A new Star Trek show will need a stronger focus on characterization, it can't have bland one note characters like Harry Kim or Travis Mayweather who add nothing to the show. If a character is on show they should serve a real purpose and be important and compelling.
A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterization
- Thread starter The Overlord
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Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
Forget that characterization stuff. Lots of explosions and boobies will definitely make a future show a big hit.
Seriously, though, I'm inclined to think a new Trek show will have a smaller cast of main characters (4 to 5), with other positions filled in with reoccurring characters when a story requires them. Under that scenario, a tighter focus on the main characters will be kinda unavoidable, IMO, especially with the TNG, VOY, & ENT style of storytelling being over with Rick Berman's departure.
Forget that characterization stuff. Lots of explosions and boobies will definitely make a future show a big hit.
Seriously, though, I'm inclined to think a new Trek show will have a smaller cast of main characters (4 to 5), with other positions filled in with reoccurring characters when a story requires them. Under that scenario, a tighter focus on the main characters will be kinda unavoidable, IMO, especially with the TNG, VOY, & ENT style of storytelling being over with Rick Berman's departure.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
Totally agree.
Have interesting, compelling, well thought out and engaging characters, rather than having to fill the helm with a series regular, squeezing in a character of a different colour, or making it all about the boobs.
It'd be interesting to see a new series scale back the number of main characters. Saying that however, DS9 had by for the biggest cast of main and recurring and was also the most consistent with development.
Plus the big explosions helped
Totally agree.
Have interesting, compelling, well thought out and engaging characters, rather than having to fill the helm with a series regular, squeezing in a character of a different colour, or making it all about the boobs.
It'd be interesting to see a new series scale back the number of main characters. Saying that however, DS9 had by for the biggest cast of main and recurring and was also the most consistent with development.
Plus the big explosions helped
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
DS9 was one of my favorite shows period. They used every character fully, both recurring or main. I could never figure out what the point was for the character of Travis Mayweather. Harry Kim had a lot of scenes and major parts in several episodes while Mayweather had possibly less screen time than Morn on DS9.
I would be great to see a new Trek series with a smaller core of main characters. I'm still holding out hope for a Titan series or a one off Sulu Direct to DVD movie.
DS9 was one of my favorite shows period. They used every character fully, both recurring or main. I could never figure out what the point was for the character of Travis Mayweather. Harry Kim had a lot of scenes and major parts in several episodes while Mayweather had possibly less screen time than Morn on DS9.
I would be great to see a new Trek series with a smaller core of main characters. I'm still holding out hope for a Titan series or a one off Sulu Direct to DVD movie.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
Yup, like DS9 !
Yup, like DS9 !
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
A new Star Trek series will have to be made to appeal to a cable or streaming (Netflix, Amazon) audience because broadcast alone can't pay the bills for a niche genre like outer-space sci fi. Broadcast can barely eke out survival level ratings for cop shows and sitcoms anymore.
CBS is hanging on because they still have the remnants of the mass audience of yore, but elsewhere it's all about niche markets and getting enough $$$ from a smaller audience to make it worthwhile. That pushes anything inherently pricey, like space opera, towards the more lucrative subscription model vs. ads.
So that means that the next series will dispense with a lot of elements that were suited for the broadcast ecosystem - it will be less episodic (maybe fully serialized), have more focus on realistic and consistent characterization, and be geared more towards adult tastes, which doesn't necessarily mean Showtime sex & nudity but would give them a freer hand with violence, moral ambiguity and complex themes.
Unless it's a cartoon for kids of course, in which case it will be a lot like The Clone Wars. Same idea though - first, we need to know who the audience is, then we'll know what it will be like.
And the audience won't be "Trekkies" because there is no Trekkie Channel. It'll be made for the Showtime audience, the Cartoon Network audience, maybe half-and-half CBS and Amazon (like Under the Dome, coming out this summer). Each of those scenarios implies a very different approach.
Even DS9 is too broadcasty anymore. I can't see them getting away with those dire Ferengi comedies, or the canned romance-of-the-week episodes, or characters who seem to forget they're at war for weeks at a time. It will be like the War Arc episodes of DS9. With all the options available, audiences won't stand for anything other than Exactly What I Want. That's what's behind the armegeddon taking place in broadcast ratings right now.
A new Star Trek series will have to be made to appeal to a cable or streaming (Netflix, Amazon) audience because broadcast alone can't pay the bills for a niche genre like outer-space sci fi. Broadcast can barely eke out survival level ratings for cop shows and sitcoms anymore.
CBS is hanging on because they still have the remnants of the mass audience of yore, but elsewhere it's all about niche markets and getting enough $$$ from a smaller audience to make it worthwhile. That pushes anything inherently pricey, like space opera, towards the more lucrative subscription model vs. ads.
