Spoilers R rated content - what does it add?

So we're at the end of the first chunk of the series and I have been thinking about what I feel about the show. I won't go into my full thoughts on that in this thread, but suffice it to say I am probably liking about 60% of what the show has offered so far. One thing that has firmly placed itself in the 40 percent is the show's use of overt content. It has really bothered me because so far it has added nothing to the show as far as I can see. We have had pretty severe gore in multiple episodes, from exposed bones and flesh, to blood splattered everywhere to this week's half a dissected body with internal organs on show. Then there was the excruciatingly poorly delivered F-Bomb that felt so unnecessary and was there simply for the shock value. Finally we now have naked Klingon breasts and Klingon sex/rape scenes.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am no prude or stranger to R rated content. But my question is, does Star Trek need it? I feel that it is being done just so they can try and ape Game of Thrones, but I fail to see what any of it really adds to the Trek universe. Plus, Trek being something I grew up with as a kid (as did many, if not most, of us) it feels like this Trek is being taken away from younger audiences. I see that sort of stuff no more necessary in Trek than it is in, say, Doctor Who or Star Wars. Even JJ Trek didn't feel it needed to go R rated.

So, what do you think? Has it added to the show or not? I'd be quite happy to see the back of it in season 2 myself.

 

I think the explicit elements are pretty tame compared to most popular television on cable or streaming these days.

 

You think F bombs and dismembered bodies with their internal organs hanging out are "pretty tame" for a franchise that has, or had, a family audience? That was one of the questione I posited after all.

 

That's not what I said. I said it was tame for modern cable shows. I didn't say it was tame for Star Trek. I wasn't attempting to answer the question...I was just making a related and relevant observation to contribute to the discussion.

 

I agree with you about the inclusion of the F-Bomb. I didn't blush or flinch or giggle.. I cringed. There are definitely aspects to Discovery whereby you can see the boxes being ticked.

Screwed with the look of a well know alien in the franchise (the Klingons) - check.
Killed a couple of the front runners - check.
Time crystal - check.
Plenty of blue and grey -check.
Dismembered bodies and a touch of cannibalism - yeah baby!
Sexual abuse and torture - check.
Mirror universe - maybe.

It has that feel about it. Now is it needed? Depends on whether that is marker for quality and good story telling.

 

Honestly, even the more explicit gore on Discovery hasn't been as disturbing to me as the exploding head in "Conspiracy" or the woman cut in half in "In Theory."

 

I would like them to have some kind of relevant Trek for younger audiences, even if its a separate, not dumbed-down series.. I don't mind Discovery doing what its doing so far, though. I don't want Game of Captain's Chairs either.

 

It's funny when other TV shows are introduced into the subject of say what is shown on Discovery. Like I've never seen Conspiracy or In Theory, I just know what Discovery is doing and other Trek has done. I'm guessing these other shows are violent.

 

Those are Star Trek episodes.

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Conspiracy_(episode)

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/In_Theory_(episode)

 

Hmm, what I saw:
-Couple very cool F-bombs
-Couple obviously fake Klingon boobs (who knew Klingon women were into implants...)
The exposed organs from a dead klingon body didn't even register until you mentioned it.

Face it, this is Star Trek for the 21st century. It's on the pay network now, so might as well go all out. You want classic Trek, watch The Orville. I watch both and enjoy both for what they are.

 

So they were violent?

 

Conspiracy is the only TNG episode that has to have a viewer warning preceding it. Parts of it were blocked in some countries. Yes, it is violent.

 

One thing I'm leaning towards believing from now on: in terms of intended viewing audiences? As Torchwood to Doctor Who, so Discovery to the wider Star Trek franchise.

 

So say someone is watching Discovery do they have to have watched another violent show to put in context any reaction they have to the gore on Discovery? That has become kind of a nerdy thing here, lol. Like you can be talking about something from the most recent episode and it's like... what about when Data broke the head off Worf's toy bunny?

 

I have no interest in The Orville and frankly I am getting sick of people telling me every five minutes that I should watch it "because it's like TNG". I am quite happy to see a show that moves forward and changes. My debate is whether or not R rated changes add to the show. You haven't addressed that question beyond "It's a pay network series so they can". My question is, do they need to? What has it really added to these episodes?

 

Weirdly enough, people on a forum dedicated to Star Trek discuss various episodes of Star Trek. It is a strange phenomenon, I know.

The point is that the level of violence seen in Discovery so far is not above what's seen in the past on television for Star Trek. We haven't even reached the point of seeing deranged Starfleet officers walking around wearing trophies from Jem Hadar carcasses which was shown as happening without noticable sanction in the Dominion War.

 

To answer you- I'd have to say "no." It is not necessary.

 

Not everyone has the same references so in the 'Discovery' forum it can be a crapshoot

 

In fairness, It's far less "nerdy" than being super-critical of any aspect of a 2017 series that isn't identical or at least strongly reminiscent of the values, structure and sensibilities of Star Trek Voyager, which seems to be your minute-to-minute "thing"

 

Just people discussing a show they like, everyone has different parts of it they like. it's all ok.