A friend of mine who isn't into Star Trek at all but loves Michelle Yeoh saw the trailer, liked it and wants to see it.
Spoilers Section 31 General Discussion Thread
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You did inform them that the movie is going to really screw up canon, I hope. Something I know is important to even casual viewers of Trek.
I give zero fucks about Canon, and I've been a Star Trek fan for over 50 years.You did inform them that the movie is going to really screw up canon, I hope. Something I know is important to even casual viewers of Trek.
You shouldn't. Not every film is for everyone.
Reddit, then Facebook / YT tied, so far as articulation. I've encountered many well-considered opinions on Reddit that would stand with the best here. The format is different (and I still prefer the BBS model), but to be fair, that is where most of fandom engages now.
Sure, YT comments are mostly drive-bys, but a quick scan of the S31 trailer comments section looks to be about 100+ negative comments to one positive (I sure as hell wasn't scrolling all the way to the bottom).
This is the anthesis of Trek, Roddenberry be rolling etc. It's not exactly untrue. I fell in love with Trek for reasons far removed from this.
I'd also add that the argument the trailer is designed to attract the casual viewer falls flat for me. I think the bulk of the audience has remained largely the same, with some uptake during the Kurtz. era - not nearly to the same extent as the Berman era. Prodigy, geared towards a younger audience, was watched mostly by adults. The teen-focused Academy series' biggest demographic will likely be 35+ males.
Why would anyone watch this if you didn't already have some investment in the franchise? Oh right - Yeoh. Academy Award Winner. Okay, so what, 1-3% of those who watched because they like Michelle Yeoh might check out Trek? Meanwhile, the bulk of your fanbase is sitting with their fingers rubbing their temple just wanting some Star Trek that is at least an approximation of the Trek they liked / wanted.
The worst thing about this trailer is how utterly generic it is. Star Trek was distinct. Remove those unique attributes in an attempt to net that elusive larger audience and yes, it's still Star Trek (the people who own it made it), but you've lost the essence. Add to that the casual viewer isn't showing up in droves for generic Trek.
And it's not evolution. Trek evolved between TOS and DS9. Phew. Anyway, it's done its darndest to endure by becoming more accessible, less geeky, or fragment into different flavors. It's not working because the concept is largely played out. Trek doesn't trend, the majority of younger folk even aware of its existence likely see it as Dad or Grandad's thing. Its biggest days are barely visible in the rear-view mirror at this point. But we'll get what we're given, as long as it makes sense from a business standpoint.
At this point I'm just glad to get some crumbs of Trek to enjoy (ty, SNW).
It's funny to think some would think if Trek ended in the near future, it had failed. You'd have to be kidding. Series and movies in the double digits, nearly 60+ years, a massive pop culture impact?
edit: reminder - the subject of the thread is Section 31 News, in case you forgot reading the above; apologies for going full tangent and -
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Gene's original vision.
The whole point of Trek was entertaining and audience first and foremost. Section 31 is an outgrowth of Berman era Trek, when Behr took a much more cynical look at different aspects of Trek. One outgrowth was the Borg and another Section 31.
To me, that's not a matter of evolution or whatever but acknowledging this as a living breathing world. A world that has some awesome and amazing accomplishments and also a darker side.
I get that Section 31 is not for everyone, but I'm not going to act like it lost something of Trek's spark or whatever. It's merely exploring what was already there.
Gene’s Vi$ion™
$ + ( . )( . ) = Gene’s Vision
Tits not all that complicated, ya just need to get the hard part done first and then finish by splitting the circumference in two.
Mr. Roddenberry could even do it while on a couch.
I don't think people have that much issue with a Section 31 story. Just that people want it to a little more James Bond and lots less "Borderlands." Trek doesn't need to be gritty and without humor. In fact I it can always use more Humor. But I think people want Trek to be at least a little serious and maybe touch on a few real social issues or have something to say about the human condition and not just be all about pew pew and sarcastic puns. I think people are looking for a kind of balance between fun family friendly escapism and something that makes you think.
I'm always struck by the way people think that action oriented Trek doesn't promote thought. I found ST 09 amongst the more intriguing and thought provoking installments, as well as Terra Firma.
I think there is a lot of prejudgements without context. And unwillingness to engage the material because it's not "Star Trek."
That's because it was created by the people who did "Discovery" and the trailer and the fact you need a telescope to even see the words "Star Trek" in the title of the movie. If the movie is good most people will change their opinions though. Some more begrudgingly than others but I do think quality always wins out in the long run when it comes to movies and shows. Some shows and movies get the respect they deserved at the time while other get exposed for not being as good as people claimed they were like say the movie 'The Crash."
I think that a Section 31 movie would be met with extreme negativity no matter what.
Discovery makes or not doesn't matter. Section 31 is "not Star Trek" because it's too dark. Which, I mean, if that's the case I think I can discard TUC and First Contact.
It would be but only in the way DS9 was. Some felt DS9 didn't live up to the themes of Gene's Vision but I think people didn't respect the shows quality and even more so today than in the past.
Well, because it wasn't in Gene's vision.
I can successfully discard TWOK, and DS9 and TUC fairly easily
Well, because it wasn't in Gene's vision.
I can successfully discard TWOK, and DS9 and TUC fairly easily
Those all fit well in the parameters of Star Trek. Great characters with some allegory involved. Plus lots of fun,action and comedy but sometimes gets kind of deep. Well deep as far as you can get with a family friendly oriented show. They all have that perfect balance. Also the only reason Gene disliked those movies was because he wasn't get paid.
That wasn’t it
Pretty sure he was getting paid, actually. It’s why his name always shows up in the credits on all Trek productions, even when he wasn’t involved. Probably in his contract. I figure he suspected they would try to take TNG away from him at some point, in the same way they redirected authority of TOS and the movies after TMP. Anticipating that, he stipulated in his contract that he (or his estate) would continue to receive residuals on everything with the Star Trek name in perpetuity, if he were involved or not.
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