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Ask Slashdot: How To Introduce Someone To Star Trek?
First time accepted submitter red$hirt writes "I have a few friends, plus my girlfriend, who I would like to introduce to Star Trek. They do have a general interest to watch it, but I'm not sure what's the best way to start. There are so many series and movies and I would like to pick an order that keeps them interested. My first idea is to start off with a few good TNG episodes, and then let them watch First Contact. What does Slashdot think? I'm sure some of you have introduced others to Star Trek before. How did you do it, and how successful were you? Which particular episodes would you recommend watching for someone who is completely new to all this?"
KHAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!
If you want to keep your girlfriend, forget about Star Trek.
Please not Deep Space 9!
But I am pretty sure that showing them the episode "Spock's Brain" would be the worst way.
Start with Voyager. Seriously. Apart from the odd Q or Barclay episode, it doesn't require nearly as much pre-existing knowledge as any of the other next-gen series apart from the first season of TNG. And the first season of TNG mostly sucked.
Alternatively, you could always start with J.J. Abrams.
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Just a plug for Scalzi's new book, "Redshirts" - it's only indirectly about Star Trek, but well worth the read if you want to get into Trek....
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
People either know all about Star Trek or they don't. If they don't, it's because they don't want to. You'll only annoy them by trying to "introduce" them.
Sometimes I'm glad that I'm old. Sheesh, "Introduce" somebody to Star Trek. What a weird concept.
As someone who introduced my ex to Trek a few years back, and who's still in largely into it despite not being together anymore, I took the simple approach of "show the good, skip the crap".
More specifically, this is what I did:
- Saw Star Trek 2009. Explained beforehand, very briefly, that it was a "darker and edgier reboot" of the original series that for canon purposes took place in an alternate universe. Answer any questions she has ("Why is Spock bleeding green? What is a Romulan? What is Warp?")
- Showed her DS9 and TNG, especially First Contact, since that's one of my favourites, along with Generations.
- Watched some Voyager, some Enterprise, etc. A bit of everything.
And that was it. Again... show the good stuff, skip the crap stuff ("Threshold"? What is that? I am not aware of any episode with that title). It's a show with a huge body of content; there are some gems in there, but there are some poo nuggets too.
Check out my sci-fi book "Lacuna" at http://goo.gl/MVxX8
The Next Generation Q episodes are the most demented fun. From Picard waking up in bed after a sexual encounter only to be greeted by Q to my favorite exchange in the final "All Good Things" episode:
Elderly Picard: Q, where's the anomaly?
Elderly Q raises horn to ear: Where's your mommy? Why, I don't know.
Don't let them watch any episodes of Enterprise (with the possible exception of "In a mirror, darkly"). It's the only way to retain your credibility.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Oddly enough, I've just been watching a few of the first episodes on Netflix - I'd really forgotten how well-done they were, dramatically. "Balance of Terror" might be the best showcase for Shatner - very low-key performance, believe it or not! The structure of the Enterprise crew is also well-highlighted, a feature that fell by the wayside all too soon, unfortunately. "Corbomite Maneuver" is along the same lines, and of course, "Naked Time" is a must-see.
Are you serious? If you actually like Star Trek, you should start with the Start Trek series you still like, and stop with the series where you know they've jumped the shark. And I don't think we need to tell you what those are.
Perhaps go with the films? I was never a big Star Trek fan. I preferred Babylon 5. I loved the original films though. In fact, I really have liked every feature film I've seen. Maybe that can be an entry way into the TV series.
Don't bother "introducing" anything to them, just simply pop in one of the newer movies (the reboot would probably be the best place to start) or start watching one of the newer series. If they are interested they'll join you and get "hooked". If you force it on them you are pretty much hosed and will never get them to watch any of them again.
Get them to watch The Next Generation episode "The Inner Light." This was by far one of the best hours of television in history. Then maybe "City on the Edge of Forever" from the original series. If those don't hook them, don't bother trying any further, it's a hopeless cause.
Worked for me. Although, to tell the truth, Valerie watched some Star Trek with me before Stanley came along.
Bruce Perens.
OK it's camp, but it is my favorite. The "french-fried brains" look on McCoy's face after using the Teacher helmet: Priceless.
Farscape first?
Save "The Wrath of Khan" for later or last, as it's the best of the "T.O.S." movies ("First Contact" is the best of the "TNG" movies.) Start with "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (star Sally Kellerman shows the early influence). Then merely show the best, while including story-important episodes such as "The Trouble with Tribbles," "A Private Little War," etc. to show the evolution of the Federation's relationship with the Klingons. Then "Balance of Terror," "The Enterprise Incident," etc. for the Romulans.
Cranky educator.
Get Scotty to beam them up!
Before doing something catastrophic, like making them watch one of the new movies, watch this: http://redlettermedia.com/plinkett/star-trek/star-trek-first-contact/
DO NOT SHOW THEM ANY OF THE NEW STAR TREK MOVIES. PERIOD.
If you want to show them movies, show them the good ones from TOS.
The best TOS episode for that is The Cage, the pilot with Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, that didn't quite make it on the network and later was incorporated into the two-part Menagerie. Follow that up with Where No Man Has Gone Before, then Charlie X, then move on through the series from there. If they don't get it with the original series, they'll be lost on the rest.
Since much of the joy of Star Trek is about the characters, pick the characters you like the best. If you're going with the originals (a good bet since the 2009 reboot, since they're now the new "current" Star Trek), pick a couple character-driven episodes like Amok Time and Space Seed, and then go right to The Wrath of Khan and watch the TOS movies in order. By then, there should be enough interest in those characters to go back and watch more old episodes, and maybe TMP.
If you want to go with TNG, for your own sake, skip the first season. I might start, again, with something really well-written and character driven: season 2's "The Measure of a Man," and then maybe just continue with the episodes from there. There's not much of the series before that is must-watch anyway.
I'd stick to one of those two paths. DS9 is my favorite series, but I think it's better to start with TNG or TOS since they're the most well known.
What does your girlfriend like to watch? Start with the episodes/movies that are closest to that. For some people, "Star Trek: First Contact" is the best intro. For others, it's the JJ Abrams reboot, for others it's DS9, etc. "Star Trek: Insurrection" is often referred to as "Star Trek: Date Movie" for good reason; that might be a starting place.
- W. Blaine Dowler
http://www.bureau42.com
The problem with TNG is that there were so many good episodes... and so many mediocre episodes. And several that started plot lines that were never completed.
I always considered "The Best of Both Worlds" to be a three-parter, including the episode "Family". That might be a good place to start.
Other interesting parings might be "the trouble with tribbles" followed by "more tribbles, more troubles", and "mirror, mirror", "the tholian web", and "through a mirror, darkly".
"Yesterday's Enterprise" was another really good episode.
