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Help me introduce my friend to Star Trek.

Dog Weissman

Dog Weissman

Banned
Sep 12, 2020
734
He IS a fan of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and other such fantasy and sci-fi affairs so it's not like the chink in the armor isn't there to a degree. However, he's written it off all his life as just a *bit* too nerdy. He and I have had some conversations recently where we've mutually lamented how our significant others/close friends and family don't share our enthusiasm for some of our more geeky pursuits. He made some arguments about those people being closed minded which I was tempted to turn back around on him and his wholesale dismissal of Star Trek.

Well, the shots have been fired. I called the motherfucker out and straight up said he being a hypocrite-ass bitch. And I want to back it up by slamming some certified galaxy brained Star Trek bangers in front of his face. But I don't know where to start. I don't want to fuck up his first impression. I've sold him on Star Trek as, at its best, having incredible depth. Something that inspires lots of positive and stimulating thoughts and curiosity. But is also just wholesale entertaining.

I don't want to pick something overly corny. Star Trek has a ton of that and its all well and good once you're initiated but I don't want to turn my friend off by overloading him with cheese.

I'm thinking one of the episodes could be TNG's "The Pegasus" as a good introduction to Riker and Picard and their whole dynamic. DS9's "Way of the Warrior" for introducing him to Worf and the other sorts of interesting non-human characters in the franchise. Whatever it is, there needs to be enough intrigue to grab a newcomer but not so much that requires more than a very passing knowledge of Trek.
 
sir_crocodile

sir_crocodile

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,505
So something like "Measure of a Man" would be considered "too nerdy" you think?

"The Survivors" is a really good one-shot too me.
"Q-Who" is a an all timer episode, only possible issue is how smoothly Q is introduced for first time viewers, you'd need to give it a quick rewatch to see.
 
OP
OP
Dog Weissman

Dog Weissman

Banned
Sep 12, 2020
734
sir_crocodile said:
So something like "Measure of a Man" would be considered "too nerdy" you think?

"The Survivors" is a really good one-shot too me.
"Q-Who" is a an all timer episode, only possible issue is how smoothly Q is introduced for first time viewers.
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Measure of a Man is an all time great but I wouldn't put it at the top of the stack. He should know/care about Data as a character first.

Q-Who is a great suggestion. An introduction to Q, The Borg, and a some idea of the scope of the galaxy portrayed in Star Trek.
 
L Thammy

L Thammy

Spacenoid
Member
Oct 25, 2017
50,025
I think anything from The Next Generation post-Gene Roddenberry would probably be okay. Personally I feel like I respond better to the earlier such seasons, but maybe that's just me.
 
Trisc

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,488
I introduced my girlfriend to Trek with Lower Decks, and they absolutely loved it. Lower Decks puts a great spin on classic episodic Trek adventures, but with active character development throughout both seasons. It's also wonderfully affectionate for classic Trek, but not to the point of being obnoxious (unless it's funny).

The generally upbeat vibe of the series is also incredibly infectious.
 
The Adder

The Adder

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,106
Duet and Waltz from DS9 are best with the context of the characters involved, but they (especially Duet) can certainly stand on their own.
 
toadkarter

toadkarter

Member
Oct 2, 2020
2,011
My advice for getting people into Star Trek (because it's what ultimately worked for me) is to just pick a list of greatest episodes across the franchise and sample them from time-to-time. If something piques their interest, try finding some more episodes with those particular characters or themes, and continue watching, so and so forth. Basically treat it like getting into comic books, as opposed to something you need to watch in chronological order.

For me personally, I knew I was fully hooked on Trek after I watched Darmok, which showed the positive, diplomatic energy that I now love about the franchise. After watching some other episodes, Inner Light and I, Borg made me want to watch all TNG from start to finish.

Now, I don't know if your friend will consider those eps too nerdy, because at the end of the day it's a pretty goofy looking show by today's standards, but I think the writing is just really solid science fiction, so maybe give one of those a try.
 
grand

grand

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,972
Have him watch TNG starting with season 3. Or Wrath of Kahn and/or Voyage Home and/or Undiscovered Country. Anything else will likely push him away from the franchise because it's been mishandled since the 60s and only will exists thanks to a passionate fanbase..
 
grand

grand

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,972
Actually, just have him watch the Legal Eagle episode of TNG. In my experience, people tend to embrace Star Trek from more arbitrary comparisons than outright "watch several decades of shit" endeavors

 
THErest

THErest

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,104
I showed a friend Wrath of Khan for his first Star Trek.

