What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?

[Paul755]

I keep forgetting about that. I dropped three Star Trek shows during their run (VOY, ENT, LD). "If I don't like a show or lose interest, I stop watching it!" I have to remember other people here don't think like me.

And your to be applauded for not hate watching.

Back-tracking to VOY, tfor a moment... According to Business Insider in 2017, a lot of the most watched and re-watched episodes came from Voyager.

Most Watched Episodes of 'Star Trek' on Netflix (businessinsider.com)

Whatever things were back in the '90s, this is what it was a lot more recently. So it doesn't surprise me that we've seen Seven in Picard, Janeway in Prodigy, and that Picard has made a lot of use of the Borg. So I do think a Seven or Janeway spin-off is more plausible than you might think.

If you're going to have five Star Trek series, they can't all be Strange New Worlds.

I’m not saying they can’t or won’t do a Janeway or Seven show. I just don’t see an appeal for them outside the dedicated fan base.

Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Picard, the Enterprise and maybe Uhura and Sulu are as close to household names as you are gonna get for Star Trek. IMO Seven of Nine, Katherine Janeway, Ben Sisko, Archer, Trip, Kira, Checkov, Troi, Crusher, etc… would all be tough sell’s as the lead of their own shows. But as a co-star like Janeway in Prodigy, I think that works better.

 

[Orphalesion]

I dunno both a Janeway and/or a Seven of Nine series feel like the “Captain Sulu” series. Sure, die hards like us here would would watch but beyond that…

having those characters part of a larger ensemble in a series set in the Trek universe is one thing. But as the main character and focus of the show ala Picard…eh…

and don’t kid yourself, they know die hards will watch pretty much anything Trek. It’s all about getting those other viewers.

I must not be a "die hard" then. Because not even a chimp armed with a machete could convince me to ever watch PIC again.
I have also no interest in DISC, and it's very unlikely that I'll ever watch the parts of ENT I haven't seen.

 

[cooleddie74]

We're on a thousand planets and spreading out. We cross fantastic distances and everything's alive. Life everywhere. We estimate there are millions of planets with intelligent life. We haven't begun to map them.

And these words were spoken to none other than a marooned and confused Zefram Cochrane, by then 235 years old and lonely. I love that moment from Kirk.

 

[Oddish]

Back-tracking to VOY, for a moment... According to Business Insider in 2017, a lot of the most watched and re-watched episodes came from Voyager.

Interesting... I always saw "Endgame" as... well, not a trainwreck, but an inferior variation on "Timeless", "The Visitor", and "Year of Hell" (all brilliant efforts... geez, I'd even prefer "Time and Again"). But clearly, it's got a following.

Because not even a chimp armed with a machete could convince me to ever watch PIC again.

What about a chimp with a chainsaw?

 

[Dee1891]

Back-tracking to VOY, for a moment... According to Business Insider in 2017, a lot of the most watched and re-watched episodes came from Voyager.

Most Watched Episodes of 'Star Trek' on Netflix (businessinsider.com)

Whatever things were back in the '90s, this is what it was a lot more recently. So it doesn't surprise me that we've seen Seven in Picard, Janeway in Prodigy, and that Picard has made a lot of use of the Borg. So I do think a Seven or Janeway spin-off is more plausible than you might think.

If you're going to have five Star Trek series, they can't all be Strange New Worlds.

Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan working together again? I don't see that happening.

 

[Lord Garth]

Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan working together again? I don't see that happening.

I agree with you. In fact, I said it in another post upthread.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I’m not saying they can’t or won’t do a Janeway or Seven show. I just don’t see an appeal for them outside the dedicated fan base.

No, there's no appeal to be found in those characters with mainstream audiences, and even within ST fandom, Voyager has never rated as some example of great Star Trek, and there's been no mass call for VOY to return as a TV series or movie. Who would show up for a VOY movie?

Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Picard, the Enterprise and maybe Uhura and Sulu are as close to household names as you are gonna get for Star Trek.

Kirk, Spock and McCoy became pop-culture icons in the 1970s, to the point their names were recognized by people who only knew of ST by name. Picard--even at the height of TNG's vieweship--never turned into a household name / widely known pop-culture icon or reference.

I must not be a "die hard" then. Because not even a chimp armed with a machete could convince me to ever watch PIC again.

Agreed.

 

[Oddish]

Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan working together again? I don't see that happening.

I agree with you. In fact, I said it in another post upthread.

Well excu-u-u-u-uuuse me!

