was particularly bad because like Voyager, it threw the premise out the window immediately. "This is the story of how the Federation came together. So here's multiple conflicts with species we've never seen before, and a bunch of timey-wimey shananegans that won't pay off at all." You can't stumble that badly out of the gate with a creative staff that have been doing basically the same show since season 2 of TNG.
Enterprise was the first Star Trek series I ever saw with my big brother and it's had a special place in my heart ever since! I loved every season.
For me, Discovery is "my" Star Trek series. I watched it while I was at uni and loved it x
STD wins out on its diversity and inclusion.
This is almost my exact experience. Discovery and Enterprise are my Star Treks, it makes me happy any time I hear the intro themes of either of those shows.
I grew up on Voyager. I fell in love with Enterprise. I became my own person with Discovery.
Star Trek: Enterprise is an interesting case. It finally found its voice when the executives pulled the plug. I happen to think it would've found its audience if it hadn't been cancelled.
Maybe, but I think it had a few things running against it, not all of which are on the show or its creative staff or even the network. One big thing is that the sci fi channel was firing on all cylinders, and it was tough for anyone to compete. It seems like the first time star trek wasn't the name brand that made all other tv space opera look like imitation.
@@maxwellschmidt235 Those are good points, but at the same time, I think the series would've seen modest to moderate growth in its audience had it been given a chance to go seven seasons.
Controversial opinion, I love voyager xD cause seven of nine is the character I identified with more than any other, her story going from drone to an individual is the most iconic in all of trek in my opinion, I was amazed that the way the character was written was how I felt due to my mental health issues, I felt like an emotionless drone kinda like how seven was at the beginning but then she actually developed and grew which pushed me to grow and improve.
That was me with Janeway. I was a woman who liked to lead, keep a level head, but also deeply cared for people. Janeway was my role model as a child. She wasn’t like other strong female characters who became sweet after a love interest , no she had to make tough choices. I thought I was the only Trekkie that loved the show.
@@jesuschild07able You're not. Janeway rocks!!!
The algorithm is just our name for the Great Material Continuum; gotta navigate that river, Jessie!
The Great River provides.
@@mattgelfer The Great River Provides
@@johncoffman5536 The Great River provides.
@@cecilialundberg3898 The Great River provides.
I thought you were gonna rank them by their amount of Big Beard Energy 😔
Me: "Oh my God. Really? She put THAT at number 1?! REALLY?!"
Also me: *belts out Faith of the heart as soon as it starts playing*
I just did a paper for my grad studies in counseling psychology. I organized it around Faith of the Heart. :D And as a polyamorous person, Dr Phlox is part of why. :)
@@DawnDavidson Oh a fellow polyam. High five!
Think of all the memes we'd be missing out on without the Animated Series...
Otherwise the answer for me is always Janeway, I doubt it will ever be topped simply because growing up in the 90s and seeing a woman on screen in the Captain's chair who was as complex as she was powerful meant everything to me. I've never felt that way since and doubt I'll ever feel that way again.
In support of TNG though, I don't think Data can be topped either. The character was superbly written and performed, anything now after will be compared to Data
Indeed; without the Animated Series, we wouldn't have had the best pop video EVER! Shatner's version of Common People is perfect when set to scenes from the Animated Show.
czcams.com/video/KXWEM4gZhg4/video.html
And we wouldn't have Kirk's middle name, Amanda's last name, McCoy's daughter's name, a huge chunk of Spock's childhood & Vulcan culture, Uhura in charge of the Enterprise (twice!) the holodeck, the first captain of the Enterprise Robert April (as he was only mentioned in BTS production notes) Walter Koenig's writing career....and possibly any Star Trek after TOS really!
@@euansmith3699 thank you for the video link it was... an experience, i am not sure if i saww it before or not, perhaps i have
"Jessie putts enterprise and lower decks higher than TNG and OS"
Me: Wait, so I am not the only one?
There are dozens of us! DOZENS!!!
Both ENT and Lower Decks are in my top three, with Enterprise frequently taking the top spot. So you're definitely not alone
You're not. 👍
I rewatched TNG during the pandemic... I don't know why keep asking for this
Am I the only one who puts discovery as 1 and Picard as 2
Since we're being honest, Where My Heart Will Take Me was my ringtone in high school (on silent during class).
I’m surprised by how much Enterprise resonates with me. I probably wouldn’t make it #1 but it would be up there. The first time I watched it I didn’t think I’d be so invested in Trip’s character and yet he and T’pol are my favorites on the show.
