Been a trek fan since 1966 when I was 10 years old. Favorite episode: " Balance of Terror". Worst episode in my opinion: "Spock's Brain". Brain Brain what is Brain? Really are you kidding me?

While I love "Balance of Terror" (it's definitely in my Top 5), my favorite is "The Corbomite Maneuver". I didn't find "Spock's Brain" to be as bad as other people seem to think it is. I actually thought it was an interesting concept technologically, using an actual brain to control a computer network. The episode I find the least enjoyable (and yet I do watch it when it's on) is "Arena". I think I found it rather tedious (as plotlines go) as a child and that first impression has never completely gone away, even as an adult.

Sad.

Never would have been a Next Generation without Star Trek. And yes the sets may have looked fate but were talking about a show that aired in the 60's with a limited budget and no CGI affects.

Not to be argumentative for its own sake, just philosophical. And perhaps that's what's to be drawn from the original series. It was never intended to be a visual show for it's own attraction but a setting in which to to explore novel ideas. As in "where no one goes" usually, as in conceptually speaking, just like TZ was introducing viewers to "another dimension" of their thinking. ST:TOS if they were watching for mental stimulation, embraced the future of mankind. Not just the contrivances of it. ST:TOS was mid-Sixties, SW late-Seventies and ST:TNG, 80's. Think of the huge shift in cultural awareness over that span of time.

And the question becomes, was ST:TNG more interested in Sci Fi adventures or adventures in thought!

Not comparable, and thankfully offered the own individuality to be appreciated. Let's celebrate the "Imagineers" instead! 😉

Exactly! People forget how much had to be manually improvised back in the early days of film and TV. Nowadays, CG makes everything almost too slick.

So VERY WELL SAID!

They got rid of her roughly halfway(?) through the first season, presumably because she was becoming a romantic interest for Captain Kirk, and they didn't want him being tied down to just one woman.

Although she appeared in eight of the first 15 episodes of Star Trek, she was released from contract.
She's also said this which may have contributed to her release:
She said that, while still under contract, she was sexually assaulted by an executive associated with the series. Later, in a public interview, she stated that Leonard Nimoy had been her main source of support during that time. She went into more details about the assault in her book The Longest Trek, but refused to name the executive, saying in the book, "This is my story, not his."

There were also rumors of her using drugs as well. Not sure how true that really was, considering what she revealed later on in her memoir. It was the '60's and drug use was quite prevalent (as it is still now, too, sadly). I believe that the last time she is seen on screen is on "Conscience of the King", when Barbara Anderson's character, Lenore, comes onto the Bridge and Rand steps aside to let her pass (while staring at Lenore's rather stunning attire). She didn't even have a spoken line in that scene and then was never seen again on the show (though she did reappear in some of the movie films).