He liked it, but he was all like "How can you show me my first Star Trek and SPOCK DIES???!?"


Lol, do that.
 
echoshifting

echoshifting

very salt heavy
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
14,722
The Negative Zone
The first thing to show someone who thinks Star Trek is too nerdy is Galaxy Quest. It lampshades a lot of that stuff while also revealing the heart behind Star Trek and why people love it
 
JonnyDBrit

JonnyDBrit

God and Anime
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,020
As a point of entry, I might recommend Ensigns of Command.

It is, to my mind, the most 'stock' episode of the franchise, but in a way that is especially welcoming to newcomers. It's decidedly not 'the best', but you can use it as a groundwork to get them up to speed with general premise and execution in a solid package.

From there, I might suggest at some point doing the Q-Who to Best of Both Worlds pipeline. Anecdotally, it's what got my friend - initially averse to Star Trek for similar reasons to your friend's - into the franchise.
 
Pluto

Pluto

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,449
Here are my suggestions, I tried not to pick the usual picks (with one exception) because if you start with the top 20 of the entire franchise the expectations might be a bit too high.

TNG:
Q Who
The Drumhead
Face of the Enemy

Voyager:
Dreadnought
Counterpoint
Blink of an Eye

I think as an introduction TNG and Voyager work much better than DS9 because it allows to watch more individual episodes that aren't part of an arc.
 
bushmonkey

bushmonkey

Member
Oct 29, 2017
5,603
I feel like I recognise myself in your friend and I have a friend who is also massively into Star Trek and tried to get me into it. I could never stand NG. The characters are too righteous and there's always a moral being shoved down your throat as well as too many science ex machinas. On the other hand, what got me was deep space Nine. Seeing the federation from outsiders who also recognise it as too preachy and cult like was my jam. The characters were also more grey in their moral values. So I should recommend a good deep space Nine episode.
 
Aliand

Aliand

Member
Oct 28, 2017
890
Start with the reboot movie, there's a good chance they will like it and then you can dive into the series ?
 
Tavernade

Tavernade

Tavernade
Moderator
Sep 18, 2018
8,629
The Adder said:
Duet and Waltz from DS9 are best with the context of the characters involved, but they (especially Duet) can certainly stand on their own.
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Duet was the first one that came to my mind.

I also agree with just dropping them into S3 of TNG off the bat, unless I'm forgetting some clunkers it's really solid and ends with Best of Both Worlds.
 
Wrexis

Wrexis

Member
Nov 4, 2017
21,247
I highlighted a recommendation from each "type" of Trek.

Trope/Standard Star Trek
  1. The Original Series (dated)
  2. The Next Generation (slightly less dated, but start from S3 onwards)
  3. Voyager (the definition of episodic)
  4. The 2009 movie
Darker/Different
  1. DS9 (highly recommend, but the first season is rough)
  2. Wrath of Khan
Comedic/Lighter
  1. Star Trek IV The Voyager Home ("reminded me of a MCU movie" - a friend)
  2. Lower Decks
Modern
  1. Discovery (rough, but popular - sorry haters)
  2. Picard (only if you love TNG)
  3. Star Trek Prodigy (very good for introducing kids to Trek)
  4. Strange New Worlds (well we'll see in 2 weeks)
If you like pain
  1. The Animated Series
  2. Star Trek TMP, III, V
  3. Star Trek Insurrection & Nemesis
 
PinkSpider

PinkSpider

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,923
As a long term Trekkie don't really enjoy The Original Series as it's quite dated but the films (The Voyage Home) are less so.

I'd start with The Next Generation, maybe skip to series 3 as won't miss much and can always go back. Some episodes are better than others and First Contact is worth a watch (Unlike TOS the films are weaker overall than the series).

Other than that yeah can agree with the post above, quite liked Discovery but it's not really classic or the majority of Trek. Still need to get in to DS9, I know there is quality there but damn that first series is rough.
 
