Starfleet Medical show

[eschaton]

As others have noted, part of the issue is Star Trek has always treated medical tech, much like any other kind of tech, as sort of a formless plot device full of one-off solutions to problems. I'm really not into medical dramas in particular, but my understanding is part of what makes people like them is they are fairly "hard" in terms of scientific/medical knowledge, referencing real diseases, drugs, and procedures. A Starfleet Medical show would have to sift through what's been established regarding medicine across all of Trek (which is 100% nonsense) and try and develop some internally consistent "rules" under which the doctors operate, otherwise the show would begin contradicting itself quite rapidly.

 

[ITDUDE]

If people screwing will be the only thing the show has going for it, put it on pornhub.

There is a lot of Trek related content already on Pornhub. Or so I have been told...

 

[XCV330]

I could handle a short trek episode set with a war time front line medic. The episode of Band of Brothers, Bastogne, focusing on the medic was one of my favorite from that series. It could be done.

 

[BillJ]

I think it could be done, but it would take the right mix of writers to make it work.

 

[ITDUDE]

I think it could be done, but it would take the right mix of writers to make it work.

Well, that’s true of any show, Trek or not

 

[Qonundrum]

Maybe as a one-off miniseries, if done right, but most in general audiences really aren't going to invest any time or care and are too busy doing whatever in the background to look at cliche pew-pew effects incessantly. Even kids will get bored of the same stuff in every show every week, sad but true.

 

[Tenacity]

Don't know that this sort of Trek would have broad enough appeal to last long.

So long as the focus isn't too narrow. Yes it's on a medical ship, but medical stories do not have to be the only kinds of stories that would get repeatative. There could be poliical conflict as the ship trys to access a post war zone, rescues, looking into alien cultures with the medical aspect in the background, the characters on the show would have lives.

And as a Starfleet vessel it could be called upon to do missions completely outside the area of medicine.

There is a lot of Trek related content already on Pornhub. Or so I have been told...

Wouldn't know anything about that.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I would be interested. As someone previously mentioned, I think being on a ship/in a location that houses families would be important. That's something I missed in the Trek series' since TNG - there's hardly any families or kids around the ship. It's funny that interests me because in real life I am not known as being the fondest of children, but it added an interesting dynamic to Trek.

 

[Tenacity]

the audience's problems with wesley are well known. but jake was well written, and personally i liked naomi wildman.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

The main episode I think of for Trek that's hospital-centered is "Nor the Battle to the Strong" from DS9 - and man that episode dragged on forever. I was not into it at all. Some episodes that included medical issues (like "Ethics" in TNG) were interesting mostly because of the relationships we already had to almost all the characters involved, including the patient and his child. That wouldn't be so easy to conjure up on a medical show based in a hospital or on a ship that's bouncing from planet to planet.

And for writing purposes, concocting one illness after another - along with one cure after another - would involve a record-breaking amount of technobabble that I feel would turn-off even the most interested viewers eventually. Or go back to waving a gadget over the patient.

 

[XCV330]

people would complain that the show was too dark. and when the show tried to have a sense of humor they could complain that the lighting was too bright.

 

[The Wormhole]

my understanding is part of what makes people like them is they are fairly "hard" in terms of scientific/medical knowledge, referencing real diseases, drugs, and procedures.

Do people watch medical dramas because of their depictions of "hard medicine"? I thought people watched House because of Hugh Laurie's amusing asshole routine, and people watch Grey's Anatomy to keep track of who's sleeping with who. Realistic portrayal of medicine is incidental and these shows probably could go unrealistic on the medical side without the audience giving much of a damn.

And really, that's the key to making a Starfleet Medical show work. Just write compelling characters for the audience to give a damn about and no one would give two shits about whether the medical procedures depicted in episode 2x04 are consistent with those depicted in episode 1x12. Of course, Star Trek forgot how to write compelling characters a long time ago...

otherwise the show would begin contradicting itself quite rapidly.

So, business as usual for Star Trek, then.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'd be on board for a Karl Urban McCoy show spin off, but it'd be about him, his ex wife and daughter (who turns out to probably somehow be Michael Burnham) and not about Space Disease of the Week.

