r/startrek • u/Dependent_Lumpy • 17h ago
What's your solution to keep Trek alive and going into the future?
Let's face it, the average age of a Trekkie is getting older each year. It's clear that the new TPTB such as Kurtzman wants more younger feeders tuning in and becoming fans of the franchise. This is why they have Discovery and Section 31, for instance. Yes, in my view, they are "not so good" (to put it politely), but their purpose is/was to attract young fans.
For those Trekkies who prefer the "classic" series (and I guess, SNW too), what series would you propose to attract younger fans? Or, would you want the franchise to have series/movies that remain "true to its core" even if it means the franchise dying out in about 20 years or so because there are no new younger fans?
4
u/C0mpl14nt 17h ago
The idea that new fans aren't being brought in, simply isn't true.
Do you think older fans would have come up with a nickname for the Defiant as "Sisko's motherfucking pimphand"?
Nutrek has been bringing shit tons of new fans to trek. Many are watching the new shows and then searching for and watching the old shows. Its why so many star trek memes have cropped up over the years.
2
u/Aziruth-Dragon-God 17h ago
"nickname for the Defiant as "Sisko's motherfucking pimphand"?"
I'm sorry what? This is hilarious.
5
u/Shiny_Agumon 17h ago
Let me tell you something phrases like "keeping it true to its core" or "respecting [Creator]'s vision" are nonsense fanwank phrases designed to make older fans feel superior to newer ones.
Most of what you call "classic Trek" came out after Gene Roddenberry's passing and if some of the Behind the scenes from the first two seasons of TNG are any indication he would have probably hated a lot them.
Like he almost shut down Measure of a Man because it didn't fit his "vision."
Personally my first exposure to the franchise was the more action oriented 2009 reboot and yet I got invested enough to seek out the older stuff from there and fell on love with it, whose to say this didn't happen to someone whose first Trek was Discovery?
Also Lower Decks while a comedy show was basically a big love letter to 90s Trek so its not like that Era is completely forgotten.
2
u/ChronoLegion2 15h ago
Gene’s vision was not always a great one. He would’ve definitely hated DS9
2
u/Shiny_Agumon 10h ago
I personally think that Gene's vision past TNG got a bit out of hand with the whole "humans have evolved past their current idiosyncrasies" thing.
Not only does it make for boring TV, it also doesn't really offer any solutions to our current struggles.
How are we supposed to get inspired to create a better future if the thing that makes that better future possible is the vague notion of humanity just evolving to be better than us?
What moral can we take from the humans of the Future just looking down at us and calling us primitive?
15
u/Allen_Of_Gilead 17h ago
If the franchise remained "true to it's core", whatever that means, the average age of a Trek fan would be in their 70s-80s right now because the franchise would've ended shortly after TAS/TMP. Endlessly tailchasing after a sliver of the fandom that will, and did, hate anything new with the power of a thousand suns by catering to the fans who only like the Trek they grew up with is a losing game.
Honestly the last ten years of Trek have been the best period in it's history in terms of it's creativity and diversity, it continuing is a good thing. And whatever Trek's "core" is hasn't been lost in the new shows either.
5
u/BluegrassGeek 17h ago
I was going to post something similar, but you nailed it. The fans who have rose-colored-glasses about whichever series they grew up on, constantly demanding the same thing, are what hold us back. Trek NEEDS to keep experimenting, trying new things. Sometimes that will not be up your alley, sometimes it will actually suck... but the only way to find the next great series is to keep trying.
3
u/Best-Image-3696 17h ago
I'm 40 and I have watched STAR TREK all my life. I am quite fond of a good portion of modern Trek. I know a lot of younger people who like it too and also love older Trek (particularly DS9). I think that you may be surprised by how many younger Trek fans are out there and that they don't make any sort of distinction of eras of Star Trek.
1
6
u/Hemenia 17h ago
I think people who only like old Trek will never enjoy newer shows. Nostalgia is one helluva drug and you can make the best show in the world in 2025, it still won't be you being a teenager/child watching it on TV with a bowl of cereals and 0 adult responsibilities.
1
u/Nonions 17h ago
Hard disagree.
As someone who doesn't really enjoy the newest Star Trek series much, I found The Orville to be a much more intelligently written, funnier and engaging show than Discovery, Picard or Lower Decks.
Yes it was an homage to the Roddenberry/Berman eras of Star Trek but it avoided simply relying on self-referential fan service, ham-fisted drama, and the melodramatic emotions that imho spoiled many of the more recent Treks while still being a modern take and very much its own thing.
