Star Trek has always openly referenced contemporary culture or has functioned as an allegory for topics of its respective time of production in the first place.
Besides that, it also always was very US centric, which is sometimes somewhat irritating if you are a bit outside of that cultural sphere. (WTF is “root beer”? And whole episodes about… baseball??)
On this background, criticising current language being used in modern productions seems a bit nitpicky and beside the point imho.The best explanation I read was that Star Trek is a “period piece” so using modern slang and cuss words jars the viewer out of the story. “Damnit” being the only era-appropriate curse word.
Anyone remember “double dumbass on you!” — They weren’t familiar with ancient slang and misused it. We don’t say “23 skidoo!” in 2025, so why would they use our slang in the 23rd century?
Also it would be far more fun to use Andorian or Klingon expletives and idioms.
We don’t say “23 skidoo!”
Some of us are still saying it… but also in the completely devoid of its original meaning way that they did in Star Trek back in the day.
So, to play Devil’s advocate, the tone is what makes it feel like the future. While Next Generation would have lots of 20th century, U.S. culture brought up, it was always from a “antiquity” POV.
The article actually mentions Beastie Boys used in Beyond. But that’s actually more in line with how they would have handled it before.
I was more thinking about DS9 and Voy, but TNG also was not as “pure” as they try to make it look.
E,g. I have always been slightly amused about how they often deliberately used current day idioms and proverbs when Data was around to get one of those “Data understands it literal” situations…idioms don’t bother me in the slightest since they’re are almost by definition old fashioned. Even today most people don’t know the origin of most idioms, but they stick around through culture.
For example, there is a massive list attributed to Shakespeare 400 years ago, so it’s perfectly within reason that contemporary idioms would last ~350 years to the TNG era. I’d even argue it would be weird if they didn’t.
I am totally with you on that.
Also I think that you should just assume watching through a sort of “universal translator” (which is the general idea anyway the moment aliens are involved…) that transfers unknown terms into similar ones you can understand.
I just now watched an episode of Strange New Worlds and took special care to note any references to present day idioms or concepts.
I found exactly two:- “Potato, potato” (which fits the universal translator idea, as similar concepts exist with different words in many languages)
- A mention of the Boyscouts to describe Captain Pike - here it is totally reasonable to assume that the scouts or a similar thing still exists in the 23rd century
.
So I really don’t know what the fuzz is supposed to be about…
i love classical music.
Not enough women vacuum sealed into their body suits they say.
Rick Berman just likes complaining, especially when it gets him attention.
Well rick berman is a piece of shit anyways so who cares what he thinks?
Yes, but he is also right. TNG plays universally, it never felt very dated, and DS9 and VOY aren’t anything either.
Picard’s wacky Brexit analogies or stolen plot from ME3 or just shooting it in modern day Mexico with guinan’s bar inexplicably called ten-forward etc. it’s just gross honestly.
Modern music/vernacular is far from Nu-Trek’s worst problem. It’s dogshit overall quality is the main issue.
From every line of dialogue and plot point to the design of every little panel on every ship and the fact they are generic CGI sweatshop graphics that make no sense. Pure unadulterated slop.
I don’t think RB/BB are bad showrunners or producers, they’re not the best writers trek had, but they know how to create an interesting premise and how to get shit made and made well by talented folks who know what they’re doing. I wish they got to do their original version of Enterprise, but I’m happy with what we got in the end too, even if Manny Coto’s S3 was the obvious real peak of that show (with Terra Prime/Demons a close second, god I miss actuallyWoke Trek).
None of these are things Nu-Trek can claim to have. RB/BB may be every kind of asshole, but a trek show conceptualised and ran by them would stand head and shoulders above every other trek since enterprise and its not even close.
I’m just glad For All Mankind exists, which is the progressive optimistic spirit of Star Trek infused in a primetime sci-fi drama by Trek veterans like Ron D. Moore, Joe Menosky and the Okudas, and a whole slate of modern talented writers, directors and actors.
At the end of the day I don’t want star trek over and over and over forever on and on, I want good shows, star trek was good, so I liked Star Trek. All good things…
It’s just a real shame honestly, star trek succumbing to studio brainrot like that, it deserved better.
two old men have an opinion, news at 11
so tf what