 

[Orphalesion]

Agreed.

Yeah, but my reason for not liking it is *very* different from yours. I like TNG and Picard as a character, I just hate PIC.

No, there's no appeal to be found in those characters with mainstream audiences, and even within ST fandom, Voyager has never rated as some example of great Star Trek, and there's been no mass call for VOY to return as a TV series or movie. Who would show up for a VOY movie?

Not that I necessarily want a Janeway or Seven show but if they advertised it as a sci-fi show with a badass female lead the appeal would come. You act like people only like things they recognize form a SNL sketch from 25 years ago.
And within the Star Trek fandom Seven of Nine is one of the most popular characters Star Trek has created.

 

[Tallguy]

Well excu-u-u-u-uuuse me!

That's from Only Murders in the Building, right?

 

[Lord Garth]

I've never finished a Star Trek show during it's original run. (There were extenuating circumstances during TNG.)

Picard will be the first Star Trek series I'll have watched from start to finish, during its run.

TOS --> Wasn't born yet.
TAS --> Still wasn't born yet.
TNG --> Didn't catch it until mid-way through.
DS9 --> Stopped watching after the pilot but gave the series another chance after TNG ended.
VOY --> Stopped watching during the last two seasons. Finally watched the rest of the series in 2008.
ENT --> Stopped watching after six episodes!
DSC --> Still ongoing.

Which brings us to Picard!

 

[Paul755]

TOS and TAS (15+ years before I was born) and TNG (didn’t start watching until S4) are the only series I never watched from start to finish during the initial run.

Late season DS9 was the toughest to keep up with as the local channel carrying it kept moving it around the schedule.

 

[Dee1891]

Interesting... I always saw "Endgame" as... well, not a trainwreck, but an inferior variation on "Timeless", "The Visitor", and "Year of Hell" (all brilliant efforts... geez, I'd even prefer "Time and Again"). But clearly, it's got a following.

I feel differently. It may not be as good as "Timeless", but I thought it was pretty damn good. And so far, it's my favorite Trek series finale.

 

[Vger23]

Picard will be the first Star Trek series I'll have watched from start to finish, during its run.

TOS --> Wasn't born yet.
TAS --> Still wasn't born yet.
TNG --> Didn't catch it until mid-way through.
DS9 --> Stopped watching after the pilot but gave the series another chance after TNG ended.
VOY --> Stopped watching during the last two seasons. Finally watched the rest of the series in 2008.
ENT --> Stopped watching after six episodes!
DSC --> Still ongoing.

Which brings us to Picard!

Interesting. Made me reflect a bit on my own history with Trek.

TOS: Wasn’t born yet, but introduced to it VERY young in the late 70s reruns. Was more obsessed with it as a 3 year old than any cartoon or kids show.
TAS: Wasn’t born yet. Watched it on reruns during morning cartoons and later on Nickelodeon
TNG: Watched “Encounter At Farpoint” the night it premiered locally and saw every single episode first-run.
DS9: Watched “Emissary” the night it premiered and thought it was amazing. Quickly lost interest by the middle of the first season. Tried to revisit occasionally, but realized that the serialized nature of the show pretty much killed any hope of picking it back up. Finally watched start-to-finish 10 years ago and LOVED it this time around.
VOY: Watched “Caretaker” the night it premiered on UPN. Thought it was pretty good but quickly started to lose interest. After “The 37s” I completely checked out. I’d revisit for the “event episodes,” but I basically missed 80% of the series in first run. Finally did a full watch-through and finished it about a year ago. I really enjoyed it this time.
ENT: You’ll notice a pattern emerging here. Watched “Broken Bow” the night it premiered on UPN. Enjoyed it. Checked out about mid way through S1. Came back for a few event episodes, but like DS9, realized that the show had passed me by due to serialized stories. Rewatched about 4 years ago and thought it was really good. (Basically a rinse-repeat for every Berman-era Trek series not called TNG)
DSC: Watched “Vulcan Hello” on CBS. And “BATBS” the same night on CBS AA. Loved it and have seen every episode as it’s dropped.
PIC: Have seen every episode as it’s dropped. Loved S1, thought S2 was inconsistent.
LD: Have seen every episode except one, but sporadically paced and not right as they’ve dropped. It’s my least-favorite series, so I have to be in the right frame of mind before I can take it on. The one episode I haven’t seen was that asinine “Return of Peanutmonkey” one that I turned off about 7 min in. Fuck me.
PRO: Have watched every episode with my family…first Trek series I can say that about! Love it.
SNW: Have seen every episode as it’s dropped. Great overall, but definitely had some ups and downs.

