Let’s be silly: predict the number of seasons Discovery runs; come back later to see if you're right

[fireproof78]

I always say: The more star trek we get the better.

I agree. If it's poor outing then it's poor. I never understood what possible harm a poor outing could do to a franchise, as if all the enjoyment was swept away because I didn't like a show. Good grief, if that's the case Star Trek was miserable for me after TUC was released and until ST 09.

 

[Danja]

I think Patrick Stewart will be able to go the distance, however long that is. Hopefully. If not, then they'll just continue what would've been Picard under a different name. Unless they decide to rename La Sirena to "Picard", so they can justify keeping the same series title.

After Clark Kent on Smallville left SV for Metropolis, the staff at The Daily Planet gave him the nickname "Smallville" and the show went on from there.

 

[Tim Thomason]

That's a good thing. They could transition it to another character.

I've joked about that before, but this is a serious possibility. Perhaps with a rename (La Sirena?) we could focus on the ship or any number of characters if and when Stewart retires or semi-retires for recurring appearances. Seven is a good lead, now that she's on the crew, if they feel the need for a legacy character to support Rios and Jurati and Raffi and Soji.

 

[Tim Thomason]

Zero. It was canceled before Season One and Kurtzman was fired.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

CBS is preparing a press release as we speak that will finally announce Alex Kurtzman's termination, and that all of post-2017 Star Trek has been decanonized and that Star Trek Continues and Star Trek: Axanar will be fully canonized with full season orders to take their place.

 

[Amaris]

I think perhaps 5 seasons, which would be solid for a streaming series, I'd say. Between Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy, Section 31, and the coming Captain Pike series, I think they'll pull the oldest series and let the others play out. Maybe. I don't know for sure, but I think 5 seasons would be good.

 

[Tim Thomason]

#SixSeasonsAndAMovie

 

[Jinn]

Joann and Keyla in the morning!

 

[starbuck]

Reports of Discovery's death after the first season were greatly exaggerated. Reports of Discovery's death after the second season were greatly exaggerated. Reports of Discovery's death after the third season were greatly exaggerated.

At this point, barring a major shift in Paramount's goals (never say never, granted) it's probable that whenever the show ends it will be on the producers' terms. Which is great! However, we as viewers have no clue when that will be. Even if we cite past commentary from Kurtzman and other influential folks, things change all the time.

When I think of TrekBBS, "long-lived" is the #1 term that pops into my mind. People have been posting here for decades. We can go back through the archives and see people asking David A. Goodman Enterprise-related questions while the show was still on the flippin' air. Unless the forums close or this thread gets deleted, we'll be able to read it a long while from now.

Here's my guess: six seasons. It falls just short of the magical Berman-era seven due to a combination of factors. For one thing, (I believe?) those six seasons will have been filmed over a somewhat longer course of time than TNG, DS9, and VOY spent filming. Critical cast members may wish to move on. For another, by 2024 or so Star Trek will presumably also have Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, and Prodigy. (I've left Picard off the list because I'm guessing, as many are guessing, that it will end with three seasons or so under its belt due to Sir Patrick's advanced age.) Lastly, this is a seriously expensive production and the cost is only going to keep going up.

I also think the show will end with a movie-tier bang, albeit a movie that is primarily intended for Paramount+ audiences with a limited theatrical run. That will be the big, splashy finish line. But hey, now I'm getting beyond the scope of this topic.

So what say you, fellow forumites? Do you want to take a guess as to how long DISCO goes on for, leave that guess here for years, and come back when the show ends to see if you were right?

You certainly don't have to. If your thought process here is "what's the point," carry on! I just thought it might be amusing to see who was right on the money in the final telling.

I think 4 seasons

 

[Swedish Borg]

I think 4 seasons

Hey, we're not ordering a pizza here.

 

[RAMA]

There were never ANY serious reports of Discovery's death, it was always a hit right out of the gate, as well as a huge moneymaker. The only reports in this vein were that a small percentage of fans that couldn't handle new Trek and so they tried to create viral social media rumors, and those do persist to this day to ever-diminishing returns and ever-increasing laughter.

As for the length of Discovery's run: I've gone on record before saying 4-5 years. The main reason had to do with the expense of the show and the cachet and popularity of the actors.

Discovery is now onto its 4th season, so of course, it will at least hit that. 5 Years is still possible, but I think Discovery has a chance to continue to 10 even if some of its actors leave, they will simply recast, as they've already had some regulars and semi-regulars do. The show's milieu will continue as it is well-established and has spawned several spinoffs.

RAMA

Reports of Discovery's death after the first season were greatly exaggerated. Reports of Discovery's death after the second season were greatly exaggerated. Reports of Discovery's death after the third season were greatly exaggerated.

At this point, barring a major shift in Paramount's goals (never say never, granted) it's probable that whenever the show ends it will be on the producers' terms. Which is great! However, we as viewers have no clue when that will be. Even if we cite past commentary from Kurtzman and other influential folks, things change all the time.

