--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Star Trek, I thought, was a very…" description: "\"Star Trek, I thought, was a very inconsistent show, which at times sparkled with true ingenuity and pure science fiction approaches, and other times wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/rod-serling-2652_approach_star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsist_2212607.png" --- # Star Trek, I thought, was a very inconsistent show, which… ![“Star Trek, I thought, was a very inconsistent show, which at times sparkled with true ingenuity and pure science fiction approaches, and other times was more carnival-like, and very much more the creature of television than the creature of a legitimate literary form.” quote by Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/rod-serling-2652_approach_star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsist_2212607.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/rod-serling-2652_approach_star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsist_2212607.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/rod-serling-2652_approach_star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsist_2212607.png) > “Star Trek, I thought, was a very inconsistent show, which at times sparkled with true ingenuity and pure science fiction approaches, and other times was more carnival-like, and very much more the creature of television than the creature of a legitimate literary form.” [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The show mixes high‑concept sci‑fi ideas with inconsistent, sometimes gimmicky episodes, reflecting TV constraints versus literary ambition. **In simple terms:** Star Trek is brilliant but uneven. Key Takeaway Appreciate its peaks, accept its flaws. Themes science fiction television creativity consistency Mood reflective critical nostalgic Type analytical observational When to use this quote - watching classic sci‑fi - media analysis - creative writing - TV criticism Key Concepts narrative structure genre expectations production limits Questions to Reflect On - How do constraints shape creative output? - What makes an episode memorable despite inconsistency? A Different Perspective The series' budget and network pressures limited its artistic consistency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Carnivals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carnivals/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Ingenuity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingenuity/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Star trek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/star-trek/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Is there a grandmother that isn't spunky on television? Is there such a creature?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/is-there-a-grandmother-that-isn-t-spunky-on-television-is-there-such/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [ I had just gotten Heroes, and I had just found out that I was going to be doing \[Star\] Trek, and I thought it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-had-just-gotten-heroes-and-i-had-just-found-out-that-i-was-going-to/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [Drugs are a carnival in hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-piaf/drugs-are-a-carnival-in-hell/) [Edith Piaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-piaf/) > [Death is not a checkmate…it is more like a carnival trick. You cannot win, no matter how you move your Queen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/death-is-not-a-checkmate-it-is-more-like-a-carnival-trick-you-cannot/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Odyssey Dawn? That's not a military operation. That's a Carnival Cruise ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/odyssey-dawn-that-s-not-a-military-operation-that-s-a-carnival-cruise/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Television has borrowed from the carnival midway the barker's tease: "Coming Up Next: a Perfect 10" (Sex? Bo Derek? No, the weatherman comes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-diamond/television-has-borrowed-from-the-carnival-midway-the-barker-s-tease/) [Edwin Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-diamond/) > [Astrology is the sheerest hokum. This pseudoscience has been around since the day of the Chaldeans and Babylonians. It is as phony as numerology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-j-kilpatrick/astrology-is-the-sheerest-hokum-this-pseudoscience-has-been-around/) [James J. Kilpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-j-kilpatrick/) > [Such a scheme.. the betrayal of the national democracy of Industrial Ulster, would mean a carnival of reaction both North and South, would set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-connolly/such-a-scheme-the-betrayal-of-the-national-democracy-of-industrial/) [James Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-connolly/) > [I think honestly when I was younger I use to love going to carnivals in Long Island. I use to love carnival season; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/i-think-honestly-when-i-was-younger-i-use-to-love-going-to-carnivals/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [ \[Carnival Ride\] is part of a line from my favorite song on the album, "Wheel of the World." It sums up everything that's happened… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/carnival-ride-is-part-of-a-line-from-my-favorite-song-on-the-album/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [If you have to give a carnival to get people to come to church, then you will have to keep giving carnivals to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-you-have-to-give-a-carnival-to-get-people-to-come-to-church-then/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“He wanted a home. He wanted a family. He wanted to have friends. But none of those things were realistic. At least not until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/he-wanted-a-home-he-wanted-a-family-he-wanted-to-have-friends-but/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [Not everyone is going to like every carnival ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/not-everyone-is-going-to-like-every-carnival-ride/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I stumble through a carnival of horrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-stumble-through-a-carnival-of-horrors/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Precise, graceful, and generous, the poems in SuperLoop, seem to be born out of a deep, careful attention and a profound compassion. Sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-limon/precise-graceful-and-generous-the-poems-in-superloop-seem-to-be-born/) [Ada Limon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-limon/) ## More by Rod Serling > [If you want to prove that God is not dead first prove that man is alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-you-want-to-prove-that-god-is-not-dead-first-prove-that-man-is/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/there-is-nothing-in-the-dark-that-isn-t-there-when-the-lights-are-on/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [There are weapons that are simply thoughts. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/there-are-weapons-that-are-simply-thoughts-for-the-record-prejudices/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I don't believe in reincarnation. That's a cop-out, I know. I don't really want to be reincarnated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-don-t-believe-in-reincarnation-that-s-a-cop-out-i-know-i-don-t/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I was deeply interested in conveying what is a deeply felt conviction of my own. This is simply to suggest that human beings must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-was-deeply-interested-in-conveying-what-is-a-deeply-felt-conviction/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [If in any quest for magic, in any search for sorcery, witchery, legerdemain, first check the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-in-any-quest-for-magic-in-any-search-for-sorcery-witchery/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of man, that state is obsolete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/any-state-any-entity-any-ideology-that-fails-to-recognize-the-worth/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [It may be said with a degree of assurance that not everything that meets the eye is as it appears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/it-may-be-said-with-a-degree-of-assurance-that-not-everything-that/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I don't know what my friends do. Generally they become producers. That way they can stop writing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-don-t-know-what-my-friends-do-generally-they-become-producers-that/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I just want people to remember me a hundred years from now. I don't care that they're not able to quote any single line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-just-want-people-to-remember-me-a-hundred-years-from-now-i-don-t/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [According to the Bible, God created the heavens and the Earth. It is man’s prerogative - and woman’s - to create their own particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/according-to-the-bible-god-created-the-heavens-and-the-earth-it-is/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [“In his grave, we praise him for his decency - but when he walked amongst us, we responded with no decency of our own.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/in-his-grave-we-praise-him-for-his-decency-but-when-he-walked-amongst/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [If you're really a good writer and deserve that honored position, then by God, you'll write, and you'll be read, and you'll be produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-you-re-really-a-good-writer-and-deserve-that-honored-position-then/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I would guess that the price of the script really is secondary. The credit is much more the essence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-would-guess-that-the-price-of-the-script-really-is-secondary-the/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I don't think it's man's function to write. I don't think it's a normal thing like teeth-brushing and going to the bathroom. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-don-t-think-it-s-man-s-function-to-write-i-don-t-think-it-s-a/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) [Explore all 156 Rod Serling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) ## More Approach quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) [Browse all 3,949 Approach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Star Trek, I thought, was a very inconsistent show, which at times sparkled with true ingenuity and pure science fiction approaches, and other times was more carnival-like, and very much more the creature of television than the creature of a legitimate literary form.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rod Serling" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsistent-show-which-at-times/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Approach" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsistent-show-which-at-times/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/rod-serling-2652_approach_star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsist_2212607.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/rod-serling-2652_approach_star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsist_2212607.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/rod-serling-2652_approach_star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsist_2212607.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Star Trek, I thought, was a very inconsistent show, which at times sparkled with true ingenuity and pure…” — Rod Serling", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rod Serling", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Star Trek, I thought, was a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsistent-show-which-at-times/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/star-trek-i-thought-was-a-very-inconsistent-show-which-at-times/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```