 

[Farscape One]

I have seen every series as it has aired all the way from first airing of the pilot to their finale/current new episode. Except for TOS and TAS... I was born in 1979. (Though I have seen every TOS episode many times, and every TAS episode several times.)

I have seen every movie from TFF to BEYOND except for '09 and ID (and I plan to never do so) in the theater as it was released. (I saw TWOK in the theater in September for 40th anniversary event. I missed the TMP anniversary one, and I'm just waiting for TSFS and TVH to have a similar event.)

 

[Oddish]

* Missed both TOS and TAS.
* Saw ST II in theaters, III when it hit home video, IV, V, and all four TNG flicks in theaters.
* Regularly watched TNG on TV, less regular with DS9. The rest of the family wasn't wild about Voyager, so didn't see much of it. Since I moved out on my own when they were airing, I had a lot less access to TV after that.
* Watched first three seasons of ENT semi regularly. Didn't catch the 4th until streaming era.
* Got Paramount Plus for Trek. Tried to watch all three DIS seasons. Petered out each time.
* Managed most of PIC 1, all of PIC 2 as they were coming .
* Regularly (but not infallibly) viewed LD, PRO, and SNW as they released.
*

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Not that I necessarily want a Janeway or Seven show but if they advertised it as a sci-fi show with a badass female lead the appeal would come. You act like people only like things they recognize form a SNL sketch from 25 years ago.
And within the Star Trek fandom Seven of Nine is one of the most popular characters Star Trek has created.

ST fans return based on the strength of the creation; even after the misguided mess that was TMP, fans returned for--and were rewarded by TWOK based on the power of the characters (finally feeling like they were the natural progression from TOS), and a story that lived up to the very reason ST became a cultural phenomenon. No one can say that about VOY's characters, or as a series. It says much that of all VOY characters, Seven of Nine--and let's be honest: a character best known for the way / reasons she was introduced: "hot" actress in a catsuit (see: Mulgrew's endless complaints about the motives behind Ryan's addition to the series)--was the one added to PIC as a regular. Even with a new regime running ST, can anyone say they're not operating off of the same, shameless motivations in an attempt to draw attention to a series about as interesting as wallpaper?

 

[Tallguy]

Oh dear. I just realized: I watched the first and second seasons of Disco but didn't watch season 3 until SNW started airing. I still haven't seen 4. I didn't start watching LD until after season 2 had aired.

My only hope is that I never miss an episode of SNW (which at the moment seems likely because I love that show like crazy). Oh wait. I haven't missed Picard either. (That isn't helping for some reason.)

Gosh, maybe I'm not really a Star Trek fan? When I think of the money I could have saved this year on Star Trek: The Motion Picture alone!

OTOH I have yet to miss an opening week of a film. And for my troubles I saw Nemesis on opening day.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

It says much that of all VOY characters, Seven of Nine--and let's be honest: a character best known for the way / reasons she was introduced: "hot" actress in a catsuit (see: Mulgrew's endless complaints about the motives behind Ryan's addition to the series)--was the one added to PIC as a regular. Even with a new regime running ST, can anyone say they're not operating off of the same, shameless motivations in an attempt to draw attention to a series about as interesting as wallpaper?

Given that the 7-of-9 character on Picard has not been reduced to a sexual object or forced to wear a ridiculous catsuit, and that even when she was forced to do so on Voyager that did not mean she also wasn't given some of the strongest plotlines and character development, and delivered some of the best performances (in spite of the catsuit and sexualization), which continues to the current series, no, I don't believe that's the case. 7-of-9 is a fan favorite character. Yes, for some it's in part because she's "hot", but it's also because she's a great and interesting character, and she's played richly and smartly and with emotional depth by Jeri Ryan.

Also, I think her greatest reason to be on Picard has nothing to do with sex appeal, but rather that more than any other character in the franchise, as an ex-Borg who was forced to do unspeakable things on their behalf before being freed by Starfleet, she and Picard have the most in common. If you were going to do a storyline focusing on reclaimed Borg, and one on a resurrected Borg Collective, it would make sense to have Picard and 7-of-9 on the frontlines of that story.

 

[1001001]

I think 7 of 9 was a great character on VOY, and is the best part of PIC (not saying much, but still...).

I think a 7 spin off could work, given the right circumstances.