Could we as fan send a open letter to CBS executive to make Star Trek better

[Timewalker]

The only way to get additional Old Trek is probably to read the novels and/or fanfiction published for it. Or write some yourself, I guess.

Exactly. That's the only way I get any decent new Voyager stories (reading them, that is; most of the fanfiction I've written has nothing to do with Star Trek).

maybe it started with Bonanza?

Who would want to hate-watch Bonanza?

*meanders back to fanfiction.net to catch up on the Bonanza stories that have been updated...*

 

[fireproof78]

Yup. Always makes me laugh how some fans are like 'STD isn't trek because trek isn't about war and burnham is a mary-sue' while also saying things like "Axanar is true trek because it features the REAL klingon war (Garth played by Alec Peters is an actual mary-sue but it's ok because he is white and male), also read this fan-fic of mine (filled with mary-sues) which is set during the dominion war"

The fact that Discovery is about the same themes escapes so many Axanar supports makes me laugh quite a bit.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Honestly, what we have is way better than I expected Trek to ever be again. It has some flaws but the last thing I want is for the show runners to change what they’re doing out of placating.

 

[Lord Garth]

Dear Sirs and Madams,

I am using this telegraph in Boston to send out a message that I can see on this nickelodeon screen that will be transmitted and received by you through similar means in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

My deepest despair is that ever since the passing of Jules Verne in nineteen-five, the science-fiction genre has gone into a state of decline. The works of H.G. Wells do not serve as a proper substitute. Jules Verne inspired the imagination while H.G. Wells' stories will no doubt one day invite a mass hysteria.

Worse still, I feel the emergence of moving pictures, once seemingly science-fiction itself, is now ironically diluting science-fiction literature into a more simplistic form, overseas. Georges Melies' "A Trip to the Moon" made a mockery of serious science-fiction by turning the moon into a fanciful being with a face. I find this to be an insult to science in the name of art. From there, science-fiction films have become worse and derivative of already feeble efforts. Released this year in nineteen-eight, "Excursion to the Moon" is a blatant infringement of the already dire "A Trip to the Moon". So from artistic mockery, science-fiction in pictures has descended into moral abhorrence. These so-called "artists" are charlatans all.

I write this letter to implore you to stand against this artistic degradation seen at home and abroad. Only through further development of moving pictures can serious science-fiction literature be done true justice. For the sake of artistic integrity, I implore you to please remove the artistic abominations passing for science-fiction from all nickelodeons effective post-haste.

Thank you for your most thoughtful consideration.

Yours Very Truly,

Name Withheld
May 21, 1908

 

[Mudd]

"Virgil sucks! The Aeneid is just bad Homer fan-fic! NOT canon!"

But...that's pretty much true.

 

[Go-Captain]

The problem is not the lack of consistency and unexpected tone, it is a symptom of bad writing. With a better show runner the writing would be better, the internal consistency would be greater, and the tone would serve greater purpose. As a result, regardless of external connection to past shows and regardless of tone, the shows would just be good and the differences would be forgivable.

We won’t be able to convince Kurtzman and Goldman’s to be a better writers because they have to already be doing their best. Even if they could be forced to just accept the TOS aesthetic and give a Trek tech and a Trek history nerd final review of scripts it would not change the fundamental problems keeping DIS and PIC in a quality zone ranging from purely stupid to unexpectedly okay. Then it would be differently bad Enterprise and differently bad Voyager, both of which are connected at a superior level in tech and history to their previous shows, but have mediocre writing early on. We would have the trappings of a good show with none of the substance of a good show, like Men in Black versus Men in Black 2, or The Matrix versus The Matrix 2 and 3. Instead we got that Black Mirror Trek homage but without the context and subtextual goals.

 

[Qonundrum]

The problem is not the lack of consistency and unexpected tone, it is a symptom of bad writing. With a better show runner the writing would be better, the internal consistency would be greater, and the tone would serve greater purpose. As a result, regardless of external connection to past shows and regardless of tone, the shows would just be good and the differences would be forgivable.

We won’t be able to convince Kurtzman and Goldman’s to be a better writers because they have to already be doing their best. Even if they could be forced to just accept the TOS aesthetic and give a Trek tech and a Trek history nerd final review of scripts it would not change the fundamental problems keeping DIS and PIC in a quality zone ranging from purely stupid to unexpectedly okay. Then it would be differently bad Enterprise and differently bad Voyager, both of which are connected at a superior level in tech and history to their previous shows, but have mediocre writing early on. We would have the trappings of a good show with none of the substance of a good show, like Men in Black versus Men in Black 2, or The Matrix versus The Matrix 2 and 3. Instead we got that Black Mirror Trek homage but without the context and subtextual goals.

Rarely is it true that room full of showrunners or merry-go-round of them is a beacon of quality. It's not impossible either.

But there are various inconsistencies throughout the various spinoffs and even original show. Showrunners do so much but at the end of the day it's each section complementing each other with the theme of the show. Combined with individual audience member taste, of course

 

[lurok]

I feel like that Star Trek Show runner's need to stay consistent in technology (holographic displays and how impractical they are) and the overall optimistic tone of trek in the 90s. Also trying to stay in continuity (all the tribble stuff in that short trek for example) and the technology of the time period in trek lore. basically i was wondering if us as fans could try to contact Alex Kurtzman and all that stuff to ask them to be a little more consistent in technology and the overall tone of trek of not being dark and negitive. Of it being positive and uplifting. I feel like you can keep a show dark and still have it be good (DS9) but you need to balance it out with positive stuff. Thank you

It's their show. We just watch it.

