Because they don’t have the Jim Henson Workshop on the production.
this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2026
2 points (100.0% liked)
Star Trek Social Club
13698 readers
61 users here now
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 01-22 | SFA 1x03 | "Vitus Reflux" |
| 01-29 | SFA 1x04 | "Vox In Excelso" |
| 02-05 | SFA 1x05 | "Series Acclimation Mil" |
| 02-12 | SFA 1x06 | "Come Let's Away" |
| 02-19 | SFA 1x07 | TBA |
In Production
Strange New Worlds (TBA)
In Development
Untitled comedy series
Wondering where to stream a series? Check here.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Money. Sci-Fi like Star Trek is not about accuracy, it's a cover to tell interesting stories about us and the world we live in. The amount of Scientific hand waiving in Trek will give you an aneurysm if this point upsets you.
The in-universe reason is explained in TNG's The Chase.
The reason from a production point of view is obviously money. It is easier and cheaper to have humans with some hair and makeup instead of a totally alien creature. Today the price tag is manageable, but in the 60s and even in the 80s it was not a thing you would do for a regular cast member.
Would you watch a show where humans meet oyster shaped aliens who vibrate to communicate and who get excited by vocal notes that are B flat and get enraged by succulent plants? That's plausibly alien right? How about every episode 20+ times a season, some new totally alien thing every time? (Sorry for the ridiculous example alien, in my defense I am very tired)
Humanoid emotions/body language and motives make for generally easier to understand stories that are more compelling.
You could not ask philosophical questions or have difficult plot decisions without having some common ground in logic/rationality/motives.
Not only that, but
As I mention before the First-2-‘Star Trek’ series,
‘Star Wars’ (famous & bad character) did it
&
in Seth MacFarlane’s ‘The Orville’ there is a famous comedic actor (I forget his name) playing a blob shaped alien crew member, who regularly appears in the episodes.
in Seth MacFarlane’s ‘The Orville’ there is a famous comedic actor (I forget his name) playing a blob shaped alien crew member, who regularly appears in the episodes.
RIP Norm Macdonald
Yes, obviously, to all what replied with. Realism matters,
I know you are blowing way out of portion, how hard it would be for media script writers & the audiences.
Really, the question should be flipped & ask why you do not want obviously realism, that scientist have long believed?
You think I had not already thought of that? Let me inform you of whom you exchanging with, that relates to above question:
I have language processing challenges,
Former educator, Degreed is SLD & had achieved certifications in ESE & PE,
I am a person who has people close to me that are fluent in sign language. Only fluent, so they can talk to people who have physical challenges in communicating.
&
Most importantly, starting to write a SciFi set of stories-comic books-movies scripts, that involves space exploration.
They did address this to an extent, way back in TNG's "The Chase" - the TL;DR is that most sapient life in the galaxy was seeded by an ancient race, and therefore have some common ancestry. This was expanded upon somewhat in Discovery's fifth season.