Character-Driven TOS Stories

[Commishsleer]

Thanks. That's the great part about different interpretations.

Also I strongly argue that Empath is very character driven. In fact one of the most character reliant episodes.
You substitute Picard, Riker and Data in you might get the same result in the end but the journey would be way different. And thats because ... Kirk, Spock, McCoy love each other. Not in the fan-fiction way but as close as bros can be while denying it.
You could argue that Spock wanted to sacrifice himself because he was the senior officer, because he was the strongest, because he didn't want Kirk hurt making the decision or that he didn't want McCoy to come to harm.
I just don't think that another set of characters would do the same. I'm probably alone in these thoughts as no-one else here seems to think that The Empath is a great episode. You could argue well it was the actors that made it work. Nimoy looking up at an injured Kirk.
The main thing I remember from the episode was the character interaction not the planet-saving story.

I also think the episodes where Kirk's mettle is tested as a captain are rather character driven like "Balance of Terror".

There's at least a dozen other episodes where I think we care more about the characters than the actual result of the story.

 

[johnnybear]

The Empath was a little too much on the torture factor I think! This made it a bit unsettling for many people!
JB

 

[Lord Garth]

Also I strongly argue that Empath is very character driven. In fact one of the most character reliant episodes.
You substitute Picard, Riker and Data in you might get the same result in the end but the journey would be way different.

Eww!!! Picturing this as a TNG episode completely destroys it.

The soundtrack, the basically black-wall set, the creepy look of the aliens, and the Hell that Gem has to go through while The Big Three try to protect both themselves and her is something that can only be done on TOS.

And that's because ... Kirk, Spock, McCoy love each other. Not in the fan-fiction way but as close as bros can be while denying it.

Yup. And that's the way we like it. Except fanfic writers.

 

[Spock's Barber]

The Empath was a little too much on the torture factor I think! This made it a bit unsettling for many people!
JB

Not as much torture as having to watch Melvin Belli wearing a dress in And The Children Shall Lead.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Something like 90% of episodes revolved around a plot which did not in any fashion involve the backstory of the characters. Even where it did, except in rare cases (like Amok Time) was the backstory something so particular it needed to be associated with that character.

Yeah. Having a backstory that is particular to a certain character is called "good writing."

 

[johnnybear]

Not as much torture as having to watch Melvin Belli wearing a dress in And The Children Shall Lead.

Well to be fair, I don't think Belli did that bad a job and here in the UK I'd never heard of him before and so wasn't aware that he was a lawyer and not an actor!
JB

 

[Commishsleer]

Well to be fair, I don't think Belli did that bad a job and here in the UK I'd never heard of him before and so wasn't aware that he was a lawyer and not an actor!
JB

Belli was just awful.
Awful acting, awful outfit. Just terrible.
My daughters primary school play was much better acted. And they were reading the lines from bits of paper in their hands.

 

[johnnybear]

You can't blame him for the costume, Sleer! Some of those you wore as you know who were quite tasteless too! And his acting wasn't that bad as we didn't really see that much of him in the episode anyway!
JB

 

[Commishsleer]

You can't blame him for the costume, Sleer! Some of those you wore as you know who were quite tasteless too! And his acting wasn't that bad as we didn't really see that much of him in the episode anyway!
JB

Tasteless but gorgeous.

I watched the trailer for Aquaman last night and I think the aquaman dude went to the Belli school of acting.
Or as we in Australia like to say the "Neighbours" school of acting.

 

[johnnybear]

Was that Jason Momoa?
JB

 

[Commishsleer]

I think so.
He's a lot more handsome than Belli so the Commissioner might let him get away with it.
Well as long as I don't have to listen and just can look.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

As both a viewer/reader and a writer, I prefer what drives a character. What makes him or her do the things they do. What they want and the lengths they will go to get that.

Backstory does not necessarily equal character. It may help to explain motivation but it doesn't define character. Actions define character. For example, Superman and Batman are both orphans. The details of their backstories defer of course, but they have that commonality. Yet they actions of how both men deal with their respective tragedies defines their characters.

TOS had a good handle on what drove the main characters of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Their actions continually demonstrated that, for the most part. For me, that defined their characters. And I'd hardly think they were easily swappable in any given story because of that.