Point two. Hollywood has no clue what makes a good movie. Directors do; but, Hollywood doesn't. For that reason, anytime anything in hollywood succeeds, they jump on it, repackage it and spin it off twelve times to scrape in all the profit they can suck off a winning idea that they beat into the ground. I'd prefer having ONE star trek show that is good to havin 12 of them that are bland, drab, passe' and utterly predictable. Sometimes it is accutely evident that The franchise knows where it is going, a cliffhanger episode of the Next Generation comes to mind: I still remember vividly and can see Riker's face - his reaction at staring into the view screen somewhat blankly, yet determined and saying "Fire". Two part or not, heller cliffhanger or not, it was good tv- engaging. It challenged you and made you think.
Tv today has enough shallow 'buffy the vampire slayer' shows that are geared to kids and have no depth. As an adult, I don't need to see teenybopper crap, I want Kirk doing a Z+ move up behind Kahn and punching a new decorative hole in Singh's @**! Give me the Columbo story's with the action of Wrath of Kahn. Do the multipart storys that engage us.
SCREW BEING PC. Anyone can be PC. It's a default position for cowards that can't hack it in a world of ideas and competition. Life is gritty. Space is Gritty. And we can be kind and realistic without pandering to Panty wastes! If you're going to give us a good script, it's gone the minute you start playing pc games. The rest is gone the minute we start dumbing down the relationships for shallow teens. Enterprise this far is fairly good. I like the cast overall, though having a hard time still with the captain, the actor is good. I've heard differing opinions, I think he should stay.
Wanna see the ratings climb? Bring wesley crusher into the past for a visit and let the captain accidently blow him out an airlock. Every true trek fan will applaud and probably watch that sequence inumerable times. Wesley was written badly and no one likes the character.
Seriously, think about it. The Borg, Squire Trelaine, Q, Khan, and a little piece of the action. Great stuff, One can't consistently produce that quality; but, the old series produced enough of it to stand on it's own for how many years in syndication.. Star trek isn't a show based on formulas. It's an alternate reality based on believeable technology and good scripts that engage the mind. It's at times Android dreams and others Columbo in a jumpsuit. It's a bit of the Warrior and a bit of the negotiator. It's the parody to some point "Ah, we've come in peace (behind the hand) shoot to kill, men." And it's knowing the difference between doing what's right and what regulations dictate. Want some good Trekking - Stir up a particularly nasty problem that is impossible to solve and solve it. How else does Worf regain his family honor - and who can forget it!
Paramount should look at what has made Star Trek Bold and strong and fire anyone who attempts to make it wimpy and pc. Period. And I don't think of City on the edge of forever as wimpy, btw. On the other hand when it becomes necessary to blow up the enterprise every other movie, It's rather obvious that the writers have lost their way.
Lord of the Rings is a phenomenon that I went to see because it will only be on the big screen once. It's an epic. And most of us fantasy scifi types blew our money on it. I have to work these things into a schedule, Missing Trek on the screen just means I have to buy the DVD that much Quicker to catch up. Star Trek can go on. It's a matter of whether paramount wants to play the hollywood game with it or keep the Roddenberry vision and be on the edge, believeable, engaging and challenging. Half the voting public is Conservative, but most of the actual public is conservative. Remember that, and it should help as well. Warf having honor means something to us.
Actually, Buffy has a suprising amount of depth. Much of the show is written for 2 different audiences, both kids and adults, where each will take a different meaning from it. If you watch closely, you'll see some really funny stuff that someone who hadn't watched the past few seasons wouldn't even notice. The writers are much better on that show than many, including myself gave them credit for until I'd watched a few episodes. I watch 2 television shows every week, and one of those is Buffy.
Hey it's still working.
Studio suit: "It's just that we think the title will deter some people from watching the show."
Joss Whedon: "Yes and they are very silly people and I don't want them watching my show."
Back to topic: All the Star Trek captains could take lessons in leadership from cute little Willow Rosenberg when she goes into Commander mode. Direct orders issued without hesitation, explanation, or any hint of uncertainty.