Greetings, humans.
My last post about Star Trek was getting waaaaaay too long, so I’ve written this second one to give my thoughts about the rest of the shows that I didn’t get to. Now, I know there is more Star Trek out there than what I’m covering, but I haven’t seen them yet. I’ll have to circle back around and write about those when I finish watching them.
Please also keep in mind that there will be spoilers in this. I will speak in broad strokes, but I will also bring up certain things that will be total spoilers, so if you’ve never seen these shows and intend to see them someday and also hate spoilers, don’t read this post until after you’ve watched these shows.
So most Trekkies will have the classic Kirk vs Picard debate. And if I ever find my way into one of those debates, I will be on the side of Sisko.
Yeah that’s right.
Benjamin Sisko is the best captain, and no one can change my mind.
So who is Benjamin Sisko? He was the commander and eventually captain who led the space station orbiting Bajor known as *trumpet fanfare* Deep Space Nine.
And he is fantastic. He is, in my opinion, the most relatable captain. He walks in a lot of grey areas, and he behaves like a real person. He cooks, he falls in love, he’s a dad, he barely contains his dislike for some of his colleagues, and he even gives us a deep understanding of the internal conflict he feels as the Dominion War is waged.
So what is Deep Space Nine?
Fans of the show shorten it to DS9, and it’s basically the forgotten Star Trek. A lot of people don’t like it, and it’s because the main setting is on a space station rather than a starship. Because of this, people mistakenly believe that it’s boring, that there isn’t an alien of the week or a new world being explored and therefore, it’s boring.
They are entirely wrong.
DS9 is the only one of all the classic Star Trek shows that actually tells a good story. The rest of them have a decent concept, some good episodes, and a few mini-arcs that work out alright. But DS9 has it all: character development, serialized story telling, complex conflict, and excellent villains with truly interesting stories interwoven with our heroes.
Seriously, it is a genuinely good show, and as soon as I finished watching it, I wanted to watch it again. I can’t say that about any of the others.
The Original Series was cute, but I think I’d only watch it once every few years. The Next Generation was great mostly in seasons 3-6. The rest was a bit meh. We’ll get to these, but Voyager dragged and Enterprise either put me to sleep or made my blood boil. I wouldn’t watch either of them again.
But DS9 is a show I would watch again because I love all of the main characters and all the supporting characters. The main characters are, of course, Captain Sisko, Major Kira, Chief O’Brien, Lieutenant Dax, Lt. Commander Worf, Dr. Bashir, and beloved Odo. I guess technically Jake Sisko is also a main character, but he hardly ever shows up and I see him more as a supporting character.
So then the supporting characters are Quark, Garrick, Weyoun, Rom, Nog, Keiko, Gul Dukat, Captain Yates, Damar, Kai Winn, Vic Fontaine, Vedek Bareil, the Grand Nagus, female changeling, Brunt, I mean the list goes on. It’s a huge cast, and lots of recurring characters that contribute to the story.
The story about the Dominion war is actually really interesting. It explains everyone’s motives incredibly well, shows their character development in subtle ways that build gradually, naturally, the way a person’s would in reality. It’s the same way with the story itself; the conflict builds naturally, gradually. But it’s not boring either. The tension is very real and makes you anticipate the next move, the next part of the saga.
I’m not going to give anything away because there is way too much to get into, and if I start, this will go on forever.
The one thing I will say is that some things got a little ridiculous and sloppy in season 7. Which is disappointing because endings are so hard, and when they’re done right, they give such a sense of closure and satisfaction. Which it still did, and it ended beautifully. But there were some parts that were a little disappointing or which seemed forced.
But that is really my biggest criticism of the entire show. The entire thing is so beautiful.
This is making me want to go watch it right now!
But alas, I must now talk about the next Star Trek series.
On to Voyager, not to be confused with the ship in Star Trek The Motion Picture. To be frank, I don’t like this one very much. There are things to like about it, but for the most part, it’s a very, very long snooze fest. It had so much potential, but it often felt squandered.
