Opinion on Star Trek: Picard (and modern Trek in general)

[JoaquinSlowly]

Sorry. I must be behind on the latest buzz words of toxic fandom. What the fuck is virtue signaling?

The way it’s defined is the idea that expressing certain opinions publically is always disingenuous, and only meant to make oneself seem righteous.

I find it’s usually used to dismiss others by implying that anyone who expresses a “woke” or progressive opinion couldn’t possibly actually feel the way they say they do.

 

[Amasov]

The way it’s defined is the idea that expressing certain opinions publically is always disingenuous, and only meant to make oneself seem righteous.

I find it’s usually used to dismiss others by implying that anyone who expresses a “woke” or progressive opinion couldn’t possibly actually feel the way they say they do.

And for reasons I will never understand, people think Star Trek is doing this? Or at least are looking for hints that it is?

 

[JoaquinSlowly]

And for reasons I will never understand, people think Star Trek is doing this? Or at least are looking for hints that it is?

Some persist in insisting that modern Star Trek is someone guilty of this, but I’m not sure how many of those repeating the “they’re virtue signaling!” refrain genuinely believe it, and how many are just trying to stir up fandom ire to get click and view based ad revenue on their streaming channels.

I’m with you, it’s a baffling characterization for this franchise, and when I see the phrase dropped as a buzzword, it doesn’t make me think I’m in for thoughtful analysis.

 

[Amasov]

Some persist in insisting that modern Star Trek is someone guilty of this, but I’m not sure how many of those repeating the “they’re virtue signaling!” refrain genuinely believe it, and how many are just trying to stir up fandom ire to get click and view based ad revenue on their streaming channels.

I’m with you, it’s a baffling characterization for this franchise, and when I see the phrase dropped as a buzzword, it doesn’t make me think I’m in for thoughtful analysis.

I got into a MAJOR argument with a friend over this thinking. He hoped that Strange New Worlds wouldn't be woke. And me, not knowing when to stop feeding it, I got into it with him and it turns out he's barely watched ANY Trek at all and was just repeating the opinions of others. He based all his information on YouTube commentators. None of it was his own opinion. He just took it as fact.

 

[gweeps]

I miss the balance of stand alone and serialized seasons. I miss longer seasons. You can really sink your teeth into a 24-26 episode season. Lots of slow burn additional scenes of character development that gets squeezed out in 10-13 episode serialized seasons. Lower Decks is probably the closest to finding said balance. In fact, I don't think a completely serialized series works in Star Trek's favour.

 

[Amasov]

I miss the balance of stand alone and serialized seasons. I miss longer seasons. You can really sink your teeth into a 24-26 episode season. Lots of slow burn additional scenes of character development that gets squeezed out in 10-13 episode serialized seasons. Lower Decks is probably the closest to finding said balance. In fact, I don't think a completely serialized series works in Star Trek's favour.

I'm just exhausted from season-long story arcs in general. But I might like them a little more if Discovery learned how to do them well. I've said it countless times since the second season, but, the writers of that show don't seem to know how to do it. They think the best way is to introduce it, forget about it for a while, then come back to it and treat like a ticking clock.

Discovery seems to think that Star Trek is about saving the galaxy/Federation/Earth all the time. The stakes are always huge. The show is never quiet. It's never subtle. The fate of anything and everything always hinges on Discovery. I don't like saying it, but, I'm really starting to fucking hate that show.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Sorry. I must be behind on the latest buzz words of toxic fandom. What the fuck is virtue signaling?

 

[thribs]

It’s alright. Way better than season one.
I’ll give it a solid 6/10.

 

[KennyB]

If it's basically the same Star Trek, why do I feel absolutelly nothing after watching Discovery and Picard? It's like going thru a bag of chips with zero nutritional value.

The old shows like DS9, TNG..even the "dreaded" ENT..they all made me think about the storylines..reflect on what I've just seen..but these new shows are just..bland..

Maybe Trek hasn't changed...........maybe YOU'VE changed.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Is it ever a good idea to lead a thread with:

"I agree with this 18 minute long, racist, homophobic video, thoughts?"

 

[F. King Daniel]

I really didn't expect to be posting this so often

Discovery season 4 was a let down, as was the finale of season one and Picard's first season ending. Other than that, I've really enjoyed modern Trek.

