A Serialized TOS....

[Rush Limborg]

One of the things I found fascinating about the latter-day Trek shows was the use of continuing storylines. Even in TNG--aside from Picard's recovery from the Borg, there was Worf's arc concerning his fall from grace in Klingon society. Many eps technically not part of the actual arc nonetheless referred to it. (In "The Drumhead", for instance, the Klingon agent taunts Worf about it.)

Now...I think many fans agree with me, that there were many stories in TOS which, frankly, had the potential to be expanded into at least two-parters, but for whatever reasons were "constrained" to one ep apiece. (Indeed, two-parters were part of The Bird's original pitch, in order to, of all things, save money. *sigh*)

I would venture to add that, had TOS's future been more secure--had Gene and Co. felt more able to "risk" a more serial format--TOS could have been even more excellent and ahead-of-its-time.

So...assuming that freedom, which episodes, or elements of episodes, would you have expanded into story or character arcs?

Feel free to bounce off and build on each others ideas--and don't be afraid to think outside the box! Which "one-ep" characters should not have died? Which stories should have shown consequences our heroes should've had to deal with in the long run?




Fire away!

 

[BillJ]

Not sure I can imagine a serialized TOS. One of the things I love about it is the fact that I get a complete story in an hour.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Well...consider it a...mental excercise of sorts.

Isn't there an episode you wish there was a sequal for?

DS9, recall, started out with stand-alone eps, with later episodes buiding on the previous ones, or at least on the character growth the characters experienced.



Here's a possible example, one of my ideas:

What if Andrea, of "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" had not been vaporized at the end?

While I get how the story of "Requim For Methuselah" was served by the female android (who's name escapes me) dying--it affected two men in two different ways. But...what if Andrea had lived? Kirk, through his "romancing" of her, caused in her a potential for growth--an arc of finding humanity. Note her reactions...her inner conflict in that scene, her struggle with herself.

I could easily see Andrea, had she been "rescued" by Kirk and Company, becoming a sort of TOS Seven of Nine. No, not personality-wise--Andrea is a lot more innocent, childlike, and sweet--but in the sense of the mains helping her on a journey of finding herself, beyond her "programming". Perhaps we'd see some character growth for Spock, as his helping Andrea helps him on his own journey to reconcile himself.

(And of course...more of Sherry Jackson in glamorous Theiss attire! )

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Yep. Great stand-alones are what made the series wonderful in a way that the later shows can't match.

 

[jayrath]

I agree. I really dislike all the arcs that came in the other series.

However, as a game, let's look at this as episodes that were so packed with important activity that they easily could have expanded to two parts. "Amok Time" would have been great in two parts, for example. We could have seen Spock's parents again and explored Vulcan a bit.

 

[Rush Limborg]

^That's the spirit!

Perhaps T'Pau clears things out with Starfleet when they arrive, so Kirk isn't in any more trouble.

We see Sarek and Amanda, as you said.

Now--the cliffhanger would be, say...the revelation that the "champion" would be Kirk.

More fleshing out of everything...more preparation.

Yes, that could easily work--and it could also tie in to "Journey to Babel".

 

[SchwEnt]

Not so much two-parters or plots that need multiple eps to resolve. Not that kind of serialization.

But--maybe more eps that dealt with the consequences of earlier eps. DS9 was very good at this. Not necessarily stories that spanned several eps, just bits and pieces of what is done now will come back to bite yer ass next season. That kind of stuff.

Methinks sometimes TOS warped outta town too quickly, never to fear the consequences of whatever happened afterwards. But even that isn't really serialization...

 

[Rush Limborg]

Agreed. Too often, the possible consequences were brought up by Spock, and then laughed off by Kirk and Bones....

Now, what say you about such consequences as my first example? What if someone like Andrea were to become a recurring secondary--particularly considering Rand leaving?

(Hmm...there's another thought: Show us the ep dealing with Rand's decision to leave! Why did she do so? She just vanished without a trace!)

