Will We Ever See The 1990s Star Trek Aesthetic Again? Or Hear that “humm” Sound When No One Speaks?

[GuyX]

You know the sound! When Picard or Sisko are looking out at the stars or just walking without saying anything. There’s an audible “hummm” as if we can hear the engine or sound of space. *That* is Star Trek to me. That sound is everything. There isn’t constant music or sound effects. Just the “hummm”. It’s always there. Always.

Maybe this is how fans felt when they saw the difference between the TNG sets to the TOS sets. But watching Picard, it just felt...wrong. Everything has that over designed look to it. Flashy lights and thingamabobs. Why not keep the sound design and ship console designs similar? I’ve only come to Star Trek in the last few years so it’s not like I look at the 1990s stuff and think it looks dated. Certain things feel “cheap” but not dated.

Watching these new Trek shows...I haven’t seen a single ship design that’s felt right. The aesthetics are just all wrong. I get that the producers want to make it look expensive and cool. Buts that’s never been Star Treks thing.

I’d love a new Trek show that took place during the TNG, DS9, VOYAGER years and just felt like that exact same universe. Same ship aesthetics. Same sound effects. Same make up. The Klingons in Discovery....ugh. It’s too much muchness.

And the music. My god. I know the Enterprise theme was terrible but give him some memorable! The Discovery & Picard main title sequences don’t inspire awe or wonder. The music doesn’t feel grand & heroic. It’s just...there. Jerry Goldsmith must be rolling over in his grave.

I watch Picard and it doesn’t even feel like it takes place in the same universe as TNG.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I watch Picard and it doesn’t even feel like it takes place in the same universe as TNG.

It takes place decades later. Things change over time. There are probably people in PIC who think a Galaxy- or even intrepid-class ship is a bit outmoded.

 

[Mudd]

Picard definitely feels like a follow-on to the TNG era...but the Starfleet ship designs do suck.

 

[Coops]

Watching these new Trek shows...I haven’t seen a single ship design that’s felt right. The aesthetics are just all wrong. I get that the producers want to make it look expensive and cool. Buts that’s never been Star Treks thing

That could literally be lifted from the late eighties when TNG launched.

 

[Mudd]

That could literally be lifted from the late eighties when TNG launched.

No, not really.

Most ship design on the Kurtzman shows has been hasty, rather ugly and often pretty dumb. ST-O stuff.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Also skiffy generic and lacking in any character.

Though I suppose that description befits most of the art design.

 

[Coops]

No, not really.

Most ship design on the Kurtzman shows has been hasty, rather ugly and often pretty dumb. ST-O stuff.

I've read many TOS fans opinions who still think TNG design is poor compared to what they were used to.

 

[Lord Garth]

I've read many TOS fans opinions who still think TNG design is poor compared to what they were used to.

Let them vent. They know they're never going to get what they want.

 

[fireproof78]

I've read many TOS fans opinions who still think TNG design is poor compared to what they were used to.

Someone called me?

 

[Coops]

Let them vent. They know they're never going to get what they want.

They’ve got what they want and it’s in glorious blu ray HD these days. I’m fine with
folk liking what they like but I was addressing the OP, the gist of which appeared to be ‘current Trek bad - I want old Trek’. Not a new point of view obviously, round and round we go.

If Trek had never moved with the times then three series, some cartoons and the movies would be the only Trek there ever was.

Edit - And if you don’t like the stuff from these times then you’ve got literally all the stuff from ‘Your’ time there waiting for you.

I don’t like modern pop music which is why I listened to A Flock Of Seagulls on the way home from work.

 

[Lord Garth]

They’ve got what they want and it’s in glorious blu ray HD these days. I’m fine with
folk liking what they like but I was addressing the OP, the gist of which appeared to be ‘current Trek bad - I want old Trek’. Not a new point of view obviously, round and round we go.

My take on it is they got 19 seasons of '90s Trek. Counting from the third season of TNG to the end of VOY. They had their turn. They got a LOT more than TOS did. But now it's done, and it's been done for 20 years.

The Kurtzman Era 2020s Star Trek will run its course too. But the next thing won't be more of what they want either. It'll be something else. Whatever that something else will turn out to be.

 

[fireproof78]

If Trek had never moved with the times then three series, some cartoons and the movies would be the only Trek there ever was.

And that's....bad?

 

[Coops]

And that's....bad?

Yes, damn you, because we’d never have witnessed Beverly Crusher getting off with a ghost.

 

[valkyrie013]

The Humm, and beep boop from pushing buttons, do miss that.
Ship design reached a cresendo with me with Late voyager/enterprise .. minus the reused or lazy ships.
When CGI was first used, and had good designers who thought of the engineering of there ships. Starting with ST09 they just didn't care.

But, give it another 10 years, 20 maybe, there will be another design aesthetic that will be there, people will be pissed, people will love it, and the sky will be blue.

 

[fireproof78]

Yes, damn you, because we’d never have witnessed Beverly Crusher getting off with a ghost.

Ooff...if that's the trade off then I stick with my original thought. No ghostbusters in Star Trek, please.

The Humm, and beep boop from pushing buttons, do miss that.

That's funny. I turn that feature off on my phone and computer as soon as possible.

 

[EnderAKH]

You know the sound! When Picard or Sisko are looking out at the stars or just walking without saying anything. There’s an audible “hummm” as if we can hear the engine or sound of space. *That* is Star Trek to me. That sound is everything. There isn’t constant music or sound effects. Just the “hummm”. It’s always there. Always.

Maybe this is how fans felt when they saw the difference between the TNG sets to the TOS sets. But watching Picard, it just felt...wrong. Everything has that over designed look to it. Flashy lights and thingamabobs. Why not keep the sound design and ship console designs similar? I’ve only come to Star Trek in the last few years so it’s not like I look at the 1990s stuff and think it looks dated. Certain things feel “cheap” but not dated.

Watching these new Trek shows...I haven’t seen a single ship design that’s felt right. The aesthetics are just all wrong. I get that the producers want to make it look expensive and cool. Buts that’s never been Star Treks thing.

I’d love a new Trek show that took place during the TNG, DS9, VOYAGER years and just felt like that exact same universe. Same ship aesthetics. Same sound effects. Same make up. The Klingons in Discovery....ugh. It’s too much muchness.

And the music. My god. I know the Enterprise theme was terrible but give him some memorable! The Discovery & Picard main title sequences don’t inspire awe or wonder. The music doesn’t feel grand & heroic. It’s just...there. Jerry Goldsmith must be rolling over in his grave.

I watch Picard and it doesn’t even feel like it takes place in the same universe as TNG.

So you want a show.... made in 2021.... to look like a show.... made in 1987? 34 years have gone by. Almost twice as much time has passed since that aesthetic was created as passed between TOS and TNG. I just don't think that is realistic, any more than it would have been realistic if TNG had had all the candy coated coloring, wooden sets and styrofoam planets of TOS.

 

[tomalak301]

One of the first things I noticed during the Discovery Space Battles of the finale was how much better DS9 looked in that department. Yeah I grew up in that era, but at least then you can understand what was going on, like in Sacrifice of Angels with Chaos all around. Discovery doesn't let us actually enjoy what is happening and everything looks so fast and "blink and you miss it".

 

[F. King Daniel]

Lower Decks has the TNG aesthetic, and even a scene where the crew mimic the hums various ships make.

 

[fireproof78]

but at least then you can understand what was going on

I mean, I can...

 

[tomalak301]

I mean, I can...

Good for you. I thought it was too dark and too fast. There wasn't any time to actually enjoy what was happening.