As far as the movies are concerned, you can easily skip 1, 5, 9 and 10
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
I have gotten my very good friend and my girlfriend into DS9. I both had a general interest in Star Trek, and DS9 is my favorite series... that's how I choose. I walked them through the 2 part series premier just so that they get the general storyline and are introduced to all the characters. After that, the next episode I play is "The Jem'Hadar" Season 2, Episode 26. This is when they first encounter The Jem'Hadar / Dominion and sets the course for the rest of the series. It is a very suspenseful and action packed episode. My friend was hooked and after seeing 4-5 episodes into season 3, he suggested that we start watching them from season 1 thru the entire series and we did (that was around 10 years ago). I recently used the same tactic on my girlfriend and we have been watching 1 or 2 episodes at a time, every few days ever since. She's even the one to suggest watching it sometimes! I don't have much advice about the other series. Good luck.
How did you manage to even get a girl in your basement?
Start with Star Trek IV, it's very accessible.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Are you deliberately trying to sabotage your social and sex life?
Most people on Slashdot are fucking idiots.
If you want them to really get into it, buy them a Roku and a gift membership to Netflix.
Ok, the most important aspect is for you to pick episodes that you like because your enthusiasm will be contagious like the Tarellian plague. Second, you might want to throw in a few silly episodes, something...that...shows...Shatner's...acting...skills... Newer episodes will win for special effects, older episodes will win for cult factor. Good stories are mixed amongst all of the series.
My wife loves all Star Trek except the original episodes which is a bit frustrating because the originals are my favorite. But everyone is different and you can't force someone to like something. Just expose them to it and let their own interests carry them onward where no man has gone before!
>"I have a few friends, plus my girlfriend"
Oh, c'mon... I stopped believing you right there.
Star Trek: Generations Review
Star Trek: First Contact Review
Star Trek Insurrection Review
Star Trek: Nemesis Review
Are you afraid if you do it wrong something bad might happen?
Sorry, but gray text on gray background is making my eyes bleed.
...and nothing else. She will either adapt or leave you.
The one where Vader hacks off his son's hand with a laser sword.
Don't foist too much of the geeky stuff on them, have fun with it ... drinking games!
Every time McCoy says "dammit", everybody drink. Every time Spock says "fascinating", drink. Every time Kirk gets his shirt off, drink. Every time an un-named red-shirt gets killed, drink. Every time Uhura says "scanning all frequencies", drink.
Of course, if you're watching next gen, any time Wesley saves the day, they mention tachyons or other particles with magic properties, or Deanna Troi wears the cheerleader outfit, or Warf drinks prune juice ... drink.
But, in the end, maybe just let sleeping dogs lie ... your friends may never really appreciate your beloved Trek, and in the end may decide it's not something they like. It isn't everybody's cup of tea.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
I second Enterprise. It seems to me the only Trek series, after the first one obviously, that wasn't just catering to established fans and really wanted to attract a new audience. The show gets a bad rap, but it really wasn't any worse than most of the shit you see on TV today, and because it's a prequel series it doesn't really require much familiarity with the established canon, as the viewer gets to "discover" the various races that made up the prior series.
The ending of the series leaves a lot to be desired. The series finale is such a piece of crap, it's almost insulting. You've been warned.
The first rule of introducing Star Trek to people who have never seen it is: Do not introduce Star Trek to people who have never seen it.
The second rule of introducing Star Trek to people who have never seen it is: Do not introduce Star Trek to people who have never seen it.
You sound like yer trying to introduce them to yer religion or something that actually matters.
C|N>K
Best:
1. City on the Edge of Forever
2. Balance of Terror
3. The Trouble with Tribbles
4. Devil in the Dark
5. A Piece of the Action
Worst:
1. Spock's Brian
2. The Omega Glory
3. The Way to Eden
4. Patterns of Force
5. A Piece of the Action
"Slow down, Cowboy! It has been 3 years, 7 months and 26 days since you last successfully posted a comment."
Good choice. I think a good episode that really captures the overall "feel" of The Next Generation (and Star Trek as a whole) is The Measure of a Man . Patrick Stewart has gone on record as saying that his performance in that episode is one of the favorites of his entire career, which is saying a lot coming from such an accomplished Shakespearean actor as himself. One of my personal favorites.
Also, The Inner Light . Another amazingly powerful episode that is a must see for Star Trek fans and non-fans alike.
Really, most episodes from season 3-onwards of TNG were good. For a lighter choice, try Data's Day . Data's expression while he's slow-dancing with the holographic partner is priceless.
Start with that, explaining the characters and sketching the history of their relationships between scenes, as well as filling in details from Babylon Squared.
Then go back to season 1. Skip infection, fast-forward through the mutai in TKO. You'll both be hooked until at least the end of season 4.
You'll be out of luck once the tribble is out of the bag.
Three words. "Balance of Terror" Frightened me as a six year old. It still does.
First episode to watch: your favorite episode.
Important follow up: "I like that one because [Spock's beard is funny | Tribbles are cuddly | Jean Luc is cuddly | <your reason here> ]"
(If your favorite part of your favorite episode of your favorite series is when the big robot played by Ted Cassidy speaks in a woman's voice, maybe keep that to yourself.)
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip...
I tried this with my wife with Dr. Who, going to the old first and it was an epic fail. But now that she has seen the new stuff she has become more interested in the old. The new movie is nice and neat and tidy and stands on its own. If they like it they have all the rest of the universe to get excited about. At worst they sent through an action movie in soace and shouldn' hate you for subjecting them to Sci Fi.
I generally concur with most people's recommendation of showing the "best" or most "classic" episodes. Maybe pick 2 or 3 from each series, like "The Trouble With Tribbles," "Space Seed," and "Edith Keeler Must Die" (sorry, "City On The Edge Of Forever") from TOS, "Measure Of A Man," "Best Of Both Worlds," and "Tapestry" from TNG, etc... The classics are "classic" for a reason. Once they get a taste of the variety, then if they're hooked choose a series and run with it...
:)
:D
However, if your friends (and girlfriend) are awesome and trust you like they should, just start at the beginning...
Less than two weeks after my girlfriend moved in with me, she said, "Hey, let's watch Star Trek!" To which I replied, "All of it?"
"At the beginning," she said.
"In correct chronological order?!"
Her emphatic "YES! Is there any other way?!" convinced me she was a keeper. 1.5 years later, she's my fiancée now, and we're 4 episodes away from the end of Voyager Season 6...
So, if she doesn't flee in terror, put a ring on it!
Is this person Morg, or Imorg?
TNG could have been okay had they picked a captain that wasn't Scott Bakula. He has all the range of the kid picked to play a rock in the 3rd grade class play.
Sure, his one style worked well playing a reluctant hero just out to do the right thing in Quantum Leap, but it did not make for a good "leader of leaders" blazing a trail in the final frontier. (The writers didn't help, for sure. It's like they were writing for Bakula. Worst. Captain. Ever.)
