Context

I recently went and saw the new Star Trek movie, which up to a few days prior to seeing it, I had heard nothing but good things about. It seemed as though everyone who had seen it had loved it, and I heard a few people saying that it was the return to the original series they had been waiting for. Now, I'ge never been a Star Trek fan. When I was a mid, the first episode of Star Trek I ever saw was from the middle of Enterprise, and involved a man getting pregnant with alien cancer. If you don't believe that, google it. It'll be the first result from the Star Trek Wikia. I've checked, just to make sure I wasn't crazy. 

Being surrounded my entire life by people who are in love with the show, however, I have in recent years tried to give the show a second chance. It's still not really my thing, though there are a few episodes I really enjoy, but I can see the appeal of the show, and I would love for their to be a new creation that can touch that space that the old show did. The new Star Trek movies are very much not that creation. These movies are all of the things that disinterest me about science fiction - quickly explained bullshit science, traditional fight scenes with special effects to make them look more advanced, and excessive amounts of explosions. There are elements of what once made Star Trek great, surely, but they play a back role to the action and excitement. 

And I don't think the movies are bad, don't get me wrong. They're fun, they're (for the most part) interesting. They just aren't really what Star Trek is. But I think they could be, if they just had a little bit of context. Some in between scenes that let us see the lives of the ship's passengers, and what makes them tick, and what kind of trouble they get into when not in the middle of battles for the sake of the entire universe. And of course, in the movies they only have so much time, and I understand that, though I do think the latest in particular could have easily been trimmed down. So how could they manage to get this kind of context?

Well, the way the originals did. With a tv series. 

After all, apparently it's been three years since the first movie and Kirk becoming captain. Apparently he's being considered for the position of Vice Admiral. I understand he's saved the Federation multiple times, but there's got to be more to it than that. What has he been doing in the interrum? What kinds of things has Spock learned about being both human and vulcan? Why did we only just learn Sulu is gay and has a daughter, and why is no one in-universe surprised by this? These kinds of things come up in daily conversation. You can't just skim over them, or everything else loses some of its meaning. 

After all, if every day is filled with universe threatening villains, destroyed ships, and deadly planets, why should the characters be afraid of them, and especially the audience? Why should they be afraid of losing their comrades when the threat comes up every day? If there's no normal life for these events to disrupt, then it's not really a conflict. It's just business as usual. And business is boring as all hell. 

That's something I sometimes struggle with in my own writing as well. I won't pretend like I don't. But if I can recognize it, that allows me to act on it, and I can improve. So no, sometimes it's not enough for me for something to be fun. Because if I can figure out how to make something both fun and interesting, why the hell shouldn't I?