Why is Star Trek not that popular in younger people?

[YoungCadet]

Note - I'm new at this.

I'm under 20 (not gonna say real age) and I've noticed I'm the only one in my school who likes Star Trek. I was wondering if anyone knew why young people don't like it. I started watching it when I was 11 and have finished TOS , TNG, VOY. I'm in the middle of DS9. Live long and prosper.

 

[BillJ]

Welcome to the forum.

I simply don't know? But Trek seems to have a bit of a reputation as the hobby of fat, 40 year old virgins that live in their parents basements. Beyond that, Star Trek (including the spinoffs) is solidly rooted in the 1960's and some people simply aren't use to that type of storytelling.

J.J. Abrams, and now Justin Lin, have worked hard to bring it into the modern entertainment world, but I'm not sure that it is working.

 

[Captain Rob]

The answer is simply three words:

Insufficient attention span.

 

[Gov Kodos]

The TV versions are simply old. The stories, the scenery, the special effects are growing dated and uninteresting to audiences today. Space opera had its time on TV but like everything else it will come around again. The movies seem to suffice to those producing Trek at this point. I expect they will develop a TV show when they feel there may be enough audience interest but for now space opera just isn't in demand. Welcome to the TrekBBS.

 

[Disco]

The answer is simply three words:

Insufficient attention span.

I think that's unfair. If it's based on modern films lacking depth then I'll counter it with kids spending hours on computer games, which takes a huge attention span.

 

[IronMaiden]

I'm the only one that likes Star Trek in my school too.

And I got 1 friend that always calls me a nerd

But me and him mostly talk about metal music and stuff,

 

[F. King Daniel]

Trek is out there, in the public consciousness. Moreso The Original Series and reboot movies than the 90's spin-offs, though. Everyone knows who Kirk and Spock are, far less know about Janeway or Sisko.

 

[The Wormhole]

Well, for the crowd under twenty, Star Trek isn't that popular among them simply because it's barely on their radar. In the past decade, there have only been two Trek movies. Now it's possible all your friends saw it and enjoyed it, but as there is no other new Trek around they likely shrugged and had little incentive to take a further plunge into Trek.

Also, someone who is currently 20 years old would have been 10 when Enterprise ended, and 6 when it began. So, really, Enterprise was probably the only Trek series they'd really be familiar with, but chances are when they were 6-10 they were interested in other shows altogether. As for the other Treks, people in general rarely gravitate to shows from before they were born. I only do it for classic Star Trek, Doctor Who and BSG. And even then, it's because I started off as fans of modern era versions of those shows. For people who don't really have a modern Trek to hook them, there's very little incentive for them to watch nearly 50 years worth of material.

 

[hux]

Because Star Trek is just awful. Silly pointed ears and beam me up nonsense.

To be honest, there's a billion action movies that come & go these days and the NuTrek films are amongst them. I think a strong television presence creates fandom (as well as saturation & contempt).

 

[22 Stars]

No fun Trek marketed to youth markets. No animated series on Cartoon Network or other youth oriented channels.

http://www.startrek.com/article/dad-shares-his-love-of-trek-with-son

I have done my part, sharing Trek with my son, but CBS/Paramount has to step up to keep the franchise from dying out.

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Trek is out there, in the public consciousness. Moreso The Original Series and reboot movies than the 90's spin-offs, though. Everyone knows who Kirk and Spock are, far less know about Janeway or Sisko.

What are you on about... everybody seems to be talking about Cardassians from what I can make out...

Oh... wait...they aren't Cardassians.

 

[YoungCadet]

Thank you all for your insight. I will continue to love Star Trek.
In fact, because of trek, my love for space, and my intelligence, I plan a career in science.
Any other posts will be appreciated!

 

[Chronos]

I'm relatively young, and I really like Star Trek. I even have several friends who like Star Trek, although I doubt they would call themselves Trekkies. Oddly enough, all of us are far more interested in TOS and TNG/DS9/VOY than we are in ENT and NuTrek, despite the fact that ENT and NuTrek seem to have been designed to target our generation specifically. Then again, we're the sort of people who don't scoff at older movies, television shows, and music. If the content is good then we're interested.

 

[USS Pertinax]

The answer is simply three words:

Insufficient attention span.

GOT has much more complexity and is quite popular.

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Oddly enough, all of us are far more interested in TOS and TNG/DS9/VOY than we are in ENT and NuTrek, despite the fact that ENT and NuTrek seem to have been designed to target our generation specifically.