So that means that the next series will dispense with a lot of elements that were suited for the broadcast ecosystem - it will be less episodic (maybe fully serialized), have more focus on realistic and consistent characterization, and be geared more towards adult tastes, which doesn't necessarily mean Showtime sex & nudity but would give them a freer hand with violence, moral ambiguity and complex themes.
Unless it's a cartoon for kids of course, in which case it will be a lot like The Clone Wars. Same idea though - first, we need to know who the audience is, then we'll know what it will be like.
And the audience won't be "Trekkies" because there is no Trekkie Channel. It'll be made for the Showtime audience, the Cartoon Network audience, maybe half-and-half CBS and Amazon (like Under the Dome, coming out this summer). Each of those scenarios implies a very different approach.
Even DS9 is too broadcasty anymore. I can't see them getting away with those dire Ferengi comedies, or the canned romance-of-the-week episodes, or characters who seem to forget they're at war for weeks at a time. It will be like the War Arc episodes of DS9. With all the options available, audiences won't stand for anything other than Exactly What I Want. That's what's behind the armegeddon taking place in broadcast ratings right now.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
There's no reason the studio would use DS9 as the model for a new Trek series - they'll continue to look toward the most commercially successful examples from the past, not the fan-favorite niche shows.
There's no reason the studio would use DS9 as the model for a new Trek series - they'll continue to look toward the most commercially successful examples from the past, not the fan-favorite niche shows.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
Look at the character list on Mad Med. It's not the number of characters, it's how you use them.
Totally agree.
Have interesting, compelling, well thought out and engaging characters, rather than having to fill the helm with a series regular, squeezing in a character of a different colour, or making it all about the boobs.
It'd be interesting to see a new series scale back the number of main characters. Saying that however, DS9 had by for the biggest cast of main and recurring and was also the most consistent with development.
Plus the big explosions helped
Look at the character list on Mad Med. It's not the number of characters, it's how you use them.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
He was a token; they wanted an African American for the sake of it, but did not care to write for the character. He was nothing more than a racial prop. Just one of an endless number of problems with that series.
He was a token; they wanted an African American for the sake of it, but did not care to write for the character. He was nothing more than a racial prop. Just one of an endless number of problems with that series.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
I think the number of problems with that series did, in fact, after a time, come to an end.
I think the number of problems with that series did, in fact, after a time, come to an end.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
Except DS9 is most like a modern TV show then the other Trek shows. Really most of the good TV shows on cable focus on characterization and ongoing plots.
A new Star Trek show will have to be a show of this era, not try to be a show from the 60s or 80s.
Except DS9 is most like a modern TV show then the other Trek shows. Really most of the good TV shows on cable focus on characterization and ongoing plots.
A new Star Trek show will have to be a show of this era, not try to be a show from the 60s or 80s.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
You may think you're joking, but the younger audience gets off on this stuff (why do you think New Galactica was such a big hit? The "good writing and compelling characters"? PLEASE....
), and an ever younger audience in the future is bound to love it even more.
Hell, when my generation was younger (The TNG and DS9 years), TV execs thought that's what we liked, so they gave us Seven of Nine.
You may think you're joking, but the younger audience gets off on this stuff (why do you think New Galactica was such a big hit? The "good writing and compelling characters"? PLEASE....
), and an ever younger audience in the future is bound to love it even more.Hell, when my generation was younger (The TNG and DS9 years), TV execs thought that's what we liked, so they gave us Seven of Nine.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
Breaking Bad is filled with unlikable characters and it was still a success. Unlikable characters can be fine, as long as they're interesting.
Breaking Bad is filled with unlikable characters and it was still a success. Unlikable characters can be fine, as long as they're interesting.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
Nope, DS9's no less dated stylistically now than the other Trek shows. It's a show of the 80s, produced in the 90s, as was Voyager; later Enterprise would be a show of the 80s produced in the 21st century.
Nope, DS9's no less dated stylistically now than the other Trek shows. It's a show of the 80s, produced in the 90s, as was Voyager; later Enterprise would be a show of the 80s produced in the 21st century.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
DS9 has dated the least because it was a show very ahead of its time and many of the things it introduced to Trek are now the norm in this modern world of heavily serialised drama. It is only natural a new Trek would resemble DS9 more than TOS or TNG.
DS9 has dated the least because it was a show very ahead of its time and many of the things it introduced to Trek are now the norm in this modern world of heavily serialised drama. It is only natural a new Trek would resemble DS9 more than TOS or TNG.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
How so? half the Dominion War felt like a poor quality scifi rip off of MASH.
How so? half the Dominion War felt like a poor quality scifi rip off of MASH.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
Considering how far ahead of its time the writing from MASH was, I'd still call that a compliment.
Considering how far ahead of its time the writing from MASH was, I'd still call that a compliment.
Re: A New Star Trek Show Will Need a Stronger Focus on Characterizatio
I wouldn't call DS9 'ahead of its time', just closer to the curve than VOY or ENT were.
I wouldn't call DS9 'ahead of its time', just closer to the curve than VOY or ENT were.
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