General Trek Questions and Observations

[tharpdevenport]

In Regeneration (ENT), we see researchers surveying the remains of the Borg sphere ship. So, how come Picard & co apparently forgot about those remains?

I mean, in First Contact they shot the sphere, and they must have tracked the remains of the sphere ship falling down to earth (as their ship was only barely infected with Borg at that point, all sensors still would have been functional). And they must also have known that Borg technology is extremely regenerative, that drones might have survived (as they indeed did), and that even heavily damaged technology without drones would be extremely dangerous, might repair itself over time.

So how come they didn't (apparently) make any effort to clean the earth after the Borg infestation on the Ent-D was defeated? Were they simply careless?

Data: "Captain, I scanners have found the wreckage of the crashed Borg Sphere, should we retr--"

Captain Jean-Luck Pikard: "Oh, sorry, we're already home."

Data: "Sir, what about Section 31 inquiring about the timeline and--"

Captain Jean-Luck Pikard: "Can't hear you over the sounds of this bubbling tea, Earl Gray, hot, Mr. Dahtah."

 

[at Quark's]

Rewatching Brothers

<Data has just altered the heading of the ship without being ordered to, increased the speed to warp 9.3, doesn't respond to questions from his superiors, created a life support failure on the bridge, make everyone leave except himself, locked everyone but himself out of command functions, and prevented people from re-entering the bridge by erecting force fields everywhere. >

O'Brien: Captain, he's up to something!

The astuteness of Starfleet personnel never ceases to amaze me.

 

[Finn]

Just took a look. It just means something's about to happen as he just tried to use the site to site transport. So? For a while, they have been at warp (not clear how long tho) with Data hiding on the bridge. Now, it was clear that was about to change. That's what "Captain, he's up to something" means. Just because they dropped out of warp (it's not clear if they saw the planet when Riker mentioned looking out the window to see they had dropped out), doesn't mean Data would be beaming out....perhaps most likely, but not absolutely a sure thing.


However, why can't they set up something on one of the larger shuttlecraft, disable the forcefield. and take the kid out...

Yeah. Plot

 

[Aragorn]

Forgot the Discovery finale dropped. Will have to watch it later tonight. I'm finding that streaming Trek is not appointment Trek for me. When the TV station was airing a new episode, I would make time for it. Streaming Trek always seems to skip my mind. But it's not because it's streaming. I always remembered when the newest episode of Silo or For All Mankind would drop. So I don't know what the deal is.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

I always remembered when the newest episode of Silo or For All Mankind would drop. So I don't know what the deal is.

For All Mankind was appointment TV for me. Every Friday, I was there when it dropped.

DSC… I haven’t even watched the first episode of Season 05 yet.

Star Trek is no longer the biggest kid on the TV sci-fi block and it hasn’t been for quite some time now.

 

[Lynx]

The biggest mistake ever made was to make a retro series after VOY ended. They should have continued with stories in the 24th century.

Star Trek lost ist direction there and then. Now it's just floating with a couple of mediocre movies and even more mediocre series which are impossible to find on the major networks, just on streaming services. It's no longer available for everyone.

That's the main reason why Star Trek has lost its popularity.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

So, how come Picard & co apparently forgot about those remains?

These aren't the droids you're looking for.

 

[Finn]

Star Trek is no longer the biggest kid on the TV sci-fi block and it hasn’t been for quite some time now.

What is the biggest TV sci-fi kid today? I have no idea

 

[Nerys Myk]

Star Trek lost ist direction there and then. Now it's just floating with a couple of mediocre movies and even more mediocre series which are impossible to find on the major networks, just on streaming services. It's no longer available for everyone.

Most of the good SF is on streaming services. Why are you even looking for Star Trek (or Star Wars for that matter) on the major networks anyway? Is there any SF on the major networks?

 

[Lynx]

Most of the good SF is on streaming services. Why are you even looking for Star Trek (or Star Wars for that matter) on the major networks anyway? Is there any SF on the major networks?