Soap

Soap

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,186
I would also start with season 3 of TNG with an ESSENTIAL watch list. They may confused who Q and Tasha are (as both are in essential watchlists) but a quick 5 minute explanation from you should be enough to get them up to speed.

Whatever you do, DO NOT force them to watch an entire season. If they like the watchlist you have prepared then they can always go back to the shit episodes.
 
Santar

Santar

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,995
Norway
Put on First Contact, everyone loves that movie.
It moves fast and has a bit of action which probably makes it easy to get into even if you're not very into regular Trek.
 
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WolverinesFather

WolverinesFather

Member
Oct 27, 2017
934
Omaha
My 10 year old has shown interest in Trek. I like to make sure he has context for most things so i try to start from the beginning of things but this seems pretty daunting.

I was thinking of picking a few OG series episodes, including Space Seed, and then jumping to Wrath of Khan. If he is still interested then maybe do a few more movies and then some random TNG episodes.
 
Elegant Weapon

Elegant Weapon

Member
Oct 31, 2017
6,747
Star Trek Discovery got me interested in Trek enough to binge TNG, DS9 & Voyager


If you really want to start them with 90s Trek, a Data centered episode might be best
 
aceface

aceface

Unshakable Resolve
Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,968
I showed my teenage daughter Space Seed, then Star Trek 2-4 and 6. She loved them and is a huge trekkie now, we're doing a watch through of Voyager together.

Edit: Actually if you want to hear more about all this check out the podcast we recorded about it lol
 
exodus

exodus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,949
Voyager - Year of Hell

There are a lot of one off Voyager episodes that are great since it's a very episodic series with little baggage carried episode to episode, for better or for worse.

I think Year of Hell is a perfect standalone (two parter) episode that demonstrates a lot of Star Trek's strengths and general allure.
 
Happy Puppy

Happy Puppy

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,484
I started with TNG. Season 1 was a not that good, but in season 2 you get :Measure of a Man" and it really made me interested in the series.
 
Dekuman

Dekuman

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,026
Dog Weissman said:
He IS a fan of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and other such fantasy and sci-fi affairs so it's not like the chink in the armor isn't there to a degree. However, he's written it off all his life as just a *bit* too nerdy. He and I have had some conversations recently where we've mutually lamented how our significant others/close friends and family don't share our enthusiasm for some of our more geeky pursuits. He made some arguments about those people being closed minded which I was tempted to turn back around on him and his wholesale dismissal of Star Trek.

Well, the shots have been fired. I called the motherfucker out and straight up said he being a hypocrite-ass bitch. And I want to back it up by slamming some certified galaxy brained Star Trek bangers in front of his face. But I don't know where to start. I don't want to fuck up his first impression. I've sold him on Star Trek as, at its best, having incredible depth. Something that inspires lots of positive and stimulating thoughts and curiosity. But is also just wholesale entertaining.

I don't want to pick something overly corny. Star Trek has a ton of that and its all well and good once you're initiated but I don't want to turn my friend off by overloading him with cheese.

I'm thinking one of the episodes could be TNG's "The Pegasus" as a good introduction to Riker and Picard and their whole dynamic. DS9's "Way of the Warrior" for introducing him to Worf and the other sorts of interesting non-human characters in the franchise. Whatever it is, there needs to be enough intrigue to grab a newcomer but not so much that requires more than a very passing knowledge of Trek.
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It depends on your friend's tastes. Star Trek has many faces, there's the psuedo scientific stuff that gets nerds arguing about minutiae, there's the broader galactic politics of Star Trek , there's the monster of the month Star Trek.

I think the Original Series (Kirk etc) does a great job of hitting on all 3 and it's only 3 seasons so it doesn't wear out its welcome. The only downside it its age.

If your friend likes the galatic politics of Trek, Star Trek Enterprise may be a good place to start because it's a bit closer to Star Wars with its 'worn' universe look and deals mostly with relations between Earth, and various races leading to the formation of the Federation.

TNG is also a good place because of its quality, but it's a long series, so there's going to be a lot of filler episodes. I can't speak to Voyager, seems polarizing. I haven't kept up with Discovery or Picard.
 

Deleted member 3208

Oct 25, 2017
11,934
Wrexis said:
Darker/Different
  1. DS9 (highly recommend, but the first season is rough)
  2. Wrath of Khan
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Shouldn't First Contact be in this category? This was way more action than any other Star Trek movie, and also quite disturbing how the were Borg assimilating the Enterprise crew and the ship.

