A Complete (& Unhinged) Guide to Watching Star Trek
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- Опубліковано 20 лип 2024
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Star Trek is one of the seminal science fiction franchises out there... yet it's also one of the biggest. From Star Trek The Original Series to Star Trek The Next Generation to Star Trek Deep Space Nine to Star Trek Voyager to Star Trek Enterprise to Star Trek Discovery to Star Trek Lower Decks to... dear god, how many more should I list? It can be very daunting to enter into the final frontier. So, I go over every single element of the Star Trek franchise and show you the best way to start boldy going into Star Trek.
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✔ MY BEST STAR TREK VIDEOS✔
▶Sex in Star Trek: Exploring Gene Roddenberry's Sexual Frontier - • Sex in Star Trek: Expl...
▶How Slash Fiction Saved Star Trek (Ft. Mary Chieffo) - • How Slash Fiction Save...
▶Women of Star Trek: The Future Through a Lens of the Past - • Women of Star Trek: Th...
▶Star Trek's Autistic & Neurodiverse Representation - • Star Trek's Autistic &...
▶Star Trek Lower Decks is a Must Watch (Even for Non-Trekkies) - • Star Trek Lower Decks ...
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✔ PODCASTS ✔
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0:00 - Intro
6:42 - Curiosity Streaming
11:39 - Star Trek Basics
19:18 - Star Trek The Original Series
24:00 - Star Trek The Animated Series
26:30 - Original Series Movies
29:24 - Star Trek The Next Generation
33:48 - The Star Trek Quality Arc
37:59 - Next Generation Movies
40:12 - Star Trek Deep Space Nine
45:41 - Star Trek Voyager
50:48 - Star Trek Enterprise
57:24 - Kelvin Movies
1:01:12 - Star Trek Discovery
1:07:15 - Star Trek Short Treks
1:09:07 - Star Trek Picard
1:11:32 - Star Trek Lower Decks
1:14:06 - Star Trek Prodigy
1:16:07 - Star Trek Strange New Worlds
1:18:24 - Best Viewing Orders
1:24:35 - Final Thoughts - Фільми й анімація
I started watching star trek from the beginning and early TOS is wild. They find multiple planets that are identical to earth. A third of the problems the enterprise faces are just the concept of "women". They invent time travel while drunk on water. Truly the wild west of sci-fi.
I think if I did not grow up with Voyager every week and then DS9, and then TNG), I would have not even tried to watch TOS. Needed 3 attempts to watch it though. The first episode was so… urgh!
@@Siures Meanwhile a kid my dad threw me and my siblings right into the deep end with TOS. My sister and I are still diehard fans who blame it for our raging communism.
Half of TOS was amazing......
The other Half was atrocious.
It was a product of the 60's. Very progressive for the day, but sometimes doesn't hold up as well. It happens when you have 50 years of history. I am sure that TNG/DS9/VOY will have hiccups when viewed 50 years from now.
@@Gilhelmi TNG Season 1 is already a major hiccup, especially those early episodes.
I’ve watched them all as they aired (including TOS). I would agree with the TNG approach for anyone under say 45 or if they say they don’t like science fiction in the manner of oh, say, Asimov. Not so much for the content but more for the style.
As someone who's wanted to get into Star Trek for a while, this is actually really helpful. Thank you!
I’ve always wanted to find a way to explain this all to people who aren’t trekkies I just recently got my friend started into it via Lower Decks since he’s a huge fan of animated series geared toward adult demographic. I am going to have him watch voyager, enterprise, and deep space nine.
I’m so genuinely excited because in recent years, I’ve been getting more curious about Star Trek but wasn’t sure where to start. So thank you! I greatly appreciate you breaking this down in the way that you always break things down and being helpful Ms Jessie! ☺️
Samesies! ♡♤
I watched some scattered TOS and voyager when i was a preteen as well as discovery season 1 and the movies but i never knew how to really get into trek. I really aprecciate the resource jessie has created!
Wait til you get to season 3 of TNG, that’s when it gets really great.
I love Voyager with all my heart (it’s what got me into Trek) but goddamn do I drive myself crazy sometimes thinking of how much better it could’ve been 😩
Same, literally same! A while back I even wrote a whole list of things I would have wanted to be different, just to have some place for my agitation over it to go
Sometimes I watch Year of Hell and pretend that the entire show was just that but drawn out to seven seasons.
The first 2 seasons are not typically great in TNG and Voyager, but the last 5 years were much better once characters are more established and better writing. On Voyager: Doc, Janeway and Seven, even Paris and Belona are great characters. Picard Season 1 moderately okay, Picard Season 2 has a great start first 3 episodes!
Voyager is the only series I watched while it was airing, so it holds a lot of nostalgia for me. I can recognize that it's not the best Trek series, but I still love it.
🙄🙄
DS9 was my first entry point into Star Trek, aside from a smattering of TOS when I was a kid, and I found it a great place to start because it quickly shattered my preconceptions of what to expect from a Trek series.
DS9 is the last that I got into, and it was because of Jessie talking about it so much! I'm so glad!!!
Actually had this happen to me but it was a smattering of TOS then DS9, then voyager
DS9 is fairly atypical for Stark Trek, actually, but probably the best series.
