First Degree Burns

[RobertScorpio]

We have had five Star Trek TV live action TVs shows; TOS-TNG-DS9-VOY-ENTERPRISE. The modern shows, TNG and onward, all had bumpy first seasons. In fact, you would be hard pressed to list any episode from any of the modern-TREK's first seasons in a 'best of Trek' list. Yet some of TOS's best episodes, if not their best of all time episode, City on the Edge of Forever, harken from that first season...

Why do you think this happened. What did the so called 'inferior' writers from an admittedly campy 60s TV show get right in the first season that the so called 'modern, post All In the Family' writers get so wrong with the future TREK's first seasons?

Rob
Scorpio

 

[Nerys Myk]

Campy???

 

[Ethros]

I wouldn't limit it to Trek, a lot of shows first seasons are hardly their best.

Look at The Simpsons
*shudders*

 

[JoeZhang]

'inferior' writers

Harlan Ellison and DC Fontana were inferior writers?


I've got to say - your threads have bugged me for a while, you don't seem to really want to have a conversation, you want to take sly digs at fans of later series. It's pretty tiresome.

 

[RobertScorpio]

'inferior' writers

Harlan Ellison and DC Fontana were inferior writers?


I've got to say - your threads have bugged me for a while, you don't seem to really want to have a conversation, you want to take sly digs at fans of later series. It's pretty tiresome.

Actually I think DS9 is the best of the Star Trek shows, and no I am not taking a 'swipe' at later series fans. But please don't put yourself in a glass house. All of the Star Trek fans have their detractors on this site, or couldn't you tell. Go see how many dump on Enterprise all the time. I have actually come to see that all these shows appeal to some and not to others. I am actually growing tired of people like you. If you don't like the threads I post, then just don't read them. It's that simple.

As for Fontanna and Ellison? I don't think they are inferior at all. But you can find other posters on this board who seem to suggest that TOS was either campy (and it is in some degree) or that the TNG writers were more sophisticated. I just asked a simple question as to why TOS got the first season right and TNG onward didn't. Even my own DS9's first season couldn't hold a candle to TOS's, IMO

Rob
Scorpio

 

[RobertScorpio]

Campy???

Umm..yeah. Part of TOS's eluring charm is its campyness. As campy as BATMAN? No. But campy to some degree, yes.

Rob
Scorpio

 

[Mistral]

I think TOS got it right because they were the template and each of the newer series had to find its own voice while remaining true to the gran'daddy of them all. It took time for the writers to find their comfort level, if you will. That having been said-I thought Broken Bow was quite good for a first episode. It's just a shame Enterprise took so long to get its act together after that.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Campy???

Umm..yeah. Part of TOS's eluring charm is its campyness. As campy as BATMAN? No. But campy to some degree, yes.

Rob
Scorpio

Not seeing the camp factor in TOS over all. It was written on about the same level of seriousness of most TV dramas of that era. Yes,they did a few comedy tinged episodes, but I wouldn't call the series campy. It wad rarely over the top.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Campy???

Umm..yeah. Part of TOS's eluring charm is its campyness. As campy as BATMAN? No. But campy to some degree, yes.

Rob
Scorpio

Not seeing the camp factor in TOS over all. It was written on about the same level of seriousness of most TV dramas of that era. Yes,they did a few comedy tinged episodes, but I wouldn't call the series campy. It wad rarely over the top.

Ummm..rarely over the top? Shatner's Kirk invented the phrase. And I love him for it, he is my favorite trek actor. But his 'hammyness' derives from that show.

And I think some of the episodes do indeed come across as campy. Spocks Brain? I Mudd? Savage Curtain? Heck, season three is often made fun of by us, let alone the rest of the world, because of some of their efforts.

So, I guess we disagree with what we consider campy. To me? Aspects of TOS (carboard sets-over the top acting--interesting female wardrobe), as looked upon us now, are campy. IMO.

Rob
Scorpio

 

[Nerys Myk]

In hindsight it may seem campy. In the 60s a lot of movies from the 30s looked campy to "modern" viewers. But unlike Batman it was not a deliberate choice fir the series. The humor (unintentional or not) found in those Third Season episodes were nor derived from camp, but from parody and some bad writing.

Disagree about Shatner. He gave many a controlled, nuanced performance in Star Trek. He's also a funny guy (though his humor might not be to everyones taste) and like to bring that to his performance all well.

 

[captcalhoun]

uh, "Duet"?


(oh, god, that is the Aamin Marritza one, right? *checks MA* oh, yeah. it is. phew)

 

[RobertScorpio]

uh, "Duet"?


(oh, god, that is the Aamin Marritza one, right? *checks MA* oh, yeah. it is. phew)

You're good..that is the only one I could come up with myself. Okay...1 out of, what, 112 or so?

Harris Yulan is one of my favorite actors. Did a great job, great great job, as the cardassian.

Rob
Scorpio