I’m done with modern Star Trek. It is barely even recognizable as the thing it used to be and I don’t think there is any internal interest at Paramount to ever go back to that. The franchise is barrelling forward with gimmicky crap like puppets in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and vapid faux-prequel schlock with Starfleet Academy. Whatever Star Trek is nowadays is not remotely what made it so beloved the world round.
And now, with Paramount talking about getting back into making a tentpole Star Trek movie, it’s clear to me that there is no hope for anyone righting the ship.
Star Trek Isn’t For Adults Anymore
The Star Trek concept has always worked best on television where it can distill its stories into hour-long missives. Yes, there are obviously good Star Trek movies, but the idea was born on television and its highest highs have been in that format. Star Trek isn’t a franchise tailormade for blockbuster cinema. But, you can be sure that Paramount will push the square peg of Star Trek into the round hole of tentpole blockbuster with all their might. Why? Because Star Trek needs a young audience, no matter the cost to the franchise’s identity.
As such, Star Trek products aren’t made for actual adults anymore. They have become consumed by the same brand virus as Star Wars: an aging property that needs to remain relevant for capitalistic reasons, and needs to rope in a new generation of consumers. Because of this, the Star Trek offerings we’ve gotten in this decade have all been made purposefully accessible to younger viewers in an effort to nab them for life.
This has had a chilling effect on the franchise’s potential to tell certain kinds of stories. Paramount is not really interested in placating older fans or even older viewers in general. Their clear mission directive has been to generate new fans. I can’t actually tell if that’s working on a macro scale, but it doesn’t help that Star Trek is now a franchise locked away behind a streaming service.
No One Cares If No One Sees
Star Trek, like Star Wars, is now effectively sealed behind a paywall. If you don’t subscribe to Paramount+ (an awful service for reasons I’m not allowed to talk about), you don’t have any real way to discover or experience the franchise. This isn’t a unique issue because it’s a selling point every streaming service wants: that one show that everyone’s talking about and you gotta see. Sorry, Star Trek isn’t putting out an Andor and getting folks talking outside of the fanatic faithful.
As such, Star Trek as a brand has undoubtedly taken. a culture hit just by not being present enough in the culture. You want to know one reason Star Trek: The Next Generation did so well and made such an impact? Because it ran in broadcast syndication. It was easily available to folks on their TVs. The barrier of entry was practically nil. Now, if you ain’t already part of the Paramount club, what real incentive do you have to check out a new Star Trek show if it means paying into it without the ability to check it out?
The practice of putting streaming shows on television is certainly in effect these days, but it’s such a “too little, too late” approach that it feels inconsequential. Star Trek is now a franchise made only for the people who have already bought in. It’s not being disseminated in a way that actually encourages new fans.
Maybe this new Star Trek movie plan will work out for Paramount, but I’m not going to hold my breath. The franchise is effectively dead for me, but even outside of my own feelings, Star Trek feels more niche with every passing day. As a kid, I loved watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with my dad. I didn’t need all the flash and zazz that Star Trek now regularly employs for its projects. But I guess kids are stupider today. At least, that’s what Paramount seems to think when they make stuff like Star Trek: Section 31.
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