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A Beginner's Guide to the Star Trek Franchise

“Space of the last frontier. These are the Starship company trips. His continuing mission is to explore strange new worlds, seek new lives and new civilizations, boldly go where no man has gone before ... ”

Geeks around the world were delighted when news broke that US television network CBS is making a new Star Trek series. . The good news was tempered by the fact that it will initially only be available on CBS's streaming service:CBS All-Access, which costs $5.99 a month.

Star Trek It's been around for almost 50 years, spawning five TV series and 12 movies (at the time of writing). Like James Bond, the best Bond gadgets of all time The best Bond gadgets of all time James Bonds gadgets are legendary. In this article, we take a look at some of the most futuristic gadgets from the movies and see how they stand out in the era of the iWatch. Read More Who hasn't heard the phrases, "Resistance is futile," or, "Beam Me Up Scotty" (although the latter phrase never actually appears in any episode or movie)?

Star Trek It has also provided us with futuristic technology concepts. The Star Trek technology we hope to see in our lifetimes. The Star Trek technology we hope to see in our lifetimes. Life imitates art every day. Star Trek-inspired technology, from communicators to a talking computer, is already commonplace. But is there anything else we can see soon? Read More Your Own Holodeck:Will the Star Trek Fantasy Become a Reality? Will advances in virtual reality technology make the Star Trek holodeck a common room in every home in our near future? The "holodeck" fantasy is getting a lot closer to reality than you think. Read more.

Most people know about Captain Kirk, Spock, and the starship Enterprise. And the show appeals to all age groups. As many adults see it as children (probably because they saw it as children themselves). It's the central theme of space travel, meeting new species, action scenes where bad guys try to break in... there's something for everyone in this show.

So, without further ado, here's our beginner's guide to Star Trek. franchise!

Star Trek TV shows

First, let's take a look at each of the TV shows in turn. We'll miss out on the animated series, which Roddenberry refers to as "non-canon," basically meaning it doesn't fit into Star Trek. timeline It's also been considered an embarrassment thanks to the really bad animation.

The original series (1966-1969)

This is the original 79-episode series that kicked off the ensemble. Star Trek juggernaut. During its initial run, the show's ratings were actually quite low. It did not enjoy peak popularity until it entered syndication in the following years.

Set in the 23rd century, the show. "Five-year mission, to boldly go where no man has gone before." He introduced us to classic characters like Dr. Bones (“Damn Jim! I'm a doctor, not a [insert other job title here]”), and Mr. Spock, the Vulcan whose race shows no human emotion. The ship's captain is Captain James Tiberius Kirk, played by William Shatner. The running gag of the series is Shatner's frequent performance at the top.

The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Star Trek:The Next Generation ran for seven seasons and 176 episodes, and is frequently voted the most popular series in the entire Star Trek franchise.

The next generation (often shortened to TNG ) introduces us to a new team from the Enterprise, 100 years after the creation of the original series. The captain of this series is Jean-Luc Picard, who is highly educated and likes the finer things in life. He is also a natural diplomat, but at the same time he can show streaks of cruelty..

The show breaks from the original series in two respects:Klingon security officer Worf (in Kirk's day, the Klingons were Starfleet's deadly enemies) and Android second officer Data. It also features an extremely annoying boy named Wesley Crusher (played by Wil Wheaton).

With the Klingons out of the way, the new enemies are the Romulans, Q (who really is more of a plague than anything else, albeit an omnipotent one), and later The Borg.

The Borg are the worst of all:they are cyborgs who don't think for themselves. They are connected to "the collective" and are known for telling their enemies that, "Resistance is useless." In the biggest cliffhanger episode ever in TNG , The Borg kidnap Picard and turn him into one of their own..

Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

Deep Space Nine (DS9) also ran for seven seasons, and it was totally different from the moment it started. It is not set on the Enterprise, nor on any starship. Instead, it is set on a space station, although a spaceship was introduced in later seasons. There was also a new guy in charge:Commander Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery Brooks. A couple of familiar faces from TNG made the crossover for DS9 - namely Engineer Miles O'Brien and Commander Worf.

It is noteworthy that this was the first Star Trek Series made without the participation of Gene Roddenberry (died 1991). Also of note, this series began while The Next Generation He was still running. So there was a crossover between the shows. Picard appeared in the pilot episode of DS9 , for example.

The main villains in DS9 they are the Cardassians, who used to own the space station, and who want to get it back due to its strategic position next to a wormhole. The series focuses on the planet Bajor, which is recovering from a long war with Cardassia, and is part of Deep Space 9 with the Federation. The aforementioned wormhole is a gateway to the distant and uncharted Gamma Quadrant, allowing all manner of alien species to pass through and visit the station.

