Why are Star Trek fans so bitter about the reboot?

[benbess]

Originally Posted by peckinpah

Yes, the various alien species were evil when need be, but humanity--the population of Earth--was one big happy family, and that's something I just can't buy (particularly in a piece of fiction that's trying to make a point). Hell, Roddenberry himself is a good example of what's wrong (and likely always will be wrong) with humanity, what with all his lying, stealing, and infidelities. He couldn't overcome human nature, and to think that we can do so en masse is a pipe dream of the highest order.

I think Roddenberry's decision to make Starfleet a collection of spotless Boy Scouts robbed the show of quite a bit of drama. If the characters are going to make the journey from A to A, what's the point? And a lot of illogical plotting was required to make sure no one ever stepped out of line. Look at all the revisions made to "The City on the Edge of Forever." There's tension in the version where the lieutenant is the one who jumps back in time, but Ellison is absolutely right when he says it's stupid for McCoy to accidentally inject himself and go nuts.

Outside of Star Trek, probably the most common type of science fiction is dystopian. Sordid and pessimistic visions of the future are maybe more realistic, if you can call any sci fi realistic, but that's what sets Star Trek apart. So probably you're more attracted to something like the new BSG, which is fine, but that's not what Trek is all about. A certain optimism, even if it's unrealistic at times, is part of Trek's DNA.

But even with that, your idea that all Starfleet people are "boy scouts" is not accurate. In fact, in TWOK Dr. Carol Marcus specifically says that Kirk "was never a boy scout!" And examples of flawed and power-hungry Starfeet people, with questionable agendas, are pretty common in the Star Trek universe.

That's why in STID when Admiral Marcus, following the Section 31 MO, wants to use drones to remotely take out the terrorist *and* start a war with the Klingons, it makes sense—even within Star Trek's optimistic vision.

Here's another example. In Star Trek: Voyager, in the two-parter Equinox, a Starfleet captain has gone way wrong, and the crew of his ship is cruelly harvesting the life force of an intelligence species for their own ends, killing quite a number of these aliens.

There are other examples, but seemingly one thing that is maybe bothering you is the idea of a multicultural and multiethnic earth where different people get along and work together. In large parts of the US, and in some other parts of the world, that's obviously already happening. I get that for you the idea that that's going to happen all over the globe, and that all the conflicts in the middle east and elsewhere will resolve themselves, does seem overly optimistic. I get your point, and I don't really disagree with it. But within a sea of often negative sci fi, Trek is different in part because of this positive vision of the future. In "real life" I tend to be pessimistic (or just realistic) about some things, but perhaps ironically that's one of the main reasons why I'm a fan of Star Trek.

So, I guess I'm agreeing with you to a degree, but also saying that that's just what makes it Star Trek.