So, I just finished watching all of the original 3 seasons of Star Trek.

[HopeHoops]

And that includes the extended version of "The Cage" with the commentary by Gene. It is a good version. They use B&W/Color to differentiate between the segments that were only in the never-aired pilot and those that were incorporated into the two-part "Menagerie" episodes.

[hamsterjill]

1. Gene Roddenberry was an incredible visionary!

Just look at all of the things that were "super hero toys" back in the 60's when this show aired, that are now commonplace!

[chemenger]

5. Still waiting for a phase rifle, however.

n/t

[hamsterjill]

6. I still want to be "beamed" home from work!

Sitting in traffic sucks! LOL

[chemenger]

7. Come to think of it ... to hell with the phase rifle

I'll take one of those green Orion slave girls.

[NV Whino]

2. Possibly the most influential TV show ever.

I still find it amazing it only ran for three seasons.

[HopeHoops]

3. "Its five year mission..."

"...cut short by network executives with no imagination."

[NV Whino]

4. Boy, did they screw the pooch

Xena is the only other show that I can think of that drew so many followers, and that ran for six seasons.

[InvisibleTouch]

16. Well, the 5-year mission continued in the animated series...

...and then in the novels. Some of which were fantastic, while others were just so-so. The animated series was embarrassingly bad, except for a couple of stand-out episodes.

[Swede]

8. Bazinga

[Fire Walk With Me]

10. "Wait, did I put on the red shirt this morning? Aw crap..."

[HopeHoops]

11. Yeah, that was pretty much it - "I'm just crewman number six".

[Pacifist Patriot]

15. In the immortal words of my father, "that's got to be the poor ensign that gets it."

[krispos42]

17. Kirk: "Spock, McCoy, we're beaming down to the planet."

"Sulu, have three security guards meet us in the transporter room."

<Spock, McCoy, and Kirk enter the turbolift. Cut to interior transporter room. Doors open and Kirk, McCoy, and Spock enter. Kirk eyes the three sercurity guards waiting for them.

Kirk: Ensign Kannon, Ensign Fodder, and Ensign Seemo, glad you could join us.

Seeme: That's 'Seeme', sir. Nowyu Seeme.

Kirk: <Pauses briefly> Yes, we'll have to get that right for the after-action report.

Seeme: <confused> Sir?

Kirk: Nevermind. It was a pleasure serving with all of you. Now let's get on the transporter pads.


;-)

[MicaelS]

9. Roddenberry was pretty talented

But his constantly recycled them of humans meeting God, god, gods, the Creator, etc.. got to be very tiresome.

[Fire Walk With Me]

12. His big thing was about "flawed gods", so that should add a bit of context.

Self-determination, blowing up moldy authoritative systems, etc.

[Deep13]

13. The good episodes were very good...

...but there were a few stinkburgers in there. How many episodes can we have about the crew being forced to fight each other or aliens while more powerful beings watched?

[CBGLuthier]

14. I highly prefer them to the more recent efforts

where the crews became mutual ass-kissing societies secure in their incredibly supreme competence.