This is my biggest thing and it often feels very frustrating. Things blindly accepted in the older shows are now the benchmark for the newer shows to fail to cross. Sometimes, it feels like Newer Trek is deliberately set up to fail.
Spoilers Strange New Worlds General Discussion Thread
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IIRC, Terry Farrell had an allergic reaction to the forehead prosthetic, which is what necessitated a new look for the Trill.They did test out the TNG Trill makeup.
People can forgive a bit a early instalment weirdness, but the more something appears the more it's locked in and we'd had Klingons as main cast characters in something like 450 episodes at the point that Discovery started. We know what Klingons look like by this point.
Another factor is how important their first appearance was. Balance of Terror was such stand-out episode of TOS that contradicting anything about the Romulans or the cloaking device feels wrong. It's one of the stories that everyone is recommended to watch. Counter-Clock Incident was absolutely terrible and no one should watch it, but it showed people the first captain of the Enterprise so I can see why that would stick in people's minds.
On the other hand The Host is an unmemorable story that would struggle to make it into a 'Top 150 TNG Episodes' list, so basically no one cares if DS9 changed the Trill. There could be a very good explanation for why this Trill situation was so different and why the TNG crew didn't know what a Trill was even though they'd been around forever, and I'm happy to leave it a mystery because I've already forgotten the episode.
Here you go, they're a completely different race described with the same word, like how Changelings and Chameloids are both shapeshifters. You can trace the word's origin to the Trill species who live on Trill, but they're not the only 'trill'. Solved.
Another factor is how important their first appearance was. Balance of Terror was such stand-out episode of TOS that contradicting anything about the Romulans or the cloaking device feels wrong. It's one of the stories that everyone is recommended to watch. Counter-Clock Incident was absolutely terrible and no one should watch it, but it showed people the first captain of the Enterprise so I can see why that would stick in people's minds.
On the other hand The Host is an unmemorable story that would struggle to make it into a 'Top 150 TNG Episodes' list, so basically no one cares if DS9 changed the Trill. There could be a very good explanation for why this Trill situation was so different and why the TNG crew didn't know what a Trill was even though they'd been around forever, and I'm happy to leave it a mystery because I've already forgotten the episode.
Here you go, they're a completely different race described with the same word, like how Changelings and Chameloids are both shapeshifters. You can trace the word's origin to the Trill species who live on Trill, but they're not the only 'trill'. Solved.
The point is, continuity bitching really is an all or nothing deal. If you're going to bitch about one supposed continuity error, you have to bitch about all of them. If you start making excuses like "that wasn't a particularly good look to begin with" or "that episode sucked" or whatever to excuse certain ones, you lose all credibility and your complaints will not be taken seriously. Likewise, if your excuse is "an episode explained that twenty-five years later" than you it to yourself not to complain about the supposed error for at least twenty-five years.
It really isn't an all or nothing deal. You can't expect perfection, people forget things, life gets in the way. There will always be a thousand things you can nitpick, that's just how it is. But you can expect creators to make a proper effort to remain consistent with what has already been established and you can definitely expect fans to be unhappy when they don't.
I agree though I'll simplify my stance: bitch all you want; just don't say it's not real Trek, the production team doesn't understand, or bridge crew deserve development.
Because none of those have been true before Kurtzman took over and even Matalas messed up.
Still canon, still not an alternate universe.
Because none of those have been true before Kurtzman took over and even Matalas messed up.
Still canon, still not an alternate universe.
That just sounds like a baked-in excuse to move the goalposts to suit your argument.
Never say never. Though I got to say I kind of like the idea of just doing alternate universes that are still sort of connected but not really connected. I would so love right now if SNW actually embraced the idea it's not in the Prime Universe and changed Pike's fate. My favorite idea for the show right now is still the idea of the show killing Captain Kirk in the season final and maybe doing some other big change like Spock and Chapel getting married.
Killing off characters that people like is a surefire way to win people over.
As they should. What with him being the star and all.
And?
Really enjoying the selective targeting of characters for death.
Ichab dies. Tears and protests.
Kirk dies? Meh, there's always Pike.
I dig the Andorian redesign. I feel like those little edges at the brows and sides.
Tellarite design too, feels more real. Except for those tusk. Don't like the tusks.
Don't like what they did with the Xindi Insectoid BUUUUUT. I have the seemingly old school mentality of filling in gaps/holes with headcanon and will think the Insectoid is a Insectoid-primate Xindi hybrid.
Keep the bloodline pure, amirite? Xindi in Xindi!
Tellarite design too, feels more real. Except for those tusk. Don't like the tusks.
Don't like what they did with the Xindi Insectoid BUUUUUT. I have the seemingly old school mentality of filling in gaps/holes with headcanon and will think the Insectoid is a Insectoid-primate Xindi hybrid.
Keep the bloodline pure, amirite? Xindi in Xindi!
If you subscribe to the belief that transporter upgrades are the reason the transporter effect changes, than the Starfleet transporters we see on DS9 have not been upgraded since TNG times, as they have the exact same effect used in TNG.
Then the theory falls apart completely when you take into account that they use Cardassian transporters on the station, which have been stated to be more primitive than Starfleet ones.
Perhaps the calculations/jury-rigged workarounds have improved, or perhaps Cardassians had cracked the symbiont problem before the Federation did (for whatever reason).
If you've accepted you can't expect perfection, you've also waived your right to complain when you don't get it.
No I think I'm going to continue criticising things.
I'd settle for all Trek being treated somewhat equally.
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