Star Trek stands as a significant presence in the realm of science fiction, and it’s not hard to see why. The franchise has either pioneered numerous ideas that sci-fi narratives adopt in the modern era or played a key role in their widespread acceptance. A particularly distinctive element of the brand that resonates within science […]
Star Trek stands as a significant presence in the realm of science fiction, and it’s not hard to see why. The franchise has either pioneered numerous ideas that sci-fi narratives adopt in the modern era or played a key role in their widespread acceptance. A particularly distinctive element of the brand that resonates within science fiction circles is the retcon.
Whether through temporal manipulation or alien dialects, Star Trek has consistently discovered methods to evade making irreversible alterations. Perhaps this is a wise choice, as the current approach Star Trek utilizes for their series and movies proves effective. In essence, they gather a set of characters that audiences will invest their time in, and they subject them to a myriad of challenges.
What they refrain from doing is permanently eliminating these characters from the story. Likewise, they avoid altering the premise of a show to such an extreme that it distorts its core identity. Viewers crave thrill, yet they appreciate familiarity. Ultimately, what they desire is reliability. Thus, there are occasions when Star Trek considers ideas that could be incredibly compelling, yet they choose not to pursue them in order to preserve the established framework.
However, what if Star Trek took a daring leap and implemented these significant alterations? What if particular characters faced permanent demise, returned permanently, or retained an entire arc? Well, that’s the focus of our discussion today. We’re examining four instances where the Star Trek franchise had the potential to undergo a fundamental transformation and exploring how those scenarios might have unfolded.
