Oh yeah, definitely. When I say I love the theme, I'm referring to the season one and two opening. They butchered it with the latter two seasons.
Have you ever given up on a Trek series? If so, what was the last straw for you?
- Thread starter JonnyQuest037
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It comes across as writing how people speak *today*, and even then how *some* people speak in some situations.
People today do not speak the same as people did 500 years ago and it is ridiculous to think people 500 years in the future will speak the same as people do today.
The "Treklish" that you deride was one of the ways Trek made it seem like you were actually watching people in a different time. And most definitely is a higher bar for writers than writing contemporary speech.
Moreso than one might think…
20 Phrases that Originated in the Middle Ages - Medievalists.net
Discover 20 common phrases with roots in the Middle Ages, from “no man’s land” to “red-letter day,” and explore their fascinating medieval origins.
www.medievalists.net
William Shakespeare is credited with 1,700 words and phrases we still use today.
TOS was pretty contemporary in its speech. Language has not changed so much that I cannot read items from 500 years ago and understood the broader themes and wishes. I've studied translated Greek letters which reflect very human desires for success, promotion at work, and well wishes. Shakespeare plays are still utilized because of their relatability.
Trek often uses these contemporary languages because it's written for a audience of this day and age.
Janeway's while obsession with coffee alone could easily be placed in to Gilmore Girls without much issue. Star Trek speech varies as writing often does.
TNG is the most successful show in the Trek franchise. It is ludicrous to suggest that its dialogue was "unrecognizable for contemporary viewers." Simply because they weren't dropping f-bombs doesn't mean that they were using language that contemporary audiences could not decipher.
I think the bigger part is that the hype around TOS/TNG as having no contemporary language is completely overblown. The language was perhaps more formal, but often times it was contemporary in its pacing, and a bit theatrical at times with blocking. Some of it hinged upon dramatic reveals. My attempted rewatch of TNG started with "Ensigns of Command" was stymied by the stupidity of the lack of sense by the captain dealing with a treaty and negotiations until dramatically appropriate.
Yup, agreed. You can't levy the argument of "well, people talked differently 500 years ago, so why should people in the future talk like us today" when that's exactly what the franchise has always done. Television is written for contemporary audiences. If you tried to extrapolate what future English might sound like, it would be so incomprehensible that the first note from the network would be to "lose the archaic language and make it so people can understand."
When I watched the latest episode of Starfleet Academy yesterday, I was surprised the phrase "Buns of Steel" popped up during a training sequence. I have a hard time believing that particular bit of slang is going to survive to the 32nd Century.
I don't mind the dialogue in a Trek show being relatively contemporary, but when it's SO contemporary it throws you out of the show, that's a problem.
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