6 Things Star Trek Should Do To Make Me Watch It Again

To boldly go back to where we once were.

I've watched the new Star Trek trailer off and on over the last several months, well, at least since they released it, and I just saw it again. I can honestly admit to myself that I'm sad where Star Trek is going anymore.

Like many people I was genuinely excited when I heard about the so called reboot of the series. I was anxious to see Star Trek set back in the era of The Original Series (TOS). Of course the first movie came out and I enjoyed it on a superficial level but it was, for a lack of a better analogy, like eating too much candy. Sure, it's good and tasty but after a while your body wants something a bit healthier. And, in this case, healthy meant something more cerebral.


Star Trek of old has always been the thinking man’s show and the same could be said for the movies...well, the TOS era movies. Sure there was action adventure but there was always that human element and the story being character driven. The action and adventure was like icing on the cake (another bad analogy, I know) or, maybe, like a good desert.

It's unfortunate that The Next Generation (TNG) movies came out when the blockbuster at all cost mentality started. I think those movies suffered from that to an extent. Also, some of the movies would have been better as a two part television episode but that is a different story all together which I won't cover here.

The new Star Trek movies have proven to me that J.J. Abrams may be a bit over hyped in the talent category. His mark on the first two Star Trek flicks as well as the new Star Wars flick have left me wanting. Maybe it's the studio's fault for too much meddling. Who knows but I would surely like the old Star Trek to come back whether it be on the big screen or the small screen.

Actually, if I were in charge these are the steps I'd take.

1. Stop the Movies and Focus on TV!

Sometimes in order to get back to where you used to be you have to get to the basics. I'd put a moratorium on the movies and put together a crack writing team, worthy of Games of Throne style writing, to produce a TOS era television series. They'd plot out a broad arc for the show for seven seasons that could/would spin-off into a film series.

2. Put The Characters In Danger!

Characters would be in constant danger of being killed off. Consequences would have actions and a wounded character may not be the same again.

3. Make the Ship a Character Again

One thing that the movies (from some of the TNG flicks to the new ones) have forgotten is that the Enterprise was just as much of a character of the show as the main characters. The ship would, once again, become a character in the new show. As people grew to love the character they'd be mortified of something happening to the ship. That way, when something like the destruction of the Enterpise in Star Trek III happens it's a sad event.

4. Make Space Big, Unknown and Scary Again!

One thing that the original TOS Star Trek did (wow, type that three times fast) was make space seem large and unknown. Dangerous things could happen and, many times, they did.

6. Bring Back the Science!

Star Trek is known for it's, more or less, scientific premise. Even though it degenerated down to techno-babble dues ex machina style problem solving using said techno-babble I much prefer that to what we have now. Now we simply have the "pew pew" endings where it's usually a big fight that looks like the latest Transformer movie.

Now, I'm going to admit that not all the TOS series or TNG series episodes were good. Some were downright silly but they did have one thing that the new movies lack in spades and that is heart & Soul. The more of a CGI, flash-bang, clusterfest they make the new films the less heart & soul it seems to have.

Oh well, live long and prosper.