 

[Wingsley]

Well, I'm not so sure that continuity and a crude kind of semi-serialization isn't already there in TOS. Consider how Roddenberry & Co. took what we now call "The Cage", made it into a kind of in-universe "history" that Spock and Pike were subject to, and wrapped the Mendez/Starbase 11 "shell" around it to form "The Menagerie". Granted, this wasn't a protracted story arc, but it did underscore the importance of history in the TOS universe for the characters. As such, that sense of history/continuity in turn underscored the potential for serialization.

I agree that TOS was a creature of the time it was made in, and serious serial-level continuity like full-blown story arcs were not considered possible for most prime-time network TV then. (The exception being shows like PEYTON PLACE.) A sci-fi show like TOS was expensive to begin with, and to "up the ante" with demanding story arcs was probably seen as a risk. Other posters upthread also point out that TOS championed the more atomized, "stand alone" approach of individual episodes.

All this having been said, I do not understand why a show like TOS, seeing it through the lens of today, could not have "the best of both worlds", that is, a kind of split-personality of individual eps as well as occasional story arcs. I'll give you an example I remember discussing with fans many years ago:

An individual ep might be a story like "The Man Trap", or "Balance of Terror", "The Galileo Seven". These were great stand-alone dramas. Sure you can follow them up with a sequel or maybe even loosely connect them with other shows or related subject matter, but these stories seem to stand on their own.

Other TOS eps seem to cry out for a story arc, at least from my point-of-view. "Dagger of the Mind" could be a spring board for an in-Federation conspiracy. Who started this mind-control scheme? What are their aims? Who is the man impersonating Dr. Adams? Could this be Section 31? It would be interesting if Kirk felt compelled to investigate this, or to help some Federation sleuth who was assigned to the case.

I always saw the Eminian-Vendikan war in "A Taste of Armageddon" as an unfinished story. It begged to be expanded into a story arc. When Kirk mentioned Eminiar VII to Spock in "By Any Other Name", this reinforced the idea with me. The Eminians, and possibly the Vendikans, appear to posses knowledge, technology and diplomatic balm to stand on the galactic stage with the Federation, possibly to have ripple effects with adversarial powers as well. Why don't we see more of them?

Another TOS ep that should have been a story arc was "Arena". Instead of Kirk facing off against the Gorn in the confines of one hour and then never seeing them again, we should've had the Enterprise unsuccessfully chase the Gorn, play cat and mouse with them, and then reveal their true identity several eps later.

It would be interesting to do a prequel to "Obsession", showing a young James Kirk aboard the Farragut, coping with the Cloud Creature crisis and never finding an answer.

There is a 1990's/early 2000's example of a sci fi show that combined both the individual ep and story arc approaches successfully: STARGATE SG-1.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Other TOS eps seem to cry out for a story arc, at least from my point-of-view. "Dagger of the Mind" could be a spring board for an in-Federation conspiracy. Who started this mind-control scheme? What are their aims? Who is the man impersonating Dr. Adams? Could this be Section 31? It would be interesting if Kirk felt compelled to investigate this, or to help some Federation sleuth who was assigned to the case.

Hmm...excellent! Filled with potential for intrigue and suspense. What was "Dr. Adams's" motive? Are there wheels within wheels?

Another TOS ep that should have been a story arc was "Arena". Instead of Kirk facing off against the Gorn in the confines of one hour and then never seeing them again, we should've had the Enterprise unsuccessfully chase the Gorn, play cat and mouse with them, and then reveal their true identity several eps later.

Yes...mystery, akin to the beginning of the Xindi and Dominion storylines....

It would be interesting to do a prequel to "Obsession", showing a young James Kirk aboard the Farragut, coping with the Cloud Creature crisis and never finding an answer.

Hmm...I'd say that's more grounds for a two-parter. Perhaps we often see Kirk alone in his quarters, thinking back to the Farragut, perhaps while listening to the logs of the events....

That would have been excellent--and it would've helped the audience understand his motivations.

There is a 1990's/early 2000's example of a sci fi show that combined both the individual ep and story arc approaches successfully: STARGATE SG-1.

