Bob Greenberger

Star Trek was unique when it debuted in 1966. Up until then, science fiction on TV had been juvenile fare like Space Patrol or adult anthologies like The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits. Gene Roddenberry cannily used the anthology’s ability to tell compelling, topical stories about the human condition and added recurring characters for easier audience identification. He found something that worked and spun it into something new but familiar – a tried and true Hollywood practice -- so “Wagon Train to the stars” was the high concept that NBC understood and accepted.

Gene was wise to bring in science fiction writers that first and second season, since after all, they knew science fiction better than he did. They had distinctive voices and once he (or Gene Coon or D.C. Fontana) got through polishing them for TV, they were still fresh prime time dramas. The best stories were commentary on the issues of the day as well as being optimistic at a time when the country needed it. To me, one of the best things about the original series is that it said we’d make it to the future, be better than we are today, but it won’t be easy. We saw Earth as a proud member of the United Federation of Planets but heard about the Eugenics Wars and World War III so there was strife in the years to come. But we’d make it.

In the 1980s, Star Trek: The Next Generation was also unique when it debuted. Science fiction hadn’t done well on prime time for a while and Paramount decided to test the waters with first run syndication. Gene was brought back and the thing he wisely did was jump ahead 87 or so years. There would be enough familiar elements for the fans but still enough new things to avoid being a retread. And again, the optimism was there since we now had forged peace with the Klingons as seen by Worf’s weekly presence. It took a while for the behind-the-scenes nonsense to die down and for them to get a firm handle on the stories and once that happened, the show blossomed.

The success of first run syndication opened up new markets for producers, and science fiction as a genre benefited the most. All of this success led to cable channels buying SF properties for series and that success helped launch the inevitable Sci-Fi Channel. And their success has allowed them to buy even more new series. As it is, Friday nights this season means at least 4 hours of prime time SF for fans to watch. These Sci-Fi shows have been pulling in better ratings and reviews than UPN’s Enterprise. Given the economics, it makes perfect sense to pull the plug and announce it early enough so they can produce a final episode and satisfy the fan base still loyal to the show.

So, what happened to Star Trek? Is it because, as some execs put it, there’s been too much product for too long? Casual fans seem to have rejected Enterprise and stayed away from Nemesis. Producers and even some actors say it’s been because there have been so many episodes shot that it’s hard to come up with something new to do or say. To which I agree, given the current producers’ insistence on maintain the status quo through the last few movies or looking backwards with Enterprise. It may be the initial message of optimism that fueled both TOS and TNG has been off to the side for too long. And it could be that with the natural evolution of television production, too few fresh voices have been allowed to comment on society and the human condition in favor of stories by committee. (Although kudos go to Paramount’s open submissions policy these last 20 years, allowing many people to get their first credit writing for one series or another.)

Has the fan base been dwindling, hurting the franchises? Maybe. A perfect example is my beloved Shore Leave convention. Put on by the Star Trek Association of Towson (MD), it has always been a Star Trek convention. However, in the last handful of years, they’ve added guests from other shows and movies. A quick look at this year’s line-up shows actors from Battlestar Galactica and Stargate SG-1 crowding out the traditional Trek mainstays. While I’m thrilled to see Trek guest stars Joanna Cassidy, Chase Masterson and William Windom coming, they aren’t the draws a George Takei or Jonathan Frakes have been in years past.

Sales on the merchandise, especially the novels, is said to be down from the past. Too much material? Maybe. On the other hand, the novel quality has gone up markedly since the Pocket Books program launched in 1979. And for fans of TOS, DS9 or Voyager, it’s the only place to get new stories.

So, as Stephen Whitfield asked so long ago, wither Star Trek? Commercially, it’s too important for Paramount to let lie fallow forever. The fan base, while probably smaller than in years past, remains a desirable demographic and too vocal a community to allow no new filmed entertainment. However, after the franchise takes its justly deserved rest, it will need to come back carefully. Fresh thinking will need to be applied to the core concepts of Gene Roddenberry’s original series. If “The Human Adventure is only Beginning” as promised at the end of the first feature film, then surely there are plenty more adventures and experiences in the future of that universe. It’s how those stories are told and presented that will determine the franchise’s ultimate acceptance or rejection by the audience.