Spoilers Good and bad uses of nostalgia / continuity / references

[Enterprise1701]

Star Trek has been running as a brand for almost 57 whole years now, and we posters on this board are no stranger to debates about the merits of referencing past stories, as Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have strongly and significantly done so in 2023.

Which uses of legacy characters / storylines / concepts have you enjoyed? To which are you indifferent? And which have you not enjoyed? You can cite canonical episodes and films as well as non-canonical novels, comics, games, etc.

• I very much enjoyed DS9 - "Trials and Tribble-ations" recreating TOS sets for the DS9 actors to use.
• I love how STO debuted the Sutherland class as the beautifully visually-updated successor to the Nebula class ~30 years after the Dominion War, named in honor of the U.S.S. Sutherland from TNG - "Redemption II", with PIC canonizing the class.

• I do not like SNW's development of the Gorn from TOS - "Arena" as murderers by default for breeding.

 

[fireproof78]

Trials and Tribble-ations is what got me in to DS9. I do approve of it, even if a bit goofy and the ending annoying. Played for a dumb laugh.

Pike in Discovery and the follow up with Talos was cool.

McCoy in TNG was dumb as was Scotty.

The Ferengi and Organians in ENT sucked.

Any Borg follow ups after Best of Both Worlds are questionable.

 

[1001001]

*sigh*

Remember, no spoilers for Picard Season 3 or SNW Season 2.

 

[Enterprise1701]

*sigh*

Remember, no spoilers for Picard Season 3 or SNW Season 2.

Hmm. Would this thread be better suited to have the "Spoilers" tag?

 

[Farscape One]

Star Trek has been running as a brand for almost 57 whole years now, and we posters on this board are no stranger to debates about the merits of referencing past stories, as Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have strongly and significantly done so in 2023.

Which uses of legacy characters / storylines / concepts have you enjoyed? To which are you indifferent? And which have you not enjoyed? You can cite canonical episodes and films as well as non-canonical novels, comics, games, etc.

• I very much enjoyed DS9 - "Trials and Tribble-ations" recreating TOS sets for the DS9 actors to use.
• I love how STO debuted the Sutherland class as the beautifully visually-updated successor to the Nebula class ~30 years after the Dominion War, named in honor of the U.S.S. Sutherland from TNG - "Redemption II", with PIC canonizing the class.

• I do not like SNW's development of the Gorn from TOS - "Arena" as murderers by default for breeding.

While it's easy to see the Gorn as murderers when they breed (like the Magog from ANDROMEDA), it's hardly uncommon in nature.

Black widows, praying mantis, scorpions, one of the anaconda species (green anaconda, I think), some kinds of octopus... all of these kill and eat their mate for procreation.

Considering the Gorn only appeared in "ARENA" (and in the mirror universe in "IN A MIROR, DARKLY, PART II") and were mentioned in probably fewer episodes than I have fingers on one hand before SNW premiered, they are a pretty clean slate to work with.

Also, it's impossible to argue against the love and care "TRIALS AND TRIBBLE-ATIONS" was given by the cast, crew, and writers. That was a TRUE valentine to the fans.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I don't care that the Gorn are killers, I hate that they're the most blatant Alien/Predator rip-offs going. Trek is, in my mind at least, better than that.

Good continuity: When the whacky stuff comes back. The barrier at the edge of the galaxy from TOS in Discovery, for example.

Bad continuity: Discovery, when they alter their premises blatantly. The spore drive can take you anywhere in universe? Even the multiverse? Nope, now just our galaxy and not even close to the edge. Commbadges are micro-transporters? Nope, they're just controllers for a single system on the ship that can be nerfed when the plot requires

 

[Vger23]

The weird thing about SNW is that it seems to portray the Gorn as mindless murdering creatures like the Xenomorph, but also as creatures advanced enough to create interstellar travel and have highly advanced weaponry and tactics.

It’s an odd combo.

 

[Farscape One]

As opposed to humans?

Look at our own history... a lot of mindless murder. Even today. Yet we have advanced technologically, especially the last 100 years.

 

[Vger23]

I don’t know bro. Never mind.

 

[Lord Garth]

Well, let's see...

SNW leads into TOS, so it make sense to have '60s stuff in it. Plus before, people were complaining DSC was nothing like TOS when it took place in that era. So, SNW is the compromise.

PIC continues TNG, DS9, and VOY, and wants to be more like TOS Movies than the TNG Movies, so it makes sense to have '80s and '90s stuff in it.

#BoringAnswer