@@stuckatthecrossroads This is true! I'm just coming to the end of a Voyager rewatch, and the enthusiasm for DS9 from Jessie is really making me want to dig out my DS9 DVDs too and give that another run through. I want to watch Quark and be able to notice his "trans jacket" now that I have that concept in my mind from watching Jessie's vids!
DS9 is a great entry point, it has gotten me in despite my long-time uncertainty about the property.
HOW COOL IS THIS?!?! As one who has followed Star Trek since "The Mantrap" was first broadcast in 1966, it's wonderful to see it all summarized, with your particular take on it. Thank you!
btw, Beverly's ghost lover is Scottish, not Irish.
Yeah Janeway’s immaterial fantasy lover is the Irish one
I love how you also apply “nuance is a thing” to Star Trek. You point out the strengths and the flaws of just about every series.
Also, Kate Mulgrew brought such a 'Katherine Hepburn as starship captain' feel to her run, and I loved every second of it 🎉
She also created a toxic workplace and brought her coworkers to tears.
@@distanthope9153 Can't make an omellette without cracking a few ensigns.
I literally just wanted to watch Star Trek but was feeling overwhelmed and didn't know where to even start! thank you, Jessie
where are you going to start?
We got into it as a family and my husband has seen most of it but we decided the best way to go was time line order so started with enterprise and then the original series, (I know discovery should have been in the middle there but we decided the effects were too good to put that second so decided to pretend it hadn't started yet) we are not about to finish voyager and will start discovery and picard after. Looking forward to strange new worlds later this year.
I was raised by a first-generation Trekkie, so I started as a baby, with reruns of the original series. My very first sentence was apparently about Mr. Spock, and I've seen every single last premiere episode of every series from Next Gen on, when it was new. And I've been to conventions, I've gotten autographs, I have comics and books, I've worn uniforms in public, I cracked up when you started singing that "Star Trekkin'" song...
But that doesn't mean that seeing how the franchise might feel to a newbie isn't interesting, 'cos it totally is! I had an online friend, in fact, who got into Star Trek from hearing me yammer on about it--with the one show of the franchise that happened to already be airing on a (TV) channel she happened to get (yes, this was a long time ago): Voyager. Which means that when she got a hamster who happened to have pointy ears, she named him after the first Vulcan SHE had met: Tuvok. :)
Which just goes to show: You CAN, in fact, jump into the franchise on a random show, and still end up a Trekkie. :)
There is one thing that has also remained with each trek show. There is a loud minority that calls the new series "not real star trek." I was 5 when TNG started and there were so many people that claimed that without Kirk, Spock, and McCoy it could never be "real Star Trek."
Also the first Star Trek movie I saw, in theaters, was Star Trek V. It is bad but it has a soft spot in my heart. Also I just love watching Kirk piss off and then kill a God.
discovery has the licenses, but... its a steaming pile. i have most of the other shows on my hard drive, movies too. but the new one? no, im not going to bother with it.
There is a MASSIVE tone shift with old trek, and the new movies. There's a massive amount of emphasis on the overly dramatic, running, screaming, visual effects that they wind up domination all logic. The Spock in the new movies is VASTLY different from the Spock in the older ones. I have a difficulty seeing newSpock as any different between any other crew member of any other random scifi show.
On top of that, there's seemingly only the idea that there doesn't need to be an arc of exploration and science, its always "pew pew pew, lasers!" THere's no slowness of Generations or first contact.
@@D3nchanter I usually explain it like this: "USS Discovery went 500 years into the future and beat a fleet. Now, Look at what changed in 500 years in JUST a naval standpoint. You are basically saying a sailing ship from 1522 beat a modern Destroyer from 2021. THere's MASSIVE technological leaps made between the two time periods. advances in metallurgy, propulsion, armament, ship design, training, power generation, armor, training, material science, navigation, accuracy, scientific discovery and understand of the world around them, and so forth.
Yet the scrip has that defeat as easy as walking the street. The reality is, against a -fleet- of modern warships, there's no real "Strategy" that can get you out without being blown out of the water. Especially when you consider modern weaponry having a range of hundreds of miles. If you want to talk JUST cannons, then its a range of 14 miles. (about 22 km.)
And then there's the idea that the Klingon race is a battle-hardened race always looking for a fight, be it wargames, or an actual death match. "Lets chase them away with combat!"
Not surprised that you get people from political and LGBTQ ideology into Trek, and the other way around. Your passion and enthusiasm would sweep anyone off their feet! Big hug, dear Jessie! Hope the time flies until August.🖖🖖🖖
It's totally the fact that I was raised Trekkie from birth, that's why I have always been okay with all kinds of people. So it goes the other way around too! :)
LGBTQ ideology?
What does that mean?
@@robinchesterfield42my dad is a conservative Trekkie and always had such trouble explaining away his inconsistencies. It made me see the error of his ways. lol. Trek and being a left wing political junky go hand in hand. :-) 🖖
I started my journey in earnest with Lower Decks and Discovery and now I'm a DS9 fanatic. You were actually the one who got me to watch LD!
Yaaas! There are actually garak novels too. And its probaly not as good, but enterprise as , od as they start, season and get really dark good, still optimistic, minus the first, and next generation for the characters.
Enterprise dos really good exploring 9/11 and the mood. inluding the rassism ollowing it, and ho archer comes from honestly frustrating tubbern vulcan rassist, to the one laying the ground thats genuinly amazing at fighting for getting along. Also Tpol has amazing zingers when archr an co are behaving frustrating.