Absolutely! Most of those eps could be viewed by themselves--but they are also part of a cohesive "bigger picture".

 

[Harvey]

We could have seen Sam Kirk once or twice before he was killed. And, in the same episode, some serialization could have provided a more believable explanation for curing Spock's blindness than the infamous Vulcan eye-lid.

 

[Hambone]

There was enough story material in "Balance of Terror" for a three-episode arc. The Romulans were a lot more interesting than the Klingons and I wish they'd been brought back more often.

An obvious (but really poor) choice would have been the continuing adventures of Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln.

 

[I Grok Spock]

I have a question for those Ancients who saw TOS first-run. What did you think about the flashback scenes in The Menagerie? Did you think the different costumes and sets were created and the scenes filmed just for that episode? If so did you know that they were originally used in an abandoned pilot?

 

[Nerys Myk]

I have a question for those Ancients who saw TOS first-run. What did you think about the flashback scenes in The Menagerie? Did you think the different costumes and sets were created and the scenes filmed just for that episode? If so did you know that they were originally used in an abandoned pilot?

I thought they were made especially for the episode. But at age seven I wasn't all that savy on how TV production worked.

 

[Hambone]

I have a question for those Ancients who saw TOS first-run. What did you think about the flashback scenes in The Menagerie? Did you think the different costumes and sets were created and the scenes filmed just for that episode? If so did you know that they were originally used in an abandoned pilot?

I thought there was an older Star Trek series or movie I'd never heard of. I recall watching, and thinking "How come I've never seen this one?" A few weeks later I bought "The Making of Star Trek" and the puzzle was solved.

 

[Rush Limborg]

We could have seen Sam Kirk once or twice before he was killed.

Hmm...absolutely! Especially considering his death was in the season finale, some good eps showing him talking with Jim--perhaps on the viewscreen in Jim's quarters--would have really helped a lot with the emotional impact of his death.

And, in the same episode, some serialization could have provided a more believable explanation for curing Spock's blindness than the infamous Vulcan eye-lid.

Absolutely! Again, that episode was the season finale. Have a bit of "emotional cliffhanger", with Spock leaving the Enterprise to go to Starfleet Medical for treatment.

In the first episode of the second season, a big part of the story deals with him coming back.

There was enough story material in "Balance of Terror" for a three-episode arc. The Romulans were a lot more interesting than the Klingons and I wish they'd been brought back more often.

Was there? Hmm...not sure about that. There would probably have had to be a bit of rewriting to make it more complex. Of course...something dealing with the consequences would be good.

An obvious (but really poor) choice would have been the continuing adventures of Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln.

It's funny: that ep was originally intended to "lead into" a spin-off series on that....

 

[evilnate]

A few ideas that I had when I was working on a "reimagined" Star Trek a few years back:

- The events of "Where No Man Has Gone Before" could take place later in the first season. The viewers would get to know Gary Mitchell as a member of the crew, and then his "descent" into god-hood could take place over a few episodes culminating in his showdown with Kirk

-The build-up to "Errand of Mercy" could take place over an entire season, in the background. Then that could have been a two-part season ending cliffhanger, ending with Kirk and Spock under arrest and the Klingon fleet opening fire on the Enterprise.

-Episodic stories, such as "Miri", "Bread and Circuses", and all the rest of the "alternate Earth" stories could have been woven into the background as part of a "Preserver" story-line, leading to the discovery of the oblesk in "The Paradise Syndrome".

I do agree that much of what made Trek was it's episodic format. A different planet, alien, adventure, each week, but you could string some of the adventures together into loose arcs.

 

[sonak]

I think "space seed" was an episode that was really crying out for a continuation or sequel of some sort.

 

[BillJ]

I think "space seed" was an episode that was really crying out for a continuation or sequel of some sort.

 

[Gojira]

I wouldn't have minded a serialized TOS but I did like the contained stories. But what would have been nice if they had made references to past episodes or events the audience had seen.