I'm not exactly looking for SF on the major networks, mostly because, as you mention, there are no such series or movies to be found except for the occasional third-rate doomsday movie here and there.

But I do find it sad that Star Trek and quality SF isn't available on the major networks anymore because it's popularity will sink because of that. How could newer generations discover Star trek when it's not available on channels who everyone can watch?

As for streaming services, I have no intention to pay monthly sums for a service where 90% of the content are downright crap only to watch DSC and PIC. Not to mention that I have bad experiences of streaming services too.

A couple of yeras ago, I decided to buy a subscription on one of those streaming services because I wanted to re-watch a series which I've watched and liked some years ago from start to finish again.

It worked fine until the end of season 3 of that 10 seasons serie. Then it was all of a sudden gone!

So I called the company ad asked politely what had happened.

"Sorry but we don't have any rights to air it anymore. But we have this series you can watch instead", the lady said and recommended one of those newer doom-and-gloom 21th century series which I wouldn't bother to watch even at gunpoint.

So I told her: "Sorry but I don't want to watch that series because I hate it!"

"But everyone likes this series!", she said.

But I don't!, was my reply.

Then I told her, still rather politely that I would like her to deliver a message to her superiors and tell them where their could stuff their content and where they could go and that I wanted my subscription to that service terminated.

Then I bought the series I wanted to watch on DVD. It did cost anice sum of money but it was worth it.

Unfortunately, the fact that Star Trek has being placed on the backyard of streaming services where no new viewers can find it and learn to appreciate it together with the low quality of recent Star Trek productions might be the beginning of the end for Star Trek.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

I'm not exactly looking for SF on the major networks, mostly because, as you mention, there are no such series or movies to be found except for the occasional third-rate doomsday movie here and there.

But I do find it sad that Star Trek and quality SF isn't available on the major networks anymore because it's popularity will sink because of that. How could newer generations discover Star trek when it's not available on channels who everyone can watch?

As for streaming services, I have no intention to pay monthly sums for a service where 90% of the content are downright crap only to watch DSC and PIC. Not to mention that I have bad experiences of streaming services too.

A couple of yeras ago, I decided to buy a subscription on one of those streaming services because I wanted to re-watch a series which I've watched and liked some years ago from start to finish again.

It worked fine until the end of season 3 of that 10 seasons serie. Then it was all of a sudden gone!

So I called the company ad asked politely what had happened.

"Sorry but we don't have any rights to air it anymore. But we have this series you can watch instead", the lady said and recommended one of those newer doom-and-gloom 21th century series which I wouldn't bother to watch even at gunpoint.

So I told her: "Sorry but I don't want to watch that series because I hate it!"

"But everyone likes this series!", she said.

But I don't!, was my reply.

Then I told her, still rather politely that I would like her to deliver a message to her superiors and tell them where their could stuff their content and where they could go and that I wanted my subscription to that service terminated.

Then I bought the series I wanted to watch on DVD. It did cost anice sum of money but it was worth it.

Unfortunately, the fact that Star Trek has being placed on the backyard of streaming services where no new viewers can find it and learn to appreciate it together with the low quality of recent Star Trek productions might be the beginning of the end for Star Trek.

Streaming is just what tv is for now. Eventually it will probably be something else again, but it's not likely going back to broadcast regardless.

Refusing to use a streaming service under any circumstances because one lost the rights to something you were watching is honestly a weird overreaction. Streaming is great for trying things out, just don't rely on it for things you actually love and want guaranteed access to.

As for the death of Star Trek, we're in the middle of a consolidation of too many streaming services, so it will eventually wind up on one that's significantly larger than what CBSAA was for a long time. And there will eventually be another theatrical movie. And there have already been years (many years) in the past where there wasn't any new Star Trek for anyone to watch anywhere. Didn't kill the franchise then, so it seems unlikely that being streaming exclusive will somehow kill it now.

 

[fireproof78]

How could newer generations discover Star trek when it's not available on channels who everyone can watch?

Fans. People don't stumble in to becoming interested in a series. A fan, usually someone passionate, comes along side and encourages it. This passive reaction is what will kill Star Trek.

