The The Original Series as the standard for Sci-fi television excellence, and they believe that it is the best of the best when it comes to Trek.
With its great character chemistry, and retro 1960s aesthetics, it is safe to say that there is no other show like TOS. Though many more Trek series followed in its wake, s on Reddit took to the site to explain why the first was really the best.
It Invented Fandom
Franchises like Star Trek are not just defined by the shows and movies that they produce, but also by the legion of rabid followers who love it. Bobby_Marks2 credited TOS for inventing a new sub-culture when they wrote "TOS is a good show and a great piece of cultural history. It's touched science fiction, NASA and space exploration, STEM grads of all kinds...the way fan conventions work, fan fiction, extended universes...".
It is difficult to overstate the importance of TOS on the popular culture landscape. No piece of fictional media had had such a tangible effect on the real world up to that point, and modern fandom, in general, can be traced back to the show. Many fans love Star Trek because it captures their hearts and fires their imaginations to achieve something great.
Mr. Spock
Science fiction had always portrayed aliens in a negative light, and usually as some aggressive invading force. of_course_you_agree used one of Trek's best aliens as proof of the show's greatness, saying "Spock is one of the most brilliant pieces of character creation in the last 100 years; Nimoy's work is totally worth some attention".
The pointy-eared Vulcan was many audience ' first introduction to a friendly alien. Whether Spock was delivering a brilliant quote or simply bickering with Dr. McCoy, Spock was one of the aspects that elevated TOS above the rest of the 1960s fodder. The Vulcan trait of emotional suppression and logic made Spock the perfect foil for his overly emotional human contemporaries.
It Revolutionized TV
While discussing TOS within the Trek fandom, it is often easy to forget the important effect that the show had on television in general. efreeman1 sought to remind fans of Trek's groundbreaking qualities when they wrote "TOS also has episodes that have gone down not just in Trek history but in TV history as well for their innovation and brilliance".
It may be easy to scoff at TOS's cheesy special effects through a modern lens, but it would be doing a disservice to the show in general. For its time, TOS was seemingly shattering new barriers every week, whether that was with its cutting edge visual effects, or by making TV history with the first interracial kiss. Whatever it may look like today, Star Trek was certainly 'out there' in the 1960s.
The Stories Were More Original
Though the series was shattering boundaries, it was also somewhat limited by what was available at the time and therefore relied on its stories to shine. CoffeeCubit praised the stories when they said "TOS has a surreal aspect and a stagy, theatrical feel. Also, I find its stories more original".
TOS was unique because it wasn't necessarily always representing reality. Like the decade that spawned it, Trek had a somewhat psychedelic feel and a lot of the missions involved discovering powerful omnipotent beings that seemingly defy scientific explanation. Because of this, the show's stories were often one-of-a-kind gems that haven't been seen before or since.
Captain James T. Kirk
For all of the guff that actor William Shatner gets in real life, he certainly knew exactly how to inhabit the intrepid leader of the U.S.S. Enterprise. 6arcia78 pointed to the captain as the thing that put TOS over the top, saying "Kirk was who I wanted to grow up to be like! Confident, charismatic, and a leader of leaders. This is the main reason I love TOS".
Setting the blueprint for all future Starfleet captains, Kirk's character traits are unmistakable. While he gets a reputation as being reckless, he actually does things by the book quite frequently, and he is a leader by doing as much as by commanding. Much of TOS's success comes from the unflinching charisma of its lead performer.
Starship Living
Though it is set in an idealistic future, Starfleet is still a semi-militaristic organization that has rigid structure. Gettingbetter praised TOS for its on-ship world-building when they wrote "Best depiction of life on a starship...Kirk is frequently interrupted to sign off on paperwork. It feels so much more real and dynamic than later series".
Future Trek shows streamlined, or outright cut out, aspects of serving on a ship that were somewhat mundane. TOS on the other hand, found clever ways to work it into the world-building, without distracting from the story as a whole. What results is a product that gives the audience a sense of a lived-in environment.
Chemistry Between The Characters
Despite all of the philosophy, and exploration, every Star Trek series hinges on the characters to carry the show. MAJORMETAL84 thought TOS did characters best when they said "The Triune Godhead of Trek, JTK, Spock, Bones, has yet to be matched in of the chemistry and depth of their relationship in any other series".
It is a testament to the brilliant performances that the trio of main characters from the show are so well ed. Feeling like co-workers as well as old friends, the cast bounces off of one another with a very natural sense of banter. Star Trek is such a blast to watch because the viewer feels like the fourth member of the Enterprise's main crew.
It Stands The Test Of Time
Rarely does any piece of media find itself still relevant over half a century after it was released. A deleted praised Trek on its life-span, commenting "It's incredible that 50 years later people can still find relevance in this program...I think TOS will always have staying power".
Long outliving the nostalgia era of its lifespan, TOS has firmly installed itself into popular culture. Many of Star Trek TOS's most re-watchable episodes stick around because they managed to capture a timeless sense of wonder that never fades. Even if humanity makes it to the 23rd century, the adventures of the U.S.S Enterprise will still feel like the future of humankind.
The Final Frontier
As humanity looks towards the stars, they are greeted with an infinite number of possibilities, and TOS attempted to capture a small sliver of what was possible. Britz94 thought that was TOS's greatest asset when they wrote "TOS seems like it's the only Trek that's actually focused on exploring the unknown".
Space exploration was still a new concept in the 1960s, and speculative Sci-Fi abounded in that colorful decade. Each episode of TOS represented new possibilities as Kirk and company pushed further into the unknown reaches of the vast universe. What they found more often than not though, were situations that eerily mirrored the troubled times that the show was spawned from.
In The Beginning
While debating the technical merits of every piece of the Trek franchise, one constant is that there would be no other Trek without TOS. BornACrone stated such a point succinctly when they wrote "Although its certainly not without its problems. It started the whole shebang, for Pete's sake".
The Next Generation may have expanded the Trek universe, and other series may have added their own flavor, but none would have existed with the original. While that may seem like a hollow argument for its quality, it is important to just how many aspects of TOS carried over into future shows. The philosophical heart that guided the original, still beats inside every piece of Trek media.