Forum:What is widely considered to be the best Star Trek series?

I happen to like TNG best but I haven't actually watched any of the other series. Surely TNG has one of the most interesting cast of characters. Engage. -T.J. Lemieux


 * Sorry, but the forums and talk pages on Memory Alpha are not for engaging in idle chit-chat, commentary, or other such discussions that are unrelated to the workings of the wiki. The reference desk, specifically, is for requesting information about aspects within the Star Trek universe, while Ten Forward is for discussions on the operations and policies of this wiki. We are here to write an encyclopedia, not for conversation. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to take this discussion elsewhere. If you would like, you can join some of us on our IRC channel, which you can access from this page (assuming the gateway isn't blocked). --From Andoria with Love 02:18, 18 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Memory Alpha is somewhat of a 'community' website, Shran. I think you're beginning to lose sight of what Star Trek is really about and why this website was created. Maybe you should cut back and just enjoy Star Trek instead of writing it! --Alan del Beccio 02:28, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

Well I thought maybe because this was a forum and not part of the encyclopedia that it was a place for the Trek to be discussed. I guess I was wrong. Too bad this site's Ten Forward isn't as welcoming as the one on the Enterprise. -T.J.L.

Honestly, I find this first reply's condescending tone to be an insult, both to the poster of the question and to the humanitarian spirit of cooperation and quest for knowledge on which all the Trek franchise has been based. How is a question on which of the series has gained most notoriety among its fans "idle chit chat" and not encyclopedic? The petitioner IS requesting information regarding Trek, just as much as he would be if he were to ask Patrick Stewart's career summary or Leonard Nimoy's birthday. Its not about the Trek "universe," no, but many, many articles here are from a real-world perspective. Does that disqualify them from being mentioned on the forums? The popularity of the various Trek series among its fan base is absolutely a fitting topic for discussion and elaboration herein, just as much as biographies of actors or dates of production. To say that series or film popularity is not a fitting topic for this wiki is akin to saying that the revenues of the films, the ratings of the series, the number of seasons each series ran, or information about series budgeting is equally irrelevant, for all these things are measures of series or film popularity. The opinions of the fan base are no different, they are simply one more popularity measure. In fact, I would like to suggest that their be an article composed on comparative fan attitudes and preferences regarding the different Trek series, films, episodes, etc. if there's an article on parodies - and there are many - then is it really that inappropriate for there to be an article, then, on fan popularity opinions? As for Memory Alpha not being for "commentary," I'd like to know what articles on the Trek franchise are, if not "commentary." I would think that "commentary," in the literary sense, is any secondary literature which expands upon, summarizes, interprets, discusses, or elaborates regarding a more respected piece or pieces of primary literature...ie, commentaries on Shakespeare, on ancient texts, on modern novels. That sounds to me like PRECISELY what Memory Alpha does - every article in the database is a commentary on and summary of some aspect of the Trek universe or the real-life aspects of the shows, films, and other canonical material. How could we bring together seven seasons of character interactions or character development on our character pages without making them commentary on the content of those seasons? Relative popularity among the different series is no different, no more or less commentary, no more or less appropriate. I second the request for a coherent and tolerant expansion among Memory Alpha members regarding the popularity of the series. Perhaps a poll, a ranking, or some previously extant statistical data on the subject would be relevant? What's more, anyone who wants to quell discussion by a summary statement of "We shouldn't talk about that here" should be, well, "thrown out the nearest airlock." -Og


 * Wow... yeah, um, okay, anyway, I didn't make the rule, I just explained it. See #2 of Memory Alpha:What Memory Alpha is not. In fact, here, I'll post it for you here:
 * Memory Alpha is not a discussion forum. We're not here to chat or to discuss ideas -- we're simply here to write the encyclopedia. If you would like to discuss Trek, please visit our sponsor site, the Subspace Comms Network. To chat about MA, see our chat room.
 * So, no, there was nothing condescending about my reply or Alan's sarcastic comment after it. I was merely letting people know what is permitted on Memory Alpha and what is not. The poster did not ask for a fact like something on Patrick Stewart's career or Nimoy's birthday; he asked for other people's opinions regarding a subject of Trek. If you read the policy I posted above, you will see we can't do that. If you would like a change in the policy, I suggest you bring it up at Ten Forward. --From Andoria with Love 16:05, 19 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Well, ratings info ideally should be located on the TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT pages, or alternatively a future page regarding "Star Trek ratings" or somesuch as either Og or Mr. Lemieux suggested. You should also be able to find film revenue info on the 10 Star Trek film pages, season info on the series pages (or simply: TOS=3, TAS=2, TNG=7, DS9=7, VOY=7, ENT=4), and budgeting info may one day be located on the various productions' pages. If you can contribute a page regarding one of these topics, please do so, otherwise additions should be requested at Memory Alpha:Requested articles.--Tim Thomason 21:04, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

TNG YEAH. – 203.59.216.3 00:59, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

DS9 - the later years