Lower Expectations, says Discovery Writer.

[Kor]

Well, I had the opposite experience with ENT.

Back in '01, I was totally stoked that we would have this exciting new show called Enterprise. It was going to be great!

Then I actually watched it, week after week. And it was an enormous, unspeakable letdown, from the sappy music to the sheer mediocrity of the stories and characters.

These days I rarely ever revisit that godawful show.

Kor

 

[Shalashaska]

Art is a dictatorship, not a democracy. Good way to put it.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

"If you want people to prosper, strengthen their resolve, and lower their ambition."

Then the payoff is all the more delightful when it turns out the show is great.

 

[retroenzo]

Exactly so. The title feels a bit like click bait.

Nah, a clickbait title would look like this.

"17 Reasons You Should Lower Your Expectations About Star Trek Discovery. You Won't Believe #9.'

They're usually posted by sites like worldofoddballs or geeknerdom. Whenever I see links to them on Facebook fan groups I report them.

 

[m.lp.ql.m]

They're usually posted by sites like worldofoddballs or geeknerdom.

Or George Takei on FB.

 

[retroenzo]

Or George Takei on FB.

Aw I quite like his posts. Well, some of his posts, although I know they're probably posted by Brad or an admin on his behalf.

 

[eyeresist]

Yes, I agree with this, too. Having highly specific expectations that have hardened over the course of many years isn't necessarily the best path to enjoyment of something.

Yes, the way I've approached the movies is to assess them first simply as movies, rather than as fan service, and rate them on things like structure, dialog, quality of performance, thematic integration and consistency of tone, as opposed to rigid adherence to earlier iterations. I'll try to approach the new series the same way.

Maybe this is hard for some extreme fans to do? In that case, I would suggest trying to think of it as a Trek-inspired sci-fi show; then any Trek-related content will be a nice bonus.

I am happy that Meyer seems genuinely involved in the production. He's 70 now, so I was a bit worried he would be the old duffer sitting in the corner, but he still has all his marbles and seems to be still passionate about his craft. I just hope Fuller is careful not to exhaust the guy, so that he will return for season 2.

 

[Jerikka Dawn]

We already have people claiming that the creators of the show are lying when they say it's in the Prime universe. If Meyer is diplomatically trying to say 'if you've already decided to hate the show no matter what, then fuck you," then I'm in total agreement.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Ever since ENT's fourth season, I lowered my expectations for Trek and found out that I've liked a lot of what's come out since and before. I do think it's endemic of geek culture to put various properties under intense scrutiny in order to seek out its flaws and shortcomings--and to immediately rant about them on message boards as lazy or bad writing, ripping off this or that, etc. Of course, we all want things to be good and enjoyable (and we all have our likes and dislikes), but if you do set a very high bar, you're likely to be more disappointed than not because it isn't you making the show you already have laid out in your head.

 

[urbandefault]

I am happy that Meyer seems genuinely involved in the production. He's 70 now, so I was a bit worried he would be the old duffer sitting in the corner, but he still has all his marbles and seems to be still passionate about his craft. I just hope Fuller is careful not to exhaust the guy, so that he will return for season 2.

70 is the new 50.

 

[RJDiogenes]

And as kind of a patron saint of successful Trek he's one of the few people who can say something like that without being crucified by some fans.

He's got Space Cred.

70 is the new 50.

I was going to say 40.

 

[Four Lights]

I was kind of prepared to buy into what Meyer was saying until the announcement of the delay.
The reason stated for that has been to ensure a very high quality finished product.

They can't have it both ways though. We're either getting some earth shattering show with superb stories, scripts, acting and SFX, that has been lovingly crafted for as long as has been needed, or we need to "lower expectations"

Which one is it to be?

 

[Balok's Decoy]

I was kind of prepared to buy into what Meyer was saying until the announcement of the delay.
The reason stated for that has been to ensure a very high quality finished product.

They can't have it both ways though. We're either getting some earth shattering show with superb stories, scripts, acting and SFX, that has been lovingly crafted for as long as has been needed, or we need to "lower expectations"

Which one is it to be?

So it's unreasonable to suggest fans to loosen up and keep an open mind, while also trying to make the best show they can?

....okay

 

[Paradise City]

I think you are all reading too much into what I think are probably fairly off-the-cuff philosophisin' and ruminatin'. Nor do I think fan expectations is much of a hurdle at all. It's annoying for the writers but I don't think it has a broader impact as long as fans aren't absolutely rioting and commandeering the narrative. With Enterprise, there was Trek fatigue after an extended period of saturation Trek. We've been starved of episodic Trek for some time now and as long as they don't completely foul it up (which I think is not impossible but unlikely) then it'll be eagerly received.

 

[Jedi_Master]

They can't have it both ways though. We're either getting some earth shattering show with superb stories, scripts, acting and SFX, that has been lovingly crafted for as long as has been needed, or we need to "lower expectations"

Which one is it to be?

False dichotomy.

The show runners and creative staff are doing their best to make the best show possible no matter how long that will take. However, fans are being encouraged to avoid artificially inflating their personal expectations and create a laundry list of things the new show must do to avoid being a "screw-up", "disappointment", or "failure."

That is sensible advice, and taking umbrage at it is basically the behavior Mr. Meyer was pleading for everyone to avoid.

 

[OpenMaw]

But if it's not exactly how I want it, how could it possibly be any good?

 

[Jedi_Master]

But if it's not exactly how I want it, how could it possibly be any good?

It won't be.

 

[fireproof78]

We already have people claiming that the creators of the show are lying when they say it's in the Prime universe. If Meyer is diplomatically trying to say 'if you've already decided to hate the show no matter what, then fuck you," then I'm in total agreement.

While I normally am not one to call people liars, the fact that media companies will mislead audiences about different facets (Into Darkness being the latest example that comes to my mind) means that there is a level of trust that might not be there.

False dichotomy.

The show runners and creative staff are doing their best to make the best show possible no matter how long that will take. However, fans are being encouraged to avoid artificially inflating their personal expectations and create a laundry list of things the new show must do to avoid being a "screw-up", "disappointment", or "failure."

That is sensible advice, and taking umbrage at it is basically the behavior Mr. Meyer was pleading for everyone to avoid.

Which, unfortunately, is not really surprising.

Expectations are one of those funny things, made all the worse by a cultural attitude that this must be THE NEXT BIG THING (trademark pending). Otherwise, it is a failure.

Fan films do this a lot. "The best Star Wars fan film ever!" "The Best Star Trek fan film ever produced!"

 

[Doom Shepherd]

I was kind of prepared to buy into what Meyer was saying until the announcement of the delay.
The reason stated for that has been to ensure a very high quality finished product.

They can't have it both ways though. We're either getting some earth shattering show with superb stories, scripts, acting and SFX, that has been lovingly crafted for as long as has been needed, or we need to "lower expectations"

Which one is it to be?

Sure, it can be both. Think about the real-world space program.
Space shuttle launches were repeatedly delayed for the sake of making improvements and for safety reasons. This made for a better spacecraft

Still, it was not a spacecraft that could fly to the Moon or to Mars, like some people were hoping for from our second-generation of spacecraft (and all the way up until the shuttle program ended, there were ALWAYS stupid online questions from derps asking "why don't we just strap engines on it and land it on the Moon?")

So yes, a thing can be carefully - and well - crafted and yet still not live up to unrealistic expectations of perfection.

And NOBODY does "unrealistic expectations of perfection" like Star Trek fans.

 

[m.lp.ql.m]

"The Best Star Trek fan film ever produced!"

"The best Star Trek fan film described as 'The best Star Trek fan film ever produced!' ever produced!"