Is it just me, or is Star Trek going the wrong way?

[LunaticBurnout]

I wish I could fly through space and explore all the unknown worlds out there, that's why I love star trek! I think they did a good job until they started trying to veer away from the motif set forth by FOUR fully successful and incredibly popular series (TOS, TNG, DS9, and Voyager) What I love the most about the first four series is that they were always exploring new worlds and seeing new things in the universe while they simultaneously told a story arc and it seemed like the writers were genuinely trying to stretch the limits of what people would imagine is possible to exist out among the stars, it made it a truly unique work of video-graphic art.

I also love how they portrayed humanities future potential in a very positive light, world peace, no more need for currency within our own species, scientific idealism, peaceful cooperation and exploration with the species we meet. Its a refreshing change from the millions of sci-fi stories that believe we are a hopeless species who will only end up killing anything intelligent we find out there. It seems that most authors believe humanity is much closer to the alternate negative dimensions version of events rather than the altruistic peaceful society that The Federation stands for. That's just depressing. If that's true we don't deserve to continue as a species, so I prefer to hope that Star Trek will be a good example of how humanity can still choose to show their best side and save not only our world but ourselves and our future.


I tolerated their experiments in the star trek enterprise even though the time travel was horribly convoluted and made little sense, they even ignored previously established super powerful beings for the convenience of forcing their story arc to exist mostly because I liked how they did do a bit of exploring and random adventuring or encountering random ships of unknown aliens unlike anything imagined in previous series.

However after that it seemed like they went all out sell out and tried to change the show to imitate the most popular mainstream counter parts such as "The Expanse" which seemed to be in direct competition with ST Discovery or it seems like Picard is a direct counterpart to the Mandalorian, as if their trying to make the new series about Picard as rough and gritty as the new series about the Mandalorian. Come one can't we please just have our series back? I dont care if "new viewers" like it, what about the already established fan base? Are we such worthless pushovers that they think we'll just throw our money at them no matter what they put the star trek logo on?

I'm sick of it, I'm about ready not to watch any new star trek series ever again, the last 3.5 series they came out with were basically a middle finger to the fans (because enterprise was half okay) they have all but said "...you know what, we hate our fan base and want a new one..." . It would be like if they took family guy and redrew it and rewrote it to imitate the simpsons from now on, sure it might still be an okay, but it definitely wouldn't be family guy anymore it would just be another show imitating something higher up in the "pop culture food chain". They even specifically said that they wanted to "Bring it to a new generation" which actually translated from PR double talk means "turning a classic into some desperate corporate shill scheme to get the wealthiest dumbest largest fan-base possible" so yeah, thanks for ruining something I used to be excited about.

Now to be clear, these would be perfectly good TV shows, if they weren't supposed to embody the spirit of their predecessors, just take the Star Trek name off them and no one would even realise they were star trek, and they could have their own style and story arc and not have to worry about living up to Gene Roddenberry's original vision.

Stop trying to make it into something its not. Star trek was always like us nerds at school, it was never the most trendy with the "popular kids" and it looked different than the other shows even of the same genre, but it always seemed to be more aware of where we were and where we, for better or worse, could one day be. If you've ever seen a friend try to force another friend to try to be something they're not then you know that its not right and its a bad idea! ^_^

 

[LunaticBurnout]

you know star wars is about as old as the original Star Trek series and they still left most of the same elements there from the original, they didn't completely gut it to try and appeal to a brainless new generation of millennials and tweens and as a result they still have their fan base even after selling out to Disney.

Can you imagine if star wars was gutted and they turned it into some sort of imitation of CSI just because it happens to be the highest rated show and have a huge fan base so they figure lets make the storm troopers use really advanced technology to investigate and hunt rebels like cops figuring out who criminals are then end the show by aressting them, no more cool space fights and light saber battles, or long winded Sith speeches. I'm sure it would be very popular but it would also suck as a star wars representation. I suppose it was always more mainstream so they didn't have to gut it to try and make it popular.

 

[CorporalClegg]

 

[LunaticBurnout]

The original Star Trek Animated Series was a serious show just like the version with real actors except they took advantage of the animation to do stories that would be too expensive to properly portray with real actors at the time. The same can still be done, just use the cartoons to do the feats of cinematography that wouldn't be possible even with 3D animation, at least not at a reasonable price, instead of some lame joke making fun of Star Trek and its fan base in a weak attempt to gain favor with the stoners who like watching funny adult cartoons like Simpsons and Family Guy. Its insulting. Literally, they are literally insulting their own fans to try and gain favor with a new group of fans.... not cool.

