Star Trek Discovery: 15 Biggest Differences From The Other Trek Series

Screen Rant ^ | July 13, 2017 | Kieron Moore

[EveningStar]

Star Trek may be one of the longest running science fiction franchises out there, with its fantastic tales of starships exploring the far reaches of the galaxy having engaged movie and television viewers since 1966, but it’s been off our TV screens for a long while now – twelve years, to be precise. That will soon change, as this September sees the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, an ambitious new show set within the universe of the Federation – yes, the actual one, not the parallel universe from those lens flaring, CGI-heavy movies.

But despite being set in the same universe as the classic adventures of the Voyager and the various incarnations of the Enterprise, Discovery will be a very new take on Star Trek, with some big differences between it and the series that have come before. Some of these changes are inevitable, given the major shifts in how TV is made that have occurred since Enterprise finished its run in 2005. Other changes are more surprising and concern the characters and alien races we’ll meet.

So whether you’re a Trek purist and need to prepare yourself for any shocks, or a more easygoing viewer excited to see this new take on the franchise, here are fifteen of the things that will not be the same when the Discovery takes flight…

[faucetman]

The streaming deal with Netflix will NOT be available in the U.S.

[AustinBill]

Does anyone know if CBS All Access “commercial free” option really is commercial free? The info on their web site is unclear.

[Nea Wood]

You’re not alone.

[faucetman]

I am a big fan of Star Trek. I have watched them all with the exception of “Star Trek Enterprise” because of the lead actor Scott Bakula, the cross dressing fagot (Sam Beckett on Quantum Leap). I can’t stand him. I REFUSE to watch ANYTHING he is in.

I would watch the new Star Trek Discovery, but since it is only available through “streaming” that leaves me out. I’ll wait for the DVD series in a few years, IF the show survives this DISASTROUS programming decision.

Another “Utopia”?

[TwelveOfTwenty]

I don't have a problem with lead characters that aren't white males, because we are a diverse country.

However, if they're going to have fictitious characters lecture me about how I have to accept bug chasing and gift giving as normal, I'll watch something else.

[Ennis85]

“I don’t have a problem with lead characters that aren’t white males, because we are a diverse country.”

I don’t either, Hell Sisko was one of the best characters in Trek and well Janeway I disliked because she could be a callous & selfish bitch. As someone pointed out ealier whenever there was a diverse cast it was organic but now its just being forced. And the people behind this know exactly what they’re doing.

I know how you feel about fictional characters lecturing us.
How many times how I come across a storyline in some shows where the “villian” of the week has the audacity to have the opinion that marriage is between a man and a woman. And of course its the “heroes” duty to set them straight.

[EveningStar]

Scott Bakula, the cross dressing fagot

Where did you hear that?

[headstamp 2]

Was just kidding, LOL

[TwelveOfTwenty]

As someone pointed out ealier whenever there was a diverse cast it was organic but now its just being forced. And the people behind this know exactly what they’re doing.

But there's the other side of the coin. How many old movies do we enjoy watching that are all white because minorities were pretty much excluded, unless they needed someone they could get cheap to play the maid?

And it wasn't all that long ago. Remember the Dead Zone from 1984? I loved the movie, but I saw maybe one Asian playing a small role in an otherwise all white cast. That wasn't reality even in 1984.

[Delmarksman]

Bad episodes...
I have a letter from Gene Roddenberry where he states coldly that the Networks didn’t like the show and were out to let it die an untimely death. (paraphrasing) He and my grandfather were best of friends, having served together during WWII.

Of all of the letters that I once had of their correspondence I still have 2, one of which is on MGM letterhead. Quite neat to read the witty banter between them including them riding out a hurricane while drinking in a stairwell and some over-friendly recollections from Gene regarding my grandmother. ;)

Methinks that Gene would puke at what the networks have done with the show but marvel at what the fans have come up with.

[Ennis85]

“Methinks that Gene would puke at what the networks have done with the show but marvel at what the fans have come up with.”

To be fair he puked at what was happening to his creation years before his death. For example he was pissed the when he found out they were going to kill off Spock in Wrath of Khan, and even went out of his way to sabotage the whole thing by revealing this to the fans. And you can bet he wasn’t happy with what Shatner was doing to Star Trek V and right before he died he tried to use legal action to remove some of the more militaristic elements from Undiscovered County.