I appreciate your breakdown or Discovery here a lot because it’s something a lot of people experience but don’t really think about, the way community influences how we experience media and how the difference between an average show and your favorite show can just be the ability to dig into it with other fans, the way fandom can build anticipation that get you emotionally ready to BE emotional, all those things.
My biggest issue with Discovery is how they forced the "inclusivity". They did not normalize it, they shined a spotlight on it every time and that takes away from the smoothness. When TOS had a colored woman on the bridge they did not point it out every episode. They had that one episode with Lincoln but that was the stand out. Discovery seems to point and say "see, see, we are inclusive. Look at all the diversity" which does not make it seem like this is the norm in this universe but the exception.
@@selalewow That's interesting to hear, since I generally felt the opposite. I know this is an old comment, but I'd love to hear more about your perspective. It's of interest to me as someone who tries to write the way you described TOS, as well as simple curiosity.
I'm watching Enterprise again at the moment. The first two seasons are much better that I remember. How they refer back to previous episodes and how things have consequences is really good.
I didn't really like lower decks though, I don't get it I think.
love this way of ranking. Dont think i could pick between DS9 or voyager because those were the ones i grew up with and really postively shaped the female role models in my life
Lower decks is the only star trek series I've fully watches and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it as well! As an animation fan I was pleasantly surprised at how much heart it had considering how that style has a bad reputation
I'm interested to understand what you mean by "that style." Animation in general? Or maybe raunchy animation for adults?
@@animatorgeek a lot of cartoons nowadays have a very similar art style dubbed "the calarts style" where the art styles share similar traits. not sure how to explain them exactly, but see gravity falls, final space, and amphibia for some examples.
@@animatorgeek Thin line adult animation, usually associated with family guy and such
@@nicodashie No, the calarts style is generally a myth and not quite what I was talking about considering the massive variety between the shows that use it. Gravity falls and Amphibia have quite a different reputation/tone to Rick and Morty which has a different reputation to Final Space
@@Sootielove ohh okay, my bad! and yeah i do know that it's a myth and the variety of shows that use it, whenever i see the word "style" my mind just immediately jumps to art style lmao
How about a list of star trek based shows like "Orville", "Red Dwarf", that episode of "Black Mirror", etc?
There is only one proper way to rank Star Trek, it’s the seatbelt standard 😎
So...Basically only Beyond is on that list then? :P
@@KayleighBourquin lol Disco and Picard would be very high on that list too 😝
Oh yes, pleeeease do a video on Tendi! She’s my favorite character on Lower Decks! Mariner is my second-favorite. 😊❤️
I second this, I'd love to see a video on Tendi!
Tendi for the win!
Me and my girlfriend/future wife had our first kiss watching Star Trek, the original Series.
Nothing will ever get more important to me than that.
I was a little distracted with your hair, it looks fantastic!
I grew up specifically watching Voyager reruns every night. I watched the series so many times as a kid that it's honestly such a big part of me. I absolutely agree with you that the characters are beautiful and deep, and I connect to them so much.
I'm sure everyone's saying this, but Star Trek has three settings. Good, great, DS9.
Great job teasing a hot take that isn't actually all that hot, then dropping the bomb.
I think I enjoyed this video so much BECAUSE your choices were all different than mine would have been. How boring would the world be if everyone agreed about everything all the time? And by "everything" I just mean important stuff. Like Star Trek.
Star Trek Discovery Season 2 Episode 6 "The Sound of Thunder" is a masterclass in perspective and power in cinematography and you cannot convince me otherwise. The style might not be for everyone, but it is masterfully executed.
I love them all. I was a child when TOS premiered, so I grew up with it. But... I love them all because of what they bring to the universe and the time frames in my life when I enjoyed them. I love Discovery, too even though there are so many that don't.
My personal view is I would put discovery higher and lower decks lower (I like it, but it's too comedy for my tastes). But generally have the same take as you do.
It's so good to see Lower Decks getting the love it deserves. So many people in the fandom just straight up ignore it. Nice list :)
TNG is my personal favourite because of the characters, most especially Picard and Data who are my favourite Star Trek characters.
My favorites are Discovery, Enterprise, and DS9. Enterprie was my first Trek, and I used to watch reruns on the Sy-Fy channel. I fell in love with Hoshi Sato and she was an idol for me because I loved languages just like her, and it helped me teach myself the fundamentals of linguistics. Discovery was so exciting when it first came out, and it offers just such amazing production value and acting opportunities. Last, DS9, just amazing, and Kira Nerys is probably my favorite character in all of trek.
Star Trek Discovery is the first Star Trek series that has traveled 930 years in the future.
An episode of Voyager was 700 years in the future (from 2374) so not too shabby!
