So what killed Star Trek?

[Kotik]

I think there is no single reason for Star Treks demise, but a number of them:

1. TNG started weak and got better throughout it's run the same happened with DS9. I think the later seasons of DS9 were the peak of televised Star Trek. From there it all went downhill
2. VOY was probably the biggest nail in ST's coffin. The writing was sloppy, the plot all over the place and Janeway was just a stark-raving nutter, not to mention 7 O'9 as a shameless titillation tool
3. Then came the prequel idea of ENT. Good idea, but god awful realization. The first two seasons were all over the place with rare gems like "The Andorian Incident" or "Cease Fire" (practically every episode with Shran in them), god awful episodes like ANIS or unimaginative rehashes of concepts, like "Oasis". The early seasons had so many plot-holes, the ride rattled the fillings out of my teeth.
4. And the final nail in the coffin was TATV. Not only was is biblically bad, it was as if B&B just took the piss out of the fans. They practically killed the franchise by planting a fat ol' reset button on the whole ENT universe, as we all know now it was all only a holodeck fantasy of Fat!Riker

There are many reasons for ST's demise, but the horrible writing during the runs of VOY and ENT did the major damage. When Manny Coto took over, the horse was already dead, he merely stuck a fork in it.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

At least we all agree that Shran was awesome.

 

[RedSkirt]

During first run it was not available in my area. That is the only factor that had an effect on viewership where I live.

 

[Qew]

I think there was some bad press around ENT before it began. I got the impression that it was going to be a soap opera in space and have very little to do with Star Trek. After i actually WATCHED it i found i actually quite liked it and it seemed right when things were really getting good they cancelled it.

 

[Satyrquaze]

I'm of the opinion that Star Trek is still alive. Although Voyager made for a very strong assassination attempt.

 

[TheGrandTrekMaster]

Not enough attention to detail.

Trek fans are notorious (in a good way) for being shit-hot over small plot points. When writers aren't seen as being as attentive as they should be, things go downhill fast.

And yeah. TATV was like a giant "Fuck You" to the fans. That didn't help.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Repetition and familiarity killed Star Trek on television. The ratings of the shows that succeeded TNG declined steadily throughout their runs.

Most people who made TNG and Trek in general a hit didn't give a damn about the details and small plot points. By the time the Franchise was down to depending upon those who do, it was already fucked.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The only Space Nazis I will accept are the Cardassians, and they hardly really qualify (because they went from stereotypical har-har Space Nazis to an awesomely developed species).

The ones in Enterprise were beyond silly. What was is with those guys speaking English with a fake German accent? People, either have them speaking real German with subtitles, or normal English, so we can pretend they're speaking German. Also, when saying something in German, please have native speakers say it, because believe it or not, people notice, and there's a world outside of planet America.

Why would the Nazis all talk to each other in anything but their native language, and use one all of them speak poorly? They wouldn't have done that. It's so stupid it makes me gag.

/Cardassian-sized rant. Again. Sorry.

What????? Its been standard practice in entertainment for decades to use all the techniques that you mention when using characters who dont speak the language the show/film is being shot in.

Not familar with suspension of disbelief? The Nazi were speaking to each other in their native language. We "hear" it in English because thats the language the show was produced in and the one the intended audience of the show speaks. Same as when we hear aliens speaking to each other. I doubt in private Klingons, Vulcans and Cardassians speak English to each other. But for the audience's convenience they do.

As complaints go, this one is pretty weak.

 

[Squiggy]

 

[Hartzilla2007]

I doubt in private Klingons .... speak English to each other.

Except in Star Trek VI though, which was kind of strange since it was just for part of one scene.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I'm of the opinion that Star Trek is still alive. Although Voyager made for a very strong assassination attempt.

You're right, it's alive in the sense that a new TV series could be announced tomorrow and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. The biggest barrier to this happening is for somebody with industry clout to knock on CBS's door with a plausible plan that takes into consideration serious obstacles such as where it will air (certainly not on broadcast) and how to keep the budget manageable (international co-funding? Star Trek is a global brand that could travel well and sci fi often does well overseas even without a brand name attached.)

If Stephen Spielberg got it into his head that he really really wanted to do a Star Trek TV series, it would happen and it's likely that it would be a success.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The problem with that chart is that the pink nose-dive for DS9 coincides with the series that was the greatest departure from the post-TOS formula. Sure, the first season was pretty much just the formula, but TNG's ratings maintained a higher average level over the same time, which it shouldn't have, if wearyness over the formula was really to blame.

