I have to admit that I really liked the new BSG series. I did this in SPITE of the fact that Ron Moore was producer for it. I have a running feud with him from TNG days.

As an aside, did you catch the cameo of Ron Moore in the series finale of BSG?? The finale was awesome. Like I said, I loved the series in spite of myself..

NYPoet22,

Enterprise - Agreed on Scott Bakula as a sketchy starship captain. It was conceptually pretty good though, and sometimes well-written.

The biggest problem with Enterprise (aside from the very un-starship-captain-like Bakula) was that it was Beavis n Butthead's (AKA Rick Berman & Brannon Braga) attempt to separate Star Trek from Trekkers. IE Separate THEIR idea of Trek from Roddenberry's idea of Trek.. They even went so far as to rename the show from STAR TREK: Enterprise to ENTERPRISE in the 2nd (or 3rd) season. Trekkers all over the world let them know what they thought of that and 'Star Trek:' was restored.

I loved Bakula as Sam Beckett (the ENTERPRISE episode with "AL" was awesome!! :D) but as a starship captain, he was sub par. This (for me) was fully realized when a crewman (Malcolm, Tactical Officer) was captured by cave dwellers and Captain Archer's response was, "We'll leave now, come back in the morning and hopefully things will be better" or actions to that effect. Kirk would have leveled half the planet to get his crewmember back!!! :D

As you say, there were very well-written episodes of ENTERPRISE. Besides the afore mention Vulcan and Klingon/Genetics arc, there was the prequel episode that introduced us to the Organians. The final episode, with all three Enterprise captains was very emotional and moving. But I still think Martina Sirtas looked better in the earlier episodes of TNG. Too much 'Van Halen' exposure ruined her for me...

robert picardo's acting as the EMH is brilliant,

Picardo is a brilliant actor and he made VOYAGER in the later seasons. Although I am not much for musicals, the VOYAGER episodes where he showcased his vocal abilities was excellent. My ringtone on my cell phone (for my wife's profile) is Picardo's and Ryan's duet of YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE. :D

You should catch Picardo in STARGATE SG-1 and ATLANTIS. He was awesome in those shows as well.

and then of course there's jeri ryan's boobs,

I heard 'Jeri Ryan's boobs' and then what??? :D

Michale....

how singularly odd that this happens to be true, at least for the three of us who've responded on that thread so far. however, my remaining picks go in nearly opposite order from you and CW.

1. TOS - purist, guilty as charged.

2. DS9 - Incredibly smart and intricate, although it's true that you have to see most of the series from season 2 or earlier to really get it.

3. TNG - Although a few episodes (and ALL the TNG movies) were preachy and awful, most episodes were well written, acted and produced, with both high IQ and decent T&A. I think TNG's main failing, if one can call it that, is that it wasn't the original.

4. Enterprise - Agreed on Scott Bakula as a sketchy starship captain. It was conceptually pretty good though, and sometimes well-written.

5. Voyager - What can I say? This series makes me absolutely cringe. There's no soundtrack or cinematography to speak of, the writing is nearly always clunky and in need of editing, and the casting is just atrocious. I actually like most of the actors i've seen in other roles, but i just didn't find the characters, or their chemistry with each other, or their collective response to their situation, even remotely credible. for comparison, if one can even call it that, see how the new Battlestar Galactica is written, cast, acted and produced. robert picardo's acting as the EMH is brilliant, and then of course there's jeri ryan's boobs, but otherwise i find Voyager nearly unwatchable.

1) Battlestar Galactica (The new series)
2) TOS
3) Next Generation

As for blogs, there's lots of ones out there everyone is probably familiar (Glenn Greenwald, Firedoglake, etc).

One new one people might find interesting is:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7391

There's been a heckuva scandal going on here in Southern Ohio that is receiving almost no media coverage. Sibel Edmonds, an FBI informant who has been under a DOJ gag order since about 2001, is finally being allowed to testify in the Schmidt/Krikorian election complaint proceedings.

It's interesting because Sibel's testimony is revealing how the Turkish government worked to funnel money in return for support denying the Armenian genocide.

Brad's work was, at first, the only coverage. Partly in response to his efforts, the local media is now paying more attention. This is the new journalism, bloggers breaking the news!

-David

Let's assume that we're all purists here and that Star Trek The Original Series is the top of everyone's lists..

(As an aside, I caught an episode of WAREHOUSE 13 last night. The main two characters Pete and Myka are Secret Service Agents assigned to Warehouse 13, which is a top secret government repository for ancient and supernatural artifacts. Think the last scene of INDIANA JONES RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and you get the idea. Anyways, the two characters were complaining that their boss never tells them anything and Pete says, "I am beginning to feel like a 'Red Shirt'." to which Michela replies that it's not as bad as being Red Shirts. And Pete says to her, "I am so turned on that you understand the reference!" :D Sadly, my wife did not understand the reference, but she still turns me on anyways. )

Ahem... er.. Anyways..... Where was I??

Oh yes....

I initially wasn't expecting too much from VOYAGER, thinking it would be just another LOST IN SPACE clone. I was pleasantly surprised and ended up being a devoted fan of the series. The fact that this devotion came around at about the same time that Seven of Nine (or 36 of D as she is sometimes known) joined the cast is ENTIRELY coincidental. Kes was too much the liberal environmentalist type for my tastes... For the record, ya'all can THANK Seven Of Nine for President Obama. If it weren't for her, we probably would have President McCain right now..

I never really could get into ENTERPRISE, as Scott Bakula made an entirely unbelievable Starship Captain. However, to be fair, Enterprise made some really great leaps with providing Trekkers with the "history" of Trek. The Vulcan arc was pretty awesome and the Klingon/Genetics arc that explained why the Klingons of Kirk's era looked human was a thing of beauty to behold.

Too bad that Enterprise takes place in the Mirror Universe. That is, if you accept Star Trek novels as "canon".

Deep Space 9 initially appealed to me because it showed the "darker side" of the UFP et al. But it became too much the serial and, if you didn't keep up, you got lost. Which I didn't and I did. As a side note, Deep Space 9 holds the record for the longest Story Arc in television history.

I have personal biases against TNG so anything I say about that would be subjective. But there were some really good episodes. The Enterprise crew as Robin Hood (Worf:"Captain, I must protest! I am NOT a merry man!!") was hilarious.. Any episode with 'Q' in it was always a good time. And that goes for ANY of the Trek series. John DeLancie always made any Trek episode a great laugh fest. 'Q's appearances on Voyager were truly funny.

My list would be...

1> TOS
2> VOYAGER
3> DS9
4> ENTERPRISE
5> TNG

Referencing the above "Red Shirt" reference, you can also refer to Chris Matthews and his reference to "Red Shirts"...

If one needs a more input on "Red Shirts", see this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJn9Wqm2Ryk

Michale.....

Well, I read this one.. And then there is... oh no, wait... er.. there is.. Uh no, that one isn't... Ummm Well, this is.... uh.. no, not really..

Damn, I guess just this one..

— don't be shy!

Perish the thought! :D

Michale.....

Deep Space Nine was better in its last two seasons. Like Babylon 5, when the war kicked off then every little thing started to matter. Generally, I gauge Trek incarnations by whether things blow up enough.

Connections still stands the test of time. But I also remember Carl Sagan covered Eratosthenes in Cosmos, which was also an amazing show.

But I have to add one thing, Chris: if your budget affords it, you can stop shaving forever.