From: STRACZYNSKI [Joe]
Subject: No, on balance, I'd say that it...
To: GENIE
Date: 11/8/1993 8:47:00 PM
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No, on balance, I'd say that it has not given me a dislike for all things
Trek. I think it comes with the turf.
There are three things that I put to *some* degree on the same level, at
least from a sociological level (though there are obvious differences in true
or perceived quality): the Beatles, Star Trek, and Stephen King. All are
media phenomenon, all are very much of their time. When people say, "Oh, so
and so is the next Stephen King," that's nonsense, because King fills a
particular slot that no one else can really hit; same with the Beatles.
Groups may come along that may sell more records than the Beatles ever sold,
may be even more popular, but no one else will ever play the specific social
role that the Beatles played in their time; no one else will ever be at that
specific juncture. They are all icons.
When the Rolling Stones made Phase Two of the British invasion of the
1960s, they were constantly being compared to the Beatles, evaluated in terms
of the Beatles, and it pissed them off mightily, because they weren't the
Beatles, didn't play the same kinds of songs as the Beatles, and the only
thing they had in common was that they were both British. But the American
media, basically unfamiliar with the British scene, lumped them into the same
category.
Star Trek played a pivotal role in TV SF. There can be no mistake about
that. Other shows may someday supplant it in longevity, or ratings, or
popularity, or following, but no other show will ever take that show's place.
No other show will ever be "the new Star Trek." Not even the, well, the new
Star Trek(s). Trek provided a terrific foundation; it's unfortunate that in
25+ years, not much has been done really to build upon that foundation and
take SF-TV to the next logical level. Maybe B5 can do that. I certainly hope
so. Maybe not. I could be living in a fool's paradise. But if not us, then
sooner or later, someone will take that next step.
I've always liked the original Trek series, and always will. Even wrote
an issue of the ST comic, "Worldsinger," for DC.
jms |
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