DS9's ratings kept falling even as it started to veer away from the formula in S2, and the ratings parallel to VOY, which did continue the formula. So that chart actually proves that the content of the series, and how formulaic or original they were, isn't what drove down the ratings. Otherwise, DS9 and VOY's ratings should have diverged instead of being practically superimposed and DS9's S1 should have paralleled TNG's ratings for the same year.

But the formula will never return (thank GOD!) because broadcast TV has changed so that Star Trek will never survive there again. It can only survive on cable, where any kind of lockstep formula is going to be rejected by an audience that is watching cable in order to avoid boring broadcast formula TV. Instead, Spielberg or whoever takes up the mantle will have to figure out what specific approach will work on whatever channel the show is airing on. They may have to do something that is a fairly radical departure - setting the show in the late 21st C for instance.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

So that chart actually proves that the content of the series, and how formulaic or original they were, isn't what drove down the ratings. Otherwise, DS9 and VOY's ratings should have diverged instead of being practically superimposed and DS9's S1 should have paralleled TNG's ratings for the same year.

I don't believe there is enough evidence in that chart to draw a conclusion one way or another on this point.

For one thing, DS9 and VOY ratings need not have diverged if the general viewing audience perceived no significant distinction between the two shows.

After all, these two shows do have a lot in common. All shows in the chart require the audience to take seriously a fantastic future in imaginary parts of outer space that is populated by humans, and lots of aliens, with speculative and esoteric relationships between them.

However, comparisons with the decay rates of other contemporaneous series might shed some light on whether the problem was just with Star Trek or whether it was market-wide.

 

[Greyson]

If DS9's ratings can decline, anything can decline. Anyone who has watched all of DS9 knows the show kept getting better as the ratings were falling. The same with Enterprise. That leads me to believe quality was not a factor in ratings for DS9 or ENT.

 

[Captain Robert April]

That chart also doesn't take into account the added competition that DS9 had to contend with that TNG didn't, as well as that DS9 was, throughout its run, one of the top rated syndicated hour dramas.

What it shows is as much a change in the landscape as it does a decline in weekly viewership (while also failing to take into account increased use of taping for later viewing).

 

[Sharr Khan]

Star Trek is not dead... Just ask JJ Abrams.

If anything made Trek dull and therefore "kill it" it would have to be writers being forced to write within "GR's Box". when what counts as "Good Star Trek" is something different from what makes good drama, everything is bound to suffer and the end product is sure to be dull and uninteresting.

If anything Enterprise should have been less afraid of going outside of the Trek mold...

 

[T'Girl]

Anyone who has watched all of DS9 knows the show kept getting better as the ratings were falling.

A matter of opinion. Many Star Trek fans, myself among them, did not care for the direction DS9 took.
The darkness and the multi-season war arc left a number of fans cold and resulted in the series being abandoned. I only recently watched the last two and a half seasons in their entirety.

No, the show (my own opinion) did not get "better." The problem wasn't the quality of the writing or acting, it was the overall theme of the show.

The same with Enterprise. That leads me to believe quality was not a factor in ratings for DS9 or ENT.

Same problem, if you enjoyed the Xindi Arc, then season three was great. If you thought the arc was far too protracted, then the season was bad. Again not all fans enjoy darkness, which is one explanation for the ratings drop. The darkness continues in many of the episodes of the fourth season.

It simply became tiresome.

 

[lisa]

I think that part of the problem for ENT was that that show was for fans. I think that the concept in general of a prequel series was not as interesting to new viewers who maybe haven't been fans yet. The show didn't really stand on its own.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the show. I don't care weather or not its cool. But if you weren't a trek fan before, I could see how the show wouldn't appeal to you.

 

[Rarewolf]

Certainly Enterprise for me no contest. I never went into the show ever dreaming I could hate Star Trek, that I could miss an episode without regret. And once I missed one (thinking I'll catch up later) it was easy to give up completely. It soured the milk.

It wasn't that I'd seen it all before - used to that - it was that we were now being told Archer did all it first. And it was just too polished and modern for a prequel to TOS.

 

[Admiral Shran]

If anything made Trek dull and therefore "kill it" it would have to be writers being forced to write within "GR's Box".

QFT!

I never went into the show ever dreaming I could hate Star Trek

My thoughts exactly on AbramsTrek.