Die, Trek, Die
Just let it end
Generation X was the target audience for popular culture in the last quarter of the 20th century, and we were given an embarrassment of riches. It was the era of franchises that live on to this day: Star Wars. The Terminator. Predator. Ghostbusters. Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot.
Okay, not that last one.
And of course, Star Trek. The original series was a bit before our time, but it lived on in reruns. We were such huge Trekkies, Paramount started making Trek flicks and we threw all our allowance money at ‘em. My generation turned that failure into a franchise, and it lives on to this day.
Unfortunately.
As a kid, I was glued to the screen whenever Kirk and Spock and Bones were on. There was just something about those primary colors. And Star Trek: The Next Generation came along right when I was ready for slightly more sophisticated storytelling.
But that was a long time ago. With the possible exception of the film reboot in 2009, the only Trek product I’ve really enjoyed was the third season of Star Trek: Picard. That show brought in new writers who delved into decades of Trek lore, mixing it all up in unexpected ways. It wasn’t just nostalgia-bait. The show treated the characters as living, breathing human beings.
Well, not Data.
But that was just one shining jewel in a giant pile of Trek crap. Paramount keeps throwing millions of dollars at the screen, but flashy special effects are no substitute for good writing.
If you disagree, you’re in the minority. Nobody is watching this stuff anymore.
“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” will end with its upcoming second season…
The first season of “Starfleet Academy” reached an 87% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Variety‘s Aramide Tinubu describing it as a “delightful entry point” into the franchise. But the show failed to find a significant audience. Across its 10-episode first season, it has failed to rank on the Nielsen Top 10 streaming viewership charts.
Huh. I wonder why?
Even toward the end of Kirk’s run, at least he wore a girdle.
If you make a show that people want to watch, they’ll watch. If you don’t, they won’t. They’ll even watch fat alien broads if the story is good. You’d think Paramount would’ve gotten that by now.
The producers and actors probably won’t learn a damn thing, though. These days, the trend is for the custodians of these failed franchises to blame the audience.
“You didn’t like the all-female Ghostbusters reboot, fill of pointless dancing and cringeworthy ad-libs? You just hate women!”
“You didn’t see the point of Rose Tico or Vice-Admiral Holdo or any of the other forgettable characters in The Last Jedi? You just hate Asians! And women!”
“You didn’t even bother with The Marvels or Madame Web or Ballerina? Well, guess what?”
The word “woke” has become so overused that I don’t know what it’s supposed to mean anymore, but I do know that diversity, inclusion, and equity are very poor substitutes for good storytelling. You can’t guilt-trip a mass audience into showing up for your shoddy product by calling them bigots.
It’s time to just let Trek die. This September will mark the 60th anniversary of the very first episode, which seems like a good place to bookend it.
You lived long, Star Trek. And you certainly prospered.
Now drop dead.
Speaking of failed franchises…
Tron: Ares was boring and confusing, but I’ve had the Nine Inch Nails soundtrack on repeat for months. The music is so much more popular than the movie that NIN just released a remix album. It’s got some new songs, and the originals have been completely reworked. They actually made “As Alive As You Need Me to Be”… mellow? Kinda?
Just be glad Disney got NIN to do the music, and not 30 Seconds to Mars. Can you even imagine? I don’t want to. Eeuuugh.
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Star Trek died for me years an years ago, but I'm old. Old enough to value good story-telling over special effects or "diversity."
When we watched ST then it came out (group of college students" we laughed at the cheesy effects, and sometimes the cheesy acting, but we loved many of the stories. The best stories were usually written by either someone with real SF credential, like Harlan Ellison, or at least someone familiar with the canon and tropes. I really liked Deep Space 9 for the stories and the characters. After that? Meh.
Paramount: oh no, this is German. It really means “The Trek, The.” Next show is Rom’s Diner, it starts in three months!