TOS and TNG were more about concepts related to science and morality. Later shows added more character development and personal drama.
Voyager is my favorite. Pretty much for the reasons you stated for liking it: the characters are great. I also liked the fakeouts they did in some of the episodes, where you thought it was a trope episode when the opening started but it turned out to be something else.
I want to be involved in the Jesse Maneuver 😂
I never gave Enterprise a chance. After seeing the first episode I knew that I never wanted to hear that intro song ever again.
Anyhow I grew up watching TNG with my family so that series will always be closest to my heart. I also had a crush on Data...
Well good news, if you stream it on Netflix you can skip the intro (personally I love it because it’s just so positive, but to each their own). I just finished bingeing it for the first time and it’s worth a shot.
I enjoyed it (except s3) generally but yeah that song....
@@KatharineOsborne Yes I might just do that. It wasn't an option at the time it aired on television.
I actually liked the theme.
@@WickedNPC It's pretty darned good, so give it a watch. Minus the theme.
Glad to see Lower Decks so high on your list. It may be my favorite of them all. I've come to realize that some of my favorite stories are humorous sci-fi, so I was delighted when I first heard there would be a funny Star Trek show, and overjoyed when it turned out to be really good.
I'm on episode eight of Enterprise and now I'm beginning to look forward to it instead of feeling like it's gonna be a slog that I have to get through to get to the more modern shows
Thank you for doing this! I’m catching up with the newer series and this helps me prioritize which show to watch next.
Also, I just love your positive takes on all the shows.
Right now, I’m watching Discovery and I love it.
I just found your channel on Monday and I know I've been all over you comments but your videos give me so much joy. I work in a call center and so much of my day is being yelled at. Thank you for being the joy in my day between calls and allowing me to relax with a "friend" after work as I live very far from my friends.
Like your list. Here's mine:
1. Deep Space Nine
2. Enterprise
3. The Next Generation
4. The Original Series
5. Discovery
6. Lower Decks
7. Voyager
8. Picard
9. The Animated Series
I have only watched the first season of 'Short Treks', and generally I think it makes more sense to judge them individually than as a combined show.
Also, controversial opinion: I really like the theme tune of Enterprise, and think it totally fits the theme of the show.
Oh Christ, you can't just drop a clip from The Visitor on my like that! I'm gonna go cry now.
I like how you are willing to have a different opinion to most Star Trek fans, which is refreshing to see.
So you’re telling me there’s a Star Trek show....that’s animated....AND has HUMOR as an underlying tone?! Goddamn what rock have I been hiding under to not have even heard of it?!
I grew up watching voyager and ds9. My dad actually had a coworker who also watched ds9 and they would excitedly talk to each other over what they thought would happen next plot wise (confusing all their coworkers with the Star Trek jargon XD). I have vague memories of tng, and was sad that technically Picard wouldn’t let me on the bridge since I was a kid at the time. Also was confused as to why Geordie was also teaching me about cool books on Reading Rainbow which was geared more towards my age group looool
But if we’re talking about “hey this episode brought me to tears and somehow helped me process my grief in a personal way that I never knew a fictional character could do....I’ve gotta go with the Borg plot for Picard and then again for that first episode of ds9.
I had really bad anxiety for a year, and felt like single hour I made it through for one day was just a countdown to whatever bs I would have to endure the next day. I eventually did get better, and a year or so later I discovered that tng and ds9 were on Netflix. So I happily decided to rewatch everything since I was much too little when the shows came out to really grasp all the concepts.
AND HOO BOY. DEM EPISODES.
When Picard started crying after fighting with his brother saying, “I couldn’t stop them. I should have been able to stop them” as he struggled to come to terms with how the Borg took his free will, and in ds9 when I watched the prophets from the wormhole standing over Sisko mourning his wife and telling him “this is not linear.” OHHHH. BOOOOOOY.
Like yeah no biggie. Just fictional characters literally explaining better than I ever could about how helpless I felt with anxiety and how hard it was to move forward.
ANYWAY. Thank you for your lovely list. I’m so glad you made it personalized it to you because frankly what else kind of list matters?
OMG VOYAGER AND TNG LOWER THEM LOWER DECKS.... IM DEAD
Oh dang, Voyager got higher than I thought! That show was the one we watched as a family growing up, so flawed as it is, it is still one of my faves!
