To POLLDLY POLL Where No POLL Has POLLed BePOLL: ILX Star Trek results, finally!

And yeah, Ezri Dax was incredibly cute and Nicole de Boer was a better actor than Terry Farrell (she was great at doing chill and bemused, but not as good with drama). If only they'd done the switch a couple of seasons earlier, I think she would be much better regarded than just "the one who replaced Dax for one season". De Boer is particularly awesome in the one Mirror Universe ep she got to do, she chews the scenery HARD.

(xpost)

Steward = Stewart duh

I do like Stewart in other stuff (I Claudius, LOTR, X-Men) so it's weird to me that the character he spent the most time portraying/is most identified with (maybe?) is such a bland nothing.

xp

9. The Doctor :: 8 points :: 1 votes
http://i.imgur.com/TzMrbDo.png

8. Miles O'Brien :: 8 points :: 1 votes
http://i.imgur.com/IRSpXBz.jpg

7. Khan :: 9 points :: 2 votes
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Khan1.jpg

6. Worf :: 17 points :: 4 votes
http://i.imgur.com/kTfdd0X.jpg

5. Q :: 19 points :: 4 votes
http://i.imgur.com/pIJtebJ.jpg

4. McCoy :: 28 points :: 4 votes :: 1 No. 1 votes
http://i.imgur.com/qs7wJFG.gif

3. Garak :: 33 points :: 4 votes :: 2 No. 1 votes
https://imgur.com/gallery/O5pKOtZ

2. Data :: 42 points :: 5 votes :: 2 No. 1 votes
http://i.imgur.com/DFypeon.jpg

1. Spock :: 74 points :: 8 votes :: 4 No. 1 votes
http://i.imgur.com/UjCF1bl.jpg

But Steward plays Picard with an implacable wall of reserve, always beholden to formality, protocol, maybe a dry smile here or a thin-lipped grimace of determination there but he is not particularly expressive.

I'd say these are qualities of the character, not the actor, and Stewart plays him impeccably. And it's exactly because he's normally reserved and stiff that the moments (and there are many of those throughout the series) where he allows someone to get through to him romantically (like in "Lessons" or "Inner Light"), or breaks down due to trauma (like in "Family" or "Chain of Command"), or shows some self-deprecating humour (like in the "Captain Picard Day" scenes in "The Pegasus"), are so effective. I mean, it's not only melodramatic characters that can be compelling, don't you think? A space diplomat can be just as interesting as a space hero, if done well.

Also, I'm pretty sure Stewart wasn't in LOTR?

haha right sorry mixing up my X-Men/LOTR franchises

A space diplomat can be just as interesting as a space hero, if done well.

if only Picard was more like Retief

Who?

I don't remember any of those episodes you cited btw. except for the flute one, that rings a bell.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jame_Retief

I don't remember any of those episodes you cited btw. except for the flute one, that rings a bell.

Well you should watch them, they might change your opinion on the character and the actor.

I'll promise to watch some good Kirk episodes in exchange, if you can name a few.

some might even place in this poll!

I'll probably use these results as a TNG watch guide for any I haven't seen

The flute episode ("Inner Light") is often regarded the best one in the entire series, and not without merit. So that one at least is definitely one to watch.

Can't believe we're having an internet argument about Kirk vs. Picard in 2016!

oh I've seen the flute episode (uh like 15+ years ago) but I mostly thought it was silly. there's others I recently re-watched that I would rate higher.

Props for the people who voted Garak so high tho! Definitely the most complelling (and funniest) supporting character.

My number 1.

