When we are not governed by limited resources then perhaps.
A problem which we overcame decades ago by using technology and science to mass produce abundance, but are still using money to limit access to said abundance and in many cases produce artificial scarcity to drive up prices... plus our education and social systems are utterly out of date and sync with our present tech and science capabilities.
Its the management of said resources that's the problem - Capitalism just can't do it, hence the massive waste and problems despite our ability and reality of producing abundance and being able to fix actual problems (for which solutions existed for a long time).
Its a systemic issue pure and simple (its causing the said problems). Plus we created so much needless red tape and bureaucracy around numerous things that its almost next to impossible to act on something quickly and efficiently because it either interferes with someone's profit margins, or its just 'too inconvenient' for someone (as if the survival and betterment of the human species and having a livable environment and biosphere aren't actually important).
But, even Roddenberry sold merchandise.
Yes, but that's how the current system works. If you want to get your ideas out and catch on, you usually need sell stuff to create capital to gain traction and to be taken seriously... otherwise, it can be impossible to get stuff off the ground... and also going 'viral' (while seemingly 'easier') can be next to impossible if you lack the social network to enable it (in many cases people will have to lie and be deceptive to build a social audience that will be interested in pushing things out - otherwise, you end up doing stuff in the background and no one will ever take notice (regardless of how radical or different from the rest you or your stuff may be).
And I might sound flippant but I think getting any entertainment product I like is a win and I'm grateful for every moment. I can't afford the bitterness in my life. That's too dangerous for me.
Bitterness is a constant in the current system... its built into it (unfortunately). There's nothing inherently dangerous about it... and it keeps us potentially alert if a product doesn't agree with us... otherwise, we're just supposed to take anything they produce (however bad it may be)?
In terms of entertainment products we like... its getting increasingly difficult to find stuff that has a certain quality to it (something that will 'click' with ones personality).
Prodigy happens to be a Trek series that has that, and its saddening to see it treated like it has been - and others have noted the same (Prodigy was on several occasions named to be the best new Trek series - but it largely flied under the radar).
Unfortunately, the suits at Paramount did not agree, so they axed it (and in fairness, similar decision making happened in the past when ideas for existing Trek shows in production were modified to keep the episodic nature of the series - such as for example in ST: VOY Year Of Hell which was supposed to run for a full season, or ENT getting axed after the 4th season (when it was hitting its stride and foreshadowing the Earth Romulan war).
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