Your honest opinion on the Berman era

[Sim]

While I appreciate the awe inspiring greatness of TMP's SF concept, I miss the characters we know from TOS. They just don't really feel like they are the same characters, imo.

 

[cooleddie74]

The shoulder epaulets also had the TOS rank braids on them, which made them doubly interesting.

 

[BillJ]

While I appreciate the awe inspiring greatness of TMP's SF concept, I miss the characters we know from TOS. They just don't really feel like they are the same characters, imo.

It is a fair criticism, though I think the whole point was that they’d moved on with their lives and were different people.

 

[1001001]

It is a fair criticism, though I think the whole point was that they’d moved on with their lives and were different people.

And then went back to the characters they were for another 40+ years…

 

[WarpTenLizard]

Mixed felings. The 24th Century is my favorite era for "Trek," but the limitations Bergman and Braga put on themselves during the 90s get really aggravating. Namely:

• "No modern slang! It has to sound like the 24th Century!" Resulting in a lot of stiff and clichéd dialogue.
• Rubber forehead aliens.
• No sense that any art, music or entertainment had been created after the 21st Century.
• The writers' cowardice about diversity. They played it more safe than other popular scifi shows that weren't even about diversity or pushing the limits, like "Trek" is supposed to.

 

[Sim]

The 24th Century my favorite era for "Trek," but the limitations Bergman and Braga put on themselves during the 90s get really aggravating. Namely:

• "No modern slang! It has to sound like the 24th Century!" Resulting in a lot of stiff and clichéd dialogue.
• Rubber forehead aliens.
• No sense that any art, music or entertainment had been created after the 21st Century.
• The writers' cowardice about diversity. They played it more safe than other popular scifi shows that weren't even about diversity or pushing the limits, like "Trek" is supposed to.

I see how this can get boring or clichéd after hundreds of episodes ... but on the plus side, it gave the shows a certain "classicist", almost theatre-like vibe (supported by really good according acting by some of the lead actors). That certainly set apart Berman-Trek from other shows.

 

[Dukhat]

The 24th Century my favorite era for "Trek," but the limitations Bergman and Braga put on themselves during the 90s get really aggravating. Namely:

• "No modern slang! It has to sound like the 24th Century!" Resulting in a lot of stiff and clichéd dialogue.
• Rubber forehead aliens.
• No sense that any art, music or entertainment had been created after the 21st Century.
• The writers' cowardice about diversity. They played it more safe than other popular scifi shows that weren't even about diversity or pushing the limits, like "Trek" is supposed to.

Star Trek was never about extrapolating what a future society would be like. It was about contemporary people in a futuristic setting. If the characters start acting in ways that the audience doesn't understand or follow, then the audience isn't going to watch the show.

With that said, I do get the points you've made.

 

[Disposable_Ensign]

No sense that any art, music or entertainment had been created after the 21st Century.

Where is this coming from? One example I can think of is we hear Vulcan and Klingon music in DS9, something that never happened on TOS/TAS.

Star Trek was never about extrapolating what a future society would be like.

Roddenberry's vision was depicting a utopian future society. At least, initially.

 

[Sim]

Where is this coming from? One example I can think of is we hear Vulcan and Klingon music in DS9, something that never happened on TOS/TAS.

Roddenberry's vision was depicting a utopian future society. At least, initially.

Now as you mention it ... we hear bits of Tamarian music on TNG. And Bajoran music on DS9.

But Earth art always seems to be "classical".

 

[Disposable_Ensign]

Now as you mention it ... we hear bits of Tamarian music on TNG. And Bajoran music on DS9.

But Earth art always seems to be "classical".

Perhaps the distance from Earth and alieness of the worlds where Starfleet is serving makes people want something completely un-alien, traditionally human, and even non-technological (classical music, art, printed literature, etc.)

 

[Lord Garth]

To be fair, I feel like a '90s version of 24th Century culture and art would look extremely dated today. So, it's probably just as well that they stuck with classics.

 

[Disposable_Ensign]

To be fair, I feel like a '90s version of 24th Century culture and art would look extremely dated today. So, it's probably just as well that they stuck with classics.

Like avoiding "space-age" slang.

 

[Dukhat]

Classical music has already survived for several centuries. It will undoubtedly survive for several more. Justin Bieber, on the other hand…

 

[Sim]

Perhaps the distance from Earth and alieness of the worlds where Starfleet is serving makes people want something completely un-alien, traditionally human, and even non-technological (classical music, art, printed literature, etc.)

They like holo novels, though, which is perhaps the 24th century equivalent to movies and video games ... and Tom likes campy 20th century tv and they got movie nights on ENT.

 

[Disposable_Ensign]

They like holo novels, though, which is perhaps the 24th century equivalent to movies and video games ... and Tom likes campy 20th century tv and they got movie nights on ENT.

I wouldn't consider those films any less classic to them than Brahms is to us. The art is still very Earth-y and far removed from the relative isolation of deep space.

 

[1001001]

Where is this coming from? One example I can think of is we hear Vulcan and Klingon music in DS9, something that never happened on TOS/TAS.

Klingon music in Voyager.

 

[fireproof78]

Klingon music in Voyager.

Vulcan music too.

The 24th Century my favorite era for "Trek," but the limitations Bergman and Braga put on themselves during the 90s get really aggravating. Namely:

• "No modern slang! It has to sound like the 24th Century!" Resulting in a lot of stiff and clichéd dialogue.
• Rubber forehead aliens.
• No sense that any art, music or entertainment had been created after the 21st Century.
• The writers' cowardice about diversity. They played it more safe than other popular scifi shows that weren't even about diversity or pushing the limits, like "Trek" is supposed to.

Agreed. It's familiar and comfortable but not very dynamic at times. The human arts seem very moribund, with only Data or the Doctor showing much creative pursuits consistently.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

We know that Human artistic endeavours circa late 20th-early 21st centuries would have face the challenge of all the turmoil happening at the time. To expect too many given works we have in the real world to be created regardless would be absurd. Some, sure.

 

[Sim]

The worst problem is, of course, that Star Trek exists in a universe where the Star Trek franchise never existed in the 20th and 21st centuries.

 

[Disposable_Ensign]

We know that Human artistic endeavours circa late 20th-early 21st centuries would have face the challenge of all the turmoil happening at the time. To expect too many given works we have in the real world to be created regardless would be absurd. Some, sure.

Don't forget WW3 and all that presumably putting a damper on human society in general.