And there have already been years (many years) in the past where there wasn't any new Star Trek for anyone to watch anywhere. Didn't kill the franchise then, so it seems unlikely that being streaming exclusive will somehow kill it now.

Exactly so. People may not like the current output and that's fine, but the rumor of Trek's death are among the most exaggerated I see around the Internet (and that's saying something). Just because no new content is being produced (theoretically in Trek's case) doesn't stop interest.

List of things I still like even though things are not being produced:

• Stargate
• Farscape
• Starship Troopers (the book)
• Seaquest
• JAG
• MASH
• National Treasure
• Red vs. Blue

That's off the top of my head.

 

[Lynx]

Fans. People don't stumble in to becoming interested in a series. A fan, usually someone passionate, comes along side and encourages it. This passive reaction is what will kill Star Trek.

Exactly so. People may not like the current output and that's fine, but the rumor of Trek's death are among the most exaggerated I see around the Internet (and that's saying something). Just because no new content is being produced (theoretically in Trek's case) doesn't stop interest.

List of things I still like even though things are not being produced:

• Stargate
• Farscape
• Starship Troopers (the book)
• Seaquest
• JAG
• MASH
• National Treasure
• Red vs. Blue

That's off the top of my head.

Well, there are series which I actually "stumbled in" to and became a fan, like NCIS when Gibbs and his gang showed up in a JAG episode and I got the information that they were in a new series whci would start in a couple of days. The same for Stargate SG-1 which was recommended to me by a person on this forum when I was in my worst "they dumped Kes" mode.

"Probably crap", I thought then. But I can at least check it. Which I did and i liked it, still do.

There are actually some seies I still like which are no longer produced, like NCIS, JAG, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, the CSI series.

Streaming is just what tv is for now. Eventually it will probably be something else again, but it's not likely going back to broadcast regardless.

Refusing to use a streaming service under any circumstances because one lost the rights to something you were watching is honestly a weird overreaction. Streaming is great for trying things out, just don't rely on it for things you actually love and want guaranteed access to.

As for the death of Star Trek, we're in the middle of a consolidation of too many streaming services, so it will eventually wind up on one that's significantly larger than what CBSAA was for a long time. And there will eventually be another theatrical movie. And there have already been years (many years) in the past where there wasn't any new Star Trek for anyone to watch anywhere. Didn't kill the franchise then, so it seems unlikely that being streaming exclusive will somehow kill it now.

The point is that I don't like to pay for a steraming service where most of the content are crap, just to watch one single series.

And then do the same for another streaming service with one good series and the rest is crap. That would cost me a lot of money every month, money I rather use to buy a certain series on DVD.

Not to mention the risk that the series I watch will be cut off right in the middle of everything, like i described in my previous post.

Add to that problems with Internet connections and such.

I also have to state that almost everything Star Trek which have been made after the stupid decision to abandon the 24th century and make a retro series haven't been what I would like to see, to explain it as polite as I can.

I can agree that streaming might be good for trying things out which I've done in some cases. But what if I need something for what I really love and want guaranteed access to?

 

[fireproof78]

There are actually some seies I still like which are no longer produced, like NCIS, JAG, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, the CSI series.

That's most series for me. Production status means jack.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Well, there are series which I actually "stumbled in" to and became a fan, like NCIS when Gibbs and his gang showed up in a JAG episode and I got the information that they were in a new series whci would start in a couple of days. The same for Stargate SG-1 which was recommended to me by a person on this forum when I was in my worst "they dumped Kes" mode.

"Probably crap", I thought then. But I can at least check it. Which I did and i liked it, still do.

There are actually some seies I still like which are no longer produced, like NCIS, JAG, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, the CSI series

The point is that I don't like to pay for a steraming service where most of the content are crap, just to watch one single series.

And then do the same for another streaming service with one good series and the rest is crap. That would cost me a lot of money every month, money I rather use to buy a certain series on DVD.

Not to mention the risk that the series I watch will be cut off right in the middle of everything, like i described in my previous post.

Add to that problems with Internet connections and such.

