Although Star Trek TOS looks dated of course, the show is almost 60 years old, it does look great on Blu-ray, and the updated CGI also looks magnificent, not too much, but with respect to the show of that time. It is obviously a show from the 60’s and it shows most of the time, but the storytelling still holds up, if you are able to see through the time it was created, you will really enjoy it still, it has many thought provoking, intelligent written episodes. Its first season is as 10 times as strong as Strange New Worlds 3 seasons regarding the storytelling. What my personal annoyance is, is that with action scenes it is so obviously not the actor but the stunt double! I understand why stunt doubles are needed, but sometimes I think the creators didn't seem to care wether or not the stunt double looked anything like the actor!

Of course I started watching “The Cage”, Star Trek’s first pilot, creating in 1964. Although I liked Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) as the captain, I am glad that William Shatner took over. When I was watching “The Cage”, I checked out Hunter’s bio and was startled to read he died already so long ago, in 1969, only months after filming the 3^rd season of Star Trek was done! I began to wonder, if Jeffrey Hunter’s Pike had remained the Captain of the Enterprise, how would the future have looked for Star Trek? Would it be somewhat the same or might it have been looking differently!? We will never know of course, but I have been wondering about that, perhaps Star Trek would have stopped right then and there, after its third season.

Episodes:

No, not every episode is fantastic or great even, there are a few duds, for instance, I wasn’t a fan of part two of “The Menagerie”. I really liked part one, but in part two, way more than in part one, we got to see what happens in “The Cage”. Since I’d just seen the pilot only two weeks before watching “The Menagerie”, if felt like it was, a clip show. “The Return of the Archons” is also an episode I wasn’t able to enjoy so much. It wasn’t as bad as TNG’s “Masks”, but for me it was perhaps the weakest of the season. “The Alternative Factor” is also not a favorite of mine, although it actually is the introduction to an alternate universe or in other words, a mirror universe. But the episode itself was a bit weird but I did watch the episode late in the evening, was a bit tired, so perhaps this might have something to do with it.

About 12 episodes, the bulk of the episodes I graded a 7/10 to a 7.5/10. Entertaining episodes with rewatch value but not great of fantastic. Almost as many episodes, 11, I graded an 8/10 or higher! “The Enemy Within” was a great episode where we see, because of a transporter accident, two James T. Kirk’s. The copy is an evil one. “The Menagerie P1” is also a strong episode where Spock is determined to bring back Pike to Talos IV. “Balance of Terror”, the first Romulan episode is one of the strongest of the season for sure. We learn that the Romulans are related to the Vulcans. Mark Lenard is the Romulan commander, he is sick of War, would rather want to return home than start a war. This the best episode yet! Makes me think of The Wrath of Kahn and truth be told, I like this episode even better than the movie.

“Arena” is also a strong episode where Kirk and the Gorn captain a dropped on a planet by an another alien species. And it is a fight to the death. Because Kirk shows mercy, the advanced alien race, the Metrons, believe there is hope yet for us petty humans. I do wonder, would the Enterprise scan the planet from orbit before beaming down, surely at that time they would have noticed its total destruction. And yes, perhaps the Federation was invading into Gorn space without realizing, but does that condone slaughtering innocent people. “Tomorrow is Yesterday” where the Enterprise arrives at earth in the 60’s with no way to get back to its own time, one of the best of the season. “Space Seed” is obviously also one of the best episodes, where we first meet Khan (Ricardo Montalban), he slowly is working on taking over the Enterprise. He shows why his kind is so dangerous. Obviously a strong episode, but I was annoyed though with the ship's historian Lt. Marla McGivers in her initial reaction, looking like a schoolgirl in love when she first sees Khan. And also later his room when he plays her like a puppet. “A Taste of Armageddon”, a strong episode, instead of trying to make peace, these people are at war for 500 years via a computer and killing there own people via a disintegrator. Kirk's solution is a daring one.

“This Side of Paradise” this is the one where Spock is happy and smiles! Not only he but the whole crew except captain Kirk. Strong episode where Kirk tries to find out how to get his first officer and also his crew back, but it means taking away their perpetual bliss. I also love “The Devil in the Dark” where the humans, miners, blame a being for being a monster because he has killed humans, while these miners unknowingly are killing off its offspring. Very powerful ending when Spock is able to communicate with the Horta. Note – During this episode William Shatner’s father died. Arthur C. Clarke once remarked (still true today), in 1995, that of the Original Series, the only episode he could recall was this one, stating that "It impressed me because it presented the idea, unusual in science fiction then and now, that something weird, and even dangerous, need not be malevolent. That is a lesson that many of today's politicians have yet to learn." The first Klingon episode “Errand of Mercy” is a solid one, guest starring John Colicos as the Klingon high commander Kor. In DS9 he reprised his the role Kor several times and of course he also plays the antagonist Count Baltar in the original Battlestar Galactica.

I think “The City on the Edge of Forever” is most likely the best episode this season, perhaps of the series. I graded this a 10/10. Kirk actually falls in love and who can blame him. The decision he has to make, I would not wish this on anybody else. Guest starring of course Joan Collins as Edith Keeler. This is just a wonderful episode, tears me up every time. The Boxing poster Kirk and Spock jump through when they arrive, is also visible in the DS9 season 3 episode “Past Tense” where O’Brien and Kira are jumping through time to find commander Sisko, Bashir and Dax. I also liked “Operation – Annihilate”, the season one finale, where the Enterprise crew attempts to stop a plague of amoeba-like creatures from possessing human hosts and spreading throughout the galaxy. Note - I believe Kirk's brother Sam is mentioned for the first time, he dies, his son could be saved. What is good about this episode, we see how Kirk actually cares for his first officer Spock. Last scene, when Spock regained his eyesight was also very funny. Star Trek is considered serious sci-fi, but it can be very humorous.

Kirk, Spock and McCoy:

Well, I said it before, the original series mainly focusses on these three characters, especially in the first season, which is fine by me. I really love this friendships between Kirk and McCoy and Kirk and Spock. And I love the bickering between McCoy and Spock, well mainly McCoy because Spock only responses logically to McCoy’s questions, witty remarks and sometimes annoyed grievances. I believe this 3-way camaraderie has been copied many times over the years.

Final Word:

Now that I’ve rewatched the first season of the original series again, I realize why I love this Star Trek so much better than NuTrek. Serious SCI-FI with humor, original and strong storytelling, original characters, no swearing like f*ck and sh*t and so on. I really enjoyed watching the first season again, these characters are even more than family members to me, which is very different than the same characters from NuTrek. Here is where it all began, indeed, it looks dated but the storytelling is far superior to that of Strange New Worlds, but that is just my opinion. 

Screencaps taken from Trekcore.