The sexy (you can tell because her lips looked like balloons) emotion-loving Vulcan didn't help either.
I never made it through the first season. It just sucked too hard. I remember saying "Archer, fuck, you're investing way too much time in this guys birthday. Go do captain stuff!"
Required reading for internet skeptics
The only people I introduced to the series were my children. And that was when they were 2 and 4, I forced them to watch TOS instead of Wheel of Fortune when one of the local channels started rerunning it.
They were unhappy with that parental decision for about 30 seconds.
It was cool especially because they saw the episodes in the same way I did when the show was first run in the '60s.
Everyone lies.
There are various levels of interested, and it could be more that they just want to hang out and do something, especially the girlfriend.
Do a movie marathon night, everyone bring a favorite movie. Then randomly go through them.
Casual fans won't care what order the movies are in as it has no impact on their knowledgebase.
If people are genuinely interested, they'll want to see more.
As a random way, make it a drinking game. But that's just crazy talk.
Start with the Doctor Who reboot in 2005, then bring in the Tom Baker Episodes.
It will get you laid.
Be seeing you...
Get the remastered original series, some popcorn and start there.
Have fun, don't treat it like a serious exercise.
Then Khan
ST:TNG doesn't hold up well.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Up until the 8th word.
And watch Star Trek? Ya, sure.
My thoughts exactly. If your girlfriend can't stand Star Trek, and you're a costume-wearing Trekkie, then you're in for a world of grief. She doesn't have to be Uhura, but she should like the franchise enough to watch the series without looking like she wants to be doing something else without you. If you're not really a Star Trek fan, forget it. Watch Twilight or Lincoln Vampire Hunter with her.
The original series laid down the example of what Star Trek should be. At its best, TOS rocked.
The ideal episode (which does not exist) would somehow contain all these elements: exploration; dealing with aliens; banter among Kirk, Spock, and McCoy; Scotty performing miracles; the Enterprise doing cool stuff; actual science fiction ideas; and a certain amount of comedy. Since you can't get all that in one episode, here are a few to consider. I'll try to keep these free of essential spoilers, for those of you who haven't gotten around to watching TOS yet.
"The Doomsday Machine" -- my all-time favorite epsiode. A bit of exploration, tense drama with Commodore Decker, actually plausible science behind the SF ideas, and a tight plot that makes sense from beginning to end. Plus the best cliffhanger ever: "Gentlemen, I suggest you beam me aboard..."
"The City on the Edge of Forever" -- loses points for not being typical Trek, but it's awesome SF, with a dramatic love story. Also, if I had to pick one episode that best qualifies as a "chick flick" it would be this one!
"The Trouble with Tribbles" -- pure fun. Despite being almost completely a comedy episode, there is actually a plot and it is resolved in a satisfactory manner. Uhura, Chekov, and Scotty all get character moments.
"Balance of Terror" -- a great drama with some great surprises, and the moral themes it presents are naturally in the story and don't feel forced. Mark Lenard is great as the Commander.
"The Naked Time" -- a strange affliction causes the crew of the Enterprise to start acting oddly. Lots of character moments.
"Spectre of the Gun" -- a really unusual episode and an example of making a virtue of necessity. Kirk and an away team seemingly find themselves in the "Wild West" of the late 19th century; there wasn't enough money to film this realistically, so instead it was filmed in a surreal, fantastic fashion. The sets are incomplete, with missing walls, and instead of trying to hide this they left it right in the open. It's actually pretty cool.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
... daylight is A Good Thing. Do not fear it (SPF numbers are your friend). Then try to arrange social events for your friends. Invite Other People. Try to meet people outside of your Star Trek fetish. It's OK. Seek professional help.
First was TNG: Data's Day. Data is like an entry level drug for Star Trek.
For a feature film the newest Star Trek movie works great. It strikes a great balance between entertainment storyline. Again, this is not about scaring someone with your diehard opinions, it's about making someone interested in a new show.
"In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash"
Start with the new movie, chances are they will like that more than TOS or even TNG. Next I suggest a couple episodes of TNG. I strongly suggest showing Encounter at Farpoint and Chain of Command. But it really is your choice.
Tell your girlfriend it's fascinating!
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w225/anon112355/fascinating1ts.jpg
Screen "Forbidden Planet" for them and nonchalantly mention that it's often cited as having "inspired" much of ST's look and style.
If your friends have the remotest interest that will certainly reel them in.
...But I had more fun with JJ Abrams' reboot than anything else. At least, if it's someone who's not in it for the long haul/payoff, I see nothing wrong with showing them that movie and with the caveat "Okay, so this is Star Trek, but it's not Star Trek.."
If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
The Trouble with Tribbles City on the Edge of Forever Mirror, Mirror Shore Leave Mudds's Women Amok Time Voyage to Babel Clues
Honestly this has to be the worst question ever...and really what type of loser would even ask such a thing? My God whats next, how to indroduce someone to Lassie?
Chairs with straps and eye-lid spreaders like in A Clockwork Orange.
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
Yeah The Trouble With Tribbles from the original series....
The only really good one was the pilot, shown at TriCon in Cleveland in 1966. It went downhill from there.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
Agreed, The Inner Light is one of my favorites as well.
I also nominate Darmok and the "There are four lights" episodes.
DRM 'manages access' in the same way that a prison 'manages freedom'
My wife loved TNG and Voyager and I thought the same thing about DS9, that since its a soap opera in Space that she'd like that too. But it turns out she really liked the exploration part of ST a lot, which they just don't do enough of in that series. I think she didn't give it enough of a chance, because I ended up liking DS9 a lot. I recently have been watching Enterprise the first time though and found it surprisingly engaging (sorry), but I think it starts out a bit slow and she didn't get into it because of that. But with TNG and Voyager, you have to start with some really good or funny episodes to get them into it or a dual parter.
Is this not the thread about why there are no women in computer science? My mistake.
Start her off with farscape, then move into Star Trek. She'll appreciate the "love story" in Farscape, and she'll be open to the sci-fi in general.
(1) tie them up
(2) lots of beer
(3) eyelid clips
We live, as we dream -- alone....
Star Trek Whales Movie, TOS Tribbles, then DS9 Tribbles
That's about it...
My guide to the six Star Trek series is below. If you've ever wanted to watch a few episodes of a series and stop there, pick some from the relevant "best of show" list. They're all independent episodes that require essentially no back story (though caring about the characters always helps), unless otherwise noted. The NxM numbers indicate season and episode.
The Original Series (TOS): quality varied wildly. Season 2 was the best; season 3 was largely weird.
* Best of show: 1x28 The City on the Edge of Forever; 2x05 Amok Time; 2x10 Mirror Mirror; 1x08 Balance of Terror.
* Worst of show: 3x06 Spock's Brain.
The Animated Series (TAS): terrible for adults; decent for kids (or maybe nostalgia if you saw it as a kid). One real season.