I also have to state that almost everything Star Trek which have been made after the stupid decision to abandon the 24th century and make a retro series haven't been what I would like to see, to explain it as polite as I can.

I can agree that streaming might be good for trying things out which I've done in some cases. But what if I need something for what I really love and want guaranteed access to?

1. There is no major streaming service where every single thing is crap except one show. Even if your tastes are the most specific and unique tastes in the world, that's ridiculous exaggeration. Try some things out, leave what is actually crap aside and try out some other things. You will most likely find several things that, in fact, aren't crap. Just like you did with Stargate when you tried that out. Worst experience I've ever had with any streaming service was (the Dutch version of) HBO max which was extremely content-poor, and I still found a couple of shows worth watching on it. And the only reason it felt so content-poor for me was because it relied heavily on highly popular old movies from the 90s, 80s, etc - none of them (well, very few at least) were crap, I'd just already seen all of them and wasn't interested in watching again.

2. Don't pay multiple months for a streaming service. Pay one month, watch everything that interests you, and let it rest for a while until they get new content. You can do this with multiple services, but you don't have to do it on any kind of timetable. Stick with your dvds for a while (maybe even a year or more if that's how long it takes for them to build up some new and interesting stuff), then get another month of some new stuff. It's really not expensive doing it this way.

3. I've been streaming things for ten years. Having a show removed in the middle of watching it has only ever happened to me once. It's very bad luck that really is not going to be repeated over and over again. Also, if you find a show on streaming and it gets removed and you want to buy the dvds, you at least now know that you actually like the show and aren't spending a ton of money buying a show you may not even like. Plus, while this issue feels more egregious in the age of streaming, it isn't actually new or unique to streaming, either. I remember very well the pain of broadcast tv superceding my favorite shows with baseball games, changing the weekly timeslot without announcing anything, shoving new sci-fi into the Saturday 11pm-1am timeslot or dropping shows from their package entirely. That stuff happened way more often than shows jumping from one streamer to another. At least it seems to have become more common for streaming services to actually mark a show or film as 'leaving soon' so you can be forewarned that you're running out of time on something.

4. If you need something for what you really love, stick to home media for that. That's not what streaming does well. But if you're looking for something new that you don't already know whether you will actually love it or not, try before you buy is a very useful option to have. Especially if you can try multiple shows and/or films for the price of one month of streaming (far cheaper than buying everything you might be interested in on disc).

As for internet problems, yes, if your internet is bad, streaming is a pain and won't be worthwhile most of the time. But that doesn't mean streaming is a terrible platform where 99% of the content is crap and being stuck on it as a platform is going to kill Trek.

 

[90sTrekGuy]

Personally the rise of studio-run streaming services made the whole concept more appealing to me. For instance, as Paramount have the rights to Trek they will probably keep it all on P+ as long as the service exists. Far better than something like Netflix where the content changes a lot.

 

[Commander Troi]

I thought that, until P+ dropped Prodigy.

 

[NCC-73515]

They also only sometimes have their own Trek movies there :/

 

[Richard S. Ta]

What is the biggest TV sci-fi kid today? I have no idea

That’s the problem isn’t it?

In decades past, Star Trek (TOS-VOYish) existed in a TV landscape with very little in the way of direct competition.

These days we are spoiled for choices when it comes to TV Science Fiction/Fantasy.

I don’t think Star Trek from DSC onwards has been bad exactly, but it’s rarely been appointment TV for me (SNW S02 and LDS excepted). I gather the final season of DSC is finished and I haven’t started it yet.

Now, granted, I’ve been busy. But saying that, I made time for Doctor Who these past few weeks. I’ll be making time for The Boys soon.

Star Trek in the Ta household seems to occupy some kind of liminal space. Something that I’ll get around to at some point.

I’d love to fall in love with Star Trek all over again, but it hasn’t happened yet. A few flings and some good times these past few years, but no attachment. Just harmless flirting that ultimately goes nowhere.

