this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2025

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"Star Trek is dying." How would you sell it to a younger audience? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

67 comments fedilink hide all child comments

In a TrekCulture interview a week ago, Rob Kazinsky, who plays Zeph in Section 31, talked about his reaction to the S13 movie.

He revealed one interesting point from behind the scenes about why the movie was made:

When I got this job, I was like, "Ugh, Section 31 movie, why are they doing a Section 31 movie? It's gonna be hated from the get-go. No ones gonna want to watch a Section 31 movie. We're doing a TV-budget movie. This isn't going to be what people want..." And I spoke to Alex [Kurtzman] and I spoke to Olatunde [Osunsanmi] and they explained to me that Star Trek is dying. And I don't know if people know that. You know, I was talking about Star Trek at my gym where I fight. You know, I'm a boxer where I fight with a lot of kids - you know, I don't fight them but train them - none of them knew what Star Trek was. Could you imagine that?

He went on to say that Star Trek had never had a base as big as Harry Potter or Star Wars but the small fanbase was passionate. He says that fanbase is aging and "we are going to lose Star Trek if we don't bring in new fans, new eyes and new ways of getting people to love the things that we love."

I think that's a valid point but Section 31 is not the answer. It's not particularly interesting for kids (I think) or for adults, whether or not they're Trek fans already. And for fans, this type of storytelling sacrifices the optimistic ethos (though not immune from criticism along the lines of DS9) that's at the heart of the Federation and the franchise. And I'm not even arguing this from a canon or gatekeeping point of view. It's not utlilizing Star Trek's niche and unique selling point in the market. Why should kids watch Star Trek instead of Captain America, Suicide Squad, or any MCU movie?

Here comes the question: If you're in Alex Kurtzman's position, how are you going to sell the franchise to a new, young audience? How are you going to convince kids who spend their time playing Roblox and watching Mr. Beast that Star Trek is a good show to watch?

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Reminds me of what I heard from a comedian a while back, about how restaurants slowly lose what made them great in the first place, until they become a poor imitation of Applebees, or similar restaurants, because “that’s what people want”. They then eventually fail, because if you want Applebees, you go to Applebees.

But how is Star Trek not doing so hot if I just read this:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/star-trek-franchise-made-2-202843856.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALfICqIPVLbKoRwsReQJxRCI-TT82SDIYzfpW-2AtJJIFkUDte6RYqje2cLjYdUSMHv8aIZAChVfJbG67Oc0gMeMq8JnQOsJL7BFn3bOVq88vqS2d91nJ_zezWnxi7NkvgDlCTj3o39JuAUUdGPT0Tq8fUHsiw7PWaskoR9cbDRb

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Re runs and free yt uploads of TNG with advertising like "here's a future we can have, with quality leadership. Keep fighting for decency"

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

What is the age range they are classifying as young? Are they talking like teenagers or mid-20s to 30s? The thing with Star Trek that I think attributes to the non-fans not watching would be the stylization. Going back to the comparison of MCU, HP, and Star Wars: they all have something unique (be it the directing, photography, acting, writing, music, special effects, etc.) that if you pay attention for a significant period will find. Star Trek is no different. When you watch a MCU movie or TV show you probably see the sleek costumes and fast paced fight choreography. With HP, it was probably all the special effects, makeup and set design. For Star Wars it might be the writing, special effects and music.

I’m being non-specific here of course. Star Trek like I said is no different. There are visual and non-visual language being utilized that we find enjoyment in. For anyone not currently into these properties, it could be difficult to enjoy. Especially if you haven’t been someone who watched these properties from a young age or from the early years. For example, if you had someone exposed to only the Kelvin Timeline try to watch TOS or TNG with no context for how it relates, a disconnect might form. Visually those series are not as sleek or modernized as those movies.

As for the comparison to video games… that is simply a different medium. What appeals to one person to the next will be hard to gage. That doesn’t preclude the likes of Fortnite players from enjoying Trek, but culturally that kind of entertainment is very different from what a kid who grow up with TNG was exposed to.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm struggling to find it now, but I read a Jonathan Frakes interview last year (I think) where he expressed a similar sentiment.

Basically, he said that the fans that he sees at conventions are getting noticably older, and there aren't as many younger people joining the fold.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

He would be a better judge of that observation. However I was at STLV last year and there was a sizable number of younger fans (especially those who are teenage). Maybe not a lot.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Sure, I don't think anything is absolute. But I think there's a general impression that as the older fans literally die off, there aren't enough younger ones to replace them, let alone expand the popularity of the franchise.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think PRO is a step in the right direction.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

Agreed, though it seems unlikely that we're going to get any more of it, sadly.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

section 31 was pretty cringe. There were some pretty cool concepts and ideas but, overall not executed well at all. It seems section 31 is made up of a bunch of dumbass rejects? Georgiou character was way over hammed compared to how she was in Discovery. Driving the movie like it was a video game was an interesting idea that could have been done better. The couple twists with the whole "whos the traitor?" was interesting if not rushed, seemed like an afterthought.

its one of those movies you watch once.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Write great scripts first

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think the current approach is the correct one, even if it produces a few misses here and there.

A variety of tonally distinct projects, aimed at different demographics, telling stories.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

It's more TV is dying and Kurtzman hates Star Trek as a concept and can only write one kind of story. There is this thing we need to find that thing. An entire season about finding that thing.

When star trek is done right it works and gets shared around and does well. The five OG star trek series. Strange new worlds, The Orville Prodigy

It also kills me that Kurtzman misses the entire point of what Section 31 was in DS9. When he said a utopia can't exist without someone doing the dirty work like S31. That kinda of undermineds the entire point of star trek and If we have gotten to that point star trek is already dead and a dystopian zombie is wearing it's face.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (3 children)

@concrete_baby

Could there be a reboot that decides to go back to the optimistic world view of the original?

It's not just Trek. Who decided that all SciFi has to be dystopian, brooding, militaristic, or horror?

It's ironic that if you want Trek with the vibe of the original you have to watch "The Orville".

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

We already have Prodigy, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks under Kurtzman that are considered "optimistic." The question is, do kids want optimism?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I'd consider Discovery to be optimistic as well - striving to make the world(s) a better place in the face of conflict, uncertainty, and disaster is still optimism. In fact, it's arguably the type of optimism we need now more than ever before.

The first season of Picard flirted with similar themes, but I don't think that series ultimately went anywhere with them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Agreed - there are different flavours of optimism. TNG presented a promise that one day, humanity will overcome the petty squabbles and bad ideologies it's mired in today. There's a place for that, but I think there's more appetite today for a focus on how we'll achieve that future - that we can and will fight for it.

Honestly, if I were pitching a concept to attract some fresh attention, I'd go with a "Star Trek: WW3" series. Set it around 2240 to 2250, feature Khan as a big bad, maybe sprinkle in some E.T. interference a la "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" to keep that essential sci-fi flavour. You could also mine the Reeves-Stevens novel "Federation" for some inspiration. The point would be to make it feel contemporary and topical, but ultimately show that when that tipping point into Star Trek's future arrives, we'll be able to tip in the right direction.

I think there's definitely room for different tones and ideas, as long as we also have SNW to keep that classic Trek approach alive.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I have a lot of half-baked thoughts about how TNG was more of a product of its time than we realize.

Growing up in the late 80s - early 90s, a lot of us were taught that social injustice were issues of the past, and TNG reflected that perspective.

That...well, even at the time, we were being sold a false bill of goods, and it certainly isn't the world we live in today.