2 modern Star Trek shows face exactly the same criticism (but have opposite solutions)

Two Star Trek The show of the modern era faced exactly the same criticism when they started, but ultimately succeeded with completely opposite solutions. Star Trek: Discovery Face the challenge of competing for attention with prestige television shows that often eschew values ​​like hope and optimism. in response, Star Trek: Discovery Tried to take a realistic approach to these Star Trek: The Original Series Era. Discovery Season 1 focused on Michael Burnham’s (Sonequa Martin-Green) mutiny’s part in sparking the Klingon-Federation war, and also took the USS Discovery crew to the worst nightmare of Star Treks mirror universe. Discovery Season 2 featured Starfleet’s morally gray covert ops division, Section 31.

,Star Trek: Picard Reintroduced Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) long after the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Audience has been assured – or perhaps warned – that Picard Is not going to be a continuation of TNGBut a character study of Admiral Picard In his twenties. We are instead treated to a bleak take on Star Trekwhere the earth was no longer Star TrekIt’s heaven. Star Trek: PicardThis version of Starfleet was selfish, insular and corrupt from within. Commander Rafi Musicer (Michelle Hurd) dealt with family estrangement and substance abuse. Xenophobia against Romulans and Ex-Borg ran rampant. Something was off in the Star Trek Points.

Star Trek: Discovery & Star Trek: Picard were both criticized for being too dark

Star Trek needs to be optimistic, so Discovery and Picard need to change

Both Star Trek: Discovery And Star Trek: Picard They are criticized for being too dark, and with good reason. Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 went all-in on extrapolating just as brutally Star Treks Mirror Universe and Klingon War storylines could be realistic. While Star Trek: Discovery Succeed with how to be Star Trek Amongst the popularity of greater television shows, Picard contended with inevitable comparisons to Star Trek: The Next Generation. to differentiate themselves from tng, Star Trek: Picard despaired. Neither show deviates from graphic depictions of murder, torture, sexual assault, animal cruelty, war crimes, or Star Treks first F-bombs – just to name a few.

Criticism of the tone in both Star Trek: Discovery And Star Trek: Picard were valid. Streaming allowed Star Trek To take a gloves-off approach to topics that have previously only been alluded toIn the name of realism. Earlier iterations of the franchise were not often as explicit as this Star Trek: Discovery And Star Trek: Picard were in their prime. This new Star Trek had all the right superficial ingredients: starships, familiar aliens, moral questions and complex questions; But both new Star Trek The show seemed to lack the optimism Gene Roddenberry had always been integral to Star Trek. Fortunately, that would change, but in very different ways.

Star Trek: Picard got lighter by bringing back the original TNG cast in Season 3

Embracing nostalgia made Star Trek: Picard Season 3 feel like a homecoming

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 got lighter with a Star Trek: The Next Generation Original cast reunion. embrace the theme of family, Admiral Picard took action to secure the fate of his USS. Enterprise family and his own son With Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), Jack Crusher (Ed Speelers). Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) was a wise mentor to Commander Rafi Musiker. Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and Data (Brent Spiner) are all back. The USS Enterprise-D even returned, courtesy of Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), as the last piece of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Riddle.

The palpable shift in tone for Star Trek: Picard Season 3 came from showrunner Terry Matalas leaning into that Star Trek: Picard Should have been all together. Instead of trying to differentiate Star Trek: Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Picard Season 3 became the TNG Sequel that fans have been expecting from day one. Star Trek: Picard The fact that it was a new show, with new antagonistic characters Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) and Changeling Captain Vadik (Amanda Plummer) earning their spotlights. Picards look to the past with the old TNG Cast, however, finally made Picard Season 3 feels triumphant and optimistic.

Discovery went lighter by doubling down on its new cast

Star Trek: Discovery found optimism in the voice of its 32nd century future

Star Trek: Discovery Became lighter by setting his sights on the future – in more ways than one. After Commander Michael Burnham deliberately led the USS Discovery into the 32nd century to destroy rogue AI control, DiscoveryThe new characters took center stage alongside Burnham. Star Trek: Discoverys love stories multiplied; The pairing of Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) and Burnham, Ni’Var President T’Rina (Tara Roslin) and Captain Saru (Doug Jones), and Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio) and Gray Tal (Ian Alexander) all have an issue. . Even members of the disco crew like Lt. Commander Kayla Detmer (Emily Coates) and Lt. Commander Joan Owosekun (and Oladejo) are more well-developed, as Burnham got to know them better.

With this focus on additional voices came a shift in tone for Star Trek: Discovery which represented DiscoveryThe core values ​​of communication and empathy. Because Star Trek: Discovery was always Michael Burnham’s personal story, Burnham’s perspective dictated the tone. After 2 seasons plagued with self-doubt, Burnham’s promotion to captain reflects her firm belief in Starfleet’s ability to connect with people. Not so coincidentally, Captain Burnham’s command in Discovery Season 4 is also when Star Trek: Discovery Really started to shine. Although Star Trek: Picard And Star Trek: Discovery Both struggled with darker tones, both shows ultimately succeeded with their opposite embraces of the past and the future of Star Trek.