When I was a child, my brothers and sisters and I watched Original Series episodes as reruns. It was the only Trek available. We were thrilled when the movies came out…and I was spoiled to see TNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise when they were first released. My husband and I were excited to share the shows with our child, who enjoyed every episode of TNG, DS9 and Voyager long after they were made, but was appalled by the sexism of the Original Series. We dutifully watched the Kelvin movies, and we had mixed feelings about the first season of Discovery. But Trek is Trek, and we stuck with it.
And thank goodness we did. I will always be grateful for how Discovery finally explicitly represented LGBTQ characters, which coincided with our own child’s coming out to us.
I had always thought that sharing our love of Star Trek with our child was definitely nerdy, archaic and perhaps less than relevant to their own life. Sometimes it’s nice to be proven wrong.
Lol i wish I had this video before I began to watch star trek in preparation for the next Shreks in Star Trek video 🤣
I used to think it would be hilarious if there was an episode where The Enterprise has to respond to a far-off world, and when they get there they find out that it was just a false alarm and everything is ok.
Saw Star Trek 5 in the theater, and watched everything after that in release order! 😅💜
And the more the populace or base personnel keep trying to say things are OK, the more the Enterprise crew thinks something fishy is going on. 😉
"Bones. I'm sure Therewas something wrong... with... theseafood!"
"Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor not a health inspector!"
As a big fan I can't believe that I didn't know that there were so many new series about to air or currently airing... I really need to become active in the community instead of watching the old series over and over alone in my cave like I've been doing for the past decade
I personally started watching Star trek in the chronological order simply because Entreprise was shorter and my dad's favorite, it's relatively satisfying to see how the technology and culture evolved but I do think that in hindsight the TNG order is easier to get into. As someone who loves to go chronological and see how timelines unfold I would say it's also amazing to discover the franchise by going from Entreprise to the most recent shows.
(Spoiler) It also really moved me seeing Spock's conflict about being half Vulcan, half human, after seeing how Human and Vulcans couldn't conceive together, it felt like a very nice continuation. All the aspects of Vulcan culture presented in ENT really changed throughout the century and things T'pol struggled with were not necessarily contemporary to Spock's struggles. That's something I definitely appreciated watching Trek in a rather unconventional order
Oh I'm so happy that Jessie gets to do some more videos that actually make her happy for a change. Getting into Star Trek so late, it's amazing seeing such great content for it from such a great creator!
I started with the Kelvin Timeline films and moved on to the Original series, The Next Generation, Discovery, Picard and Lower Decks.
I have currently watching through Voyager (at Season 4 Episode 9), I will start Enterprise and Deep Space Nine later this year.
Tuvik forever
@@MadameCorgi Tuvok and Neelix are a cute couple. But, seeing tuvix being killed by janeway was hillarious.
If you insist on watching Enterprise, end with DS9 let your Star Trek Journey end with the best Trek (IMO...I haven't gotten around to new Trek I don't want to pay for another streaming service)
@@kristinab3838 Yes, VOY is my favourite out of them all.
@@klixx_yt2396 NO IT'S HEARTBREAKING
I also realize there should be a list of definitive episodes for each series. This doesn't mean the best, but what one can watch to get what any series is about. This does include some mediocre, and even bad episode. Yes, I would count "Spock's Brain" as definitive TOS. If you want to see the 60s kitsch of the first show at its worst, but still be enjoyable, then if you can tolerate this you can take almost everything else that show does.
Oh man definitive episodes: I can only really, really speak on a couple series' cos frankly they're the only ones that ever felt definitive to me:
TOS: Charlie X, Return of the Archons (though less for quality and more due to its cultural impact, frankly the episode sucks and has weird, weird shit 'Nazis constructed the most effective form of government' stuff that is 60s idiocy at its worst, buuuuut... its kinda important) Arena, for both camp at its hightest and writing of its highest, Mirror Mirror, Shore Leave, Tholian Web, Trouble With Tribbles, honestly are all really solid. Frankly I think you have to add in Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, because it is almost remarkable in how much of an abject failure it is from the federation stand point. It is so heavy handed in its political message I think it's much better than people give it credit for. A lot of people let messages roll through one ear and out others, but the bizarre insanity of that episode is just fun. Honestly, TOS is hard to really say 'best' episodes of or definitive, too many are incredibly culturally impactful.
TNG has few episodes that really feel impactful to me, as sad as it is, too many of the episodes stand out more due to being particularly awful than good. But I'll be totally honest: Despite thinking Tasha Yar was the coolest character ever as a kid and being incredibly upset at her death, uhhh, the only episode that I think is really worth watching in S1 is Conspiracy, and only after a few seasons into TNG. Q episodes are usually fun after Encounter at Farpoint's dullness, Yesterday's Enterprise is unfortunate because it's one of the best Star Trek episodes but a terrible episode if you've not seen S1, but S1 isn't very good but it is definitely in there. best of Both Worlds is of course, good. But I don't think it aged too well and ends up forgetable if you've seen any of the much better Borg episodes. Darmok is literally TNG at its finest, I find Schisms to be one of the most memorable episodes in TNG and one of the few that has had lasting impact on me, and honestly, this'll be a weird one, the best episode of TNG in my personal book is Remember Me. Data is great but I feel he's kind of overdone in the series and never really gets a chance to stand out.
