Poll Which era of Star Trek would you rather see continue?

[Greg Cox]

I don't believe they have tried to please the fan base with what they have put out. They definitely took your advice.

Thing is, "the fan base" do not speak with one voice nor all want the same things -- as the internet proves every day. Ask a dozen Trekkies for their opinion on a topic and you will get at least half-dozen answers. You can't give "the fans" what they want because we all have different preferences and expectations.

And at this point, of course, "Star Trek" consists of going on ten TV series and thirteen movies, created by different people over the course of more than fifty years. So "the fan base" consists of folks who grew up on TOS or TNG or DS9 or VOYAGER or the movies or whatever, and who may think that "real" Trek should look more like TOS or TNT or DS9 . . . .

So, "the fan base" is actually lots of individual fans and fandoms, and getting more so all the time.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

In the end I voted '2009 to current', though I don't really see what ST09 has to do with the most recent run of TV Trek we've had. Actually the two don't even remotely resemble each other in terms of intent or content. But as '2009 to current' seems in principle to relate to looking to the future rather than idealising a fantasy based around the past (ie: that Trek from 1966 to 2005 is some kind of sacred cow that never set a foot wrong), it seemed like the best vote.

It's a weird choice honestly. Does anyone really think that Star Trek from 1966 to 2005 is one homogenous blob? From 1966-69 the show goes from the relatively pure science-fiction exploration of Roddenberry to an altogether more schlocky show under Freiberger. The movies represent a huge shift in terms of storytelling and aesthetic. TNG was a show that Roddenberry conceived in part to counter the overly militaristic 'movie' vision of Meyer and TNG itself is a different show in Season 7 to what it is in Season 1. DS9 was heavy on serialisation. Voyager was not.

What was Star Trek 'like' from 1966-2005?

I think the question is basically 'Do you want Star Trek to continue in it's present shape or form or do you have an unrealistic wish for it to be like it was when you were younger?'. At best the poll options are silly, at worst they are binary and reductive.

 

[Boris Skrbic]

Hire SF writers and reboot the whole chronology working forward from the beginning of time. Make it clear from the start that crossovers are not an option. Whenever you feel like calling back or ahead, just don’t. Whenever you feel like you’re getting trope-ical, pick a new direction. If an element feels predictable, avoid it. Look into different takes on the words “star trek”. Minimize hype. Minimize merchandising.

 

[Trelane_Squire_of_Gothos]

Not so much Lower Decks, which I've stopped watching.

Did you get tired of the moral messaging?

I agree, that's why the shows are successful.

And of course not trying to please the fanbase doesn't they won't please parts of the fanbase. The point is they should make a product they themselves can be proud of and not pander to an eclectic group of people who all want something else.

They could have also been successful while pleasing the fan base and respecting canon.

 

[Lord Garth]

Did you get tired of the moral messaging?

Nope. It looks too much like TNG. I don't like gross-out humor, as in I really can't stand it in general, Star Trek or not. Alittletoohyperfrantic with the comedy sometimes. It has waaaayyyyy too much reverence for Rick Berman's Era (another turn-off for me). And I just don't think it's that funny. Sometimes it's mildly amusing. I only laughed out loud once.

Three's Company, that's my favorite sitcom of all-time. Especially in the earlier seasons. Anytime I'll put that on, I'm constantly laughing. I love that show. It never gets old.

For something more modern, Parks & Recreation is more along the lines of what I like. That's my favorite comedy from this century. Animated Adult Comedies, not so much. They've never been my style.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Did you get tired of the moral messaging?

Is moral messaging not an integral element of the very formula of Star Trek?

 

[Trelane_Squire_of_Gothos]

Is moral messaging not an integral element of the very formula of Star Trek?

It is. And, that was exactly my point.

 

[Lord Garth]

It is. And, that was exactly my point.

And my point is I don't care much for Lower Decks for the reasons I said.

If you want "I don't like Lower Decks because of moral messaging!", then sorry. You're not going to get the response you want from me because that's not what I think.

 

[Trelane_Squire_of_Gothos]

And my point is I don't care much for Lower Decks for the reasons I said.

Yes. Your point was clear to me.

 

[Relayer1]

Thing is, "the fan base" do not speak with one voice nor all want the same things -- as the internet proves every day. Ask a dozen Trekkies for their opinion on a topic and you will get at least half-dozen answers. You can't give "the fans" what they want because we all have different preferences and expectations.

Yup.

My sweet spot is the big arc political stuff in DS9 - I'm pretty much saturated with boldly going planet of the week stuff. I know there's a lot of fans that favour the exact opposite.

Interesting. I've been a fan for 31 years and I'm pleased with Discovery and Picard.

Not so much Lower Decks, which I've stopped watching.

Likewise. Well, approaching 50 years, but...

Oh, and I hate Lower Decks. Prodigy looks better, and that's for kids !

It's a big franchise - there's room for us all...

 

[fireproof78]

Minimize merchandising.

Had me until this point.

They could have also been successful while pleasing the fan base and respecting canon.

