Trek series re-evaluated

[Lurok91]

Since got into bridge modding, had to watch/revisit a lot of trek including stuff never seen before.  Here's my (re-)evaluation of series,  which had some surprising conclusions.   Entirely personal but  interested what others think  

TOS
Has enormous nostalgia value.  Personally I think remastered episodes have improved it  a great deal  though I know controversial. Still think has some of best 'acting'  even if a bit cheesy     And definitely the best music  
Best season is 2, closely followed by 1 though I think 3 has some excellent episodes.  
Best eps:  Doomsday Machine, Amok Time
Personal faves:  Enterprise Incident (for Romulan Commander  ), Assignment Earth (of course  )

TNG
Still haven't watched all seasons though seen eps from most. From memory, seasons 1 & 2 very clunky and usual teething problems. Feels most like Voyager and many similar storylines.  Never really bonded with crew - even in movies - and often find Data and Troi annoying.  
Personal faves:  Cause And Effect,  Q Who?,  Best Of Both Worlds

DS9
Had never got into, but prompted by Nero and others and need for bridge research got on DVD.   Like TNG, found Seasons 1 & 2 a bit so-what but from Season 3 onwards really grabbed me.   Think this is the best Trek series for character/story development arcs and best all-round acting cast outside TOS;  esp Sisko, Garak, Dukat and Odo.  Really did get a lot lot better with age...though never a huge fan of the endless Ferengi sub-stories     Only criticism is that think Season 7 feels like treading water and waiting for end after loss of Dax/wrap up of series.  And could have done without holosuite stuff.
Best eps:   In The Pale Moonlight,  most of season 4-6
Personal faves:  Far Beyond The Stars  (this is what great sci-fi all about.  They really nailed it.  And Avery Brooks is at top of game).

VOYAGER
Huge Voyager fan from start (first trek got into).  Always felt got better as went along, but rewatching have changed opinion.  Only character who really improves with age is Janeway.  And maybe the Doctor.  But now realise the best written/most interesting episodes are in Seasons 1-3 (though a fair few clunkers as well) as we get to know to them.    From season 4 onwards feels like treading water, revisiting greatest hits and  Seven starts to over-influence storylines.   Voyager had disappointing villains (Kazon, Borg, etc) and think never found its soul.   But still think had some great under-utilised characters:   Tuvok (best Vulcan after Spock),  Kes (Seven may have been considered 'sexier' but not in my book, and a great loss).
Best eps:  Year of Hell
Personal faves:  Living Witness (bad 'badass' Janeway - alien civilization rewrites history so Voyager is a deadly warship bent on destruction)

ENTERPRISE
This is my weak spot. Never a  fan and barely seen, esp later seasons.  But appreciate importance to canon.  And eps have seen have usually find something to like. Feeling of recreating TOS crew dynamic.   Archer as Kirk figure,  T'Pol as Spock, etc.  Like TNG never bonded with crew;  found them all a bit humorless, Archer a bit sour and shouty and generally a lack of fun.  I get impression later seasons see progressive story arc similar to DS9 and worth investigating.
Best eps:  So far,  The Andorian Incident and Shadows of P'Jem (with great Jeffrey Combs as Shran);  Carbon Creek, The Catwalk and Stigma.
Personal faves:  Of episodes seen so far,  has to be In A Mirror Darkly.   Sheer genius of linking the last-ever Trek TV series back to TOS.  And doing it so brilliantly without comprising integrity of either.   In fact, I'd say one of the best ever Trek episodes of ANY series.   Also love Carbon Creek (T'Pol's shaggy dog story....or is it?  - brilliant).  

EDIT:  well, did call this Trek re-evaluated. Finally got round to watching ENT.  Currently nearing end of Season 2.  And you know what?  Really, really enjoying.  So much that surprised series has such a bad rep.   So why enjoy?   Well, better sfx obviously help. But more importantly, what I think this series does better than any other is (re)capture spirit of TOS.   Yeah, you heard right  .   Narratively makes sense as obviously trying to establish continuity with TOS and sets up many elements (Prime Directive, birth of Fed, Andorians, Tholians, etc).   But more so,  think it captures the 'essence' of TOS well.  That slightly wild, let's-see-what-happens mentality rather than cerebral power-plays of DS9 and VOY.   Has a lot more humour than I expected (with some real laugh-out-loud moments haven't had in other Trek series) and really nice TOS-style interplay between characters. From 'couldn't-care-less', it's now become one of my fave Trek series (heresy, I know).   Season 1 has great stories that have a lot in common with the 'first contact' eps of TOS.  Season 2 starts well, but dips a bit in middle.   The episode with the arrogant princess (already done in TOS and TNG) must rank as one of worst ever (def for acting  ).   And though this goes counter to fan thinking, I actually found the Season 3 Xindi arc a bit dull and tedious.  For me, best seasons are definitely 1, start of 2 and 4.

 

[Villain]

I can totally agree with In A Mirror Darkly being brilliant. Easily my favourite episode of all time, and the addition of a unique intro was brilliant.

Would still love to see even just a miniseries of the TE.

[Morgan]

Well here's my own take:

TOS
I never saw a whole lot of this one.  Although it has the respect of being "the one that started it all," I had a hard time getting into, probably because of my age compared to how old TOS is.  Still, there is some great stuff in here like "Mirror, Mirror" and "The Trouble With Tribbles" (classic).

TNG
I've been watching this one since I was a kid, and this is the series that got me into Trek in the first place.  The first episode I saw was "The Best of Both World's" and I was so amazed when they separated the saucer to fight the Borg I was hooked.

DS9
My DS9 & VOY story is similar to yours Lurok.  I never saw DS9 until Spike TV started airing re-runs when I was a teenager and now that I've seen it I'm completely hooked on that show, and I think it's probably the best of all of them.  The first two seasons are a bit of chore to get through but once the Dominion enter the picture it's hard to put this show down.

VOY
Like TNG, I watched this one growing up and loved it.  Now that I'm older though (and spoiled by DS9), I find Voyager to be one of the weaker shows.  Sure it had its moments, but after season four you can just tell the writers and producers were starting to run out of gas.

ENT
I gotta admit that I was one of those "Enterprise bashers".  I had a hard time watching this one during its first three seasons, but then season four came.  That's when the show really found its place and I personally think reached a level of story telling and attention to detail that hadn't been seen since DS9 (with the exception of "These Are the Voyages" of course  ), and makes me really wish the show would be revived while the cast is still young enough to pick up where they left off.

[moed]

Seen them all, loved them all.

It's all Trek and if you analyze them enough, they pretty much all "tie in".

I remember my first intro into Trek was watching the last season of TOS when they were first run as a kid... the rest is history.