Is Star Trek dying?

[AslanC]

A new movie and there are still more threads active about the new LOTR movie than Nemesis.

Is this a sign?

Is Trek dying?

[Perrryyy]

For me it's been dead since DS9 went off the air.

It could in my mind ressurrect itself, if it went back to doing morality plays, instead of panderint to the lowest common denominator.

I'll admit I haven't seen Nemesis & likely won't till it hits DVD or video, but Trek lacked something another movie apparently had -- Jennifer Lopez So much for the LCD theory.

I'd just like them to get back to morality plays & social commentaries. But that's just me.

[Dan Stack]

This is the end...
My friend, the end.


I think that Star Trek is indeed on its last legs. While overall I enjoy watching Enterprise, it doesn't excite me the way earlier shows did. I get the feeling of "been there, done that" a lot. And I'm an Enterprise fan.

While that's just my opinion, ratings and the performance of Insurrection and Nemesis would seem to indicate that the general tv-viewing and movie-going public is not excited either.

Can that be changed? I think so, but I think a Trek is needed that totally changes perception of what Star Trek is - Enterprise is very similar in concept to TNG and TOS and Voyager, for example. Yes, there's a ton of differences, in time period and technology, but these are relatively minor when you really come down to it.

To get Trek ratings up, Trek needs to change in such a way to get attention and hold it. Something radical. Not showing more skin or a more dangerous version of TOS. Something to really shake things up. This means risking losing some hard-core fans. I'm thinking something innovative, like NYPD Blue was to police shows when it first came out.

I should note that I've yet to see Nemesis. We had a babysitter tonight for our daughter and we chose to see Lord of the Rings over Star Trek. I plan on seeing Nemesis, but it doesn't excite me like LotR does.

Make of that what you will. Obviously, this is all just my opinion.

[AllenS]

Yeah, Nemesis is not doing awesome business..but then, who will with The Two Towers out? I think STN's slow start is a combination of factors. I think the economy has a lot of people thinking that they can only afford one of the two right now and in that situation, TT is going to win hands down. And I have seen Nemesis twice and enjoyed it more the second time. but I suspect the movie's climactic event may have turned off some of the fans as well. It really is a good movie, imo. I see a lot of people carping about the editing..maybe this is a case of "just enough knowledge is a bad thing"...I know nothing about editing, ergo it didn't bother me.

Star Trek dying? I don't think so. it does need some new blood and some fresh ideas, but I'm not sure that will work either, because if you change something, it seems to me the fans will have a fit. And that's too bad, because that's what needed.

allen

[Cmdr Powers]

Nah.. it ain't dead yet. I saw STN twice as well, also enjoying it the second time. Heck, I'm looking forward to Star Trek: Titan!

Also, I think the new second edition card game rocks!

Nope. Not dead.

[Phantom]

Yup. Unless this rumoured ST: Titan is the Phoenix that ressurrects the franchise from the ashes that is Ent.

[Shoshuro]

I think it's on life-support personally. I remember in '86 (yeah one of THOSE stories) when @ STIV they had everyone in costumes, posters, art, etc...Nemesis just opened. "Not with a bang but a whimper.."

I've been looking around and I'm amazed at the lack of material for it. With Generations & First Contact there were artbooks, story guides, magazine articles. All I've seen so far is a few articles and a book, and yes, I'm quite aware of ST:Magazine doing a full issue of it, at the end of December AFTER the movie has already been out awhile.

Someone should shoot the Nemesis PR people

[REG]

Originally posted by AslanC

A new movie and there are still more threads active about the new LOTR movie than Nemesis.

Is this a sign?

Is Trek dying?

I don't think it is dying. The two movies are simply in two different planes.

On one part of the universe, you have this cult following for Star Trek that have grown from a short-lived series to a franchise.

On the other part of the universe, you got a classic fantasy literature that is an epic tale and loved by many fans even before Star Trek, even some of the Trek fans here.

Star Trek is not dying. They simply going head-to-head with a better competition. Then again, you can't treat Star Trek like a long-running soap opera series. Take a break. Fire Braga. Always leave the audience wanting more.

FWIW, I'm planning to see both films in one day.

