Has your perception of Trek changed in the last 10 years? - Page 2

TheRoyalFamily · January 18 2013, 12:01 AM

I find I like Trek more than ever, as a franchise, as a universe. The shows, honestly, I tend to find mediocre in general, but that's OK, in general. After the long post-ENT drought I found that Star Trek Online scratched an itch I didn't know I had, and I started getting back into watching DS9, posting on the BBS, and that stuff. I even watched some Voyager, and liked it!

Melakon · January 18 2013, 12:13 AM

The only change in my perception of Trek in the last 10 years has been due to a debilitating eye condition.

Lance · January 21 2013, 04:30 PM

Melakon wrote:

The only change in my perception of Trek in the last 10 years has been due to a debilitating eye condition.

All the more reason to upgrade it all to sharper definition.

Spartan_029 · January 23 2013, 09:03 PM

that last 10 years? Each time I watch anything Star Trek, it becomes easier to shrug the small stuff and love it all the more...

Anji · January 24 2013, 01:22 AM

I really appreciate the friendship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy more. You don't see friendships like that on TV or in real life anymore.

Nerys Myk · January 24 2013, 01:32 AM

Less of a kool-aid drinker canon/continuity freak these day. More into enjoying it.

BillJ · January 24 2013, 02:35 AM

Nerys Myk wrote:

Less of a kool-aid drinker canon/continuity freak these day. More into enjoying it.

This.

Life's too short to be watching something simply to nitpick at it.

sonak · January 24 2013, 05:11 PM

I'm a lot more of a casual fan of it these days than I used to be. I used to think that TOS through DS9 was about the best televised sci-fi out there, but I've caught up on a lot of older, very good sci-fi shows like B5 and Farscape, and now I think of Star Trek as just one of many good sci-fi franchises out there.

Like BillJ, I also have increasingly noticed that for its reputation as "social commentary" and presenting ethical dilemmas, that Star Trek often drops the ball in that regard, and the Prime Directive is a big part of it. Now, I tend to enjoy the "space opera adventure" angle of it, or just appreciate the characters and stories without taking the preachiness too seriously.

Nerys Ghemor · January 24 2013, 08:37 PM

When I was little I bought the Federation's propaganda--but as I got older, I came to see the less pleasant side of what the Federation had really become...its hypocrisy, its darker side. As a result, I would say I don't really enjoy all of the series anymore, and am mainly focused on Deep Space Nine, because it did such a good job of deconstructing a lot of what I think just wasn't realistic about Star Trek's vision of humanity--yet without turning into a completely bleak, hopeless nuBSG. I think it had just about the right balance to make it believable yet still something you could really engage emotionally with, without wearing you out.

Nightdiamond · January 24 2013, 09:48 PM

I'm somewhere in between the views that Trek was tired and cliched, and simply something good to watch and enjoy.

Star Trek was one of the few sci-fi that said humanity 'made it' -everyone is happy and well fed and gets along. That was always the main theme.

The problem is, it didn't always take risks and missed some good opportunities. Tried to send messages with just analogies only.
Today's shows are edgier than ever and get better ratings as a result.

Have some one curse when they get mad. Or drink something typical like beer and eat fries or something.

Or listen to something other than jazz or classical music or opera for a change. It's the 24th century lol.

"The Outcast" from TNG was obviously an attempt at sending a message, but it was way too safe and quiet and boring, so you have to wonder if anyone got the message.

BillJ · January 24 2013, 11:21 PM

sonak wrote:

I'm a lot more of a casual fan of it these days than I used to be.

I'm still a huge fan of Star Trek.

But about five or six years ago, I started to wonder if I was a fan of the show or a fan of the minutiae. A realization set in that I wasn't having fun any more, I was just going though the motions.

The obvious stupidity of some episodes/movies still bothers me to an extent, but I no longer wrap myself in disgust when a cloaking device shows up in Enterprise or when some other odd detail from one series doesn't match another. I know when I watch Seinfeld, I don't bitch and moan when he shifts from being a Mets fan to being a Yankees fan or the structural features of his apartment change even though he has never moved during the course of the series.

Nowadays, I hold Trek to the same standard that I hold other shows I watch: does it entertain me? In my opinion, it's the only standard that matters. Probably why Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise and the Next Gen movies have mostly fallen off of my radar.

Nerys Myk · January 25 2013, 03:12 AM

Nerys Ghemor wrote:

When I was little I bought the Federation's propaganda--but as I got older, I came to see the less pleasant side of what the Federation had really become...its hypocrisy, its darker side. As a result, I would say I don't really enjoy all of the series anymore, and am mainly focused on Deep Space Nine, because it did such a good job of deconstructing a lot of what I think just wasn't realistic about Star Trek's vision of humanity--yet without turning into a completely bleak, hopeless nuBSG. I think it had just about the right balance to make it believable yet still something you could really engage emotionally with, without wearing you out.

Uh, its not real. There is no "Federation" or "Federation propaganda". What it has become, be it unpleasant, dark or hypocritical, is from what writer/producers have done. Oddly enough, to many, DS9 is the darkest and most unpleasant of the Treks.

Treks vision of humanity is pretty broad. Depends on which series/episode you watch.

