Worf to Deep Space Nine? Sometimes fans really DO know best.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00We're living in a beautiful age where we're kind of spoiled for choice, really, when it
00:03comes to Star Trek.
00:04Fan outcry basically convinced CBS to give Star Trek Strange New Worlds the green light.
00:10So what are other times when this happened?
00:13I'm Sean Ferrig for Trek Culture, and here are 10 times Star Trek gave fans exactly what
00:19they wanted.
00:20Number 10.
00:21Spock in the Kelvin universe, twice.
00:23When news broke that Star Trek was finally coming back to theatres in 2009, fans rejoiced.
00:28Star Trek Nemesis had left a somewhat sour taste in the mouths of fandom, and Enterprise
00:32had failed to win over the audiences to keep it from cancellation.
00:35However, there was a sexy new vision of Roddenberry's future.
00:38First of all, how does it tie in with the old one?
00:40So when Leonard Nimoy was confirmed to be appearing in the film, the collective fanbase
00:43was delighted.
00:44There was something in the gravitas that Nimoy delivered every one of his lines with that
00:48lent legitimacy to the film.
00:49Added to that, the film was a success.
00:51J.J. Abrams, while certainly bringing his own vision of the future to bear, managed
00:55to do so in a way that was both respectful and inclusive of the past.
00:59And then Into Darkness came along.
01:00While it's not a bad film, there are many fine examples of acting all around, much like
01:05the very ham-fisted Nimoy cameo.
01:07It just felt unnecessary.
01:09Rather than driving the franchise off into new directions, it fell back and became a
01:13soft remake of The Wrath of Khan.
01:15While Benedict Cumberbatch chews all of the scenery that isn't nailed down, he is a
01:18far cry from Ricardo Montalbán's definitive Superman.
01:21The fans may have asked for Khan, and they may have asked for more from the past to be
01:25brought back, but Into Darkness serves as a cautionary tale of be careful what you wish
01:30for.
01:31Number 9.
01:32Discovery Jets Into The Future
01:33Star Trek Discovery was beset with issues from the beginning.
01:35The purpose behind the show was to breathe new life into the franchise, capitalising
01:38on the highly popular Kelvin Universe films while still existing within the Prime Universe.
01:42The first season, while getting a bit of a reappraisal, eh, solid fine.
01:47Fans started to complain before it even hit the air.
01:49First, there was the aesthetic.
01:51This was a show that was set 10 years before Kirk takes command of the Enterprise, and
01:55while it would be foolish to attempt to style the sets in pre-60s state, fans of canon cried
02:00foul.
02:01Added to that, the interesting redesign of the Klingons, and the continued infighting
02:05among the crews, this was not your pair in Star Trek.
02:08However, many of these concerns were heard.
02:10The show's second season was a far superior effort from all concerned.
02:13The introduction of Captain Pike brought a sense of exploration back to the show that
02:17the franchise had been missing.
02:18There was a positivity in the air again, done without sacrificing the breakneck pace that
02:22Discovery enjoyed.
02:23The final and largest concern was the show's supposed flouting of established canon.
02:27So, wiping the slate clean altogether, the show's second season finishes with the ship
02:31and crew being sent 930 years into the future, placing it far beyond anything seen before,
02:37farther even than Captain Braxton and the Mobile Emitter.
02:40Number 8, Seven of Nine, Picard.
02:43Geri Ryan was, and remains, one of the best additions to Star Trek Voyager, as she brings
02:47a wonderful sense of humanity to Seven's journey.
02:49Though given a huge presence in the promotional material, it was initially unclear just how
02:53large of a role she would play.
02:55Her first appearance at the end of the fourth season was a great cliffhanger, and her subsequent
02:58revelations in Stardust City Rag were polarising.
03:01Much like Picard himself, this may have been Seven of Nine, but she was no longer the Borg
03:05that fans remembered.
03:06The fans needed more.
03:07The first season's conclusion sees her murder the woman who took her child from her before
03:11blasting her way out of a sticky situation, sees her join the crew of La Sirena, and sees
03:15her at least tease the relationship with Raffi.
03:19The second season, however, shows Seven in a much larger capacity.
03:24When the crew travels back in time to the 21st century, she and Raffi become something
03:28of a double act.
03:29Now, while some of the screen time has been a little bit squandered, it is very fair to
03:35say that Geri Ryan has been having a ball on screen, and fans are absolutely living
03:41for it.
03:42Number 7, Sweet Sweet Merchandise.
03:44As early as 1967, fans wanted to hold the Enterprise in their own hands.
03:48There were already some items of merchandising available, such as comic books and a board
03:52game, but up until then, the idea that fans would want to pay more was ludicrous.
03:56The Trimbles soon helped to change this.
03:58Together with Roddenberry, BJO and John Trimble helped in the creation of a mail-order company
04:03called Lincoln Enterprises.
04:04Paramount Studios hadn't shown much interest in sending any Trek merchandise out into the
04:08world, to the point where they had created items that were simply other toys which Star
04:11Trek slapped on the box, and Lincoln took over.
