Let's continue TOS

[Voodoowoman2]

We have the SNW prequel but what about a new series that continues the next two years of the TOS five year mission? I think we should. After all we have most of the cast in place and it would be a cinch. The actors of SNW would be about the right ages. What do you think?

 

[XCV330]

We have the SNW prequel but what about a new series that continues the next two years of the TOS five year mission? I think we should. After all we have most of the cast in place and it would be a cinch. The actors of SNW would be about the right ages. What do you think?

I think STC got it right the first time. I'm pretty satisfied with what they came up with, canon or not.

 

[1001001]

 

[Ronald Held]

Not with the SNW cast and production crew rewriting continuity/canon

 

[ChallengerHK]

Not with the SNW cast and production crew rewriting continuity/canon

My thought exactly. I shudder to think what they'd do with it while simultaneously saying it's "in the same universe."

 

[Ssosmcin]

Filmation already did that.

 

[Warped9]

Candidly I don’t think the writers and producers of today are anywhere as good as those TOS had.

 

[Ronald Held]

TOS production had to do more with less. I think that is a major factor in it's quality.

 

[fireproof78]

We have the SNW prequel but what about a new series that continues the next two years of the TOS five year mission? I think we should. After all we have most of the cast in place and it would be a cinch. The actors of SNW would be about the right ages. What do you think?

I would say no. They will not approach it with the same attitude as TOS, they have too much information going forward and they will fall in the STC trap of adding in information gleaned from TNG and Trek's evolution over the years. The only way to do it is to ignore all Trek stuff after TAS' cancellation and approach it like @Warped9 does. Which no one is willing to do.

 

[Pauln6]

TOS is great fun but just too sexist for a modern audience. I would prefer to see an animated Phase II - the second 5 year mission set between TMP and TWoK using a format more like SNW with some recurring plot arc elements and mini arcs for the supporting cast.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

We have the SNW prequel but what about a new series that continues the next two years of the TOS five year mission? I think we should. After all we have most of the cast in place and it would be a cinch. The actors of SNW would be about the right ages. What do you think?

Today's producers of "official" Star Trek often seem to be motivated by their present-day politics. They do not love TOS. It would not be a love letter to our show. TOS is our thing, and they are doing their thing, which strikes me as very different, both aesthetically and in its morals. They're pretty much just using the Star Trek name as a hall pass to get a show made, and do things they'd want to do anyway, which are often egregious. I'll limit my observations because I gave up on watching their stuff quite a while back.

Plus, we already have The Animated Series, Star Trek: New Voyages, and Star Trek Continues.

 

[fireproof78]

Today's producers of "official" Star Trek often seem to be motivated by their present-day politics.

Whenever I see this I find it difficult to parse. Does that mean TOS was not informed by politics because I find that rather laughable. Same thing with their profit motive, since that was a part of it too.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

It just seems more obvious than it used to be, perhaps.

If I believe something, and most of the people I take cues from/learned from/grew up around/am inspired by, are where I got said beliefs, if a show agrees, it doesn't seem "political". It's affirming what I believe, or taking the next logical step from there. Perhaps it might have been foreign/controversial to someone else at the time, who believed something else, but to me, it was validation and affirmation of what I thought or had heard and never questioned already. I took it for granted, at the least, (now I don't, perhaps) and believed it myself (perhaps all the more so now)

Finding myself on the outside of what's being espoused now, and, in fact, in many ways, opposed to/rather confused by what's being said, it seems more political. The world is moving on from where I am and what I believe, and going places I am not/may not ever be/hope I won't/can't imagine ever go(ing).

 

[F. King Daniel]

Just reboot it at this point, TOS is way too dated to work as contemporary television. Hence SNW's new look and modern attitude, presumably.

 

[Greg Cox]

It just seems more obvious than it used to be, perhaps.

If I believe something, and most of the people I take cues from/learned from/grew up around/am inspired by, are where I got said beliefs, if a show agrees, it doesn't seem "political". It's affirming what I believe, or taking the next logical step from there. Perhaps it might have been foreign/controversial to someone else at the time, who believed something else, but to me, it was validation and affirmation of what I thought or had heard and never questioned already. I took it for granted, at the least, (now I don't, perhaps) and believed it myself (perhaps all the more so now)

Finding myself on the outside of what's being espoused now, and, in fact, in many ways, opposed to/rather confused by what's being said, it seems more political. The world is moving on from where I am and what I believe, and going places I am not/may not ever be/hope I won't/can't imagine ever go(ing).

With the passing of time, it's easy to forget just how topical various TOS episodes were when they first aired. Even watching the show as a kid, I understood what was really being talked about: segregation, Viet Nam, Nazi war crimes, birth control, etc. All of which were indeed VERY "political" back in the sixties.

But, yes, in a larger sense, I find people often only see shows or stories as "too political" if they conflict with their own worldview and values. Whereas stories that reflect their own views are NOT seen as "political" because, well, of course, those views are taken for granted and go without saying.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

You can agree that there's a problem and disagree with how it's being solved or if it even needs to be.

Perhaps both solutions (the "enlightened" Federation's and the "no, we're enlightened" alien race/consortium's) are wrong. Maybe there's a third option. Or maybe there's no need for any change. At the very least, proceed with wisdom and caution, justice and mercy, love and truth.

These days, yesterday's more informed, accurate, kind, or at least less loaded word choice so quickly becomes today's not so fast, and then tomorrow's anathema.

 

[shapeshifter]

My initial reaction to -canning TOS: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

But I realize it's bound to happen eventually anyway so... engage. TOS and I will always have Paris.

 

[fireproof78]

With the passing of time, it's easy to forget just how topical various TOS episodes were when they first aired. Even watching the show as a kid, I understood what was really being talked about: segregation, Viet Nam, Nazi war crimes, birth control, etc. All of which were indeed VERY "political" back in the sixties.

But, yes, in a larger sense, I find people often only see shows or stories as "too political" if they conflict with their own worldview and values. Whereas stories that reflect their own views are NOT seen as "political" because, well, of course, those views are taken for granted and go without saying.

It does amaze me how often this gets missed. I enjoy watching older shows, but the topics often jump out at me. I see people go, "Oh, everything is too political," when clearly it just is different in terms of their perception, not actual production intention.

So, when I see people complain about Star Trek and politics I can only shrug and go, "Well, I don't always agree with Trek's politics but it's always been there."

My initial reaction to -canning TOS: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

But I realize it's bound to happen eventually anyway so... engage. TOS and I will always have Paris.

Indeed. It's not like TOS is going anywhere.

 

[Warped9]

You can’t “continue” TOS unless you stick to how they did things. Otherwise you’re rebooting it. It’s that simple.

STC initially claimed they would continue TOS, but it soon became apparent they weren’t because they insisted on shoehorning in post TOS callouts and contemporary sensibilities. As a result you ended up with a distinct TNG vibe to the writing as well as coming off as very fanfic like in trying to tie the old and the new together.

 

[Greg Cox]

And this is nothing new. I recall folks complaining that TNG and DS9 were "too politically correct" back in the day. And I got my first letter complaining about "how dare you insert your liberal politics into STAR TREK" way back in nineties . . . by snail mail.

Never mind that both STAR TREK (and the TWILIGHT ZONE before it) were always seen as a way to bypass nervous network executives by disguising controversial issues in science-fiction drag.