I have long maintained the belief that storytelling is humanity’s greatest achievement. Storytelling, and to a larger extent, art, is what inspires us. It gives us hope, direction, and a sense of purpose. This is my biggest soapbox issue, and the reason I have devoted my life to the written word.
Of course, not all fiction is created equal. It’s the stories that rise above the mundane, everyday entertainment offerings that mean the most to us. Truly great storytelling remains timeless because it speaks to a universal part of ourselves, giving us something to believe in and hope for. There are few better examples of this than Star Trek. Since 1966, when the first show debuted, the Star Trek franchise has shown us a glimpse into our possible future, into the world as it could be, a humanity evolved beyond the petty squabbling, greed, and tribalism of the current day. Fans of Trek grew up to pursue science, engineering, and many even became real-life astronauts, largely due to the show.
Unfortunately, this once-aspirational franchise has fallen prey to short-sighted market forces that continue to ruin every IP we’ve grown to love. A series that once challenged us to reconsider our values has been turned into another mindless cash-grab.
Since its heyday, Star Trek has struggled to turn a profit, being canceled after only one season and, later, after its revival, lasting only three seasons. The Next Generation likewise had difficulty finding distribution, going straight to syndication before its premiere, a practice unheard of at the time. Star Trek struggled then because its creators refused to cater to the lowest common denominator, never lowering their standards for mass-market appeal, never turning Trek into Wars just because that other space opera made billions. But now that the original creators have been pushed aside in favor of shareholder interests, the art and philosophy that made Star Trek a timeless masterpiece are gone. In this era of “NuTrek,” shows like Discovery, Brave New Worlds, and Starfleet Academy treat us to more explosions than discussions. Being “smart” is for nerds, and old Trek was boring, according to Paramount’s producers. Challenging people to think loses viewers, and losing viewers means losing money, and we can’t have that, Roddenberry be damned. Our storytelling, and by extension, our Sci-Fi, needs to be dumbed down because in our current, hyper-capitalist world, the only Prime Directive is “make more money.”
The Art of Storytelling 
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