When I think of TrekBBS, "long-lived" is the #1 term that pops into my mind. People have been posting here for decades. We can go back through the archives and see people asking David A. Goodman Enterprise-related questions while the show was still on the flippin' air. Unless the forums close or this thread gets deleted, we'll be able to read it a long while from now.

Here's my guess: six seasons. It falls just short of the magical Berman-era seven due to a combination of factors. For one thing, (I believe?) those six seasons will have been filmed over a somewhat longer course of time than TNG, DS9, and VOY spent filming. Critical cast members may wish to move on. For another, by 2024 or so Star Trek will presumably also have Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, and Prodigy. (I've left Picard off the list because I'm guessing, as many are guessing, that it will end with three seasons or so under its belt due to Sir Patrick's advanced age.) Lastly, this is a seriously expensive production and the cost is only going to keep going up.

I also think the show will end with a movie-tier bang, albeit a movie that is primarily intended for Paramount+ audiences with a limited theatrical run. That will be the big, splashy finish line. But hey, now I'm getting beyond the scope of this topic.

So what say you, fellow forumites? Do you want to take a guess as to how long DISCO goes on for, leave that guess here for years, and come back when the show ends to see if you were right?

You certainly don't have to. If your thought process here is "what's the point," carry on! I just thought it might be amusing to see who was right on the money in the final telling.

 

[RAMA]

Disco ends when SNW and PIC are more successful

Nope, the plan was always to have several shows run through the year and preferably one every quarter year to support CBSAA.

 

[Amaris]

Nope, the plan was always to have several shows run through the year and preferably one every quarter year to support CBSAA.

I love the idea of a constant availability of Star Trek in different forms. Keeps things interesting.

 

[Danja]

I'm going to say seven.

(1) It's tradition for Trek (the most successful shows have run seven seasons).

(2) You have to cut the thing off SOMETIME (Netflix cancels shows after four seasons. They believe in keeping a constant flow of new material in the pipeline.)

 

[Amaris]

I'm going to say seven.

(1) It's tradition for Trek (the most successful shows have run seven seasons).

(2) You have to cut the thing off SOMETIME (Netflix cancels shows after four seasons).

This. I don't want Star Trek, of any series, to turn into The Simpsons, where it has gone on so long it's lost most of its fun and flavor (IMO, of course).

 

[Danja]

Be grateful we haven't been treated to Marvel's "one season wonder" strategy (WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier).

Marvel TFATWS spoiler:

Spoiler

It was refreshing to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus playing a dramatic role (she's done comedy for so many years).

 

[Quinton]

There were never ANY serious reports of Discovery's death, it was always a hit right out of the gate, as well as a huge moneymaker. The only reports in this vein were that a small percentage of fans that couldn't handle new Trek and so they tried to create viral social media rumors, and those do persist to this day to ever-diminishing returns and ever-increasing laughter.

I know. :P

As for the length of Discovery's run: I've gone on record before saying 4-5 years. The main reason had to do with the expense of the show and the cachet and popularity of the actors.

Discovery is now onto its 4th season, so of course, it will at least hit that. 5 Years is still possible, but I think Discovery has a chance to continue to 10 even if some of its actors leave, they will simply recast, as they've already had some regulars and semi-regulars do. The show's milieu will continue as it is well-established and has spawned several spinoffs.

RAMA

Speaking of which, I'm still scratching my head regarding Nhan's actress being elevated to main cast in the third season.

 

[Lord Garth]

Speaking of which, I'm still scratching my head regarding Nhan's actress being elevated to main cast in the third season.

Yeah. I kept thinking it would be a situation where she left the ship, but then would come back. That still might happen, but I thought it would all happen in the third season.

I can't prove this, but I think the plan was to have her be a regular, then something must've happened where the actress had to back out. What that something would've been, I have no idea. I think it has "they had one plan but then external circumstances forced them to change direction" written all over it.

They didn't kill her off. So they left a window for Nhan to return, even as they wrote her out.

 

[Muji]

I went with seven. I just get the feelings my they want it to be the flagship for some time to come and that they don’t want it to appear as if it was any less successful than other shows. This is based off of... very little.

 

[Quinton]

Yeah. I kept thinking it would be a situation where she left the ship, but then would come back. That still might happen, but I thought it would all happen in the third season.

I can't prove this, but I think the plan was to have her be a regular, then something must've happened where the actress had to back out. What that something would've been, I have no idea. I think it has "they had one plan but then external circumstances forced them to change direction" written all over it.

They didn't kill her off. So they left a window for Nhan to return, even as they wrote her out.

Yeah, you and I are of roughly the same belief about this. It’s funny, I mean, it’s not something that will garner much attention now, but if it’s never explained, I can just see it spawning a dozen persistent suppositions at fan conventions in the decades to come!

 

[STEPhon IT]

7 seasons. The show is doing well I think, it has two spin-off series already... well maybe Picard is not a direct spin-off but it is in the same universe. Season 4 is on the way and it maybe the best season yet.