I started watching Trek when I was in fourth grade, during TNG's fourth season. It was after my younger brother started, based on the recommendation a friend of his made. I snuck downstairs as he watched "The Mind's Eye," but the earliest one I remember watching was a repeat of "Devil's Due," I think in the spring of 1991. The first Trek show I watched from beginning to end as it aired was DS9, from January 3, 1993 in sixth grade. It ended the day before I graduated high school. So, it was perfectly timed for me, in that I was ready for more grown-up Trek, but it was also while I was living at home and watching TV on a regular basis.
As far as the show itself, I consistently rank it at the top, for some of the reasons you said, but also it has the best dialogue of any Trek series to date. Even bad episodes would be elevated by great lines. There are two spectrums along which I felt it hit a sweet spot. The show was neither too light nor too dark, and the show was neither too episodic nor too serialized. Some of that was a function of the 26 episode season, but also because they simply had a mandate that any events in one episode could have consequences, positive or negative, in another episode.
The show was the only one with an exclusively white male writing staff, not counting freelancers (even TOS had DC Fontana on staff, and TAS, VOY, and DSC have all had female showrunners at one point or another; there has yet to be a Trek show with a non-white showrunner), but the show still managed to demonstrate the importance of representation on both sides of the camera, when Avery Brooks' influential commentary on race could be felt in crafting stories like Past Tense, Far Beyond the Stars, Baddabing Baddabang, and What We Leave Behind. The show was maybe the first to make such direct social commentary, free from the allegorical facade of foreheads of the week, but delving into our real-world history much more.
Ranking the rest in terms of personal impact:
TNG: Again, it was really my first Trek series, so I still think of episodes from seasons five, six, and seven to be "new" episodes on some level. They did really light serialization, and set up the spinoffs of both DS9 and VOY pretty well. It had a pretty reliable format, with a jeopardy A plot and a character-based B plot, which kind of set the template for a lot of Trek to follow, at least in the Berman-era. And even though the characters were conflict averse, they were still engaging because they were just really competent people that generally had the same goals in mind and rooted for each others' journeys.
Picard: I think, of the current shows, I kind of like this one the best in some ways. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the dialogue is often quite rich and poetic. I think that really helped sell the Picard/Data conversations that bookend the first season, as well as provide Picard some great lines in key situations, like "the pyramids were an example of colossal vanity," or "fear is an incompetent teacher." And Raffi has found redemption through nurturing, "you bet it's cake!" I also appreciate that it's as close as we've gotten to a civilian Trek series, which is what I've wanted for years.
DSC: This show relaunched Trek in a massive way. We have it to thank for the explosion of new shows, and for really breaking the format for what a Trek show can be. Even though DS9 is my favorite, and even though it's a hybrid crew of Starfleet, Bajoran militia, and civilians, even that show was basically about a captain and crew in all the standard positions. Discovery declared that the show could have an unstable captain's seat. We can go three years without knowing who the CMO or chief engineer are. We can follow the redemption of one character across two ships and the underdog lower decks crew she befriends along the way. We can normalize wearing a heart on one's sleeve as fuel for doing a better job, instead of seeing crying as a weakness. And yes, the diversity is super strong with this show. Each season learned some lessons from the previous ones by developing the likeable bridge crew a bit more, making the antagonists less malicious each time, and making the show just slightly more episodic (not that it's inherently a problem, but the format for season three was a nice hybrid). Forget Me Not is a top ten episode in all of Trek for me, I think. As far as me, though, when I was a kid, I had a Star Trek VI edition of the 1701-A model kit, with crappy pylons. My uncle helped me turn it into a kitbash, with a much more compact design. I called the ship the USS Discovery, a science workhorse that got a new mission to patrol the contentious Klingon border in the wake of the Khitomer Accords. Coincidence?
TOS/TAS: I kind of group these shows together since there's so much overlap in the staff, TAS was designed to hue as close to TOS as possible, and even included story ideas that never came to fruition in TOS. I happen to think that the gender and sexual politics of all Trek is fairly problematic until maybe Star Trek Beyond. So, I think that while the current era of Trek gets criticized for being too adult, previous eras of Trek should be watched by children only if there are adults present who can place the show in a proper historical context. I agree that the TOS movies did a better job with these characters, but I also think that a lot of important things about Trek are established here. If I think someone can handle old TV, I usually suggest The Corbomite Maneuver, Arena, Errand of Mercy, Balance of Terror, and Devil in the Dark as a starting point, because they're largely about seemingly implacable foes learning to communicate, often to solve problems. To me, that's the thesis statement of Trek. Also, a lot of DC Fontana and Gene Coon's writing really helped to build the world of Trek as it would later evolve. I was watching TOS concurrently with TNG, in my pre-DS9 days. DS9 actually replaced TOS reruns on my local station.