DS9 is hard to quantify with a 'best' but Jadzeea Dax is the best.
Voyager has episodes that absolutely feel definitive. Year of Hell 1/2 are I think Star Trek as action at its absolute peak .Prototype is a good episode that helps define B'Ellana, Threshhold is absolutely bizarre and definitive. Death Wish is some of the Q episodes at its best. and frankly I think Voyager's Q episodes are just better than TNGs. Coda is top tier and memorable, Darkling is honestly interesting. Remember is another great B'Ellana episode and just a good episode all around, Before and After is one of the more bizarre and also interesting time travel episodes, Unimatrix Zero 1 and 2 are great and honestly, I think what it is is I just love Voyager and just see it as TNG but much better.. Honestly, the more I think about it the more I just want to sperg about how much I love Voyager and how it was absolutely engaging to watch.
Frankly I think if you started with Voyager, you can't go wrong. It ends up being far more modern feeling than TNG, more focused on modern politics and less stuck in a old hokey cold war era, is significantly braver and it meshes better with modern TV to have a less stuffy, stodgy captain and crew.
@@WereScrib DS9 is hard to quantify? Sorry but Far Beyond the Stars and In the Pale Moonlight.
@@WereScrib If you want a TOS episode that absolutely epitomizes the series, add in "The Devil in the Dark" to your list. It's not usually considered one of the series' very best, but it has everything that makes TOS what it is.
DS9: For anyone who is uncertain about the series, go with "Duet" or "In the Pale Moonlight". If either of those doesn't do it for you, DS9 might not be the best series for you.
@@ospero7681 How did I not put Devil in the Dark in, I mean, it's got a song devoted to it.
I'm an autistic trans guy who fell in love with the original series about eight years ago, I was honestly surprised I didn't stumbled upon your content before because I've been engaged with your glorious scripting for months now. 10/10 I always recommend
Excellent word choice regarding her scripting, it immediately summoned the mental image of Picard and Patrick Stewart's distinctive voice.
"Another Jessie Gender video is available,"
On screen!
An hour and a half guide to how to watch Star Trek by Jessie? AMAZING. PERFECTION. I must watch even though I’m already into Star Trek! 😎👍🏼🥰🖖
My dad was a first generation Trekkie and I grew up watching with my mom after he passed. I think he would have loved the new trek shows. You are absolutely right about lower decks. It’s definitely a love letter to trek as a whole, love it! 🥰🥰
As an original Trekkie (yes, 1966), I think you did a great job talking about all the franchise (even the parts I'm not fond of). Well done!
This was so much fun - and it's really nice seeing you having a good time talking about something you obviously love, instead of yet more horrible news.
I had to stop the video to send my husband a Gif of Garak saying "It's insidious" before continuing. 😂
This video took me on an emotional rollercoaster! Reminding me of all that I deeply love about each series and all that deeply frustrates about some as well and what makes Star Trek so unique and special. I am a life-long Trek fan and started with TOS/TNG (that's all there was when I was 2 and my dad was using his trading cards as flashcards to teach me about the characters). Growing up, I had to sift through piles of VHS to find episodes that he had recorded from TV and read ST magazines to find articles and news that can just be Googled now. I didn't have any friends who liked Trek, so I had no one to talk to about it outside of my family. It's exciting to me to think about all of the new Trekkies who can stream any episode or movie and find online communities to belong in from the get-go! You are a gift to the fandom, Jessie. What an amazing resource this video is! Thank you!!! 💗🖖🏼
Love the suggestions for watch order. Some options I like to suggest:
If someone is not afraid of watching older media, I like to suggest episodes like "The Corbomite Maneuver," "Arena," "The Devil in the Dark," and "Errand of Mercy," to get Trek's main thesis: seemingly implacable foes learning to communicate in order to solve problems.
If they're a kid, I'm tempted to show them VOY. It's my least favorite, but it's brightly colored, fast, action-packed, lighter in tone, and post-Kes Neelix actually kind of feels like a kid's show character. Though, now that Prodigy is out, that's an even better candidate.
If they're skeptical of old shows, then I'd suggest they watch the TOS movies and a few key episodes of TNG that set up DS9, then do a full watchthrough of DS9.
The 2009 film isn't a bad start, either.
Or they can just start with the current crop of shows.
I more or less saw the Kelvin movies when I was younger but didn't care much for them (I really enjoyed Beyond though), and last year I ended up starting DS9. The beginning is confusing for a first-timer but the pilot really impressed me, because... the characters talk. They talk and communicate in a way you just don't really see nowadays. Also the show is incredibly chill (it puts me to sleep which makes things more difficult hahaha). I only finished the first season, and it pretty much took me a year to watch it, but I was very positively impressed and at some point I'll keep on watching.
Season mid-season 3-4 DS9 really gains it's footing. There's a reason why most youtube pundits say that DS9 is their favorite of the TV series.
I am a die hard Star Trek fan; I have been my whole life. growing up there was a channel that played 4 hours of the original series every Saturday and our house would basically shut down to watch Star Trek. never missed an episode of TNG and now I watch everything...can't wait for Strange New Worlds and this season of Picard is so good (btw Patrick Stewart has been my old man crush since I was 8 and Spock is the love of my life)
DS9 is the black sheep of the franchise and I'm so glad we're on the same page about it being just the best xD that said even avid Trek fans have a good chance of being confused by the Thomas Riker reveal
My partner was a bit faster than you and we recently finished season 1 of DS9. I never watched any Star Trek before and it is delightful ❤️
Jessie: makes fun of Steve Shives' whiteboard hang-up
Me: This is CouncilofGeeks-erasure! You're not even using a riding crop!
