Paramount is reportedly moving ahead with its plan to create an entire metaverse centered around Star Trek, having released a slew of appropriately-themed NFTs. Of course, these NFTs sold out within minutes. This is not surprising given the popularity of NFTs in the modern era – and it’s definitely not surprising given the lasting popularity of the Star Trek franchise as a whole. But some fans aren’t happy, and others are questioning what this “Star Trek metaverse” will actually look like.
The Newest Star Trek NFTs Explained
The newest Star Trek NFTs came in the form of algorithmically-generated starships. Some look vaguely like the Enterprise, while others seem to be completely randomized creations that barely resemble the iconic vessel. Before they sold out in minutes, two options were available:
A “Captain Pack” and an “Admiral Pack.” The Captain Pack cost investors $250, and contained a single ship that had a relatively high chance of looking like a somewhat disappointing “Class III Carrier.” To increase your chances of getting a “cooler” spaceship, you needed to shell out $290 for a Recur pass and then purchase the Admiral Pack. 5,000 Admiral Packs were made available and sold out in minutes. However, on April 9th it was reported that some Captain Packs were still available.
What is the Star Trek Continuum?
The Star Trek Continuum is a project spearheaded by Paramount on their new platform, paramount.xyz. This web3 initiative strives to bring Paramount’s most popular entities, brands, and characters to the metaverse. So far, this initiative has mostly been limited to selling NFTs. But who knows – it could soon expand into more aspects of the metaverse, including virtual reality.
Of course, the Star Trek universe already has a few notable VR games, such as Star Trek Bridge Crew. Perhaps one day these NFT starships will become usable in video games. Maybe Paramount will release Star Trek-themed cryptocurrency in the future. Who knows.
Why Fans Aren’t Happy
Many fans aren’t exactly thrilled about these new Star Trek NFTs. TrekCentral ran an article with the headline “Star Trek NFTs? Do. Not. Want.” Some point out that this completely goes against the established lore of Star Trek, which centers around a Human Federation that has moved beyond currency, money, and the pursuit of wealth. TrekCentral describes NFTs as the “antithesis of Trek’s values.”
But despite these protests, Paramount is moving ahead with this project with no sign of hesitation. In fact, they will probably continue to release more Star Trek-themed NFTs in the future.
This isn’t the first time they’ve released these themed digital tokens, and it certainly won’t be the last. After all, if people are willing to buy them, then why stop?
