Open Menu
AllLocalCommunitiesAbout
lotide
AllLocalCommunitiesAbout
Login

Jonathan Frakes Surprised ‘Strange New Worlds’ Star Trek Spoof Was Controversial; Talks Directing ‘Academy’ And More

⁨81⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨ValueSubtracted@startrek.website⁩ to ⁨startrek@startrek.website⁩

https://trekmovie.com/2025/08/19/jonathan-frakes-surprised-strange-new-worlds-star-trek-spoof-was-controversial-talks-directing-academy-and-more/

source

Comments

Sort:hotnewtop
  • reddig33@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I think the only controversy is that this series spends too big a chunk on “silly” episodes like this. Puppets. Singing/dancing. Holodeck spoofs.

    This would be fine if it were a 23 episode season. It’s 10.

    source
    • MurrayL@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Because it’s impossible to get the execs to approve a 23-episode season of almost sitting these days, let alone sci-fi, and one of the (many) criticisms of Discovery was that it was lacking the more offbeat episodes and character pieces that helped define Trek’s golden age.

      Rock and a hard place.

      source
      • AlexLost@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        Costs are a big factor. Shit costs a lot of money to make nowadays. They used to use cheap cardboard and foam, models for shops flying through space, etc. now it all takes time and money to make us all go WOW!

        source
        • -> View More Comments
    • fixmycode@feddit.cl ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I think you’re not remembering the amount of silliness on previous shows, let’s analyze TNG S2:

      Serious Episodes 59% (13 episodes)

      - “Where Silence Has Lease” - “Loud as a Whisper” - “The Schizoid Man” - “Unnatural Selection” - “A Matter of Honor” - “The Measure of a Man” - “Contagion” - “Time Squared” - “The Icarus Factor” - “Pen Pals” - “Q Who” - “The Emissary” - “Peak Performance”

      Not Serious Episodes: 41% (9 episodes)

      - “The Child” (Troi’s immaculate space-conception) - “Elementary, Dear Data” (“Holodeck gone wrong” story) - “The Outrageous Okona” (Data learns comedy) - “The Dauphin” (Shapeshifting monster princess) - “The Royale” (Another “holodeck gone wrong” story with no holodeck) - “Samaritan Snare” (We are smart) - “Up the Long Ladder” (Space irish) - “Manhunt” (Lwaxana Troi is on the hunt for a husband) - “Shades of Gray” (A clip show)

      I think it’s a good proportion of silly so far…

      source
      • GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        I don’t think it’s fair to call all those “not serious” just because they had some cheesy aspects, especially when in some cases it was just in the B plot.

        source
        • -> View More Comments
      • brucethemoose@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        I mean, I wish TNG was a little less silly too.

        source
    • MimicJar@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I haven’t seen the most recent episode yet, but so far the best episodes this season have been the silly episodes.

      Strange New Worlds season 2 spoilers

      - Episode 1, the second part of two parter. Neat trick to make the Gorn sleep but otherwise boring. - Episode 2, a fun Trelane/Q wedding episode. (Silly) - Episode 3, zombies I think. - Episode 4, hologram episode, the best parts of which were the over the top parts. (Half silly) - Episode 5, the best serious episode exploring the ruins and solving puzzles.

      source
      • erusuoyera@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        Just a heads up, it says "season 2” in the spoiler tag, then discusses episodes from season 3.

        source
        • -> View More Comments
    • Linktank@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      God, does it have puppets?? I hope whoever is tainting all of the live action shows with puppets goes away soon.

      source
      • cannedtuna@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        What other live action shows have been “tainted” by puppets recently?

        For me nothing recent comes to mind.

        Now older shows like Far Scape? I love that show, muppets and all.

        source
        • -> View More Comments
    • otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Wait. I missed a muppet Star Trek episode?! Where?!

      source
      • GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        No, not yet. It was announced, I think for season 4.

        source
  • warbond@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Just finished the musical episode in Season 2, which was quite silly, but it’s all so fun that it’s hard to criticize. This is a show that knows what it is and revels in it.

    source
    • Schal330@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I loved the musical episode. It was 100% silly, but I enjoyed it for it!

      source
      • Klear@quokk.au ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        It's incredible they managed to top the Lower Decks crossover in silliness.

        source
    • corroded@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      That was the only episode of any Trek series where I had to watch the majority of it on mute.

      source
      • caseyweederman@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        Wow. Just in case you accidentally enjoyed yourself? Kudos to you, I guess.

        source
        • -> View More Comments
  • ijon_the_human@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I found it very funny, especially Wesleys portrayal of Kirk. The plot was a bit so and so though.

    source
  • Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I thought the spoof was charming and funny

    source
  • rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Frakes has dealt directly with Trek fandom for nearly 40 years straight. If there’s one thing that shouldn’t surprise him, it’s every damn thing being “controversial” to a chunk of it.

    source
  • Klanky@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    If anything, I found it a best too earnest and self-congratulatory. Like, I love Star Trek, but it’s just a TV show!

    source
    • ValueSubtracted@startrek.website ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Assuming you’re referring to the “Uhura” speech, I think what saved it for me was that it had a dual purpose: yes, it was definitely about Star Trek and its place in the world…but it was also about the Amelia Moon novels that inspired La’An as a child.

      Giving it a character-focused angle goes a long way in my books.

      source
      • Indy@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        It made me smile thinking of how amazing it must have felt for Celia to say the lines about the inspiration from a TV show (i.e. “The Last Frontier”… meaning, Star Trek), considering how much of an inspiration Nichelle’s Uhura was for her (Celia) and her career.

        source
  • Damage@feddit.it ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    I mean, among holodeck episodes it doesn’t actually rank badly

    source
    • data1701d@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      Are we counting S1 “The Elysian Kingdom”? I know it’s not technically a holodeck episode, but…

      source
  • wjrii@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    The biggest biggest technology change has been the AR wall… You can’t use the camera the same way, but when you see the see the opportunity, it literally captures what the a camera is watching.

    When you do it right, you get “how did they do that on a TV budget!?” When you do it wrong, you get whatever the hell THIS was.

    source
  • ABetterTomorrow@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    I’m having fun with it.

    source
  • PunkRockSportsFan@fanaticus.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    10 episode seasons?! What is this? A season for lazy productions?

    source