The premise was fascinating: a Starfleet ship stranded 70,000 light-years from home, in uncharted territory, facing the daunting journey back to the Alpha Quadrant. Given the way they got there (Janeway’s crew chases a Maquis ship, both get zapped to the Delta Quadrant, and Janeway chooses not to take the opportunity to return home in order to save an alien race — so much for non-interference, eh?) It was a setup ripe with opportunities for unique storytelling, intense conflict, and deep character development. However, much of Voyager feels like a missed opportunity. The early seasons are slow, filled with episodes that feel like filler rather than essential pieces of a larger narrative. There are glimpses of brilliance—episodes like “Year of Hell” and “Scorpion” stand out as exceptional. But these moments are too few and far between.
Captain Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, is a highlight. She brings a unique mix of authority, compassion, and resilience to the role. Yet, even her character is sometimes inconsistently written, swinging from hard-nosed leader to maternal figure without much rationale. The other characters also suffer from uneven development. Seven of Nine, introduced in later seasons, is a notable exception. Her struggle to regain her humanity after being assimilated by the Borg provides some of the series’ most compelling moments. Towards the end, however, the writing becomes inconsistent; she goes from being a badass who challenges the captain and all her ideas to getting the Deanna Troi treatment, where she’s violated repeatedly, and it’s just swept under the rug. Let’s not even talk about how they made Chakotay, of all people, her love interest. That was a complete disaster. It made no sense and felt entirely forced.
The worst characters by far were Neelix and Harry Kim. Kes and Neelix had an unhealthy relationship that was always uncomfortable to watch. Neelix was supposed to be comic relief and a confidant for the crew, but he ended up being weird, annoying, and creepy. Tom Paris provided better comic relief, and Kes or the Doctor could have been the confidants. Harry Kim was another character who did nothing for the show. A new ensign on his first assignment, made out to be some kind of wunderkind, was just arrogant, whiny, and petulant.
Beyond terrible characters and poor characterization, the lack of a consistent narrative thread also hinders Voyager. Unlike DS9’s serialized storytelling, Voyager often resets at the end of each episode, leaving little room for the kind of long-term character growth and plot development that made DS9 so engaging. The plotlines were repetitive, and adversaries like the Kazon (think dumb Klingons with dread locks) and the Borg became overused and boring. The fluidic space aliens, species 8472, initially intriguing, lost their appeal due to over-explanation. The stories were most often filled with so much padding, I really felt like I was there, watching the stars pass in real time. Maybe that was the point—to give us the true experience of the crew.
Despite these issues, there were some bright spots. The relationships between Janeway and Tuvok, B’Elanna and Tom, and Kes and the Doctor were solid. When the show focused on these interpersonal relationships, it was at its best. Tom and B’Elanna’s developing relationship added some needed serialization, and Kes and the Doctor’s dynamic raised fascinating questions about artificial life and personhood.
Voyager came with some shimmering silver linings that I will hold near and dear to my heart. At the core of it, though, Voyager had so many missed opportunities. The character development, interpersonal relationships, and storylines often fell flat, leaving a show that could have been great but ended up being just okay.
Yet when given the choice between Voyager and this next one, Voyager wins every time, hands down. Yes, I am talking about the dreaded Enterprise. Boy, oh boy, is this one a trip.
Enterprise, the prequel to the original series, had a rocky start and struggled to find its footing. Set a century before Kirk’s voyages, it explores the early days of space exploration, the establishment of the United Federation of Planets, and humanity’s first steps into the larger galaxy.
Cool idea right?
Yeah, they completely effed it up.
Let’s start with what should be one of the best parts of the show: the captain. Captain Archer is a complete disaster. He’s not just struggling to be a good captain; he’s an outright xenophobic human elitist who reeks of prejudice, hatred, and arrogance. He’s the worst captain Star Trek has ever produced. Moody, angry, and making the wrong call 90% of the time, he didn’t trust his crew beyond Trip. His treatment of his first officer, T’Pol, was terrible, and his whining about how the Vulcans held them back and how his dad would have seen his warp engine fly if not for them was juvenile and petulant. This is the man they chose to be the first captain of a starship? Great job, Starfleet.
