Will TOS maintain its legendary status as Trek fandom gets younger?

[BlueStuff]

I guess the title asks it all. As new generations of fans discover Star Trek (through the current shows, no less), do you believe that TOS will remain respected and loved in the coming decades - or will it fall by the wayside as fans instead look back with nostalgia on "their" Trek (in most cases, not TOS)?

 

[BillJ]

Hard to really predict. I think the bigger question will be does current Trek "stick" with newer viewers or is it just more disposable entertainment that they watch once then move on from?

 

[Vger23]

I think every new iteration of Star Trek since 1979 has just reinforced the legendary status of TOS. The more time goes by, the more you have to acknowledge that it all started with that amazingly entertaining idea and set of characters / designs / etc.

 

[Racefuel]

Of course it won’t hold the same legendary stature. As the actors pass on and stop being in living memory, things change.

TOS will always be appreciated, but the emotional charge will always fade.

 

[BlueStuff]

I guess what prompted this was a thread on another site (with a younger demographic) asking about the best seasons of Trek. By and large, most fans didn't mention TOS. That got me wondering: are younger fans watching TOS? Do they not like what they've seen? Is this a situation that'll get worse as time goes by?

 

[Racefuel]

TOS can be hard to watch sometimes. There’s some very outdated tropes of both racial and sexist in type, the dialogue is disjointed and contradictory, etc.

Even now I go back and rewatch only specific episodes, some are just really too much, like “Piece of the Action”

they were meant for a 60’s audience and often they had to use common sets and props, so the story quality is weak.

Realistically out of 79 episodes only about 25% are genuinely good

 

[1001001]

I guess what prompted this was a thread on another site (with a younger demographic) asking about the best seasons of Trek. By and large, most fans didn't mention TOS. That got me wondering: are younger fans watching TOS? Do they not like what they've seen? Is this a situation that'll get worse as time goes by?

I did (nearly) complete watches of Star Trek with both my kids: TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT.

Both declined to watch any TOS.

So I’d say “no”.

 

[BlueStuff]

I did (nearly) complete watches of Star Trek with both my kids: TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT.

Both declined to watch any TOS.

So I’d say “no”.

Yikes. What was it that made them pass, do you think? The goofy sets, the antique (by now) effects? The sheer age of the show by this point?

 

[Lord Garth]

This is why I've said before that I don't mind TOS stuff being revisted and updated like it has been in the Kelvin Films, early-DSC, and SNW. The harsh reality is that a lot of people -- not just kids -- aren't going to watch something from the 1960s, like it or not. I don't like it either, but that's just the way it is.

 

[Nyotarules]

I guess what prompted this was a thread on another site (with a younger demographic) asking about the best seasons of Trek. By and large, most fans didn't mention TOS. That got me wondering: are younger fans watching TOS? Do they not like what they've seen? Is this a situation that'll get worse as time goes by?

TOS will not/has not dated well. As much as some fans, including myself, can overlook a show from the 1960s where three white males dominated the franchise, that narrow casting gets a side eye from younger generation and looks old fashioned.

 

[The Lensman]

only about 25% are genuinely good

So literally every Trek series to date.

 

[BillJ]

TOS will not/has not dated well.

I know I have a bias, but I think the 87-2005 stuff has aged worse than TOS.

 

[James Cole]

I guess the title asks it all. As new generations of fans discover Star Trek (through the current shows, no less), do you believe that TOS will remain respected and loved in the coming decades - or will it fall by the wayside as fans instead look back with nostalgia on "their" Trek (in most cases, not TOS)?

Cultural theorists have argued pop culture typically has a shelf life of 20 years. By this metric TOS has achieved near timelessness. What else from the 1960's has had this relative staying power? The James Bond films? THE PRISONER? Even now, someone in roughly their mid-30s that is otherwise a genre fan could probably enjoy TOS if watching it for the first time. But at the same time think of THE OUTER LIMITS or THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Both are supposed to be incredibly good. But unless it was a case of someone recommending a particular episode, I'd just look at the amount of the episodes on hand and how old they are and just pass on them. There's just too much good content out there, and people have to triage what they try out.

