New star trek and the mythology around it

So rant...I am a huge fan of star trek. I am not the biggest fan of the reboot (jj abrams) movies but I am still a fan of star trek as a whole.

CBS recently released a small teaser trailer for the upcoming 2017 series...and surprise surprise it has a few people upset. So let's break this down as to why. The trailer was nothing big it was designed to just inform people that there is a new series that will be featured on CBS's payed streaming site. THAT'S ALL...this show has not been cast yet it has drawn criticism from many fans. Why are fans bitching? Why are they upset? Well there are a lot of reasons. First lets make something clear Star Trek is essentially owned by 2 companies, CBS and Paramount, Paramount owns the movies CBS owns the Television endeavors. Both these companies have caused some in the fan base to loathe them, at least that's the fans perception. Let's dive in shall we...

Reason 1. 

REBOOTS...in 2009 the start of a new Star Trek Franchise began. In this version we get to see the original characters but completely recast and redesigned. Did this movie work? Eh kinda sorta sorta kinda. It worked to keep Star Trek alive after a period of a few years where it was dying. In my opinion it was dying after the 3rd season of Enterprise. This movie was flawed but it was fun in many ways. It was nice seeing a smart ass Kirk even though he was over the top but it was nice seeing Nimoy return albeit briefly to 'pass the baton' to the new crew. It failed to give us a traditional Trek story according to many fans. HOWEVER here is a problem before 2009 movie came out for over 13 years Paramount kept feeling that the fans wanted Star Trek to be a action movie. 

This perception was brought out by the fans. After Star Trek Generations many fans thought that movie was deeply flawed because 1. It killed Kirk, 2. Was boring. 3 didn't have a well developed story and so on. Then First Contact came out...most fan reaction was essentially 'OMG They brought the Bork its an action movie! YAY' Even in the behind the scenes features the cast of TNG movies stated the fans want Star Trek to be a ACTION MOVIE. It just took 13 years later to make Star Trek into a action movie. This is a disconnect of the fan base because Paramount listened to everything that the fans wanted but couldn't achieve it due to the people writing the TNG movies. There are more reasons but we will get to that later.

Ultimately Paramount wasn't sure what to do with Star Trek, they had a typical story that could be adapted into any sci-fi or action movie. Star Trek has name recognition and most people go with something they know about when going to a movie...ultimately this caused a backlash due to fans. The Fan base needed to be broadened unfortunately it was broadened by someone who didn't really understand intellectual trek. 

The nervousness is that the new Trek series will take place in the Reboot universe from JJ Abrams...THIS HAS BEEN STATED BY CBS TO NOT BE THE CASE (that was capitalized because no one seems to understand that). 

Reason 2. 

The myth of Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek...This one pains me to write actually, I admire Gene Roddenberry immensely, for not only Star Trek but his service to world war 2 and his talent to write. But ultimately I am a realist, it's easy for us to see as fans and say 'this man was a visionary' (which he was) and 'he wrote the best Star Trek' (which he didn't). Like all franchises Star Trek didn't start out as a franchise it started as a TV show to attract viewers and advertisers let's make that clear BUT something changed, Star Trek started to capture people's imagination during it's run and after, largely due to the space race and the lunar landing. Then more fans came into the fold which lead to something it lead to the evolution of what Star Trek was and is. There is a perception that Star Trek was always about people of the Earth working together for a common good with no need for want and material, while this is partially true it was for convenience of story. In the original series money is mentioned by starfleet and for it's use. Over time and over the movies and TV shows it evolved that humans do not use money because there is no want or need because of the technology of the time. Also the ideas of inclusiveness working together evolved as well. In TOS First pilot the Cage the cast was not that diverse. It was mostly white men and women that were on the main cast, probably because the two women on the cast was too much for that time anyway. It wasn't until the series went on did we get more diversity and it wasn't until the movies and TNG were made did we fully see more diversity. 

Gene was a good man BUT a heavily flawed man from the reports of people that were married and directly worked for and with him. He was known for stealing scripts by not crediting people fully (Ask D.C. Fontana). He also felt (Specifically in TNG) that conflicts should be minimal and it should be about exploration. Here is when Gene actually believed the mythology that fans built around him, this caused several problems with the writing staff and thereby causing people to quit be fired or going behind is back. My fellow fans, TNG was a ultimate disaster in the first 2-3 seasons due to fighting behind the scenes and because of Gene trying to control everything. Trek has grown to being what it is, just like Star Wars or any good franchise, it has evolved. 

Reason 3.

This is another part I hate to point out because I will get labeled a hater by fellow fans (if anyone reads this that is). Fan's feel that we own what we are a fan of, we feel because we 'invested' in a franchise we own it. I understand this feeling, I have felt that way at times, that this was my personal thing that I share with the fans...the bitter truth...WE DO NOT OWN STAR TREK. Paramount and CBS own it, for better or worse. Star Trek is a product, that we pay for ultimately, just like me buying an iPod or a Marvel movie doesn't mean I own a Apple or a part of Marvel. It is a product that I purchase and enjoy. 

CBS and Paramount recently sued a 'fan film' that for a while I was hoping to see, however over time a lot of read flags appeared and after CBS and Paramount discovered  that this production was selling versions of star trek merchandise, raised almost 1.5 million dollars and proclaiming that they are a professional film CBS and Paramount had enough and sued this person (While not suing all fan films). Under the law they have a right to do this but this actually caused a small backlash among some fans that continue to support this 'fan film'. A few are calling for an outright boycott of any new trek without giving it a chance, while I understand that sentiment of the reboot movies, I don't understand that when it comes to a new series that has wonderful talent attached to it such as Nicholas Meyer. This whole boycott thing comes from a sentiment that us fans own star trek and there is nothing that CBS and Paramount can do about it, this isn't true we have a choice of what to purchase but we don't own the brand. CBS and Paramount can let star trek die but that means what they have invested will fall. They do need to make a profit if there is no profit they will drop it. This was done in the early 2000's because essentially they over saturated the market. This caused the absence. Fan films filled a vacancy and CBS and Paramount allowed this UNTIL you merchandise your film and make almost $2million for what you call a professional film. (Yes I understand I simplified this a bit because essentially that is what it is about, I also understand that many fans who support this fan film are extremely defensive...that's fine but understand that facts play into this not just what a 'producer' states on his facebook or website).


Ultimately the point of this was for me to say what I wanted to, Star Trek is getting a new series and I am excited for that because they have a good writer with Nicholas Meyer. Star Trek works as a TV series more than a movie when you are reintroducing a new crew. That is something Paramount tried to get over by using the same characters. Ultimately it lacked a lot of the interaction the fans are wanting. What bothers me is a few are complaining that they won't pay $6.00 a month for a star trek series, that's their decision but these people shouldn't complain that there is no new star trek coming out.