Archer aside, the plot in the first season was absolutely ridiculous. As the seasons went on, Enterprise tried to explain everything and tie itself into every other Star Trek series, resulting in a mess of forced connections and eye-roll moments. Reed alert? Some kind of primary directive? Oh, you even met the Borg first and never told anyone about it for some reason? Hoshi is the Mirror Universe Empress; bet you didn’t see THAT coming! Good for you, Enterprise. Have a cookie.
It was lame, boring, and infuriating. Because it wasn’t just bad fan fiction written by some rando—it was canon. These writers made this garbage canon! It’s shameful, really.
Despite Archer’s awfulness, there were highlights. Dr. Phlox was a weird, quirky alien with a kind heart, an open and curious mind, and an amazing ability to listen without judgment and offer just the right amount of unsolicited advice. He was fantastic and embodies the spirit of Star Trek with his boundless curiosity and empathy, living by a set of morals that resonated with the core values of the franchise.
And then there’s Trip. Dear, sweet Trip. He was endearing, funny, and had that same spirit of curiosity that I love in Starfleet officers. A super-smart country bumpkin who never let go of his roots, Trip stood by who he was while looking to the future with curiosity. Sure, he shared some xenophobic comments with Reed and Archer early on, but he grew. He progressed from being arrogant and xenophobic to embracing aliens, especially after losing his sister to the Xindi attack. His development, particularly his work with the Xindi doctor, offered small glimmers of joy in an otherwise slog of infuriating nonsense.
The other characters had good starts—T’Pol, Hoshi, and Travis. Not Reed; he was a gross creep 90% of the time, and unfortunately, we all know a guy like Reed. Travis was an awesome pilot with an interesting background, having grown up on a freighter and knowing all the tricks of a spaceship. He apparently enjoyed playing pranks on people too. Hoshi was an incredible linguist with a history with Archer, not a romantic one, but a professional one. They referenced it a few times, but it was never explored. She was afraid to go out into space, and they touched on that some, but after about three episodes, she was over it. It felt like another wasted opportunity.
Poor T’Pol was so severely mistreated. Archer was awful to her, she was violated over and over again, and she was treated by the writers as a prop or a plot driver more often than not. They could have shown more of a relationship formation between Vulcans and humans, but instead, we got both overt racism and microaggressions. It was an unfortunate, and it was painful to watch. The strange “will they won’t they” between she and Trip was also odd. Can we stop pushing people together when all that is needed for good story telling is friendship? Please and thank you.
T’Pol’s story was also overdone. One Vulcan on a starship full of 97% humans was done on both TOS and Voyager. We didn’t need to see it done yet again. In fact, given the premise of the show, it should have been closer to a 50-50 split or at least a team of Vulcan officers on board. The Vulcans were so concerned about humans going out in space, right? To the point that they “held back” humans and tried to stop the Enterprise from making her first voyage. Then they should have had more oversight. That would have been interesting; a starship with a mostly human crew with Vulcan oversight.
Can you imagine the interpersonal conflicts that would have arisen? That sort of tension would have led to great characterization as they navigated not only space but how to build relationships among the crew. It could have been the Star Fleet vs Maquis conflict that should have been hashed out on Voyager and wasn’t. But of course, creating too many opportunities to show real characterization and storylines is just too good. Can’t have that.
And the worst part of all. Trip. Trip who loves boats and catfish. Trip who just wants to be a good engineer and see cool shit. Trip who is the most loyal, loving person in all the galaxy.
THEY MURDERED HIM!
These damn writers wrote the WORST POSSIBLE, most UNREALISTIC, SENSELESS death scene for Trip. The most unbelievably stupid shit you’ve ever seen. This amazing engineer gets … electrocuted. ELECTROCUTED. Saving Jonathan fucking Archer’s life. A waste. An absolute FUCKING WASTE.
I’m still mad about it, and I will never forgive you, Enterprise.
