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I liked all the various configurations of Trek; some more than others. It's interesting to see in this thread the split between TOS trekkers and a STTNG trekke

I liked all the various configurations of Trek; some more than others. It's interesting to see in this thread the split between TOS trekkers and a STTNG trekkers. I was always more of a TOS person myself: I think the creative tension that the networks put on Gene by making him "dumb it down" actually made for better, sharper analysis of the sci-fi involved. TNG seemed to meander a bit. But that's me. What I find interesting about looking at the shows from decades later is the way the topics were addressed. Things like the episode where Daystom's M-9 computer took over the Enterprise and basically was a smart machine with a weapon -- we seemed to have come down on the side of that being okay, at least for now. But back then there were a lot of very important questions raised -- questions that are still valid. Or the Darmok episode, where the culture spoke only in metaphor. That still twists my noodle because that's all any culture really does -- speak in various metaphors. When you're asking a bunch of users from a certain societal niche to tell you what they want, not only is their jargon going to be unique, but the way they compare things and discuss things are too. (Insert Wittgenstein discussion). Taking a short dramatic format and making a bunch of pimply-faced teenagers start thinking about what's important in their lives is an awesomely good thing. Let's hope Trek keeps doing that for years to come.

scottkrager 16y ago
I always thought TOS fans are usually called "trekkies" and TNG "trekkers" Oh dear gosh I hope my wife doesn't know I know that.
InclinedPlane 16y ago
Trek has always had two important elements which explain its continued popularity. On the one hand there are rich, deep characters that we come to care about, become interested in, and become invested in. Just about every character in TOS fits this mold. They are all iconic in various ways. Later series did nearly as well, the characters in TNG and DS9 are also largely iconic, Voyager and Enterprise somewhat less so with a few exceptions. This creates the opportunity for rich story telling and character development and also greatly facilitates people becoming attached to the characters and the show. The last season of DS9 is an excellent example of this phenomenon with long running story arcs rich in development of multiple characters. This in turn facilitates the flip side of Star Trek. A cast of characters that viewers are heavily invested in and a setting that viewers are intimately familiar with creates the opportunity to put on one-off stories that are more engaging than they would be otherwise. In this way most Star Trek shows become a kind of science fiction anthology. So the show can explore various standalone stories within a familiar context, elevating the emotional investment in the story. This combination elevates Star Trek to an amazing level and many other SciFi shows have adopted a similar format to attempt to recreate Star Trek's success. Many of people's most memorable and favorite episodes of various Star Trek shows are one-episode short stories founded on their own unique premises (Inner Light, City on the Edge of Forever, Hard Time) rather than stemming from pre-existing story elements or being part of a multi-episode story arc.

scottkrager 16y ago

I always thought TOS fans are usually called "trekkies" and TNG "trekkers" Oh dear gosh I hope my wife doesn't know I know that.

InclinedPlane 16y ago

Trek has always had two important elements which explain its continued popularity. On the one hand there are rich, deep characters that we come to care about, become interested in, and become invested in. Just about every character in TOS fits this mold. They are all iconic in various ways. Later series did nearly as well, the characters in TNG and DS9 are also largely iconic, Voyager and Enterprise somewhat less so with a few exceptions. This creates the opportunity for rich story telling and character development and also greatly facilitates people becoming attached to the characters and the show. The last season of DS9 is an excellent example of this phenomenon with long running story arcs rich in development of multiple characters. This in turn facilitates the flip side of Star Trek. A cast of characters that viewers are heavily invested in and a setting that viewers are intimately familiar with creates the opportunity to put on one-off stories that are more engaging than they would be otherwise. In this way most Star Trek shows become a kind of science fiction anthology. So the show can explore various standalone stories within a familiar context, elevating the emotional investment in the story. This combination elevates Star Trek to an amazing level and many other SciFi shows have adopted a similar format to attempt to recreate Star Trek's success. Many of people's most memorable and favorite episodes of various Star Trek shows are one-episode short stories founded on their own unique premises (Inner Light, City on the Edge of Forever, Hard Time) rather than stemming from pre-existing story elements or being part of a multi-episode story arc.