Will Star Trek Discovery Get Cancelled?

[gene]

Star Trek: Discovery launched as an exclusive to CBS’s new streaming service All Access on September 24, 2017. The network is leaning heavily on the Star Trek brand to give CBS All Access a competitive edge in the crowded online streaming video market.

Wayde Robson and I are long-time Star Trek fans and we both agree that Discovery has been a disappointment. The overall sentiment I’ve heard among the Star Trek faithful, is that the new show misses the tone set by the many Star Treks of the past. It would seem that in an effort to appeal to a wider audience, Discovery has taken a dark and violent turn, with more emphasis on style and brutal action scenes than the intellectual social commentary the franchise has been known for.

I honestly don't see how placing a dumbed-down Star Trek show that alienates its core fan base behind a lousy 2CH stereo paywall App that still forces you to watch commercials will drive up subscription numbers to make CBS a viable competitor to the well established ranks of Netflix or Amazon. Star Trek Discovery carrys enormous production expenses and doesn't appear to have the reverence of prior shows that were broadcasted on-air for free. Ship is not out of danger and CBS has yet to pull off a Kobayashi Maru with this very polarizing series.

What do you think?

Read: Star Trek Discovery Save CBS All Access App?

 

[RXP]

Don't forget this airs on Netflix internationally.

If you want old school Star Trek, check out The Orville. Orville tackles Social issues in a very unique and interesting way.

I like Discovery, looks fantastic in HDR and has a great 5.1 mix. I think the social issues it tackles are mostly explained by age of the audience. Younger generations like it. Shame about the low bitrate Netflix stream 1080p HDR though, if only it was a 4k show.

 

[DigitalDawn]

+100 For The Orville. Surprisingly great show.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

in an effort to appeal to a wider audience

They cannot please everyone for sure.

I have never been a big fan of Star Trek.

I never really liked any of the ST series prior to ST Discovery.

But I am enjoying the new ST Discovery series. I would say that ST Discovery is the only ST series I’ve ever liked.

I do prefer darker series like Walking Dead, Dexter, The 100, and I cannot stand comedies - I wouldn’t even give Orville 1 second of my time.

ST Discovery works for me, but I wonder if they have loss more fans than they have gained?

Or have they netted more fans?

 

[panteragstk]

+100 For The Orville. Surprisingly great show.

I can't believe how good The Orville is. I like Seth a lot, but this is his best work.

He was actually in talks to make a new Star Trek series, but apparently Discovery was already in the works. I'm not sad, the Orville is very true to the originals, but has comedic moments that are well timed.

 

[VonMagnum]

I won't watch a show on CBS whose aim is to destroy OTA "free" television. The idea of PAYING to watch a specific show and then STILL having to watch commercials you cannot skip or fast forward through like a DVR or old time tape is an abomination everyone should avoid on principles alone.

Feed the ever insatiable corporate profit machine and you get what you deserve. It will only get worse until there are more commercials than show. I'm shocked DVRs ever survived this long, really. The networks hate them having fast forward.

I just got rid of cable last year and I'm not going back. I've got an antenna, services like Netflix and Prime that don't foist commercials on me and I buy shows that have proven themselves worthwhile (e.g. I have The Orville subscription on iTunes). Ironically, it costs less than ST Discovery as well (they want a small fortune to have the privilege of them not being able to cut you off at any time you don't keep paying a monthly fee).

Overly violent, yet also overly PC Star Trek.... Yeah that sounds familiar in 2019.... Don't risk offending anyone on the one hand, but get out the guns first and ask questions later. It's the dichotomy of this century. It sounds like they're trying to play both far sides of the field while those of us still standing in the middle keep wondering when someone blew the whistle to start the game.

The Orville feels a little overly preachy at times (they don't exactly disguise it very well), but it usually (not always) presents both sides in a way that doesn't feel all lop-sided. I think it's trying to generate cultural conversations because as long as both sides aren't talking or just screaming at each other, nothing will ever change.

 

[Joe B]

I've been a fan of Star Trek every since the initial airing of the episode "The Corbomite Maneuver".....I managed to get the rabbit ears on the small black and white TV I bought to pull in an NBC station out of Providence, RI (I was in CT, 6th grade, used my paper route money for the TV). This show (episode) floored me. At this time there was a lot of garbage on TV. When Star Trek went into syndication, I was finally able to see all of the episodes I had missed earlier. A fan for life.

I currently have all Star Trek shows and movies on either DVD or Blu-ray. Discovery, as Gene and Wayde have stated, has verged off the path of Roddenberry's creation. I haven't watched TV since 2005, so I can't say anything about Discovery's place in current broadcasts or its deficiencies as it is delivered to consumers. But I can say the show is much darker than Roddenberry's vision. It seems to be tailored for today's viewing audiences. I will purchase season 2 of Discovery when it is released on blu-ray, but I'm sure I will have many of the misgivings expressed by Gene and Wayde when I watch it.....as I did with season 1.