I deeply love your and Steve's callouts at each other. Just, excellent. Chef's kiss.
I was raised by a Trekkie, so I grew up watching re-runs and "whichever tapes/DVDs the video store had at the moment" episodes of TOS/TNG/DS9/Voyager, including watching Voyager towards the end of its initial run, and Enterprise from the beginning. Learning about the broader cultural influence of Star Trek as a whole was also part of this.
Certain episodes were occasions to put other distractions away, "You need to see this one"--my parents used elements of Star Trek to help explain (what I now understand as) their own neurodivergence, and as starting points for other social and political topics.
Fun Star Trek references were interwoven into conversations, and they kept Klingon and Vulcan dictionaries next to the Merriam-Webster
I'm not fully up to date on all of the more recent series--Discovery, in particular, frustrated me at the beginning so I left it alone for a while. But I know first seasons of Trek shows can be rough, so I'll definitely give it another try!
it feels illegal to be this early. been meaning to actually watch more star trek tho, so having a guide like this is really useful ^^
I recently got into Star Trek when my partner started watching TNG and I would passively absorb episodes, until I was actively watching. Then the same thing happened with DS9, but my absorption happed a lot more quickly. Unfortunately, Voyg was taken off netflix when we were halfway through DS9
I’ve been meaning to get into Star Trek so this is exactly what I needed
Well I grew up in the '80s and '90s and saw a smattering of TNG and Voyager when they were new, along with a few TOS episodes. (What I *was* really into was Gargoyles, which for whatever reason had a bunch of TNG actors doing voices.) But the stars seem to be aligning to get me to watch DS9, and now I see I have probably more than sufficient background to jump on in. Thanks Jessie!
I'm pretty sure this video tip the scale over with me having watch more video of Jessie talking about Star Trek than me watching actual Star Trek lately
I know why fans hate the Kelvin timeline movies, but they seriously underestimate how easy they are to get into. I wasn't a Star Trek fan until I saw the 2009 movie, it made me go back to watch the Original Series and more stuff because of how fun they are.
I'm honestly glad you made a video like this because I recently started watching the first series and I'm enjoying it so so much already. But I'm ready to watch in the order you recommend.
It's really wonderful to see a Trek fan see the good (and bad) in each of the series and not just dismiss newer series. What a nice watch.
51:32 The song is ok with me, but what really get's me is seeing the space shuttle again. Hits right in the heart.
Also, I was SURE you were going to say Insurrection. I actually got to see that in a private screening at the theater for the price of a single ticket. I remember being underwhelmed, but ultimately enjoyed it.
Shows you how much of an impact Nemesis made that I didn't even remember that it existed when you mentioned the one bad TNG film... 😹
I started with Enterprise when it was on SciFi back in the day and loved it, but never really felt compelled to seek out the older series. Watched a little bit of TNG casually, however recently I have been going through DS9 and I am blown away. The perfect blend of silliness, serious topics, growth, and depth... can't wait to watch more all-things Trek.
I've been trying to get into Star Trek for years so this was really helpful for me. Thanks so much for making this video!
On this topic, I found your videos due to being a long time Trekker myself, over time my girlfriend started watching your non-Trek videos about social issues, and that led to her finally wanting to give Star Trek a spin and we've watched a handful of TNG and Enterprise together now. ☺️
This was such a fun watch! I love videos like this where people gush about their special interests cause theyre always such fun deep dives
I only recently found your channel and you are quickly become one of my favorite creators. I love a long form video and I just watched this even though I've been watching Trek regularly since I was 9 years old and TNG premiered. I can't wait to binge you backlog! Keep up the great work!! PS: you also got me to finally bite the bullet on Curiosity Stream.
I got into Star Trek by way of my cousin when I was in my teens back in the 90s. He was raving about Star Trek Generations and so I went to our local VHS rental shop and luckily they had Star Trek First Contact. It was the first Trek I saw and I was blown away. Then I scoured VHS rental shops and saw Wrath of Khan, Generations, and STV and fell in love even more.
This was such a great introduction and overview. Every clip you played throughout the video were just perfect. That must have taken so much time going through all the series and movies to find.
I hadn't really watched a star trek episode until I found your channel a few months ago....I didn't think I would enjoy it... But now...
I have decided to watch every episode of every trek series as a new years resolution and I have just finished next generation...
It has been a very fun experience that has made me laugh, cry and taught me much...
Yessssssss
I got into TNG as a kid when it was in syndication on Spike TV in the early 2000s, and did exactly the TNG order you described
Dipping back into this again, and it’s pretty cool how we are pretty much in agreement 100 percent, down to the merits of the Kelvin movies and Enterprise.