 

[F. King Daniel]

They're expanding Trek into new genres. Shows meant to feel different. The forthcoming Strange New Worlds is supposed to be more TOS-like.

But maybe new Trek just isn't for you? I love the new, far more pragmatic Trek universe.

 

[Cyrus]

It is just you.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

It is just you.

I was tempted to type exactly this. Thanks for doing so.

 

[Visitor1982]

Things change. We don't live in the 80's or 90's. TV shows have changed. Some things for the better, some things not. If you don't like it, don't watch it. But it IS Star Trek, whatever you think or not.

 

[fireproof78]

Gene's Vision was money. So, yeah, these new shows do exactly that.

Its insulting

How? People keep insisting that fans are being insulted. So, apparently I'm not a fan because I do not feel insulted by a fictional TV show. I was almost insulted by TMP but that changed because Gene decided he wanted to try something new in a film format. It's not an insult-it's just change.

 

[EnderAKH]

It's just you. But if I may quibble with one little detail....

I think they did a good job until they started trying to veer away from the motif set forth by FOUR fully successful and incredibly popular series (TOS, TNG, DS9, and Voyager)

As you can see, TNG was popular, TOS did OK for its time, but post TNG had rapidly declining popularity. Which might describe why the producers went in a different direction, it makes little sense to cater to a declining fanbase. Do something new to try to bring in NEW fans. IMO.

 

[BillJ]

Wrong way for who? I’m not impressed by the CBS offerings outside of Lower Decks, but obviously there are enough people out there watching them to make them viable.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I disagree that the new shows aren’t being optimistic. They may not be in the spirit if TNG, but they are sure in the spirit of DS9, which is just as optimistic but more honest about how humans could achieve it in a dangerous universe.

TNG says, we can end war and poverty, and so do it we must completely eradicate human selfishness, fearfulness and weakness.

DS9, Disco and Picard say we can do it, but we can do it with real humans with all their flaws, as long as we’re willing to do what it takes to protect it, and don’t ignore it’s not so easy for people who have it harder.

 

[fireproof78]

DS9, Disco and Picard say we can do it, but we can do it with real humans with all their flaws, as long as we’re willing to do what it takes to protect it, and don’t ignore it’s not so easy for people who have it harder.

Exactly. I know TNG is supremely popular but I would be hard pressed to say that those characters felt very "human" at times. If they were human is was the kind of elitist human who looked down upon those who have it harder.

I get it-people want fantasy humans and a world were problems of the real world fade. And, that's OK at times. But DS9, DISCO and PIC are showing to me what is more likely-humanity will still have flaws, still struggle, and still fail even as it works to improve, and "evolve." It makes that evolution feel more obtainable, rather than being treated poorly for being from the century I am.

 

[ananta]

Here’s the thing: Star Trek has only endured for 50+ years because it has constantly reinvented itself to keep it relevant to the times. Some fans appreciate that, some don’t. Most of the critics of Nu Trek seem to hold the Berman years as their benchmark of Trek greatness (& I liked most of those years, but don’t let’s pretend there wasn’t a whole lot of mediocrity there). But don’t think for a second that back in the glory days of the 90s a core component of the fandom weren’t stuck back in the 60s, continuously lamenting how it just ain’t as good as it used to be. It’s the way fans are. Nothing can really measure up to our nostalgia of how things were, huh?

As much as the creators want to appeal to as much of the fandom as possible, they also must engage new viewers and find new fans (because let’s face it, we won’t live forever!). If the new shows were just outdated 90’s throwbacks, they would be eviscerated. Trek has to move with the times, reinvent itself and recreate itself, or it stagnates. The entropy in late 90’s Trek (& as someone pointed out it was hemorrhaging viewers for years) was ultimately its death.

 

[fireproof78]

As much as the creators want to appeal to as much of the fandom as possible, they also must engage new viewers and find new fans

This is especially true. The TOS writer's bible put it well that they have to get and maintain an audience or they don't stay on...period.

It's fine if new Trek isn't for those who prefer 90s Trek but for Trek to go out and find new fans is not insulting; it's good business.

 

[valkyrie013]

I've liked every single series of star trek, sure some more than others, and some really stinker episodes, but in general I've been a fan of all of them.
If its not for you, don't watch it, maybe send a nice letter to CBS expressing displeasure of this or that, and they "May" change it, like the bru ha of the Disco Klingons and Hair.
So, good luck, hope you enjoy it better!

