News Kurtzman: Starfleet Academy Series On The Way

Do they use a lot violins? I'm not really a soundtrack guy, so that stuff is literally in one ear and out the other.

 

We can't make any judgment on any future Star Trek series, because every single one has been completely different. The Berman era (Voyager and Enterprise, and to a much lesser extent, DS9) followed the same style as TNG, eventually solidifying into an industrial process that even Enterprise Season 4 couldn't break.

This isn't Berman and/or Braga running the show. This is Kurtzman stepping back and giving every show a different flavor and style with different showrunners (and, in Discovery and Picard's case, multiple different opposing showrunners over multiple seasons). Star Trek isn't really a franchise anymore, or even a genre. It's just a thing that can encompass anything under (or over) the Sun.

 

They do indeed!

 

Mileage will vary. I'm moved by Michael whether it's the first or whatever time. Same with Picard (and more so than even in TNG). Lower Decks doesn't have those emotional beats. Mariner gets close but even that is sparse. Which I guess is a good thing since some do not want the emotionality in a series that I do.

 

While I do think Discovery emotions can be overwrought, I do think it's unlikely a Starfleet Academy show would go in the same direction.

The basic reason for this is most obstacles young people face feel important to them, but trivial to outside observers. Obviously it hurts to fail a class, have a friendship fall apart, or get dumped. However, without a ton of good character work it's going to be all that moving to viewers, because these events aren't intrinsically tragic enough unless it makes the viewer think back on their own experiences. Otherwise the characters will just feel like petty whiners - particularly to older viewers who have all this shit out of their system.

Now, there are other options besides all of the basic teen/20something crap to get viewers invested in characters. You could have some sort of tragic family backstory, but you don't want to overdo it with too many characters. You could have a background of adversity - though it's hard to make this work in a Starfleet setting. You could have a conflict between what the cadet wants and what their family wants. A character could have issues with drugs, alcohol, or some other addictive behavior. There are lots of potential options here - enough to flush out a reasonably-sized cast.

 

That's an interesting point.

I'd say I see more in common with the Kurtzman era than you suggest, albeit with differences. I don't see it as much different to the TNG era - TNG and DS9 are as different on the surface as DSC and PIC, but clearly share a common architecture.

 

If anything, I think you've persuaded me that it's even more likely that it could be more overwrought even than Discovery (very apt word choice there, by the way!)

Young people have fewer relatable problems to fall back on, and Kurtzman's era is all about broken and flawed characters. I think I'll be waking in a cold sweat having nightmares about a show with a cast full of Tillys...

 

Even they are as emotional I think a lot of audience members could be more forgiving than they will ever be with Discovery. Michael has a certain expectation now and is constantly beaten up for failing it. Cadets will be expected to be more emotional, and to struggle along.

I do agree that there is a lot of potential for a Starfleet Academy cast. Of the shows out there this one probably excites me the most.

But, no matter what, I don't think any emotional displays will be tolerated.

 

^ Except in moderation.

 

I just see that as reason to re-conscript da Woim

 

Not necessarily here, but out on the Internet a lot of the opposition to emotional displays sounds like they’re coming from the bro-ey “Anyone who is ever sad about anything is emo” persuasion.

It’ll be interesting to see how they write the Academy series. Whether they approach it as a school drama or have some kind of Red Squad to send the characters on missions.

 

The idea that the characters on DIS are too emotional is ridiculous, and makes me think the people saying that are themselves emotionally stunted, repressed individuals with unhealthy coping mechanisms that they want ST to validate.

 

I mean, people have their own comfort levels with different emotions. People go to ST for fun and escapism, as I am often told. So, if they encounter emotions that are uncomfortable then having it occur more often is gong to lead to more annoyance than engagement.

 

Why thank you, Commander Troi.

 

The word "Sense" wasn't used.

 

Touché

 

Hey!

 

That's why emotion awareness is good for real people but not fictional people. We want them to be emotionally stunted with bad coping mechanisms.

 

If so this is why most fiction fails to work for me any more. Most of the people now are just completely and totally unhealthy and no I can't turn a blind eye to it.