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r/startrek: The Next Generation
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Upcoming Episodes
| Date | Episode | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 11-28 | LD 5x07 | "Fully Dilated" |
| 12-05 | LD 5x08 | "Upper Decks" |
| 12-12 | LD 5x09 | "Fissure Quest" |
| 12-19 | LD 5x10 | "The New Next Generation" |
| 01-24 | Film | "Section 31" |
In Production
Strange New Worlds (TBA)
Section 31 (2025-01-24)
Starfleet Academy (TBA)
In Development
Untitled comedy series
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I see this argument a lot, but outside of PIC S3 and the NuTrek reboots (I would still argue those were not relying on nostalgia but I understand the argument in favor) which post-Enterprise Star Trek "relies" on nostalgia?
The most frequent criticisms I've seen of Discovery and Picard S1&2 are that they weren't similar enough to previous Star Treks. Lower Decks references the older shows a lot but is obviously not trying to imitate them. SNW is the closest I think you could get to a "relying on nostalgia" series and it is more frequently described as feeling "fresh" and seems to be the most well-received.
It's more about the trajectory of nuTrek than the whole of it. Discovery and the first two seasons of Picard did try to do new things and move the franchise in new directions, but now Discovery is cancelled in favour of SNW and Picard season 3 discarded so much the first two seasons had done in order to dive into nostalgia hard - and its success led to a lot of speculation about a "Star Trek Legacy" series that would double down on the fanservice approach even further. So it does feel like there's a trend towards "safer" nostalgic content.
And sometimes even fairly minor things just rub me the wrong way, like the Daniels reveal in Discovery. They just feel so arbitrary, and make the universe feel so mush smaller for no purpose.
I specifically asked for examples of shows outside of Picard Season 3 that "rely" on nostalgia. And "Star Trek Legacy" is not even a real show!
Picard is super relevant, though. If we're talking about an alternate reality where Picard S3 never happened, then yeah, I'd agree that complaints about nostalgia are a little over blown. I don't see why that would be a discussion worth having, though. Picard did happen, and so did a whole lot of discussion about a possible Legacy show, and if you're wondering why you hear complaints about nostalgia, that's a big part of why.
That's not the entirety of it, though. Outside of Picard, I'll say that Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks absolutely trade heavily in nostalgia. I can't agree with your view that either don't count. Having a fresh style doesn't change the fact that SNW is set on the classic Enterprise and is continuing to introduce more and more classic Trek characters. And Lower Decks built a whole episode around the reuse of a specific cave set from TNG, of all things. A huge amount of its humour and appeal is definitely based in nostalgia.
I will say that it looks like Starfleet Academy on a good course to do it's own thing, Picardo notwithstanding, so I'm not saying the franchise has gone completely bankrupt or anything. I just think there's enough nostalgia going around that it's pretty valid to feel a little put off by it if one is so inclined.
"Based in" and "trade heavily" are not the same as "relies on" which is what the comment I was responding to said "Trek" was doing. You've made a very good case that it does not.
The distinction is lost on me, but cheers.