04:14Lincoln offered fans the chance to own shirt insignia, scripts and bits of discarded film
04:18from the show.
04:19Roddenberry had the sense, once he saw fan demand was high for this sort of thing, to
04:22write teasers into scripts for items to later be turned into collectibles.
04:26This cycle of interaction with the fans helped to keep the show alive as time went on.
04:30While the Trimbles were also responsible for the letter-writing campaign to save Trek,
04:34more on that later, they, along with Roddenberry, kept the merchandising so prevalent that the
04:38show enjoyed an unprecedented second life in reruns.
04:41Urban legend says that the show has never stopped airing from one station to another
04:45since the initial run, and, be that truth or fiction, it is clear that fan interaction
04:49with the filmmakers and merchandisers have kept interest alive for over half a century.
04:57The moment that Star Trek Picard was announced, the question of whether or not the original
05:00cast would feature was raised.
05:01While everyone wanted to see Jean-Luc again, they also badly wanted a sequel to The Next
05:05Generation.
05:06For most of the season, they were left wanting, and then along came Nepenthe.
05:10The seventh episode of Picard's first season sees the Captain find his way back to the
05:13people who were with him throughout his time on the Enterprise.
05:16This is exactly what fans had been clamouring for since the pilot episode, teased along
05:20the way by name-dropping and suggestions.
05:22In what is potentially the strongest episode of the season, the action slows to a halt
05:25and we get to spend time watching these old friends reunite.
05:28A valid criticism of this episode would be the placement within the season, as it comes
05:32on the heel of a daring escape from the Borg artifact, but that is a small price to pay
05:36to watch Picard, Riker and Troi get back together again.
05:39There are moments of sheer beauty, Troi's dressing down of our old Captain, Riker sparring
05:43with Jean-Luc over a glass of wine and their conversation on the jetty by the lake.
05:47The episode was the closest in tone to The Next Generation that Picard's season one
05:50offered.
05:51Now, with the announcement of the return of the entire main cast of The Next Generation
05:55for the show's third season, we're all a little bit excited now.
05:595.
06:00Riker to the Rescue
06:01An entry that deserves its own spot, as this was something that the fans had badly wanted
06:04to see.
06:05Starfleet ships, the old crew back and the Federation doing what it was supposed to do,
06:08what could go wrong then?
06:09The first season's final episode was a mixed affair.
06:12A massive positive to the episode is the handling of Data's fate.
06:15This aspect of the story was handled with grace and care.
06:17The lush tones of Isabriona's singing of blue skies as Data fades away while holding
06:21Picard's hand have to stand up with some of the most affecting scenes that the characters
06:25have ever been involved in.
06:27The same cannot be said for the second return of Riker.
06:31Picard flies up to face off against a fleet of Romulan warbirds and there is a moment
06:34of sacrifice about the entire scene.
06:36Then, out of nowhere, a newly designed Federation ship warps into view, and then again, and
06:41the same ship, and again.
06:43After copying and pasting 200 times or so, yes, I know, there's some variations, Riker
06:47comes on the screen spouting some of the most poorly written dialogue that has ever come
06:52out of his mouth.
06:53The scene seems like it was made for people to punch the air and go, cool!
06:56However, due not just to the bland Federation fleet and some bad writing, the scene ends
07:01in about a minute.
07:02The Romulans are sent packing and Riker leaves, hardly inspiring.
07:06Season two of Picard opened with a much stronger depiction of Starfleet and, while it was Rios
07:12as captain in this case, a better use of the Starfleet officers on screen.
07:17So that is, in fairness, a good example of Star Trek learning from some of its past mistakes.
07:24Number four, Worf on Deep Space Nine.
07:26Bringing Michael Dorn over to Deep Space Nine marked the beginning of that show's best
07:30years.
07:31The Klingon War, while coming seemingly out of nowhere, ended up becoming one of the best
07:35additions to the series.
07:36Thankfully, it came at a time when the ratings were getting lower and lower, but also came
07:40about after a series of conversations that had been mandated by the producers.
07:43The original plan had been to close the show's third season with the revelation that the
07:47changelings had reached Earth, and then to have the opening of season four deal with
07:51this.
07:52This was quashed when the producers demanded there be no cliffhanger ending to the third
07:54season.
07:55Faced with this, the writers pitched the idea to have the Klingons break off diplomatic
07:58relations with the Federation.
08:00Added to that, they could bring Worf over to help Sisko deal with this change.
08:03Rick Berman loved the idea, not least because he felt that this would bring over a wave
08:07of fans from the next generation who had always loved Worf, and the Klingons in particular.
08:11It was a gamble that worked.
08:12With his sternness shaking up the crew, Worf's arrival spelled a new era of success for Deep
08:17Space Nine.
08:18From the fourth season on, it rocketed towards triumphant finale, bringing in plot threads
08:22from the next generation along the way.
