One of the time honored rituals of my misspent youth was the Saturday
Evening Lineup: 10:30: The Twilight Zone 11:00: Star Trek 12:00:
Battlestar Galactica. When I joined Netflix, I discovered that they had
the complete Twilight Zone and Star Trek collections on DVD,
and have been having a self-indulgent relapse to childhood by renting them
and watching them with my kids. The most interesting thing about this
experience has been seeing how well each of the shows has held up over time.
The original Star Trek looks downright silly these days, though the
experience is a bit more fun than it otherwise would be now that I know that
James Doohan is missing a finger
and watch carefully to see how they hide it. (Thanks to Robert for tipping
me off.) But the Twilight Zone episodes have held up remarkably well, and my
wife and kids are quite enjoying them, in spite of the fact that they’re not
hooked by the nostalgia in the same way I am. I think the difference is due
in large measure to the fact that Star Trek relied heavily on special
effects and visuals, where in The Twilight Zone, most of the interesting
action occurs in the characters’ or the viewers’ minds. (In fact, the
weakest point in The Odyssey of Flight 33 was when you get to see the
stop-action dinosaur out the window.) Maybe they’ll get the Battlestar
Galactica episodes out soon, and I’ll be able to complete the tour.