Lower Decks: I think this show is really tight in its characterizations. Tendi and Rutherford are fantastic, as are the supportive department heads like Billups. Of the new shows, I kind of think it's one I have some reservations about, because I'm not quite sure where the writers are on the Boimler/Mariner spectrum of by-the-book vs. practical real-world maverick methodology. I'm not sure where I am, to be honest. So, I kind of graded those episodes measured alongside that spectrum. Also, about ten years ago, I was in an animated fan-film series called Star Trek: Mariner, which took place in the Star Trek: Online universe. It took place on the Mariner and had a similar animation style. I played Sirol, the Andorian security chief. Coincidence?
Short Treks: I kind of hope this show comes back. It's a fun anthology series. Back in the days of 26 episode seasons, the Trek shows could do off-beat one-off stories. And this seems to be where those live, for now. So, I'm hungry for more that kind of thing, even if they tend to use it as a test bed for experimental Trek, or as a supplement to other shows.
ENT: I gave this show a chance when I was a junior in college, then again when I was a senior, then a couple of years later for the finale. But I didn't really give it a solid watchthrough until 2013. I enjoyed it. I think I would have made a couple of changes: I would have made the crew UESPA civilians, and/or Boomers. I would have liked to have seen the original plan for the first season, about building the ship and gathering the crew, and then hoped the show would go long enough to show the Romulan War and the birth of the UFP. The show had some pretty iffy post-9/11 politics, and it was considerably less diverse than even the most recent Trek shows at the time, but it seemed like an earnest attempt to learn some lessons from VOY's problems. They were much more conservative about shuttles, crew members, and torpedoes getting lost, and they paid more attention to internal continuity. But they didn't have the knack for characterization and dialogue that DS9 did even at its worst. That said, it certainly set the precedent for Trek moving forward, in that it was probably the first Trek that looked cinematic and it was the first Trek show that started retconning the visual look of past Trek to a large degree.
VOY: There are two general constants in my series rankings: DS9 at the top and VOY at the bottom. It's a bit simplistic, but it kind of betrays the different philosophies of the TNG writers who split off into either show. DS9 tended to have great dialogue, character development, and internal consistency, while I kind of felt that VOY would start with a plot and then figure out how to get the characters to fit that plot. That would often result in characters behaving fairly inconsistently. I didn't even finish the series until 2018 (though seasons six and seven were when I was in college, so it might have been just from watching less TV at the time). That said, I think the bright colors, lighter tone, fast action, and post-Kes Neelix are things that would make the show attractive to kids as a first Trek, assuming they start with Trek before Prodigy comes out. Speaking of which, I wonder if Prodigy will do for Janeway (the hologram), what Picard did for Seven of Nine.
Oh no, TAS is always at the bottom of everyone's list and I love it :D It's brilliant at times and very silly most of the time, but it just improves my mood whenever I watch an episode. My list at the moment is:
1. DS9 (ultimate number 1)
2. Voyager (I am in the middle of it, so I might change my mind later, but I love love love the characters)
3. TOS (very dated, but I love it)
4. TNG (love Data and Picard)
5. TAS (it's just so much fun to watch)
6. Picard (mixed feelings but looking forward to s2)
7. Discovery (started watching s3 but I just don't like the characters that much, apart from Pike in s2)
Lower Decks - I watched two episodes and liked it but I need to watch the rest
Short Treks - I watched one or two, mixed feelings
Enterprise - I watched some episodes many years ago (and didn't like it) but need to watch more of it
Yay! someone with my viewpoint!
@@GeekFilter I'm happy I'm not the only one :)
I remember watching Voyager as a kid - 6 years old, my parents would let me stay up until late to watch Voyager on UPN. I watched Enterprise in middle school when it was airing, of course, and I loved it (don't judge me lol I adore this show), but Voyager will always hold a special place in my heart bc of the nostalgia.
Rom: "What's a bunt?"
Nog: "That's my dad."
Thing that I hate about Star Trek Enterprise is that they went backwards in time instead of forwards. First of all, everyone was looking forward to see the universe after Voyager came back and the Dominion war ended. Also, by going back in time, they boxed themselves in by future developments and undermined earlier shows that were set in their future. It might have been interesting to see stories limited by lower tech, but that didn't happen either since they still had transporters, shields, and everything from earlier shows.
However, Enterprise did have really good stories and characters.
My mother used to watch Voyager. Then when I was 14 I remembered it. So I started watching Voyager. Shortly afterwards, on the weekend, all Star Trek films were shown on TV. Of course, I watched them :) Star Trek also showed me that it's okay to be gay. I am very grateful for that. Before that, I was really scared of being bad because I'm gay.
