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I just started to watch the 1993 series Star Trek new generation. The show has some interesting ideas regarding advanced civilizations vs the primitive ones. On

I just started to watch the 1993 series Star Trek new generation. The show has some interesting ideas regarding advanced civilizations vs the primitive ones. One of which is called the prime directive prohibiting any star fleet from intervening with the evolution of primitive people. In one of the episodes “who watches the watcher” the USS enterprise travels to planet Minkita 2 for a rescue mission and encounters a primitive species of humanoid. By accident, they exposed themselves and their technologies to the people there. Now, those people consider star fleet personnel as god. Without spoiling much, Jean Luc idea to refuse them this thought is interesting and worth thinking when it comes to our scenario here, don’t you think? (I have to say that I am now big fan of the Star Trek series with Sir Patrick. How could I miss it all those years?)

StavrosK 6y ago
You should try DS9 when you're done with TNG. It's very different, but still great. I think they're some of the best shows ever made, especially because they didn't tiptoe around ethical dilemmas, they made them a main part of each episode's plot.
- mrbonner 6y ago
  Ann, the episode about Commander Data being asked to be dissected for the study of his body? Jean Luc brilliantly relates this idea of cloning the entire android to serve human as a tread toward slavery. They are way ahead of us in time.
  - StavrosK 6y ago
    The one with the court to determine whether Data is sentient/human or property? Yeah, that's one of my favorite episodes, and where I realized how amazing the show was.
  - floren 6y ago
    "The Measure of a Man", s2e9
- throwanem 6y ago
  After DS9 (or maybe before it), also take a look at Babylon 5, the show that arguably inspired DS9 and certainly did a lot of things that no Trek show to date has been bold enough to try. It's a bit camp by today's standards, and the first season struggles a bit in places - but the same can be fairly said of TNG, and the depth of B5's narrative and characterization remains in many ways unequaled since its original run in the mid-90s.
  - StavrosK 6y ago
    I remember watching Babylon 5 when I was young, but I was probably too young to grasp all the meanings. I will rewatch it, thanks!
    - throwanem 6y ago
      Oh, do! I also saw a few early episodes as a kid, but didn't really have a chance to get what they were trying to do; it wasn't until years later, when I had a chance to watch the full series straight through thanks to a friend's carefully made VHS tapes, that any of what I was seeing really made sense to me. Nothing since then has even come close to replacing B5 at the head of my SF TV affections. Reflecting on that experience, I think the major flaw of B5 is that, in structure and intent, it was twenty or more years ahead of its time. Given the handicaps under which the creators then had to labor, it's even more remarkable how much they accomplished - B5 might have been the very first example of what we today call the 'binge-worthy show', made on a shoestring in a time when syndication and time slots and missed episodes were still problems that a show could have. This show overcame them admirably - even so, I can't help but wish a little for the chance to see what the same people could've accomplished today, with the kind of resources available for something like Stranger Things. That won't happen, of course, not least because the show is niche even by comparison with something like Firefly. For the same reason, even a Trek-style HD remaster is unlikely - a shame in its own right, since the then-revolutionary CGI space effects are by far the part of the show that's aged most badly, and a shame all over again because the creators were looking far enough ahead to shoot in 16:9 and 5.1 surround throughout, which would give an HD remaster the kind of payoff that, if we're being honest, the ones done for old Trek shows never really have. In any case, it's a small miracle the show got made at all, and another that it ended up being so close to what JMS intended it to be. Anyone who can enjoy TNG or DS9 today can, I think, enjoy B5 at least as well, and on that basis I recommend it without the slightest reservation.
- _Microft 6y ago
  „Computer – erase that entire personal log“ This is from the DS9 episode „In the pale Moonlight“. Check Memory Alpha if you want to know more but be aware that reading about this episode would be a massive spoiler if you haven’t watched DS9. Either way DS9 is absolutely recommended.
- nobody9999 6y ago
  >You should try DS9 when you're done with TNG. It's very different, but still great. I'm going to recommend Babylon 5 for this as well. It's not nearly as utopian as Star Trek and focuses on many of the issues interacting with other people/groups/alien species that ST (DS9 does do this, in some respects) generally ignores. It also doesn't ignore capitalism, greed and general bad behavior like ST mostly does.
