Star Trek Social Club
r/startrek: The Next Generation
Star Trek news and discussion. No slash fic...
Maybe a little slash fic.
Rules
1 Be constructive
All posts/comments must be thoughtful and balanced.
2 Be welcoming
It is important that everyone from newbies to OG Trekkers feel welcome, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, religion or race.
3 Be truthful
All posts/comments must be factually accurate and verifiable. We are not a place for gossip, rumors, or manipulative or misleading content.
4 Be nice
If a polite way cannot be found to phrase what it is you want to say, don't say anything at all. Insulting or disparaging remarks about any human being are expressly not allowed.
5 Spoilers
Utilize the spoiler system for any and all spoilers relating to the most recently-aired episode. There is no formal spoiler protection for episodes/films after they have been available for approximately one week.
6 Keep on-topic
All submissions must be directly about the Star Trek franchise (the shows, movies, books, etc.). Off-topic discussions are welcome at c/Quarks.
7 Meta
Questions and concerns about moderator actions should be brought forward via DM.
Upcoming Episodes
| Date | Episode | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 02-19 | SFA 1x07 | "Ko’Zeine" |
| 02-26 | SFA 1x08 | "The Life of the Stars" |
| 03-05 | SFA 1x09 | "300th Night" |
| 03-12 | SFA 1x10 | "Rubincon" |
| TBA | SNW 4x01 | TBA |
In Production
Strange New Worlds (TBA)
In Development
Untitled comedy series
Wondering where to stream a series? Check here.
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I really would love Kurtzman to fuck the fuck off at this point.
He has never understood Star Trek at its core. The intricacies and nuances that never should have been messed with; and the superfluous excesses that could be. This is obvious in so many ways. But none more than how he has pushed the narrative in lazy directions repeatedly; yet consistently these were shown not to work. It took him the entire run of discovery to learn this lesson! And even then, never completely.
It has only been relatively recently, when the shows have embraced Trek's historical strengths in order to create a new vision, that shows have started to truly excel and grab both fans and public attention. But even then, there's a lack of bold vision and gut. These shows are timid when it comes to exploring ethics and philosophy in ways the 90s and 60s shows never were for their time.
For me, I think fundamentally it speaks to a dumbing down of story telling. It speaks to a lowest common denominator prioritisation by shown runners. It speaks to networks who never take chances.
With Kurtzman it has seemed that each iteration had a predictable path involving a big threat that must be extinguished by the end of season. High stakes with extreme predictability. Because of this prioritisation, so often it felt like the characters served the story, rather than the other way around. That's not how you get people to care for characters on a show.
Trek was never about this. Historical Trek was about exploring modern ethical dilemmas in a safe sci-fi environment first and foremost. Secondary to that it was about showing how human beings could exist in balance with each other and other species. We need this positive vision now more than ever and yet modern trek feels like a shadow of its former self. It feels too often like skin deep lip service. But, it is improving iteration to iteration.
So please Alex, fuck the fuck off and give some other splendid bastard a shot in the big chair. Unless Ellison intends to replace younwithba fascist. In which case I'm your biggest fan.
PS (and slight SFA spoilers): Did no one else briefly turn off starfleet academy after they tased Nus Braka, even though he was in court, unarmed and only mouthing off? I was outraged that SFA began in such a manner, it didn't serve the plot, and was wholly unnecessary and disporportionate. It made no sense in the context of the rest of the season.
SFA then ended with a slap and punch to Nus's face. The casual brutality bookended an otherwise great series. It was a baffling choice, unless it is viewed as being a means of desentising the audience to unnecessary violence from the state. Then it makes perfect sense. That, that is perhaps the thin end of the fascist wedge.
I thought the opening scenes were clearly there to show how the Federation had lost its way after the Burn - it had survived, but only barely - not wholly in body or in spirit. It is a shadow of its former self. Ake’s resignation and her reluctance to return to service were also ‘about’ this.
The redemptions of Ake and Caleb (and, to a smaller extent, many of the other characters) are only possible because the Federation is also redeeming itself. And both their and its redemption are fragile, precious things that require vigilance to sustain. That’s been a theme throughout the entire series.
For what it's worth, I also found those opening court room scenes in SFA absolutely maddening. The whole scene made so little sense. Why was Caleb even in that room? Why did the Federation rip a child away from his mother like that anyway? Even if his mother was arrested, why did they go about it in the most trauma inducing way possible? If Nus is so dangerous, why was he just allowed to stand next to the person accusing him of abuse?
I feel like we already have solutions to so many of the issues in that opening scene alone in the backwards 21st century, why were we again struggling to solve them in the 32nd?
You're absolutely right friend.
But I also think there's an argument for exploring the effects of trauma in modern Trek.
As a modern society, we are so much more aware of how trauma is perpetuated today. But there's also so much room for depth in that understanding. This is narrative fuel. It's definitely a topic rich with potential for exploration within Trek. But it needs to go deep and remain clever. Psychologically and philosophically grounded.
But, this is where their line of inquiry seems to stop in the writers room. Instead of coming up with novel and unique ways to create traumatic situations for our characters, that don't challenge and eventually break the universe these stories inhabit, and that delve deeply into the nature of trauma and its effects, we find our characters living in a quasi-utopia that speaks more to our time period and asks questions but gives no answers.
This utopia is one that I could imagine might have existed more in Archer's time. But in the 3100's is, even with the burn taken into account, unbelievable and disappointing.
This is where a show runner with a bit more awareness, intellect and gut could create more believable and novel scenarios for our characters.
What I wouldn't give for Ronald D. Moore at the conn.