A Gen Xer's Thoughts on Strange New Worlds
A Gen Xer's Thoughts on Strange New Worlds
My Dear Gen X,
My joints hurt just as bad as yours do and we need to talk about "Strange New Worlds"...
Guys, it's really good.
I know you. Your parents are old and sick and you're wondering how they'll manage. I know your kids have gotta finish strong in high school this year. I know your spouse is not perfect.
Watch this show and let it carry you back to the reasons you loved Star Trek when you were a kid. I know you, and I know this is what you need right now.
Maybe you are...
1.) One of those that saw Mr. Spock on our parents' black and white TV in the 60s or 70s and thought that he had a perfectly reasonable approach to life. At least to an 8-year-old.
2.) That girl back in grade 10 who had a really unhealthy relationship with Deanna Troi because of some previous life trauma.
3.) Like my father, you liked the skimpy outfits (...no, protect, protect... you know the one) but also, AHEM... more importantly he likened Spock's experiences to his own as an immigrant.
3.) One of the uber nerds back in grade 7 that lit up the local BBS or early Usenet with fierce discussions of Kirk's superiority over Picard.
4.) Re-watching old episodes of TNG (God bless you BBC America) and it makes you feel like you're visiting with old friends.
5.) A lover of competence porn. Don't you wish your team at work had the competence and work ethic of Star Fleet? I love watching Miles having coffee (double strong, double sweet) with his sleeves rolled up getting ready to put in some hard hours.
6.) Your dad watched TOS in his dorm room in college. You watched DS9 in your first apartment when you moved out.
Listen guys, make the time for the show. I know you've gotta go walk the dog because the kids never do. But seriously remember the reasons you got into Star Trek when you were young.
There no such thing as time travel. But this show will remind you about the things you loved about Star Trek.
And if you're one of those fans that cares about canon and timelines and are rightly concerned about the show runner's respect for the source material... Put it like this, the show scores enough points to allow loose standards when it comes to canon.
Discovery doesn't feel right. Lower Decks is awesome but scratches a different itch. I never watched Prodigy (sorry). This show is a gift to us in our old age.
This is modern Star Trek at it finest.
competence porn
That's really a key point. Transitioning from a world where Dan Quayle got eviscerated for 'potatoe' to a Trump presidency (or Johnson, Berlusconi, Putin, Abbot, AfD, blablabla) has left scars and certain needs when it comes to entertainment.
Reverse that polarity on the deflector and match the harmonic frequency. Mmmmm.
I need you to explain that with a simple analogy.
Like putting too much air into a balloon!
The show is just good TV. The acting is good. The music is too. The writing is very good to the point they are confident enough to push limits, get meta, and rebuff the audience's expectations while still consistently delivering. Even the least of the episodes is well worth the watch even if it is just the once.
@Burstar Dang, Jim! it has one of the best openings of all series. Maybe the best so far.
As a fellow GenX I could not agree more. I was absolutely hyped when Trek returned to cinemas only to get increasingly disappointed by a "star wars reboot proof of concept" approach to the movies.
When Discovery came around I was all in, but soon it turned into a shooting gallery pew pew show and became the first Trek show I abandoned mid-way.
Picard was a confusing mess where they made friends with Borg only to fight Borg next season... and then ended to the crowd's applause because showrunners drowned it in memberberries.
Strange New Worlds is about discoveries and relationships and science. It's goofier than TOS or TNG but in a nice, friendly way. It does not try to be edgy or shocking - it feels fresh and engaging, just like TNG, DS9 and VOY felt when they were first broadcast.
I guess we're just about to wrap up the second season, so it may be too early to call - but SNW is way on the way to becoming my favorite Trek, not just of the modern era but of all time.
I agree with you on everything but Strange New Worlds being goofier than TOS or TNG??? Trouble with Tribbles and Sub Rosa would like some words
I agree with everything you’ve said, but would add that I yearn for a return to the season length of TOS, or TNG.
These 10 episode seasons, or eight in some cases, since streaming’s become the default, are for the birds.
As a viewer I'd love to have (more than) twice the amount of episodes. Knowing the reality of TV/film production though - it would come at a cost of quality. We'd see filler episodes, we'd have much less elaborate sets, plotlines...
I think quality is better than quantity in most cases.
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I've noticed that the movie and t.v. industry will not tolerate a static shot. They must always be moving the camera around for no apparent reason. Sometimes they just use a jumpcut every half second or so.
I'm not sure if they think it holds the audiences attention better, but I find it extremely distracting and annoying. Maybe I've gotten used to static shots from watching real people do real things on YouTube or whatever. It's like trying to watch a scene on a ship in a storm with these scenes sometimes.
@SkepticElliptic @Reva
I was noticing that same thing this week. Hold still!!!I've seen some things about viewer retention on YouTube when there is movement like this. It keeps us interested overall. Perhaps it's similar to monotone voices not being great at keeping our attention.
Bueller, B-ue-ller, Bueller...
You're not wrong, but that's why I like it. Before I get in to that.
Discovery had some good moments and some good acting but was overall a mess.
