Did We Ruin Our Sci-Fi Dreams? Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Picard
Pictured: Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard of the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: PICARD. Photo Cr: Matt Kennedy/CBS ©2019 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

romulus picard

I have had the week from hell. Due to work commitments, a speeding fine, and some trademarked millennial ennui, I found myself feeling listless, wishing for something enjoyable to fixate my eyes on for an hour or so. Mostly, when circumstance or illness brings my mental health percentage to under ninety, I end up doing one thing: choosing a random episode of Star Trek, getting my favourite pyjamas on (currently, they are Winnie the Pooh themed—thanks, Mum), and letting Picard/Kirk/Janeway indirectly solve my adult problems for me.

On this website, I have stated my love for episodic science-fiction content on many occasions, most notably, Star Trek and Doctor Who. However, my tired, pyjama-wearing self has not resorted to the new content either of these shows currently has on the air to cure my enervation. Instead, I am rewatching the Moriarty episodes of Next Gen, or choosing which Doctor suits my current mood. Being merely twenty-five years old, I do not wish to step into the dangerous realm of “back in my day… things were better,” as I have been assured by many Buzzfeed articles that neophobia only sets in after thirty. No, the quality of content has not gotten worse over time (Star Trek had episodes involving a qualified doctor falling in love with a lamp, and Doctor Who ended an episode with a blowjob joke). We have just screwed the world up enough to make feel-good sci-fi too high of a bar on which to suspend our disbelief.

doctor who orphan 55

Despite my general inertia, I have been able to keep up to date on both of these shows. Depressingly, I see it more as an obligation than an enjoyable pastime. Last year, I wrote an article about my disappointment with the newest incarnation of The Doctor, and I have to admit that this feeling has not got much better, just… more complex. After fifteen years of watching this show religiously on the day of release, I almost quit entirely. An episode was released only a few weeks ago, that was so terrible… so depressing, I turned to Facebook messenger and, in a true low-point of my life, complained to my friend about it. In an effort to save time, and ruin my dignity, the messages follow. (Spoilers ahead, if you care.)

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If these seem like the ramblings of a madwoman, you would probably be right. Orphan 55 hurt me. After these messages, Ben (contributor to our lovely little website) had a rare stroke of wisdom for me:

Who knows, maybe the next Doctor will be a return to form. The current Doctor says the world is fucked and we’re going to burn alive, but hey, we can change that. Bring a new, optimistic doctor in times of crisis. To me, that’s what The Doctor always does. Comes in times of crisis to help. You know most episodes, how they usually resolve whatever monster or conflict is ailing people rather than running away like ‘oh shit, we better not make Earth a wasteland’? The Doctor helps. This Doctor doesn’t seem to help.

I kept watching Doctor Who, and the next episode brought an interesting mystery and a return of a new character. I was back in. Then, the very next episode, the plastic in our oceans became a breeding ground for an alien pathogen. I do not blame the show for making political statements about a current socio-political climate (I mean, the original run of the series did that multiple times). Instead, I am ashamed that our current climate has lent itself to such hopelessness. Will we ever make it to inventing warp speed? Will humanity ever spread across the stars?

Star Trek always gave me an insight into the wonders of human existence, and hope that one day these stupid little meat-sacks on planet Earth will be capable of great things. It would not be an over-exaggeration to say that Star Trek has assisted my development into becoming a decent human being (or, at least, I think so). The theme tunes of each series bring me back to a very specific time in my life. It is a Sunday. With my mum on nights, I would tiptoe down the stairs to greet my aunt for breakfast. Softly, in the corner of the room, Star Trek would have begun, and my aunt and I would watch it together. With a cup of tea in hand, a stomach full of crumpets, and my eyes fixated on the screen in front of me, I thought without a doubt this is what our future would be.