For me, Enterprise is special because it shows humanity’s humble humble beginnings, our brightest minds pushing Zefram’s Cochran’s legacy forward by achieving higher warp factors, prefacing our developing relationships at that point with our closest neighbors, foreshadowing the birth of the Federation. It also shows how fast humanity elevated itself compared to other species, with Trip saying they eliminated poverty, world hunger, war all in under two generations. It’s just a celebration of the human spirit I think, and it’s totally that Trek show for cracking open a cold one with the boys I can’t explain it lol. It sucks that they pulled the plug so early bc I could easily see it being similar to TNG in that it’s first two seasons were wonky and everything after would’ve been awesome. Sucks to think about.
Found your channel a couple of weeks ago and glad I did. Where did you get your ear rings?
At a con, sadly I don't remember the seller
Jessie: (puts TNG in the back half of her list)
A big chunk of Trekdom: (shocked silence)
Me from somewhere in the back: "DAMN! Starbase 80?!?!"
i have seen a few episodes of the og , and the tng, but the only series that hooked me was voyager. there was a canadian show in the mid 90`s that you could call star trek junior, called space cases, wich was really underrated too i think.
To quote that one guy in Ted, “you got guts. We need guts”
This video might make me watch Enterprise finally, the only one I haven't seen more than a few episodes!! Also yeah DS9 is the best one that's it.. and excited for next Friday's video 💝💝
The first season is kinda rough around the edges, and most of the second season is, honestly, boring (except Minefield and Dead Stop). But Season 3 (after a rocky ep or two) is simply amazing! A season long arc with dire and lasting consequences! Season 4 is made up of several mini-arcs, 2 or 3 episodes long and almost all of them are frankly some of the best Star Trek out there!
So yeah, Enterprise is tricky to get into, but if you persevere it can be really rewarding!
I always put TOS as #1. I know it's dated and things. But just so much nostalgia. And it started it all. And just nothing better than the Spock Kirk McCoy camaraderie. I mean yeah. I just love TOS.
15:20
Take Me Out to the Holosuite, anyone?
Edit: Voyager and DS9 tie for first for me, as Janeway, Harry Kim and Seven were the characters I could relate to the most, and DS9 has some of my most favorite morally grey episodes.
I haven't gotten around to watch Lower Decks yet, but I'll sign your list right away! Deep Space Nine is my favorite series anyway, but Enterprise has a special place in my heart too - it was the first series I saw in English!
I am a third generation Trekkie. My grandfather started taping episodes back in the 80s with his first vcr. I watched all the original episodes at their house. My dad and mom both loved the show separately. Lol my husband cosplays a bajoran. I went to see every movie with my dad since I was born in 1980. I can’t pick up a favorite but each series has special meaning to me. My mother died before Voyager came out but she would have lost it at captain Janeway. I finally finished DS9 with my husband after having never finished it by myself. Pretty much put any episode of any show on and I’ll be a happy girl. Ty for the list Jessie.
Jessie certainly has faith of the heart.
The more you talk about Enterprise the more cautiously excited I am to start it. I'm almost done watching Voyager and then I'm starting from Enterprise through the rest of the shows by in-universe order and I'm more optimistic about ENT now than I was before stumbling upon your channel. Also, love the new haircut!
one thing about DS9 is i wish it didn't take till the end of the show for kira and odo to get together but i understand why it took so long
Now rank every single episode of DS9 😂
Pffft. Anyone can do that. She should rank every episode of EVERY series, and the movies. 🤪🤣
Mine would be
1. TNG*
2. DS9*
3. VOY
4. TOS.
I agree about time travel being overused on Voyager , but after Voyager, considering all the accidents on transporters and the holodeck, it's better. If I was in starfleet, I would recommend to stop using transporters and holodecks.
* DS9 and TNG are almost tied
I’m officially hyped for your work video!
Voyager was my show. I knew the TOS movies and random TNG episodes. I remember sitting down and watching Voyager's premiere in 1995. Voyager was a show the whole family watched every week. DS9 I didn't appreciate until I was much, much older (I was 7 in 95). DS9 continues to be relevant and shine, and now it resonates the most for me.
Great thought out list. I was glad to see Lower Decks rated so high. I agreed with you till the top 3. I would have had DS9 at number one, followed by Discovery, then Enterprise. TOS was my first Trek in 1969, but have loved how it has evolved. Keep up you amazing work. I will be doing a deep dive into your channel, not only for the the Trek takes. I could not love your video on work more. I work in health care and am a workaholic. What you said really touched me. I am going to watch it with my wife, as she is trying to get me to pull back some.
