What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?

[TREK_GOD_1]

Fascinating idea. The Federation builds this Uber ship class and immediately stumbles into the Borg...

Here's the real problem: the Honorverse. The weapons as described by David Weber, blow away Star Trek. It is quite clear that too many limitations were imposed on Star Trek...

I won't go into why here. But... leaving 'Q Who' as the very last episode? Brilliant.

...and TNG's season two era of Starfleet behavior had them believing the Enterprise-D--backing up such a pompous belief about themselves (the polar opposite of Kirks' acknowledgement of the inherent danger in their missions as stated in his great "Risk is our business" speech from "Return to Tomorrow") was going to allow them to successfully face challenges they--apparently--did not understand. More than just another species possessing superior weapons, some--like the Borg--lived by a soulless credo beyond the understanding (or willingness to understand) of E-D/Stafleet, which set their collective heads on a date with a species-wide chopping block.

Why not end with Measure of a Man? If you're hell bent on ending in the second year? For... Reasons?

I explained the reasons, which were all in-universe / related to where Starfleet / humanity stood at the point of "Q Who" and Q's perception of the species:

The terror of the Borg 's attack in that episode would've served as both a superior judgement about arrogant humans (Picard conducted a masterclass in that early in the episode with his interactions with Q) more than that milquetoast pilot AKA "Encounter at Farpoint", and a bold way to end the arc of Starfleet/humanity.

At the rate Starfleet was going--exemplified by Picard's world galaxy-view as Q accurately criticized, the government (Federation) would eventually assume they were equipped to face dangers that were coming for them, and immediately find themselves forced to swallow a planet's worth of fucked around and found out. As a result, the E-D--and by eventual association Starfleet and other Federation member worlds of the period in question--would likely fall to a Borg incursion, all due to the kind of Starfleet arrogance Q repeatedly noted, which would--to a degree--support his judgement from the pilot. Q was absolutely correct, and if TNG's showrunners were daring enough to accept the trap they set up for their own characters, "Q Who" would have been the end of TNG, and their version of Starfleet (the latter off-camera).

 

[Tallguy]

Q was absolutely correct, and if TNG's showrunners were daring enough to accept the trap they set up for their own characters, "Q Who" would have been the end of TNG, and their version of Starfleet (the latter off-camera).

Daring enough to not do their job? (Or at least end their jobs and those of everyone on the show.) That's a controversial opinion to be sure.

I consider Where No Man Has Gone Before to be one of the best episodes of Star Trek. Certainly of TOS. By this reasoning they should have been daring enough to accept that this was the snub that Starfleet needed to retreat back to explored space and end Star Trek.

Money grubbing bastards.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

If TNG was meant to be a series all about how Picard and Starfleet are wrong, then I must have really misunderstood it.

 

[Tallguy]

If TNG was meant to be a series all about how Picard and Starfleet are wrong, then I must have really misunderstood it.

Usually it was subtle. "Starfleet is not a military." "We don't use money anymore (except when we do)."

 

[Shawnster]

If TNG was meant to be a series all about how Picard and Starfleet are wrong, then I must have really misunderstood it.

Over at Roddenberry.com and their mission log podcasts co-host Jessica Lynn Verdi has actually suggested this is what the background of 31st century Star Trek is as depicted in DISCO and SFA. She floated the idea that the very un-Starfleet manner that Starfleet acts of late indicates a Starfleet that has lost it's way.

Spoiler: SFA 1X06 spoiler

For example, the way Ahke and Vance treats Nus Braka in SFA 1x6. Vance literally states that he is glad or jealous that Nus was abused by his father. Vance does not project the image of stalwart moarslist that they've been painted as in the past. The way Starfleet gets played presents an image of a Starfleet that does not have it all figured out. It seems like Nus is being antagonized in ways no other villain has previously in Trek.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Daring enough to not do their job? (Or at least end their jobs and those of everyone on the show.) That's a controversial opinion to be sure.

I consider Where No Man Has Gone Before to be one of the best episodes of Star Trek. Certainly of TOS. By this reasoning they should have been daring enough to accept that this was the snub that Starfleet needed to retreat back to explored space and end Star Trek.

Money grubbing bastards.

Missing the point. TNG's showrunners intentionally created the trap of the kind of pomposity / "we will handle anything that comes our way" / colonialist arrogance seen with their characters, yet managed to create the logical cure for it in "Q Who", yet said cure was not applied.
TNG's characters continued for the rest of the series with the same, Q-identified character flaw that should've been addressed with a final, believable "last word" in the episode in question.
That would have been a--yes--daring way to show how 24th century humans--the throne-planted judges / often believers in colonialist arrogance (when not contradicting that by Prime Directive-thumping)--had signed their own sentences doing exactly what was the heart of Q's accusations.

If TNG was meant to be a series all about how Picard and Starfleet are wrong, then I must have really misunderstood it.

Whether it was meant to be that way or not, the structure of many of its characters naturally leaned in that direction, justifying Q's charges in that 2nd season episode.

