posted
I got asked an interesting question by my son (age 6) today. Recently, since starting piano lessons, he's become very interested in orchestral movie themes - H Potter, Star Wars, stuff like that. So, I had burned the DS9 theme on a disk along with various other stuff to listen to as we drove around on errands. He liked it, asked what it was from and asked me "can we watch Star Trek, I'd like to start from the beginning".
Now he's seen some episodes when I'm watching them but has only just recently gotten to the point where he's interested in something with that sort of action/dialoge.
So here's my question - where's the beginning? If I start with TOS I think I'm going to lose his interest (heresy, heresy). Seriously, 60's level effects I'm not sure he'll suspend disbelief. I don't much want to sit through the first movie, and Khan doesn't mean much unless you at least know who Spock is.
Anybody taken this on?
-------------------- Twee bieren tevreden, zullen mijn vriend betalen.
Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
If he's 6 year old, then I don't think that he's going to lose his interest watching TOS - children imagination often can do wonders
And if he does, then you can always skip the rest of TOS and jump to the movies. This way he'll have at least basic understanding who those people are what they do, AND have apprioprate frame of reference to appreciate refit Enterprise
All IMHO
-------------------- "Do I remember about my amnesia?"
Registered: Jan 2003
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Hate to say it, but it's either TNG or TOS for a kid- Enterprise was cool, but not geared to children's sense of wonder, action and most imporntantly, easy to follow plot, like TOS was.
I bet he'll love Enterprise once he's in fifth grade- and he's got a better grasp of storytelling (and raging hormones).
I'd get him hooked on only the good TOS stuff (no Spock's Brain, then select TNG and finally the war epic DS9 stuff ('cause ships exploding will make any kid a fan of sci-fi!).
Read him War of The Worlds- by Wells, not Speilberg.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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Da_bang80
A few sectors short of an Empire
Member # 528
posted
Please don't call it "Sci-Fi". It denegrates the Genre. Personally I grew up watching TNG. I never really got into TOS or Voyager. So I say start him off with TNG, and the rest will fall into place.
-------------------- Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I cannot accept. And the wisdom to hide the bodies of all the people I had to kill today because they pissed me off.
quote:Originally posted by Da_bang80: Please don't call it "Sci-Fi". It denegrates the Genre. Personally I grew up watching TNG. I never really got into TOS or Voyager. So I say start him off with TNG, and the rest will fall into place.
Take a look at the site name - we're already degenerates.
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Registered: Oct 2000
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OnToMars
Now on to the making of films!
Member # 621
posted
I'd say start with the select TOS, Balance of Terror, Space Seed, maybe City on the Edge of Forever....um....there have to be more....
Then jump to Wrath of Khan and go through the movies and start into TNG.
-------------------- If God didn't want us to fly, he wouldn't have given us Bernoulli's Principle.
Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
Interesting question! My personal opinion is that the answer for which series will create a new fan will invariably depend on the individual. The first episode of Trek I ever saw was "Yesterday's Enterprise" (how confusing!), but it was DS9 that hooked me on the franchise, most specifically with season one's "Duet".
For a six-year-old, however, I'd suggest a small sampling of the various series. Start with TOS for a few episodes to show how things got started, then move on to the others in order.
I'd recommend "The Trouble with Tribbles", that's a really fun one to grab his interest. And "The City on the Edge of Forever" would be a great time travel story, too. "Balance of Terror" might be a little dramatic, but is great to introduce and underscore the concept of alien races, anti-alien bigotry, and commonality among cultures.
Believe it or not, I wouldn't necessarily do any of the movies as an introduction, for various reasons. TMP is too plodding and dull, TWOK is a bit intense for a 1st grader, TSFS is a sequel, TVH is IMO the least Trekkish of the films and doesn't really capture the spirit of the franchise (despite being very fun and relevant in some ways, it's not great for a Trek primer), TFF just sucked, and TUC would probably be a bit over his head with all the politics.
As for the other series.... well, there's so many in TNG it's hard to really screw up. The real meat of DS9 might be hard for him grasp at such a young age (though I could be wrong). Voyager was decent, but simplistic in some ways.
I know I haven't been the most coherent, but I'm working retail during the holiday season, so cut me a break. I'm this close to hating all of humanity at the moment.
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Aren't we all? Try working for FedEx at the holidays....
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
Hmmm - tough call with TOS. I never appreciated the show until watching a marathon on Cable here in Australia they showed the entire season 1 at once - I watched pretty much every episode - and sat through the eps I had seen as one offs... by about the eighth episode the sixties film grain, crappy effects and bright garish colours began to disappear - and I really saw the show for it's core strengths of characters and story telling.
Hmmm a 6 year old... I'd say start with - oh it's so hard... The Movies??
-------------------- "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." - Jim Halpert. (The Office)
posted
If he says he wants to start at the beginning, start at the beginning. If you get a couple episode into TOS and he says "oh, man, this is so old and so crap", switch to TNG or something.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
At 6 years old even Spock's Brain might seem more interesting at his age. Although I'd hate to explain the short skirts, go go boots, and garish colors than why Spock got a remote control.
-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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posted
Yeah, he's still a bit too young for the whole "pussy makes the world go 'round" speach.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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posted
Well......no. TOS was just as...ah...."hormonally attractive" to it's viewers.
Many of the first wave of Trekkies were teenage boys when TOS aired- those veryshort skirts were part of the 60's appeal. Enterprise's sexality was more blatant, and ultimately less effective, but times had changed and standards had risen after TNG and DS9.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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