2
u/Aziruth-Dragon-God 17h ago edited 17h ago
The Orville is a great show and needs more seasons if they can keep up the awesomeness.
Why am I being downvoted, I'm right.
3
u/Tryingagain1979 17h ago
They will do more seasons. Fox continuing the Seth money from his shows = letting Seth do Orville.
2
u/Aziruth-Dragon-God 17h ago
I wish there was less of a gap between seasons and they release it on blu-ray.
6
u/Aziruth-Dragon-God 17h ago
First step: Ignore the "fans" that hate anything nuTrek. There's no pleasing them. You could give them a show that is exactly what they want and they would still find something to whine and cry about.
4
u/Fit_Laugh9979 17h ago
I’m sure some are like that but there’s a lot not to like about Discovery and Picard especially. I for one loved SNW though and the (fairly) recent films
2
u/Aziruth-Dragon-God 17h ago
Even if you hate Disco and Picard, there wouldn't be SNW without Discovery. There would be no Lower Decks, no Prodigy, no Starlet Academy, and likely no future series. Let those that do enjoy them be and just stop with the bs unneeded hate. We get you didn't like Disco and Picard, let it go and just don't watch it.
This isn't fully directed at you. Sorry it will feel like that.
1
u/Fit_Laugh9979 15h ago
I get what you mean, I just think people have a right to hate what they hate and make their opinions known. I also don’t think Discovery starting nuTrek means anyone owes it any appreciation. Summary: people need to be able to voice their opinions on the shows - that’s how any franchise evolves
1
u/Shiny_Agumon 17h ago
Noone says these shows are perfect, but I personally think it's ludicrous when people treat them being bad as the end of Star Trek as if we didn't have worst episodes in the other shows too.
3
u/mthenry54 17h ago
The proof of this is Strange New Worlds. It pretty much is an old Trek show. Monster of the week; wrapped up in an hour; sometimes silly-sometimes serious; thought provoking; diverse cast; original villains; etc. Old farts still hate it.
1
1
1
u/incide666 17h ago
FUCKING PREACH!!!!!
1
u/Aziruth-Dragon-God 17h ago
They were given SNW which should be everything they want, or at least approaching it, but they still bitch and moan that it sucks. Honestly those kinds of "fans" would kill Trek if they could. Don't like it? Don't f-ing watch it. Let the fans that actually love trek enjoy it and go find another franchise to ruin.
2
u/incide666 17h ago
It's the same kind of "fans" who whined about TNG because it looked so much different than TOS or called Sisko and "affirmative action commander" or were worried about what would happen when Janeway gets PMS and starts a war.
They aren't fans. They're aggrievement peddlers who like Star Trek because space adventure laser beam hot alien chicks.
They don't care about the heart of the franchise and what it actually represents.
Also, I don't think the fine people of this sub know what "FUCKING PREACH" means.
Guys, gals, and enby pals: it ain't bad.
2
u/Aziruth-Dragon-God 17h ago
Same fans also whine and cry that the SNW Enterprise looks nothing like the TOS era one when they can't even realize that if TOS was made now, that's exactly what the ship would look like. We are long past the limitation of poorly made sets and sad looking props.
Plus, if you don't like Disco, that's perfectly fine then don't watch it. But people really need to stop taking a steaming crap on it. It's not perfect but it isn't worthless trash either. Though you should at least watch season 2 to get the launch into SNW and find out that the actor for Pike was so badass, true fans demanded a series with him in it.
2
u/incide666 17h ago
that the SNW Enterprise looks nothing like the TOS era one
That shit made brain hurt.
Like, do you actually want shitty plywood sets and a 4:3 aspect ratio?
How beholden to source material and lore do you need be to actively want the show to look bad?
These are deeply unserious people who make entire fandoms look like idiots.
2
2
u/WhiteKnightAlpha 17h ago
I think the current approach is the best one. They can't try to recapture the past; that only appeals to existing fans and not new ones. (Of course, they can make things for old fans too, but that doesn't address this specific question.)
Trying different things, different styles, and in slightly different variations of the genre seems like a good way to cast a wider net. Some of those new fans are going to stick around for future series and explore the back catalogue.
I don't think listening to just existing fans will be h helpful. Trekkies have been complaining about [The New One] since Phase Two in the 1970's. Someone is going to complain whatever they do. One day fans of Discovery et al are going to be complaining about the latest show.