08:24Kern and Alexander both returned, giving the fans a sense of closure and adding greater
08:28depth to Worf's story.
08:29Number three, Kirk meets Picard.
08:31Since the very first days of the next generation, the question was posed.
08:35Who was the better captain, Kirk or Picard?
08:37Star Trek Generations finally brought these two icons together after seven years of this
08:41question up in the air.
08:42The results are quite mixed, and there is still no definitive answer.
08:45While Picard is the one to survive the film, it is Kirk who saves the day by grabbing the
08:49control panel.
08:50It's up to the fans, still.
08:51The film does feature an excellent scene between the two men, highlighting the differences
08:54on show.
08:55Their meeting in the Nexus, exploring Kirk's cabin and finishing the breakfast for Antonia,
08:59is pure fan indulgence, and it's brilliant.
09:02Picard, who has travelled through time and space to meet this man, is left holding a
09:05scorching frying pan while Kirk looks for eggs, as you do.
09:08William Shatner has been candid about his reasons for appearing in Generations.
09:11The original series' star's arc was effectively finished, and there was never going to be
09:14a large role on offer.
09:16Leonard Nimoy turned down an appearance in the film for that very same reason, but the
09:19salary on offer was decent, so Shatner said yes, knowing that he was signing Kirk's
09:24death certificate as he was signing the contract.
09:26It's very unlikely that we can hope for a Nimoy-esque cameo in future series, as Shatner
09:30has categorically denied his wish to do any.
09:32Well, the fans got their two captains together, it just cost one of them his life.
09:36Number 2.
09:37The original series, season 3.
09:38After the cancellation of the original series at the end of its second season, the future
09:42of Star Trek looked dire.
09:44This was a time when there was no movies to fall back on, nor the internet forums to gather
09:48the fans together.
09:49Betty Joanne Trimble, who would come to be known universally as Beejo Trimble, together
09:52with her husband, came up with an idea.
09:54They were instrumental in saving Star Trek.
09:57They began a letter-writing campaign that inspired NBC to save Star Trek, and thanks
10:01for this, Beejo, John Trimble, and many other fans were featured in the rec room scene in
10:05the motion picture, cementing their contribution both on and off the screen.
10:09However, the saving of Star Trek came at a drastic price.
10:12The budget for each episode was slashed, though the stars' salaries increased.
10:16Time slots became an issue, and Star Trek was given the death slot, Fridays at 10pm.
10:21Gene Roddenberry threatened to resign over this, but his threats were ignored, and when
10:24he followed through and left, the studio had to scramble to hire replacement teams.
10:27One script consultant was even quoted as asking, what does this transporter thing do again?
10:31While Star Trek may technically have been saved by the network, it really was just a
10:34drawn-out funeral.
10:35The franchise wouldn't truly be safe until the release of The Wrath of Khan, capitalising
10:39on the enormous box office success of the motion picture, which occurred over a decade
10:43later.
10:44Number 1.
10:45Queer Representation from Dax to Culber and Stamets
10:48From the outset of the original series, Gene Roddenberry had used Star Trek to represent
10:52marginalised groups in human society.
10:54On the bridge of the Enterprise, all the way back to 1966, a black woman along with a Japanese
10:59man held pride of place, followed the next year by a Russian ensign while the Cold War
11:03was still very much a reality.
11:04However, one group were very obviously missing for a very long time in Star Trek continuity.
11:09The LGBTQIA representation in Star Trek was poor.
11:13The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine both attempted in their own ways to rectify this.
11:17A script entitled Blood and Fire was commissioned for the Next Generation, but then was buried.
11:21Deep Space Nine was more successful, showing the first same-sex kiss in the history of
11:24the franchise.
11:25But fans quite deservedly wanted more.
11:27Star Trek Beyond showed that the Kelvin universe's Sulu was in a same-sex relationship, although
11:31this drew criticism from George Takei, who thought this was simply pandering.
11:35Brian Fuller, an openly LGBTQIA-plus persona in the initial showrunner of Star Trek Discovery,
11:40was the key to the creation of Dr. Culber and Lt. Stamets, the first recurring gay couple
11:44in Star Trek.
11:45They are displayed as being a loving couple, and that's it.
11:48There's no overt messaging going on, rather than the simple message on show.
11:51They are in love, and they are together.
11:53This simple representation, unthinkable for so many years in the franchise's history,
11:56is shown to be as normal as any other relationship, and finally, the fans' cries for representation
12:01were honoured.
12:02Thank you very much for listening.
12:03I hope you enjoyed this video.
12:04If you did, let us know in the comments below.
12:06If you have any suggestions, let us know in the comments below.
12:08Don't forget you can get in touch with us over on Twitter, at TrekCulture.
12:11You can catch myself on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, where I post daily Star Trek
12:14videos, at SeanFerric.
12:16You look after yourself until I'm talking to you again.
12:18Make sure that you live long and prosper.
12:19Look after your nearest and dearest.
12:21Take it easy.
12:22Make it so.
12:23Thanks very much.