Spoilers How literal is LD in your headcanon?

[Mytran]

According the the novelization of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, James Kirk flat out stated that the missions set in "TOS" were exaggerated on purpose for public consumption.

That was a very clever line and an important part of the "soft reboot" aspect of TMP.
And really, it worked fine that way through the movies and most of TNG - any references to TOS were always made through the lens of the current product - Khan sported a metallic SF chevron, the TMP Enterprise graphic was used to represent the TOS-E, Kirk got name dropped, Sarek appeared in person etc.
The audience was free to visually reimagine (or not) TOS episodes as they pleased - modern Trek was not ever going back there (Roddenberry was initially against ANY connections to TOS)

Then in season 6 Scotty turned up and the Holodeck depicted the TOS Enterprise in full 1967 awesomeness, with ZERO updating of the design. On the one hand this was a lovely bit of fanservice, but conversely this locked the production values of a decades old show down in-universe. From this moment on Trek was committed to maintaining rigid continuity with its past incarnation, whether it made sense or not. The more generalised "interpretation by era" proposed by the TMP novelisation was gone forever.

And I'm still in 2 minds if that was a good idea or not.

 

[fireproof78]

That was a very clever line and an important part of the "soft reboot" aspect of TMP.
And really, it worked fine that way through the movies and most of TNG - any references to TOS were always made through the lens of the current product - Khan sported a metallic SF chevron, the TMP Enterprise graphic was used to represent the TOS-E, Kirk got name dropped, Sarek appeared in person etc.
The audience was free to visually reimagine (or not) TOS episodes as they pleased - modern Trek was not ever going back there (Roddenberry was initially against ANY connections to TOS)

Then in season 6 Scotty turned up and the Holodeck depicted the TOS Enterprise in full 1967 awesomeness, with ZERO updating of the design. On the one hand this was a lovely bit of fanservice, but conversely this locked the production values of a decades old show down in-universe. From this moment on Trek was committed to maintaining rigid continuity with its past incarnation, whether it made sense or not. The more generalised "interpretation by era" proposed by the TMP novelisation was gone forever.

And I'm still in 2 minds if that was a good idea or not.

If it locked it in to the ridged mindset then I don't see it as good idea.

 

[Paul Weaver]

The entire concept of 'adhering to canon' is very new, only really surfacing within the last decade and a half or so.

Lots of complaints about Enterprise and canon violations ever since it was announced back in 2000. Here's a thread from 2005

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.tv.star-trek.enterprise/c/fz6Z4aTou3Y/m/DMCayfOyN7QJ

And the wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Canon_(fiction)&oldid=4589923

1997 discussion about TAS
https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.startrek.misc/c/HuCLSjDhnDI/m/nKoTGae_SrcJ

 

[Mytran]

If it locked it in to the ridged mindset then I don't see it as good idea.

That's one half of my brain. The other half just really loves the TOS sets!

 

[fireproof78]

That's one half of my brain. The other half just really loves the TOS sets!

TOS will always be Star Trek for me in a way that nothing else will. But, TOS will also always be its own thing too.

 

[dupersuper]

Only if we take Freeecloud as a prime example of all of Federation life.

The synth ban had nothing to do with Free Cloud.

Nor did the Federations isolationism or Fox News stand-in.

I didn't see Freecloud as dreary at all.

I mean, it was flashy and colourful, but did have a crime syndicate killing and torturing people for spare parts.

 

[fireproof78]

The synth ban had nothing to do with Free Cloud.

Nor did the Federations isolationism or Fox News stand-in.

The ban on genetic engineering was also present. Was that dreary?

And who gives a about a news stand in?

 

[dupersuper]

The ban on genetic engineering was also present. Was that dreary?

It would've been if there were at least 3 groups of genetically engineered people (a'la the Exocomps, Sung type androids and the colony of sentient nanites that Wesley accidentally created) that had been (as the post I was replying to put it) genocided.

And who gives a about a news stand in?

I do. That's why I mentioned it. I get that you don't, but crap like that totally takes me out of the show.

 

[fireproof78]

do. That's why I mentioned it. I get that you don't, but crap like that totally takes me out of the show.

Why? The Federation is an egalitarian society. It can't handle another news channel? That makes a show have a "dreary " future?

 

[dupersuper]

Why? The Federation is an egalitarian society. It can't handle another news channel? That makes a show have a "dreary " future?

It can handle it, I just don't want it to have to. I don't want my bright shiny future show dealing with the same nonsense that saps my faith in humanity in the present day. I miss the 90s version of the Federation that was past all this nonsense; not because of any infringement on freedom of speech or expression, but because there were few if any numbnuts left who would spew that garbage.

 

[fireproof78]

It can handle it, I just don't want it to have to. I don't want my bright shiny future show dealing with the same nonsense that saps my faith in humanity in the present day. I miss the 90s version of the Federation that was past all this nonsense; not because of any infringement on freedom of speech or expression, but because there were few if any numbnuts left who would spew that garbage.

Mileage will vary. News channels in my future don't bother me. My faith in humanity remains unchanged.

 

[dupersuper]

My faith in humanity remains unchanged.

So does mine, sadly.

 

[fireproof78]

So does mine, sadly.

Sorry to hear that. Humanity can get better no matter what the news says. So, I will remain forever hopeful.

 

[cooleddie74]

Both the 23rd century scenes of GEN and the Dominion War episodes of DS9 told us that there's a news media in the Trek universe and within the Federation so it doesn't bother me in the least that there's a form of late 24th century "cable news" in PIC.

 

[fireproof78]

Both the 23rd century scenes of GEN and the Dominion War episodes of DS9 told us that there's a news media in the Trek universe and within the Federation so it doesn't bother me in the least that there's a form of late 24th century "cable news" in PIC.

That's my thinking as well. And it's not like we didn't have disparate or fringe style groups in the Federation across various iterations of Trek. There was the New Fundamentalists in DS9 and of course the Maquis. It wouldn't surprise me if there was a news channel, no matter how outside the mainstream Federation thought it might be.

A nonissue for me as well.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I recall background graphics for Into Darkness, with news shows, chat shows, CNN and a weatherman in a Starfleet uniform (played by Michael Giacchino!)

 

[cooleddie74]

"Menk"? Nice. So ENT got yet another callout in the Kelvin Timeline.

 

[dswynne1]

SNIP!

Then in season 6 Scotty turned up and the Holodeck depicted the TOS Enterprise in full 1967 awesomeness, with ZERO updating of the design. On the one hand this was a lovely bit of fanservice, but conversely this locked the production values of a decades old show down in-universe. From this moment on Trek was committed to maintaining rigid continuity with its past incarnation, whether it made sense or not. The more generalised "interpretation by era" proposed by the TMP novelisation was gone forever.

And I'm still in 2 minds if that was a good idea or not.

Well, I'm not, considering that neither TOS nor TMP nor TNG had to worry about a thing called "The Temporal Cold War" to affect both the aesthetics and the tech levels of the Star Trek Universe. There was a natural progression of sorts, before you had active incursions into the past, which sped up the development of the TOS era sooner than it should have, IMO. HOWEVER, having stated that, that doesn't mean that there wasn't a USS Discovery, nor does it mean that there wasn't a spore drive in development. Of course, there is the "real world" reason for the changes, such as having a "soft reboot/revision/etc." on the franchise, just to update production values. But within the context of the stories, IMO: one, it all happened, and, two, how exaggerated the missions were can still be debated upon.

 

[IRW Bloodwing]

I leave it safely confined to its own quantum reality where it can be appreciated for itself or ignored as the viewer chooses.

 

[FederationHistorian]

100% canon.