There's no doubt about it. Star Trek has changed a lot since The Original Series aired in 1966, even since The Next Generation hit our screens in 1987. The five Trek shows that came before Alex Kurtzman took over the franchise all had a lot in common. Except for Deep Space Nine, they were all set aboard a starship. The crew explored space, and each episode, for the most part, was a morality play.
The series that premiered beginning in 2017 with Star Trek: Discovery all have similiar aspects. So, to that end, Trek hasn't changed. However, ask any fan now, and they will tell you that there is a difference in the franchise. There is darkness, more conflict between the characters, more romance, more exploration, and topics and situations that probably would not have been covered in the earlier era are now being covered. That makes Trek different. Not all people like that, but Alex Kurtzman has every intention of keeping things this way, according to an interview with Comic Book.
" "It's not about turning out lots of shows, it's about turning out shows that mean something. So for me, I think I'm looking for every show to be different than the one that came before it. That's really the only thing that matters. I'm not looking at this as, 'Okay I'm planning out the next 20 years, what are we going to do?' I'm really thinking more, 'What's a story we haven't told, a crew we haven't met yet, and an adventure we haven't gone on?' That is really the qualification.""Alex Kurtzman
Kurtzman wants each show to be different. He doesn't want fans to feel like they don't need to watch a show because it's so similar to others. So he's always looking for the story that hasn't been told yet and what adventures have yet to be undertaken. He wants each show to be able to stand on their own, and that's what the newer shows have done.
""What I don't want is for you to feel like, 'Well, I don't really need to watch this show because I've already watched that show, so I've gotten my fill of Star Trek.' I want each show to feel individualized and specific. And a lot of that has to do with trusting different voices and different showrunners to come in and give their read on Star Trek, and tell their version of a story that's interesting to them. And that's the way you keep it fresh.""Alex Kurtzman
Yes, it's those differences that have annoyed some fans. A lot of us don't want change. We want to tune in each week to see a new chapter unfolding on the Enterprise or Voyager. But then there are those of us who are embracing the newer versions of Star Trek, who are looking forward to seeing what comes next. Whatever our position, newer Star Trek shows aren't going to resemble the series of old or even the series that are currently airing now. We either have to embrace the difference or not watch. And I don't know about you, but the thought of not watching Star Trek is unpalatable.