The 1000th Blog Post

The 1000th Blog Post

Things have changed in the last five years, though not in the way I expected: Back then I was beginning to believe I'd be getting rid of my DVDs, moving on to Blu-Ray, but that never happened, and in fact, complete series have become available as all-in-one box-sets. Rather than get rid of my slices of shelf, I need more shelves for the increasingly hefty slices (maybe I should rename the blog 'A Chunk of Shelf'!), all as they've become cheaper and with more choice of TV series' abounding. Where will we be in another five years? Will I still be writing away, distilling my thoughts into these reviews in 2019? Will there be a new 'Star Trek' TV series (and, more to the point, one I actually like and appreciate, with so many hours of greatness to follow?), and will DVDs finally become obsolete? Unknown.

Having written countless reviews (not all that countless: around one thousand, give or take a few of the early posts, which contained multiple mini-reviews!), over a five-year-plus period, what began as one of many tasks to keep me busy and my mind active during my unemployment, became a way to record my thoughts on those things that I enjoyed watching most (or could be bothered to delve into).

I've written my thoughts on many of the 'Star Trek' TV series' (much of 'TOS,' all of 'TNG,' almost all of 'DS9,' much of 'Voyager' and most of 'Enterprise'), and continue to churn them out as I watch, with the aim to one day have a review for every episode I've seen (though whether that will include the re-releases, I'm not so sure!), so they seemed a natural subject for my landmark one-thousandth post. I thought hard and long and came up with my definitive lists of my favourite episodes from each series - maybe not so definitive as thoughts have changed over the years, but close enough for now. Also thrown in are my top films and episodes of 'BUGS,' though for most of these lists and episodes, particularly the films, it may be more apt to call them the most influential as I may not have the same level of enjoyment from them now as I once did, though they stick in my mind as what impressed me most, originally.


My Top 20 Films:
The top five was fairly easy, the ten not too difficult, but the last ten were almost thrown on as it's hard to know with such close quality between them, and there are plenty of others bubbling under that might be just as worthwhile. 'Return of The Jedi' always was my favourite from way back seeing it as a child on TV at Christmas, but it doesn't necessarily fill me with joy to watch it now, more of a memory of enjoyment and awe. 'M:I2' is the same, the first action film I saw at the cinema, it still has the edge on anything else. My two preferred of 'The Lord of The Rings,' my favourite book, are about as good as we were going to get, and majestically showed what could be done, despite the complexity and detail of a great book, and there had to be a Trek film in the top five, with Kirk's final mission the choice cut of Trek magic. The other films on the list have made an impact, too.

1. Return of The Jedi
2. Mission: Impossible II
3. The Fellowship of The Ring
4. The Return of The King
5. Star Trek: Generations

6. The River Wild
7. The Empire Strikes Back
8. Star Trek: First Contact
9. Toy Story 2
10. The Matrix

11. Star Wars Episode I
12. Air Force One
13. Spider-Man
14. Mission: Impossible
15. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
16. The Bourne Ultimatum
17. Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
18. El Dorado
19. Zulu
20. Mrs. Doubtfire


My Top 20 DS9 Episodes
The hardest category to call, in some ways, as there are so many great episodes, but easier in others as I've seen them so often I know better than most things where they rank in my head. 'Distant Voices' may not be regarded as a Top 5 classic to most people, but it made an impact on me when I first saw it, appealing on both character and creep factors, and consequently was the first video I bought of the series, which turned into the complete collection over several years. 'The Magnificent Ferengi' as No. 1? Well, it's hilarious, one of the few Trek episodes to make me laugh out loud, yet also uses so many great pieces of 'DS9' lore in such a good way. And I could similarly go on about each and every entrant on the list, with a large enough number of episodes I could probably make a top fifty for this series. The best characters, acting, stories, ideas, complexity, action - it had it all and remains my favourite TV series ever, never to be superceded.

1. The Magnificent Ferengi
2. Call To Arms
3. Dr. Bashir, I Presume?
4. The Sacrifice of Angels
5. Distant Voices
6. The Ascent
7. Emissary
8. Far Beyond the Stars
9. What You Leave Behind
10. Visitor, The
11. You Are Cordially Invited...
12. In the Cards
13. Inquisition
14. Way of the Warrior
15. Trials and Tribble-ations
16. In the Pale Moonlight
17. The Begotten
18. Empok Nor
19. Blaze of Glory
20. Rocks and Shoals


My Top 20 Voyager Episodes
A tricky category as I haven't seen the episodes as regularly or as recently as other series' so some of these rankings may be out of date. It was more a case of flinging on those that I'd rated strongly in the past, even if I would probably have to rearrange things a bit as time goes on. 'Caretaker,' for me, has always been the high point as I saw it at just the right age. 'Basics' is a funny one as I used to prefer part one, and now part two seems better, but whether it's the Borg, time travel, or character studies, this series has much to prove its detractors wrong, and, like 'DS9' has so many other great episodes it's almost unfair not to have a top fifty.

