Should Star Wars and Star Trek belong in the public domain?

[ChiggyvonRichthofen]

There are exceptions, the people who make a living creating stories do a better job than those who do it in the free time as a hobby. So while I'm not thrilled with the direction either franchise has taken, no, I don't buy the premise that fans would do a better job. I think it should also be pointed out that some of the people working on Star Trek were fans before they started writing novels or working on the television show- they unfortunately just haven't done a great job.

What fans tend to bring is self-indulgence. If you're part of a certain niche that enjoys Star Trek for exactly the same reasons, then the fanfiction that caters to only that niche might very well seem like "Trek at its purest." Professional writers and directors need to appeal to a much broader audience and operate at a much higher standard of storytelling than someone who is just writing a story for fun. That relates to my problem with The Last Jedi- I feel like Rian Johnson was given too much freedom as an auteur rather than operating within the framework laid out by his predecessors. The result is a work that doesn't fit in the trilogy or the saga as a whole.

What I want is to see these franchises with almost limitless potential to actually go in a new direction rather than rehashing the original stories in borderline plagiaristic fashion. What I don't want is every fan and their mother telling us about the new adventures of young Kirk and Spock or how Janeway and Sisko and Picard meet in an alternate dimension to fight the Borg. Take inspiration from the stories and create something new.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Nick Meyer and the writer of Wrath of Khan weren't familiar with Trek at all when they signed on. The writer binge watched TOS, and thought Khan would make a great villain centerpiece for the movie.

Though, I'm not so sure that professionals tend to fare well with franchises in spite of their familiarity. I think it really takes a bishop understanding of things to translate a lore into a film. Between idea and execution you need someone that can picture what's going to work with people without having to explain it like a fanboy or philosopher.

[Yukaphile]

The difference between them and today's writers is they had watched every episode of Trek at least once.

[Karha of Honor]

The difference between them and today's writers is they had watched every episode of Trek at least once.

That sounds like a bad resume. There is so much bad Star Trek.

[Yukaphile]

There was bad Trek in TOS too.

[Admiral X]

There are exceptions, the people who make a living creating stories do a better job than those who do it in the free time as a hobby.

I've seen enough examples to say otherwise. Sure, there's plenty of bad fan fic, but there's also some really good stuff out there, done by fans simply for the love of it and the hope that their fellow fans could enjoy what they've made.

[clearspira]

As for the fans doing better stuff, well maybe. But with the fandom so hooked up on "canon" and "continuity" (like you) it would be hard to keep a unified timeline with hundreds of fans writing their fanfics...

So you would rather that stories did not make sense is what you are saying? Because that is what ''canon'' and ''continuity'' is. It is the story making sense.

[Actarus]

As for the fans doing better stuff, well maybe. But with the fandom so hooked up on "canon" and "continuity" (like you) it would be hard to keep a unified timeline with hundreds of fans writing their fanfics...

So you would rather that stories did not make sense is what you are saying? Because that is what ''canon'' and ''continuity'' is. It is the story making sense.

No, I'm saying quite the opposite. I was stating that wanting "canon" and "continuity" while at the same time wanting the story to be left in the hands of fans is a contradiction.

[Yukaphile]

Well, they terminated Legends, and look at what Trek writers are doing to the franchise, with STD, the reboot movies. We can all agree it's not about art, imagination, creativity. It's greedy corporate cash-suckers looking to squeeze more money out of the franchise. This isn't like TNG and DS9, where you could feel fans were working on it. This is purely 100% corporate byproduct, and it's hurting the quality of those other stories by association.

[Karha of Honor]

There was bad Trek in TOS too.

It still does not equal a good resume.