I just saw something which solidified for me the idea that J.J. Abrams did the right thing with Star Trek.
What I saw was the trailer for Star Trek: Online, the MMORPG that I had heard about a while ago and had great hopes for. I was excited that there would be a game that would allow me to immerse myself in the Star Trek universe again, the way I used to when I was growing up watching The Next Generation.
What I saw was a MMORPG set in a Star Trek universe years after any familiar Trek series. I saw a game filled with Borg battles, bizarre “gee-whiz” starship designs, and little to no design influences from real, established Trek lore. While there are many parts of the new game that intrigue and excite me, the reality is that these things aren’t Trek. Trek, apart from the new reboot, has become too “anything goes” for my tastes. As if the fan-made series where every fantasy starship was built by Starfleet to combat the latest scary-as-shit enemy in epic battles wasn’t enough, now they can whip out machinima versions like crazy. Trek has lost it’s focus. Thank you, J.J. Abrams, for bringing it back.
Star Trek: Online really ought to be renamed to Star Trek: In Name Only.
