A commercial war with political dyes threatens to break Star Trek’s science fiction legacy

For more than Six decades, Star Trek He resisted cancellations, format changes, internal crises and controversial restart. But what is coming could be his most lethal threat to date. Expected Fusion between Paramount and Skydance Mediaassessed in 8,000 million dollarsStagger for legal requests and political pressures that could sink not only the operationBut it drags the universe created by Gene Roddenberry with it.

A table of salvation with cracks?

While fans celebrate the imminent return of Strange new worlds And they are enthusiastic about the production of the second season of Starfleet Academy, The franchise is on the point of collapse. What started as a strategic movement to save the paramount from the financial disaster has ended up becoming a battlefield that involves shareholders, competitors, investment funds, the United States government. Uu. And even the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

FundamentalLike many other Hollywood giants, he opted for streaming … and he lost. With box office defects like Transformers: the awakening of the beasts or Dungeons & Dragons: Honor among thievesand an expensive journey with Impossible mission: mortal phrasethe company Sank in the debts. That’s where Skydance appeared, led by David Ellisonwith a savings offer.

The operation seemed to be direct, with the support of shareholders and a solid investment structure. But when they gave their hands, it arose Project Rise Partners (PRP) With a late but juicy offer: 8.8 billion plus 5,000 million more to renovate debt. Although he was rejected to get outside the deadline, he triggered a legal storm. Chiese Prp and some shareholders have done the same, accusing the paramount of ignoring more advantageous proposals.

And here the problems do not end. Because if the economic part is already a field extracted, politics has transformed the question into an open war.

The ghost of ideological censorship

It would think about it Star TrekFor its inheritance, it should be safe. But it turns out that this Your inclusive message of diversity – present from its beginning with characters of different races, cultures and genres – it could be A block for the approval of the agreement. The current American administration, more and more contrary to the initiatives OFI (diversity, equity and inclusion), Has paid attention to the CBSowned by Paramount and regulated by the FCC.

An investigation into the body for “possible ideological prejudices” in the news of CBS News generated another threat: If the merger is perceived as relating to the “awakened” valuesThe FCC could block it directly. And this would leave fundamental without departure, already star trek without a mother ship.

A fork -formed legal inheritance

What Star Trek It survived everything is a fact. Since its beginning of 1966, with a pilot rejected by the NBC to become a Series of worship thanks to Lucille Ballthrough its consolidation in the 80s and 90s with The next generation y Deep space nineThe franchise contested statistics, rules and prejudices. Even when Upn, the chain that should be her new home, sunk, Jj Abrams resurrects her in 2009 with a cinematographic restart.

In the streaming era, Discovery, Picard, Lower decks or Prodigy They kept the flame. Indeed, From 2020 the franchising has generated 2.6 billion dollars of streaming revenueA figure that is not negligible in full crisis in the sector.

But the future, now more than ever, It depends on a delicate balance between commercial interests, legal movements and political climate.

What if Star Trek disappears?

It wouldn’t be the first time Star Trek Faces the abyss, but Never with so many simultaneous threats. If the merger is not approved, the Paramount could break and with it the possibility of continuing to produce series such as Starfleet Academy or movies like Section 31. The huge production sets and equipment would be frozen. Worse still, if the ideological pressure earns the game, the inclusion message that defines the saga of the mythical “infinite diversity in the infinite combinations” would be silenced.

As Rob Kazinsky said in an interview: “Star Trek is dying and I don’t know if people know it”.

The ironic is that, while some fans unjustly indicate recent titles for the alleged “decline”, Star Trek Continues to have A faithful community, production series and projects in development. But without a study that supports it … everything that could evaporate.