Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, former executive producers of Star Trek: Enterprise, have spent years helping shape the Star Trek universe through multiple series and films. Recently, Berman and Braga spoke on The D-Con Chamber podcast, hosted by Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating, sharing their honest opinion about today’s era of Star Trek.
They made it clear that their main concern is how much contemporary dialogue has seeped into newer installments of the franchise. The producers believe Star Trek should aim for language that feels timeless rather than using phrases or slang from the present day. Berman described how unusual it was to hear a character in a recent series say, “Give me five.” He explained, “And it just doesn’t sit right to me. There’s a certain classical element to Star Trek.”
Michelle Yeoh as Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31, streaming on Paramount+, 2025. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+Braga went further, saying that Star Trek’s tone is intended to be a little formal, not overwhelmed by modern idioms but still not totally free of them. Even when they worked on Enterprise, which set out to loosen the tone compared to earlier series, they kept careful boundaries in place. Their goal was to prevent the cast from sounding too much like people from a 2000s reality show.
Berman and Braga believe that when dialogue relies too much on modern language, it breaks the sense of immersion that Star Trek is known for. Instead, audiences are used to hearing characters speak with a unique style—something both futuristic and traditional—that helps set the franchise apart.
Berman helped co-create TNG with Gene Roddenberry and Maurice Hurley, and became the primary producer when Roddenberry’s poor health forced him to step aside from the series. Berman also co-created DS9 with Michael Piller, Voyager with Jeri Taylor, and Enterprise with Braga. For his part, Braga began as an intern on The Next Generation and rose up to a chief creative in the franchise, eventually becoming showrunner of Voyager before co-creating Enterprise.
There is a case to be made for updating language to make characters relatable for current viewers. Still, this is one area where some long-time fans find themselves agreeing with Berman and Braga. The distinct way Trek characters spoke gave the series a style that was both theatrical and difficult to imitate. Older series like The Next Generation and Voyager led with direct and purposeful speech. They didn’t come off as stiff, but had a classic feel that is part of Star Trek’s identity. Newer shows such as Discovery and Strange New Worlds have brought in more casual and conversational dialogue that reflects current TV writing trends, but has been off-putting to fans of the classic shows.
Podcast co-host Dominic Keating noted, “They’ve certainly modernized it for newcomers. Which is not to say Strange New Worlds is not a great-looking show.” Even Berman and Braga do not dismiss the new series entirely, but their opinion reflects a common hope: that future Star Trek productions preserve the unique voice and spirit that distinguished the franchise for decades, and will get rid of the “musical episodes.”
Paramount currently has several new Star Trek projects in the pipeline, including a new Starfleet Academy series. Fans and creators alike are watching closely to see if the franchise sticks to what made it memorable in the first place, or continues down its path of visual spectacle paired with dialogue that often feels ordinary and at times, out of place.
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English (US) · 