Nerys Ghemor · January 25 2013, 08:24 PM

Duh, I'm aware it's not real. What I mean is I saw the Trek universe the way the propagandists in-universe tried to portray the Federation (not to mention the perspective parroted by some starry-eyed fans), but as I got older I saw the hypocrisy inherent in it.

Nerys Myk · January 26 2013, 05:55 AM

Nerys Ghemor wrote:

Duh, I'm aware it's not real. What I mean is I saw the Trek universe the way the propagandists in-universe tried to portray the Federation (not to mention the perspective parroted by some starry-eyed fans), but as I got older I saw the hypocrisy inherent in it.

There are no "propagandists". Just characters speaking words written by writers, characters who "believe" what they "say". They aren't spinning facts to make the UFP look better in the eyes of its citizens or outsiders. Any "hypocrisy" is just inconsistent writing or a change in direction. If you don't like the ideas presented in Star Trek you might consider not watching.

January 18 2013, 12:01 AM	#16
TheRoyalFamily Fleet Captain Location: Mentone	Re: Has your perception of Trek changed in the last 10 years? I find I like Trek more than ever, as a franchise, as a universe. The shows, honestly, I tend to find mediocre in general, but that's OK, in general. After the long post-ENT drought I found that Star Trek Online scratched an itch I didn't know I had, and I started getting back into watching DS9, posting on the BBS, and that stuff. I even watched some Voyager, and liked it! __________________ You perceive wrongly. I feel unimaginable happiness wasting time talking with women. I'm that type of human.

January 18 2013, 12:13 AM	#17
Melakon Commodore Location: Unmarked grave, Ekos	Re: Has your perception of Trek changed in the last 10 years? The only change in my perception of Trek in the last 10 years has been due to a debilitating eye condition. __________________ "Every time you think, you weaken the nation." --Moe Howard

January 23 2013, 09:03 PM	#19
Spartan_029 Ensign	Re: Has your perception of Trek changed in the last 10 years? that last 10 years? Each time I watch anything Star Trek, it becomes easier to shrug the small stuff and love it all the more...

January 24 2013, 01:22 AM	#20
Anji Rear Admiral Location: Assisting in the birth of baby Horta on Janus VI	Re: Has your perception of Trek changed in the last 10 years? I really appreciate the friendship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy more. You don't see friendships like that on TV or in real life anymore. __________________ "You may be wrong, but you may be right." - Billy Joel

January 24 2013, 01:32 AM	#21
Nerys Myk Admiral Location: House of Kang, now with ridges	Re: Has your perception of Trek changed in the last 10 years? Less of a kool-aid drinker canon/continuity freak these day. More into enjoying it. __________________ Nerys Myk's Midnight In Never Land A novel of Dark Fantasy @ Amazon.com

STAR TREK

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January 24 2013, 05:11 PM	#23
sonak Rear Admiral Location: in a figment of a mediocre mind's imagination	Re: Has your perception of Trek changed in the last 10 years? I'm a lot more of a casual fan of it these days than I used to be. I used to think that TOS through DS9 was about the best televised sci-fi out there, but I've caught up on a lot of older, very good sci-fi shows like B5 and Farscape, and now I think of Star Trek as just one of many good sci-fi franchises out there. Like BillJ, I also have increasingly noticed that for its reputation as "social commentary" and presenting ethical dilemmas, that Star Trek often drops the ball in that regard, and the Prime Directive is a big part of it. Now, I tend to enjoy the "space opera adventure" angle of it, or just appreciate the characters and stories without taking the preachiness too seriously.

January 24 2013, 08:37 PM	#24
Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor	Re: Has your perception of Trek changed in the last 10 years? When I was little I bought the Federation's propaganda--but as I got older, I came to see the less pleasant side of what the Federation had really become...its hypocrisy, its darker side. As a result, I would say I don't really enjoy all of the series anymore, and am mainly focused on Deep Space Nine, because it did such a good job of deconstructing a lot of what I think just wasn't realistic about Star Trek's vision of humanity--yet without turning into a completely bleak, hopeless nuBSG. I think it had just about the right balance to make it believable yet still something you could really engage emotionally with, without wearing you out. __________________ Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia, Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius!

January 24 2013, 09:48 PM	#25
Nightdiamond Fleet Captain Location: California	Re: Has your perception of Trek changed in the last 10 years? I'm somewhere in between the views that Trek was tired and cliched, and simply something good to watch and enjoy. Star Trek was one of the few sci-fi that said humanity 'made it' -everyone is happy and well fed and gets along. That was always the main theme. The problem is, it didn't always take risks and missed some good opportunities. Tried to send messages with just analogies only. Today's shows are edgier than ever and get better ratings as a result. Have some one curse when they get mad. Or drink something typical like beer and eat fries or something. Or listen to something other than jazz or classical music or opera for a change. It's the 24th century lol. "The Outcast" from TNG was obviously an attempt at sending a message, but it was way too safe and quiet and boring, so you have to wonder if anyone got the message. Last edited by Nightdiamond; January 24 2013 at 10:02 PM.

January 25 2013, 08:24 PM	#28
Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor	Re: Has your perception of Trek changed in the last 10 years? Duh, I'm aware it's not real. What I mean is I saw the Trek universe the way the propagandists in-universe tried to portray the Federation (not to mention the perspective parroted by some starry-eyed fans), but as I got older I saw the hypocrisy inherent in it. __________________ Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia, Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius!