Game of Thrones and The Witcher had one thing in common. They veered too far off the source text and kept going until the fans tasted nothing but bitterness and the critics foamed at their mouths with razor-sharp expletives. Star Trek: Discovery could very well be headed down the same road after one Season 5 announcement throws the original fans off their seat with a measure of abject horror.
![Star Trek: Discovery [Credit: Paramount Network]](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/23100056/Star-Trek-Discovery-Credit-Paramount-Network-1.jpeg)
Given the state of adaptations, remakes, and spin-offs in the current era of the entertainment industry, it can be said with enough accumulated expertise gained through experience that it never ends well for those who overstay their welcome. Currently, Star Trek: Discovery aims to do just that with its storyline which has by far run its course after launching to warm reviews in September 2017.
Star Trek: Discovery Aims High But Falls Flat Upon Release
As a vestige of the original Star Trek series helmed by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek: Discovery is no stranger to the fan craze that comes with being the torch bearer of a 50-year-old franchise. But no matter the number of flowery words and tearful goodbyes, some things are meant to be rescinded from the public eye to wait out their days in relative peace and obscurity.
The Sonequa Martin-Green series that attempted to replicate the magic of the original series did so by stirring the emotions far too violently for anyoneʼs liking. With its prequel-sequel format, the series aimed to smash boundaries and set new limits for what is achievable by cleverly manipulating the elements that are usually used to build an interstellar space saga.
![Star Trek: Discovery [Credit Paramount Network]](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/23100113/Star-Trek-Discovery-Credit-Paramount-Network-1-scaled.jpg)
Sadly, however, the format failed to resonate with the fans when Discoveryʼs genre-bending storyline abandoned the core idea of trekking to turn the space opera into a soap opera. As succinctly put by one Reddit user, “It’s what a man thinks a woman wants from Star Trek.”
Moreover, a subreddit thread dedicated to understanding what makes Star Trek: Discovery so bad explicitly states: “It just comes off as a YA show in space, nothing like Trek used to be.” Another Reddit user going by the username squigs explains:
A friend said about a character in another series, “they tried to make her special but forgot to make her interesting.” That seems to apply to Michael Burnham as well. Combine this with the insistence we have a single character star, rather than an ensemble, and we end up with “Star Trek: Look how special I am”.
Getting down to brass tacks, Star Trek: Discovery has accumulated a massive following of critics and haters in the 7 years since its release. The seriesʼs failure to adapt deep space exploration using spore drive and instead involving itself in the Federationʼs politics squandered its potential to directly influence the events leading up to the original 1966 series storyline.
The series also rejected the most basic premise of Star Trek by drowning itself in tales of sadness and violence. There were no overall grand arcs worthy of the viewerʼs emotional investment because the story was too busy shoving emotion down the audience’s throats every 5 minutes.
Star Trek: Discovery Actor Has the Haters Running Scared
![Star Trek: Discovery – Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber [Credit Paramount Network]](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/23100412/Star-Trek-Discovery-%E2%80%93-Wilson-Cruz-as-Dr.-Hugh-Culber-Credit-Paramount-Network.jpg)
Seven years and one spin-off later, Star Trek: Discovery is preparing to wave its final goodbyes to its fans and dissenters. But for the cast, the moment is marked by tears and sorrow. In a recent video interview with Gold Derby, Star Trek: Discovery actor Wilson Cruz claimed:
We’re going out on a high note. It’s a great season and we had a lot of fun making it. These people are in my heart forever. I don’t want to start crying at the beginning of the interview, because that’s too much. The camaraderie and the bond with these actors has been life-altering. That part is really heartbreaking.
It’s bittersweet that it’s over, but we say this all the time; it’s ‘Star Trek.’ You never know what’s going to happen, and this season has been so well-received both by the viewers and by the critics. You never know where you’ll see us again. It’s ‘Star Trek,’ so keep hope alive!
Cruzʼs words which were meant to comfort the fans in the final moments of Star Trek: Discovery instead ignited horror and revulsion among those who were trapped in a cycle of unyielding emotional tantrums thrown by the series.
The ending, which came as a relief to many, has now taken the shape of a nightmare waiting on the sidelines, ready to come true at any moment with a single snap of the studioʼs fingers. The best the fans (or haters!) can do is wait it out with no end in sight.
Star Trek: Discovery is available for streaming on Paramount+