cpuguy83 6y ago
You're in for a great ride! Enjoy!
bierjunge 6y ago
S03E04 for everybody who want's to watch it. Star Trek and especially TNG is one of the best SciFi series made. The technological point of view is very interesting, but the philosophical issues are even more intriguing and up to date.
- flukus 6y ago
  It's a shame modern Trek has pretty much abandoned these plots. Trek at it's best is a series of sci-fi novellas, like black mirror with a recurring cast, not the action adventure it's become. Even Picard which was great only really had one concept like this for the entire series arc.
wait_a_minute 6y ago
That's one of the biggest problems I have with Star Trek. If we were literally gods by comparison to some fledgling species, the only ethical approach would be to elevate them and cure their diseases and advance their knowledge as quickly as humanly possible.
- cpuguy83 6y ago
  The ideals behind the Prime Directive were from Vulcan influence. The theory behind it is they tried to do exactly that and it led to disaster in every case.
  - 7thaccount 6y ago
    A lot of scifi shows have been influenced by this. In Stargate SG-1 (spoilers): The Tollan civilization were humans taken from earth millennia ago that developed science faster than us and ended up being one of the most advanced races in the galaxy. They gave a source of limitless energy to more primitive aliens on a nearby planet in their solar system (think Mars versus Earth) and those aliens weaponized it and blew up part of their own planet. It messed up the Tollan's own planer's orbit, so they had to find a new planet and now don't share any technology.
    - cpuguy83 6y ago
      Just watched that one a few days ago!
    - wait_a_minute 6y ago
      I'm just really skeptical that an advanced species like that couldn't figure out the appropriate way to save another species from destruction/stagnation without collapsing everything. Just feels like an immensely negative perspective when we could easily just choose a more positive one.
- readmodifywrite 6y ago
  There are TNG episodes that specifically deal with that, and the problems it causes. I think ENT had a few as well, instances which led them to the creation of the Prime Directive.
bigmattystyles 6y ago
Reading TNG described as a 30 year old series (which it is), but being seen as novel by op has made me feel real old. (I’m just about 40) It’s like when I’m with interns and bring up back to the future....
silicon2401 6y ago
by 1993 series do you mean the 1993 season? I was confused at first because I thought it was from the 80s and just confirmed that it came out in 87. Anyway, definitely an excellent show. I watched it a bit as a kid when it aired on G4 and I've been meaning to get back into it.
- mrbonner 6y ago
  I watch it on Netflix and the title shows 1993. I am confused as well but I realized that 1993 is the last season. The show itself was in the 80s.
  - alisonkisk 6y ago
    Netflix dates series by their last episode, in a deceptive attempt to make their catalog look fresher.
    - mrbonner 6y ago
      Interesting, I have never thought of it this way.
mixmastamyk 6y ago
Great shows though TNG doesn’t hit its stride until the third season. Don’t give up early. The main problem is too many episodes per season; several are “phoned in” per season. I loved watching the remastered version on Netflix, it looked better than new. Second on the Babylon 5 recommendations, it is one of the best sci fi shows ever. Was hooked
GoblinSlayer 6y ago
Don't people in Star Trek have our culture? But our culture is that of a primitive civilization, which means they are primitive too.
- yoz-y 6y ago
  Star Trek definition of primitive is "no warp drive tech".
t-writescode 6y ago
What's the spoiler-filled version of what happened?
- postalrat 6y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Watches_the_Watchers#Plot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Watches_the_Watchers#Plot
kenny87 6y ago
Those that like this episode would also very much enjoy VOY, Episode 6x12, Blink of an Eye [1]. Fascinating premise, essentially a pre-warp society views Voyager as a sky deity, eventually Voyager becomes the raison d'etre for the scientific progress of an entire civilization. [1] https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Blink_of_an_Eye_(episode) https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Blink_of_an_Eye_(episod...
flycaliguy 6y ago
I can’t say I’ve ever seen a post on the internet go ahead and explain what the prime directive is before.
- itronitron 6y ago
  Yes, having the prime directive explained on the internet almost seems 'alien'
emmelaich 6y ago
The most haunting for me was when Picard was stunned and spent 40 years in a few real minutes in a different culture. It's s5e25. Don't read this wiki page if you don't want spoilers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inner_Light_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inner_Light_(Star_Trek:_Th...