Abramsverse and DISCOVERY/SNW have all been quasi-TOS reboots. So it's almost like asking if someone that got into the RDM BSG would give the original from the late 70's a shot... or say the Netflix LOST IN SPACE the original from the 1960's. Maybe out of academic curiosity? Luckily around 1/3rd of TOS is amazing episodes. Maybe if someone was curating the selection, that could help? But still it would be hard to develop an emotional attachment.

TNG is super lucky it came out when it did. The mid-1980's are incredibly dated now. Whereas late 80s/early 90s have had a much longer shelf life. So most of TNG has aged well, and it's very rewatchable. But the problem with TNG being a gateway into Star Trek is... season 1. So again for that you'd need someone curating which episodes to watch, which to skip, and handholding the essential but bad episodes like "Datalore".

DS9 and VGR will date by just not being in HD. They really should get on with a remaster...

 

[bdub76]

It’s like Classic Doctor Who. Some like it. Some don’t. I expect the same with TOS.

 

[Sketcher]

Even Berman-era Trek can be hard to watch nowadays. As time passes I feel that's the same story with many shows. Friends? Funny back in the 90s. Now....not so much....

 

[Citiprime]

Some of those episodes still have bite. I think “Balance of Terror” or “The Devil in the Dark” still work as great episodes of TV.

I mean there have been multiple attempts to redo “The Twilight Zone” for modern audiences, but the original series with Rod Serling remains the gold standard and those episodes still work almost a century after they were produced.

 

[matthunter]

Only back in 2018 I had a PhD student who only knew Trek via the JJVerse movies and had no idea there were five TV series and the original and TNG movies.

So no.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I think the key point to take away from the OP is within Trek fandom. It's only natural as time passes and more and more newer Trek productions arrive, that the older Trek shows wane in popularity among younger/newer fans. For most, TOS isn't their Star Trek. They didn't grow up or start with it and never developed a personal attachment to it. For some, TOS is totally unwatchable because of its production values, sensibilities, and aesthetics aren't compatible with what they are accustomed to or simply prefer. Just because TOS was the first Star Trek series and is what all others have derived from doesn't mean they're obligated to treat it like it's holy. As said earlier, it isn't their Star Trek series, and that sentiment can only grow more widespread throughout Trek's fandom in the future--either due to more newer fans who favor the newer productions or less older fans who still love TOS (or at least won't throw salt on it. There's truly nothing wrong with that.

But outside of Trek fandom? In overall pop culture, TOS will forever retain its iconic status alongside I Love Lucy, Elvis, the Beatles, Gone With the Wind, etc., that have all withstood the test of time even if they are products of bygone eras. They are historic and will always remain legends.

 

[1001001]

Yikes. What was it that made them pass, do you think? The goofy sets, the antique (by now) effects? The sheer age of the show by this point?

“Cheesy” was the main response.

 

[Sci]

I think TOS will always have the hearts of a large portion of Trekkies, and Leonard Nimoy's performance will remain legendary. But I also think that as time has gone on, the level of sexism built into TOS has become more apparent. Its racial politics were progressive for the era but now are quite lacking, and you can only ask younger viewers to forgive so much when older films and TV shows are structurally designed to center white men above everyone else. And also, it's frankly pretty normal for it to be harder for younger people to relate to older media as time goes on.

Even now I go back and rewatch only specific episodes, some are just really too much, like “Piece of the Action”

I actually adore "A Piece of the Action," but yeah, time has not been kind to some episodes. Two that come to mind in particular are "Mudd's Women" (which is incredibly misogynistic) and "Miri" (which is borderline inappropriate in its depiction of the title character's crush on Kirk).