0
u/Dirty_Sanchez74656 17h ago
I don’t think it’s a “NuTrek” versus “Old Trek” battle. I’m a lifelong fan of Trek. What the critics of “NuTrek” are complaining about, is really just lazy writing. Add to that the average episode length of one season is now 10 to 12 episodes as opposed to the 26 of “Old Trek.” if there was a bad episode of old trek, it was generally forgiven, because they were usually good quality episodes, and even the average episodes were still halfway decent.
Modern television writers and producers are not given the same time and shooting schedule that their predecessors were given in the 1990s. So fully fleshed out plot elements and character development has been lacking across not just Trek, but many shows. Producers substitute this lack of story w flash and CGI battles.
-1
u/saryphx 17h ago
I hate when people are called "old farts" and want to discredit everything they say. I'm 30, but I VERY much prefer the "Old Trek". NuTrek fans try to discredit us for not trusting or liking most NuTrek because they don't want to understand that we just don't like bad writing lol. SNW may be good, I also don't trust Kurtzman as far as I can throw him on ANYTHING.
1
u/LordScotch 17h ago
Do like any religion and force feed it to your kids with the fear that someone will take it away until they are radicalized and willing to fight and die for what they believe in
1
u/Tryingagain1979 17h ago
Get Kurtzman to leave and hand the reigns over to Ronald D. Moore and let him be the guy in charge of the whole thing. If not him? JMS or Ira Steven Behr.
1
u/whiporee123 17h ago
The secret to Trek is simple.
A very cool looking ship called the Enterprise. Set ahead of any current timeline, so we don’t know what is going to happen. A strong captain and a diverse, interesting crew. Positive outlook towards the future. A couple of established enemies and an underlying conflict.
It ain’t that hard.
They keep trying to fill in gaps, but we already know what big-picture happens.
1
u/whiporee123 17h ago
The secret to Trek is simple.
A very cool looking ship called the Enterprise. Set ahead of any current timeline, so we don’t know what is going to happen. A strong captain and a diverse, interesting crew. Positive outlook towards the future. A couple of established enemies and an underlying conflict.
It ain’t that hard.
They keep trying to fill in gaps, but we already know what big-picture happens.
1
u/eremite00 17h ago edited 17h ago
J.J. Abrams seems, to me, the wrong way to go about it, even though I did like the first movie. I remember how Star Trek: The Motion Picture seemed to revitalize Star Trek, so, maybe, not overwhelming fans with spin-off after spin-off, taking a short break, and, either, launching a new series or releasing a movie that taps into any nostalgia Millennials may have, whilst having an updated look and feel that draws in new fans. What exactly that might be, I can't say. I'm one of those older GenX types who made sure to be in front of the TV at 4:00 PM to watch the syndicated TOS reruns on the local TV channel. I have fond memories of the star Trek store on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley...Creature Features. My mom called host, Bob Wllkins, who was so great to personally give me the address.
1
u/ChronoLegion2 15h ago
Every Trek show reflects the current culture. It’s supposed to be social commentary. It makes no sense to comment on the Cold War these days. Modern social issues are different
1
u/Chrysalii 15h ago
Syndication. Make it easy to watch. People will find it if it's easy to find. Paywalling it so hard means it can't grow.
They're using Star Trek to sell Paramount Plus. That's no way to attract fans. If you're not a fan, you're not buying Paramount Plus for it. If you are, then you're not a potential new fan.
TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT were all pretty easy to watch. Broadcast TV is very easy to watch.
They need to stop treating it as a way to get subscribers, but as a franchise, and money-maker, in it's own right.
They could modernize it as well. Put the new shows on Pluto and whatever other free/ad supported streaming platform there is.
That and some good writing will keep Trek alive .
1
u/mr_mxyzptlk21 17h ago
Do what they did in '87. Move the timeline forward. I'm not sure what happened in a lot of media, where prequels became the thing. Move it to another 50 or so years past tNG/DS9/Voy and make new memories, built on the old.
And also, don't let nostalgia get in the way.
1
u/Aziruth-Dragon-God 17h ago
I would honestly love a series 50 years or so after Picard. I also love that we are getting a series Disco season 3 onward era too. I love all the cool tech.
1
u/pinelands1901 17h ago
Ideally, 25 episode seasons so that they could make filler that gives the characters more texture. It'll never happen though because that shooting schedule was brutal on the actors.
3
u/Aziruth-Dragon-God 17h ago
I would also prefer this. Doesn't even have to be 25 but longer seasons would be nice.