StavrosK 6y ago

You should try DS9 when you're done with TNG. It's very different, but still great. I think they're some of the best shows ever made, especially because they didn't tiptoe around ethical dilemmas, they made them a main part of each episode's plot.

mrbonner 6y ago
Ann, the episode about Commander Data being asked to be dissected for the study of his body? Jean Luc brilliantly relates this idea of cloning the entire android to serve human as a tread toward slavery. They are way ahead of us in time.
- StavrosK 6y ago
  The one with the court to determine whether Data is sentient/human or property? Yeah, that's one of my favorite episodes, and where I realized how amazing the show was.
- floren 6y ago
  "The Measure of a Man", s2e9
throwanem 6y ago
After DS9 (or maybe before it), also take a look at Babylon 5, the show that arguably inspired DS9 and certainly did a lot of things that no Trek show to date has been bold enough to try. It's a bit camp by today's standards, and the first season struggles a bit in places - but the same can be fairly said of TNG, and the depth of B5's narrative and characterization remains in many ways unequaled since its original run in the mid-90s.
- StavrosK 6y ago
  I remember watching Babylon 5 when I was young, but I was probably too young to grasp all the meanings. I will rewatch it, thanks!
  - throwanem 6y ago
    Oh, do! I also saw a few early episodes as a kid, but didn't really have a chance to get what they were trying to do; it wasn't until years later, when I had a chance to watch the full series straight through thanks to a friend's carefully made VHS tapes, that any of what I was seeing really made sense to me. Nothing since then has even come close to replacing B5 at the head of my SF TV affections. Reflecting on that experience, I think the major flaw of B5 is that, in structure and intent, it was twenty or more years ahead of its time. Given the handicaps under which the creators then had to labor, it's even more remarkable how much they accomplished - B5 might have been the very first example of what we today call the 'binge-worthy show', made on a shoestring in a time when syndication and time slots and missed episodes were still problems that a show could have. This show overcame them admirably - even so, I can't help but wish a little for the chance to see what the same people could've accomplished today, with the kind of resources available for something like Stranger Things. That won't happen, of course, not least because the show is niche even by comparison with something like Firefly. For the same reason, even a Trek-style HD remaster is unlikely - a shame in its own right, since the then-revolutionary CGI space effects are by far the part of the show that's aged most badly, and a shame all over again because the creators were looking far enough ahead to shoot in 16:9 and 5.1 surround throughout, which would give an HD remaster the kind of payoff that, if we're being honest, the ones done for old Trek shows never really have. In any case, it's a small miracle the show got made at all, and another that it ended up being so close to what JMS intended it to be. Anyone who can enjoy TNG or DS9 today can, I think, enjoy B5 at least as well, and on that basis I recommend it without the slightest reservation.
_Microft 6y ago
„Computer – erase that entire personal log“ This is from the DS9 episode „In the pale Moonlight“. Check Memory Alpha if you want to know more but be aware that reading about this episode would be a massive spoiler if you haven’t watched DS9. Either way DS9 is absolutely recommended.
nobody9999 6y ago
>You should try DS9 when you're done with TNG. It's very different, but still great. I'm going to recommend Babylon 5 for this as well. It's not nearly as utopian as Star Trek and focuses on many of the issues interacting with other people/groups/alien species that ST (DS9 does do this, in some respects) generally ignores. It also doesn't ignore capitalism, greed and general bad behavior like ST mostly does.

cpuguy83 6y ago

You're in for a great ride! Enjoy!

bierjunge 6y ago

S03E04 for everybody who want's to watch it. Star Trek and especially TNG is one of the best SciFi series made. The technological point of view is very interesting, but the philosophical issues are even more intriguing and up to date.

