When discussing Star Trek now vs. a long time prior, it could typically be like evaluating apples to oranges. Whereas the franchise all the time advocated progressive concepts and know-how, it is also grown a large finances and altered with the occasions to align with trendy developments in streaming. The spirit remains to be there, although watching Deep House 9 with my Paramount+ subscription has made me notice the brand new exhibits lack one thing it did properly.
As upcoming Star Trek exhibits, each recognized and unknown, put together for streaming, there is a lesson to take from, which, some would argue, was the very best present of the TNG period. If there’s a technique that Unusual New Worlds or the upcoming Starfleet Academy sequence ought to emulate Deep House 9, it is in the way it spotlighted non-human species.
Deep House 9 Thrived On Fleshing Out The Bajoran, Ferengi And Different Species
Whereas different Star Trek exhibits thrived on house journey and exploring new planets, Deep House 9 stayed put. Being stationary at a base parked exterior a wormhole definitely took away some alternatives from the sequence, however staying put gave it one huge benefit. We had been in a position to study way more in regards to the folks on the ship, and the cultures they got here from.
The Bajoran and Cardassian battle alone gave us a deep take a look at each species, and in equity the story lends itself to us naturally studying extra about them. That mentioned, Star Trek: Deep House 9 additionally instructed us loads in regards to the Ferengi in a means The Subsequent Era did not, even when it made some followers dislike Quark.
Let’s be trustworthy, should you’ve watched Deep House 9, you in all probability know extra about Bajorans and Ferengi than you have discovered about Vulcans all through all the franchise. A part of it is because Star Trek is extra about humanity’s journey sooner or later, however it’s additionally as a result of this sequence does that extremely properly.
Newer Trek Reveals Have Launched Attention-grabbing Non-Human Characters, However They Have not Gotten That Therapy
Watching Star Trek: Deep House 9 has made me take into consideration a number of the newer non-human characters we have seen within the franchise. Saru is one in every of my favourite characters of the brand new period, however I solely find out about him within the context of his profession in Starfleet. Star Trek: Discovery gave us some background on his Kelpien species, however there’s not a ton to chew on apart from the actual fact they had been a repressed species that lived in worry by most of their existence.
Not less than, that is in comparison with all of the Guidelines of Acquisition we discovered from Star Trek: Deep House 9. Past that, we noticed three vastly completely different Ferengi who all wished vastly various things in life. Quark wished essentially the most revenue, Rom wished what his brother had, and Nog wished one thing completely completely different from what his tradition valued. There have been three completely completely different Ferengi, with three completely completely different personalities.
We do not get that sort of selection within the new period of Star Trek, and never simply because there are fewer Trek exhibits in 2025 than earlier years. Unusual New Worlds is especially mild on alien species, and to its credit score, extra about telling the story of the bridge crew earlier than James T. Kirk turned Captain of the Enterprise. Even so, one would suppose we might get some further lore about augments with a direct descendant of Khan on the ship and Quantity One being outed as one.
I do hope that Starfleet Academy can do that, and with so many cadets coming in from all throughout the galaxy, it looks like the right setting for it to occur. That is very true with the sequence being set a number of centuries past the opposite exhibits, so we will get somewhat historical past lesson on how every main species has modified. Don’t be concerned, Robert Picardo will nonetheless be there because the EMH for anybody who begins to overlook the TNG period an excessive amount of.
Why It Might Be Tougher For Newer Trek Reveals To Do What Deep House 9 Did
Whereas it could be nice for Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds or Starfleet Academy to incorporate deep appears into non-human species in, I do surprise if that is one thing {that a} trendy present might pull off. One of many largest causes I believe it is onerous to take action is due to the low episode depend in seasons, the place the usual has now turn into ten episodes.
Along with eradicating filler episodes, fewer episodes implies that trendy Star Trek exhibits have to stay to the primary plot of the story. Whereas Deep House 9 was in a position to make Bajoran relations a essential a part of the story, I am undecided both Unusual New Worlds or Starfleet Academy might do the identical. Then once more, possibly I am underestimating the writers and simply pondering purely within the context of what previous exhibits did.
In any case, Unusual New Worlds has basically written the playbook for a way Star Trek can have serialized storylines whereas nonetheless delivering episodic adventures. Serialized character arcs might enable for extra storytelling to occur with alien species, assuming the present introduces characters from completely different species we have not seen numerous but. It looks like an issue that may be simply remedied if the suitable storyline is put in place, so possibly we’ll nonetheless see that occur in both sequence.
In the end, all Star Trek exhibits current and sooner or later can profit from emulating Deep House 9, and regardless of its recognition, few have actually finished so in a significant means. To this point our most notable references had been the crossover episode in Decrease Decks and the Dominion Conflict plotline in Picard Season 3. Possibly we might even get one other sequence set with the forged, however with no agency plans in place talked about by the powers that be, we will solely cross our fingers and proceed to hope it’s going to occur.
Till that day comes, Star Trek: Deep House 9 is accessible to stream in its entirety, together with different exhibits within the franchise over on Paramount+. In fact, there’s additionally new exhibits on the best way, although we’re nonetheless ready on updates of once they’ll arrive and once we’ll get extra adventures with Starfleet.