Picard opens with our beloved captain playing chess with Data. Behind them, a planet seems to be erupting. The conversation that ensues brings a tear to my eyes, and in the rest of the episode, tears begin to cascade down my cheeks. In the pilot episode, Picard is in an ill-fated interview that ends in him telling us how broken The Federation has become. It feels like when you reach a certain stage of adulthood when your parents begin giving insight into the dark corners of your history that you were unaware of as a child. As if we have eaten from the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, we are confronted by the knowledge of the imperfections of our species. We are no longer treated as naive; Picard is here to tell us where we are going wrong.

jean-luc picard

While there are some quality issues with the latest series of Doctor Who, the same cannot be said for Picard. Patrick Stewart’s performance is incredible, and while there are a few strange story choices, I am unable to argue that this is an incompetent show. Picard brings the unpredictable to a series that has relied on happy endings for so long; we have grown up now, and we are able to see more of this universe, both good and bad. I cannot help but miss the naivety of youth that came with my viewings of the franchise. Things were nicer back then… even if they weren’t very truthful.

So, where does that leave us? While I still have my beloved Orville for escapist content, there is a definite undercurrent of nihilism pulsing underneath the skin of recent sci-fi. The Mandalorian is an excellently executed episodic narrative that reincarnates the spaghetti western with futuristic trimmings. However, the world Mando inhabits is far from utopic. Furthermore, last year brought us such films as Ad Astra and High Life, both brilliant films that dealt with a darker viewpoint of science-fiction ideas. While there have always been dark, dystopic science-fiction worlds in film and television, we do not have the light, network-y adventure shows that I was weaned on. Perhaps our world has become a little too dark for light entertainment.

As a lowly film reviewer, I cannot come up with the solution to fix our cynical outlook on the future. While I do try to reduce plastic usage, and I always throw my rubbish in the bin, I am aware that humanity’s current lifestyle is unsustainable. The news is filled with frightening tales of inept politicians, and the doomsday clock creeps ever-closer. However, I can only live in the hope that someone, like me, spent their Sunday mornings with a loving family member watching a television series brimming with hope, thinking of what could be. This someone (or, perhaps, a group of someones) might have the capability to create what is necessary to elicit change. While we no longer have The Doctor to help us (and never did in the first place, with the character being fictional and all), I can hold onto the hope in humanity that these series planted within me. Sure, we may all die in a nuclear explosion, but we might not. That’s something, right?

10 Comments

  1. I think a lot of people are missing the point of the new series.
    Davies never gave two hoots about what “the Fans” wanted. He wasn’t making the new show about pleasing middle aged men like me who were fans of the old show at the actual time it was being shown.
    His mission was to engage a whole new generation of fans.
    And he did, while also managing to bring a lot of old fans along with him. (Of course the “Gay Agenda” and “Soap Opera Settings” were always going to see it get cancelled after 2 or 3 series anyway, but hey ho)
    Davies hated the limelight, and couldn’t wait to leave publicity events and parties celebrating the show. So another reason was there for people to bash on him for his “hatred of fans” (calling them “Ming mongs” probably didn’t endear him to his critics… but it made me laugh.)
    Moffat on the other hand LOVED that attention.
    He was so heavily into Fan Service that he would just bring back incidental characters if enough people on the internet said they liked them and wished they hadn’t died.
    Moff didn’t give a fiddlers pluck about bringing on the younger viewers. He had plenty of fans blowing smoke up his arse at TwatFest (sorry… ComicCon) and loved to throw the kitchen sink of the shows mythology at them.
    All this was great for him, and the fans who loved that, but it was all at the expense of the kids who SHOULD have been tuning in to Capaldi as their first Doctor. But it wasn’t for them. Gimmicks like shades and guitars don’t serve to engage kids, they serve to give beardy millennial Youtubers an orgasm.

    Chibnall has clearly decided that the show needs to go back to basics. And those people Moff pandered to don’t like it. It’s THEIR show, after all they are the ones who blog about it the most. Add to that the people who can’t accept a Female Doctor, (including several major UK Tabloids whose purpose seems to be to inflame the anger in already very angry working class white people)

    The thing is, the new fans, (like my 11 year old, who had never had a “My Doctor” for the 4 or 5 years prior to Jodie, because the show wasn’t aimed at him at the age of 7 or 8, which is the age people should be feeling that pull toward the show…) won’t have already gone back and watched the older stories through choice, and certainly won’t have a clever Charlton Heston reference with which to dismiss the current series. He’s suddenly, from out of nowhere it would seem, found an interest in Doctor Who. And that is because he doesn’t need to have seen the stuff that was on before he was born to appreciate or even understand what is on now.

