Orson Scott Card and Star Trek

In case you missed my LJ post, Orson Scott Card has a somewhat controversial commentary in the Los Angeles Times about Star Trek. It begins: "So they've gone and killed 'Star Trek.' And it's about time." Here's a link to the article.

You can see the (sometimes a tad heated) discussion after I posted the article link in my LJ comments board. Have to admit I bristled at Card's statement in the article: "The original 'Star Trek,' created by Gene Roddenberry, was, with a few exceptions, bad in every way that a science fiction television show could be bad."

For what it's worth, I like some of Card's writing, especially Ender's Game. And I do see where he's coming from in this article: Classic Trek was cheesy, may not have had the best acting, and the characters didn't get a chance to grow. But I loved it anyway; it was always my favourite Star Trek series; there were some gem episodes in there which I'll never tire of watching in repeats, like City on the Edge of Forever. As for some of the less stellar episodes, well...for me, at least, the cheesiness is part of the charm. :-)

I watched the other ST series when they first aired, but not consistently. I don't think I've seen all the shows in any one season of any of the newer series. So while I'm not upset by the fact that there isn't going to any new Star Trek shows being churned out, I don't agree with Card's blanket dismissal of the original series or of its impact.

I liked Star Trek before it became popular. I like Star Trek even now that it's no longer the cool kid. I'm excited about seeing the Firefly movie and admit I inhaled the entire Buffy the Vampire series in three months...but I do enjoy going back to those Classic Trek episodes on DVD from time to time and watching the old crew in action. It may not have been as well produced or consistently well-written as some of the newer sf shows, but I think it's a huge mistake to ignore the accomplishment and craft of the original series.

As Allison posted, "Orson Scott Card is right in saying that 'Star Trek' needs a rest. He is utterly wrong in dismissing the importance or relevance of the Star Trek phenomenon."

May 2005 comments: Read Blatherchat | Post in Blatherchat | Livejournal comments