Although I would argue that I dislike discovery, it has probably the most moments that are lodged in my brain. That whole time crystal scene was like the measure of a man distilled. The mirror ‘verse section with emperor Georgiou was incredible, just her entire arc was even. I only wish they fleshed out the characters more. I want to know more about Detmer and Owosekun, which I only learned by looking up the spelling is named Joann.
So excited for your video on "the nature of work"! Also yay for ranking all the star trek shows!
As a teen I watched several episodes of ds9, voyager and tng on TV but now because of your channel I really want to watch all of star trek! I started with watching TOS (nearly finished the first season as of rn), I hope that was a good choice lol
"I shouldn't use sports metaphors. I don't know sports."
Yes but you've seen take me out to the holosuite so you got the sports right in this case. So just enjoy it. 👍😆
And about your video next week that movie be the best video you've ever done: I believe you on that, but I am becoming jealous of the fact that you can apparently just keep topping yourself with your bigger videos because every damn time they're the best you've ever done and I would like to know your secret thanks. If you could bottle it for easy consumption that'd be perfect. 👍
i started watching star trek with TNG with my mom and sister when i still lived with them, it has a very special place in my heart for making me fall in love with the Star Trek universe, but as ive been making my way through all the other shows, i would say that DS9 is my favourite, then Enterprise, Lower Decks, Discovery, TNG, Shorts, TOS, and then TAS (i havent watched Voyager or Picard, yet). But every Star Trek series has a special place in my heart and there are episodes and characters in every series that make me love them.
I've had a rough few days (as I type this, I've been awake for nearly 40 hours straight), but I legitimately did a little happy dance hearing about your upcoming video and announcements!
Sending you love. I know how hard it can get so I hope you’re ok
@@JessieGender1 Oh my goodness, I never thought you'd even see this, much less reply! I think I am doing better, and I'm genuinely touched that you reached out. You truly made my day... night... morning, maybe? I've lost track, but whatever hour it is, it's an entire warp drive better than before!
@@mst3khaleesi943 ❤️😊❤️ please get some rest friend
@@JessieGender1 I promise you that I will! Either the birds have started chirping, or I'm beginning to hear colors 😅 But seriously, you truly brightened things up for me ❤
I wondered how Jesse was going to backdoor Enterprise into the #1 spot. 🤣
The irony is that in 2021 baseball bunting is the courageous unorthodox play while the home run is the dominant scoring play. You see a bunt its pretty exciting because it's so rare now.
Oh you kids! I've been a fan ever since I saw that early NBC promo when we were visiting my grandparents in Florida (we didn't get NBC at home) "In a ship the size of a city…"
The only first-run episodes I saw were summer reruns when we were vacationing in Florida again. "Return of the Archons", "This Side of Paradise". I was always a little suspicious of Sulu after these. I was worried that he was their Kowalski (the guy on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea who everything weird happened to).
As long as we're talking 'personal truth' I grew up on Lost in Space and only dreamed of Star Trek.
Then in the '70s we got cable and two Star Trek reruns every day at 4:00 and 5:00 out of Cleveland and one at 5:30 from Cincinnati. The episodes from the different cities were edited differently for commercials so you could see senes you had never seen from one city or the other. We were saturated! The book "The Making of Star Trek" came out about the same time and the Animated Series started on Saturday mornings.
Of course, THIS is MY Star Trek. "The first and only rule of Star Trek: the very first is always the very best." this means ships, captains, Klingons, everything.
I didn't appreciate Larry Niven inserting elements of his "Known Space" universe into Star Trek (though I was a huge Niven fan at the time), but while the animated series had some of the cheesiest animation (that's the only way they could afford to do it), most of the original cast was there and they had some of the very best writing on Saturday morning. Hey, they introduced the holodeck! I was amazed they brought it forward for Encounter at Farpoint.
Next Generation got off to a rough start but was perfectly acceptable and just got so much better over the years. Deep Space Nine was awesome from the start, but so was Babylon 5 (with their "we're not Star Trek" vibe nagging me at the start). Voyager was fun and interesting as well, but over the years, moving to other media markets, I lost track of the last couple seasons of DS9 and probably even more of Voyager.
"Enterprise" was also a lot of fun, but with the common problem with prequels of doing a lot more with things that were supposedly only recently discovered in the original series.
The Xinti war seemed to come out of nowhere and continue endlessly, until it vanished with nary a trace. I felt they just didn't know what they wanted to do with the show, but they had great characters and espoused great ideas. I didn't watch that series to the end either, but it was one of my favorites along with DS9. I've started rewatching DS9 off and on recently.