ALIENS

20. Mactonites :: 1 points :: 1 votes
19. Breen :: 1 points :: 1 votes
18. Gamesters of triskelion :: 1 points :: 1 votes
17. O'briens :: 4 points :: 1 votes
16. El-aurians :: 4 points :: 1 votes
15. Orions :: 5 points :: 2 votes
14. Species 8472 :: 6 points :: 1 votes
13. Bork :: 6 points :: 1 votes
12. Ferengi :: 7 points :: 2 votes
11. Trill :: 8 points :: 1 votes
10. Romcoms :: 8 points :: 1 votes
9. Vorta :: 9 points :: 2 votes
8. Vegans :: 12 points :: 1 votes :: 1 No. 1 votes
7. Olympian pantheon :: 12 points :: 1 votes :: 1 No. 1 votes
6. Klingon :: 14 points :: 3 votes
5. Cardassians :: 29 points :: 4 votes :: 2 No. 1 votes
4. Vulcans :: 30 points :: 4 votes :: 1 No. 1 votes
3. Q :: 33 points :: 5 votes :: 1 No. 1 votes
2. Romulans :: 38 points :: 5 votes :: 1 No. 1 votes
1. Borg :: 50 points :: 6 votes :: 2 No. 1 votes

Note that I counted some of the translations according to this guide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2XOLoeBPEk

13. Bork :: 6 points :: 1 votes

you don't say

https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fair.org%2Fnew%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2005%2F07%2FRobertBork.jpg&f=1

I think I voted cardassians as my number 1? Mostly because of my Garak love.

and hey, fuller is off the new star trek.

Hey, Garak played Liberace in a TV movie, whaddayaknow!

Couldn't possibly choose between Kirk and Picard but "nullity" seems a bit harsh. Love Picard. Maybe try Time Squared Οὖτις - that's a good one.

I wonder if being British helps? I mean he seems like a quintessentially British character even though he's (lol) French.

Sole proof of Frenchness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc_cGueuZoA

I like Stewart in other things but agree that Picard is the dullest of the captain (from the first four series at least, I've never really seen Enterprise)

I've been watching Stewart as Lenin in Fall of Eagles recently and kind of wish he could have played Picard like that.

So, any more results coming soon?

No way is Picard duller than Mrs Columbo

I'll try to start rolling out the episodes today, but in the meantime, here are the MOVIEFILMS:

8. Generations :: 1 points :: 1 votes
7. 2009 :: 2 points :: 2 votes
6. TSFS :: 10 points :: 2 votes
5. TUC :: 28 points :: 6 votes
4. TMP :: 30 points :: 5 votes
3. FC :: 41 points :: 7 votes :: 2 No. 1 votes
2. TVH :: 71 points :: 9 votes :: 2 No. 1 votes
1. TWOK :: 92 points :: 9 votes :: 6 No. 1 votes

that looks about right

Almost acceptable.

I watched TWOK recently for the first time in 20 years, and it was a bit meh... Great scenery chewing performances by Shatner and Montalban, but plot itself was fairly standard, there were few of the interesting sci-fi ideas and concepts that make ST distinctive to me. (Not that most other ST movies have those ideas either, but for some reason TWOK is still rated higher than them.) I felt TVH was better in this regard.

Spock's sacrifice is great moment, but it comes almost out of the blue, it doesn't feel like the movie leads the viewer to understand his choice beyond the generic utilitarian "needs of the many" philosophy. And the final action scene (the ship-to-ship battle) is pretty dull and static, not pulse-raising in the way they clearly wanted it to be. I don't think ST has ever managed to make space battles exhilarating the way Star Wars does, mostly because they treat them more realistically, like an actual space battle with devastating long-range weapons would be, so the only way to bring in some palpable sense of danger are those ridiculous exploding command consoles. So they shouldn't have made the climax of the movie depend on that.

they make it more like a naval battle

(and less like a WWII dogfight - which is what Star Wars does)

Yeah, I get it, but you have to have some exceptional director to make a naval battle like that look interesting and feel thrilling, and the guy who directed the movie couldn't really pull it off.

For example, you have Spock's line about Khan being limited to two-dimensional thinking, but we still don't really see the Enterprise do any crazy three-dimensional stuff, like approaching Khan's ship at a 90 degree angle or something. It's still all static and stiff.

TOP 50 EPISODES A-COMIN'.