Over at Roddenberry.com and their mission log podcasts co-host Jessica Lynn Verdi has actually suggested this is what the background of 31st century Star Trek is as depicted in DISCO and SFA. She floated the idea that the very un-Starfleet manner that Starfleet acts of late indicates a Starfleet that has lost it's way.

Spoiler: SFA 1X06 spoiler

For example, the way Ahke and Vance treats Nus Braka in SFA 1x6. Vance literally states that he is glad or jealous that Nus was abused by his father. Vance does not project the image of stalwart moarslist that they've been painted as in the past. The way Starfleet gets played presents an image of a Starfleet that does not have it all figured out. It seems like Nus is being antagonized in ways no other villain has previously in Trek.

Interesting.

 

[Rahul]

Unpopular opinion:
The Xindi alliance on ENT is just the absolute best.

The reptile & arboreal face-masks are at the absolute peak and rival even modern Star Wars.
And the insectoids & Aquarians are nothing but audacious for a tv show. Nothing since then ever came close. Even the primates are one of the better alien make-ups to this day.

If it weren't for the unpopularity of ENT at that time already, they would be as popular as villains as the OG Klingons, the Borg or the Dominion.

 

[fireproof78]

Unpopular opinion:
The Xindi alliance on ENT is just the absolute best.

The reptile & arboreal face-masks are at the absolute peak and rival even modern Star Wars.
And the insectoids & Aquarians are nothing but audacious for a tv show. Nothing since then ever came close. Even the primates are one of the better alien make-ups to this day.

If it weren't for the unpopularity of ENT at that time already, they would be as popular as villains as the OG Klingons, the Borg or the Dominion.

Back on topic. Well done.

 

[camdudetenger2018]

who would have thought there would be over 1000 pages of the what your controversial star trek opinions thread

there is probley who knows millions of different controversies in the history of star trek since 1966

 

[Nerys Myk]

who would have thought there would be over 1000 pages of the what your controversial star trek opinions thread

there is probley who knows millions of different controversies in the history of star trek since 1966

Every second of Trek is a controversy.

 

[Ceridwen]

Unpopular opinion:
The Xindi alliance on ENT is just the absolute best.

The reptile & arboreal face-masks are at the absolute peak and rival even modern Star Wars.
And the insectoids & Aquarians are nothing but audacious for a tv show. Nothing since then ever came close. Even the primates are one of the better alien make-ups to this day.

If it weren't for the unpopularity of ENT at that time already, they would be as popular as villains as the OG Klingons, the Borg or the Dominion.

It's definitely a fun science fiction concept, the idea of a single planet with this many indigenous sapient species.

 

[Tallguy]

Missing the point. TNG's showrunners intentionally created the trap of the kind of pomposity / "we will handle anything that comes our way" / colonialist arrogance seen with their characters, yet managed to create the logical cure for it in "Q Who", yet said cure was not applied.
TNG's characters continued for the rest of the series with the same, Q-identified character flaw that should've been addressed with a final, believable "last word" in the episode in question.
That would have been a--yes--daring way to show how 24th century humans--the throne-planted judges / often believers in colonialist arrogance (when not contradicting that by Prime Directive-thumping)--had signed their own sentences doing exactly what was the heart of Q's accusations.

(Side note: What was the solution to the ultimate colonialist arrogance of the Borg?)

I guess what I'm struggling with is... WHY?

You're writing a TV show in its second successful season. Finally getting some critical acclaim as well as the ratings. Things are settling in.

You think someone was thinking "You know, if we had any balls, we would end this here and now. We've obviously written ourselves into a corner. And here, finally HERE is the solution."

The next day they looked at their mortgages and the bills from their drug dealers and hung their heads in shame.* "Well. Time to write Shades of Gray, I guess."

Perhaps I'm rising to the bait. But I've been fixing a house all day and I'm tired of doing Leetcode exercises.

Like the handsome man said "What the hell else do we have to do?"

* I don't know if drug dealers send bills.

 

[fireproof78]

Every second of Trek is a controversy.

James R Kirk quote, probably.

 

[Campe]

James R Kirk quote, probably.

Everything after WNMHGB is a continuity error.

 

[Nerys Myk]

* I don't know if drug dealers send bills.

If you don't pay your dealer, a guy named Bill will come to your door.

 

[Tallguy]

If you don't pay your dealer, a guy named Bill will come to your door.

I will NOT.

 

[Set Harth]

*not that Bill

 

[MurphyCooper]

Unpopular opinion:
The Xindi alliance on ENT is just the absolute best.

The reptile & arboreal face-masks are at the absolute peak and rival even modern Star Wars.
And the insectoids & Aquarians are nothing but audacious for a tv show. Nothing since then ever came close. Even the primates are one of the better alien make-ups to this day.

If it weren't for the unpopularity of ENT at that time already, they would be as popular as villains as the OG Klingons, the Borg or the Dominion.

I liked the Xindi. Loved them, except for the whole temporal cold war arc. We could have done the Xindi, but without the Time Travel part of it.

 

[fireproof78]

The Suliban and Xindi would have done way better in the 25th century.

 

[cooleddie74]

*not that Bill

Be careful. You might get this one showing up.

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