Sorry if all the gays made you uncomfortable OP. But that's really more your problem than Trek's. We're not going back to 1960's or 1990's values in television or real life.

 

[Lord Garth]

Now, sure, Star Trek was, in a way, always about politics but these days, the writers aren't really even trying to make you think about what you've experienced, but rather "programm" you to think along the party line.

Star Trek used to be about hope, an escape of sorts. Now is just a depressive mess of CGI, brainless action and yes, the above referenced activism and virtue signaling.

I already had my political beliefs long before New Trek hit the TV screen. The shows have taken a stance, you just don't like what the stance is. If they took your political stance, you would not be complaining.

And even though they've taken a stance, they're not anywhere near as political as you're acting like they are. It just sticks with you longer because it's so against what your positions are.

Spoiler

Personally, I think you're just pissed at the way Picard depicted ICE. Which is why you went out of your way to single PIC out.

This is the part where you deny the above, but it doesn't change any of what I said.

even the "dreaded" ENT..they all made me think about the storylines.

More accurately, you like the way things were during the Bush Era when neo-conservative fervor was at its highest, Post-9/11. And Enterprise, especially Season 3, was a reflection of those times.

 

[Vger23]

Awesome

 

[Amasov]

Part of what bothers me is when I hear things like "virtue signaling" being applied to a franchise like this (or any other), it really shines a light on how everyone seems to read into these shows with an almost conspiratorial mindset. It disturbs the fuck out of me.

They're so angry and bothered how the shows don't follow the exact same beats and production style as the ones from previous decades that the only way to explain why this is the case is to really drum up some insane conspiracy theories about the shows having some sort of agenda.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

In this case I think it's more a case of the OP being bigoted. Hence non-binary people being 'degenerates'.

Sadly it's just another day, another dollar for the internet. Giving everybody in the world a voice was always going to be a two-edged sword.

 

[Amasov]

In this case I think it's more a case of the OP being bigoted. Hence non-binary people being 'degenerates'.

Sadly it's just another day, another dollar for the internet. Giving everybody in the world a voice was always going to be a two-edged sword.

And the fact that we even bothered to acknowledge it by responding.

 

[BillJ]

And the fact that we even bothered to acknowledge it by responding.

If you don’t acknowledge it, then you have zero chance of reaching someone.

 

[SJGardner]

The way it’s defined is the idea that expressing certain opinions publically is always disingenuous, and only meant to make oneself seem righteous.

I find it’s usually used to dismiss others by implying that anyone who expresses a “woke” or progressive opinion couldn’t possibly actually feel the way they say they do.

I have seen this kind of bullcrap so many times in the past few years. The people complaining online about virtue signaling often seem to believe that the majority of so-called progressives actually agree with them completely on culture war issues, but are just too polite to actually express it due to a pervasive fear of being cancelled by the woke mafia, and will try to get them to "come around" and encouraging them that "it's okay to say it out loud, we both know what you're really thinking."

Granted, if there's something different about the Old True Trek and the New Bastardized Trek, it's that there indeed were some topics they were either unable or unwilling to discuss on '90s network TV that aren't taboo nowadays (well, the jury is still out on exactly how much of that was '90s sensibilities, network TV rules or just Rick Berman's well-documented homophobia, but still). Unfortunately, these are the same topics that bigots don't like to see being normalized. Unfortunately for them, obviously. As a fellow degenerate myself, I'm really happy that Star Trek's future is finally presented in a way that bigots cannot pretend anymore that the cancerous taint of those pesky Gender, Romantic and Sexual Minorities that would irretrievably ruin their precious, perfect, homogenous utopia just mysteriously disappeared without a trace some time before the 22nd century. Because as much as some people like to tout the fanon explanation that "in the future, people don't feel the need to wag their identities in other people's faces and they don't care about the identities of others," (at least when they aren't trying to argue that in a utopian future society they'd surely be able to use [technobabble] to "cure" the gay in the womb) what they really mean is "I dun want no gays in mah Star Track."

 

[Bornin1980something]

In my experience, if you're already bitter, listening to embittered Youtubers makes it worse.

 

[fireproof78]

And the fact that we even bothered to acknowledge it by responding.

Indeed. The way to start is building the relationship with a person not by engaging in internet argumentation.