[Dan Stack]

One thing I should note - quality need not be linked to success. You can still enjoy Nemesis and have it bomb - one of my favorite movies is a Costner/Eastwood film which lasted all of one or two weeks in theatres - "Perfect World".

Trek is a shadow of what it was. I remember in the 90's when everyone in my dorm would watch it, at my job everyone would talk about the latest episode. All the big name Hollywood people wanted to gues star on TNG.

Today there are people who have no idea "Enterprise" is even on the air.

A note from the Friday box office. According to initial estimates from www.boxofficemojo.com, "Nemesis" came in 8th. "Maid in Manhattan" fell to only 3rd. "The Hot Chick" came in 7th.

Whether because of oversaturation, Berman & Braga, the work of Innsmouth Hybrids, Star Trek is not what it once was.

(I sometimes speculate on the oversaturation aspect - NBC airs three Law & Order shows, all of which do rather well and Law & Order reruns are a big money maker.)

[Bear]

"Whether because of oversaturation, Berman & Braga, the work of Innsmouth Hybrids, Star Trek is not what it once was."

I would say that sums it up rather nicely....we need a breath of fresh air and a break. Give it a year or three off, and then come up with a fresh new approach.

Enterprise is fun to watch but it has a been there and done that feel to it. Going back to the past is something that was a small error. Pyschologically ST has always been about moving on and forward, the ENT story should have been the source for an episode or stand alone movie series, not a series. TNG and DS9 were set in the same time frame and gave wonderous continuity and that should have been bult off of.

Even if it was moved further ahead into the future.

After all seeing us in the far future, suceeding and growing is what is all about.

It needs a rest for awhile, but IMHO Trek will never die, it touches something deep inside it's fans, diehard or casual.

[qerlin]

"For me it's been dead since DS9 went off the air..."

Yup. Actually, I'd say since TNG went off the air.

[Snake_Plissken]

this is something I have been wanting to discuss... good call Aslan!

you're right on when you talk about LOTR getting more attention than ST... on a ST gaming board.

I think ST is on life-support and in a deep coma. Not dead, but it would take a lot of work to rejuvenate it. I think ST suffers from the same syndrome as SW, which is that no matter what kind of drivel you feed the hard-core fans, they'll love it nonetheless. The difference here is a matter of popularity; SW is much more popular than ST and thus even if the prequels are terrible they still make tons of cash.

Personally, I'm a big sci-fi fan (more in the space opera tradition); I'm really not into comic book heroes or the medieval/D&D stuff. So usually I should prefer movies like Attack of the Clones or Nemesis over movies like Spiderman or The Two Towers. Actually, I prefered Spiderman 1,000 times over Attack of the Clones (hell, I'd prefer a tampon commercial over AOTC), and I also thought that TTT was a most superior movie to Nemesis. That alone should speak volumes. (Hey, they should let Peter Jackson do the next ST movies )

Before Nemesis, Patrick Stewart said that it might not be the last time that he would wear the captain's uniform; now he came out and declared flat-out that he would never do ST again. I wonder what will happen to B&B with the ratings failure of Enterprise and the box-office disaster of Nemesis?...

As it has been stated earlier, Enterprise is a fairly good show, but it smacks of the "been-there; done-that" syndrome. I think it should be ended quietly and there should be NO new ST for a couple of years, no TV series or movies. They should let people discover DS9 on syndication (which IMHO is as good as TNG... Voyager could be a problem though since most episodes could turn potential regular viewers off)

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[Joe Dizzy]

I agree that Trek is on heavy life-support.

But I don't think 5 years of no Trek will help.
Berman in his I guess well-intentioned attempt to make sure the new series are "Trek" has only copied and watered down what has made TOS and TNG so interesting and popular.

What Trek needs is innovation.

And innovation won't suddenly appear because Trek has been off the screen for five years. What Trek needs is a couple of writers who know what they're doing, who don't rely on their old bag o' tricks and who aren't afraid to challenge the audience with their storytelling.

Until that happens Trek will continue to stay on life support.

[qerlin]

Rather than Trek, I'd rather see other sci-fi shows out there. Something new and different from the same ol' of Trek: head of the week aliens, utopian prattle, technobabble...

I'd rather have Firefly... No sound in a vacuum...how novel! Crisp dialogue and well-defined characters...even better!