IrishNero
Commodore
If you are reading all of that from what I posted, then you are obviously reading too much into what I stated.
Will Trekkies die out?
- Thread starter blockmaster2001
- Start date
If you are reading all of that from what I posted, then you are obviously reading too much into what I stated.
They can stick to their crap like Twilight, Hunger Games, and Divergent.
Most of the best entertainment currently on the market ignores the kiddies and appeals directly to adults. That's the approach Star Trek should emulate if it wants to cling to life for a few more years.
IrishNero
Commodore
Yes, for a few more years.
My impression is that today's children are bombarded by a million bits of infotainment and garbage from all sides. My teenage daughter goes out of her mind when I ask her to sit through dinner without texting ten friends...while simultaneously watching an episode of something or another. She's an honors student, but she can't tell me who the last President of the US was, and doesn't know if Germany is part of Europe. - But she knows every word to every song that's come out in the past 3 years, and many 'likes' she has at any given moment...
My general impression is that Star Trek has always been the bastion of adults whereas Star Wars was for kids. That's not to say I don't like Star Wars, or that an 8-year old can't like Trek. I just think Trek has always appealed more to adults, and the most cerebral among them. Perhaps today's children will be tomorrow's Trekkies/Trekkers, but my hunch is that Trek is going to a thing of the past, unless they can either change their formulation, or the kids can learn to sit still for an hour or so.
But I could be wrong. Trek has been declared DOA before, only to rise from the grave...
Nope.
IrishNero
Commodore
You reckon they are going to ignore 79 amazing, totally immersive, 4D holodeck adventures?
Probably. Except for the seasons when retro is in.
It will be Captain Proton. Always an audience but definitely dead in most people's minds.
It will be Captain Proton. Always an audience but definitely dead in most people's minds.
No. "Star Trek", "Doctor Who", "Star Wars", "Batman", Superman". Modern mythology.
Right now Trek is virtually non existent on TV. You'll see the movies sure enough, but the series are virtually gone.
I was surprised stations like SYFY never picked up on it.
I do catch them on Netflix, but for certain reasons, it's not the same.
For one, I notice, TNG's re-watch-ability is low for me. The show seems more restricted and dated than when I first watched it.
Yet if I see the reruns on TV, I notice I'll pay more attention to it.
If a new Trek show were airing now, everyone would be on this site discussing it, reviewing it etc.
The franchise could still use a shot in the arm with a TV show-- but it just can't be a failure this time.
I was surprised stations like SYFY never picked up on it.
I do catch them on Netflix, but for certain reasons, it's not the same.
For one, I notice, TNG's re-watch-ability is low for me. The show seems more restricted and dated than when I first watched it.
Yet if I see the reruns on TV, I notice I'll pay more attention to it.
If a new Trek show were airing now, everyone would be on this site discussing it, reviewing it etc.
The franchise could still use a shot in the arm with a TV show-- but it just can't be a failure this time.
It depends on your TV package, especially if you have digital tier channels. On mine, TOS runs six times a week on a local channel, while BBC America seems to run TNG more each week than it runs Doctor Who at times.
DS9, VOY, ENT, and even TAS are also available for any local channel or cable/satellite network that wants to run them, but viewers have to tell them that they want to see those shows and even pressure them to do so if necessary.
SyFy leans more towards their own productions and newer acquisitions these days. Aside from the occasional brief marathon of TNG episodes now and then, they really don't show too many shows that aren't in production anymore, though. They might start showing TOS again for its 50th anniversary next year maybe.
IrishNero
Commodore
TNG, DS9 and VOY all seemed to run constantly in the late 1990s up until around 2008. Frankly, I was burned out and had seen every episode multiple times. I think anyone who loved those shows were probably in the same boat. Time marches on, and something new is bound to take their place sooner or later. That's the one constant of television.
The Star Trek story has likely entered the permanent literature much as have Shakespeare's plays, which were originally seen as low-grade popular dramas. Although Shakespeare was a gifted writer, it was his poetry that got early recognition for greatness, not the plays he put on at the Globe Theater making his fan base today. Star Trek products likewise vary in quality but have included decent authors such as Theodore Sturgeon. They carry pieces of the American political ideal from the height of this country's flower alongside a philosophical quiz set.
Your hypothesis that transmissions directed toward children or teens maintain a franchise over time is fascinating. The Globe was hardly the sort of place kids were encouraged to attend. Yet they discovered the material anyway as soon as they became old enough to understand its issues, and ditto for young people now. Childhood itself is a fairly recent invention. Can we thus view the jury on this question as still undecided?
I know how you feel. I'm pretty young, relatively speaking (nineteen), and I didn't know any other Star Trek fans when I was growing up. It often made feel a little lonely, from time to time.
Anyway, I do also understand what you might be getting at when you talk about the new films. To older fans, it might be difficult for them to see what's happening but, from my experience, they aren't actually breeding new fans.
I've come across plenty of people (my age) who really like the new films but are incredibly averse to the rest of the franchise.
The great thing is though, there are exceptions (like you), and we're in an Internet Age! There are weekly pod-casts, fan-fiction writers, licensed authors, discussion forums, video reviewers and so on, who're all keeping the community alive and well.
The Star Trek fan-base is, essentially, too large to die out; it, now, grows under its own momentum.
Anyway, I do also understand what you might be getting at when you talk about the new films. To older fans, it might be difficult for them to see what's happening but, from my experience, they aren't actually breeding new fans.
I've come across plenty of people (my age) who really like the new films but are incredibly averse to the rest of the franchise.
The great thing is though, there are exceptions (like you), and we're in an Internet Age! There are weekly pod-casts, fan-fiction writers, licensed authors, discussion forums, video reviewers and so on, who're all keeping the community alive and well.
The Star Trek fan-base is, essentially, too large to die out; it, now, grows under its own momentum.
I became a Trek-fan because of TNG back in the day. Sure, I had seen a couple of the movies, but it was the episodes that did the trick.
I'm not sure these new movies will attract a lot of people who aren't already fan of the TV-shows. They are action movies with some recognizable Trek-elements to satisfy the older Trekkies. But to the new audience, they are just that: Yet another sci-fi action flick.
Hmmm, this gives me an idea for a poll....
I'm not sure these new movies will attract a lot of people who aren't already fan of the TV-shows. They are action movies with some recognizable Trek-elements to satisfy the older Trekkies. But to the new audience, they are just that: Yet another sci-fi action flick.
Hmmm, this gives me an idea for a poll....
