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.
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.
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! ☺️
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!
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.
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.
@@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!
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.
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!"
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!
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! :)
@@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 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
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.
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.
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!
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! 🥰🥰
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
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
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 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)
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.
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)
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! 😅💜
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. ❤
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.
My mother is a huge Trekkie so I, of course, have become a huge Trekkie since I grew up on nearly everything. One of my friends, though, has recently expressed interest in getting into Star Trek so I just sent them this video!
I grew up watching Star Trek with my cousins, but stopped watching as we grew up. Now I have been trying to get back to it and this guide really helps! Thank you! ❤
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!
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.
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. ☺️
I randomly clicked on one of your more political videos about a year ago and given that I was listening on headphones and my phone was face-down on the table, I had no idea you were a Trekkie. That is until I heard the wooshy-door sound during a transition and nearly fell out of my chair in excitement. I looked through your other videos and subscribed immediately. I’ve been watching Star Trek since I was probably six. I started with the Next Generation, then TOS and the animated series, and then every other show in pretty much chronological order to date. There’s never been a piece of media so influential in my life. I love your content and I think it’s amazing that you’re welcoming new folks into such an amazing franchise.
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
Jessie, this video is such a joy. I agree with so many of your sentiments, and I found myself nodding and verbally agreeing as I was watching. It is a question I get asked often as well, and now I know where to refer those who ask rather than them having to listen my incessant Star Trek ramblings!
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 will say you've by far done a better job of convincing me to watch Star Trek in just a couple videos versus my dad trying for my entire life. I still don't think I'll do it. but I just love you and your videos so much! 💗
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.
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'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.
God! I need this! I first started watching star trek with Discovery, then I started (and gave up on) Voyager before finding Picard and Lower Decks. Now I want to get some of the "old" star trek
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 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...
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 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.
I'm starting to binge watch your Trek videos more and now I am getting more and more curious about Star Trek despite my limited experiences in the past. So I have to say is thank you for introducing me into the series.
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.
I'm happy to see you including TAS because *that* was actually my first Star Trek series when I was (checks calendar) 11 years old and watching it on Saturday mornings.
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 😳
As weird as Star Trek can get, I love the fact it really does bring people together throughout the spectrum and across generations. I myself grew up watching reruns with my aunt so you're videos being a kind of nostalgia to my geeky self 🥰
Being 10 years old in the 90s, I remember a model of a Borg cube at Dad's boardgame store, a photo of Klingons posing with my nurse mom at the hospital, fear learning the dangers of early transporters, and feeling wonder realizing kids lived on the Enterprise. Then I forgot it all until my twenties. A friend put on Voyager and I fell in love again. Worth watching without ever skipping the best intro music of any of the series.
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
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 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.
It's true, your enthusiasm could make anyone fall in love with Star Trek. I have been in love with it for a long long time and, yes, it's hard to figure out a way to ease newcomers into the geekdom. Whenever people ask me 'where do I start with Star Trek', I answer 'watch First Contact. Then look online for series chronologies,etc and take it from there'. First Contact is the ideal introduction to Star Trek. It lays out all the historical context and shows all the main recurrent values/themes.
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 got into Star Trek last summer because of you and Steve Shives! I watched two very long videos about representation of disabilities and autism in Star Trek without having seen any Star Trek at all and it seemed like something I'd really vibe with (they were great videos). My friend (lifelong trek fan) was watching Voyager so I joined him and really liked it!!
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.
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.
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!
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!
Thank you for this, I recently stumbled upon The Orville which convinced me to get into the world of Star Trek. I grew up a hardcore Star Wars fan and I'm constantly looking for good sci-fi content.
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.
Love the video! Agree with everything………except for the Enterprise intro theme. That song is an actual implement of torture. The sonic manifestation of pain itself.
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.
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.
Just sat down and watched this with my wife. After 10 years I’ve finally gotten her to agree to watch star trek 💪🏼🖖🏼 Signed up with your code for curiosity stream as well. Thank you!!!!
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
I'm a brand new trekkie: i marathoned TNG during the first lockdown and just now starting Deep Space 9 and I agree that its a show you can just start watching. I didn't feel I'd missed vital information not starting at the very beginning of the franchise
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 randomly started watching the original series a few days ago (I've never watched Trek before) and I absolutely love the campiness of it, I think it's brilliant
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 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.
I watched TOS as a kid and tried to show it to my husband and he was not interested. But then we started at TNG and he is now a dedicated fan. Glad I got him to watch TOS Trouble with Tribbles so he could appreciate the Troubles and Tribbilations DS9 episode.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
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 how you also apply “nuance is a thing” to Star Trek. You point out the strengths and the flaws of just about every series.
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
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.
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.
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!"
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!
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 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.
🙄🙄
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.
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've been a star trek fan since I was like, 3. But I'm here for this video. And I loved it.
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! 🥰🥰
Thanks!
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! 😎👍🏼🥰🖖
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
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
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.
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!
I deeply love your and Steve's callouts at each other. Just, excellent. Chef's kiss.
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)
I watched Star Trek in chronological order. Never regretted it.
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
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.
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!"
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. ❤
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!!! 💗🖖🏼
Jessie, you’ve done what no one else could; I’m gonna watch Enterprise.
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.
