I was born in 1989, so I grew up with the TNG era and ENT, and I always dismissed TOS as a kid as the cheesy 60s original version that TNG remade and left in the dust. It wasn’t until high school that I actually sat down and watched TOS and fell in love with it. I even now wonder if Kirk is better than Picard, it’s a debate I have with myself often. Was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience with TOS?
I still think TNG is better, but TOS is great in its own right.
I respect it more, but I still can’t get into it. I find that the feeling they were going for - wild west in space - just doesn’t gel at all with the story of a futuristic utopian Federation and (essentially) a milliary grade ship with professional personel.
There are episodes where it’s one or the other, and not the combination of both, that work the best.
I think the TNG era managed to get away from this weird sense very well while still paying homage. But on ENT it shows how trying to follow in those footsteps can give weird results. All the criticism ENT has gotten is really the result of trying to make sense of TOS.
Ironically, VOY had the most opportunity to run with the wild west theme, and I guess they couldn’t figure it out either. Maybe SNW has, from what I’ve heard.