Today in hot takes:

Finally. Just when you thought there wouldn't be enough Star Trek shows, CBS announced Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which is another Star Trek show. Good news? Yes. But it is also simultaneously terrible news. That's my hot take. I'm saying that right, right?

Hot take, swole, selfies. I know all the terms.

In an inspired casting move, the
new cast is younger, hipper and
more alive than the original one.

Yup. Hot take. It means a strong, off-the-cuff opinion, usually expressed in an exaggerated or over-the-top fashion for maximum impact and I don't know, likes on Instant-Gram. Anyway, Strange New Worlds will be a spin-off of Discovery season two which re-introduced original series characters Captain Pike, Number One and Spock now played by Anson Mount, Rebecca Romain and Ethan Peck respectively. So who the hell are these people? Well, Spock is obviously Spock, but Pike and Number One were from the original show's first, rejected pilot, before William Shatner joined the cast.

Confusing? Sure it is, but I can help. Canonically, they were the crew of the Enterprise before Captain Kirk, so this is a sequel to the pilot and Discovery season two, but a prequel to the Original Series. Also, it's unrelated to the versions of these characters who appeared in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies. Does that clear it up?

No. No it doesn't clear it up, but then it wouldn't be a Star Trek
thing without a complicated explanation involving alternate
universes, time travel, and protracted discussions about cannon.

Pictured: Starfleet Lieutenant Uhura,
seen here asking the captain why she
can't just wear pants like everyone else. 

SNW, like Discovery, will almost certainly be an updated version of the 23rd century that reflects current sensibilities. Because, and I say this as a fan, but going back to the original series is kind of difficult. It's not just the cardboard sets and primitive effects-in fact, those are kind of great-it's the attitudes. I know it was a product of its time, but it's supposed to be the future yet this 23rd century starship is 99% white people, no one's queer and every female character, regardless of rank, is essentially a secretary in a miniskirt. It's the future of the past as envisioned by your well-intentioned, but cringingly inappropriate grandpa who still refers to grown women as girls and says things like "orientals." Disco's 23rd century however is, as the kids say, woke.

Pictured: that time Seven of Nine
mercy-killed Icheb. Because optimism.

And I am there for it. I am always up for more Star Trek-ing, so yeah, this is good news. But why is it also terrible? Well, I'm glad I pretended you asked. It's the worst because I'm not sure giving us what we want is always a great idea. According to the video announcement, this is happening for two reasons: the world is a grim, depressing place and we need Trekkie optimism. Which is true, but also because the characters were so well received on Disco and the fans have been begging for this.

"More teeth! Human teeth! Kids love teeth."

-Paramount Studios

Studios listening to the fanbase can be a good thing, sure. Remember that human/rodent nightmare chimera that was Sonic the Hedgehog? They went and redid all the effects shots after fan outcry and the movie went on to be a big success. Not good probably, but successful. Universal tried to fix Cats after everyone pointed out how shitty the effects were. It didn't save it, but at least the CG was better than it was. Oh, and Star Trek itself only got a third season after a fans organized a write-in campaign. That season included the episode Spock's Brain, but still, a third season.

Above: That time J.J. Abrams converted
online criticism into a screenplay.

That said, fan feedback isn't always right or at least it isn't always the best from a creative standpoint. And sometimes in trying to please everybody, filmmakers end up pleasing nobody. Like, that's how you get something like Rise of Skywalker. What I'm getting at is that fans don't necessarily know what they want. We may think that we know what we want, but we're wrong just as often as we're right. And writing by committee, especially when that committee is the internet, is a terrible idea. I mean, how far away are we from just voting on plot points?

So will this be the case with SNW? Who can say? I'm looking forward to it, but I think it's important to keep one's expectations in check because seriously, just because fans want a thing doesn't necessarily mean we should get that thing.

What I'm saying is that because someone listened to the fans, we
now live in a world where Doctor Who once crossed over with TNG.