* Best of show: 1x02 Yesteryear.
* Worst of show: 1x05 More Tribbles, More Troubles.
* Most surreal moment in all of Star Trek: Midway through 1x04 The Lorelei Signal, Scotty sings Welsh ballads while the Enterprise slowly orbits. The scene drags on for 37 seconds.
The Next Generation (TNG): season 1 is terrible. 2 and 3 are hit-and-miss. 4-7 are quite good, with 6 and 7 being almost universally good.
* Best of show: 5x25 The Inner Light; 2x16 Q Who?; 3x26 The Best of Both Worlds; 6x15 Tapestry; 3x15 Yesterday's Enterprise. The series finale, 7x25 All Good Things..., is also quite good and has no "spoilers".
* Worst of show: 2x22 Shades of Grey (clip show); 2x12 The Royale; Wesley's part in 1x03 The Naked Now (also Wesley's most annoying part period).
Deep Space 9 (DS9): season 1 is terrible with the notable exception of Duet. 2 is a marked improvement (for instance, Siddig learns to act). 3 and 4 are sometimes hit-and-miss. Seasons 5-7 are excellent if you like space opera.
* Best of show: 1x19 Duet; 5x06 Trials and Tribble-ations (excellent if you've seen the TOS episode!); 4x03 The Visitor; 4x08 Little Green Men--these are each essentially independent episodes. 6x19 In The Pale Moonlight, 6x06 Sacrifice of Angels, and the series finale 7x25 What You Leave Behind are all excellent as well, but they're part of the Dominion War story arc and should really be watched starting from, say, 4x26 Broken Link.
* Worst of show: 5x07 Let He Who Is Without Sin....
Voyager (VOY): seasons 1 and 2 are terrible. Again it slowly amps up until 6 and 7 are pretty universally good. Lots of good 2-parters. Fun fact: Captain
The 4th movie, Voyage home with time travel back to San Francisco is a good place to start. Its funny, but there is a plot, and good character action.
Of all the series, Enterprise is probably the most accessible. The production is modern, it's well written, well paced, and the characters are the most likable. Granted, they don't match the chemistry of Kirk, Spock and McCoy, but they come pretty close. And some characters, like Shran, are just brilliant.
Generally, I think the writing is just consistently good. They set themselves up for success; simply because the Federation isn't all powerful, they don't need implausible opponents like omnipotent beings that can't read minds, or cyborgs that have assimilated thousands of races but could be destroyed by an Escher print.
And in some of the older series, the writing could be awful, even leaving aside truly horrific episodes like the TNG pilot or the baseball game in DS9. For instance, some of the most painful writing in TNG and DS9 was their ham-fisted rendition of family themes. McFadden and Wheaton were never bad actors, the mother son thing was just dragged out through endless scenes of awkwardness only for us to finally discover that it's tough growing up on a starship. I found the same with Worf and Alexander, or Sisko and Benjamin.
Enterprise did some shows that touched on growing up themes, especially with Mayweather, but they were more realistic; Mayweather was trying to escape from a life of poverty and drudgery, and this led to serious tension with his family because it pulled him away from the family business.
Lots of Trek references there! Seriously, ease them into TOS first season, then The Wrath of Khan (preferably right after Space Seed). After that if they aren't into it, they never will be.
In order to introduce someone to Babylon 5, show them this:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120711/
I've managed to get four or five people going on the series by showing them that movie.
Star Trek is nice too. :)
I'll suggest showing them the DS9 pilot...*shrug*
She's trollin' you bro, there's just no way somebody isn't a Star Trek fan. Well, Penny isn't, and that severely annoys Sheldon, but they're fictional. It's funny because there's just no way somebody wouldn't be a fan. Am I right?
I'd say go with Firefly and then Serenity. If she doesn't like that, there's no way she is going to like Star Trek. Also, very little Star Trek stands the test of time. So I suggest the 2009 movie which is easily the best thing to ever come out of the Star Trek franchise (though traditionalists might not like to admit it). It's a great movie.
...The Man Trap. What could be more appropriate?
"Computers are useless. They can only give you answers."
-- Pablo Picasso
Start with the best episode of "Star Trek TNG: Episode 125 - "The Inner Light" (Star Trek: The Next Generation). Then show Original Star Trek: Episode 28: "The City on the Edge of Forever" Those two are timeless classics, great stories, scripts, acting/directing. After Rodenberry passed away, so did his control of the vision, and the idiots left in charge reduced the franchise to something trying to be a relevant commentary of inane political nonsense of the times. They ran out of ideas and started screwing around with time travel, and that was completely lame.
I'd start with the TNG episode I, Borg. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Borg)
Recap: The Enterprise adopts a stray young borgling and raises it aboard their ship, giving it a sense of individuality.
I've had 3 female roommates fall in love with this adorable character, and spark enough interest in them to watch a few more episodes - 2 of them are now hooked on Trek.
-I only code in BASIC.-
Skip TNG, it sucks and most people will find it cheesy (and they'd be right). Try Wrath of Khan. Seriously.
TNG, but the first season is pretty slow so show some of the better ones at first like Darmok, Ship in a Bottle, or the ones with Q. If she likes it go back to the beginning and see if she can follow from there. After that usually DS9, then it's really it's personal preference from there. TOS is good, but it's really dated so a lot of people actually skip it or watch it last.
I tried to introduce myself to star trek, and deep space 9 was recommended online as the best series.
It completely turned me off star trek.
What happened to me..
My wife is now a fully-fledged closet-trekkie and general sci-fi junkie...
As she is less of a night owl, but would fall asleep on the couch, I would turn on the TV show as she fell asleep. The voices, music and so on become familiar over a week or so. Then occasionally disturb her to wake her up.
Eventually, you can try to watch one with her one night. The familiarity gap won't be there, so she'll probably enjoy it.
Be careful though, my wife ended up becoming more hooked than I was which meant that she watch more of the shows in order than I did, so I'm the one ultimately with gaps in the series. It's worked with ST:TNG, DS9, BG:Reimagined SG:Atlantis, SG-1 and SG:Universe and Firefly. Ultimately I don't have to fight on Sci-Fi anymore, but our bar is pretty high.
I think the best way to watch it is to make a straight run through. Start with Original, then (possibly) the animated series, then TNG, then DS9.
Geos is a site with user rankings of Star Trek episodes. I think with TOS and TNG and definitely the animated series, if you're a non-completist, it's worth limiting yourself to the better-ranked episodes. Or at least, skipping the ones that place near the bottom. In general, the shows are episodic and skipping yet another episode where the Star Trek gang goes to pseudo-Earth won't hurt anything.
Slowly make your way through the movies, after the respective TV shows have been completed. Jesus Christ but "First Contact" sucked, and that was definitely the best of the TNG movies.
DS9 is worth watching all the episodes, with the exception of the really bad ones from season 1. It's more of a serialized show where skipping doesn't work as well. Anyway after season 2 there's very few weak episodes.
