Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 5x10 - "Life, Itself"

[Yistaan]

On paper Fuller would be a good choice.
However, he's also shown that when he's in charge, things can get rocky. his shows are often very esoteric, and short. And he really chafes at following someone else’s IP (Hannibal, American Gods).
There's no perfect equation. Nick Meyer, famously, knew nothing about Star Trek before helming Wrath of Khan. But these days, after 13 movies and 10 series, it would be foolishly to hire someone with zero knowledge of the franchise or genre.

Fuller has some weird obsession with the real life Paul Stamets. I remember happening to look into an episode of Hannibal a relative was watching involving some killer named Stamets who planted mushrooms on his victims or something and making the connection with Trek's Stamets using a mushroom drive and then realizing both were produced by Fuller. It's just kind of odd that this fixation with Stamets and his mushroom work of all things would be so noticeably obvious across two tv shows.

It would be like naming Galen Erso's character in Rogue One as Bob Oppenheimer or something. Anyone familiar with the naming would be pulled out of the story so quickly because it's just so fourth wall breaking.

 

[Commander Troi]

David Mack may be a good writer, but, as I understand it, there's a lot more to being a showrunner than just writing.

 

[NCC-73515]

Subspace beaming? Not explored. Manufactured intelligences, like AI or synths? Banned or just not researched in the mainstream. Transwarp? They tried once, with the Excelsior, and then gave up before giving it a fair shot.

transwarp beaming. all ship and station computers. new warp scale suggests some success.

 

[Farscape One]

David Mack may be a good writer, but, as I understand it, there's a lot more to being a showrunner than just writing.

True. But a showrunner whose main job is heading the writers' room, the biggest foundation for the job is good writing.

 

[NCC-73515]

I don't think the showrunner matters that much. The writers themselves needs to be good.

 

[Farscape One]

You need good writers, yes. But if the head one is a bad writer, it can lead to bad seasons. He could veto a great idea from one of the other good writers in favor of a bad idea of his own.

 

[Cr0sis21]

I don't think the showrunner matters that much. The writers themselves needs to be good.

You need good writers, but without a strong and competent showrunner you're going to be in trouble.
Look, for instance, at the differences in these shows:
True Blood Seasons 1-5, then 6 and 7.
Discovery seasons 1+2 versus 3-5.
Enterprise Seasons 1-3 versus season 4.
Picard season 1 vs.season 3 (season 2 was an odd situation)

 

[eschaton]

I think the idea that Trek needs superfans as showrunners is dead wrong, IMHO.

You know who wasn't a Trek fan? Michael Piller! And he basically turned TNG into the breakout hit it was, set up DS9 for two years before handing over the reins to Ira Steven Behr, and then created Voyager.

There are some people who worked in Trek in the past I'd be thrilled to come back. Ronald D Moore has proved himself multiple times, and has said he'd like to showrun a Trek show, though he has contractual limitations which stop him from returning at the moment. If Naren Shankar wanted a Trek show, I'd also get him in a heartbeat, as he proved himself on The Expanse.

That's about it. I'd love it for Ira to come back, but he's 70 now, and hasn't had much output since Outlander ended (he's involved in Beacon 23, though I've not seen that show...who has MGM+ anyway?)

 

[Lord Garth]

True Blood Seasons 1-5, then 6 and 7.

Never seen.

Discovery seasons 1+2 versus 3-5.

I'm tilting towards Disco Seasons 3-5.

Enterprise Seasons 1-3 versus season 4.

ENT Season 4 for sure. By quite a wide margin. It's not even close.

Picard season 1 vs.season 3 (season 2 was an odd situation)

This one is by the tiniest of tiny margins. I like S1 and S3 almost equally, but... Picard Season 3.

 

[Farscape One]

Having Ronald D. Moore back in the franchise would be a dream come true.

 

[fireproof78]

Picard season 1 vs.season 3 (season 2 was an odd situation)

I feel these are more similar than people realize.

 

[Commander Troi]

he's involved in Beacon 23, though I've not seen that show...who has MGM+ anyway?

It's a pretty good show. Very complex. MGM+ came with my cable package.

 

[Cr0sis21]

I feel these are more similar than people realize.

On that I agree. I was mostly happy with the first season of Picard until that ending. Ugh.
That second season was a cluster. Multiple "showrunners" who kept disappearing to do other projects, heavy studio interference... it's no wonder it was so awful.

 

[Char Kais]

who is the most qualified to run a Star Trek show?

Naren Shankar
Ronald D. Moore

 

[StarMan]

Naren Shankar
Ronald D. Moore

I imagine those two could put the "serialisation doesn't work in Trek" argument to bed in short order.

 

[fireproof78]

Naren Shankar
Ronald D. Moore

Why those two? What makes them qualified for Star Trek to you?

 

[Char Kais]

Why those two? What makes them qualified for Star Trek to you?

