After watching and seeing the reaction to Star Trek: Section 31 and the poor viewer numbers of the quite good Star Wars: Skeleton Crew I am beginning to think Disney and Paramount have both harmed brands what were at one point almost impervious to damage. Heck, Star Trek survived Star Trek V: The Final Frontier but seems to be having trouble at the moment because of Section 31.
The recent release of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew was greeted with rather weak numbers. That’s unfortunate because it was good. It embodied the spirit of Star Wars and told a story that fit well within that universe but was not attached to the Skywalker Saga in any way yet it couldn’t find traction. Why? I think that can be laid at the feet of The Acolyte which was quite possibly the worst thing to have the Star Wars name attached. All the people that the supporters of The Acolyte told to go away if they didn’t like it did and they didn’t come back.
I have not been much of a fan of any of the Star Trek since the reboot films it has had a very dedicated fanbase even if it started out with the divisive Star Trek: Discovery. But Section 31 is almost universally hated. There are even mutterings on social media of those espousing the same logic for Star Trek that sent people away from Star Wars.
The reboot films pushed away some old school fans as did Discovery and the others Trek shows. Season Two of Strange New Worlds was not as praised as Season One. Picard had two awful seasons and a mediocre third season that relied largely on nostalgia. Section 31 came out and was greeted with a shrug followed quickly by derision and mockery even though it starred the popular Michelle Yeoh.
The praise and support for both is coming from an ever increasingly niche group of fans that are new. The people who have kept both franchises going for 50 or 60 years are ignored in favor of what some of called the modern audience which is not as passionate as the longtime supporters and rather fickle.
Both have reached a point they do not matter to people like they once did. A new Star Trek or Star Wars project was once greeted with some level of excitement amongst the fans. I think fans are just walking away and not coming back.
I have a memory of being in a diaper with that plastic pants thing on in a theater clutching the back of a seat just as the Millenium Falcon goes into hyperspace and being so blown away my head spun. For Star Trek it is sitting on the living room floor watching Kirk in a fistfight in engineering.
These franchises are becoming victims of poor quality. Maybe it’s because those in charge don’t have a genuine passion for the creations they are handling. Admittedly it’s all a business but if you want a business to be successful you need to care about the product you make. You need to have a vision for it. Whether you’re making pizza or making movies and TV shows that are part of a larger world you need to have an idea of what you want that end result to be.
More importantly when you find success because what you make connects with your customers you need to play into what was successful. Experimentation is fine and can lead to great new things but if you stray too far from the formula that allowed you to be more than a struggling brand then you will alienate the people that have helped you to get beyond being a struggling brand. That is your base and those people will keep you going.
There’s also having too much to choose from. That may seem illogical but let me explain. Restaurants with large menus are trying to do too much and can often see business suffer because while they may do a lot, they do none of it well. Most or even all could be good but never great because they are spread too thin. Have choices but make sure the options you have are good and desired. Not only does that allow you to focus but it stops you from going too far from what originally worked.
In Star Wars I think you can see that. The Acolyte veered from that formula and harmed Skeleton Crew. I’m not referencing the Skywalker Saga. I’m talking about clear delineations between good and evil. I’m talking about making the Jedi who are the personification of good in the Star Wars universe into bad guys. I’m also pointing out trying to make evil Force users who are the personification of, well, evil into sympathetic good guys.
And then there’s Star Trek which has cast off exploring the human condition in a science fiction setting for well-produced spectacle. It sees the superficial such as the campiness or silliness of TOS as all or mainly what Star Trek is rather than understanding those are simply elements of the time. A musical episode in Star Trek? Really? Lower Decks engaged in self-mockery of the property they represent. How does that help continue or grow a brand?
What does this mean for any franchise? The long-term fans who have an emotional investment because they followed it for 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 or however many years don’t find what they love present anymore. It’s replaced by something that doesn’t resemble or even connect to watch they bought tickets to view or memorabilia of.
Between the two I think it will be much easier to fix things with fans of Star Wars than Star Trek. In the world of Star Wars given it its vastness and general structure the mistakes of the past can be glossed over if those currently in charge return to more familiar territory. Star Trek though is a different story. Star Trek attracted people who were looking for something a little deeper. One of its selling points was that you get a story about racism or war or poverty or classism or anything really wrapped in a science fiction story. It would lead the horse to water but not force a drink unlike it does today. And that’s what it actually tries.
Do either have cultural impact anymore? Does the announcement of a Star Trek or Star Wars generate the buzz they once did amongst the fans or the general public? Poor quality and poor choices have brought us here.
Clearly both franchises are in trouble and without some change of direction or leadership they will be abandoned by fans in the future because nobody cares. It’s not too late to right the ships but it doesn’t look like anybody’s going to try.
Warren Watched A Movie 