1. Caretaker
2. Basics, part II
3. Lifeline
4. The Killing Game, part I
5. Basics, part I
6. Dark Frontier
7. Deadlock
8. Macrocosm
9. Relativity
10. Someone To Watch Over Me
11. Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy
12. Scorpion, part I
13. Shattered
14. Meld
15. Persistence of Vision
16. Raven, The
17. Repression
18. Timeless
19. Tsunkatse
20. Message in a Bottle


My Top 20 Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes:
Tough, as many of these top episodes are very close to each other in my estimation. In truth I've almost randomly thrown them on the board, and those after the top ten could be in any order. The series didn't often reach the heights of 'DS9' or even make as much impact on me as 'Voyager' since I saw most of them after those series', but many episodes still warrant their place in Trek history, and those at the very top remain among the best Trek ever. The Borg rate highly, as do episodes which feature characters from other series', but just as important are those pure 'TNG' character episodes, whether it be about Data (Spiner's amazing ability to play three characters!), Picard (melding with Sarek, or reviewing his life), or Riker's insanity - even Wesley's most important moments rank up there!

1. The Best of Both Worlds, part I
2. All Good Things...
3. Tapestry
4. Sarek
5. Q Who?
6. Conspiracy
7. Birthright, part I
8. Family
9. Brothers
10. The Inner Light
11. Lower Decks
12. Frame of Mind
13. Relics
14. The First Duty
15. The Measure of a Man
16. Disaster
17. The Survivors
18. Coming of Age
19. Cause and Effect
20. The Big Goodbye


My Top 10 Star Trek Episodes:
Not as well-versed in this series as the more modern ones, it nevertheless was my first exposure to Trek and I've watched them all in the last few years, but it's difficult to compare them with the superior visuals, acting and ideas of later series' - heresy, perhaps, but although I'm fond of this, there are fewer episodes I consider highly (being fewer episodes in total). Some might be surprised by the number one spot, but for some reason this stayed with me, though the second is easier to understand. Some of the top picks are familiar to most, others might be surprising, but they've all made an impact on me in my relatively recent viewing, rather than being nostalgic memories.

1. What Are Little Girls Made Of?
2. The City on the Edge of Forever
3. Menagerie, part I, The
4. Operation-Annihilate!
5. Trouble With Tribbles, The
6. Is There in Truth No Beauty?
7. Plato's Stepchildren
8. The Conscience of the King
9. Space Seed
10. Amok Time


My Top 20 Enterprise Episodes:
Enterprise is my least favourite Trek series, which made it easy to work out which were the best, being so few I really love, plus I haven't seen Season 4 since original transmission (the DVD is sitting on the shelf awaiting 'the right time'), so I suspect there would be more from that season I've not been able to take into account. For me, that season is best, followed by Season 1, then 3 (which has its moments), and 2, which has so many dull episodes. Like 'Voyager,' this series' pilot was so good that it remained the high point, and never again reached that soaring quality, though it came close with the Borg episode, the first Landing Party episode, the first of the Orions/Brent Spiner three-part story, and the introduction of the Andorians. But there are others that deserve recognition, too, such as the beginnings of the alliances that would become the Federation, the final episode (often vilified, yet beautifully ending eighteen years of Trek on TV), as well as other, smaller stories that concentrated on clever ideas or character development. Unfortunately there were too few of these to make this list difficult, one reason why the series finished before her time. (I'd still be up for a Season 5, though!).

1. Broken Bow
2. Regeneration
3. Strange New World
4. Borderland
5. The Andorian Incident
6. Babel One
7. These Are The Voyages...
8. Future Tense
9. Horizon
10. Acquisition
11. Xindi, The
12. Marauders
13. Canamar
14. Anomaly
15. Catwalk, The
16. Impulse
17. Unexpected
18. Fight or Flight
19. Similitude
20. Shockwave, part I


My Top 10 BUGS Episodes:
My favourite British TV series, and for years my favourite TV series full stop, until the richness and volume of 'DS9' took over, which is why I'm including a list here. Only forty episodes were ever made (which seems a lot now, when modern British TV tends to be ten or less), but I still wish there were more. Exciting, action-packed, full of great ideas about technology and gadgets, with brilliant characters and a fun atmosphere, this has more depth to it the more you watch it.

1. The Bureau of Weapons
2. Out of The Hive
3. Renegades
4. Fugitive
5. Schrodinger's Bomb

6. Assassins Inc.
7. A Cage For Satan
8. What Goes Up...
9. Identity Crisis
10. Pulse


My Star Trek Films Rankings:
These were relatively easy to put in order as, having watched them all in recent years, I'd compared them and ranked them at the same time. The 'TNG' films have generally been better for me, perhaps because they were contemporary, as I was too young to know about the 'TOS' films on original release. 'Insurrection' became my favourite when I first saw it, but over the years 'Generations' suited my taste and the reminder of the start of the golden years much better, while the third 'TNG' film went down a little in my estimation. The same for 'Star Trek V' - I didn't used to think that much of it, though it may have been the first I saw, but now I see it as the truest to the series. With the realisation that 'Star Trek II' was raved about, and my own over-familiarity with it, I found myself liking it incrementally less than V, VI, and III (which has impressed me more in recent years). The same with IV, which feels less Trek-like, though still features a warm glow of enjoyment, as opposed to the cold, dispassionate, but fascinating beginning of the film series. 'Nemesis' was always my least favourite 'TNG' film, but at least it continues the proper timeline, unlike number XI - it's more satisfying for the action, but far less on the characters, and so little continuation of the true timeline. 'Into Darkness' is more Trek, but more isn't enough - it was a mistake, despite the positive steps it took.

1. Star Trek: Generations
2. Star Trek: First Contact
3. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
4. Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
5. Star Trek: Insurrection
6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
7. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
8. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
9. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
10. Star Trek Nemesis
11. Star Trek XI
12. Star Trek Into Darkness