Time Travel and China's approval

[Tenacity]

I understand that the Chinese government doesn't allow foreign movies and television episodes that feacture time travel to be shown in China ( I don't know why).

China is a large and growing market, do you think that China's restriction on time travel storylines will result in Discovery not having time travel story's so as to have access to China's market.

 

[F. King Daniel]

From what little we know of the ploitlines, I think it'll have a much bigger impact on Star Trek 4 than Discovery!

 

[Jinn]

I understand that the Chinese government doesn't allow foreign movies and television episodes that feacture time travel to be shown in China ( I don't know why).

China is a large and growing market, do you think that China's restriction on time travel storylines will result in Discovery not having time travel story's so as to have access to China's market.

We can only hope so. But is DSC even going to air in China?

 

[Awesome Possum]

I understand that the Chinese government doesn't allow foreign movies and television episodes that feacture time travel to be shown in China ( I don't know why).

China is a large and growing market, do you think that China's restriction on time travel storylines will result in Discovery not having time travel story's so as to have access to China's market.

It's a large film market, but I doubt it will affect the show any.

 

[Kor]

Actually...

The 2011 ruling, which didn't seem to be an outright ban, appeared to have been directed toward productions made in China, in particular those dealing with the four great classical Chinese novels, adaptations of which have sometimes been used to criticize the authorities.

Importing Western productions is another matter. Looper was a big hit there, after all.

Any additional information to shed light on this whole situation would be welcome.

Kor

 

[Awesome Possum]

I think they do ban stuff with ghosts though. That's why they couldn't release the Ghostbusters reboot there, which hurt the worldwide box office gross. Most movie studios depend on China now, so that was a big deal for them.

 

[Kemaiku]

Yeah, they're incredibly sensitive that way. It's cute.

 

[Bones]

I wonder how much impact China's censorship will have on tv and movies that increasingly rely on their market? Just not censoring time travel, but nudity, homosexuality and other issues?

 

[Brainsucker]

I wonder how much impact China's censorship will have on tv and movies that increasingly rely on their market? Just not censoring time travel, but nudity, homosexuality and other issues?

If they allowed "the Last Ship" to be shown in their TV (my friend who live in China confirm this), then Star Trek will have no problem with their market. You know, in "the Last Ship" season 3, they portray China as the enemy, and their leader as a petty bad guy. But they still allow the show to be run in China.

 

[Tuskin38]

they portray China as the enemy, and their leader as a petty bad guy. But they still allow the show to be run in China.

They probably waved it off because it was the post-apocalypse and didn't represent modern China.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I wonder how much impact China's censorship will have on tv and movies that increasingly rely on their market? Just not censoring time travel, but nudity, homosexuality and other issues?

I don't think television there is as big as film yet. They go out of their way with film. I'm somewhat convinced that the lack of LGBTQ+ representation, other than ambiguous blink and you'll miss it scenes that could be easily edited out or removed in dubbing, is due to fear of the Chinese censors not approving of it.

 

[Cake]

Netflix isn't in China, so maybe there are no plans to show DIS there.

 

[Kor]

I think they do ban stuff with ghosts though. That's why they couldn't release the Ghostbusters reboot there, which hurt the worldwide box office gross. Most movie studios depend on China now, so that was a big deal for them.

From reading up on this, it looks like the ban on ghost stories nominally has to do with the government's secular/rationalist rejection of superstition, etc.

But in reality, it may actually have more to do with a tendency for ghosts in fiction to be used as allegorical figures to criticize those in power.

Kor

 

[Brainsucker]

They probably waved it off because it was the post-apocalypse and didn't represent modern China.

You haven't watch "The Last Ship" aren't you? The post apocalypse China use today Chinese military hardware toe to toe against the American Arleigh Burke destroyer. Their minions use today China military uniform / camouflage. You can see how the heroes destroy their proud Type-52D destroyers in battle, and kill those minions who represent today PLA and PLAN soldiers.

From reading up on this, it looks like the ban on ghost stories nominally has to do with the government's secular/rationalist rejection of superstition, etc.

But in reality, it may actually have more to do with a tendency for ghosts in fiction to be used as allegorical figures to criticize those in power.

Kor

I think it's more because of religion. China dislikes religion. It's not because of the teaching. But because of how a religion leader can gather a mass of fanatics when they are big and disturb the nation security. Look at ISIL and other religious fanatics in Middle East. PRC believe that all religion has the potential to become like ISIL when they become too large in number.

Ghost, as superstitious has tight relation with religion and other belief. So they are banned in China.

Basically, their governments afraid of foreign ideology that grow too large and capable to disturb their country security. But don't worry, they love American. That's why they become more and more open lately. They just afraid to open too fast and cause disability in their country.

 

[Tenacity]

I think it's more because of religion.

Communist ideology, the party is to replace religion in the hearts of the people (good luck there).

The government doesn't want competition.

 

[137th Gebirg]

I'm curious what their deal is with time travel, though. Are they afraid that some fanatic dissident will figure out a way to go back in time and assassinate Chairman Mao to stop the "revolution" before it started?

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

So unless DSC revolves around time-traveling religious ghosts then it should be OK in China?

 

[137th Gebirg]

Precisely.

 

[Noname Given]

I'm curious what their deal is with time travel, though. Are they afraid that some fanatic dissident will figure out a way to go back in time and assassinate Chairman Mao to stop the "revolution" before it started?

They just don't want a story that frames a past regime (or political system) as 'better for the people' then the current regime. There was a lot of political commentary in some of the 'historical drama' films and series the current Chinese leadership didn't like.

In the end - as long as something doesn't make a political statement they see as threatening to their regime - they'll give it a pass.

 

[{ Emilia }]

The thing is: the big season finale is going to be a time travel episode that has our heroes travel into the future to kill Nero to make sure the Kelvin time line never happens.