Science was "fucking cool!" one time in Star Trek: Discovery. In Star Trek: Picard, they drop F's every other episode. The fan film guidelines stipulate no profanity, no drug use etc. But since they were established, Star Trek has changed. Should swearing be allowed in fan productions? Could a character in a Picard fanfilm get stoned on snakeweed? What are everyone's thoughts?
As mom always said, do as I say, not as I do. I doubt a solitary profanity would cause any trouble, but they don't want Sopranos in space. The drinking and smoking thing is kinda silly, given all the bar scenes from all the Treks, smoking characters in holodecks, Rios and his cigar habit, etc. but it is what it is.
I'd just go ahead and do whatever the fuck I wanted as far as profanity is concerned. And I doubt referencing a canon drug like "snakeweed" would get you into trouble.
I would imagine (not giving legal advice here - I'm a retired lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer) that discretion is the better part of valor. As @Lt.Smokey said, Sopranos in space is likely going too far. Peter Capaldi in In the Loop is probably also too far. But I doubt an occasional epithet, particularly when it fits the scene and isn't being used purely for shock value, isn't going to get on anyone's radar. I doubt it would be cited as a violation if a film were sued or received a takedown notice (formal or informal), unless as a part of a long litany of issues. Probably the 2 most vital parts of the Guidelines for the IP holder are: 1) The length restriction and 2) The prohibition against using knockoff merch
Scotty's "That Klingon bitch..." was restored for the ST VI home video. Kirk's "Klingon bastard..." in ST III. (Becoming "Klingon monster" for the Buena Vista book/record set).
The guidelines also say no depiction of alcohol, even though there has been plenty of drinking in every series and many of the movies ever since "The Cage"! So there was already a "do as I say..." double standard as Lt.Smokey says above. Kor
I now wonder what it REALLY sounded like on TNG. Time for one more remaster. "I sense danger all up in this shit, Captain" -Troi "I'm fully goddamned functional" -Data "merde" -Picard.. oh.. wait "If you were any other man, I would fucking kill you where you stand so hard your fucking ancestors would die and cause a fucking time paradox."-Worf "I'm the guy who writes down things to remember to say when there's a party. And then when he finally get there, he winds up alone in the corner trying to not look like a dick." -Barclay "Maybe I'm not making myself clear, Guinan. Barclay, well, he's always late. The man's nervous. Nobody wants to be around that asshole" -LaForge "You disagree with me, fine. You need to take it to the Captain, then fine. Through me. You do an end run around me again, I'll snap you back so hard, you'll think you're a first year cadet again, gosh darn it to heck." -Riker
Here’s my hot take; the guidelines literally exist to stop people pushing things too far. For the most part they don’t care what most of us are doing as long as we respect the spirit of the guidelines and don’t abuse their generosity. They’ve always had every right to shut all of us down, but they’ve never wanted to. They still don’t. So for the most part I think they’ll continue to be hands off unless someone steps over a line. They are not currently, and likely never will, micromanage or police the guidelines. Nor should they have to. I hope it stays that way.
I'm thinking profanity is the kind of thing that might be included in a list of violations, but probably wouldn't be enough to get you in trouble by itself.
What I have noticed wth profanity of late is that it seems to replace good acting and writing. Why come up with something original to say whe you can drop an f bomb and be done with it. It also limits actor's abilities to act. Instead, they simply emote whilst swearing. Just seems lazy sometimes. Not all the time, mind you. Just sometimes. An example of when I feel it is out of place is Stranger Things. I was a year or two older than the kids on that show back in the 80's. We simply didn't talk like that at that age back then. At least no one I know did. Again, just seems to be a lazy way to add drama, without anything behind it. Again, not saying there isn't a place for profanity, just that it seems to be overused today as a replace,entry for writing and acting. YMMV.
A good example is the no continuing episodes rule. Intrepid and several other productions have had multiple episodes and had no issues with CBS. I wonder what their response would be if someone started a feature-length fan film. Axanar and the Horizon sequel were both feature-length, but I don't know if that was part of the problem or it was the crowdfunding.
Yeah, Tilly realized as soon as she said it, she shouldn't have. Stamets was having a good day so he went along with it.
I don’t think they’ll really bat any eyelids if people push things a little over the limits. But out of respect for the studio I certainly wouldn’t try producing anything much over the thirty minute mark.
I think money, time, and cast are probably the biggest three things that would be the most likely to get CBS's attention.
I think the specific guidelines regrading swearing, drug use, etc., are there for a single basic reason: since the franchise belongs to CBS, they are the ones who will feel the heat if anything goes bad. If they depict any of this stuff in their own work, they will have some degree of control over it and how/whether it is depicted. If fan films depict them and there's some kind of blowback, CBS still potentially takes the heat for it, even though it's technically not their doing. Better to just not allow it than to allow someone else the chance when all the risk is on you.