 

[Lynx]

1. There is no major streaming service where every single thing is crap except one show. Even if your tastes are the most specific and unique tastes in the world, that's ridiculous exaggeration. Try some things out, leave what is actually crap aside and try out some other things. You will most likely find several things that, in fact, aren't crap. Just like you did with Stargate when you tried that out. Worst experience I've ever had with any streaming service was (the Dutch version of) HBO max which was extremely content-poor, and I still found a couple of shows worth watching on it. And the only reason it felt so content-poor for me was because it relied heavily on highly popular old movies from the 90s, 80s, etc - none of them (well, very few at least) were crap, I'd just already seen all of them and wasn't interested in watching again.

2. Don't pay multiple months for a streaming service. Pay one month, watch everything that interests you, and let it rest for a while until they get new content. You can do this with multiple services, but you don't have to do it on any kind of timetable. Stick with your dvds for a while (maybe even a year or more if that's how long it takes for them to build up some new and interesting stuff), then get another month of some new stuff. It's really not expensive doing it this way.

3. I've been streaming things for ten years. Having a show removed in the middle of watching it has only ever happened to me once. It's very bad luck that really is not going to be repeated over and over again. Also, if you find a show on streaming and it gets removed and you want to buy the dvds, you at least now know that you actually like the show and aren't spending a ton of money buying a show you may not even like. Plus, while this issue feels more egregious in the age of streaming, it isn't actually new or unique to streaming, either. I remember very well the pain of broadcast tv superceding my favorite shows with baseball games, changing the weekly timeslot without announcing anything, shoving new sci-fi into the Saturday 11pm-1am timeslot or dropping shows from their package entirely. That stuff happened way more often than shows jumping from one streamer to another. At least it seems to have become more common for streaming services to actually mark a show or film as 'leaving soon' so you can be forewarned that you're running out of time on something.

4. If you need something for what you really love, stick to home media for that. That's not what streaming does well. But if you're looking for something new that you don't already know whether you will actually love it or not, try before you buy is a very useful option to have. Especially if you can try multiple shows and/or films for the price of one month of streaming (far cheaper than buying everything you might be interested in on disc).

As for internet problems, yes, if your internet is bad, streaming is a pain and won't be worthwhile most of the time. But that doesn't mean streaming is a terrible platform where 99% of the content is crap and being stuck on it as a platform is going to kill Trek.

Yo do bring up some good points here and I will reply to them in order.

1.OK, I admit that stating that 99% was crap may have been an exaggeration. But the times I've tested streaming, I haven't found much worth to watch there except for the series I actually bought the streaming service for. As a matter of fact, I do have a paid subscription to one of the bigger companies in my country to follow a certain hockey team's games. That service includes some channels for movies and series which are downrigt horrible. When I skip through the menu and a fifth-rate doom-and-gloom movie like "Greenland" shows up for the umpteenth time, then I really wonder what I'm paying for.

2. Fortunately I haven't paid multiple months for any streaming service so far so it has been easy for me to get out of it, the fists time when they cut the series I was watching, which i described in an earlier post and later on when I wanted to take a look at DSC and PIC which were both big disappointments. I could as well have burned the money.

3. I do remember when one of the big channels in my country scrapped DS9 after one season. It took me ten years before I managed to watch the series from start to finish and find out how good it was so I won't come up with any excuses about thinges being better before. But so far I haven't found anything worth wasting money on when it comes to streaming either.

As for series, I don'rt buy series on DVDs if I'm not 100% sure that I want to watch the whole show. I did that once with a series which started good and then the channel was removed from my TV service so I bought it on DVD to find out that this series got worse and worse in the last seasons. Fortunately I hadn't paid that much for the box and I managed to give it to someone who might have appreciated it more.

4. I will switch Internet provider in the middle of June and that might make it easier even to watch streaming services, so we'll see what happens. And when it comes to series and such which I really like, then I'll stick to home media. However, there is a problem with Star Trek DVDs from Paramount which I have brought up elsewhere on this forum, but that's off-topic when it comes to this discussion.

When it comes to Star Trek, the problem as I see it is that it's removed from the major networks and therefore it can be difficult to attract new fans.