My mother is a huge Trekkie so I, of course, have become a huge Trekkie since I grew up on nearly everything. One of my friends, though, has recently expressed interest in getting into Star Trek so I just sent them this video!
Jessie: makes fun of Steve Shives' whiteboard hang-up
Me: This is CouncilofGeeks-erasure! You're not even using a riding crop!
I grew up watching Star Trek with my cousins, but stopped watching as we grew up. Now I have been trying to get back to it and this guide really helps! Thank you! ❤
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!
Deep space 9 is not only my favorite but also the series that got me into Star Trek! Loved hearing you say it’s the best live action show 🥺
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'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.
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. ☺️
I randomly clicked on one of your more political videos about a year ago and given that I was listening on headphones and my phone was face-down on the table, I had no idea you were a Trekkie. That is until I heard the wooshy-door sound during a transition and nearly fell out of my chair in excitement. I looked through your other videos and subscribed immediately. I’ve been watching Star Trek since I was probably six. I started with the Next Generation, then TOS and the animated series, and then every other show in pretty much chronological order to date. There’s never been a piece of media so influential in my life. I love your content and I think it’s amazing that you’re welcoming new folks into such an amazing franchise.
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
Jessie, this video is such a joy. I agree with so many of your sentiments, and I found myself nodding and verbally agreeing as I was watching. It is a question I get asked often as well, and now I know where to refer those who ask rather than them having to listen my incessant Star Trek ramblings!
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 will say you've by far done a better job of convincing me to watch Star Trek in just a couple videos versus my dad trying for my entire life. I still don't think I'll do it. but I just love you and your videos so much! 💗
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 ❤️
Just found this in my recommendations and binged the whole video over my Saturday morning!
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'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'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.
God! I need this! I first started watching star trek with Discovery, then I started (and gave up on) Voyager before finding Picard and Lower Decks. Now I want to get some of the "old" star trek
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 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
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.
Excellent video essay. Thank you for taking up this massive challenge.
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 starting to binge watch your Trek videos more and now I am getting more and more curious about Star Trek despite my limited experiences in the past. So I have to say is thank you for introducing me into the series.
BECOME ONE OF US
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.
I'm happy to see you including TAS because *that* was actually my first Star Trek series when I was (checks calendar) 11 years old and watching it on Saturday mornings.
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 😳
As weird as Star Trek can get, I love the fact it really does bring people together throughout the spectrum and across generations. I myself grew up watching reruns with my aunt so you're videos being a kind of nostalgia to my geeky self 🥰
I’ve been meaning to get into Star Trek so this is exactly what I needed
Being 10 years old in the 90s, I remember a model of a Borg cube at Dad's boardgame store, a photo of Klingons posing with my nurse mom at the hospital, fear learning the dangers of early transporters, and feeling wonder realizing kids lived on the Enterprise.
Then I forgot it all until my twenties. A friend put on Voyager and I fell in love again. Worth watching without ever skipping the best intro music of any of the series.
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 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
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!
I started with Voyager about 15 years ago and haven’t looked back. Thoroughly enjoyed this 💛✌🏽and very envious of your awesome costume collection!
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 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 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
It's true, your enthusiasm could make anyone fall in love with Star Trek. I have been in love with it for a long long time and, yes, it's hard to figure out a way to ease newcomers into the geekdom. Whenever people ask me 'where do I start with Star Trek', I answer 'watch First Contact. Then look online for series chronologies,etc and take it from there'. First Contact is the ideal introduction to Star Trek. It lays out all the historical context and shows all the main recurrent values/themes.
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.
I love release order. The older camp is so much fun, honestly, and it's just a lot of fun to see how the series evolves from back then.
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 got into Star Trek last summer because of you and Steve Shives! I watched two very long videos about representation of disabilities and autism in Star Trek without having seen any Star Trek at all and it seemed like something I'd really vibe with (they were great videos). My friend (lifelong trek fan) was watching Voyager so I joined him and really liked it!!
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.
24:49 Scotty found the captain's stash and is off astral exploring the mycelial network
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.
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!
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!
Thank you for this, I recently stumbled upon The Orville which convinced me to get into the world of Star Trek. I grew up a hardcore Star Wars fan and I'm constantly looking for good sci-fi content.
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.
Love the video! Agree with everything………except for the Enterprise intro theme. That song is an actual implement of torture. The sonic manifestation of pain itself.
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 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.
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.
Just sat down and watched this with my wife. After 10 years I’ve finally gotten her to agree to watch star trek 💪🏼🖖🏼 Signed up with your code for curiosity stream as well. Thank you!!!!
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
I'm a brand new trekkie: i marathoned TNG during the first lockdown and just now starting Deep Space 9 and I agree that its a show you can just start watching. I didn't feel I'd missed vital information not starting at the very beginning of the franchise
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 randomly started watching the original series a few days ago (I've never watched Trek before) and I absolutely love the campiness of it, I think it's brilliant
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.
New trekkie here!!!! Finding your videos has been INCREDIBLE! Thank you for your passion, your great insight and your delightful humor! ⭐️
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’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 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.
Discovered ur channel a few days ago and now I'm hooked in the star trek universe! Love from Brasil !❤❤
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.
I watched TOS as a kid and tried to show it to my husband and he was not interested. But then we started at TNG and he is now a dedicated fan. Glad I got him to watch TOS Trouble with Tribbles so he could appreciate the Troubles and Tribbilations DS9 episode.