With Voyager, if there's still interested in Star Trek, watch the pilot and maybe the top 20 ranked episodes. For the most part the show was bland, but there were some standouts.
Skip Enterprise entirely.
Finish off with the cheesy but fun "World Enough and Time," a fan-made movie with Sulu in it. Yes really. Or the action movie re-boot of Star Trek.
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
Star Trek can be skittish around strangers and if you approach it from the wrong side or too qucikly.
If Star Trek begins to smoke, move away quickly and cover head.
Innocent people shouldn't be forced to pay for inferior software development.
--"Code Complete" Microsoft Press
I tagged this as "youdont" to be a smartass, but the question deserves a more serious answer. I'm only a casual Trek fan (meaning I enjoy the movies and will watch TNG if I run into it while channel-surfing), but really, you may be overthinking the issue. Introducing someone to one of your passions is not more difficult just because the subject in question is Star Trek, anymore than it would if we were talking about, say, antiquing.
My wife has gotten me into antiquing/DIY/restoration basically by osmosis, just by watching her favorite HGTV/TLC shows while I'm hanging out in the family room. She never forced it beyond saying "I think you might like this show, wanna watch an ep?", the secret being that if I had refused, she wouldn't have pushed it. Now we regularly go shopping for vintage furniture/appliances to restore, which is fun merging of her design skills and my tech ones. Likewise, when I want her to check out something I enjoy, I will offer it up without expecting any more commitment than "sure, let's watch a bit and see how I like it".
So the movies would be your best bet. My personal favorite is First Contact, but you might be more successful with the Abrams reboot, which could provide an easy lead into the original films because of Nimoy's presence.
Just remember, if they aren't into it, let it go. Your passions remain just as enjoyable even if your friends and loved ones don't share them.
How is it possible that 300 messages into the thread nobody has suggested starting (and ending) with Galaxy Quest?
Not sure if you could start with this two part episode from season 3/4, but this is TNG that still holds up for me. One of the darker storylines, also one of the strongest female characters (Shelby) in the series. The ship graveyard scene still gives me shivers. I suppose you have to start though with a pitcher of margaritas and the Wrath of Khan, preferably on VHS.
Your friends will enjoy the moves a lot more after they absorb the chemistry; McCoy + Spock don't really hit their stride until the end of the first season. Anyway, while people with no background in StarTrek certainly can enjoy the movies, people with some background in StarTrek will enjoy the movies at least twice as much. (I say it is worth the wait; you asked for how to best introduce your friends to Star Trek... so realizing there is no need to rush anything will help you do a better job with that introduction).
TOS stories are (mostly) all well done. And the concepts are ground breaking when you consider they were presented in 1968. Some of the social points are astonishing; equality, moral dilemmas, and so on - especially(!) when you compare them to other shows that were airing in the late 60's early 70's. (Myself, I like using TOS as a mirror to get a glimpse of that generation's culture.)
So... maybe show them 3 TOS episodes then leave it at that; more than that will risk burning them out. If they like TOS they'll follow up on their own, or come back for more "home video nights." (And if you can do it, go with the re-mastered TOS; they really do look nicely done).
Maybe for a later "video night" in a do a few TNG episodes. Or they may be grooving on working through TOS. *shrug* Either way, at that point, they will ask for more or just politely nod and focus on other things.
Lastly, and this could be the most important part, show some restraint in pacing and tempo with what you play for your friends. And express interest in what your audience likes and is passionate about; you might find something new that you like, and you will almost certainly learn more about your friends.
I introduced my girlfriend to Star Trek by buying a color TV small enough to fit in my studio apartment, and inviting her over once a week to watch the next episode. We watched the original broadcast of what is now called the “original series”. She liked so much she married me. We raised our two kids to love Star Trek and other types of science fiction and fantasy.
At our son's wedding a few years ago, I ended the traditional father-of-the-groom speech with “live long and prosper” and the accompanying hand gesture. His friends were amused, but knew exactly what I meant.
Not sure this is any help. But a while back I thought my young nephews should learn about Star Trek. They had watched very little of any sort of TV, so they were up for anything, but I wasn't sure where to start. I thought classic Trek would be too old or dated for them, but they could appreciate it later, so I decided they should start with TNG because it may be more accessible for them.
But where should they start in TNG? Yes, we could start with Encounter at Farpoint, the first episode... But that is a pretty cheesy, crappy, strange episode(s). Right? Though it does introduce Q, who is a recurring 'integral' 'villain'. As a completist, you really would have to start here. (Or with TOS.)
Or I could just jump right in and show basically the best episode (or at least best cliffhanger) of Star Trek ever, The Best of Both Worlds I & II. But would it be as good an episode if they don't know any of the characters at all, and never previously encountered the Borg. In fact, so much would be lost by showing that episode first, I decided we couldn't.
So, stay with me here-- I decided to start them with Coming of Age. Now, yes, this is a Wesley episode. And it's near the end of the first season. But Wesley is not at all insufferable in this episode-- he's actually interacting in a more or less reasonable way with his fellow candidates, and my nephews are of the age (12ish) where they could actually maybe see themselves in his place, going through those tests. And while I skipped over a lot of (bad) first season episodes to get to that one, I thought I shouldn't skip the entire first season. That wouldn't be right! So this is a compromise. But most of all, the episode actually does a fairly good job of introducing the characters, through Remmick's interviews/interrogations, and we see Picard have to make a big choice; to become Commandant of Star Fleet Academy, or remain Captain of the Enterprise. (His decision??!? I won't spoil it for you!)
Its weakness (apart from being a first season episode) is that there are no big space battles or major alien encounters. But some smaller scale alien and ship things happen. And this episode is actually a great setup for one of the darkest (though sometimes still cheesy) suspenseful/ominous (though never paying off later) episodes of TNG, Conspiracy.
But before you go there, you can jump back to Datalore (to lead into future Lore episodes), if you like. Also Heart of Glory (for Klingon/Worf episodes), and Neutral Zone (actually, some say, a lead in to the Borg, but also, more obviously, The Romulans). Perhaps even Naked Now, Skin of Evil, and Encounter at Farpoint, if you're brave. But then follow this on in Season 2 with, at the very least, Q Who, The Measure of a Man, and a Matter of Honor. (And these all will effectively have formed mini-arcs.) Then you can watch (almost) everything from seasons 3, 4, and 5 without too much worry. And they will mean more when you watch them.
Anyway, long story short--my plan is somewhat higher risk, but higher return: if your girlfriend is anything like my 12-year-old nephews (huh??) get her to agree to give the show a proper chance by watching several episodes, then set her up with some of the more solid, early episodes, which you may both laugh at a bit but then she will be properly and emotionally invested when OMG Picard is Locutus! in BoBW, or LOOK Tasha is back??? in YE, or, oh no--IS SPOT GONNA BE OKAY???