Excellent. Though this is just about having a thing called taste

 

[K'Toska]

I dunno. I'm 25 and didn't get into Trek until I was 24. Even now, I know very few people who like it the way I do regardless of the fact that a lot of my friends are total nerds. Most of the people I do know who are into it are much older than I am. I mean I've got friends who play D&D, Magic the Gathering, and are into video games and sci-fi but they have no interest in Star Trek. It makes zero sense to me. I've gotta say there is certainly a stigma surrounding being a Trekkie. I didn't get into sci-fi until I was about 19 even though I was into science and fantasy. I grew up basically being told that Trek was for total weirdos. That's ok with me now as I fully embrace my weirdness. Personally I always assumed Star Trek was more action than sci-fi and that kept me from being interested since dialogue is very important to me in stories, whether in a book or on tv. I'm really glad I got over my ingrained prejudices and gave it a shot.

I have been trying to get more and more people into it but another thing is that there is just sooo much. It's hard to decide which series or movie to introduce someone to. I had that same issue when I was getting into it myself. My husband showed me a few movies and some episodes of TNG but I wasn't very impressed. Then I finished "Farscape" and wanted/desperately needed more sci-fi tv in my life so I gave DS9 a shot based on its title alone. Friggin' loved that shit so I tried out the rest.

What people, imo/ime, fail to realize about Trek is it's not just technobabble and phasers being fired. There are numerous philosophical, ethical, societal, and political questions brought up throughout the shows. We get to see a series of hypothetical situations and how they can be handled. We get to see a world where poverty has been eliminated but other problems remain. We get to see human potential at its best and worst. I would think those predisposed to love the liberal arts would be especially interested in all of this.

 

[RandyS]

people in general rarely gravitate to shows from before they were born.

Speak for yourself. Alot of what I watch is from before I was born. Of course, TV only existed about twenty years before I was born, but that's beside the point.

 

[Phantom]

Trek is out there, in the public consciousness. Moreso The Original Series and reboot movies than the 90's spin-offs, though. Everyone knows who Kirk and Spock are, far less know about Janeway or Sisko.

What are you on about... everybody seems to be talking about Cardassians from what I can make out...

Oh... wait...they aren't Cardassians.

Seriously though, I think a lot of it is simply attitudinal. Positive, optimistic sci-fi is out of fashion (at least for the forseeable future). Frankly, positive, optimistic anything seems to be out of fashion.

We live in a dark, cynical age and no one seems to be able to show us a way out. So we put one foot in front of the other and just try to survive. And get out jollies watching other people humiliate themselves/be humiliated or even physically hurt for our amusement.

Oddly enough, all of us are far more interested in TOS and TNG/DS9/VOY than we are in ENT and NuTrek, despite the fact that ENT and NuTrek seem to have been designed to target our generation specifically.

Excellent. Though this is just about having a thing called taste

That was not called for, SOS. Once Enterprise got going it was quite good.

 

[JWPlatt]

The question of the thread title presupposes the truth of the claim. Most posts here also seem to accept the truth of it. Upon what is this based? My boys love Star Trek. Arguably more than Star Wars. I'd have to be convinced that the posts here have any correlation to the general population; I'd question whether most of us are extreme bits of data that are often tossed to get a more accurate and overall picture of the potential audience - one reason the films often stress targeting everyone instead of the "core fans" to make the films "accessible."

 

[fireproof78]

I really have no good point of reference. My daughters are still rather young to be showed Star Trek or Star Wars at this point, but I certainly will when I feel they are ready.

I think that it is a lack of awareness. When I was in junior high/high school in the 90s, Star Trek was everywhere, and people were more aware, if not enjoying it. Even my own circle of friends would sometimes tire of the amount of Trek, and go towards Star Wars, StarCraft, and the like.

Nowadays, there is not that large presence. I have to actively seek how Star Trek to find and discuss, be it novels, comics, Star Trek magazine, or forums

There are other facets that come in to play now too. My experience has been with the younger generation is less likely to want to pay for something unless they find it interesting. I've heard commentary about how there was an app that 99 cents and that was "too much" but when it became free, then it was the thing to have. The app had not changed, but the price tag of 99 cents was seen as prohibitive.

Finally, there really is not much investment in something new from the content creators. The current merchandising patterns is far more oriented to the existing fan base (Mego retro Star Trek cloth figures, anyone?) than engaging a newer market.

In short, its complicated