News Jonathan Frakes will direct an episode of Discovery

[CaptainPete]

I thought Trekyards were pretty objective in their analysis. Granted I didn't watch all their videos, so I might be wrong. And I have to agree it does not look or feel like prime universe for now, but that does not necessarily imply negative.
EDIT: on topic, it is good to have Frakes back. I was happy when I read the news.

The last few videos they've outright said it isn't prime, and they keep referring to Trek as a "period drama" for why they can't update visuals. This entire notion is absurd because "prime timeline"just means discovery won't contradict other prime stories, it's the events not the visuals. Nobody thinks TOS is our future, it's the 23rd century through the prism of 1966. DSC is the 23rd century through the prism of 2017. The trekyards guys got especially down on DSC in there video on the transporter room. They said "maybe one day we will get a primetimeline trek, but clearly this is disco-verse". Further they've repeatedly accused cbs of being dishonest with fans about it being primetimeline. It's visuals are reimagined, it's stories fit cannon (if they don't even I'll turn sour on the show but we won't know till we watch it.).

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

The last few videos they've outright said it isn't prime, and they keep referring to Trek as a "period drama" for why they can't update visuals. This entire notion is absurd because "prime timeline"just means discovery won't contradict other prime stories, it's the events not the visuals. Nobody thinks TOS is our future, it's the 23rd century through the prism of 1966. DSC is the 23rd century through the prism of 2017. The trekyards guys got especially down on DSC in there video on the transporter room. They said "maybe one day we will get a primetimeline trek, but clearly this is disco-verse". Further they've repeatedly accused cbs of being dishonest with fans about it being primetimeline. It's visuals are reimagined, it's stories fit cannon (if they don't even I'll turn sour on the show but we won't know till we watch it.).

Personally, I can't watch trekyards because of this kind of stuff.

 

[Amasov]

I would love if Roxann Dawson signed on. Next to some great Star Trek episodes, she directed one of my favorite episodes of LOST.

 

[Ralphis]

... And of course... To some on social media, this is proof the show is "in trouble". I laughed.

RAMA

Yeah, I'm getting to the point where I don't even read the comments to anything regarding DSC. Facebook especially. Holy crap.

 

[KennyB]

Personally, I can't watch trekyards because of this kind of stuff.

Ditto............it's like watching a circle jerk. They seem very pleased with themselves.

 

[Jesse1066]

What they do is look at designs and talk about how they fit into the established timeline. If it doesn't fit, of course they'll point it out. How the story fits the timeline doesn't even matter in that context because their focus is on the designs.

 

[Michael]

I would love if Roxann Dawson signed on. Next to some great Star Trek episodes, she directed one of my favorite episodes of LOST.

Wow, I completely missed that she directed an episode of Lost. And you are right, “The Long Con” was a superb episode. Will have to rewatch it one of these days.

Also, add me to the list of people who are unable to suffer through another episode of the Trekyards guys.

 

[jamestyler]

I had no idea Dawson directed that episode! I love seeing her name pop up at random as it's always on a visually striking show, far removed from the ST style - House of Cards was the last one and that shows style is very striking as it is.

Also, Trekyards.... ugh. They've become the image of whiney stereotype fan. Among other annoyances.

 

[SPCTRE]

HASHTAG ONE TAKE...S FRAKES

 

[jaime]

Cool. I've enjoyed his work on THE LIBRARIANS as well.

THE LIBRARIANS you say?

 

[jaime]

The last few videos they've outright said it isn't prime, and they keep referring to Trek as a "period drama" for why they can't update visuals. This entire notion is absurd because "prime timeline"just means discovery won't contradict other prime stories, it's the events not the visuals. Nobody thinks TOS is our future, it's the 23rd century through the prism of 1966. DSC is the 23rd century through the prism of 2017. The trekyards guys got especially down on DSC in there video on the transporter room. They said "maybe one day we will get a primetimeline trek, but clearly this is disco-verse". Further they've repeatedly accused cbs of being dishonest with fans about it being primetimeline. It's visuals are reimagined, it's stories fit cannon (if they don't even I'll turn sour on the show but we won't know till we watch it.).

I totally get the 'period drama' aspect of Trek, that's absolutely right, it is a defined era in which stories re set...just the future not the past...where they, and others, get that wrong, is that there is a world of difference between say....the TV series Elizabeth R from the seventies, and the two Elizabeth films from the late nineties and 2000s. Or I, Claudius and Rome. The world of difference is in affordable production quality and the different approaches evolving over time.
I mean yeah, that transporter room is a bit...well...hmm...yeah. Change for changes sake and some really bad ideas happen I guess. But hey ho. Until the show is on, and we see the way everything does or doesn't fit together, there's no point getting your Starfleet regulation panties in a bunch because the brocade is authentic velour.

