TOS was not shy about the female form.
What made Star Trek a wonderful thing to encounter when it was originally being made is that on a given week it felt like it could turn out to be anything - you get a comedy this week, a character drama next week, a shoot-em-up in outer space sometimes and a symbolic morality play others.
We'd watch the "Next Week" trailers at the end of the episodes and go WTF? trying to figure them out in advance.
Like Forest Gump's mama told him: Box of chocolates to the stars.
Exacerbated by the complete lack of advance spoiler availability or press summaries other than the TV Guide paragraph, of course.
Of course, the original doesn't play that way now - its tone feels mannered and prosaic by current standards. But all the reincarnations of it, including Roddenberry's own, have played it safe by working to find a groove that the producers felt made it grown-up, respectable TV - those adjectives were used at various times by several EPs. They just were petrified of looking silly. And when they find that groove, they deliver it week after week after week like a can of Campbell's soup.
What the Hell, I thought this was a show about space exploration?
The IP's off-the-wall storytelling potential has been largely ignored. In fact SNW is the only successor where the producers get that aspect of Star Trek as a core facet of its identity.* They've brought it back in ways that none of their predecessors ever have (at least, for more than a stray hour or two).
At least Starfleet Academy did a decent job of bringing some upbeat energy and a sense of playfulness to their new setting; apparently the influence of the carried-over STD staffers was not dispositive where the overall tone was concerned.
*Though almost everyone who's done a parody or pastiche of Trek leans into exactly this. Almost as if it's a signature of the franchise.
We'd watch the "Next Week" trailers at the end of the episodes and go WTF? trying to figure them out in advance.
Like Forest Gump's mama told him: Box of chocolates to the stars.
Exacerbated by the complete lack of advance spoiler availability or press summaries other than the TV Guide paragraph, of course.
Of course, the original doesn't play that way now - its tone feels mannered and prosaic by current standards. But all the reincarnations of it, including Roddenberry's own, have played it safe by working to find a groove that the producers felt made it grown-up, respectable TV - those adjectives were used at various times by several EPs. They just were petrified of looking silly. And when they find that groove, they deliver it week after week after week like a can of Campbell's soup.
What the Hell, I thought this was a show about space exploration?
The IP's off-the-wall storytelling potential has been largely ignored. In fact SNW is the only successor where the producers get that aspect of Star Trek as a core facet of its identity.* They've brought it back in ways that none of their predecessors ever have (at least, for more than a stray hour or two).
At least Starfleet Academy did a decent job of bringing some upbeat energy and a sense of playfulness to their new setting; apparently the influence of the carried-over STD staffers was not dispositive where the overall tone was concerned.
*Though almost everyone who's done a parody or pastiche of Trek leans into exactly this. Almost as if it's a signature of the franchise.
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No it wasn't. They got away with a lot back then.
Just cover the right bits.
SNW has many things in common with Trek parodies.
Bonanza did the same thing. Rotating between Adventure/Action episode, heavy drama, comedy and they even did fantasy a few times. They could not do an episode every week with Little Joe losing a girlfriend or one of the Cartwright's ending up being shot/kidnapped etc. They needed to have a little fun. As big a fan as I am of the show I didn't like some of the comedy episodes. Some of it went way too far. I didn't think TOS went as far but I do think current Trek has in many regards.
I still love Bonanza at least the bulk of its 14 seasons. So I will still hold out hope that SFA ends up being a great season of Trek....
Keep yer shirt off.
That's basically what they did. Though I think there was some discussion on TOS about showing/not showing underboob..Just cover the right bits.
Carolyn Palamas was about as nude as network TV allowed in 1967 and William Ware Theiss deserved THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS.
When Apollo's windstorm started up we almost got unintentional nudity.
Didn’t one of the making of books refer to that as the “Theiss Titillation Theory?”I think Theiss worked under the rule "make them think it just might fall off."
I go away for a few and this is what I find when I get back? I love TTBBS.
I've been so stoned I could see part of my cataract replacement lens
Bill Theiss's ghost joins the chat
And uncover the unexpected bitsJust cover the right bits.
Theiss ordered his spirit gum by the barrel and applied it with a hose
and yes, showing the unexpected bits was part of the TTT
I agree with your post but I'd dispute this in Voyager's case, which really did go for all kinds of weird stuff, especially when it hit its stride. TNG would probably never have gone for something as format-breaking as "Living Witness", nor would it have gone for comedy episodes like "Body and Soul" or something as unashamedly bizarre as "Tsunkatse", "Concerning Flight", or "Bride of Chaotica" - definitely not a show that was concerned with appearing "respectable" or "grown-up" at the expense of trying weird ideas.
Even "The Thaw" feels like something you wouldn't really see in any of the other non-TOS shows. Same for "Course: Oblivion".
hmm... people watched Voyager?
ENT's biggest swing at "not a typical Trek episode" was probably "ANiS," but that failed spectacularly. It's best claim to fame from an originality standpoint was probably the yearlong Xindi Arc.
"Carbon Creek". Only one actor from the main cast in the bulk of the episode and she's not even playing her character.
That's a good observation. See? The show was good.
I have spoken.
I have spoken.
Would it surprise anyone at this point if I admitted to being very fond of Living Witness, Body and Soul, Concerning Flight, Bride of Chaotica, Course Oblivion, A Night in Sickbay, Carbon Creek and the Xindi arc?
Tsunkatse has my indifference.
Tsunkatse has my indifference.
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