I saw someone on Reddit wondering why the community was so sure of Trek going dark again with Paramount not doing so well financially. Seeing the response was unfortunate as most people feel that it might be a bad time for Trek. And I guess it makes sense with the Hollywood strikes as well.
But I was curious what Lemmy thought. Maybe im in denial too but I’m curious if you guys think the worry is warranted.
I think Star Trek is one of Paramount/CBS’ more bankable franchises so will continue in some form. I think for the moment that will be on streaming. I don’t think the movie format works particularly well given the size and ensemble nature of the cast.
As for the future, Discovery is closing out after S5. Not sure if they will try and spin something out of that. Maybe that rumored Star Fleet Academy series?
SNW will get another couple of seasons with Pike in command. After that I suspect it will continue with Kirk et al. If they are smart they will jump forward to the point just after The Motion Picture and pick up there. That gives them the opportunity to lean into The Motion Picture redesign to make it visually different from SNW and a fairly clear 5-10 years of timeline to fill before the red uniforms and ST:TWOK.
I think having 2-3 shows with 10 episodes a season and a season per year is probably the right balance.
Sometimes I’m surprised I don’t have a Starfleet emblem-shaped knot on my face from banging my head on the desk from frustration with how Star Trek gets treated by those in control of it.
My experience with Star Trek's treatment by TPTB
The Powers That Be (TPTB): TNG was a syndication ratings success. It even beat out some network shows.
Star Trek fans: Yes!
TPTB: DS9 and VOY did well in syndication, too. And, TOS is the Star Trek OG of being well received in syndication.
ST fans: That’s right!
TPTB: ENT did good, as well. Also syndicated.
ST Fans: You bet!
TPTB: But, we weren’t rolling in the dough with Nemesis.
ST Fans: We’re talking about series. That’s a film.
TPTB: Maybe fans are burned out on Star Trek.
ST Fans: Never!
TPTB: We’ll leave the property alone.
ST Fans: unhappy noises
– After the Kelvin films –
TPTB: Hey, there are still fans of Star Trek.
ST Fans: Been here since 1966.
TPTB: Happy 2017! We’ve made a new Star Trek series.
ST Fans: Yay!
TPTB: Syndication of prior Star Trek shows worked out well, so …
ST Fans: yesss
TPTB: … we’re going to shorten what’s a considered a season and gate this new series behind a paywall on a new streaming platform.
ST Fans: Wait, what?
– Later –
TPTB: This streaming thing is working out okay. We’ll make some more Star Trek shows.
ST fans: confetti and cheers
TPTB: But, we aren’t making as much money as we’d like.
ST fans: There’s also syndication. Broadcast TV, and you do own Pluto TV which is making bank.
TPTB: If only there was some way to better monetize the IP.
ST fans: More collectibles, toys, plushies, books, comics, calendars.
TPTB: Yeah, we can’t think of a way.
ST Fans: frustrated sighs
I think Star Trek is not doomed. I think Star Trek will continue, and be awesome. I think waiting on TPTB to figure it out will be frustrating. Until then, I’m going to keep on keeping on with Star Trek.
Voyager wasn’t syndicated, it launched UPN, which was Paramount’s hope for Star Trek since the 70s. Then Enterprise rode out the network almost to its dissolution. We wouldn’t have had a project ready to morph into TMP without Phase 2 and the planned and then abandoned network.
It was briefly syndicated, I think; I watched the first season on the local ABC affiliate. In my area a tiny little TV station in the middle of a cornfield got the rights to TNG and I honestly think that’s what kept that station afloat. The affiliates fought over DS9 and VOY. There was a UPN station in my region but it was too week for me to watch it OTA.
@ValueSubtracted@startrek.website @transwarp@startrek.website
You are correct, I am in error. VOY and ENT’s first run was on UPN.
I feel like even if paramount/paramount+ falter there will still be a demand. It’s endured for so long and is such a massive IP that it’s not going to go anywhere. It would probably just end up being on another stream service like Netflix or Prime where paramount isn’t footing the whole bill.
It’s healthier than Babylon 5, which is a much smaller property, under the thumb of more incompetent leadership at Warner/AT&T/HBO/Max, and is still coming out with a Blu-Ray remaster later this year.
Trek is fine. There may be some doldrums, but it’s healthier now than in the post-Nemesis (2002) post-Enterprise (2005) landscape. And even then, it was only four years before Star Trek (2009).
Again, there’s a smaller gap between Enterprise and JJ Abrams than there is between Discovery s.1 (2017) and today. Stay calm.
It’s healthier than Babylon 5, which is a much smaller property, under the thumb of more incompetent leadership at Warner/AT&T/HBO/Max
Man, you weren’t kidding. That’s some special leadership to let one dude keep it down all this time.
@akhenaten0 @startrek I’m old enough to be a TOS fan *prior* to the movies, much less TNG, so a time when there are *multiple* Trek shows on at the same time is mind-blowing. I really don’t think it likely that there’d be no Trek anywhere, at least for long.