Canon does not need respecting. And I'm pleased with current Trek.

 

[Trelane_Squire_of_Gothos]

Had me until this point.

Canon does not need respecting. And I'm pleased with current Trek.

Why do you believe canon does not "need respecting? " Is that an absolute position, or are you just referring to pre-CBS access Trek? Do you also feel the canon of DSC does not need to be respected in future shows?

 

[Boris Skrbic]

Respect the words “star trek”. Also IDIC. Try “to boldly go where no one has gone before”. Everything else should follow.

 

[fireproof78]

Why do you believe canon does not "need respecting? " Is that an absolute position, or are you just referring to pre-CBS access Trek? Do you also feel the canon of DSC does not need to be respected in future shows?

No, it does not.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I like everything.

That's what I said in 1994 when I saw my first movie in person in theaters to some guy in line. That's what I said in 1996 when I first saw reruns of TOS around 3AM in the Chicagoland area and saw Star Trek: First Contact by myself illegally (it was a PG-13 movie). That's what I said in 2005 when I acquired all of TAS from the internet, and completed my Star Trek viewing experience and added as much as I could to MA (college was fun).

That's what I said in 2009 when the new round of movies began coming out, and I painstakingly wrote the transcript for Chakoteya, who's site owner had no interest in it. That's what I said in 2017 when Discovery came out and people were upset at the changes on this very forum.

I have yet to see a bad episode of Star Trek that doesn't stand up to repeat viewings. I don't think that's even possible at this point. I can be a little critical of new releases sometimes, but that criticism doesn't stand up to scrutiny years later.

I stopped watching Enterprise Season 3 halfway through because it was getting odd and I was busy with other genre television and life in general (and my first job!). But that was a mistake, because that turned out to be one of the best seasons of all Star Trek. I don't want to make the same mistake again just because a single episode or movie makes me shrug on first viewing.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Star Trek is a big sandbox full of toys. The fun in watching it is seeing how different creative people play with those toys in different ways. Always been that way, from Roddenberry, Freiberger, Berman, Behr, Braga, Abrams, Kurtzman et al.

As for canon, Star Trek 1966-2005 repeatedly runs roughshod over it and that's not just a TOS thing. Canon is a nice thing to read about in a coffee table book but if a writer or producer finds it gets in the way of telling a story then it should be thrown out of the window. If someone in the future tosses out Discovery canon, so be it. Fuck canon.

 

[Lord Garth]

I still don't get why people don't just stop watching the shows they're not satisfied with. Lower Decks is the third Star Trek show I've dropped, after Voyager and Enterprise. As someone who's done it three times now, I can tell you all, "It's not that hard!"

Back in 2016, I was thinking about dropping the Kelvin Films too if I didn't like Beyond. I liked the 2009 film, but didn't like Into Darkness, so it was a 50/50 split and Beyond would've tipped the scales one way or another, but then I liked Beyond and they stopped making those films after that (until 2023?)... so then it became a non-issue.

To address an earlier point brought up: As much as I like DSC, I'm fully prepared for them to eventually write off the third season and beyond as a Possible Future, if they don't have any more series set in that time-frame. And the first two seasons have already been "classified", so we'll see. I like the show for the show, regardless of how it might (or might not) end up being treated by others.

 

[Trelane_Squire_of_Gothos]

No, it does not.

That is an interesting perspective. I bet most folks prefer at least a little more structure and consistency than none at all.

I still don't get why people don't just stop watching the shows they're not satisfied with. Lower Decks is the third Star Trek show I've dropped, after Voyager and Enterprise. As someone who's done it three times now, I can you all, "It's not that hard!"

Back in 2016, I was thinking about dropping the Kelvin Films too if I didn't like Beyond. I liked the 2009 film, but didn't like Into Darkness, so it was a 50/50 split and Beyond would've tipped the scales one way or another, but then I liked Beyond and they stopped making those films after that (until 2023?)... so then it became a non-issue.

To address an earlier point brought up: As much as I like DSC, I'm fully prepared for them to eventually write off the third season and beyond as a Possible Future, if they don't have any more series set in that time-frame. And the first two seasons have already been "classified", so we'll see. I like the show for the show, regardless of how it might (or might not) end up being treated by others.

This is a great point. I gave a few episodes of Discovery and the entire first season of Picard a shot and then checked out completely.

Even though the shows can survive without respect to canon or fundamental themes, that doesn't mean you should abandon canon or fundamental themes at the expense of fans who helped build the franchise.

 

[fireproof78]

That is an interesting perspective. I bet most folks prefer at least a little more structure and consistency than none at all.

If canon were used constructively, to be additive to the characters and world i would have no problem in it's use. But, it isn't. It's used as a stranglehold to keep things the same.

 

[Lord Garth]

Even though the shows can survive without respect to canon or fundamental themes, that doesn't mean you should abandon canon or fundamental themes at the expense of fans who helped build the franchise.

I invite you to read some posts of mine about Picard from the PIC Forum and how I think it weaved together different elements from canon to create its story. Here and here.