Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major characters?

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

I feel like TV shows which try to kill characters go over board, some don't do it at all others seem to only do that.

I think it has to be well balance, so that it has more impact. And well done, we know Tasha Yaar has it cheep.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

I figure the way it should work is, the Science Officer position on a new show should be like Defense Against the Dark Arts in Harry Potter or like the drummer for Spinal Tap. Just rotate guest stars through that ish like no tomorrow.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

Actually, sacrificing yourself to save a greater number of people is a very machine thing to do. The human thing to do would be to listen to your biological sense of self-preservation and not sacrifice yourself.

Anyway, yes. Absolutely a new series should kill main characters off to keep the series interesting. We've had enough Ensign Rickys over the years.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

Of course! Star Trek should push the boundaries by copying Breaking Bad and House of Cards.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

Castle. My vote is for Castle.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

Should be like walking dead when it comes to character deaths. We get to know everyone well and then boom they're dead, someone else comes in and we get to know them and boom one of the others we knew well are dead.
Walking dead is so awesome.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

Every time the Federation Council is featured in the new series, it should be exactly like a episode of House of Cards, with some Throne of Swords thrown in too.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

I agree The Walking Dead is great, but, I don't think we need to turn Trek into that big a bloodbath.

Certainly, deaths or reassignments should not be avoided (Riker being offered his own ship several times and turning it down, for example), but, going to the "Let's kill someone to keep things interesting" trough too regularly can be just as lazy and poor writing as being unwilling to ever kill kill any Main Character. The Walking Dead's very premise pretty much demands so many deaths, but, for a new Trek Series, I think that would be going a step too far, to do it on regular basis to kill off 3-5 main characters every season.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

We are in the golden age of television, so if Star Trek is going to constantly play things safe and have character shields were certain characters can't die no matter what, it may Star Trek is stuck in the past and get left behind.

I think part of the reason Star Trek imploded in the early 2000s, is that the shows were playing it too safe, rather then taking real risks.

No one is saying Star Trek has to a copy of Breaking Bad or House of Cards, but maybe Star Trek should more like show from today, rather then trying to be an 80s or 60s TV show in this decade.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

DS9 almost did that when they somewhat killed Sisko off at the end, but we all know he'd be back in part 2 of the season 8 opener if there was a season 8. I like the idea of writing in some realistic characters. For example, Tom Paris on Voyager was never a believable failure. He was just as squeaky clean as everyone else there. Oh, he zigged when he should've zagged (twice) but he never seemed to be prison-worthy. And I have to believe Picard would've kept more of his cocky younger self at heart, even after the fight, instead of completely changing who he was.

I want to see flawed characters. I want to see a squeaky-clean ensign sobered up to the realities of space exploration by being forced to kill his friends over and over in an alien simulation. A first officer who is new to the 23rd century after his Romulan War-era escape pod is pulled into a wormhole on the edge of battle. A dirty captain who never lets on his debt to the Orions until they nearly destroy the ship, killing him in the process. Or, scratch all that and give me Kurtzman & Orci's take on DS9. Basically, what I want is 5 parts Star Trek, 3 parts Firefly, 1 part CSI with a dash of NCIS.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

Kill em all, every week. No reason to spend money on long term contracts.

Seriously, if there is a good solid core of 3-5 characters it won't matter who fills the empty chairs. Modern era Trek weighed itself down with the regular cast of up to 9 characters. Not at all necessary, and after a while it gets boring.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

Character deaths are fine as long as they happen in the flow of the story or series. Death for the sake of death is cheap and tacky.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

Yes characters should die, but more importantly the characters should be good and have some depth.

Killing random characters serves no purpose if we the audience are not invested in them. Thus it means that you have to have a show that takes time to build up characters so that their passing departure will have meaning.

DS9 was really the only Trek that was good at this. Yes most of the main cast were exempt from death, but the show spent so much time building up a large base of secondary characters that they were often as well developed as the main cast. Lets face it, Morn felt more integral to the environment of DS9 than Mayweather or Kim did...and he never spoke. That's good character development. DS9 took the time to show Damar going from henchman to statesman to rebel to martyr. Contrast that with the death of Joe Carey on Voyager.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

Who was Joe Carey?

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

A recurring character who butted heads with Torres during the show's first few episodes, until the latter was named Chief Engineer. After that, Carey appeared in "Relativity" and flirted with Seven of Nine despite having a wife and two kids before being killed in "Friendship One."

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

Kill characters. Pull the heart strings. Russell T. Davies and Stephen Moffat aren't afraid to do it, and look how they're doing. Get Ronald D. Moore involved. Write some good, classic Star Trek mixed with some heart-wrenching emotional tragedy, and you're golden.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

*I* make radical suggestions and I get piled on with "IF WE WANTED BSG WE"D WATCH IT!!!"

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

I'm not think NuBSG or The Walking Dead, where everyone will most likely die a horrible, horrible death, but they should keep it realistic.

People get new assignments and promotions all the time, its unlikely most would stunt their career by sticking in the same place for ten years. As is the fact that space is vast, unknown and dangerous, casualties are to be expected--making them people we care about gives their loss some significant impact.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

This. Anything can work well as a plot device if it's part of a good story. Character development is driven by conflict, and something conflict arises through tragedy and heartbreak.

 

Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character

...not until they are too old to do the Movie(s) that come after the series...