Link8909 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 1:58 pm
I do agree on that, and I personally feel that they do have that understanding, Star Trek Picard tied into a lot of Captain Picard and The Next Generations history very well and in meaningful ways, and from what I've heard of Lower Decks you need an encyclopaedic knowledge of Star Trek to get many of the jokes.
True enough, and yet there's plenty of fumbling about to be disappointed over. While they were always going to do a "the United States is an empire in decline" tale, that had already been done very well over on DS9. Plus if Picard really needed to get a crew rallied together, why didn't he head to his old friends? I know Sir Patrick Stewart hadn't wanted a repeat of
All Good Things... but frankly there are creative ways to get around that. For the much-needed and cathartic final scene about the goodbye to Data we never had we are bogged down in post-9/11 & 21st century political themes, and though those can be done, I think the paradigm shift is going to hurt ST rather than help it in the end if they want to make this into a sustainable franchise for the future.
It was too easy to remark on what we all can see. It would have been much harder to preach about our goodness and show off a rebuilt Alpha Quadrant following the Dominion war, perhaps even a new interstellar pact like on B5, with an outside enemy threatening it, past one beyond the galaxy, since hey, we've seen them. That's a tragedy here. Up until the last few years, stories in the entertainment sphere had focused with largely external threats, in the age of heroes, and thanks to 9/11, worsening political discussions, and the age of the internet, we are more concerned on threats from inside than on the outside, and not in a good way, like you say was the case for the '90s.
Link8909 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 1:58 pm
And I also like that Star Trek Discovery is now in the 32nd century, as it allows a lot of creative freedom not just for stories but also world building, without the worry of continuity, much like with The Next Generation before, and while Star Trek Picard does have that history to consider because it's about Picard, it's still moving forward and can still go in different directions, and while Star Trek Strange New Worlds is a prequel, I think there's enough of a gap in that time to explore, and seeing the crew before Captain Kirk will be interesting to watch.
Indeed, there is a lot they can explore now, from the brief glimpses we've seen into that period, so it's a great opportunity, as we are seeing right now. But I think because it's 2020 and many American writers are concerned dystopia is already here, it's going to be very hard to write a story more in line with the themes of old that people first loved about ST. It can't be all doom and gloom. For as much potential that VOY wasted, it was still a good counterbalance that IMO, allowed DS9 to be made. Can we please have a bit more optimism? Just a little? But no, America has no faith in their future, and if the Dominion and even older characters like Weyoun or Dukat show up, expect them to be hamfisted fascist caricatures without depth. Though I'd love to be pleasantly surprised.
That's the thing with the new generation of writers. In the old days, they were either fans, or had the understanding that to write a good enemy, you had to have a bit of larceny in yourself, or admiration for the other side, as was noted in
Space Seed. We got a current crop of Millennial writers who were raised in the generation of participation trophies and how we're all winners, and an increasingly hyperpolarized political climate. Look no further than how back in the '90s, the GOP and DNC seemed fundamentally no different in terms of public discourse. Now there's been a radical shift, and it's also filtered right down into our entertainment, so that it just exacerbates the culture war.
Corporate leftists, an irony if there ever was one, are now being limited in what they can do. They have to work within the older trappings of lore to some extent or they'll lose the older fans, but they also want a new generation of fans, children, as well as a globalist mainstream appeal, which is weird since they throw in so many liberal themes that will get it banned in overseas markets if you stray too far. Those management policies don't jive together and though ST is leaps and bounds ahead of SW in that regard, it's still a concern. Nevertheless, I'd say there is a potential advantage in this, in that the age of streaming means you can, to an extent, take your time in crafting the material, which is why I feel wiki-reading is a must, and that the gold standard needs to be something similar to B5 or SG. And that still hasn't become mainstream, sadly.
Link8909 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 1:58 pm
Honestly, this is why I'm less critical about these new series and try to be constructive as I can with my criticisms, because most of the arguments made are the same as those back in the 80's (before I was born even) and that if people had their way back then we would have been robbed of all the good that came afterwards, I want these new series to get better, not go away, otherwise it'll be another decade or even longer before anyone even wants to do something with Star Trek.
A fair point and valid counterargument. I'm not even saying the new stuff is bad, mind you, except for the early gaffes STD made and quickly moved past. I do believe Makeshift Python was right about the reboot, and how it needed a lot more. As much as it might irk some, I shall say, bring back as much of the old guard as you can,
including Mr. Berman. I know that's going to raise a few hackles, but I believe if he were to be relegated to a position of creative consultant and maybe a minor producer, it could work. People forget Mr. Berman gave us stellar episodes in the TNG era. Bring back Mr. Moore. Even Mr. Braga. Get them gelling with the new stuff. But that's just what I'd do.