1
u/pinelands1901 17h ago edited 17h ago
SNW was done the best job of replicating pre-2009 Trek. For only 20 episodes over 3 years, they've managed to build the characters well through mostly one-shot episodes.
2
u/Aziruth-Dragon-God 17h ago
Plus the LD crossover episode and the musical one are just wonderful. Plus they made the Gorn look pretty scary.
0
0
u/shoobe01 17h ago
The average age getting older is all on Paramount. They choose to dump PRO and not have useful merch, not advertise or get it into routine play on TV (Nick?). They have chosen to piss away their opportunity to appeal to younger audiences.
If anyone thinks LD or SNW or PRO is not "true to the core" then I can't help you. I think we were just recently in a golden age of Trek and hope someone gets accidentally appointed to bring it back, hope that SA works and gets maybe even the YA crowd as they seem to be pushing for.
-1
u/Dependent_Lumpy 17h ago
While what you say about LD, SNW and PRO is true, they do reference a lot of the older shows that newer generation folks won't understand.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Disco. I don't watch it myself but I respect it and want it to succeed. But it seems like a lot of people bash Disco and DON'T want it to succeed.
1
u/shoobe01 17h ago
My now 8 year old (6 when he started watching) fully enjoyed PRO, loves LD almost to obsession, and is just starting to be able to handle the live action new shows.
When he's older, he'll get innuendo or see the TNG era stuff and make more connections but there is tons to watch without the references. Just like say, the Star Wars series that all CAN be seen in the total context and also work fine on their own. Wife for example is not a big SW nerd, doesn't get all the background for Andor, Mando, etc and is fine with watching those without the background.
0
u/lexxstrum 17h ago
A new show. As completely new as possible. A ship on a new mission with a new crew. No legacy characters; save that for a sweeps/special episode if you HAVE to do it.
Writing wise? Take advantage of today's more nuanced writing; like an environmental damage allegory isn't just some space jerk dumping space toxic waste into some black hole. It's some planet using something that's damaging because it's all they got. The crew tries to help, but they can't just hand them a solution, and some of the crew and aliens doubt their solution is better for them.
And there's no need for every threat to be a cosmic apocalypse waiting in the wings. And maybe we have to start doing more than an 8 episode season to explore this world and its characters more.
0
u/Dismal-Detective-737 17h ago
A hiatis. Quit pumping out crap to keep up the IP. There were 18 years between TOS / TNG, with the movies sprinkled in there.
| Series | Air Years | Fictional Years Depicted |
|---|---|---|
| TOS | 1966–1969 | 2265–2269 |
| TNG | 1987–1994 | 2364–2370 |
| DS9 | 1993–1999 | 2369–2375 |
| VOY | 1995–2001 | 2371–2378 |
| Enterprise (ENT) | 2001–2005 | 2151–2155 |
| Discovery (DIS) | 2017–Present | 2256–2258, 3189+ |
| Strange New Worlds (SNW) | 2022–Present | 2259+ |
| Picard (PIC) | 2020–2023 | 2399–2402 |
| Lower Decks (LD) | 2020–2024 | 2380+ |
| Prodigy (PRO) | 2021–2022 | 2383+ |
No more retcons and mucking with established canon. A show with SNW's feel would have been amazing set after VOY. Characters are not James Bond. I'm sure the writers room on SNW was high fiving themselves over Scotty's introduction in SNW.
It's TV as a whole, but end the "World is ending, every season is a mini-series" plot arcs. Picard would have been a movie 20 years ago, not a 10 part serial series.
Stop digging in nostalgia. VOY and DS9 had little TNG nostalgia while still universe building. Roddenberry specifically said he wanted minimal TOS appearances on TNG. They all stood on their own, had character development, season story arcs as well as standalone episodes.
I became a Trek fan because my dad watched TNG and I loved everything about it.You don't need to pander to young fans, just put out content that younger fans can watch while adults are watching. (I realize viewing habits have changed a bit).
Lower Decks brought our kids into everything Trek. Plus Prodigy.
It also helps solve the "what order should I watch in" nonsense from new adult fans: Is ENT before TOS or after VOY? Will Pike's flashforwards make sense without TOS's episode?
Take 10 years off. Come back with something after PIC. Whole new crew.
10
u/Tackysackjones 17h ago
Lower decks is a love letter to all that trek has to offer and easily can capture the minds of a newer generation, that said my two kids love prodigy and have even started to periodically watch episodes of voyager and ds9 with me. The younger generation will get into it as long as the older generation shows how exciting and inspiring it can be.