Fixing Star Trek (Picard)
Picard season 1 just ended. As a true Star Trek fan, I had some mixed feelings watching the show. On one hand, it gave me goose bumps every time I saw one of the original Star Trek characters. On the other hand, I resented the new dark style. In times of Corona, we need a show that gives us hope for the future.
Our current world is already dark enough. As a true Star Trek fan, I always saw Star Trek as the our true future: if we keep doing good, Star Trek (and Starfleet) is how our future will look like. It gave me hope that one day our society would be as bright and as smart as the world portrayed by Gene Roddenberry.
So how can we fix Star Trek Picard?
Ditch the cliffhangers
To feel that bit of hope every week, we should be left with a feeling of completeness, not with a I-don’t-know-what’s-going-to-happen cliffhanger feeling. Getting rid the off the single story line arching over 10 episodes, would the first step.
In the pre-2005 Star Trek series, there were at least 2 main story lines per episode: a sciency one and an interpersonal one. The overarching story line, most notable in Star Trek Voyager, was nowhere near as important.
Episodes will be far richer and you’ll leave your viewers with a great feeling at the end of each episode.
Cursing, drinking and smoking
Because people are cursing, drinking and smoking, Picard feels like the show is taking place in the present. We need Star Trek to take place in the future. People should have gotten smart enough to ditch cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
Violin music to the rescue
Music is the most important piece contributing to the feeling you get when watching a movie or TV show. It seems like Picard uses a combination of electro music and the old Star Trek TNG soundtrack. The latter contributes to the goosebumps most of us got. The old Star Trek music had a lot more uplifting music. The feeling it created, gave us hope. Get those trumpets, violins, horns, double basses and clarinets back out!
Our future depends on it
Maybe I’m a bit overdramatic here. But what happens is that our children do not simply watch TV, they consume it, they imitate it, they learn from it. You, the powers that be, have more power than you think. You can influence the way people think.
You can shape the way we see our future. And that future should be bright.
Thanks,
Written by a 35-year old son who loved watching TNG with his dad when he was only 12. Also a dad who would love to watch a bright Star Trek with his own sons in the near future!