    The problem with the Chibnall era isn’t one of script quality, or imagination, or acting or any other manufactured “it’s my opinion so its true” reason. The problem is in the heads of disenfranchised (mostly) millennial fans who can’t accept that they are no longer the apex of the shows target demographic, like it had previously been since probably around the time of series 6.
    Because of that it doesn’t “Feel” like “Their” Doctor Who.
    So it must be bad.

    And, of course, the frustratingly uninformed notion that “Doctor Who may have been a little bit political in the past but now it’s all just Woke PC messages getting shoved down your throat” (usually spouted by people who clearly don’t have the first clue about the show’s history as a VERY political message board)

    • Call it “going back to the basics” if you like, sounds more like an excuse – I certainly can’t call it “cool” or “interesting” whatever they are doing. And don’t lump everyone into the hater “can’t handle a female doctor” crowd – I love Jodie, and the few tolerable episodes she has been fantastic, I just want her to have a good or interesting script.

      If they want to risk replacing a die hard fan who is willing to spend 30 minutes writing about an episode with your 11 year old, it’s completely their prerogative. It’s probably smart marketing even, my kids are grown and my days of buying Doctor Who themed jammie pants are in the past

      • THE WORST choice for a Dr Who! She has made the Dr look like a weak, uncertain, mentally lost character in the history of the Dr. Her concept of the Dr is rubbish. REGENERATE ALREADY! Political correctness gone mad! If this theme is continued the next Dr would be a trans black midget with one arm! Stop this trying to please all. Enough is enough. And with all the “assistants”…really? ONE side-kick is the TRADITION! Next we will have 20 passengers going around with the Dr. Have enough courage to stand up to the original.

  2. This article summed up perfectly how I’ve been feeling. The preachy heavy-handed writing this season, the ignorance to the fact that this is the most brilliant mind in the universe, it’s frustrating to watch. In the episode you reference, the Doctor rebuilt a neural net from scratch and yet had to defer to the misfit operator and his son to repair the transport and allowed them to sacrifice themselves. Wut?

    It’s not the acting or gender of doctor or the overabundant companions. (Who I thought they were developing well but I’m just bored with them at this point, no depth – just vehicles to ask obtuse questions about plot.) I’ve never ever groaned at an episode the way I have in the current season. It’s just *terrible* writing.

    Like the OP, I have for *years* been obsessive – like 10 minutes early so I could watch every new episode live shushing my family if they interrupt. Now I DVR them and don’t care. It’s bad. Real real bad. Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone.

  3. While I like the characters in general in the Whitaker era, I just think there are too many of them. I’m getting tired of the “team.” I’d like a more intimate, one-on-one companion. And it doesn’t have to be a pseudo-alien-romantic companion like the new series has toyed with from time to time. I don’t mind the preachy-ness. There’s just too many characters.

    As for Picard, I had such high hopes for this show, and I would watch Sir Patrick read the phone book. But for crying out loud, they could speed it up a little. I’m a big fan of slow burn shows (I am LOVING The Outsider so far, even though critics seem to complain about its slow pace), but something about Picard is just making me so terribly impatient.

    • You should watch Counterpart on Amazon. My god it’s the best sci fi concept and writing I’ve seen in I don’t know how many years. Such a welcome surprise!

  4. If you are seeking a more positive vision of the future, check out the National Space Society (nss.org). It is an educational and advocacy organization with a mission to help to bring about the nicer parts of the visions of Star Trek, Orville, Doctor Who, etc., and of course NASA.

  5. I enjoyed the review. I actually quit watching Doctor Who after the Orphan 55 episode for the reasons you mentioned. Also, I guess I’m just bored with earth and Cybermen and 1800 England. With a whole universe to explore, the show(and books) is very limited.

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