 

[The Wormhole]

I wish I could fly through space and explore all the unknown worlds out there, that's why I love star trek! I think they did a good job until they started trying to veer away from the motif set forth by FOUR fully successful and incredibly popular series (TOS, TNG, DS9, and Voyager) What I love the most about the first four series is that they were always exploring new worlds and seeing new things in the universe while they simultaneously told a story arc and it seemed like the writers were genuinely trying to stretch the limits of what people would imagine is possible to exist out among the stars, it made it a truly unique work of video-graphic art.

Contrary to the stated party line, Star Trek never really was about exploration. Or rather, very little of it was. The majority of TOS and TNG involves the Enterprise getting involved in all sorts of varied missions, DS9 is the events of a space station and later a war, Voyager was a quest to get home. Only Enterprise was about pure exploration, and even they abandoned that premise by the third season.

If anything the first five series suffer from being essentially the same. Adventures of a spaceship. The only variation being the sequel about a spaceship a hundred years later, the prequel about a spaceship a hundred years earlier. The spinoff about a spaceship stranded from home. The spinoff about a space station instead. I like that the current shows are being genuinely different and broadening Star Trek's horizons. But even then, we still have SNW promising to be Traditional Star Trek.

However after that it seemed like they went all out sell out and tried to change the show to imitate the most popular mainstream counter parts such as "The Expanse" which seemed to be in direct competition with ST Discovery

Guess again, Disco began development a month before The Expanse premiered.

it seems like Picard is a direct counterpart to the Mandalorian, as if their trying to make the new series about Picard as rough and gritty as the new series about the Mandalorian.

Picard and The Mandalorian were in development at the same time, and since there's only something like two months between the premiere of the two shows, there's no way The Mandalorian influenced Picard in any way. At all.

I dont care if "new viewers" like it, what about the already established fan base?

Star Trek, like everything else on TV needs new viewers in order to thrive and expand.

you know star wars is about as old as the original Star Trek series and they still left most of the same elements there from the original, they didn't completely gut it to try and appeal to a brainless new generation of millennials and tweens and as a result they still have their fan base even after selling out to Disney.

Can you imagine if star wars was gutted and they turned it into some sort of imitation of CSI just because it happens to be the highest rated show and have a huge fan base so they figure lets make the storm troopers use really advanced technology to investigate and hunt rebels like cops figuring out who criminals are then end the show by aressting them, no more cool space fights and light saber battles, or long winded Sith speeches. I'm sure it would be very popular but it would also suck as a star wars representation. I suppose it was always more mainstream so they didn't have to gut it to try and make it popular.

Star Wars is a franchise which is expanding its content to cross genres. Rogue One was a pure war movie, Solo was about crime syndicates in space and The Mandalorian is a space western. And it's working out great for that franchise, with Solo being the only hiccup in terms of audience reception.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Stormtrooper CSI actually sounds like a neat idea.

Of course, the photos would all be blurry.

 

[Relayer1]

...they did a good job until they started trying to veer away from the motif set forth by FOUR fully successful and incredibly popular series (TOS, TNG, DS9, and Voyager) What I love the most about the first four series is that they were always exploring new worlds and seeing new things in the universe

...they simultaneously told a story arc

...I'm sick of it, I'm about ready not to watch any new star trek series ever again

I've had enough of exploring new worlds every week. TOS, TNG, VOY, ENT - 21 seasons of it. That's quite enough planets of the week.

DS9 was the only one with a proper arc. That's probably why I'm a Niner.

Bye !

The original Star Trek Animated Series was a serious show

Mileage varies.

Things change. We don't live in the 80's or 90's. TV shows have changed. Some things for the better, some things not. If you don't like it, don't watch it. But it IS Star Trek, whatever you think or not.

Yup.

People keep insisting that fans are being insulted. So, apparently I'm not a fan because I do not feel insulted by a fictional TV show.

Trek is in rude health. I love Discovery and Picard.

I'm 57. I've seem every movie in the cinema, I own every episode on DVD or Bluray, even TAS and my least favourite live action - Voyager. Hell, I even own the Kelvinverse movies !

I'm a happier Trek fan than I've been for many years.

Absolutely not insulted.

 

[fireproof78]

Star Trek, like everything else on TV needs new viewers in order to thrive and expand.

This cannot be understated.