The Animated Series rarely elicits the respect it deserves - which is a shame as its thirtieth birthday nears. It's actually quite good, not only the artwork (if not the cut-cost animation) but also the memorable score and detailed production. Given the participation of so many principals and its proximity to The Original Series, literally and figuratively much of TOS came back in the revival of TAS.

Many times literally: In "Yesteryear" the Guardian of Forever sent Spock to his Vulcan past with his Sehlat (the two meter fanged teddy bear mentioned in "Journey to Babel"). "Once Upon A Planet" revisited the "Shore Leave" park while "Mudd's Passion" brought the rogue back. "More Tribbles, More Troubles" was a nice follow-up to the whole hairy mess, and "The Pirates of Orion" demystified those mysterious masked assailants.

Some episodes stand out still, like my personal favorite "The Slaver Weapon." (My first thought upon hearing "Xindi" was, did they just say "Kzinti?") "The Lorelei Signal" featured a strong Uhura in command, long overdue. "Albatross" revealed some professional history on McCoy. The only other Gorn I know appears in "The Time Trap" (Delta Triangle, Delphic Expanse, what's the diff?) alongside the spectacle of NCC-1701 mated to a Klingon warship.

Some were hash - "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth" added another Shakespeare title to the collection but merely replayed "Who Mourns for Adonais." Some were silly - "The Infinite Vulcan" with its humongous Spock clone, and the forgettable "The Magicks of Megas-Tu." "The Counter-Clock Incident" was so implausible even the novelization wrote off the plot, but we did meet Enterprise's first captain and CMO, Robert April and his wife Sarah.

Before CGI pervaded TAS achieved splendors like the "so lonely" pod-ship of "Beyond the Farthest Star" and the mammoth intestine from "One of Our Planets is Missing." "The Terratin Incident" with its shrinking crew would have cost a mint to film. "The Eye of the Beholder" and "The Jihad" excelled in presenting real alien-looking aliens, as did "The Survivor" with its shape-shifting Antosian and the water-breathers of "The Ambergris Element" (featuring the aqua shuttle).

Nothing in TAS violates canon, in fact it is affirmed by material in every other series including ENT. (Extraterrestrial bridge officers Arex and M'Ress were so impressive I hope early rumors of an Edosian appearing on "Enterprise" come true.) Considering episodes like "Bem" that put the "Tiberius" inside James Kirk and the holodeck of "The Practical Joker," it's clear Trek is stronger with them than without them. Happy Birthday TAS!