Asking for Comments for Presentation

[BrianRSheridan]

Hello - I'm giving a presentation on Trek at an academic conference about its 50th anniversary and its fans.
I would like to include thoughts from you on how Paramount has treated Trek fans. I don't mean you had to have personal interaction with the studio but just your thoughts and observations. Has Paramount done enough or not enough to entice new Trek fans? Has the studio done enough to keep the franchise alive? Has Trek strayed too far from Roddenberry's original concepts? Do you mostly feel included in keeping Trek alive or do you feel like fans are treated well only when it comes to Paramount taking your money? Any and all thoughts are welcome, pro and con. Thank you for your time and posts. Live Long and Prosper.
Brian R. Sheridan

 

[F. King Daniel]

I think Paramount came out with a very enjoyable movie (Star Trek Beyond) for Trek's 50th, but it came with a lacklustre marketing campaign which let it down. I'm looking forward to the promised next movie in a few years and hope it has more effective and enticing marketing.

It's important to note that while Paramount has the rights to make Star Trek movies, Star Trek is currently owned by CBS. They're currently making a new series for CBS All-Access (and Netflix outside the US and Canada), Star Trek: Discovery which is coming later this year after several delays. I don't know enough about it to comment, except that I wish them all the best and hope it's entertaining.

 

[Greg Cox]

A thought: be wary of thinking of "the fans" as a homogeneous group who all share the same priorities and desires and perceptions about how "we" are being treated. Trekkies seldom speak with one voice, as this message board proves every day. We're a famously fractious, opinionated bunch.

Plus, of course, there are generational factors given that, at this point, "STAR TREK" is actually seven different TV shows (and nine movies) made by divers hands over the course of fifty-plus years,and not every fan is equally invested in every incarnation of Trek. I imagine that, say, ENTERPRISE fans may have different opinions about the state of the franchise, and how well they're "included," than fans of TOS or DS9 or the reboot movies--which may depend on which version you think of as "your" STAR TREK.

As an old-school TOS fan, who grew up on the Original Series, I have no complaints. I'm enjoying the new movies, to varying degrees, and am hoping for the best with DISCOVERY.

 

[Mojochi]

I figure that there's Star Trek fans that are about 10 years old & some that are approaching 80. So getting an overall representation of what their collective feelings are on any subject is pretty untenable. That said, I, being aged smack dab in the middle, can find something enjoyable in all the production efforts that bear the name Star Trek, just as I find objections in all of them. That I've tuned into them all ought to be a fair assessment of it's impact.

My greatest praise would be that it has an almost unprecedented capacity to inspire people, & my greatest gripe might be that, as it continues, it could do better at presenting us with a more empoweringly positive outlook at a human future. Otherwise, as intellectual properties go, I'd say they do a fair job of keeping it alive, and though I don't always agree with their directions or even their motives, I do keep hope that it will continue to thrive in some manner, which brings people to the whole body of work, wherein they might find something they hadn't expected.

 

[BrianRSheridan]

Sorry - yes I mean CBS as the new owner of ST. As a ST Classic guy, it must be a mental block that it is not a NBC property or a Paramount property anymore. Thanks for all the comments. It seems fan camps are divided into the canonists/purists/traditionalists and those who more open to alterations. Fans are not monolithic and, especially with the internet, factions grow and become powerful as time progresses.

 

[Shawnster]

Plus, of course, there are generational factors given that, at this point, "STAR TREK" is actually seven different TV shows (and nine movies) made by divers hands over the course of fifty-plus years,and not every fan is equally invested in every incarnation of Trek.

Which 4 movies are you not counting? I come up with 13 theatrical releases.

 

[Vger23]

I think Paramount and CBS have done a nice considering that Star Trek is a franchise that is not a golden goose / money-maker in the sense that some others are (and, to the point many have made above...does not have a particularly cohesive fanbase that is easy to market to). I have very few complaints, and certainly think the franchise is stronger now than the "average strength" if looked at through the course of 50 years. Is it as strong as it was in the mid 80's to mid 90's? No...but certainly better than it was in the 70's or in the late 90's to mid 2000's.

I do think that Paramount in particular is very risk-averse when it comes to Star Trek, however. They could do a much better job with their home video market, particularly with the original 10 films in terms of true remastering, etc. I think instead they are content to re-package and re-release without any real improvements or additional material. I also think that, despite the relatively positive fan response to the latest film (Beyond), most people would tell you that it was a massive missed opportunity with tie-ins to the 50th Anniversary. I tend to agree with that.

 

[Greg Cox]

Which 4 movies are you not counting? I come up with 13 theatrical releases.

You know, I knew that number sounded wrong. Let's see, six TOS movies, four TNG movies, three reboot movies . . . yep, that's thirteen all right.

Serves me right for trying to count them on my fingers.

 

[BrianRSheridan]

Thank you everyone for your responses. It might be cliche but let me say to you all "Live Long & Prosper."