Voyager (1995-2001)

Traveller It also ran for seven seasons and differs from previous series in three ways. First, the ship is not the company. It's Voyager. Second, due to the nature of the plot, many of the senior officers were not Starfleet trained, and are only commissioned officers out of necessity. Third, this was the first Star Trek Series to have a captain - Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew.

Set in the late 24th century, the USS Voyager is searching for a ship piloted by the Maquis (a paramilitary terrorist group). An accident throws them into the Deltra Quadrant, and they soon discover that it will take him 75 years to get home. When the Maquis are finally captured, they discover that they are trapped together, and some of them are offered commissions from Starfleet as a way to get along.

Since the Delta Quadrant is unexplored, they realize this is a golden opportunity for research as they head home. They employ every trick and shortcut they can think of to shorten that 75-year journey.

Company (2001-2005)

Company It ran for only four seasons, and is a prequel to The original series . Company is generally considered to be the weakest of the Star Trek shows, even though the Captain's chair is occupied by a sci-fi veteran:Scott Bakula, best known for the show, Quantum Leap . It is also the first Star Trek to have an opening soundtrack, which is not "Trekking".

The show is set in the year 2151 (115 years before Kirk takes over), with the show ending in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets is formed. The show begins when Warp 5 is achieved, allowing ships to travel faster and farther in space. Archer captures the experimental prototype Enterprise and, along with its crew, travels to previously unvisited areas of space. Along the way, they encounter alien species bent on destroying the Federation by manipulating the timeline and changing past events.

The Star Trek movies

Although everyone has to know. Star Trek Through the TV shows, it's the movies that have really cemented this franchise in the public consciousness. Who doesn't love going to the cinema to see a good science fiction movie? There was a long-standing joke that all odd-numbered movies were complete flops, while even-numbered ones were blockbusters (like Windows). That was until JJ Abrams came along and broke the curse.

The movie (1979)

This is the movie that started Star Trek again, after the TV series was canceled in 1969. The film went green after the TV series' huge success in syndication. It was also rushed into production after the staggering success of Star Wars. . The film features Captain Kirk and his crew in action against a mysterious alien entity called the V'Ger.

The Wrath of Khan (1982)

This is consistently voted the best Star Trek batch movie. An evil man named Khan and his crew escape a 15-year exile from a planet not known to be hospitable. Thus, they intend to get revenge on Kirk (the reasons for which are found in the later movie) Star Trek Into Darkness ), and part of his plan involves stealing a terraforming invention called Genesis.

The Search for Spock (1984)

While the previous movie left fans wondering if Spock was dead, the title of this one revealed the truth. Spock is not dead, just regenerated. His spirit has been transferred to Bones, the ship's doctor, and when Kirk realizes his friend is still alive, he risks a court-martial by stealing the Enterprise and going after Spock. At the end of the movie, the Enterprise is destroyed, the crew is on the run, and they face some arrest when they return home.

The Journey Home (1986)

The crew begins to return home, to stand trial for their crimes. But in his absence, Earth has been mauled by a mysterious entity that is searching for now-extinct humpback whales. Kirk and the crew decide to time travel back to the 20th century (as you do) and bring back two whales to communicate with the entity. The quirky and funny story made this movie an instant hit. It also redeems them in the eyes of the Federation and no charges are brought for their mutiny in the previous film.

The Last Frontier (1989)

The Final Frontier It was an instant failure. Spock's stepbrother believes that he has been summoned by God and steals the Enterprise to go meet him. Kirk also faces problems from a Klingon who wants to avenge the incident on Genesis. This movie is extremely boring and tedious. And to be honest, you wouldn't miss a thing by skipping this one.

The unknown country (1991)

The Klingons make peace overtures to the Federation, but it is not well received by either party. The Klingon chancellor is assassinated on his way to the peace conference, and Kirk is responsible. As Spock begins to investigate the incident, he uncovers a massive conspiracy against the peace process. This is a movie that you may not like the first time, but if you watch it a few more times, it starts to grow on you.

Generations (1994)

This was the movie that finally ended the Kirk era of Star Trek. , with the baton passing to Picard and the crew from him. At the beginning of the film, Kirk was presumed dead in an accident, but was later found alive in an alternate universe called the Nexus. Picard enlists him once again to stop a mad doctor from trying to break into the Nexus using a method that will ultimately destroy a populated planet.

First Contact (1996)

This is, in my opinion, the best of the Picard movies. Re-introduces the Borg as the really bad guys trying to alter past events by stopping the first contact between Earth and the Vulcans, an event that led to the events in Enterprise . Picard takes the USS Enterprise through time to stop the Borg and allow history to proceed as it should. He also introduces Zefram Cochrane, who creates the warp control system that brings the Vulcans to Earth to establish "first contact."