Picard was like someone gave a big budget to a fanfic and said "I'm not taking any notes." When a bunch of good actors turn in a lousy performances you know the whole thing is broken.
Lower Decks is just all around fun and I really like it.
Back to your statement. I (American) grew up on TOS reruns in the late 70s. I watched old movies and TV shows that had the American 50s optimism for the bright shiny future, but in the late 70s it felt like we'd failed not just economically but more importantly socially. Trek showed a better possible future where we'd solved our problems and learned to work together. It had the 50s optimism for tech and the 60s lessons in social justice. Gene's vision (and he was by no means perfect himself) was that humanity had solved its problems and that serious conflict had to be external. We were still humans with loves, losses, and petty squabbles but we didn't have hatred for our fellow man. But we were still working to be better at accepting everyone. Kind of a throwaway but a great example is Boimler the snotty ensign telling legendary Captain Pike it's kind of offensive to assume all Orions are pirates.
SNW has been a combination of goofy fun, serious topics, and gut-punches like Lift Us Up Where Suffering Cannot Reach.
I still loved DS9 but it strayed away from the vision a lot. I especially hated the parallel universe bullshit which really undermined the point of the original episode. And it gave my conservative friends license to say, look if we're not tough we'll get rolled over and be the underclass. Either be the Terran Empire or be slave. I reject that.
I'm tired of gritty dark Trek. Especially in these times where the future doesn't look good I want to see a shiny happy future where we overcome the challenges by being smart and cooperative. The sets are bright and polished and everyone is fit but the characters actually feel more like real people to me than TNG. I love that we got to watch Uhura's progression from scared cadet to confident at her job for example.
I'm a bit older than you and gotta disagree one one point. The 50s was NOT an optomistic time for American SciFi. With the exception of "Forbidden Planet", which heavily influenced TOS, 50s SciFi was dominated by paranoia, repression & fatalism. There were monsters under every rock. Our inability to control ourselves and our technology was dooming our future. The early 60s TOS was an optomistic breath of fresh air. Maybe we wouldn't blow ourselves up after all
I have to agree, Strange New Worlds is, hands down, the best Trek this side of TNG. I couldn't get into Discovery because it's too E D G Y. Like, it feels like the showrunners discovered emo a generation too late, and the whole show should basically be a linewire music video set to Three Days Grace or Linkin Park. It's fucking insufferable, I just can't reconcile that with Star Trek.
Lower Decks and Prodigy are both great, but don't feel like real entries into the Trek universe and therefore are just kinda time sinks to keep you from being alone with your thoughts and reflecting on the void.
Picard was also sort of in the same boat as Discovery in terms of Edge while also trying to be a murder mystery and also a 'Member Berries special.
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It's a good show though I really wish they went back to 26 episode seasons. Sure they won't all be hits but there's something to be said about stories that feature more of the supporting cast that fleshes out the world a little more.
Great write up dude.
I'm not the generation your talking to but that's fine I just wanted to comment on how well spoken your post was. I was being potty trained when Locutus of Borg striked fear into my tiny heart.
SNW can be the best trek in decades. If it can keep up this quality and get atleast 5 seasons, it will be remember very highly and likely more so than prime 90s trek.
Id love Anson Mount to be the new face of Trek. He's a stellar guy and he does a great Pike.
Thank you my Dude. I was super high when I wrote it. ;)
lol makes the context of the post even better
The best Star Trek since The Orville! :)
I'm 50 and I approve of this post and SNW.
Gen X here, it's a better show than any of the new batch, I had hopes for Picard after the first season but then went to the zoo in the second, and that was that, all the other Parmamount Plus shows are straight unwatchable trash.
Season 3 of Picard was good. Sadly, that was a show that didn't figure out what it wanted or could be until the ending came along.
TottalIy agree. i was not impressed with season 1 of Picard. I forced myself to watch season 2 and I almost just quit watching mid season - it just felt like they lost the magic. I wasn't even going to watch season 3, but then I heard about all the cameos and thought it would be nice to see the old gang back together and it turned out to be the best season of the bunch. Still, Strange New Worlds is lightyears better, imo.
Big disagree from me on that. I hated (nearly) every second of it.
That having been said, SQUEEE ENTERPRISE D
Was glorious seeing it again, even after everyone in the show shit on its design all season. That rather embodies the whole problem tbh.
Edit: I love SNW though, so there's that.
I love all Star Trek.
This is like poetry. Also, are you frickin spying on me?
We are more alike than people realize. We share many similar victories and traumas.
Thanks man. I watched Discovery and it was more "action Trek" (like the newer movies). The first season just made me irritable and while my Trek friend told me to move on (to the following seasons) and forget about it, I just never could. I'm the type that just didn't like the Marvel stuff and haven't watched anything past Iron Man 1.
I'll definitely give this a shot.
Iron Man 1 had that touch of magic to it, didn't it?
Yep, it was all the Marvel I ever needed!
FYI, there's one key way that Discovery season 1 doesn't feel like proper Trek that is a setup for a huge plot twist in season 2.
It might not redeem season 1 for you, of course. But it did for me.