 

[Phil123]

I totally get the 'period drama' aspect of Trek, that's absolutely right, it is a defined era in which stories re set...just the future not the past... I, Claudius and Rome. The world of difference is in affordable production quality and the different approaches evolving over time.

This is a very good point. Both very good shows, but look so different. I think at the end of they day we have to accept that Trek has always been an interpretation of our future, based on where we are now.

 

[jaime]

This is a very good point. Both very good shows, but look so different. I think at the end of they day we have to accept that Trek has always been an interpretation of our future, based on where we are now.

I am fine with it being an interpretation based at least in part on where we were then..that's fine..that's it's origins....worrying about technological anachronisms in relation to the real world is silly...Voyager made that point with Captain Proton, and modern SF does just fine still looking like the nineties. No one gets their knickers in a twist over desktop computers in Dark Matter or Killjoys. SciFi owes as much to its past as to any potential actual future. There's an easy balance the audience is happy with I am sure. Hell, much of the mainstream audience still hasn't worked out Star Wars is not set in our future, so why worry?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I never heard of Trekyards until this thread. Sounds like that's a good thing.

I would love if Roxann Dawson signed on. Next to some great Star Trek episodes, she directed one of my favorite episodes of LOST.

Wow, I completely missed that she directed an episode of Lost. And you are right, “The Long Con” was a superb episode. Will have to rewatch it one of these days.

The more I think about it, the more I really want her to sign up. She's done some very high profile work this year: House of Cards (two episodes), The Americans, and David Simon's upcoming mini-series, The Deuce (she also worked on Simon's Treme twice). Hopefully she can find the time to return to her roots.

 

[DaddlerTheDalek]

Entertainment Weekly reports that Jonathan Frakes is returning to Star Trek to direct an episode of Discovery!

“Jonathan Frakes will rejoin the Trek world with Discovery,” writer-producer Gretchen J. Berg told EW. “He’s a fantastic guy and great director.”

Added fellow showrunner Aaron Harberts: “Our cast is dying to work with him.”​

That's cool!

 

[jamestyler]

This is a very good point. Both very good shows, but look so different. I think at the end of they day we have to accept that Trek has always been an interpretation of our future, based on where we are now.

Reading that, it oddly falls in line with how we view period drama's in terms of production quality and style. Kirk Douglas and Andy Whitfield looked completely different - and had much different costumes - playing the exact same role. More so with Liam McIntyre's look during the rebellion era.

Even Goran Visnjic's turn as Spartacus looked much different and nowhere near the scale of the more expensive Starz version. Same thing happens all the time with medieval drama's.

Even period drama's in the 19th century - which we have a much closer record of - can vary massively in style and looks due to budget and other artistic factors. The fantasy of the era always overrides the reality. And in Star Trek, it's all space fantasy.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

I totally get the 'period drama' aspect of Trek, that's absolutely right, it is a defined era in which stories re set...just the future not the past...where they, and others, get that wrong, is that there is a world of difference between say....the TV series Elizabeth R from the seventies, and the two Elizabeth films from the late nineties and 2000s. Or I, Claudius and Rome. The world of difference is in affordable production quality and the different approaches evolving over time.

Really thank you for that! You've really nailed it with your I,Claudius and Rome example! All one has to do is look at period pieces from past to present to understand that they have almost identical production design but totally different production values.

 

[Mirror Mirror]

Put me down as also not liking trekyards any longer. And no, trek is not a period piece, that is just silly. TOS was 1960s idea of the 23rd century, TMP was the 70s idea, WOK onward was the 80s idea of what it would look like.

In setting TOS and TMP are at best 4 years apart. So they should not look totally different, but they do.

 

[jaime]

Put me down as also not liking trekyards any longer. And no, trek is not a period piece, that is just silly. TOS was 1960s idea of the 23rd century, TMP was the 70s idea, WOK onward was the 80s idea of what it would look like.

In setting TOS and TMP are at best 4 years apart. So they should not look totally different, but they do.

By the later era, it very much is...it's why we talk about thing like Cage era uniforms, or TOS era communicators...it's exactly the language used when discussing a historical period piece...because, simply by sheer weight of episodes, Trek is a period piece in oh so many ways. That's why we see the period dress of the movie era turn up in flashback, or the period clothes of TOS turn up in enterprise...ever so slightly higher quality than what we saw in the sixties, and presented in then current styles. The Kelvin universe is essentially steampunk TOS period drama from that perspective...an alternate history leading to anachronisms and differing tech, in an otherwise mostly familiar period milieu. It's an easy concept, and seems a useful one.

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

The Kelvin universe is essentially steampunk TOS period drama from that perspective...

My word, that is a fabulous description!