How ‘Star Trek’ Spinoffs Drifted Away From the Principles of ‘The Original Series’

Nerdstalgic examined the seemingly questionable expansion of the Star Trek franchise, specifically noting how subsequent spinoffs drifted further and further away from the principles introduced in The Original Series, becoming more about quantity than quality.

For decades, Star Trek stood apart from every other sci-fi franchise. It wasn’t built on spectacle or action, it was built on big ideas, moral dilemmas, and characters solving impossible problems through curiosity and hope. So…what happened?

The narrator also spoke about how the new creative and network approaches evident in such recent series as Star Trek: Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks have lost sight of the original message.

Much of the modern era traded thoughtful storytelling for glossy visuals, constant action, and streaming-first “content. From Discovery and Picard to Section 31 and beyond, so much modern Star Trek has struggled to live up to the legacy Gene Roddenberry created.