Re: Should a New Star Trek show be willing to kill off major character
I think having an organic, shifting and dynamic cast is something that any new Trek series could take from shows like BSG. Characters were getting promoted, moved around, finding themselves dealing with new crisis that affected them personally, and resonated beyond the confinements of one episode.
It's not just that Trek was afraid of death, it was afraid of change as a whole for quite a long time as it approaches it's end. At the end of an episode things were to be reset back to normal. It wasn't until Enterprise, and by the point that too much audience damage had been done, that Trek started to take some of the chances it needed to. Like having long term character arcs. (Trip's pain over the loss of his sister, the damage done to Enterprise, T'pols addiction to... Trellium D was it?)
If death is what the story demands for a character, then sure, go for it. Just as long as the show doesn't shoot itself in the foot by getting rid of all it's compelling characters ala what shows like E.R. did with the departure of one too many pivotal characters. The show lost most of it's dramatic edge. (For me, E.R. ended when Doctor Greene brought the show full circle.)
I would love to see characters moving up in rank, shifting to different duties over time, or simply being transferred off ship, having them become irregular guest characters later on.
An example from something i've been playing around with: Let's say you were to do a clean-slate-back-to-roots reboot of Star Trek, set it aboard The Enterprise when she was first launched with Robert April in command. Well, you could start with a character who would be akin to 'Number One' as a lieutenant, and have the XO be Commander Pike. After the first season or so Pike would be promoted to Captain and take a command of his own, and Number One would become the new XO. There could be some tension throughout that first set of stories as 'Number One' keeps her cool, but secretly is deeply troubled with the notion of command responsibility, all the while having a will-he-or-won't-he sub plot for Pike. The Enterprise is the latest and greatest. The things it may see on the frontier make Pike wonder if it would be a mistake to leave, even if he's been waiting for this own promotion for years now.
That's what I would do. I'd also have a character around that would, from a writing perspective only, be designed to die at some point to jolt audience expectations. It wouldn't exist in a vacuum, either. The death would lead to meaningful introspection and reflection for the characters around them.
It would also be rather nice to see some characters blow a mission and be set back in their careers, maybe become a little disillusioned with it all as a result. Maybe second guessing their reasons for having joined in the first place. Having other characters realize they're not cut out for one field and request a transfer to another department.
Some of these could even be "trap doors" ala what JMS had in place for all his characters on B5. That way if a character isn't working out for whatever reason you can redefine, or remove the character and bring in someone else. Keep things fluid, organic, and real.
It's not just a matter of the will to kill. It's the need to allow for dramatic events to expand outward from their starting point and blossom into the wonderful tapestry of emotions that make good story telling.
I say that the writer's bible for the new show should have a note in it somewhere that says "This is where we start, not where we stay."
I think having an organic, shifting and dynamic cast is something that any new Trek series could take from shows like BSG. Characters were getting promoted, moved around, finding themselves dealing with new crisis that affected them personally, and resonated beyond the confinements of one episode.
It's not just that Trek was afraid of death, it was afraid of change as a whole for quite a long time as it approaches it's end. At the end of an episode things were to be reset back to normal. It wasn't until Enterprise, and by the point that too much audience damage had been done, that Trek started to take some of the chances it needed to. Like having long term character arcs. (Trip's pain over the loss of his sister, the damage done to Enterprise, T'pols addiction to... Trellium D was it?)
If death is what the story demands for a character, then sure, go for it. Just as long as the show doesn't shoot itself in the foot by getting rid of all it's compelling characters ala what shows like E.R. did with the departure of one too many pivotal characters. The show lost most of it's dramatic edge. (For me, E.R. ended when Doctor Greene brought the show full circle.)
I would love to see characters moving up in rank, shifting to different duties over time, or simply being transferred off ship, having them become irregular guest characters later on.
An example from something i've been playing around with: Let's say you were to do a clean-slate-back-to-roots reboot of Star Trek, set it aboard The Enterprise when she was first launched with Robert April in command. Well, you could start with a character who would be akin to 'Number One' as a lieutenant, and have the XO be Commander Pike. After the first season or so Pike would be promoted to Captain and take a command of his own, and Number One would become the new XO. There could be some tension throughout that first set of stories as 'Number One' keeps her cool, but secretly is deeply troubled with the notion of command responsibility, all the while having a will-he-or-won't-he sub plot for Pike. The Enterprise is the latest and greatest. The things it may see on the frontier make Pike wonder if it would be a mistake to leave, even if he's been waiting for this own promotion for years now.
That's what I would do. I'd also have a character around that would, from a writing perspective only, be designed to die at some point to jolt audience expectations. It wouldn't exist in a vacuum, either. The death would lead to meaningful introspection and reflection for the characters around them.
It would also be rather nice to see some characters blow a mission and be set back in their careers, maybe become a little disillusioned with it all as a result. Maybe second guessing their reasons for having joined in the first place. Having other characters realize they're not cut out for one field and request a transfer to another department.
Some of these could even be "trap doors" ala what JMS had in place for all his characters on B5. That way if a character isn't working out for whatever reason you can redefine, or remove the character and bring in someone else. Keep things fluid, organic, and real.
It's not just a matter of the will to kill. It's the need to allow for dramatic events to expand outward from their starting point and blossom into the wonderful tapestry of emotions that make good story telling.
I say that the writer's bible for the new show should have a note in it somewhere that says "This is where we start, not where we stay."
