Do you consider the Kelvinverse movies optimistic compared to DISCO?

[Mecha82]

The Abrams trilogy is simple fun. A ton of dark stuff happens, most of it much closer to home than the violence and tragic losses we typically see in the prime universe shows, but the films pretty much just shrug it off with big, tonally light action set pieces, some one-liners, and some smirks from Kirk.

Does that make the movies "optimistic?" Maybe in the sense that you know the tone will never get dark enough to detract from the fun and you know the heroes will come through fine in the end.

It does come with territory of those being movies as opposed to being TV series so those have to stand on they own. In movies stories need to fit to that movie's length so those have to be self contained stories with clear beginning, middle and end. And IMO in that sense Kelvinverse movies work as something that you can just watch and enjoy.

[clearspira]

The theatrical release of Blade Runner was more optimistic than STD. At least that ends with them riding off into the sunset.

[ChiggyvonRichthofen]

The Abrams trilogy is simple fun. A ton of dark stuff happens, most of it much closer to home than the violence and tragic losses we typically see in the prime universe shows, but the films pretty much just shrug it off with big, tonally light action set pieces, some one-liners, and some smirks from Kirk.

Does that make the movies "optimistic?" Maybe in the sense that you know the tone will never get dark enough to detract from the fun and you know the heroes will come through fine in the end.

It does come with territory of those being movies as opposed to being TV series so those have to stand on they own. In movies stories need to fit to that movie's length so those have to be self contained stories with clear beginning, middle and end. And IMO in that sense Kelvinverse movies work as something that you can just watch and enjoy.

I don't know, it's true that movies have less time to develop certain things, but it doesn't take much time at all to establish certain themes and the desired tone. Films with very dark stuff can still be fundamentally optimistic, or at least hopeful. For example, Children of Men and The Road both have post-apocalyptic, dystopian settings with a ton of dark stuff happening over the course of their runtime. Children of Men ends in a way that makes it, if not optimistic, at least hopeful considering its setting. The Road is thoroughly bleak and depressing.

So I don't think it's the format, I think it's the Kelvinverse films in particular that aren't saying anything of significance, although Beyond was a step in the right direction in that regard. A lot of blockbusters today also tend to damage their larger themes with disconsonant humor (e.g. The Last Jedi) and silly action scenes, and the first couple JJ-Trek movies in particular really go in for that.

Trek movies like The Motion Picture, The Voyage Home, and The Undiscovered Country as fundamentally optimistic movies, with TMP being the film that most closely captures the humanist ethos that Roddenberry espoused in his later years. Trek didn't always have that outlook, and later writers challenged it, but it's definitely there in TMP.

[Elderdog]

On the one hand I would say that the Kelvin universe has a lot more terrorist attacks, but at the end of each movie there seems to be a return to the status quo after every disaster. On the other hand Vulcan, arguably the moral and philosophical heart of the federation, was destroyed with most of its native lifeforms brought to the brink of extinction so I'd say it's about a 50/50 chance of a brighter future.
I haven't watched the new season of Discovery yet but the first episode gave me some hope for the future of the series and Vulcan still exists so I'd call it a net positive.

[Mecha82]

Trek movies like The Motion Picture, The Voyage Home, and The Undiscovered Country as fundamentally optimistic movies, with TMP being the film that most closely captures the humanist ethos that Roddenberry espoused in his later years. Trek didn't always have that outlook, and later writers challenged it, but it's definitely there in TMP.

I must admit that this is first time I have seen anyone actually say something positive about TMP considering that it's not very well liked ST movie and part of ones that are considered bad ones by both fans and critics alike. Not that being optimistic makes movie good mind you but still.

[Beastro]

I don't think the makes of the Abram's movies gave that deep, or "loyal" a thought to them. Everything about the movies (though I admit I haven't seen the last one) is just shallow surface imitation of Trek.

[Actarus]

There's a difference between "dark" and "pessimistic." Discovery is certainly darker than most incarnations of Star Trek, including Kelvin-verse. However, I still consider it "optimistic." Earth is the same terrestrial paradise described in the other series and movies, humanity is still about personal growth, tolerance, scientific progress, exploration of new life and civilizations, etc., but these values are put to the test.

[Karha of Honor]

There's a difference between "dark" and "pessimistic." Discovery is certainly darker than most incarnations of Star Trek, including Kelvin-verse. However, I still consider it "optimistic." Earth is the same terrestrial paradise described in the other series and movies, humanity is still about personal growth, tolerance, scientific progress, exploration of new life and civilizations, etc., but these values are put to the test.

They need space Hitlerina to help them with everything who as a pan sexual raped who knows what in the Mirror Universe...
The story took tolerance too far.