NEW ONGOING STAR TREK SERIES FROM IDW!!!

[Therin of Andor]

Fer wrote:

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I'm still very fond of done-in-one stories, and this one did not disappoint.

Agreed. It had lots of little surprises, and some may end up being more easter eggs for the next movie. All those critics saying the regular two-parters need to be three-parters instead might be surprised that this one-shot is quite fulfilling.

[Christopher]

Therin of Andor wrote:

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All those critics saying the regular two-parters need to be three-parters instead might be surprised that this one-shot is quite fulfilling.

I don't think that's a fair comparison. Arguments about optimal story length aren't some universal rule, they're about each individual story and what pacing works best for it. I don't think anyone's saying every story needs to be longer by some constant ratio, just that the particular 2-parters they've read in this series don't feel like they've fleshed out their material fully enough, that it's not enough length to really do a full adaptation/reworking of what was originally a 50-plus-minute story. Whereas a story designed to be a one-parter would tend to be conceptually tighter and more focused and could well work better at that length, since it's not intended to be a full episode adaptation.

[Therin of Andor]

Christopher wrote:

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I don't think anyone's saying every story needs to be longer by some constant ratio...

Well, I didn't form the impression out of thin air. It has been a constant whinge from some camps that the two-parters should be three-parters.

Good stories can be long and good, or short and good. This one happens to be short and good.

[Fer]

I've been content with the two-parters, but I do hope that since they're trying out some one-parters that this means they're willing to be a little more flexible with the format. I wouldn't mind the occasional three-parter.

And I know it will never happen, but I'd love it if the comic adaptation of Trek Into Darkness would just be done as issues 23 through 28 of the regular Star Trek comic, like Marvel did with Star Wars when they adapted The Empire Strikes Back. Most likely it will be its own separate mini-series, though.

[Drago-Kazov]

I really liked the Cupcake story. Nice character piece.

[Christopher]

Therin of Andor wrote:

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Well, I didn't form the impression out of thin air. It has been a constant whinge from some camps that the two-parters should be three-parters.

Yes, they're saying these particular 2-parters would work better as 3-parters. Because these particular 2-parters are meant to be adaptations of longer stories, i.e. the original TOS episodes, and they feel that the 2-issue versions of them are more cursory than the original episodes were. It's a complaint about those specific storylines, not a claim that shorter stories are always bad as a universal rule.

[Pauln6]

I haven't had the chance to buy this comic yet so I can't start whining but I agree that the optimum length of a story depends on what elements there are to the plot. One-shot stories, particularly character pieces, can work very well and I'm especially interested in seeing a story focusing on one of the supporting cast. In fact, one of the reasons why I'd like to see longer stories is to give the supporting characters a chance to be more than just ciphers delivering technobabble and plot points. I'm hopeful that I'm going to enjoy this story.

[Therin of Andor]

Christopher wrote:

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not a claim that shorter stories are always bad as a universal rule.

When did I ever say that?

I was talking about the IDW "ST Ongoing" two-parters. I said absolutely nothing about "universal rules".

[Nightowl1701]

One observation, on page 9: Unless McCoy's got two blond nurses, we may have just gotten our first glimpse of Ultimate* Christine Chapel - and she's not Alice Eve.

* More and more, I'm thinking of the Abramsverse as "Ultimate Star Trek," like the Ultimate Marvel Comics.

[Christopher]

Therin of Andor wrote:

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When did I ever say that?

I was talking about the IDW "ST Ongoing" two-parters. I said absolutely nothing about "universal rules".

What you said was, "All those critics saying the regular two-parters need to be three-parters instead might be surprised that this one-shot is quite fulfilling." So you were definitely implying that those critics were applying a simplistic universal rule about story length, that they were incapable of believing that a short story could ever be fulfilling. Which I don't consider to be a fair interpretation of their critiques.

[Therin of Andor]

Christopher wrote:

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So you were definitely implying that those critics were applying a simplistic universal rule....

Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!!!

Some of them WERE saying they needed to be three-parters. Or did I just dream it?

But I never said anything about it being a "simplistic rule". You put that term into the discussion, not me. Of course there's no such rule; I'm not arguing so. If anything, some of the best writing is when a writer tweaks or even breaks supposed accepted rules.

There were people on this bbs speculating that the redshirt and Keenser one-shots weren't even going to be worth buying. They said that if the two-parters needed more issues to tell a decent story, they doubted IDW could do it in a one-shot.

This is doing my head in. Forget I ever spoke.

[Agent Richard07]

Nightowl1701 wrote:

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What, no one has "The Redshirt's Tale" yet?

Just read it last night and what a fantastic read it was. I think it was the best issue so far. Nice little lower decks story. Very well written. Nice how they made "Cupcake" into one of the TOS redshirts.



Yeah, he was revealed to be named "Hendorff" a few issues ago, but I never made the connection.

One little nitpick though... McCoy looked to be holding a hypospray with Spock's blood, but it was red.

[King Daniel]

So... what universe-splitting temporal wizardry expains Hendorff's hairline?

[Caretaker]

KingDaniel wrote:

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So... what universe-splitting temporal wizardry expains Hendorff's hairline?

The same unknown one that explains why alternate reality Christopher Pike appears to be significantly older than Jim Kirk.

[Christopher]

Therin of Andor wrote:

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Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!!!

Some of them WERE saying they needed to be three-parters. Or did I just dream it?

My point is that just because they said that about those particular stories, that doesn't automatically mean they'd feel the same about every story.

But I never said anything about it being a "simplistic rule". You put that term into the discussion, not me. Of course there's no such rule; I'm not arguing so. If anything, some of the best writing is when a writer tweaks or even breaks supposed accepted rules.

I'm not saying you believe that, I'm saying you implied that they believed it.

There were people on this bbs speculating that the redshirt and Keenser one-shots weren't even going to be worth buying. They said that if the two-parters needed more issues to tell a decent story, they doubted IDW could do it in a one-shot.

Okay, that clarifies things. You could've just said so in the first place and saved us both some trouble.