Q Who would be a perfect point to introduce the franchise and also set up First Contact.
 
The Real Abed

The Real Abed

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,723
Pennsylvania
Happy Puppy said:
I started with TNG. Season 1 was a not that good, but in season 2 you get :Measure of a Man" and it really made me interested in the series.
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The Royale is my favorite season 2 episode. I also like Where Silence has Lease. Time Squared, Samaritan Snare and Peak Performance are also good ones. The rest can safely be ignored. Also Q Who introduces the Borg.

At the very least, don't touch Shades of Grey. It's a clip show with a boring framing story.
 
Alexandros

Alexandros

Member
Oct 26, 2017
17,811
I will endorse the Q Who suggestion, it's a great standalone episode with a very compelling villain and a plot that focuses on the heart of Star Trek, dealing with the unknown. Its ending is also very different than what you'd see in a traditional space opera: instead of the heroes killing the bad guy or making a daring escape, they have to admit defeat and beg an asshole to save them. It's unconventional, as good Star Trek often is.
 
eXistor

eXistor

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,294
I just followed a list of recommended episodes. I ended up loving TNG and watched every episode.
 
nachum00

nachum00

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,414
Arena from the Original Series of course.




I got into it starting with season 1 of TNG. Even though everyone hates on it I really liked it(The Naked Now and Code of Honor are garbage though) and I think skipping entire seasons is weird.

Also loved season 1 of DS9 and thought it was better than seasons 6 and 7.
 
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Sotha_Sil

Sotha_Sil

Member
Nov 4, 2017
5,064
toadkarter said:
For me personally, I knew I was fully hooked on Trek after I watched Darmok, which showed the positive, diplomatic energy that I now love about the franchise. After watching some other episodes, Inner Light and I, Borg made me want to watch all TNG from start to finish.
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Three of the all-time greats, there. The Drumhead, Tapestry, The Defector, Yesterday's Enterprise, and First Contact (the episode) also belong up there.

I would hesitate to nominate a Q episode that isn't Q Who, though. You really need to get Picard/Q's relationship to appreciate Tapestry and All Good Things.

Some others to consider are The Pegasus, Cause and Effect, and Parallels.
 
Sordid Plebeian

Sordid Plebeian

Member
Oct 26, 2017
17,377
I've only watched some of TOS and found myself enjoying the more serious and dramatic episodes of that versus the goofier ones. Any episodes that felt especially dated made me roll my eyes. Regardless of where you start him, just make sure there is a good core story and make a few episodes for him to check out. From what I've heard, TNG is probably the best place to start (not S1 though), and then also don't let him watch any of the new crap.
 
Night Hunter

Night Hunter

Member
Dec 5, 2017
2,796
The Adder said:
Duet and Waltz from DS9 are best with the context of the characters involved, but they (especially Duet) can certainly stand on their own.
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Click to shrink...

I can't recommentd Waltz, but Duet should indeed be a great one-off to watch. Not much background info is needed (Bajorans suffered Cardassian rule for decades, Kira was in the resistance), it's generally well acted and the story of the episode should be easy to pick up.

Only downside might be that it is some of the best Trek has to offer if you ask me. It's the perfect DS9 chamber play and if you ask me by far the best episode of the first season and in general a Top 25 Trek episode.
 
Zeliard

Zeliard

Member
Jun 21, 2019
10,945
Along the lines of maybe getting them hooked with standalone episodes -

For the more emotional and hard-hitting episodes that I think anyone would be hard-pressed to write off as "too nerdy," I'd go with Darmok and Inner Light from TNG and Duet from DS9, all three of which were already mentioned (for very good reason). However they are somewhat unusual in the franchise for their sheer emotional impact. I think they give a great sense of what Trek can be at its most poignant and intelligent but don't expect every episode to be like that.

One that falls along those lines that hasn't been mentioned yet is The Visitor from DS9. It's a truly beautiful father-son story that I think can be universally appreciated regardless of how one feels about Trek or even science fiction. That one might be a bit better to watch if you've already seen a decent bit of DS9, only so you can go into it having already spent some time with Sisko and his son Jake, but it absolutely stands alone and it's just lovely.
 
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