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Why Star Trek can’t go back to 1990s quality, even though it’s what some fans want

BBG News

As a gamer who’s been around for quite some time, I remember the thrill of watching Star Trek back in the 90s, when each episode felt like a grand adventure. But let me tell you, times have changed and so has the cost of producing these space odysseys.

In the 90s, shows like Star Trek weren’t as technologically advanced as they are now because such features weren’t available yet. Moreover, these series were quite costly to produce during their era, with each episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine costing around $1.3 million. The pilot episode of Star Trek: Voyager, however, was even more expensive, amounting to approximately $23 million. In today’s money, that would equate to over $47 million.

As a dedicated Star Trek fan, I recently stumbled upon a post on Reddit proposing that they replicate the 90s style Trek with seven seasons and twenty-four episodes per season, all in standard definition. While it sounds appealing to the old school fans like me, there’s a significant catch: many of the methods used to create Star Trek back then are outdated.

It’s clear that the post is referring to something. When Star Trek: The Next Generation first aired, it was seen as a technologically advanced series compared to Star Trek: The Original Series. As time goes on, the special effects improve with each new show, but so does the cost per episode.

As a passionate gamer, if I were tasked with creating a full-fledged Star Trek episode on a shoestring budget of $1.3 million, it would be an uphill battle given the escalating production costs over time. Sure, we could scale back on special effects and focus more on character development, but that doesn’t diminish the need for set construction, hiring talent, costumes, makeup, lighting, and numerous other essential elements. Squeezing all these necessities into a million-dollar budget would be a Herculean task.

Reflecting on old series and cherishing the nostalgia from those times is perfectly normal, but given how advanced Star Trek has become, it’s not feasible to revisit its origins. The cost of production has risen significantly, yet we enjoy the stunning visuals and dynamic action sequences that come with a big-screen budget. Reverting back to hand-drawn planets and foam sets would be detrimental to Star Trek’s evolution.

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2024-12-07 03:23

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