What I have always found most appealing about Star Trek, in all of its evolution's, are the episodes involving comedy, time travel, and the deep connection between characters:

The Squire of Gothos ("Trelane, time to come in!" "It isn't fair,....it isn't fair!")
City on the Edge of Forever ("He knows Doctor,.....he knows!")
I, Mudd ("Harcourt Fenton Mudd!!!")
The Trouble With Tribbles ("It was no tribble at all!")
A Piece of the Action ("Lieutenant Hadley, check the language banks and find out what a heater is.")
The Big Goodbye (enter Dixon Hill)
The Royale ("When the train comes in, everybody rides.")
Déjà Q ("AU CONTRAIRE, MON CAPITAINE! HE'S BACK!")
I Borg ("No. I am Hugh.")
The Inner Light ("Remember... Put your shoes away.")
The Visitor (fantastic performance by Tony Todd, "For you, and for the boy that I was. He needs you, more than you know. Don't you see? We're going to get a second... chance.")

These, along with others, are burned into my mind. Star Trek Discovery is entertainment, with incredible effects, but it does not dwell in the realm where these episodes live.

 

[zieglj01]

No great loss if it gets cancelled -- if it stays, then I guess we get a new captain each year

 

[Spdmn256]

I’m a big Star Trek fan but already pay for Netflix and Amazon so have no intention of adding CBS, especially now that I’ve heard there are still commercials! I’m also not likely to buy discs for something I’ve not yet seen and don’t know if I’d care to watch repeatedly. So who knows when or if I’ll ever even see this series...

 

[shadyJ]

If anyone wants a good alternative to Star Trek, watch The Expanse, that show is unbelievably good, and probably the best hard-science fiction show ever produced for TV. Note that I don't consider Star Trek very hard science fiction, not that that is a bad thing, but it is to 'out there' with known science, although not nearly as much as Star Wars which is almost complete fantasy.

 

[gene]

If anyone wants a good alternative to Star Trek, watch The Expanse, that show is unbelievably good, and probably the best hard-science fiction show ever produced for TV. Note that I don't consider Star Trek very hard science fiction, not that that is a bad thing, but it is to 'out there' with known science, although not nearly as much as Star Wars which is almost complete fantasy.

I tried watching the first episode of the Expanse and found poor acting and a boring storyline. Does it get better? TNG had a good dose of science and a lot of fluff, DS9 IMO was the best of Star Trek bc it was so well acted, had really well developed characters, great space battles, etc. The religion part was cheesy but nothing is perfect.

 

[gene]

I'm four episodes in on season two and find it pretty entertaining., so far it's been better than season one.

Yes if you can overlook the constant male bashing and forced hero worship of Michael Burnham, and poor acting, it's entertaining.

 

[davidscott]

Yeah the Orville is pretty good but maybe a little bit tilted on humor in the early shows. I do still watch every episode.

 

[gene]

I won't watch a show on CBS whose aim is to destroy OTA "free" television. The idea of PAYING to watch a specific show and then STILL having to watch commercials you cannot skip or fast forward through like a DVR or old time tape is an abomination everyone should avoid on principles alone.

Feed the ever insatiable corporate profit machine and you get what you deserve. It will only get worse until there are more commercials than show. I'm shocked DVRs ever survived this long, really. The networks hate them having fast forward.

I just got rid of cable last year and I'm not going back. I've got an antenna, services like Netflix and Prime that don't foist commercials on me and I buy shows that have proven themselves worthwhile (e.g. I have The Orville subscription on iTunes). Ironically, it costs less than ST Discovery as well (they want a small fortune to have the privilege of them not being able to cut you off at any time you don't keep paying a monthly fee).

Overly violent, yet also overly PC Star Trek.... Yeah that sounds familiar in 2019.... Don't risk offending anyone on the one hand, but get out the guns first and ask questions later. It's the dichotomy of this century. It sounds like they're trying to play both far sides of the field while those of us still standing in the middle keep wondering when someone blew the whistle to start the game.

The Orville feels a little overly preachy at times (they don't exactly disguise it very well), but it usually (not always) presents both sides in a way that doesn't feel all lop-sided. I think it's trying to generate cultural conversations because as long as both sides aren't talking or just screaming at each other, nothing will ever change.

