To Boldly Go: Marketing the Myth of Star Trek (International Library of the Moving Image)

Today's media, cinema and TV screens are host to new manifestations of myth, their modes of storytelling radically transformed from those of ancient Greece. They present us with narratives of contemporary customs and belief systems: our modern-day myths. This book argues that the tools of transmedia merchandising and promotional material shape viewers' experiences of the hit television series Star Trek, to reinforce the mythology of the gargantuan franchise. Media marketing utilises the show's method of recycling the narratives of classical heritage, yet it also looks forward to the future. In this way, it reminds consumers of the Star Trek story's ongoing centrality within popular culture, whether in the form of the original 1960s series, the later additions such as Voyager and Discovery or J. J. Abrams' `reboot' films. Chapters examine how oral and literary traditions have influenced the series structure and its commercial image, how the cosmological role of humanity and the Earth are explored in title sequences across various Star Trek media platforms, and the multi-faceted way in which Internet, video game and event spin-offs create rituals to consolidate the space opera's fan base. Fusing key theory from film, TV, media and folklore studies, as well as anthropology and other specialisms, To Boldly Go is an authoritative guide to the function of myth across the whole Star Trek enterprise. Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Dedication Introduction Beyond Roddenberry: Star Trek and the New Mythology Persuasive Words and Outright Lies: A Brief History of Myth Myth in the Age of Star Trek Chapter 1: Myth and Early US TV Introduction ‘Who Mourns for Adonais?’ Remediating Myth: The Cinematic Epic Demographic Pitches and A New Search for Legitimacy Science Fiction Myths Superheroes and Camp: Remediating the Comic Book Conclusion Chapter 2: The New Mythology Introduction Continuity and Discontinuity: New Myths and Old Process Retelling Myth in Star Trek’s Future: Competing Discourses History and Star Trek: ‘Myth’ in Quotations Sci-Fi Sirens: Myth and ‘Myth’ Conclusion Chapter 3: Star Trek Title Sequences and Cosmology as Myth Introduction Cosmology, Myth and Science Cosmology and the Creative Arts The Original Series (1966–9) Star Trek: The Next Generation (1988–94) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–9) Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001) Enterprise (2001–5) Conclusion Chapter 4: Fans, Bards and Rituals Introduction Myth and Ritual Theory Bardic Television Pilgrimage and Star Trek: The Experience Disneyland and Las Vegas: Three-Dimensional Texts Fan as Character/Hero and Identity Play Future’s Past, Past Futures Playing with the Reality Experience Pilgrimage, Transformation and Control Beyond The Experience Fans as Internet Bards Conclusion Conclude ... Then Reboot Afterword Notes Bibliography Index Cultural manifestations of myth have come a long way since the storytelling of ancient Greece, now materializing on our TV and cinema screens and in advertisements. This book examines how contemporary media marketing has become the new myth-making and has reinforced the particular mythology of the gargantuan Star Trek franchise, across its current lifespan of more than 50 years. The author argues that the tools of promotional material and transmedia merchandising shape viewers' experiences of the hit television series, reinforcing its mythology that both recycles the narratives of classical heritage and looks forward to the future. In this way, it reminds consumers of the Star Trek story's ongoing centrality within popular culture, whether in the form of the original 1960's series, the later additions such as Voyager and Discovery or J. J. Abrams' "reboot" films. Chapters examine how oral and literary traditions have influenced the series structure and its commercial image, how the cosmological role of humanity and the Earth are explored in title sequences across various Star Trek media platforms, and the multi-faceted way in which Internet, video game and event spin-offs create rituals to consolidate the space opera's fan base. Fusing key theory from film, TV, media and folklore studies, as well as anthropology and other specialisms, To Boldly Go is an authoritative guide to the function of myth across the whole Star Trek enterprise. Djoymi Baker argues that the tools of transmedia merchandising and promotional material shape viewers' experiences of the hit television series Star Trek, to reinforce the mythology of the gargantuan franchise. Media marketing utilizes the show's method of recycling the narratives of classical heritage, yet it also looks forward to the future. In this way, it reminds consumers of the Star Trek story's ongoing centrality within popular culture, whether in the form of the original 1960s series, the later additions such as Voyager and Discovery or J. J. Abrams' `reboot' films. Chapters examine how oral and literary traditions have influenced the series structure and its commercial image, how the cosmological role of humanity and the Earth are explored in title sequences across various Star Trek media platforms, and the multi-faceted way in which Internet, video game and event spin-offs create rituals to consolidate the space opera's fan base