“Star Trek is ready for new stories.”
Star Trek’s 60th anniversary celebrations have been nothing short of stellar, and garnering “The Franchise of the Year Award” at this year’s Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame induction ceremony was simply replicator-quality icing on the cake. However, despite achieving such an honor thanks, in large part, to the universe’s countless classic characters, the son of creator Gene Roddenberry isn’t interested in any of them returning.
Rod Roddenberry said while attending the BC Hall of Fame event (per People): “I think Star Trek is ready for new stories. Going back to the well, in my opinion, and bringing [back previous cast] or characters. We’ve done that. Let’s start out on a new adventure."
Roddenberry continued by saying:
"We’re certainly entering a unique time right now with technology and all sorts of things, and to explore that more in a respectful, careful, but optimistic way would probably not be too bad of an idea. But it’s also gotta be a good story, too. So, I’m not sure what that looks like yet.”
Star Trek is already moving forward with a brand-new cast of characters in John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s upcoming feature film. So, why not bring back some classic characters for another project?
I don't think the son of Roddenberry is taking into account how beloved some of the franchise’s characters are, or how their return could equate to huge box office profits while also satiating the majority of the fandom.
And, despite how much I enjoyed them, I think the live-action streaming shows Star Trek: Discovery and Starfleet Academy are prime examples of why nostalgia often trumps the contemporary. Both were loaded with a host of new characters, yet each endured considerable criticism.
Meanwhile Strange New Worlds, at least the first two seasons anyway, received high praise from critics and fans alike, and that streaming series introduced only a few new characters into a cast of iconic and beloved characters, which included James. T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Lt. Uhura.
So, respectively, I disagree with Roddenberry. I think the perfect blueprint has already been laid out by the first two seasons of Strange New Worlds: bring back beloved characters with a few new ones, which is an approach that should appeal to new fans, Trekkies, and Trekkers alike.
For instance, J.J. Abrams rebooted The Original Series for the big screen. Why doesn’t some talented writer-director do the same for The Next Generation?
Just think of all the new Treks which could be explored on the small and big screens by reintroducing TNG to a new generation of fans, not to mention the other 24th century titles (Deep Space Nine, Voyager), which also existed during that same time frame.
Do you agree with Roddenberry about not “going back to the well?” Or do you feel that a mixture of Star Trek nostalgia and something fresh is the way to go? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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