I was exposed to Star Trek more or less from birth. My mom, and her mom are fans and they watched TOS all the time. Possibly it’s apocryphal, but it’s been said that I was named Scott after Scotty.
The first coherent memory I have of Trek is being scared by the giant close-up of Mike Gomez as DaiMon Tarr on the viewscreen in “The Last Outpost”. But pretty quickly, I went from wanting nothing to do with it to a lifelong obsession. By the time I was nine years-old I couldn’t get enough.
I have vivid memories of watching the 25th anniversary special when it aired in the last week of September 1991. I think it was there, seeing the interviews with Gene Roddenberry and various cast members, that I came to understand Star Trek was more than simple entertainment. I understood that each story was also a morality play and that they could teach me about racism, politics, peace and conflict, and acceptance and inclusion. I think my personal morality was informed first by my parents, second by Sesame Street and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and finally by Star Trek.
The fact that the Star Trek universe continues to endure, 60 years after it was born, is a testament to the hope and optimism that it portrays. The world is in such a state today — I have personally never needed Star Trek to escape into and to inspire me, more than ever before. I have re-watched the entire franchise almost annually but for this next re-watch I plan to write a review of each episode to share what it means to me. I’ve also devised a rating rubric so I’m going to attempt to rate each episode as well.
I have identified four domains that I think are key to the importance or success of Trek episodes: Story, World-building, Production, and Philosophy. Within each of those, I have listed more granular areas to measure:
- Story
- Is it a coherent story?
- Is it enjoyable to watch?
- Is the dialogue strong and/or memorable?
- Does it serve the main cast well?
- If there are guest or recurring characters, are they memorable or interesting?
- World-building
- Does it contribute positively to the Trek Universe?
- Is it consistent with the rest of canon?
- Is there something new and unique?
- Does the science seem plausible?
- Production
- Production design (sets, props)
- Costumes
- Make-up and Hair
- Visual Effects
- Music
- Acting (series regulars and guests)
- Direction (coherent, memorable)
- Philosophy
- Is it thought-provoking?
- Does it deal with a moral or ethical issue?
- Is it consistent with Trek’s optimism and Humanism?
- IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility)
I plan to rate each of these 20 areas out of five to provide a total out of 100 for each episode. If I can do three reviews each week then I will be able to complete the TOS re-watch by the end of the calendar year. The other series will follow. If you’re interested, please join me on this journey. The Human Adventure is Just Beginning!
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