WEB EXCLUSIVE

Star Trek used to be a respectable TV franchise until CBS created their new monstrosity, Discovery. The original Star Trek TV shows provided a continuous storyline, with a universe that contained multiple races (with multiple cultures each) which could be explored in depth; now, thanks to CBS, we can throw all that out the window.

They decided to take a leap of faith and change the dynamics of the show to introduce a new audience to the world of Star Trek, but they ended up failing horribly because they rejected lots from the original shows. They created something that isn’t Star Trek. Let me say, at least, that it is a good TV show–but it doesn’t fit as a Star Trek TV show.

Discovery first breached the Star Trek universe when it dramatically changed the Klingons, giving them cranial ridges and no hair. According to the Star Trek timeline, the Klingons don’t develop cranial ridges until after the original Enterprise’s voyages, but before the Enterprise D. Discovery is set 10 years before Kirk and Spock; however, the Klingons have cranial ridges and are bald. In all previous cases, having hair was a big part of the Klingon culture. It was even a symbol of warrior status, but it is now gone.

Even worse, the uniforms were changed beyond what could be considered timeline manipulation (which was introduced by JJ Abrams). They even changed the very culture of the Klingons to benefit the show; but in doing so, they removed the heart of what the Klingon Empire was.

On the Starfleet side, why is it that the technology observed in Discovery is more advanced than in the new Kirk and Spock Star Trek movies, even though it’s set 10 years before? CBS failed to look into the story and keep it consistent with what Star Trek fans look for in each of the series. It is a callback to the newer Star Trek Enterprise from 2005, which kept true to form with Star Trek and still made a new story that fans appreciated. This is proof that making something new and still pleasing the fans is possible.

Overall, the essence of what the Star Trek shows were about is now gone: instead of seeking out new life and civilizations, Star Trek Discovery seeks out to drain the wallets of its viewers through CBS TV subscriptions and their online streaming platform.