Current shows to influence a new Trek TV Series?

[jefferiestubes8]

Television has undeniably changed a lot in the last few years, in content and audience - what current/recent series do you think producers of the inevitable new Trek show should look for as inspiration?

Let's discuss production style and production values:
In terms of the production values of space shots NOT in terms of characters or plot. CGI quality from shows like Defying Gravity (2009),Syfy's Ascension (2014),BBC's Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets [Voyage to the Planets and Beyond in the United States] (2004). In terms of style smooth camera movements or tripod. Handheld should be very restricted like its use in VOY. Now we have brushless gimbals for creative stabilized smooth motion moving cameras and Steadicams for traditional walk and talk shots. Techno-cranes are too expensive for tv episodics except pilots or season finales.

Story & Plot:
Trek TV has done mostly standalone episodes except ENT Season 3 which had the Xindi arc and 90% serialized for the season. I agree with wildsulu in that I would also like

both a long story arc and excellent stand alone episodes.

We've enjoyed serialized storytelling from shows since the mid-1990s (NYPD Blue, ER) and current shows are very serialized Breaking Bad, Mad Men. This is not a bad thing but casual viewers will not be able to drop in to watch. It creates a more hardcore fanbase rather than casual viewer. This may work if the next Trek series is not on a linear TV channel but rather streaming or video-on-demand only.
Trekkers are already pretty hardcore. Look at this website. People can quote episodes and know episode titles during a discussion.

 

[Mudd]

Respectfully, the Doctor is fun but he has too much fun. Please nothing timey wimey...

"Timey wimey" is an antidote to and vast improvement over Trek's technobabble dialogue. I'd be delighted with a bit of "Timey wimey" in the next Star Trek.

Doctor Who is more of a family show though, while Trek I believed is directed toward a more adult audience most of the time...

The modern Doctor Who has handled a lot more adult and thematically challenging stuff than Trek ever has. So did BTVS, for that matter.

 

[Orphalesion]

This is where we just name our favourite shows, right?

No believe me Firefly and Dr. Who (especially New Who) are far from my favorite shows. They just have elements that I think could profit trek.

GOT...you got me there....

"Timey wimey" is an antidote to and vast improvement over Trek's technobabble dialogue. I'd be delighted with a bit of "Timey wimey" in the next Star Trek.

Too much of the wibbly-wobbly timey wimey ball can be just as problematic as gratuitous techno babble.

Star Trek often took itself too serious. Dr. Who often takes itself not serious enough. It's a bit jarring if the episode featured a crisis with dozens/hundreds of causalities and our so called "hero" prances about like an imbecile shouting "timey wimey! timey wimey!"

In the more literal sense, I'd rather have less timetravel in Trek than more, I can't think of a single time ravel plot in the whole of Trek I liked.

The modern Doctor Who has handled a lot more adult and thematically challenging stuff than Trek ever has. So did BTVS, for that matter.

Agreed there, especially with Buffy.

 

[Mudd]

Too much of the wibbly-wobbly timey wimey ball can be just as problematic as gratuitous techno babble.

That would take a lot.

 

[HIjol]

The revived Doctor Who, obviously. More than anything else, Trek lacks audacity and humor. Without that kind of energy another Trek series will fail.

Perhaps just a dash of Galaxy Quest...from time to time?

Yep, Trek, and I mean all incarnations of it, often was a bit too "sober" for its own good.

I'd also find it good if they look at Game of Thrones. Not necessarily because of the sex and violence, but for cues how to adapt a large and varied cast into a TV show.

Now THIS is an idea worth exploring! At least get the respective writers all in one room. worthy!!!

 

[Mudd]

The revived Doctor Who, obviously. More than anything else, Trek lacks audacity and humor. Without that kind of energy another Trek series will fail.

Perhaps just a dash of Galaxy Quest...from time to time?

That would be fun.

 

[StarMan]

I'm on a re-watch of TNG HD. While it's been a fun and nostalgic ride, I can see there's no way it would fare well in today's TV climate.

I do wonder for it to be a serious contender, what sort of budget would it have to pack to look polished up against the likes of, say... GoT? I love the world building in GoT and would relish something similar in a new series. I'm thinking 26 episodes a season would be out of the question.

 

[Orphalesion]

Yeah no way they could make 26. I'd say 8-12 Episodes per season and preferably with a similar multiple point of view structure like in game of thrones so for iexample one set of characters is on a Ship, another back on Earth, another storyline follows a group of Klingon/Vulcans/Cardassians/whoever the antagonists are.
This way so much could be explored.

 

[eyeresist]

I'd rather have less timetravel in Trek than more, I can't think of a single time ravel plot in the whole of Trek I liked.

I agree with this, though I like the episodes that dealt with the past tangentially, e.g. the DS9 eps where Sisko dreamt he was a sci-fi writer.

 

[Mudd]

Since my favorite Trek of all time, "City On The Edge Of Forever," is a time-travel story I'll have to say I like them.

 

[Orphalesion]

Well in regard to both time travel and COEF I can only say to each their own.

However in the way time is treated I always liked the more sinister approach Saphire and Steel (another old British SciFi show in need of a revival) took over the "whimsical" one in Doctor Who (especially New Who)

To illustrate:

Dr. Who's approach on time: Wibbl-wobbly! Timey-Wimey! Let's go to Victorian London for no apparent reason!

