Trek's final trek?

Who is to blame for the end of Star Trek after 18 years? The fickle fans? Brannon Braga? Rick Berman? Paramount? It’s easy for some -including me - to blame all of the above. For no one person can truly be held responsible. When Star Trek returned to TV in 1987 -after being off for 18 years (though 4 motions pictures had been released by then) it opened big. Still, for some The Next Generation (TNG) did not carry the same charm as The Original Series (TOS). And it would take two full seasons before TNG settled in an became the classic show it is now remembered for. But if there can be one fault amongst the praise of the show, was its lack of conflict, and where "high concept" story telling pushed characterization to the corner. Deep Space Nine (DS9) was launched in 1992 -half way through TNG’s fourth season. The show was different from both TOS and TNG insomuch as the aliens had to come to a stationary location versus the two previous shows where "exploring new worlds" was its mantra. DS9 really sparked a debate among fans, especially TOS ones who were finally warming up to TNG. For some, DS9 was diametric opposite to Roddenberry’s ideas. And on the surface, that could be true, but scrape away the surface and DS9 was holding forth a lot of Roddenberry’s utopian beliefs.And like TNG, it would take DS9 two full seasons to find its sea legs, but once the conflict between the Federation’s secular universe and the Bajoran religious views took center seat (along with political intrigue and the Dominion) and characterization was enhanced (executive producer Ira Steven Behr once said that, ultimately you learned more about DS9's recurring cast than its main ones) that the show became a hit. Still, DS9 was never the hero TNG was. And as plans for a third spin-off began, eventually the show would become a red-headed stepchild. It was 1994 when most felt Trek of the later half of the 20th century hit its pinnacle. TNG had ended its 7 year run and was headed to the big screen, DS9 was pulling in solid, if not spectacular numbers and Paramount was launching its own broadcast network and would be using a new Trek series as crown jewel at the center of its enterprise, if you can excuse the pun. Voyager (VOY) was a return to the old naval romance of TOS, but that was about as close as they were going to get. I’ve always felt VOY was never really intended for the hardcore Trek fans. This show was to be for the absentee viewer and the straight, white male viewer who placed violence and sexuality above characters. Where "high concept" stories replaced logic and reason and where continuity established in TOS, TNG and even DS9 where ignored. For here, it will be argued, Star Trek’s slide really took hold. The franchise, it seemed, was everywhere. Generations was released in 1994 to good box office returns and tepid reviews, and in January 1995, VOY premiered (while DS9 was chugging away in syndication). First Contact was released in 1996 to great reviews and huge box office receipts and then Insurrection in 1998, which again came with lukewarm appraisals and moderate returns. DS9 would end in 1999, leaving just VOY as the sole Trek series and a shrinking audience. When VOY ended in the spring of 2001 (a some what entertaining series, but not the next step in Trek’s evolutionary life), Paramount was already at work on the next spin-off, a series set between the events of the TNG movie First Contact and TOS. Ideally, this seemed like a goldmine of story telling possibilities. Not much of the early Starfleet and Federation years were nailed down, so here was an opportunity to do that. But Enterprise (ENT) never lived up to its potential. And while its ratings were strong by UPN standards, well over 10 million viewers, many began to feel the bait and switch that plagued VOY through its seven years. Plus, both Braga and Berman were basically rewriting Trek lore, ignoring already established canon in favor of not confusing those absentee viewers. Quickly -more so than on VOY -the show was losing viewers faster than rats jumping out of a sinking ship. And based on the up and down first two seasons of TNG and DS9 (and all of VOY), you would’ve thought someone would’ve stepped in and said this is what needs to be done. And on one part, I can see why Paramount never really pushed Braga and Berman to change, as Trek was still bringing in millions, despite a large fan base who were fed up the two B’s style of sex and violence over making the last two series about the characters. To them, all they heard was the cash register ringing. Plus there was a small group of fans who were dedicated to keeping Trek alive, even if it was life reserve. In the meantime, the fourth Trek movie featuring the cast of TNG was released in 2002 and despite a strong opening weekend, it was doomed to fail at the box office due to being sandwiched between two of the most anticipated movies of the Christmas season, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Had Paramount been smart, Nemesis (while a good film) should’ve been held off until February 2003. I believe then, despite some bland reviews, it could’ve done better and reassured another movie. But its combined one/two punch of big blockbuster movies and the sad reviews, was the final nail in Trek’s coffin. While Nemesis failed to light a fire under the movie