Some Longterm Fans Of Star Trek Are Nervous About Alex Kurtzman - Why, And Is It Fair?
7. New Trek Invites New Fans
One responder said:
A quote springs to mind here - 'If you dislike change, you're going to dislike irrelevance even more.' The level of investment and creative freedom AK has secured shows how great an asset he is for Trek. He has brought new fans to all of Trek and that has to be a good thing!
Star Trek is a franchise that has survived because of fan engagement, as it is well known that a very large letter writing campaign encouraged by Bjo Trimble was crucial to saving the Original Series from (an earlier) cancellation.
The popularity of fan conventions has kept Star Trek in the public eye since the '70s, with people arriving, engaging and, for the most fun, dressing as their favourite characters.
Kurtzman's tenure on Star Trek has taken place while Comic Cons have continued to swell hugely, while Star Trek Las Vegas and Star Trek: The Cruise have also grown and swelled. The arrival of new fans, thanks to the Kelvin films, Discovery, Picard and Lower Decks has helped Star Trek survive and thrive. What is also very important is the continued arrival of younger fans.
While Discovery and Picard may be geared at older fans, Lower Decks is certainly doing the business for the younger crowd. The upcoming Star Trek: Prodigy is going to be aimed at even younger fans again - meaning that thanks to Kurtzman's era, new generations of Trekkies are on the way.