I may give it a whirl once the disdain dies down. Thank you
Gen Xer here. Grew up watching Star Trek with my mom. Love this show. And she just got a subscription so she could watch it, too! As was said elsewhere, it’s just really good tv. Well done and engaging. Now if they could just give us 12, maybe 14 episodes a season…
Yes, SNW is a worthy spiritual successor to TOS.
Biggest thing about Strange New Worlds is it isn't trying to be too much, like Discovery. Discovery seemed to want to project an agenda. Strange tells an episodic story, with a little more overarching story, but not too much, enjoyable. In that regard it harkens back to the original Star Trek. I enjoy single stories encapsulated in individual episodes, and not a lot of pushing hard on some agenda.
What agenda do you feel Disco is trying to further?
As my teenager would say, Discovery is a little, "extra".
Prodigy is surprisingly good. It does skew a bit younger but it does have that Star Trek feel.
But I agree SNW and Lower Decks are great.
It's odd because to me lower decks feels the least like and the most like a Star Trek show... Somehow they walk that line really well.Biggest issue I have with this edition is the Strange New Worlds tag.
Should be just... Star Trek.
A true descendant of the show I grew up with.
You want it to have the exact same name as another series and a JJ Abrams movie? Having a subtitle is practically part of the canon at this point.
Battlestar Galactica, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits; just to name a few successful TV reboots (and some, accompanying films) of the same name.
The original Star Trek and SNW have more in common, quality and continuity than any two seasons of ST:Discovery.
It's worthy of the name, in my opinion.
I started questioning Strange New Worlds in the very beginning when Spock and T'Pring hang out in their luxurious penthouse and constantly make-out like a couple of hormonal teenagers. I lost interest when magic blood cured massive radiation exposure, not only in the person with magic fairy dust in their veins, but in someone else next to them in the room. What in the actual fuck? How is that Star Trek? Based on what I saw, Strange New Worlds is indeed strange, as in "why are they making these strange writing decisions?".
As a fellow Gen X, I feel like SNW is...perfectly fine. If you went to the Star Trek store and walked up to the counter and said, "One Star Trek, please," SNW is what they would give you wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. Star Trek as you like it! It's a solid C+ for sure. And there are even some really good episodes, too!
But man, do I wish it wasn't trying so hard to be Star Trek, and was actually doing something new and interesting. I grew up watching reruns of TOS before TNG was on the air, and then TNG was appointment viewing in my house. And I love those shows. I have those shows an I can rewatch them any time I want.
This second season has been better than the first, and I've enjoyed it, but there still hasn't been much to really get me invested. There's no hook. None of these episodes are threatening to break into my top 50. Which, granted, there is almost 900 episodes of Star Trek, so there's a lot of competition.
I just want to be excited about Trek, and SNW is not doing that for me.
It's a tough time for anyone to be making new Star Trek content. People always say they want something new, when when they actually get it, most of them are like "no, not like that."
I like more new Trek than I dislike. Hell, I like SNW well enough.
I’m just opposed to the idea that because I’m in a specific age demographic that this particular iteration of Trek should be particularly special.
Gen X here. Sorry, I'm going to be an asshole.
I am not telling anyone they can't enjoy it, but when I see things like this, I just can't leave it alone.
I disagree with everything you said, and much like the incessant, "Dude, this is finally the Trek show we wanted dudebrodude!" It honestly makes me question your motives, because I've seen similar, though more blatant, gaslighting elsewhere.
This show suffers from the same illogical plots, very questionable dialogue, and blatant canon failures as Discovery, making a mockery of everything I loved about Star Trek from TOS and growing up through TNG and DS9. This show is nothing like what I grew up with, a calm, consistent, well-considered and well-written morality tale. This show is modern, CW-level feely-feels-schlock. Anyone that enjoys it is welcome to it; but it is nothing like TOS or TNG from my formative years.
This show suffers from the same illogical plots, very questionable dialogue...
I love TNG and can appreciate TOS but seriously, to say those didn't sometimes have absurd plotlines with gaping chasms for plotholes and some of the, in retrospect cringiest dialogue around...
To each their own I guess but I think you might be looking the old stuff through rose coloured glasses.
This is how you know it's a good show.
The true fans come out of the woodwork to bemoan every single new Trek.
It wouldn't be Trek if there was no disagreement.
(....I'm the furthest thing from a Dudebro (tm), but I was targeting that particular demographic! So thank you for the writing compliment...)
This show suffers from the same illogical plots, very questionable dialogue, and blatant canon failures
So it's basically the same as TOS? Excellent!
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It honestly makes me question your motives, because I've seen similar, though more blatant, gaslighting elsewhere.
Can we not just let people have opinions without accusing them of gaslighting?
You have a point, but it got lost in the assholery of your reply. I too long for a little more of the hard SciFi and morality tales of Star Trek. The writers/producers try too hard to explore characters & relationships rather than the cool things that we can see/learn while exploring the galaxy - - all those strange new worlds.
Yep, aside literally one episode for about, what, 15 seconds, we saw some strange new aliens.
And yes I've been very jaded against the gaslighting about these shows thanks to the brutal subjugation of the reddit sub. I've seen fake gushing over these shows too many times, and I just pictured poor Wil Wheaton making the post.