c57d
Lt. Commander
Posts: 169
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Post by c57d on Jul 22, 2018 8:50:57 GMT -5
For over thirty years I have enjoyed writing and running roleplaying games, across a variety of genres. And my favourite genre is TOS, with Star Fleet officers encountering the mysteries, dangers and wonders of deep space.Normally I play with TOS fans, but these days they are getting a little thin on the ground! So, I wondered which TOS episodes best epitomise the TOS spirit and atmosphere and so can act as a primer for new players. Whether those who are ST fans but new to TOS, or even those just totally new to ST altogether. The themes of exploration curiosity, wide open wild frontier, hands on, can do, seat of your pants, courage, humanity improved but still with faults. Which TOS episodes would you suggest?
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Post by finarvyn on Aug 1, 2018 5:37:09 GMT -5
I'm really not sure how to answer your question, but I'll take a stab at it.
Star Trek is about all sorts of societal issues such as the potential evils of technology, how to deal with other races or aliens or cultures, and so on, but at its heart it's also an action-adventure exploration series so a "primer" needs to emphasize a little of all of that stuff. Rather than just list my favorites, I wanted to make a short list of episodes that fit the right spirit.
Here are three episodes that I think invoke the spirit of TOS: (1) "Where No Man Has Gone Before" shows a lot about exploring new frontiers and what to do when you encounter something you ought not encounter. (2) "Balance of Terror" gives a great look at the Romulins and how prejudice can exist a century after. (3) Not sure which is the best Klingon episode, but one of those should be included. Perhaps "Errand of Mercy" to understand how Klingons think.
Does that help at all?
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Post by blackbat242 on Aug 1, 2018 23:34:30 GMT -5
Star Trek did do a number of "social conflict" episodes - "Let That be Your Last Battlefield" for one.
"The Squire of Gothos" could be considered to be the first appearance of "Q" (or someone else from his continuum), and is a "more powerful but immature being" episode (see also "Who Mourns for Adonis").
Then there are the "cautionary tale" episodes - "The Omega Glory" (what might happen if the US [Yangs] and Russia/China [Kohms] actually have their nuclear war) and "A Taste of Armageddon" (institutionalizing warfare to an extreme) are two examples.
"Cleaning up excessive meddling by Starfleet officers" have examples as well - "Patterns of Force" and "A Piece of the Action".
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