On watching order, I did want to mention what worked to getting my kid into Trek, after failing at trying to start with TOS and the Kelvin movies. Instead, I showed my kids the pilots to each of the series. DS9, DSC and ENT were the favorites. My eldest didn’t really take to Trek, but she said that she liked Discovery best because “the people actually have real emotions on that one.” My youngest burned through DSC and ENT, and then watched much of DS9 and VOY (the latter because it was the only series available on Netflix at the time). Kid is a huge trekkie now and it taught me something important:
You can’t make someone else have your Trek experience. I can’t reproduce my 70s viewing TOS over and over and slow enjoyment of later stuff. For the most part, kids don’t care about spoilers, from what I’ve observed. Mine has watched everything completely out of order, and breaks all the rules. TWOK? Meh. But Enterprise, he wants me to read the novels to him. Still hasn’t watched much of TOS or TNG (just the episodes that were helpful in understanding the series Picard). He’d not even so hot on Strange New Worlds, but can’t wait for more Discovery and Prodigy. Let people Trek the way they will Trek.
I didn't watch Star Trek growing up, but my great grandparents watched TNG as it aired and on evenings I stayed with them instead of going shopping with my mom and sister, I remember fondly falling asleep on their comfy couch with TNGs intro playing in the background. ❤
When I did get older, I watched the first Kelvin movie with my husband when it came out and that's what got us both into ST. ❤
Jessie: * slaps on sticker as intro *
Me: I understood that reference!
your "TNG order" is closer to how my mom got me into trek as a kid. She loved TNG so much, she dressed up as a Vulcan engineer (TNG uniform, and full giant perm 80s hair because this was before Vulcan women also had the bowl cuts) for cons back in the 80s. I treasure the one picture that survived cos she doesn't do that kind of stuff anymore. I think Enterprise and the new movies kind of soured her love of the franchise, unfortunately. Like I'm sure she still treasures the older shows in her own way but she just doesn't engage with them at all on any level and that makes me so sad.
You're my hero for putting all of this together! I was obsessed with TNG when it was on the air but I was so young I barely remember most of it and I just didn't keep up with new Trek things past elementary school. I've been wanting to try Discovery and Lower Decks and you've made me feel a lot less intimidated about diving into new stuff without slogging through a rewatch of a million old things first! And I especially appreciate hearing all this from you in particular because I trust your politics - it helps a lot to know what kinds of troubling things I'll come across if I end up trying DS9 or Voyager or revisiting TNG etc.
For anybody reading this who's thinking about watching TNG with your young children, I had a blast watching it as a kid! Most of the sexy stuff went over my tiny little head but some of it might be pretty embarrassing for parents watching with their kids, and probably for older kids / teens as well 😳
My husband really loved Deep Space Nine. It had a really eclectic cast and quite a variety of stories over its seasons. For me, the thing I enjoyed most about DS9 was that it seemed (to me) to be one of the best showcases for the late René Auberjonois. But there are great performers in just about every Star Trek, so I just wanted to share one that seems to sometimes get sidelined.
I always say I'm going to watch your long stuff in pieces over several days. Yet here I am watching the whole damn thing. Great job as usual.
Some of the best memories I have of my Dad involve watching ST with him, but I was a child back than and didn't pay attention to its subtexts at all. I haven't really been in contact with the franchise since that time, but Jessie's videos are starting to make me appreciate ST enough to seriously consider watching it again, not just out of nostalgia.
I haven't even started this video yet, and I'll probably only do so tomorrow (after all, it's the size of a documentary 😂), but I wrote this as an excuse to thank Jessie for making me take such a happy trip down memory lane 🥰
P.S My dad's still alive btw, but we haven't exactly been close for most of my life. He's never been good at communicating with people. Walls talk way more than he does.
I hadn't watched Star Trek in a while before I found this channel... and I'm glad I did. Trek reminds me that it's OK to try to do the right thing.
I have kind of watched DS9 and TNG in large blocks with whichever fit my particular mood, and that has been a really rewarding way to watch it for me.
This video is godly and I thank you for all the work you put in. Excited to start watching and I'm glad I found your channel!!!
I’ve only watched (and enjoyed) some of voyager and your content has made me want to get into trek so I’m very very happy this video exists!
I started by catching reruns of TNG on TV, because the great thing about TNG is that you can start with almost any episode and understand what's going on. It seems like Prodigy is trying to set itself up as a gateway series, so some day my recommendations may change, but for now my recommendation is to start with TNG (season 2 or even 3), then go back to TOS and TAS (and feel free to bail if the cheese factor gets to be too much for you), then the movies, then DS9, then VOY, then the stuff that's currently airing. I actually haven't watched ENT so I don't know where to put that one, but probably after VOY the way it aired.
Side note, I HIGHLY recommend Lower Decks, and you don't necessarily have to save it for the end, but a lot of what makes it great is that it's comedy FOR Star Trek nerds, so I don't know if it's a great place to start. Definitely check it out once you've got some understanding of the franchise, though.
Ok, the more important stuff to me was that it's not so chronologically dependent. I decided to go first to Next Generation, because it looks like it's the better show, and them Enterprise, because I think it's the most intriguing theme. Also Scott Bakula. Ok, maybe mostly Scott Bakula.
Thank you for making this video, I'm a newcomer to both your channel and Star Trek so this was a great resource. Will be checking out more of your content!
New trekkie here!!!! Finding your videos has been INCREDIBLE! Thank you for your passion, your great insight and your delightful humor! ⭐️
TNG will always be "my" Trek, though I experienced TOS first, liked DS9, watched some Voyager, and then kind of wandered off. Thoroughly loved this entire video. Maybe it's time to wander back.