[BillyBoy]

>> Captain Georgiou, it has a female captain of Asian descent, with Michelle Yeoh even using her native Malaysian accent. <<

Honestly, I've seen the trailer (which was overall just "ok"), and this was one of the WORST aspects about it. She sounded very wooden and stilted playing a 23rd century starship Captain. Yeoh in her element doing asian martial arts flicks and it shows. Worst Star Trek casting I've seen since they hired Genevieve Bujold to play "Captain Janeway" and she quit on them after a week (you can see the footage of her doing the role on youtube)

I've heard "Captain Georgiou" is only at the start of the season to set the events of the show in motion, and then pass the torch to Jason Issacs. I certainly hope that's true. I will find out when I watch the pilot but I am NOT optimistic.

[Rastus]

Maybe. But the main guy involved with The Orville is one of the nastiest guys, pushing all kinds of perversity on his Family Guy and his films.

[BillyBoy]

>> A lead character who isn't captain would be a welcome change <<

Watch any Star Trek series starting with TNG and you'll see that. Picard was originally conceived as a "by the book, on the bridge at all times" character who delegated the away mission stuff to others, leaving Patrick Stewart to complain by TNG season 3 that he had "nothing to do", so they beefed up his role. "Number One" Commander Riker was supposed to the "Kirk like" character that was the heroic action type in season 1.

DS9 made Sisko a Commander, not a Captain, as the original concept of the show was an ensemble group of federation misfits on a space station. It was supposed to "star" Ensign Ro from TNG and she would get her own spinoff in the form of DS9, but the actress wasn't interested, so they changed to the character to Major Kira.

VOY was always conceived as an ensemble show, but it became all about Seven of Nine by season 4, and eventually revolved around her, The Doctor, and Captain Janeway. ENT I guess was supposed to make Bakula the "star", but Captain Archer was so bland and poorly written that he certainly didn't carry that show. Unfortunately I don't think any of the other characters were any better.

[BillyBoy]

>> But the main guy involved with The Orville is one of the nastiest guys, pushing all kinds of perversity on his Family Guy and his films. <<

True, but so far that's the ONLY negative that Orville has going for it, and the television networks manage to reign in MacFarlene much more than when he does a movie like "A Million Way to Die in the West"

I'd summarize the upcoming shows this way:

ORVILLE
+ Looks fun
+ Interesting characters
+ Doesn't give a crap about being P.C.
+ Actually LOOKS like Star Trek SHOULD look
+ Good Star Trek alumni working on the show
+ Airs on actual network television for free
+ Reminds me of Galaxy Quest, a terrific Star Trek parody
+ Doesn't have to worry about canon
+ Won't be pure slapstick comedy but a mixture of drama and parody
- Seth MacFarlene has a potty mouth and tends to make a lot of really vulgar and tasteless "jokes"

DISCOVERY
+ Good Star Trek alumni working on the show
+ Will bring back Harry Mudd in a more grounded role and give us some back story about him
+ Special effects look very cinematic and impressive
- Original Showrunner quit on them
- Endless delays
- Lots of BAD Star Trek alumni working on the show (Alex "I gave you Star Trek Into Darkness, the horrible Transformer sequels, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and that worthless Mummy remake with Tom Cruise" Kurtzman, puke)
- Lots of pandering to the SJW crowd to make the show "diverse" and "progressive"
- Doesn't look ANYTHING like a "prime timeline" Star Trek show set "10 years before Kirk" should look. Looks more like the Abrams movies
- Klingons look terrible
- 90% of the supposedly "new" aspects of the show have been on Star Trek countless times before
- Have to PAY for new "online streaming service only" just to watch the show

[daltec]

Unless the redshirt has phasers set to kill, I would put my money on Michelle Yeoh.

[COBOL2Java]

"Yes, Captains make more than $15 an hour! What's your point?"

"And no, you can't live in my quarters!"

[yarddog]

I catch myself watching “Family Guy” then realize I am watching absolute filth and turn the channel.

[tumblindice]

Daughter talked me into watching the 2009 Star Trek movie with young cadet James Tiberius Kirk and emo Spock.
Uhruru lip-locking with Spock was awkward, Eric Bana as evil Romulan `Nero’, it was pretty good stuff.
Props and special effects have sure gotten better since Kirk fought the expression-less Gorn lizard captain, winning with a cannon he made with stuff he found on the ground.
I don’t like the other series with the chrome-dome and chick captains. Harrumph/

[W.]

I agree with you but I don’t like the CGI crap.

That Trek movie was da bomb. (For us old original Trekkies!) But just about anything Trek gets us going!