Insurrection (1998)

A Starfleet admiral decides to violate the Prime Directive and move a planet's population elsewhere, so the Federation can steal the planet's rejuvenating properties. Picard decides that he can't stand by and watch the Prime Directive be breached, so he deliberately sabotages the plan.

Nemesis (2002)

This is considered the biggest flop of the Picard movies. A clone of Picard created by the Romulans assassinates the entire Romulan Senate, takes over the dictatorship, and lures the Enterprise under the guise of peace overtures. Needless to say, peace is the last thing on his mind. This is the last movie with Captain Picard and his crew. Debido a lo mal que se recibió, serían otros siete años antes que otro Star Trek La película saldría - y no sería con este equipo.

Star Trek (2009)

Después del flop de la última película, esta película. “reinicios” La franquicia y lleva las películas al principio, antes de que Kirk asuma el mando de la empresa. Después de que los romulanos destruyan el planeta Vulcano, la Federación debe detenerlos antes de que puedan hacer lo mismo con la Tierra. Dirigida por J.J. Abrams, este es el único. Star Trek Película hasta la fecha para ganar un premio de la Academia. También es, en mi opinión, la mejor. Star Trek película desde La ira de Khan .

En la oscuridad (2013)

Esta película explora parte de la historia de fondo relacionada con Khan (de La ira de Khan ), y por qué odia tanto a Kirk. Khan ataca un edificio de comando de la Federación en Londres y posteriormente es perseguido y arrestado por Kirk y el equipo de Enterprise. A instancias de Khan, examinan atentamente los torpedos que llevan a bordo del Enterprise, y el descubrimiento desenmascara una conspiración para ir a la guerra con los klingon..

Los temas sociales resaltados en Star Trek

Star Trek No es solo una colección de programas de televisión y películas. Porque esta es una franquicia que siempre ha rebasado los límites y se ha cuidado de resaltar los problemas sociales del día..

Gene Roddenberry, el creador de Star Trek , Era un idealista. Imaginó un futuro donde hubiera paz, no pobreza, no habría necesidad de codiciar la riqueza, y todo el mundo trabaja por el bien de la humanidad. Ah, y los viajes espaciales, naturalmente. También quería ver a personas de todas las razas, credos y religiones representadas por igual..

Cuando comenzó el espectáculo en 1966, tener un miembro de la tripulación negro era un gran problema, pero la absolutamente maravillosa y enormemente talentosa Nichelle Nichols hizo un trabajo fantástico para dar vida al personaje del teniente Uhura. Como oficial de comunicaciones, es quizás mejor conocida por sentarse en su asiento giratorio con el dedo en la oreja, diciéndole a Kirk que “una señal esta entrando”.

Uhura fue revolucionaria en 1966 porque, a pesar de que la Ley de Derechos Civiles había sido promulgada dos años antes, el racismo todavía abundaba en partes de los Estados Unidos, ni más que en la televisión. Antes de Uhura, cualquier personaje negro había sido mostrado en roles de baja categoría. Uhura fue el primer personaje que jugó un papel central en Star Trek , y Nichols allanaron el camino para otros actores negros..

Como era de esperar, hubo un alboroto por su casting, y Nichols finalmente quiso renunciar después de la primera temporada para perseguir otros intereses. Sin embargo, ella ha dicho en muchas entrevistas desde que el hombre que la convenció de dejar de fumar no era otro que Martin Luther King, quien le dijo:

En el episodio, Los hijastros de platón , Uhura comparte un beso con el capitán Kirk. Fue el primer beso interracial en la televisión, y todos los miembros del Klan con sus capuchas blancas sufrieron ataques colectivos al corazón. En estos días, nadie batiría un párpado en un beso interracial, y con razón. Pero en aquel entonces? Fue un movimiento extremadamente atrevido por parte de este espectáculo progresivo..

¿Te consideras un Trekkie?

Eso envuelve nuestra guía para principiantes de la Star Trek franquicia, y esperamos que le haya dado una amplia comprensión del espectáculo y sus principales actores. Con una nueva serie en las obras., Star Trek Parece que va a vivir en el futuro en el que se establece.

Es usted un existente Star Trek ¿ventilador? Si es así, ¿qué serie de TV o película es tu favorita? Es Star Trek ¿Es importante por su enfoque en temas sociales o porque es una buena tarifa de ciencia ficción? ¿Estarás viendo la nueva serie cuando se emita en CBS en 2017??

Por favor, háganos saber sus pensamientos sobre Star Trek en la sección de comentarios a continuación.