1) Their experience with Star Trek as writers.
2) Their experience as creators, showrunners, executive producers and writers with other highly acclaimed and successful SciFi IPs.


Naren Shankar:

TNG writer:
"The First Duty"
"The Quality of Life"
"Face Of The Enemy"
"Suspicions"
"Gambit, Part I"
"Gambit, Part II"
"Force of Nature"
"Homeward"
Preemptive Strike"

TNG Story editor:
"Descent, Part II"
"Liaisons"
"Interface"
"Gambit, Part I"
"Gambit, Part II"
"Phantasms"
"Dark Page"
"Attached"
"Force of Nature"
"Inheritance"
"Parallels"
"The Pegasus"
"Homeward"
"Sub Rosa"
"Lower Decks"
"Thine Own Self"
"Masks"
"Eye of the Beholder"
"Genesis"
"Journey's End"
"Firstborn"
"Bloodlines"
"Emergence"
"Preemptive Strike"
"All Good Things..."

The Outer Limits - writer and executive story consultant
Farscape - writer and executive producer
The Expanse - executive producer and showrunner


Ronald D. Moore:

TNG writer:
"The Bonding" (season 3)
"The Defector"
"Yesterday's Enterprise" (teleplay with Hans Beimler, Richard Manning, and Ira Steven Behr)
"Sins of The Father" (teleplay with W. Reed Moran)
"Family" (season 4)
"Reunion" (teleplay with Brannon Braga, Thomas Perry and Jo Perry)
"Data's Day" (teleplay with Harold Apter)
"First Contact" (teleplay with several others)
"Galaxy's Child" (uncredited polish of the A-story)
"In Theory" (with Joe Menosky)
"Redemption"
"Redemption II" (season 5)
"Disaster" (teleplay)
"Ethics" (teleplay)
"The First Duty" (with Naren Shankar)
"The Next Phase"
"Relics" (season 6)
"Chain Of Command, Part I" (teleplay)
"Chain Of Command, Part II" (uncredited)
"Aquiel" (teleplay with Brannon Braga)
"Tapestry"
"The Chase" (story)
"Rightful Heir" (teleplay)
"Descent" (teleplay)
"Gambit, Part II" (teleplay) (season 7)
"The Pegasus"
"Thine Own Self" (teleplay)
"Journey's End" (teleplay)
"All Good Things..." (with Brannon Braga)

DS9 writer:
"The Search, Part I" (teleplay) (season 3)
"The House of Quark" (teleplay)
"Defiant"
"Life Support" (teleplay)
"The Die is Cast"
"Rejoined" (teleplay with René Echevarria) (season 4)
"Our Man Bashir" (teleplay)
"Paradise Lost" (story)
"Sons of Mogh"
"Rules of Engagement" (teleplay)
"For the Cause" (teleplay)
"Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places" (season 5)
"Trials and Tribble-ations" (teleplay with René Echevarria)
"The Darkness and the Light" (teleplay)
"Doctor Bashir, I Presume" (teleplay)
"Soldiers of the Empire"
"In the Cards" (teleplay)
"Rocks and Shoals" (season 6)
"You Are Cordially Invited"
"Waltz"
"Change of Heart"
"In the Pale Moonlight" (uncredited)
"Valiant"
"The Sound of Her Voice" (teleplay)
"Take Me Out to the Holosuite" (season 7)
"Once More Unto the Breach"
"It's Only a Paper Moon" (teleplay)
"Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges"
"Strange Bedfellows"
"Tacking Into the Wind"
"The Dogs of War" (teleplay with René Echevarria)

Star Trek Generations (screenplay with Brannon Braga; story with Rick Berman and Brannon Braga)
Star Trek: First Contact (screenplay with Brannon Braga; story with Rick Berman and Brannon Braga)

Battlestar Galactica - creator, showrunner, executive producer
Caprica - creator, showrunner, executive producer
For All Mankind - creator, showrunner, executive producer

 

[137th Gebirg]

^^^ Yep!

Plus, RDM quickly recognized what a dumpster fire VOY was becoming and wisely jumped ship. That earns him some extra points, in my estimation.

 

[fireproof78]

1) Their experience with Star Trek as writers.

Brian Fuller has that.

2) Their experience as creators, showrunners, executive producers and writers with other highly acclaimed and successful SciFi IPs.

A better put argument, but not one that speaks to Star Trek specifically.

Battlestar Galactica - creator, showrunner, executive producer
Caprica - creator, showrunner, executive producer
For All Mankind - creator, showrunner, executive producer

So we want Trek to become like these?

The Outer Limits - writer and executive story consultant
Farscape - writer and executive producer
The Expanse - executive producer and showrunner

Or these?

Again, this is you running Trek and saying these people will make a show that fits Trek, and appeals to an audience. Thus far it's just, "I like these Scifi shows so they should go for Trek." Is that the best fit for Trek?

 

[137th Gebirg]