I've been guiding a couple of friends of mine, who were interested, through the different series just to give them context if needed. We just finished TOS and getting into the OG cast movies and so far it's been working out great!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! Amazing recap from a fellow Trekkie.. myself I grew up having the chance to watch it all in release order and will be forever in love with this franchise! Glad to be a subscriber of yours (I love how you nerd out on Trek) and also really interested in your other videos for sure, live long and prosper dear!
I really wish you’d mention Star Trek acid party that video is probably the most accurate representation of doing psychedelics I’ve ever seen
I *loved* this video so much! So many funny moments for people who are already fans (or kinda lapsed fans like me) your energy around all that is Trek is awesome. There is so much new stuff I was not aware of! I started with TNG and got hooked after the first episode I ever watched which was actually the last episode of TNG "All Good Things". I then went back and watched every TNG episode which was not that easy at the time and involved borrowing the VHS tapes of my Mom's friends husband who had taped all the episodes. Keep doing what makes you come alive! Boldly Go! ❤❤❤
I've been watching Trek all my life, but never really sat down to watch it until a few years ago. I actually started with Voyager, then TNG, Then watched in chronological order to prepare for Disco's first season. definitely a weird order, but it worked for me. I jump around and watch a few episode of each series now and then when I feel like it and am very exited for upcoming episodes of Picard and SNW to release
Excellent video Jessy! Really nice to see a video paying homage to the whole franchise!
I agree!! Thank you Jessie!!🖖🏻
I've been a star trek fan for a few years now, but you have made me newly excited and proud of that enthusiasm. You seem like a person that would be very fun to talk to, I am envious of those you call friends.
I fell in love with Star Trek as a kid through the original series movies -- really, Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, and Undiscovered Country. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were my heroes and role models. This was sometime in the early 90's while TNG was on the air, and once I'd worn out the original series VHS tapes, I dove into TNG with maximum nerdiness. I totally had to be a not-bald Picard that Halloween. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into Deep Space Nine at the time because, well, I was like 8 or 9 years old and it just felt boring. But I loved Voyager. As an adult, things have switched: I adore DS9 but find VOY boring or cringey. I remember watching random TNG re-runs on TV during high school but totally lost track of Trek after graduating. When I discovered Enterprise in 2011, I felt like, as crazy as the world had become, I'd uncovered ancient ruins of something stabilizing and familiar. It often felt like Trek soap opera, but it was Trek, nonetheless!
Legit you are the reason I finally gave star Trek a try and I loved it. I watched from the Original series to Voyager. We don't currently have the stream service for the newer ones unfortunately. So anyways, thank you for getting me into this awesome series I really love now.
Thank you so much for this video! I have wanted to get into Star Trek for years, but it seemed to huge I had no idea where to start!
thank you ! since I've began watching your videos, I've gotten more and more interested in star trek, but I never knew where to start.
I technically started with the new movies but it didn't really stick with me as much as a kid, I got actually invested with Lower Decks, and branched into Voyager and TOS.
This is a fantastic video, Jessie. My first star trek was VOY, and then I watched some TOS and TNG a bit later. TNG I actually saw an episode by myself when my family was on vacation in Vegas, and it was The Best of Both Worlds, pt 1. From that moment on I fell in love with TNG and its been my fav star trek show since.
As someone who has been around the fandom for a while, but then life got in the way and wasn’t sure where to jump back in, this was insanely helpful! It also reminded me what I love about Star Trek. Thanks for the awesome video.
Discovered ur channel a few days ago and now I'm hooked in the star trek universe! Love from Brasil !❤❤
For me, I like to recommend a variety mix of episodes to introduce someone to Trek, to give them a taster of the overall thing and then let them go "oh, I liked that one, I'll watch more of that".
So, episodes like City on the Edge of Forever (TOS); The Best of Both Worlds 1 & 2 and Darmok (TNG); Living Witness (VOY); In The Pale Moonlight (DS9. Yes, it's a key arc episode but it's also completely self-contained, with the opening scene telling you everything you need to know - the Federation is at war, they are losing, there's a neutral party they need to tip the balance); Demons/Terra Prime (ENT).
The only live action shows I wouldn't recommend an episode from is DSC and Picard, as both are so heavily serialised you can't really just pick up a random episode.
The jadzia cutout moment made me laugh so hard!
As a star trek fan, Thank you so much for this video and the trip down memory lane.
Fantastic video, as always, Jessie!
Excellent video essay. Thank you for taking up this massive challenge.
I was one of those people that tried to watch Voyager when it aired being a huge TNG fan. But wow did I think it was bad. I couldn't stand it. But you've given me the idea to maybe give it another go. It would be nice to watch some new (to me) trek. I think that even as a long time Trek fan, it was easy to forget about the quality arc and skip whole shows due to god awful first seasons.
Voyager is my least favourite Trek for a number of reasons, but paradoxically it also has some of the very best episodes in all of Trek. In short, Voyager is generally either Awful or Brilliant, it seldom rests in between, imo. Living Witness, Scorpion 1 & 2, Equinox 1 & 2, Year of Hell 1 & 2 - when Voyager gets it right it really, truly, Gets It Right.
its my least favorite trek besides disco as well. but.. its kind of alright. idk that id rewatch it, but i will for the other shows.
discovery i just threw out. only reason it got a watch is because i had no job, and even then i kind of wish i hadn't.