franchise, ENT was losing viewers by the millions. Its second season saw a few things that really angered the fans, as Archer and his crew tangled with the Borg, the Ferengi and the Romulans long before TOS and TNG did. The back door excuse that continuity was maintained was that the crew never learned of their names (though the Borg issue remains very muddled). Brought back for a third, and somewhat controversial year, ENT was going to do a season long arc, filled with continuity and characterization that a lot of fans had been screaming about. But, we where baited again, and ended up getting zoinked again. Brought to the brink of cancellation by UPN by the end of its third season (and a loss of 2 episodes), it’s 13 million viewers reduced to 2.5 to 3 million, Paramount cut the series licencing UPN paid for the show in half. The show was regulated to Fridays for its fourth year, and reduced to 22 episodes this season and a new show runner was brought in. Manny Coto’s job was daunting, and he did an admirable job of trying to correct a lot of Berman and Braga’s misguided attempts at re-imaging the franchise to their own personal views. But it was too little too late, as the saying goes. While the show was officially cancelled in February of 2005, it would finish out its season. So who’s to blame? Both Berman and Braga were aware of the issues of continuity, but felt that if the adhered to it too much, then the show could not work. They continued to believe that Trek viewers -at least the newer, younger ones (and, admittedly, the group advertisers like) - were only concerned about the how weird the story was and if it had half naked females parading around. This misstep by them, by fulling ignoring the fans who had watched TOS, TNG and DS9, was increasing ENT’s end week by week. Paramount can be blamed also, for not stepping in sooner. Berman and Braga’s now almost incestuous relationship with Trek caused then not to see the forest for the tree’s. Plus, as noted, Trek was still shaking out money. Had they realized that fan base was deeply divided, and had they analyzed who was not watching Trek anymore instead of small band who were, maybe something could’ve been done. Then again, maybe its doom was already sealed by the time Insurrection came out in 1998. And then there is the fan base. They too can be blamed for this, as this schism did not begin with ENT. It really started with VOY. As a network show, VOY had different standards to live up too than it’s syndicated brothers, TNG and DS9. Racier plots and emphasis on action and violence became the criterion, while a device called the Temporal Reset Button was used week after week. And while TRB is a useful tool, but to rely on it for every episode got you caught in a never ending loop of Easter Peep type stories; all full of air with no substance. Plus, people who were in there teens or early 20's when TNG premiered were not 15 years older, wiser and now considered less desirable by the advertisers. ENT was, I guess, designed for the guys and girls who were the same age as the ones who saw the first season of TNG. But these new groups of kids, now brought up on a diet of science fiction being everywhere, felt Trek was a dinosaur. So all that remained, in the end, was a few really dedicated fans who felt that, yes the show was not as good as it could be, but it still needed to stay on because it was Star Trek. I will concur to a point, but that’s mostly because I hate reality shows and procedural dramas that have overtaken the air waves. Give me a good science fiction story that challenges the mind, then I’ll watch. I once read that science fiction is a dangerous genre, for it can be seem as anti-Christian and anti-establishment. It brings up thought provoking ideas and presents a possible world were there is no hatred, no poverty, and no religion. It’s the possibilities that scare people. But even as Star Trek has framed a lot of peoples lives, such as wonderful idea of a utopian world and taught us some good values, it has entertained us for nearly 40 years. Trek needed to go away, as the success of the recent re-imaged Battlestar Galactica and BBC’s revival of Doctor Who has proved. If you take it away, let the desire build again, and then return it to the airwaves, you’ll get a better response. Many have said it could be 3 to 5 years before Trek returns to TV. And while an 11th film is in development (and reported to be set between ENT and TOS with an entire new cast), even that is not going to get made for several years, if ever. Plus, Paramount has to heal the schism with the fans. Manny Coto has said he has an idea for another Trek series, set sometime after era’s of TNG, DS9 and VOY, but in the end, it will be the fans who make it a success. They will need to come together and help Paramount decide that you can have your sex, you can have your "high concept" stories, you can have your TRB’s (occasionally) but you need a show built around appealing characters, where the show is about them versus a ship or some run of the mill alien. Despite being cancelled in 1969, TOS survived. Syndication brought a whole new audience. And animated series in 1973 continued its legend and a 1979 motion picture revived it completely. It is a survivor in all sense of the word. It will survive this latest issue. And that’s what makes it so memorable.