I Will NOT pay money to CBS All Access after what they did so specifically to Axanar (taking down Star Trek Continues with it), so I'm unfamiliar with Discovery, Below Decks (which looks like fun) or Short Trek (which I've never heard of).
Orville is the best new Trek (OK, not-Trek) I've found. Seth McFarland is working so hard to pay tribute to Star Trek he keeps forgetting to do the jokes. They've done some VERY Star Trek episodes, better than much 'real' Trek.
And Galaxy Quest has to rank as the best Star Trek parody.
"Mudd's Women" sexist?! It describes women treated as chattel within a local sexist context, artificially enhanced with a mysterious drug that makes them very attractive, in obvious and non-obvious ways.
You show the transporter crew leering, they're clearly responding to the intended effects of the drug. This only demonstrates its effectiveness.
The story goes on to show the women standing up for their own interests against the guy trafficking them.
Your dedication to the schlockiest side of Star Trek is, frankly, admirable, even if I'll never understand it, and I'm just glad you're having a good time.
Enterprise as 1st Pick...
Kinda unusual but also really bold
My fav. Show is... Surprise DS9
I HATED it as a Kid, but learned to Love it as an adult!
PS. Nice DK Patreon Rap 😅
The scenes you showed from In The Pale Moonlight gave me chills.
Gonna go watch it right quick.
Also, our Top-3 contains the same series, just in a slightly different order.
So much of what we love about Star Trek is personal. Certainly, a lot of what I love about Star Trek is specifically about what it means to me, my connections, my thought process, my experiences with it, and yes, how the configuration of the show speaks to me and my identity. Thank you Jessie, for making a list based on how your personal relationship with it makes you feel.
The ability of Star Trek to kind of illustrate where maybe I have been part of the problem in the past is profound and I'll always love it for that
"It may not be what you believe but that doesn't make it wrong. If you start to think like that you're acting no better than Vedek Winn, just from the other side."
I love all the Star Trek Series but I have a 3 way tie for first place. 1. The original series as I grew up watching the reruns and loved seeing Lieutenant Uhura! 1a. Deep Space 9- Loved the whole show and Captain Sisko and his voice! Great storylines! 1b.Enterprise-I never watched the show until last year when I was sick for 6 weeks in bed and I loved it! Scott Bakula and crew were really good! Best to see all at once on Netflix. Also, Bakula was so cute in season 3! Made me feel better! 🤣
That quote you chose from Picard about speaking your truth is so perfect! If everyone's top-X lists were the same, we'd live in a boring world. My list is very different from yours, but I really enjoyed hearing why certain shows meant more to you
DS9 will always be top for me. I grew up with TNG but its not aged well and I don't find myself going back to re-watch whole seasons where as I've watched DS9 through from start to end several times
Also I'm glad I'm not alone in love for Enterprise
Agreed! I think TNG hasn’t aged well unfortunately, I think in many ways it looks very dated now, and is difficult to re watch…. But Enterprise, ah, what a show for me it’s probably the best of Star Trek on a par with DS9, if only they weren’t cancelled after just 4 seasons!!
A very interesting and daring list, indeed! It's always fascinating to hear what people love about each "Trek" show, and my list (when I actually get around to launching my channel and making such a video - hopefully in the next few months) will be decidedly different. I'll admit, though, that I had to stifle my "aw hell nah" reflex when "TNG" came in so low...! :) I just found your channel, BTW, and am very much looking forward to exploring it further!
Very late to the game with this comment, but my boyfriend and I started watching Enterprise this past summer (August 2023 to be exact) and we have three episodes left. We've been trying to stretch it out as much as we can and writing this, I feel like crying a little bit because I'm not ready to say goodbye to Archer and the crew. I'm not ready to stop watching them go on adventures and stumble around the galaxy, experiencing everything for the first time. T'Pol is probably my favorite Star Trek character of all time and I deeply care about Trip, Archer, Phlox, Hoshi, Travis, Malcolm, and of course, Porthos.
It's such a special comfort show. I walked into it not really knowing anything about it and I love it with all my heart.
The theme song SLAPS.
I would really love to hear you talk about Enterprise more :)
I absolutely love that you used the scene with Riker, I was laughing soooo hard when I watched it for the first time. I love that look in his eye every time sex is ever brought up
I like that you rank the series based on how much they resonate with you. It actually is about how you feel about them, and not about how "good" they are to the general public. I rank Star Trek shows based on how invested I am in a ship from it.
Enterprise is such an underrated show. Yeah it had some teething problems at the beginning, but its rewatchability is second to none (apart from DS9 maybe!)