@@D3nchanter if you tell yourself that discovery is none cannon and it is its own thing, youl learn to like it, i have a bunch of problems with it as well, but just told myself meh its a knockoff trek,and wallah i enjoyed it :D
That graph makes me even more sad because of what Enterprise could have brought if they had another season or two.
I watched the shows in a weird order. I started with the last half of Voyager as my mom was watching it and I got interested in it. Then I went back to the original and animated series, and then decided to watch the series in order by approximate stardate, Enterprise, TNG, DS9. There are so many shows, movies, and ideas that even over the last few years, I haven't gotten to everything yet, but my partner has been watching Lower Decks, and I'd like to watch some stuff with him as he's more new to it. DS9, Enterprise, and Discovery surprisingly enough have been my favourites so far. Even though there are some not so great choices with the writing all the time, I think the characters and ideas behind them really have some great moments.
Oh, dude! I've been trying to work out how to watch the series by stardate (doesn't have to be exact, especially since the dates are often inconsistent), but haven't sat down to do the math about it. If you have any advice on how to structure that, I'd be much obliged.
I've been needing a video like this thank you so much!
I just want to thank you for this. My autism leads to some serious hyperfixation on media which can be a lot of fun but I also find it exhausting so I'm extremely cautious about letting myself get exposed to something new especially if there's a lot of lore because I know it's all I'll be able to think about for a long long time. Having a well structured guide like this helps me pace myself and feel better knowing that I'm not alone in this
So I watched the Kelvin Movies first then Voyager, DS9, TNG, Enterprise in that order while watching New Trek as it would be released. I got attached to Voyager because there were reruns playing on T.V. and I got really attached to those over the TNG and TOS reruns playing because I got attached to the crew especially the strong woman. I still haven't finished TOS or all the TOS & TNG movies. I have watched Nemesis and First Contact though. I did learn quite a bit about Star Trek through my dad and my brother who are fans of the franchise so I got a lot of the references that were made that I would've missed other wise.
Honestly I think long standing Trek fans completely overlook how good of a starting place Voyager actually is. It's like TNG with, well, more consistency? And a captain that, uhh, meshes better with modern TV? Janeway is fun, snarky and by far the best actor or actress in star trek history. Frankly I think it has some of the best acting period in Star Trek, while TNG was often marred by really, really iffy guest stars every few episodes. As well as (perhaps frustratingly for TNG viewers) often approaching similar themes or ideas just, well, deeper for it s era. Moved beyond the Cold War and reaganite politics.
I.E. Gender gets to be addressed far more directly. Sex gets to be addressed far more directly. It's not afraid of sexualizing characters but unlike past series, had (multiple) significant female presences powerful enough to veto a lot of the most egregious things that other shows in the late 90s/early 00s were delving hard into. While it lacks the overt sexual queer energy of DS9, it still has a few moments and never at least feels like its dodging the issue. (It at least was brave enough to stand against convention and have a woman lead)
And honestly a lot of what people hated about voyager then, kinda feel like quaint complaints now. Like Neelix....is a lot less annoying to adults now than he was then. Standards of what is and isn't annoying have changed. Newer fans tend to look to him almost like an adorable boy instead of an obnoxious pest. There's even a notable 'Neelix is boyfriend material' subculture here and there that's come up.
I always wondered if Shatner, being Canadian, had any issues with acting so patriotically uber-American in that episode.
As a not USA I pretend that episode doesn't exist because it just pisses me off
This video convinced me. I gave up on Discovery during the second season but you made it sound worth another look!
Star Trek is such a great franchise, well surmised
Season 4 is the (st)age at which a Star Trek series grows a beard 😉
Very interesting!
I got into Trek a bit fairly recently (back when Netflix was new to me) with a mix of TNG and DS9 - the shows I remember my brother liking back when I was young and didn't accept that you could like more than one science fiction franchise.
Deep Space 9 I enjoyed more than TNG because, between being a kid and trying Star Trek as an adult, I had become a big fan of Babylon 5. To the point where I asked for and got all 5 seasons of Babylon 5 on DVD for christmas one year. So yeah, space station/political thriller sci fi....very much my thing.
That said, I've largely cut back on how much TV I watch as the number of interesting and often more creative and varied content creators on UA-cam has grown, which means my list of "things I should watch" is growing substantially faster than I clear through them. Which means both shows wound up on a side burner and have been sitting there for....oh, about 7 years now. (fortunately, this is a magic side burner that undoes what having them on the main burner does, so things get forgotten and can be enjoyed on a rewatch, rather than....uhh...what happens when you put food on a side burner for 7 years? Fire? Probably fire.)
The most underappreciated film of the franchise is still TMP. When I was a kid, I stayed for the disco warp jumps. Now that I've gotten much older, I appreciated it for two things: It laid the groundwork for TNG and Uhura's hair. Some may not get that second part (or the overt sexual undertones of that film- literally getting it on with God). The fact she walked out in life on the bridge as the day she was born. No accommodating, just natural beauty.
Always love hearing you wax poetic on Star Trek! I myself have found real ease by watching in realease order 😛 Looking forward to seeing all your other cosplay outfits!
Wonderful video 🥰 my introduction to star trek was the 2009 movie, I still remember seeing the trailer for the first time as a kid and being fascinated by it. The first thing I watched after it was the 5th TOS movie which makes your description of it really funny to me