 

[Philip Guyott]

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[Spot's Meow]

I'd be on board for a Karl Urban McCoy show spin off, but it'd be about him, his ex wife and daughter (who turns out to probably somehow be Michael Burnham) and not about Space Disease of the Week.

That's the thing, I feel like it would need to focus more on the characters, rather than the medical stuff. I think that ER had a good mix of that - medical issue of the week, combined with a closer look into the lives of the staff (and sometimes patients). That would be an ideal mix for a Starfleet medical show.

 

[Tenacity]

. Some episodes that included medical issues

Journey to Babel (Sarek's heart operation).
Devil in the Dark (the Horta's phaser wound).
The one where McCoy had to put Spock brain back in.
Getting the flying pancake out of Spock.
Worf's broken back.
Musical Trill symbiant.
Picard's heart operation,
Jadzia killed, Dax saved.
Re-separating Tuvok and Neelix.

 

[EnderAKH]

What if there was some kind of plague, and they have to deploy a ship to go explore to find the cure. You know who would be a great Captain who's never done Star Trek before? Gary Cole. He already has a relationship with All Access because of The Good Fight.

 

[dinzy]

As others have noted, part of the issue is Star Trek has always treated medical tech, much like any other kind of tech, as sort of a formless plot device full of one-off solutions to problems. I'm really not into medical dramas in particular, but my understanding is part of what makes people like them is they are fairly "hard" in terms of scientific/medical knowledge, referencing real diseases, drugs, and procedures. A Starfleet Medical show would have to sift through what's been established regarding medicine across all of Trek (which is 100% nonsense) and try and develop some internally consistent "rules" under which the doctors operate, otherwise the show would begin contradicting itself quite rapidly.

It wouldn't have to take Trek medical stuff. It could just source from real medicine then speculate from there. They could probably plagiarize House cases (or any show or case studies in medical literature), Trekify them enough add their characters and the setting and there is a starting point.

And don't kid yourself about only the medical stuff being 100% nonsense. Most of Trek is. Transporters are the most ridiculous thing ever. Warp speed existing is a huge stretch, being able to easily exploit it is orders of magnitude bonkers still. And don't get me started about the quick turn around on solutions to challenging problems, engineering is hard and is a slow process. Not everything is Space Macgyver easy like it is on Trek. Trek is unrealistic space fantasy and that is fine. Most medical shows are BS too because so few Doctors are scientists, they tend to take easier courses in college to keep high GPAs and then spend years studying and regurgitating facts. Then they become schedule slaves seeing as many patients as they can to keep the billing rates high. Medical shows should spend more time showing patients waiting, getting shitty diagnosis, being charged 700 dollars for a fucking bag of saline. They don't do that. They are just medical fantasies. That too is fine.

 

[MrPointy]

UPN tried a scifi medical show back when they started. Don't know if a Trek medical show would work, but it's possible if they get the interpersonal drama working.

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[Tenacity]

a ship that's bouncing from planet to planet.

Yes please.

And for writing purposes, concocting one illness after another - along with one cure after another -

Maybe every third episode., While medicine doesn't have to be the sole focus, the show would need to remind the audience now and again that it is a medical ship.

Do people watch medical dramas because of their depictions of "hard medicine"?

If you're into that kind of show, yes. You want them to get the medical stuff right, because there's no real reason not to. Plus the people who make the show don't need actual medical practitioners going on youtube and social media pointing out how the producers aren't even trying.

A Star Trek medical ship show would get a small pass on this owing to the future tech, but only a little. Having a consultant briefly go over the medical aspects of the script wouldn't be a bad idea.

Like how The Big Bang Theory would get professional advice on the physics and medical aspect of their scripts.

and people watch Grey's Anatomy to keep track of who's sleeping with who

Yes, and Trek-med could have this too, just not exclusively.

who turns out to probably somehow be Michael Burnham

We'll find out in the third episode of Star Trek: Picard that Jean-Luc is in fact Micheal Burnham.