Enterprise is a poor excuse for Star Trek. And I don’t believe I will ever want to watch it again. Maybe some of the good Trip and Dr. Phlox episodes, but not the whole thing.
Thankfully, about 5 years after the end of the Enterprise train wreck, JJ Abrams decided to pick Star Trek up and make something epic and amazing. Enter the reboot movies.
The new movies focus on a younger version of the original series crew, with Chris Pine as a more rebellious Kirk, Zachary Quinto as a conflicted Spock, Karl Urban as a somehow gruffer McCoy, and Zoe Saldana as a more prominent Uhura. The dynamic between these characters is one of the highlights of the reboot, capturing the essence of the original while adding new layers. Add the quirky and sarcastic Scotty, badass Sulu, and actually likable Chekov, and the movies are everything I ever wanted from the original series.
“Star Trek” (2009) does an excellent job of rebooting the series while respecting its legacy. I cared about Nero and his plight, not because I know anything about him from the Original Series but because the writers did a good job making him equal parts mysterious and compelling. He is everything Shinzon should have been. Bringing in Leonard Nimoy was such a fangirl moment for me. And using him as the one who created the alternate timeline was brilliant. The alternate timeline allows for new stories without negating the old ones, a clever narrative trick that opened up so many possibilities.
Too bad no one wanted to take advantage of those possibilities in “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013). Of course the crew of the enterprise still has their amazing chemistry that made the first movie so awesome, and Benedict Cumberbatch was amazing, as per usual. But the fact that he was Khan, and that they just redid The Wrath of Khan is so disappointing. The role reversal between Spock and Kirk was cheap, especially considering the fact that Spock basically calls himself up and says
Yo, alternate timeline me, do you know a dude named Khan? Oh you do? Splendid. How can we defeat him?”
Is such a cop out! Where are the original ideas that this rebooted universe promised us? Why can’t we revisit a different villain that didn’t already get their own movie? Or make up a whole new one again? Or even just face a crisis that has no malicious villain but is threatening the quadrant? But no, it’s just a do over of The Wrath of Khan and feels more like a standard action movie than a Star Trek film. I liked it more than I remembered on the second watch, and the action sequences are really cool. I was just disappointed by the direction they chose to take it.
“Star Trek Beyond” (2016), directed by Justin Lin, is a return to form. It feels more like a Star Trek movie, focusing on exploration and the crew’s camaraderie. That said, the crew was really segmented in this movie, which is very Star Trek and didn’t feel like a bottle show at all. But I missed seeing everyone together. It’s the most fun when they are all working together as a well-oiled machine to win the day. Running around the ship shouting, “I can do that!”, rushing back and forth from one side of the bridge to the other, beaming down to the planet but still in communication with the ship, all working together. And the villain was… weak. Idris Elba’s talent was seriously wasted on Balthazar Edison. A seriously uncompelling character. This one is by far my least favorite.
Overall, the new movies are a mixed success. They bring Star Trek to a new generation and have some genuinely great moments, but they sometimes stray too far from the spirit of the original series. The lack of good, new ideas is a let down, and if they make more movies in the future, I really hope that they do their research and do something that is both in the spirit of Star Trek and is original.
And with that, I am all trekked out right now. I know there are other shows that have come out, but I am going to take a break from Star Trek. It’s been Star Trek almost nonstop for a while now, and I need to watch something else.
Until next time, friends. Live long and prosper \\//_
**READ ME (please)**
Two things!
One, please note that the names of everyone in this blog have been altered to protect the people I write about. My main goal is to explore my experiences and my growth, not air anyone’s dirty laundry out. Any likeness to people you know in real life are probably coincidental. (I mean what are the chances? It’s a pretty big world!)
Two, the thoughts and opinions I express in this blog are merely a result of my personal experiences to this point in my life. If there is anything I have misrepresented, overlooked, or have a blind spot for, feel free to leave a comment or email me at contact@livingbetween.net. (Yes, this includes typos. Let me fix my typos, please!) All I ask is that you always remain respectful.
Talk soon!
– Lynda –
Living Between 