50T. Journey To Babel (TOS) :: 34 points :: 2 votes
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Journey_to_Babel_(episode)

50T. 11001001 (TNG) :: 34 points :: 2 votes
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/11001001_(episode)

49. Timescape :: 36 points :: 2 votes
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Timescape_(episode)

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/7/7b/Picard_experiencing_temporal_narcosis.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/614?cb=20120629132811&path-prefix=en

but we still don't really see the Enterprise do any crazy three-dimensional stuff, like approaching Khan's ship at a 90 degree angle or something

there are a bunch of shots of the Enterprise above the other ship iirc

47T. Blink Of An Eye (VOY) :: 37 points :: 2 votes
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Blink_of_an_Eye

47T. Second Skin (DS9) :: 37 points :: 2 votes
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Second_Skin_(episode)

47T. Past Tense (DS9) :: 37 points :: 2 votes
Part 1 Part 2

47T. The Devil In The Dark (TOS) :: 37 points :: 2 votes
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_Devil_in_the_Dark_(episode)

43T. Errand Of Mercy (TOS) :: 38 points :: 2 votes
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Errand_of_Mercy_(episode)

43T. It's Only A Paper Moon (DS9) :: 38 points :: 2 votes
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/It's_Only_a_Paper_Moon_(episode)

41T. Living Witness (VOY) :: 39 points :: 2 votes
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Living_Witness_(episode)

41T. Time's Arrow (TNG) :: 39 points :: 2 votes
Part 1 Part 2

there are a bunch of shots of the Enterprise above the other ship iirc

Yeah, but both ships are still in same horizontal position compared to each other, as if they were surfing different layers that are placed on top of each other. The sort of three-dimensional thinking Spock seems to be alluding to, where you can attack your enemy from any possible angle since there's no up and down in space, isn't really in evidence. I think ST in general is pretty lazy about this, but in TWOK it's particularly evident, because the dialogue leads you to expect something more imaginative.

Wow, someone really voted for Time's Arrow? I admit that the beginning of the story is pretty amazing, with the discovery of the ancient Data head, but some of the time-travel antics feel like they belong to Back to the Future or something, they feel really really out of place in TNG.

I voted for "Second Skin" and "It's Only a Paper Moon"... The former is an intriguing character study of my favourite ST protagonist (Kira), and a great example of the sort of humanism ST excels in. And the latter manages to pull of the feat of doing a credible, touching story about wartime PTSD with a Ferengi and Rat Pack crooner hologram.

That scene up there in Timescape is truly amazing, the ne plus ultra of wtf moments.

Yeah I threw time's arrow one or two points, idk goofy fun. Mark Twain starts off well, does get really irritating though.

Spock and Sarek in Journey to Babel both claiming that Spock saving Sarek's life is merely logical... no! It depends upon having a certain value system! Logic alone is not a guide to action!

Can't help but wonder in Mirror Mirror how a universe where humans are so radically different could have developed so that at the exact moment they visit, Kirk & Spock et al find their exact counterparts in the same roles in the same organisation. Which only adds to its bonkers charm.

I enjoy thinking about that. What if every choice was the opposite but the results kept coming out the same?

Rewatching Yesterday's Enterprise for this poll, it occurred to me that it was mirror universe idea done seriously. It's lacking some of the charm.

Q Who is maybe unremarkable in retrospect but felt pretty next-level at the time.

Also it has my favourite TNG episode formula - start banal, end terrifying

My list.

http://a68.tinypic.com/4snuw6.jpg

saw the corbomite maneuver the other night and . . . it was pretty bad

apparently it was supposed to be the first non-pilot episode (although it ran later) so there's awkward character 'development', particularly of mccoy. the alien encounter had a countdown to doom that lasted forever, the payoff was absurd, the resolution lame (although it did rid us of an annoying ensign)

kirk was good tho

Did morbz vote before he was banned

― Οὖτις, Friday, October 21, 2016 12:30 AM

i have no idea why you wanted to know how an antisemite like me ranked the original Jews in Space

also i haven't watched any of this stuff in 25 years