-Mica Colston
Next Generation feature film did rather poorly, both in terms of box office intakes and satisfying the fans. In an
attempt to attract a general audience, the producers are making films and series with more focus on action and
special effects and not so much on the characters and light-hearted, thought-provoking stories that made Trek so
popular.
The general tendency of opinion among the fans is that the show, and with it fandom, is doing pretty badly at the
moment, and unless something happens, will continue to decline. Most people believe that Trek and fandom will be
around for quite a while yet, but will shrink.
Some say that there may not be as many younger fans joining, but the older ones will stay around. Sherry Newell
wrote: “I’M not going to fade out!” and this reflects many people’s feelings. They say the fan base will shrink
to those long-time loyalists, and the casual fans who watched it as one series out of many will turn their
attention towards the next good show. If fan clubs want to keep in business, they will have to change to
incorporate other non-Trek series as well.
This seems a realistic scenario, as that is exactly what is happening in conventions right now.
Quite a few think that fandom’s future depends on the next series and film, both of which are scheduled to
première next autumn, and everything will stand and fall with these. They think that, if these are failures,
quite a few casual fans will desert fandom. On the other hand, if series and film are good, they will generate a
lot of excitement among fans and casual viewers alike, therefore perhaps getting more newcomers and casual fans to
watch the older series.
Fans are hoping that the latter will be the case, but they’re not confident of it. Bethany Theilman sarcastically
writes” We will probably get Baywatch in space or something.” Larry Barnes thinks it would be a good idea for
fandom to decline: “Fandom needs a good break, to give time for something new to emerge. The best thing for fandom 
is to take a hiatus and come back thriving.” This certainly worked in the case of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Martina Künisch from Germany has a totally different opinion: “Hopefully [the Trek craze is dying down]! The clubs
can do very well without the fuss. All these “trendy” fans who suddenly appeared in costume and played fan because
it was so in to be a “Trekkie” at the time have caused us to be looked down upon as nutcases... But that is not the
end of fandom. As long as there are people like me who like Trek, as long as there are fan clubs, Star Trek will
continue to exist.”
Bob Chin thinks that fandom will include other series as Star Trek’s quality sinks, and eventually, Trek production
will cease. He believes that once it’s dead, there won’t be another resurrection - the dedicated fan base that
would support such an effort, thus making it worthwhile for Paramount, will have gone. Trek fandom will be
sustained by reruns for a while, but will eventually fade away from the mainstream, going into basements and back
rooms. “Merchandising will make Trek a collectable theme... and that may be the ultimate destiny of Star Trek.”
Yar Raimi says that fandom will keep going under the surface, although the surface impression will fade. Larry
Jones, though, believes that fandom will still stay as conspicuous as ever, but both are convinced that fandom
will continue. And a lot of others agree. Some say that even if Trek is finally cancelled for good, and the
conventions come to an end, fandom will keep on, fuelled by endless reruns of the existing series. New fans will
watch these, and some will join the ranks of organised fandom. And when one looks at clubs like Starfleet
International that are about making friends, having a good time and doing good, this, too, seems a realistic idea.
In Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “3001 – The final Odyssey” there is a passage that says:
“The warning to keep our distance – presumably so that we wouldn’t interfere with their development...” “Where have
I heard that idea before? Of course, Frank – it goes back a thousand years – to your own time! ‘The Prime
Directive’! We still get lots of laughs from those old Star Trek programs!”
Trek has made such an impact on people that it – and its fans – will still be around for quite a while.
The last word goes to M. Grunwell when he says: “There will always be dreamers of a better time.”
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