Poll Do you wish the tone of the series would be darker or lighter?

[pst]

so here's a video in which mary wiseman (cadet tilly) describes the show as "gritty" while sitting on a shiny, futuristic, brightly-lit set. when i first watched this video, my non-trekkie boyfriend turned to me and said "that doesn't look gritty to me".

this is not the first time i've heard this show described like that and the producers and cast clearly want us to think this is a different take on the star trek universe. those trailers really hit the action and the moroseness pretty hard. but the visual of the clean starfleet aesthetic and the description of the show as "gritty" sort of create a contradiction. star trek's utopian philosophy is sort of anathema to "gritty".

i hope discovery isn't gritty and people are just mistaking emotional depth or emotional realism with grittiness. so i'm gonna say it looks like it should be lighter, but i hope that's just the hype and the trailers talking.

 

[Kor]

I don't like it when TV shows and movies are too dark.

I remember that when I saw "The Wolverine" in the theater, some of the nighttime fight scenes were so dark and dimly lit that I could hardly tell what was going on!

Kor

 

[Lord Garth]

I don't know. If it's darker, it's a reflection of the times. 2017, especially after January 20th, is a darker time than 2009. Wait, did I say that out loud?

 

[johnjm22]

For me it's not a question of darker vs. lighter in terms of tone. It's a question of serious verses silly. TNG/TMP would be an example of more serious trek, while much of TOS was more silly comparatively.

 

[fireproof78]

For me it's not a question of darker vs. lighter in terms of tone. It's a question of serious verses silly. TNG/TMP would be an example of more serious trek, while much of TOS was more silly comparatively.

I think TOS was an appropriate mix of both, especially in season 1.

 

[Vger23]

Gritty doesn't necessarily mean visual "grit."

TOS was far more "gritty" in tone and theme than TNG, for example.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Seth McFlarlane flat-out calls Discovery "dystopian" here while hyping Orville.

 

[Jesse1066]

Seth McFlarlane flat-out calls Discovery "dystopian" here while hyping Orville.

I'm very excited for The Orville, but I'm not really getting a "dystopian" vibe from DSC. It just happens to be less bright than TNG and TOS.

 

[Kor]

For me it's not a question of darker vs. lighter in terms of tone. It's a question of serious verses silly. TNG/TMP would be an example of more serious trek, while much of TOS was more silly comparatively.

I wouldn't describe it as "silly." I would say it actually had a sense of fun and adventure, something that is sorely lacking in much of contemporary TV and movies.

Kor

 

[fireproof78]

Seth McFlarlane flat-out calls Discovery "dystopian" here while hyping Orville.

Which I find annoying, but hey, good for him.

 

[SPCTRE]

Seth McFlarlane flat-out calls Discovery "dystopian" here while hyping Orville.

well, he knows how to get us fucking nerds talking, you gotta give the man that

 

[F. King Daniel]

Which I find annoying, but hey, good for him.

It's when he steps into Alec Peters territory and starts saying he's the best Star Trek in 15 years that we should start worrying

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

Seth McFlarlane flat-out calls Discovery "dystopian" here while hyping Orville.

Yeah...Well, I like MacFarlane, and I plan to watch (and hope to want to keep watching) The Orville...But there three things I get from that article.

1. He most likely doesn't know much more about Discovery than the rest of us. Sure, we can all see that it is (as we all like to say) "grittier" than Star Trek TV has been in the past, but he probably doesn't really have much more additional inside knowledge about if that grittiness equates to being dystopian.

2. He also isn't talking about Discovery specifically, but about the direction Trek has taken over the years. MacFaralne seems to be quite the fan of TNG -- a show which (IMO) gushed a little too much with its message of a Utopian society to the point that the writers bashed us over the heads with it. Trek movies have been darker since then, starting with Nemesis on through to the Kelvin Universe films; it's not just a Discovery thing. Even DS9 and VOY eased up on that "Earth society is a Utopia" theme.

That may have more to do with what audiences in general want to see today in a dramatic story. For example, I think TNG's almost weekly reminder to the audience that "the people of Earth and much of the Federation come from a Utopian society where we don't [fill in the blank] anymore" makes TNG feel a little dated. For that reason, I find TNG holds up worse to time (message-wise/dramatic story telling-wise) than TOS does.

3. Don't forget, he is simply trying to promote his own show, and saying things that might be a little extreme or hyperbolic is a good way to attract the attention required for good promotion. But MacFarlane's words wouldn't be inaccurate. Whether Discovery's universe is dystopian or not, The Orville will probably show a more gleaming and hope-filled future, relatively speaking.

 

[Tesophius]

He's just stressing the contrast between the shows. If some casual fan hears that there's a dark and a light trek being made, most would choose the light one. Even if it's just for the fact that it's easier to see due to brighter colors.

 

[Cake]

Seth McFlarlane flat-out calls Discovery "dystopian" here while hyping Orville.

While DIS might not go so far to be really dystopian, it really doesn't seem to portray an utopian, positive and optimistic future at all. So Seth MacFarlane only exaggerated a little to get his point across. DIS will be dark and gritty and The Orville will be light and fun.

 

[Tesophius]

I wonder if it's technically possible to increase brightness on DSC in a way that it will still look normal, but not like increasing brightness on your tv, I mean doing so before it streams. It seems that this is one issue that most Trekkies agree on, that they should turn the lights on more.

 

[Vger23]

I wouldn't describe it as "silly." I would say it actually had a sense of fun and adventure, something that is sorely lacking in much of contemporary TV and movies.

Kor

Yes...and an element that was frequently missing from Star Trek later as well.

 

[Chronos]

I want it darker, but I don't want it to sacrifice the silliness that has become characteristic of Star Trek series. DS9 was (slightly) dark, but it had humor and good characters to keep it from being in a constant state of despair. Comic relief is key, even in really dark shows. For example, Breaking Bad had things like the "pizza on the roof" scene to break up what would otherwise have been constant drama.

 

[Cake]

Two more interviews which indicate again quite a dark tone.

I also wonder why they use Mudd at all. This and other interviews from Rainn Wilson makes it seem, like DIS Mudd will be a completely different character than TOS Mudd. Not even a hint of a comic relief. Just a typical nasty criminal. DIS Mudd looks also clearly older than TOS Mudd which makes not much sense, too. That grey beard really ages him. So why not just create a new character, if they want a darker, edgier and older criminal character?

 

[fireproof78]

Two more interviews which indicate again quite a dark tone.

I also wonder why they use Mudd at all. This and other interviews from Rainn Wilson makes it seem, like DIS Mudd will be a completely different character than TOS Mudd. Not even a hint of a comic relief. Just a typical nasty criminal. DIS Mudd looks also clearly older than TOS Mudd which makes not much sense, too. That grey beard really ages him. So why not just create a new character, if they want a darker, edgier and older criminal character?

It's the future. Cosmetic surgery is amazing.