 

[Greg Cox]

Rarely is it true that room full of showrunners or merry-go-round of them is a beacon of quality. It's not impossible either.

TOS and TNG had lots of behind-the-scenes turbulence, too. Not to mention TMP . . ..

As I like to joke, imagine the internet around 1965. "Ohmigod, this STAR TREK thing is turning out to be a total train wreck. NBC rejected their pricy pilot episode altogether, Jeff Hunter has already jumped ship, they fired pretty much the entire cast, including the producer's girlfriend, except for this one guy with pointed ears. Sounds like a disaster in the works . . . ."

And, of course, VOYAGER also had to recast their star while filming was already underway.

 

[Vger23]

TOS and TNG had lots of behind-the-scenes turbulence, too. Not to mention TMP . . ..

As I like to joke, imagine the internet around 1965. "Ohmigod, this STAR TREK thing is turning out to be a total train wreck. NBC rejected their pricy pilot episode altogether, Jeff Hunter has already jumped ship, they fired pretty much the entire cast, including the producer's girlfriend, except for this one guy with pointed ears. Sounds like a disaster in the works . . . ."

And, of course, VOYAGER also had to recast their star while filming was already underway.

Yes, yes....but we all know that was completely different.

 

[Soong-type Android]

I don't particularly like Discovery and am ambivalent at most about Picard. I find Discovery ugly looking with horrible characters, horrible writing and horrible storytelling. It frankly is a mess and I can't believe the premise for season 3 was ever something planned.

That being said, I recognise it is all part of a painful but necessary process of modernising Star Trek and giving it a future to prevent it becoming stale. In the coming years with all the Trek projects in development it's bound to get better and more competent writers and storytellers that could see a renaissance of the brand and Discovery might be a first step in that journey.

In any case, Discovery doesn't impact the series and movies made between 1966 and 2005 so can be safely ignored and treated as an alternate universe like the Kelvin timeline if you so wish. So I wouldn't bother complaining to TPTB about the direction of modern Trek.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Dear CBS,

I think you should make Star Trek better. I think the best way to do this is by doing more of the things that I like and less of the things that I hate. Like, remember when you did that really good thing? Like that. You should do more of that. And don't do any more of that stuff that I thought was bad. You know the stuff I mean.

Also, please give me credit and financial compensation for helping you make Star Trek better. A simple title card reading "This [episode/movie/series] made better through the wise & thoughtful suggestions of JonnyQuest037" should suffice. My check can be sent to the return address on the envelope.

Thank you for your time and attention in this matter. I look forward to seeing much better Star Trek starting next week.

Sincerely,

JonnyQuest037 (Mrs.)
May 22nd, 2020

cc: CBS Shareholders

P.S. - Whatever happened to Leonard Nimoy? I just noticed that you never use him as Spock anymore. You should fix that.

 

[STEPhon IT]

I'm sure they are aware of these concerns and decided to do their thing, which is totally valid

As the showrunners should, they have to find their way and figure out this world they've created and grow from there. I don't like those 2 shows at all, but they have to go with their instincts. I don't know where these horrible abominations (DISCO and PICARD) are when it comes to viewership and subscription numbers but if it's doing well then the showrunners should continue the course until they end up falling over the edge.

These crappy Star Trek in name only series will come to an end, and in the future they'll be another, an open letter is not going to change the horrible direction Alex Kurtzman and the gang had done. Best way to show CBS a dislike for their programming is to not watch them or better yet cancel subscription or don't subscribe to CBS ALL ACCESS.

 

[fireproof78]

Best way to show CBS a dislike for their programming is to not watch them or better yet cancel subscription or don't subscribe to CBS ALL ACCESS

This is true.

Right now they are going with what viewership has demonstrated interest in, which is Discovery, Picard and now Pike.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

CBS: What do you want?
Fans: Better Star Trek!
CBS: What can we do to make it better?
(Argument erupts)

 

[STEPhon IT]

This is true.

Right now they are going with what viewership has demonstrated interest in, which is Discovery, Picard and now Pike.

Oh Joy!!! Another series to erase my Enterprise from the "CBS Star Trek canon". What a wonderful way to honor Matt Jefferies and the pioneers who made the Enterprise a household entity?

 

[Nyotarules]

Give me back my 1966! The glory days!

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I can't wait to see many seasons of Pike's gold uniform.

 

[fireproof78]

Oh Joy!!! Another series to erase my Enterprise from the "CBS Star Trek canon". What a wonderful way to honor Matt Jefferies and the pioneers who made the Enterprise a household entity?

Yup, it's totally erased...I don't even know what picture your referencing or who this Matt Jefferies guy is. Completely erased.

 

[STEPhon IT]

From what I've seen, DISCO doesn't present the Enterprise as was seen in "The Cage" but something entirely different. In PICARD that new rendition of the Enterprise was presented in a galley and not what was known in TOS. What I know there is zero representation of what was done in TOS, even the costumes were off model. If Matt Jefferies Enterprise was presented than I'm mistaken. I understand you love these Alex Kurtzman things and you have to defend them to no end but it's an observation and for me it is erasing it from "CBS Star Trek canon".