flukus 6y ago
It's a shame modern Trek has pretty much abandoned these plots. Trek at it's best is a series of sci-fi novellas, like black mirror with a recurring cast, not the action adventure it's become. Even Picard which was great only really had one concept like this for the entire series arc.

wait_a_minute 6y ago

That's one of the biggest problems I have with Star Trek. If we were literally gods by comparison to some fledgling species, the only ethical approach would be to elevate them and cure their diseases and advance their knowledge as quickly as humanly possible.

cpuguy83 6y ago
The ideals behind the Prime Directive were from Vulcan influence. The theory behind it is they tried to do exactly that and it led to disaster in every case.
- 7thaccount 6y ago
  A lot of scifi shows have been influenced by this. In Stargate SG-1 (spoilers): The Tollan civilization were humans taken from earth millennia ago that developed science faster than us and ended up being one of the most advanced races in the galaxy. They gave a source of limitless energy to more primitive aliens on a nearby planet in their solar system (think Mars versus Earth) and those aliens weaponized it and blew up part of their own planet. It messed up the Tollan's own planer's orbit, so they had to find a new planet and now don't share any technology.
  - cpuguy83 6y ago
    Just watched that one a few days ago!
  - wait_a_minute 6y ago
    I'm just really skeptical that an advanced species like that couldn't figure out the appropriate way to save another species from destruction/stagnation without collapsing everything. Just feels like an immensely negative perspective when we could easily just choose a more positive one.
readmodifywrite 6y ago
There are TNG episodes that specifically deal with that, and the problems it causes. I think ENT had a few as well, instances which led them to the creation of the Prime Directive.

bigmattystyles 6y ago

Reading TNG described as a 30 year old series (which it is), but being seen as novel by op has made me feel real old. (I’m just about 40) It’s like when I’m with interns and bring up back to the future....

silicon2401 6y ago

by 1993 series do you mean the 1993 season? I was confused at first because I thought it was from the 80s and just confirmed that it came out in 87. Anyway, definitely an excellent show. I watched it a bit as a kid when it aired on G4 and I've been meaning to get back into it.

mrbonner 6y ago
I watch it on Netflix and the title shows 1993. I am confused as well but I realized that 1993 is the last season. The show itself was in the 80s.
- alisonkisk 6y ago
  Netflix dates series by their last episode, in a deceptive attempt to make their catalog look fresher.
  - mrbonner 6y ago
    Interesting, I have never thought of it this way.

mixmastamyk 6y ago

Great shows though TNG doesn’t hit its stride until the third season. Don’t give up early. The main problem is too many episodes per season; several are “phoned in” per season. I loved watching the remastered version on Netflix, it looked better than new. Second on the Babylon 5 recommendations, it is one of the best sci fi shows ever. Was hooked

GoblinSlayer 6y ago

Don't people in Star Trek have our culture? But our culture is that of a primitive civilization, which means they are primitive too.

yoz-y 6y ago
Star Trek definition of primitive is "no warp drive tech".

t-writescode 6y ago

What's the spoiler-filled version of what happened?

postalrat 6y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Watches_the_Watchers#Plot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Watches_the_Watchers#Plot

kenny87 6y ago

Those that like this episode would also very much enjoy VOY, Episode 6x12, Blink of an Eye [1]. Fascinating premise, essentially a pre-warp society views Voyager as a sky deity, eventually Voyager becomes the raison d'etre for the scientific progress of an entire civilization. [1] https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Blink_of_an_Eye_(episode) https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Blink_of_an_Eye_(episod...

flycaliguy 6y ago

I can’t say I’ve ever seen a post on the internet go ahead and explain what the prime directive is before.

itronitron 6y ago
Yes, having the prime directive explained on the internet almost seems 'alien'

emmelaich 6y ago

The most haunting for me was when Picard was stunned and spent 40 years in a few real minutes in a different culture. It's s5e25. Don't read this wiki page if you don't want spoilers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inner_Light_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inner_Light_(Star_Trek:_Th...