Thanks for that sentiment, now I have a hankering to go find the most danciest musical sci-fi Bollywood produced.
One of my favorite sayings for a few years was as follows;
I do live in a basement.
I do own a Klingon costume,
But the basement does not belong to my mom (or any relative for that matter)
Funny how this question yields this much conversation. I got my father interested with IV - Voyage home. It was the one that got me interested a couple of years ago. And now i'm at the point of owning complete collection minus the Abrams movie - And i have starfleet insignia tattooed on my chest: http://mirosol.kapsi.fi/varasto/badge.jpg
Enterprise started off with a ton of promise, and for the 1st season actually did fairly well.
Then they decided to go all "9/11 In Space" and start the whole awful Xindi/Temporal Cold War shit. During the next two seasons of shit, there was lots of shit, a handful of episodes that were standalone diamonds, and basically things kept getting worse until culminating in the ultimate shit, Time Travelling Nazi Space Aliens. During this period more and more people gave up hope for improvement and stopped watching.
Then, like passing through a singularity, it shot out the other side and suddenly Enterprise's season 4 was... OK? No, it was more than ok, it was outright good, this is what they should've been doing the whole time! This is back to being actual Star Trek! And then it was canned, because by the time season 4 rolled around it was too late to avoid crashing into the mountainside.
Don't try to get all of them into it at the same time. Most likely people will be socializing too much to pay attention and it will all be for nothing. Instead sit each of them down with a tng episode you think they would like. If their into drama and emotional stuff start with season five's 'the inner light' (some of Patrick's best acting) if they're into mystery watch the one where the crew is being abducted in their sleep by an alien race from another dimmension. If they like action then watch the two part borg battle. Just don't try to make a party out of it. The Next Generation should be shared as a deep and intimate experience and treated with the same respect you would have for love making or a religious experience.
And don't wear your Star trek pajamas to bed
I'd recommend making a weekend BBQ event / movie day out of watching the original series. Food & drink. You host. If they're resistant, make a drinking game. Kirk bangs a green bitch: shot. McCoy says he's just a doctor: shot (and/or bong rip, depending on the crowd). Etc. Pick episodes that maximize. Encourage dialog: Think Mystery Science Theater 3000 with booze. Work in Kahn or Voyage Home (if they dig the cheesy) after a couple episodes. If everyone is still down, TNG borg. Smack 'em hard. Break out the brownies, turn off the lights & hook up the surround sound. End the night with something fun and unrelated, to make sure everyone wants to do it again even if they weren't down for the show. Star Trek isn't something everyone falls in love with instantly. It can take a few exposures to click. The key is to provide a low barrier to entry.
Pick something that is Picard-heavy, could be sth. Borg-related.
If you could find an episode that also features a heavy amount of Guinan and Data, you should be at a good starting point. Patrick Steward, Brent Spiner and obviously Whoopie Goldberg are the best that ever happened to Trek. Ever. Seriously. I love Nimoy, but Steward and especially Spiner took it to a level that fits Goldberg.
A Q episode might easily do the trick.
Also, the Sherlock Data/Moriarty episodes are brilliant, but some of the humor might be to complex and tied to the characters to fully enjoy.
I'd then pick one nice episode of every series but Voyager (there was not one nice episode to pick) and show how the series changed over time, and that there are lot of different 'versions'. A lot of brilliant episodes have already been mentioned here. Pick Way of the Warrior for DS9. It has everything, brilliant humor, acting, suprise, action, and loads and loads of Klingons. Plus five thousand photon torpedoes armed and ready to launch. Goose bumbs here. "He said: it's a good day to day". Oh my good was it great to watch that for the first time. I hated DS9 until that point. What a turnaround!
Enterprise: the episode in which they unveal the Vulcans using the monestary to spy on the Andorians. Self-explaining, deep for showing how twisted the Vulcans really are. Plus T'Pal. Uh I actually forgot about those nice "we have to go through desinfection again" fanservice scenes...
TOS: Horta, obviously. There are better episodes, but this one nails the 'Trek against dilemma' sheme. After that show "mind meld" (the documentary) which fills in the background of Shatners father dying during shooting it.
As for movies, IV is the most funny and brilliant, while The Unknown Country is by far the best Trek movie EVER EVER made, as it perfectly chimes into the tune of the universe. II of course... KAAAAAAAHN' - but VI is even better. Avoid uneven numbers, they suck. That's law.
I am glad that the timing of TNG coincided with grade 12 when I was inspired by both my English teacher and Shakespearean plays. Coming home watching star trek with mom (TOS fan) is one of the great memories I have.
Two months ago, I started watching TNG again, and last week finished it once again and I completely agree with your episodes choice. If it wasn't for grade 12 though, ST wouldn't be as good.
Obviously he's busy :)
For the Earth is Harlan, and I Have Touched the Sky.
Spock Trek is real Trek. If you don't introduce with 66 series, I'm not sure this is an "introduction" at all.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
There is only one way and that is to sit through all the episodes starting from the very beginning. Original Star Trek first follwed by TNG etc.... That way you'll have a better and fuller understanding of character makeup and personality.
1.5 years later, she's my fiancée now, and we're 4 episodes away from the end of Voyager Season 6
She's making you watch Voyager? I think you're suffering from a serious case of Stockholm syndrome. Get out now while you still can or you'll be on to Enterprise next, and there will be no hope of you ever escaping with your life.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
The Rebooted Star Trek 2 will also involve the Khan character - so I assume this will rework Space Seed in some way rather than Wrath of Khan.
Professor Karmadillo Songs of Science
Works like a litmus paper.
I know "someone" who didn't have much access to star trek when growing up... It's quite daunting how many different versions there are. I^H "he" was going to start with The Original Series, but now I'll just bookmark this slashdot page instead. I (fuck it) have some Voyager on my DVR, maybe I'll just watch those.
Suspension, date rape drugs and if that's not enough - lobotomy.
Oh, the beautiful gloss of greality!
Slashdot or at least "ask slashdot" just jumped the shark with this post. How to introduce a friend to Star Trek, really?
All of the WORTHY posts that get rejected without a note and this thread gets allowed..........and........in a new feature set up to be helpful with technical questions?
No offense to the original poster or anyone running Slashdot, but it is no longer a "news for nerds" site, it is "People Magazine Online For Nerds".
Again, nothing personal, my comments are about this thread being allowed and in this section especially. It isn't anything personal about the people who let it happen.
Happy Thursday
Start with the early episodes, coupled with Alan Dean Foster's published collections of the episodes. They backfill dialogue and plot that was "left on the cutting room floor" with the limited filming capacity and weekly expense of a weekly television show, material that expands the stories well. And if you can, help fil in the historical background: the kiss between Uhura and Kirk was the first televised kiss between a white man and a black woman, and I recently saw an interview with the actress that discussed it.
