Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 3x04 - "A Space Adventure Hour"

[Bad Thoughts]

While I find many of the critiques about SNW impulsive or obtuse, I feel they deserve some sympathy. Bob Bakish promised that the studio had analytics that would allow them to "super serve fans." If we take the claim at face value, all ardent long-term fans are part of the equation. What does it mean if they are not finding episode not just to their liking, but outside their experience of what Star Trek is? Have they been consciously excluded from the equation?

 

[fireproof78]

While I find many of the critiques about SNW impulsive or obtuse, I feel they deserve some sympathy. Bob Bakish promised that the studio had analytics that would allow them to "super serve fans." If we take the claim at face value, all ardent long-term fans are part of the equation. What does it mean if they are not finding episode not just to their liking, but outside their experience of what Star Trek is? Have they been consciously excluded from the equation?

The experience of fans is always different too, which makes the equation more difficult. My dad thoroughly enjoys TOS and it's movies and the Kelvin films...and that's it. He never liked TNG and the rest of that era he ignored. And he's not much in to recent items either.

SNW has a touch of later Voyager to it when it started including Barclay.

 

[Uhura's Song]

I survived PIC Season 2, and even that hot mess didn't ruin Star Trek.

And the beginning and the ending were even pretty good.

SNW S3 has not been as good as S1 & S2 for me, but it has still been pretty good. Hegemony II was not as good as I, but is was still pretty darn good, IMHO.

Wedding Bell Blues was not up to the level of "Spock Amok" or "Charades" or "Those Old Scientists" as a comedy Spock/Chapel ep, but it was just fine and beat "Serene Squall." Trelane was a nice callback

The zombie one was OK. And I actually liked the holodeck one even better.

Hoping for better starting tonight though.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

The experience of fans is always different too, which makes the equation more difficult.

I agree. It was a bold promise, but I can't ignore that there are fans whose idea of Trek is different. I doubt there is a magical formula thst allows each series, each story to be universally appealing. Ideally, they should have launched three new series, not cancel or wind down all of them. The answer seems to be running SNW almost like an anthology. Same characters, but radically different genres from episode to episode. And to appeal to those who want less serialization, it means that all the development is in the characters. It ends up having a light feel in many instances. Regardless, promising to please the crowd can run them into trouble, when they should take the approach that "[their] job is not to give the fans what they want, our job is to give the fans what they need" (a paraphrase of Robert Bresson, which I've heard several Trek writers say).

 

[Campe]

Its a non issue to you but there are others who take it a bit more seriously.

Look, I didn't like Picard season 3. I criticized it pretty heavily when it was first run. But I also did my best to acknowledge when something did work for me. I didn't completely dismiss it because I found flaws in it. And there was some good stuff there. A lot I could do without but I wanted to see how it ended. But I tried to find something positive, even in the worst episodes. SNW isn't some fans' cup of tea? Fine. I get it. I really do. But out of a certain group, I see doomsaying about every aspect of SNW. Maybe its just not their cup of tea. But instead of actually doing the productive thing and finding something else to watch. Instead, they bitch and moan about how its destroying Star Trek. (Spoiler Alert: Its not.)

Its really okay to just walk away. The Star Trek you love will still be there. Promise.

 

[Greg Cox]

I survived PIC Season 2, and even that hot mess didn't ruin Star Trek.

Heck, I survived STAR TREK V and the first season of TNG.

But here's the thing. Was I disappointed by the fifth movie? Sure. Did I gripe about it to my friends? Absolutely. Did I hope to God the next Trek movie was better? You bet.

But then I got on with my life. I didn't demand that the movie be officially stricken from "canon." I didn't hyperbolically declare that Star Trek's sacred legacy had been sullied forever. I didn't vilify everybody involved in making the movie. And, no, I didn't take it personally and feel that all us of old-school Trekkies had been insulted or slapped in the face.

It was a disappointing sequel, not a crime against fandom.

And this isn't about not taking "a stand" because this isn't a matter of moral principle, IMO. It's merely about whether or not we enjoyed a particular installment in a favorite sci-fi series.

Just to put things in perspective.

 

[Campe]

Leave it to @Greg Cox to outwrite me.



Well said, good sir!