Sapphire and Steel's approach: Don't fuck with time! You will get Temporal Chlamydia and you will get erased from existence!

 

[Mudd]

Ah, that's why nuWho is great.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Apropos of nothing really, I just simply loved the climax of Doctor Who's "Vincent and the Doctor." I found taking Vincent to the museum and the Doctor's subsequent remarks about the conclusion of Vincent's life to be emotionally moving. Doctor Who injects feelings into fantasy in a way that I've rarely, if ever, seen equaled in American programs.

 

[Doctorwhovian]

The phrase "Timey wimey" etc is actually not in that many episodes (Most of the time it is used in episodes written by the current showrunner Steven Moffat). It just got popular among fans, mainly because it first appeared in what is arguably the best of the new series, BLINK (Which starred future BEST ACTRESS oscar nominee, Carey Mulligan, and actually was a "Doctor lite" episode.

As far as time travel terminology is concerned, the phrase "Fixed points in time" is used more often, some say too much.


You're more likely to hear the Doctor's catchphrases ("Fantastic!" "Allonsy! Geronimo! Bow ties are cool! Question") than timey-wimey wibbly wobbly.



Victorian London was used a few times in classic WHO as well, it's a popular setting in a lot of British stuff.

 

[JTShanks]

Not exactly a current show, but I think Battlestar Galactica should really take some influence for the new Trek series. Maybe Firefly too. I like the atmosphere and look of the series with a more futuristic tone to it all and such. The fact that they haven't made one yet with some BSG-style tendencies is crazy to me.

But with that said; I don't mind a GoT or Firefly type Trek for it to take influence from. Either way it'd do but I do agree that there needs to be a base for it of some sorts.

 

[Orphalesion]

Not exactly a current show, but I think Battlestar Galactica should really take some influence for the new Trek series. I like the atmosphere and look of the series with a more futuristic tone to it all and such. The fact that they haven't made one yet with some BSG-style tendencies is crazy to me.

No offense, but no. Nononononononononononononononononono *takes deep breath* nonononononononononononono. No. Niet. Nein! Nein! Nein!

I don't want any grimy, chain-smoking swearing characters in Star Trek who causally sacrifice ships full of civilians because one hostile alien could maybe, perhaps, possibly be on board one of them.

Firefly - Yes.
GoT - Get on with it!

nu BSG - No.

 

[RandyS]

Not exactly a current show, but I think Battlestar Galactica should really take some influence for the new Trek series. I like the atmosphere and look of the series with a more futuristic tone to it all and such. The fact that they haven't made one yet with some BSG-style tendencies is crazy to me.

No offense, but no. Nononononononononononononononononono *takes deep breath* nonononononononononononono. No. Niet. Nein! Nein! Nein!

I don't want any grimy, chain-smoking swearing characters in Star Trek who causally sacrifice ships full of civilians because one hostile alien could maybe, perhaps, possibly be on board one of them.

Firefly - Yes.
GoT - Get on with it!

nu BSG - No.

Agreed. No more depressing characters who wallow in negativity. It's long past time for stories with optimism.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I would say 'yes' to NuBSG character-work; they weren't perfect, they had flaws and issues to work through, which made them far more realistic. I wouldn't mind a darker, more adult (by this I don't mean more breasts) feel to a new Trek show, to show the power of Trek optimism, the hope for a better future, the emotional and mental strength of the characters and the inspiration they can provide (overcoming great personal problems).

 

[Hartzilla2007]

I would say 'yes' to NuBSG character-work; they weren't perfect, they had flaws and issues to work through, which made them far more realistic. I wouldn't mind a darker, more adult (by this I don't mean more breasts) feel to a new Trek show, to show the power of Trek optimism, the hope for a better future, the emotional and mental strength of the characters and the inspiration they can provide (overcoming great personal problems).

To be fair the if you look at TOS at least the Trek universe does come off as a dark place its just that everyone is more well adjusted to cope with it.

I mean we are talking about a place where mad gods could kill, injure, or mind rape you whenever just for shits and giggles, hostile aliens or a pissy space probe could carpet bomb you, weird shit from other galaxies or dimensions could pop out and destroy reality or just enslave or kill you, ancient weapons/tech/space monsters/ect. could ruin your day with death, people can get freaky ass powers and murder you with them becuase it drives them bat shit insane, space diseases will kill you or cause your colony's society to collapse, and they only ones you can protect you from any of that stuff have a considerable record of losses from death or just going nuts and probnably trying to kill you at some point.

 

[JTShanks]

Not exactly a current show, but I think Battlestar Galactica should really take some influence for the new Trek series. I like the atmosphere and look of the series with a more futuristic tone to it all and such. The fact that they haven't made one yet with some BSG-style tendencies is crazy to me.

No offense, but no. Nononononononononononononononononono *takes deep breath* nonononononononononononono. No. Niet. Nein! Nein! Nein!

I don't want any grimy, chain-smoking swearing characters in Star Trek who causally sacrifice ships full of civilians because one hostile alien could maybe, perhaps, possibly be on board one of them.

Firefly - Yes.
GoT - Get on with it!

nu BSG - No.

Was talking more so along the line of the writing style, cinematography and overall atmosphere of the show more than the actual plot or plot details of NuBSG. I guess I was not clear on what I meant by atmosphere and overall look and feel of the show.