"Uhura" inspired a generation of black women to think of themselves as more than props: she was _exactly_ why Whoopi Goldberg leapt at the chance, in the height of her movie career, to join The Next Generation and try to inspire the next generation of youngsters as "Guinan".
OK it's camp, but it is my favorite. The "french-fried brains" look on McCoy's face after using the Teacher helmet: Priceless.
Camp? What'chu talkin 'bout Latent Heat?
Don't you know the most camp TOS ep is Trouble with Tribbles?
OP should do TOS tribbles then DS9 tribbles. It's all about the tribbles! Tribbles tribbles tribbles!
Flappinbooger isn't my real name
Each Trek has positives and negatives. The things that some people may like may be exactly what turns off other people. TOS was campy at times and the cheap budgets of season 3 might not be received well to someone unfamiliar with the previous seasons. TNG was pretty weak in seasons 1 and 7. DS9's episodic soap opera nature has made it hold up very well in my opinion, yet others are completely turned off by that. Voyager got a lot better after Seven of Nine joined, yet it's so obvious that she was brought it for men (the story lines got better too, but she was brought in most as eye candy) that some women would probably be put off by that. Enterprise was mostly excellent in seasons 3 and 4 but the first 2 seasons were hit and miss and its finale was a complete embarrassment.
Just show her a really good season 1 episode of TOS like "Balance Of Terror" or "City On The Edge Of Forever". If she doesn't like those, it's a lost cause. While there are Trek fans who prefer other series over TOS, I've never heard of any true fan who thinks TOS sucks.
Finally, I cannot believe despite the good recommendations on individual episodes that everybody has neglected to mention the following from DS9.
5x22 - Children Of Time - the best episode of DS9
6x02 - Rocks And Shoals - the treachery of Vorta and the blind willingness of the Jem'Hadar to follow orders made this a superb episode.
I have hooked a flatmate into Futurama (he really wanted to know what the intro song was that kept playing - I was watching all seasons back to back) as it was on every day. Eventually he got over his sick "but it LOOKS like the Simpsons but it ISN'T the Simpsons!" and was hooked.
My other half was hooked on Survivor the same way. I used to watch it on my computer as I coded, and her computer was next to mine.. eventually she demanded that I didn't watch new episodes without her.
So, my suggestion is: Put it on in the background when you are doing stuff in the house and see what happens.
That all said, my first girlfriend hated Stargate with a vengeance to the point of starting a fight about me watching it *the day before*. If you are thinking that I let her go when she said she wanted to leave.. you would be right.
You have a sick, twisted mind. Please subscribe me to your newsletter.
Start with that and you might have still have a girlfriend afterwards
and all done, but nobody would have read it at this point anyway, and then I changed my comment formatting away from HTML. And now the comment is gone. And that makes me a sad Reman.
Every trollism an AC posts is prefixed, in my mind, with "A. Coward whined, in a weak and cowardly voice:"
I'd start with TNG, don't cherry pick episodes because if you do that then they maybe disappointed with the rest. Start at the beginning. I'd say start with the 66 series as well, but for some that can be too big of a leap. With TNG there are recognizable actors, special effects by the end of the series are relatively good even by today's standards.
If they enjoy it, go back and watch the 66 series and continue with DSN/Voyager/Enterprise
Not do:
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek 5
Enterprise
To do:
Star Trek 2, 4, 6, 8 (maybe let them see the TNG Borg episode before First Contact) movies
First season of TNG
DS9
If they don't like that stuff, they're not going to like Star Trek.
Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
How can they not know what Star Trek is? Unless they are Tibetan monks or an indigenous tribe from the deepest Amazon... are they that? Either your drawn to it and seek it out or you find it repugnant. Not just Star Trek mind you. There's plenty of pop-culture and music that some people love that other people think debase the entire human race. Like the TNG movie Nemesis.
Sig. Sig. Sputnik
My wife was pretty against watching it at first. Although, she is with everything... takes me ages to get her to try a video game too and then once she does shes addicted to it more than I am.. Anyway, got her to start watching TNG in season 2 and told her it only gets a lot better as the characters develop. Now she loves watching it and we're almost through season 6, and have watched a few of the movies together as well. Problem with TNG is you cant really skip the first two seasons because there are some really good episodes and important events but the actors dont really start developing their characters till season 3+.
Didn't like "Photons be free" ? lol
Star Trek Insurrection is, in my opinion, one of the best Star Trek movies ever. And it's accessible to non-trekkies. It's modern, yet is fairly true to the Roddenberry vision, which is odd as it is a Rick Berman production (he single-handedly destroyed Roddenberry's baby). It has a simple plot, but that plot is the essence of Star Trek over the years. Lots of action, a romantic subplot, and classic "do the right thing consequences be damned" Star Trek attitude.
And what about starting with the Remastered version of TOS? That should level up the space FX parts...
and then doing an historical lecture about FX in the 60's, and showing how the really were.
too much Sheldonian?
Start with Deepthroat Nine and work your way down. Then up. Then down...
"A learning experience is one of those things that says, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.'" - DNA
There are lists floating around the internet of the "best" or "favourite" episodes of the various Star Trek episodes. I'd choose one of the "best" episodes from the first series (The City on the Edge of Forever would be one good candidate) to introduce the characters and general situation, and then move to "best of" the other series.
lol - I suppose I could have expanded that to include costume, framing, acting style, plot themes, etc. but I figured that was understood. I also know that it worked for me - I took this approach with my gf... started out with an episode a night, within a couple days she wanted to watch them all the time. All 7 seasons watched in under 3 weeks. Now she loves sci-fi so much she named our pets after Firefly characters :)
For starters, do you have any handcuffs?
Start them off with the ST:TNG pinball game. That worked for me. I was a huge pinball fan already (over 40 years playing the silver ball today) and hate TOS and "lost in space". But ST:TNG is one of the greatest pinball games ever and once I started watching ST:TNG, my enjoyment of the pin went up considerably.
I come here for the love
A geek friend of mine (who for reasons I don't understand hasn't watched TNG before) recently started TNG. He made it half way through the first season before giving up. When I considered some of the episodes, I must admit, I don't blame him. It took that show a little while to get off the ground.
You start with a full frontal lobotomy...
With a Vulcan neck pinch, of course.
> My first idea is to start off with a few good TNG episodes,
> and then let them watch First Contact.
I would have said a few good TNG episodes and then Insurrection,
but sure, whatever.
> Which particular episodes would you recommend watching
> for someone who is completely new to all this?"