 

[Borgminister]

Well, that was kind of fun... I got some weird USS Callister / In Living Color Jim Carrey vibes at the very outset, and wondered where the heck the story was going... Absolutely loved the fake intro, even though the very final fake blooper outtakes struck me as a bit forced. Everything in between was pretty solid for the fluff piece that the show was, and you could tell the cast was having a blast doing it. I did like the character development for Scotty and why he preferred to rely on himself only after his Gorn experience. How he got that warning through to La'an was cool too, and should've tipped me off about fake Spock. But the twist did get me, to be honest... Spock being "too cold" as the giveaway. I think those two have good (not great) chemistry, and certaintly could be on Dancing with the Stars, Trek edition... My only complaint, if any, is that with a mere 10 episodes a season, is there really time to waste on such an inconsequential instalment? Still enjoyed for what it was, to the tune of a middling 8.

 

[Greg Cox]

While I find many of the critiques about SNW impulsive or obtuse, I feel they deserve some sympathy. Bob Bakish promised that the studio had analytics that would allow them to "super serve fans." If we take the claim at face value, all ardent long-term fans are part of the equation. What does it mean if they are not finding episode not just to their liking, but outside their experience of what Star Trek is? Have they been consciously excluded from the equation?

The thing is, even us ardent long-time fans do not speak with the same voice, as the internet (and this very BBS) prove every day. Even lifelong fans have different tastes, expectations, priorities, etc.

So "serving the fans" does not mean the same thing to all of us. For some, that means being very strict about "canon." For others, that might mean plenty of nostalgic easter eggs -- which other long-time fans may scornfully dismiss as "fan service." Some folks are all about the characters, some about the science and engineering, some about the topical allegories, or utopian messaging, or whatever.

Seriously, you're never going to be able to satisfy "all ardent long-time fans" because we're a famously opinionated bunch who seldom agree on anything.

Don't believe me? Go to any thread about the "best" or "worst" Trek movies, series, or episodes. Chances are, you're going to see the same titles appearing on both lists.

For every lifelong Trekkie who thinks that TMP is a masterpiece, there's another who thinks it's an utter bore. For every diehard Trekker who thinks DS9 is far and away the best Trek series ever, there's no shortage of fans who still can't get into it -- and are quite vocal about disliking it.

Heck, we can't even agree on "Trekkie" vs. "Trekker" so why think all devoted "long-time fans" are going to care about the same things?

 

[HotRod]

I am worried cuz what's being offered isn't clicking at all.

Isn't clicking for you.

 

[fireproof78]

Heck, I survived STAR TREK V and the first season of TNG.

But here's the thing. Was I disappointed by the fifth movie? Sure. Did I gripe about it to my friends? Absolutely. Did I hope to God the next Trek movie was better? You bet.

But then I got on with my life. I didn't demand that the movie be officially stricken from "canon." I didn't hyperbolically declare that Star Trek's sacred legacy had been sullied forever. I didn't vilify everybody involved in making the movie. And, no, I didn't take it personally and feel that all us of old-school Trekkies had been insulted or slapped in the face.

It was a disappointing sequel, not a crime against fandom.

And this isn't about not taking "a stand" because this isn't a matter of moral principle, IMO. It's merely about whether or not we enjoyed a particular installment in a favorite sci-fi series.

Just to put things in perspective.

I wish I could like this more than once.

Well written. Maybe you can write a book someday

 

[Bad Thoughts]

The thing is, even us ardent long-time fans do not speak with the same voice, as the internet (and this very BBS) prove every day. Even lifelong fans have different tastes, expectations, priorities, etc.

So "serving the fans" does not mean the same thing to all of us. For some, that means being very strict about "canon." For others, that might mean plenty of nostalgic easter eggs -- which other long-time fans may scornfully dismiss as "fan service." Some folks are all about the characters, some about the science and engineering, some about the topical allegories, or utopian messaging, or whatever.

Seriously, you're never going to be able to satisfy "all ardent long-time fans" because we're a famously opinionated bunch who seldom agree on anything.

Don't believe me? Go to any thread about the "best" or "worst" Trek movies, series, or episodes. Chances are, you're going to see the same titles appearing on both lists.

For every lifelong Trekkie who thinks that TMP is a masterpiece, there's another who thinks it's an utter bore. For every diehard Trekker who thinks DS9 is far and away the best Trek series ever, there's no shortage of fans who still can't get into it -- and are quite vocal about disliking it.

Heck, we can't even agree on "Trekkie" vs. "Trekker" so why think all devoted "long-time fans" are going to care about the same things?

I'm not making a claim on the feasibility of what Bakish promised, but he did promise it, no? I think that conversation needs to be with someone else.