Agreed, Orville has been a mixed bag. Last week's episode Identity P1 was really good, dark, and captivating. It felt like what we got when TNG was at it's prime. However the first 2 episodes of the season were barely watchable. Hopefully the show evolves and tones down the relationship drama.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I tried watching the first episode of the Expanse and found poor acting and a boring storyline. Does it get better? TNG had a good dose of science and a lot of fluff, DS9 IMO was the best of Star Trek bc it was so well acted, had really well developed characters, great space battles, etc. The religion part was cheesy but nothing is perfect.

The problem with getting into The Expanse is that first season is incredibly boring all the way until the season finale. Sorry, nothing could be done about. Consider it very long (possibly unnecessary so) characters introduction. I urge you to give it another chance and least finish 1st and 2nd season.

 

[davidscott]

I've been a fan of Star Trek every since the initial airing of the episode "The Corbomite Maneuver".....I managed to get the rabbit ears on the small black and white TV I bought to pull in an NBC station out of Providence, RI (I was in CT, 6th grade, used my paper route money for the TV). This show (episode) floored me. At this time there was a lot of garbage on TV. When Star Trek went into syndication, I was finally able to see all of the episodes I had missed earlier. A fan for life.

I currently have all Star Trek shows and movies on either DVD or Blu-ray. Discovery, as Gene and Wayde have stated, has verged off the path of Roddenberry's creation. I haven't watched TV since 2005, so I can't say anything about Discovery's place in current broadcasts or its deficiencies as it is delivered to consumers. But I can say the show is much darker than Roddenberry's vision. It seems to be tailored for today's viewing audiences. I will purchase season 2 of Discovery when it is released on blu-ray, but I'm sure I will have many of the misgivings expressed by Gene and Wayde when I watch it.....as I did with season 1.

What I have always found most appealing about Star Trek, in all of its evolution's, are the episodes involving comedy, time travel, and the deep connection between characters:

The Squire of Gothos ("Trelane, time to come in!" "It isn't fair,....it isn't fair!")
City on the Edge of Tomorrow ("He knows Doctor,.....he knows!")
I, Mudd ("Harcourt Fenton Mudd!!!")
The Trouble With Tribbles ("It was no tribble at all!")
A Piece of the Action ("Lieutenant Hadley, check the language banks and find out what a heater is.")
The Big Goodbye (enter Dixon Hill)
The Royale ("When the train comes in, everybody rides.")
Déjà Q ("AU CONTRAIRE, MON CAPITAINE! HE'S BACK!")
I Borg ("No. I am Hugh.")
The Inner Light ("Remember... Put your shoes away.")
The Visitor (fantastic performance by Tony Todd, "For you, and for the boy that I was. He needs you, more than you know. Don't you see? We're going to get a second... chance.")

These, along with others, are burned into my mind. Star Trek Discovery is entertainment, with incredible effects, but it does not dwell in the realm where these episodes live.

Amok Time (1st visit to Vulcan)
City on the edge of forever
and Arena were my favorite original Star Trek shows.

 

[shadyJ]

I tried watching the first episode of the Expanse and found poor acting and a boring storyline. Does it get better? TNG had a good dose of science and a lot of fluff, DS9 IMO was the best of Star Trek bc it was so well acted, had really well developed characters, great space battles, etc. The religion part was cheesy but nothing is perfect.

I don't know that you would enjoy it more, but I do think The Expanse gets better as it goes along.

I agree, as with every sensible person, that DS9 was the best thing that trek ever churned out. But my favorite Trek is probably some of the standalone TNG shows that had some weird space mystery that the crew had to figure out through ingenuity. That is the most 'Trek' to me. I do enjoy much of the space politics too, and anything with Q in it.

 

[Joe B]

......DS9 IMO was the best of Star Trek bc it was so well acted, had really well developed characters, great space battles, etc. The religion part was cheesy but nothing is perfect.

I can agree with you now about this, but when it first aired DS9 didn't do it for me, primarily because I couldn't always watch each episode. DS9 was the first Star Trek series to have/use incredibly long, involved story arcs, one which lasted just over an entire season. Character and story development were excellent. And DS9 never took itself too seriously. With episodes like "Little Green Men", "In the Cards", and all of the episodes with James Darren as Nick Fontaine, the series went above and beyond serial science fiction. It became first class entertainment, for any genre. And don't even get me started about the repeated appearances of Jeffry Combs.....brilliant actor......and in more than one series!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I tried watching the first episode of the Expanse and found poor acting and a boring storyline. Does it get better?

Oh, don’t worry, Gene. It only took me the whole Season 1 before I got really interested.

I must have attempted watching the first season of Expanse like a dozen different times.

But after that, I went through the rest of the seasons just fine.

 

[DigitalDawn]

Amok Time (1st visit to Vulcan)
City on the edge of forever
and Arena were my favorite original Star Trek shows.

"City on the Edge of Forever" was my absolute favorite episode. It was written by Harlan Ellison.