Star Trek Picard Season Three

This ad for Paramount+ has been making the rounds, and people have been noting the absense of one particular character:

CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK.

One of the most iconic characters ever, and perhaps second only to Spock as the character who is most identified with the STAR TREK franchise. Instead, we have Spock and Uhura representing TOS, with Uhura even more prominently placed than Spock.

And it doesn’t take a starship engineer to figure out why, what with today’s sociopolitical climate. That aside, purely from a marketing standpoint, it makes no sense. It reminds me, of all the things to be reminded of, a 2005 episode of THE APPRENTICE, where competing contestants were put in charge of creating a promotional display for REVENGE OF THE SITH. The people who had no preexisting knowledge or love for STAR WARS picked characters for their display on based solely on looks (like Tion Medon of Utapau, a minor character), while those who did know STAR WARS picked characters based on their prominence and popularity (like Yoda).

Much like Luke Skywalker now often being marginalized on STAR WARS merchandise, this omission of Kirk is apparently because the franchise’s current stewards see both Kirk and TOS as “problematic”. Because they hate him.

I would argue that the core problem which STAR TREK has faced for a very long time is that the people in charge fundamentally hate the source material, and keep trying to turn it into something else entirely.

PICARD’s third season may well be a nostalgic Band-Aid on a shotgun wound for those watching and enjoying it, but this core problem clearly still remains. At best, this season may serve as a fond farewell to TNG, but it in no way indicates to me that the franchise is “saved”. Not when the suits still clearly hate the source material.



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Paul Andrew said:
I didn't notice his absence until you pointed it out.
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Which is surely what they want. They're already rebooting and rewriting TOS with STRANGE NEW HAIR, after all.

With "sensitivity readers" now coming in to rewrite Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming, how long until they start re-editing or suppressing TOS, TNG, etc.? Or, better yet, just full-on rebooting the originals, and also doing everything possible to bury and replace them. Remember, Abrams specifically tried to get all TOS merchandise out of production, so that his TREK (and its merchandise--which failed, by the way) would be the only TREK. Of course, CBS/Paramount were unwilling to give up their perennial cash-cow, so that plan was defeated.

However, times, regimes, and climates change. Some fools might actually believe that KurtzmanTREK is the future, and shifts the merchandise and everything else to favor it. Much like how Kathy Kennedy insisted that the Galaxy's Edge park attraction at Disney not represent the locations and characters of the original STAR WARS (which had been the initial plan).

And look how well that turned out.
 
Paul Andrew said:
I didn't notice his absence until you pointed it out.
Click to expand...
You probably weren't looking for something to be angry about. Otherwise you would have come up with a ridiculous idea like spock is somehow in a less prominent position to Uhura literally next to each other.
 
Gregatron said:
Which is surely what they want. They're already rebooting and rewriting TOS with STRANGE NEW HAIR, after all.

With "sensitivity readers" now coming in to rewrite Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming, how long until they start re-editing or suppressing TOS, TNG, etc.? Or, better yet, just full-on rebooting the originals, and also doing everything possible to bury and replace them. Remember, Abrams specifically tried to get all TOS merchandise out of production, so that his TREK (and its merchandise--which failed, by the way) would be the only TREK. Of course, CBS/Paramount were unwilling to give up their perennial cash-cow, so that plan was defeated.

However, times, regimes, and climates change. Some fools might actually believe that KurtzmanTREK is the future, and shifts the merchandise and everything else to favor it. Much like how Kathy Kennedy insisted that the Galaxy's Edge park attraction at Disney not represent the locations and characters of the original STAR WARS (which had been the initial plan).

And look how well that turned out.
Click to expand...
Kirk always came off as kind of smug and smarmy to me, and something of a ******* when he didn't get his way.

Just always portrayed as kind of the Uber everyman, and I find him totally uninteresting.
 
Apollo said:
Meh, Shat HATED the Franchise for YEARS. so…..
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Actually, I’ve spoken with him about that. He didn’t UNDERSTAND why the fans took it so seriously as it had been a job to him.

In the mid 90’s he attended a Trek convention in Vegas - I was there. He wore a cheap rubber mask that he found at the costume shop and walked around talking with fans.

When he saw their passion in action, he paused and realized that he was a part of it all.

He was Kirk, and Kirk was loved. He gained understanding, acceptance and love for the fans and the franchise.

He’d not known the impact that ‘his job’ had had on so many fans.
 
NakedMoleRat said:
Actually, I’ve spoken with him about that. He didn’t UNDERSTAND why the fans took it so seriously as it had been a job to him.

In the mid 90’s he attended a Trek convention in Vegas - I was there. He wore a cheap rubber mask that he found at the costume shop and walked around talking with fans.

When he saw their passion in action, he paused and realized that he was a part of it all.

He was Kirk, and Kirk was loved. He gained understanding, acceptance and love for the fans and the franchise.

He’d not known the impact that ‘his job’ had had on so many fans.
Click to expand...
Looks like he fooled ya, but don’t take it hard, he is a great Actor , and a very insecure Man

As someone who worked many Trek Cons in the 70‘s I spoke with him quite a few times and personally saw the disdain he had for ALL of the fans as well

He knew EXACTLY what he was doing and knows exactly what he is doing now, making a quick buck off of the Franchise he hated

He finally wised up and figured , ‘if you cant beat em join em”
 
Apollo said:
Looks like he fooled ya, but don’t take it hard, he is a great Actor , and a very insecure Man

As someone who worked many Trek Cons in the 70‘s I spoke with him quite a few times and personally saw the disdain he had for ALL of the fans as well

He knew EXACTLY what he was doing and knows exactly what he is doing now, making a quick buck off of the Franchise he hated

He finally wised up and figured , ‘if you cant beat em join em”
Click to expand...
Not the first time I’ve been a fool…!
 
NakedMoleRat said:
Not the first time I’ve been a fool…!
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Same here and with that I will close with a classic line uttered by the late great Jimmy Doohan, who DID love ALL of the fans.

’Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice……”

Love ya and Miss ya Jimmy I and many others will NEVER forget you!!!
 
Apollo said:
Looks like he fooled ya, but don’t take it hard, he is a great Actor , and a very insecure Man

As someone who worked many Trek Cons in the 70‘s I spoke with him quite a few times and personally saw the disdain he had for ALL of the fans as well

He knew EXACTLY what he was doing and knows exactly what he is doing now, making a quick buck off of the Franchise he hated

He finally wised up and figured , ‘if you cant beat em join em”
Click to expand...

As a die hard Kirk fan, I would rather you tell me lies than give me your truth, sir. ;)
 
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