The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

Star Trek Head Wants Franchise to Appeal to Kids Like Star Wars Does


Star Trek and Star Wars have had something of a rivalry for many years now, though this is not a blood feud like some fans make it out to be. Despite both franchises taking place in space and having "Star" in their names, they are very different from each other. Trek has always been more adult-oriented, tackling a number of political and social topics while Star Wars is more about the exploration of spirituality and having cool lightsaber fights, making it perfectly marketable for kids.

It looks like Alex Kurtzman wants to change that, as the head of this franchise has expressed interest in making Star Trek more appealing to the youth, which Star Wars does with ease. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kurtzman revealed that character like Luke Skywalker appealed to him when he was a kid, while someone like James T. Kirk didn't since the series always had fully-formed adults.

Here's what Kurtzman had to say about the franchises affecting his childhood:

"I go back to my childhood and Luke Skywalker, the [Star Wars] farm boy who looks out at the twin suns of Tatooine and imagines his future. Trek never gave me that. Trek was always fully formed adults, already in Starfleet and people who have decided who they are. And it never was aspirational that way. It's important to me to find a way to go back and reach younger kids in a way that Trek should and never really has."

While some would argue that Star Trek being more adult is part of the franchise's appeal, there were kids who enjoyed the series back in the day. Sure, the stories might have gone over their heads a bit but the series definitely left an impact on some children. Now that we're in 2019, it will be interesting to see how this franchise tries to appeal to a younger crowd, especially with two new animated shows announced.

No release date for the two new animated Star Trek shows has been announced.

Read:New Star Trek Series Will Radically Alter Captain Picard's Life

For more articles like this, take a look at our Fandoms page.