Start with these four exceptionally good ones, in any order:
Time's Arrow
The Best of Both Worlds
The Inner Light
Soldiers of the Empire (DS9, but it's the best Klingon episode ever)
Then go through these, in order by air date:
Who Watches the Watchers
Darmok
Ensign Ro
A Fistful of Datas
Ship in a Bottle
Face of the Enemy
Gambit
Lower Decks
Masks
Then do the four good TOS movies (STII:TWOK, STIII:TSFS, STIV:TVH, and STVI:TUC). Don't show ST:TMP until they've seen most or all of the TOS episodes. You have to be seriously nostalgic for TOS to sit through that one. (What? I have no idea what you're on about. Don't be absurd. There is no Star Trek Five. They crash the Bird of Prey in San Fransisco at the end of IV and take the new Enterprise A from earth at the beginning of VI. Nothing of interest happens in between -- nothing that would've been worth filming, certainly.)
After the four good TOS movies, if they're still with you, you can start going through whole seasons of TNG, but stay *away* from seasons 1 and 2. After seasons 3-7, show the TNG movies and then start in on DS9 and after that maybe Voyager.
Later, when they consider themselves big fans of the franchise, you can go back and show them some TOS episodes, to be immediately followed by TNG seasons 1 and 2. A good way to introduce TOS is to watch the DS9 and VOY episodes that re-use old TOS footage, then go back and watch the originals of those episodes, then branch out to other halfway decent TOS episodes.
Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
Pick your favorite three episodes of TOS. Doesn't matter which; you can go back and fill the the rest if and when the interest is there.
TOS should immediately be followed by a viewing of Galaxy Quest.
Next watch Encounter at Farpoint, only because it is the first episode and outlines a lot of the universe. The tour of TNG should include The Inner Light, The Chain of Command, and your favorite two episodes. Also include a Dixon Hill episode. Finish with All Good Things.
Watch ST:Generations and ST:First Contact
Pick your favorite two episodes of DS9.
Watch the first episode of Voyager that sets the stage for the rest of the series, and pick two others that you like.
Pick an episode of Enterprise from the middle to later seasons. Apologize, and watch several episodes of Quantum Leap instead.
Between series, explain how the universe is changed and the basic identities of the crews. Remember that you're picking episodes that you like. If your friends are interested in fleshing it out after the abridged version, you can go back and rediscover other episodes together. Look over Wikipedia and Memory Alpha to find episodes that seem intriguing.
Above all, don't want them to like it so badly that you force your tastes on your friends. Think of the stupidest, mind-numbing show that you can and then imagine how you would react if your friends wanted you to go back and watch each episode with them. Hopefully that's not their opinion of Trek, but just gauge their reaction and don't force anything that isn't enjoyable. It's just a TV show, after all.
Bonus: unlike Voyager/Enterprise and to a lesser extent DS9, special effects in space were still model-based so they were used sparingly, meaning the show had to be carried more on plot/character development.
Downside: Most of the first season of TNG is extremely painful to watch, especially after all this time but even when re-watching it in the early 90s. There's good reasons for it (starting production from scratch unlike later series, characters and technology hadn't been fully established by the writers yet, etc), but it's still painful.
I got into Star Trek neither for the fictional science nor for watching Diana Troy skip about in a body suit (that intrigue came later in life). I watched TNG, from childhood, for the frequent discussion on ethics. The Prime Directive was the main character of the storyline for me and I couldn't wait to learn more about the background of the Prime Directive, how human society evolved to accept the Prime Directive, how other characters were going to disregard it, and how they would justify doing so.
I was a student of ethics and behavior from very, very early in life, so it took no effort for me to get hooked.
I would suggest taking a similar method with any budding Trekkie. Find their interests and curiosities in life and relate them to directly to the show. Skip to specific episodes if necessary. Then, describe certain characters and roles those characters play. After a bit of episode surfing, offer to start from the beginning.
I'd say the new Star Trek remake movie is a good place to start. My wife watched ToS shortly after watching that film.
If people like good stories, ToS is really the best place to stat. As an added bonus, some of the effects they did back then are absolutely stunning for their technology capabilities of the day (especially on a nice HD screen).
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
One of the problems with TNG is that it *really* doesn't pick up its stride until season 3. Beardless Riker (season 1) is just barely canceled out by Tasha Yar, and Dr. Pulaski (season 2) is just barely canceled out by the show starting to gel together and having some awesome episodes until season 3 sees true awesomeness become a regular thing through the end of the series.
There are still a few duds from seasons 3-7, but overall it's genius.
I think the most appealing to a girl would be Voyager, because of the fair amount of good female character in lead roles and the fact that men and women are treated as equal, up to the uniform. I personally think it's pretty impressive of how women have lead roles and are not just sidekicks (like in Doctor Who).
That, if she's not the pretty princess type of girl, of course.
Don't start with the beginning of the first season of TNG. Much of it was pretty disappointing. TNG didn't really get going until the second season.
Enterprise > TNG > Ds9 > Voyager if they can tolerate old TV shows then watch TOS in production order somewhere in between. Enterprise has what it takes to hook a modern TV watcher.
...you just broke up with her now and severed contact with the friends you want to introduce to Star Trek aka showing them how nerdy you are.
They're really dated. In my head I know that only two of the principle characters are white, red-blooded, American males; and that Roddenberry was performing miracles in getting an Asian guy, a Russian, a Scot, and an actual black woman on ship that was clearly supposed to be a spiritual descendent of the USS Enterprise in 1968. But it's still really weird to watch a cast I know is 100% American, overwhelmingly male, and all-white except for the token black chick and Sulu, and then say "It's the best they could do." It doesn't help if you watch season two's Omega Glory, which happens on a planet inhabited by Chinese Communist City-folk in a genocidal war with the White American Capitalists. Then you watch "Paradise Syndrome" three or four episodes later, and the least racist thing is that the Indian Princess is played by an obvious white chick in redface.
So keep to the episodes that are good, and clearly not racist.
Indeed. I somehow turned ENT into TNG. I'm rightfully shamed!
Required reading for internet skeptics
This episode is by far the best Star Trek episode ever, it shows a pivotal point in the war and you really see the captain battling with his principles.
This is the sig that says NI (again)
The 2009 Star Trek movie was brilliantly done, and worth watching over and over. For someone who's never watched anything Trek, it's a nice high quality introduction to the characters. Use the movie to make them fall in love with the characters before exposing them to the melodrama of the 60s show. Once someone is hooked, they can watch just about anything Trek... even Deep Sleep 9!
Thoroughly enjoyed most of the comments ;-)
My advice is to match the right vibe to the right person. If someone likes whales, show them the whale movie. If someone likes finances, introduce them to Quark. If they are a complete muppet, show them 7 of 9. If they're into language and metaphor, tell them about Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra. For the BDSM fans, there's Damar. There's so much choice, one can find something that will catch the interest for almost everyone.
Love without logic is insanity. And vice versa.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goose_That_Laid_the_Golden_Eggs
*sigh*
Just introducing people to Star Trek isn't difficult at all. It's just like any other series: you start at the beginning. Now, since Star Trek consists of many different series, this simply means the start of any series will do.
This from someone who casually watched Voyager and TNG on TV.
I am not devoid of humor.