Star Trek will thrive if it embraces the fandom it has

Star Trek is an ever-growing, ever-evolving franchise. It' has usually been a series that has tried to focus on the best in humanity, and telling stories that can influence and inspire an audience. They've done more broader stories. With a focus on things like adventure, travel and even love, but in every instance there's always an emotional element in that story that tries to work it's way into the viewers concious.

For instance, Deep Space Nine tackled war, but also how war affects those that come home from it. It wasn't just a show that glorified violence, but dove deep into the trauma that comes with it. It's ability to tell such deep, provocative and inspiring stories is why it has the fanbase it has. It's also the reason why they should stop trying to cater to non-fans of the franchise.

Star Trek is not a series that can do or be anything. It, like everything in the universe, has its limits. Trying to stretch it into something its not will only drive fans away from the franchise. Case in point, look at the two-lowest rated episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (according to IMDB). In both cases, it was the "odd" episode near the end of their seasons.

In season one it as the "The Elysian Kingdom" and in season two it was "Subspace Rhapsody". Both episodes diverted from the course of what the show has been and will be, and in turn, a lot of fans were not happy with it. It's not the thing the franchise should be embracing.

In fact, the franchise as a whole should learn from these, dare we say failures of episodes, and focus more on what Star Trek is. Contained, singular stories that exist to make you think and feel. That's where Star Trek shines. It's also what brought all of us to the franchise in the first place.

This constant need to change up Star Trek to cater to "new fans" is absurd. None of us were "catered" to when we discovered Star Trek, and yet we all fell in love with this franchise. So will new fans, if given the chance. Star Trek tackles timeless ideas, and sound principles—adventure and stories designed to be significant and relevant, long past their air date.

An episode from the original series in the 1960s can have as much impact on someone as a show from the 2020s. Changing up the formula to cater to people who would otherwise never care about Star Trek isn't the course the series should go. In doing so, you're only ever going to cleave portions of your existing fandom off of what you've already built.

Then what?

Focusing on shows like Discovery, Lower Decks and others that aim to be "different" from what we've gotten in the past is a ticket to disaster. Shows like The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds are the perfect examples of what Star Trek could and should be.

Embracing shows like those is the best way to ensure the franchise's future. There's always a place for classic Star Trek and new fans will find the franchise over time. If the showrunners would pull back on needing 40 shows, 14 films, and 78 different books and games at the same time, you'd be able to cultivate a new fanbase by just doing what has worked for nearly 60 years;

Make a show that Star Trek fans, both young and old can appreciate. Don't put in gimmicks like a musical episode. Don't try and make it some gritty, dark, depressing affair, and don't try to steal someone else's schtick.

Make classic Star Trek, and new fans will follow.