Space is the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Star Trek franchise, which, instead of boldly going where no one has gone before, seems to be getting lost in the wormhole of Hollywood’s blockbuster obsession. What was once a quirky, cerebral, and character-driven sci-fi series has spent the last decade trying to flex its box-office muscles against cinematic giants like Marvel. And, let’s be honest, it’s not exactly working.
Star Trek is like that one nerdy kid who suddenly decides to hit the gym and wear leather jackets, in an attempt to impress the cool kids. But deep down, we all know he’s still the same guy who organizes his bookshelf by the Dewey Decimal System. And that’s what we love about him! So why, oh why, is Star Trek trying to turn itself into an action-packed superhero saga instead of embracing its gloriously geeky roots?
Star Trek needs to stop playing the Marvel game
Chris Pine, our beloved Captain Kirk, recently pointed out what many longtime Trekkies have been thinking, Star Trek is trying too hard to compete with Marvel when it really should be focusing on its fanbase. In an interview with Esquire, he said,
Why aren’t we just appealing to this really rabid fan group and making the movie for a good price and going on our merry way, instead of trying to compete with the Marvels of the world?
And he’s absolutely right! Star Trek is about deep philosophical questions, moral dilemmas, and, let’s not forget, dramatic monologues about the Prime Directive. It’s not about CGI-filled battle sequences where entire planets explode every five minutes.
Think about it, Marvel movies thrive on their larger-than-life heroes, quippy dialogue, and multi-billion-dollar CGI spectacles. Star Trek, on the other hand, was never meant to be a high-octane action fest. It was about diplomacy, exploration, and wondering if Spock had a secret fondness for jazz, we’re still debating this.
Yet, in the last few films, Star Trek has been throwing punches instead of engaging in those tense, nail-bitingly intelligent standoffs that made it legendary. And let’s be real, no one is watching Star Trek for Chris Pine’s Kirk doing a slow-motion explosion run. Okay, maybe some people are, but you get the point.
Embrace the nerdiness, Star Trek!
So, what’s the solution? Simple, Star Trek needs to embrace its nerdy, cerebral, sometimes-kind-weird identity. Instead of dumping hundreds of millions into making it a Marvel competitor, why not create a well-crafted, moderately budgeted film that actually caters to Trekkies?
After all, this is the fanbase that debates Klingon grammar, builds DIY Starfleet uniforms, and has deep existential crises over whether Data truly understands human emotions. You don’t need to throw in sky-high production costs and a dozen VFX explosions to keep them entertained, you just need a well-written story, compelling characters, and maybe a well-timed Picard facepalm.
At the end of the day, Star Trek doesn’t need to be Marvel. It doesn’t need to be Star Wars. It just needs to be… Star Trek. And if Hollywood can figure that out, this beloved franchise can finally stop shooting itself in the foot with a phaser. Engage!
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
