Star Trek Proves Artists Don't Need to Be Fans to Tell Good Stories | CBR

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Star Trek Proves Artists Don't Need to Be Fans to Tell Good Stories

BYJOSHUA M. PATTON

PUBLISHED 15 MINUTES AGO

Actors and filmmakers don't have to be fans of a big franchise to tell respectful, authentic stories in its universe, as Star Trek proved years ago.

The rise of the internet and social media changed the way fan communities interact with the world and each other. Cynically dubbed "franchises" (because that's how studios see them), the people in "the fandom" have a deeper connection with these enduring fictional universes. 

• However, one of the oldest in the bunch, Star Trek, proves how part of what makes these universes endure is including artists who were not fans of what came before. 
• This confuses "fandom" with "respect."
  
  

The first official DC Universe movie is Blue Beetle, a niche character when compared to more recognizable names. 

• Jaime Reyes actor Xolo Maridueña has a connection through these characters directly to childhood. This is heartening to those in the audience who have been waiting their whole lives for any Blue Beetle to make it into live action. 
• In many cases, these controversies are nonsense, pushed by bad-faith content creators. 
• In Star Trek's case, the showrunner for Picard Season 3 wasn't just a fan but tied to the series (now) glorious past. Terry Matalas started as an intern at Paramount on the Star Trek sets and, like Brannon Braga, who he eventually assisted, stayed until the very end. 
• That institutional knowledge is more valuable to the show's success than fandom, but that love of these characters is visible in every frame. 
• However, the near-universally agreed-upon best Star Trek movie, The Wrath of Khan, was written and directed by a guy with the unmitigated gall to kill Spock.

RELATED:Picard's Enterprise-G Uses 'Old' Designs To Make Star Trek Feel 'New'

Some of Star Trek's Most Important Artists Weren't Fans

Star Trek: The Motion Picture cost Paramount $45 million and almost missed its premiere date. While the Robert Wise-directed film has many virtues, the critical reaction at the time was, at best, tepid. Still, the fandom showed up as they always do. 

• Against all odds, the movie turned a profit. 
• So, Paramount turned to "the man who killed Star Trek," Harve Bennett, whose 1969 Mod Squad took the zeitgeist by storm. 
• He turned to writer and director Nicholas Meyer, who said he thought of Star Trek as the show "about the guy with the pointy ears." 
• To him, Star Trek II was simply the chance to make a movie.
  

Despite not being fans, Bennett and Meyer respected the universe Gene Roddenberry built, even if they didn't take his creative advice. He wasn't afraid to say Kirk was getting old or give him a surprise son. Meyer often notes how during Spock's death scene, he noticed the typically dispassionate, professional crew shedding tears. Still, while he lacked that emotional connection fans have with the material, he treated the characters with respect. They suffered defeats and exposed flaws they hadn't before, and it only made them more human. The only difference between Meyer and Matalas as Star Trek filmmakers is the former never had to worry if he was being too precious with an Enterprise legend.

The Next Generation cast wasn't all comprised of fans, either. Actors LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn and Whoopi Goldberg were all fans of the original Star Trek, according to special feature interviews from the complete TNG series boxed set. More than Spock or Kirk, Nichelle Nichols' Uhura was a culturally significant representational figure. Yet, in the same interviews, Gates McFadden and Jonathan Frakes admit to not knowing anything about the show. Captain Picard himself said he used to take tea with an episode of Star Trek, but he didn't realize its American icon status until later. Fan or not, each one was perfect for their role.