Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, the former executive producers of Star Trek: Enterprise and veterans of numerous Star Trek projects – including four TV series and four movies over the last two decades – have revealed what they don’t like about the newer Star Trek shows.
During a recent podcast appearance on The D-Con Chamber with Enterprise stars Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga confessed their dislike of modern dialogue in Star Trek. They explained, as reported by TrekMovie.com, that the franchise’s language should feel classic and enduring. While amusing to watch, they cautioned against using current slang, even something as simple as having a stoic Vulcan try to speak like a human.
Rick Berman expressed surprise at hearing modern slang in recent Star Trek series. He remembered watching an episode where characters said things like “Give me five,” and felt it didn’t fit the show’s traditional style. Berman believes Star Trek should maintain a certain level of classic storytelling.
Why Star Trek Should Remain Timeless
As a huge Star Trek fan, I always find it fascinating to hear from the people who actually made the shows. Braga, who helped create Enterprise, explained that he and Brannon wanted to update the way characters spoke – moving away from the more formal, almost theatrical dialogue of the original series and making the interactions feel more natural for a modern audience. But, he also pointed out that there’s a line you can’t cross with Star Trek; you can’t make the characters sound too much like everyday people. It’s about finding that balance, and it’s a really interesting point to consider when you’re thinking about what makes Star Trek, well, Star Trek.
Braga explained that the writing style aims for a classic feel, leaning towards formality. While they want to avoid modern slang, completely eliminating contemporary language isn’t realistic or desirable.
As a Trek fan, I always felt Enterprise tried to be a little more flexible with how its characters spoke, maybe because it was set earlier in the timeline when humanity was still figuring things out after those big wars with the Romulans and the Temporal conflict. But even with that looser approach, the writers clearly had limits – they didn’t want everyone sounding like they’d just walked off a reality TV show from the early 2000s! It seems like both the writers and fans agree that Star Trek really shines when the dialogue isn’t too focused on modern slang or current events.
Berman and Braga recognized these scenes as moments that revealed the artificiality of the show’s style. Star Trek fans are used to the distinctive, somewhat formal, and strangely timeless way characters speak. Maybe the show is most effective when the dialogue portrays a future version of humanity that has moved past current slang.
Classic Star Trek shows like The Next Generation and Voyager were known for characters who spoke clearly and directly, with a sense of intention, but still sounded natural. This clear communication became a hallmark of the series. More recent Star Trek installments, such as Discovery and Strange New Worlds, use a more casual, conversational style of dialogue that’s common in today’s television.
Updating the language used by characters to reflect modern speech can help today’s viewers connect with them. As podcast host Dominic Keating noted, the show has been updated for new audiences, while still maintaining a high production value – it’s a great-looking show.
Berman and Braga aren’t critical of newer Star Trek shows, but some fans might feel they’ve drifted away from the classic feel of the series. Updating the show for modern audiences is a tricky process, especially as the franchise continues to evolve and reach new viewers.
With several new Star Trek shows and movies planned at Paramount, including a series set at Starfleet Academy, fans are hoping the franchise maintains the special qualities that originally made it so popular as it grows.
Star Trek Enterprise and Strange New Worlds are streaming now on Paramount+.
https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/new-star-trek-series-officially-changes-canon/embed/#
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2025-11-12 02:41