Star Trek The Next Generation was a great show and I think it’s about time that we bring Star Trek back to television. I was sitting at my computer thinking about the hit television series The Big Bang Theory after I watched this seasons first episode, and then I started thinking about Wil Wheaton and the rest is history. I want the sci-Fi series back and I think as long as it’s done well it should be able to gain an audience.
In a recent interview with Wired, Michael Dorn -who played Worf in the Star Trek series- mentioned that todays science fiction television lacks the optimism that previous television series like Star Trek The Next Generation had. Dorn talks about how we need a show that can help us escape from all of the day-to-day crap that goes on in the real world and that can leave us with a positive feeling.
I believe there is a large audience out there for a new Star Trek project but as Dorn mentions in the interview, sci-fi has taken on a different look and the original formula that made Star Trek work back then will not work now. The series would most likely need to take on a new approach in order to get a green light and gain viewership. Dorn also mentions how it would be nice for Star Trek to be a catalyst for change, which I think we need desperately.
I’m not saying that there isn’t any good sci-fi out there, I am just saying there isn’t enough. Many new shows fail to hold my interest and the quality of the storyline and production effort are just laughable. In a day and age where reality television has dominated the air waves, I believe it’s time to move on toward better writing.
There are so many great sci-fi stories out there could easily make for great television, it just seems that networks don’t care to look for them, especially if they don’t all involve some type of post apocalyptic storyline. Again, there are a few good shows out there including one that I think is done really well, the Fox series Fringe. Fringe pulled me in right away and I love the idea of playing around with parallel universes and trying to understand complex issues with time.
For now we can only hope to see something come together that will inspire us and capture our imaginations. Don’t forget that we don’t have to wait for big television networks to bring us a good story though, there’s plenty of great sci-fi out there to read and if your looking for a place to start I would like to direct you toward the science fiction and fantasy themed book club, Sword and Laser.
