Let’s be silly: predict the number of seasons Discovery runs; come back later to see if you're right

[eschaton]

My own prediction is for five seasons. I say this for three reasons:

1. Salaries tend to rise every season a show is on the air, which makes the show less and less cost-effective to produce.
2. We know that CBS is nearing the maximum number of Trek shows it wants to simultaneously produce, and is holding back other concepts (like Section 31) until something goes off the air.
3. Perhaps most importantly, pretty soon it will no longer be clear Discovery is the flagship Trek production. For a long period of time, CBS had to be committed to the show because it wanted to revive Trek in order to get its streaming service off the ground, and everything else was years behind in terms of production. But by 2022 we'll be into Picard's second season and Strange New World's first - not to mention the animated shows. At some point one of them is going to surpass Discovery in terms of popularity, and the show could be in serious danger.

 

[Swedish Borg]

My own prediction is for five seasons. I say this for three reasons:

1. wants to simultaneously produce, and is holding back other concepts (like Section 31) until something goes off the air.
2. ....

Sounds like a game of musical chairs.

 

[Quinton]

Seasons, yes, number of episodes, I don't think so.

I'm already bracing myself for a decade's worth of claims after the show has ended that it's actually the least successful entry in the franchise because it bowed out with fewer episodes than any of the rest. It's silly as heck -- some folks just don't want to acknowledge the fact that few non-procedurals run twenty-something episodes a year anymore.

It would be pretty crazy IMO if Discovery somehow surpassed Enterprise in episode count. Enterprise was already ten ahead of what DIS presently has under its belt after only its second season! That's just how stuff goes these days.

Maybe TOS' 80 is possible? I'm still super-doubtful, even if I'm wrong about six seasons (which is entirely likely, of course) and it goes for seven or even more! Another four seasons at 13 episodes a pop would take Burnham and the gang to 94, within striking distance of ENT and well past TOS, but like we said earlier I don't foresee DIS continually receiving 13-episode orders.

Aaaand that was a whole lot of mincing technicalities for no real reason, sorry.

 

[Swedish Borg]

I'm already bracing myself for a decade's worth of claims after the show has ended that it's actually the least successful entry in the franchise because it bowed out with fewer episodes than any of the rest. It's silly as heck -- some folks just don't want to acknowledge the fact that few non-procedurals run twenty-something episodes a year anymore.

It would be pretty crazy IMO if Discovery somehow surpassed Enterprise in episode count. Enterprise was already ten ahead of what DIS presently has under its belt after only its second season! That's just how stuff goes these days.

Maybe TOS' 80 is possible? I'm still super-doubtful, even if I'm wrong about six seasons (which is entirely likely, of course) and it goes for seven or even more! Another four seasons at 13 episodes a pop would take Burnham and the gang to 94, within striking distance of ENT and well past TOS, but like we said earlier I don't foresee DIS continually receiving 13-episode orders.

Aaaand that was a whole lot of mincing technicalities for no real reason, sorry.

Well for TOS it's actually 79 as the pilot not only doesn't count but is practically duplicated in two of the regular episodes.

I think 79 episodes Is possible with seven seasons but with only six it's doubtful.

 

[Lord Garth]

Let's say DSC runs seven seasons, for the sake of argument, and S5-S7 are cut down to 10 episodes each.

S1: Episodes 1-15
S2: Episodes 16-29
S3: Episodes 30-42
S4: Episodes 43-55
S5: Episodes 56-65 (hypothetical)
S6: Episodes 66-75 (hypothetical)
S7: Episodes 76-85 (hypothetical)

But let's say it stays at 13 episodes per season. Then, from S5 on, it would look like this:

S5: Episodes 56-68 (hypothetical)
S6: Episodes 69-81 (hypothetical)
S7: Episodes 82-94 (hypothetical)

So, if DSC follows the seven-season model, then it's on track to have more episodes than TOS but not more episodes than ENT.

 

[FederationHistorian]

Let's say DSC runs seven seasons, for the sake of argument, and S5-S7 are cut down to 10 episodes each.

S1: Episodes 1-15
S2: Episodes 16-29
S3: Episodes 30-42
S4: Episodes 43-55
S5: Episodes 56-65 (hypothetical)
S6: Episodes 66-75 (hypothetical)
S7: Episodes 76-85 (hypothetical)

But let's say it stays at 13 episodes per season. Then, from S5 on, it would look like this:

S5: Episodes 56-68 (hypothetical)
S6: Episodes 69-81 (hypothetical)
S7: Episodes 82-94 (hypothetical)

So, if DSC follows the seven-season model, then it's on track to have more episodes than TOS but not more episodes than ENT.

DSC gets a “first time ever in Star Trek history” season 8 to surpass ENT in number of episodes.

 

[Quinton]

What I love about this place is that I’m not the only person who will do hypothetical episode count breakdowns for the potential number of seasons that a science fiction television show will run for.

We all know that, ultimately, it’s a fairly meaningless barometer even within the context of the show — to say nothing of how unimportant it is in the grand scheme of life, the universe, and everything. But we do it anyway, because it’s fun.

 

[JRoss]

Honestly I think it's only getting one more. Sure, Paramount needs it, but they're stretching themselves REALLY thin right now. Prodigy for the kids, LD for the folks who are my age, PIC only one more year (Stewart is too old to keep going) and SNW for pretty much everyone. SNW has name recognition, what with the Enterprise and Spock. And Rebecca Romijn is more famous than anyone else on all of the shows (except perhaps for the cast of Picard).

 

[Swedish Borg]

Honestly I think it's only getting one more. Sure, Paramount needs it, but they're stretching themselves REALLY thin right now. Prodigy for the kids, LD for the folks who are my age, PIC only one more year (Stewart is too old to keep going) and SNW for pretty much everyone. SNW has name recognition, what with the Enterprise and Spock. And Rebecca Romijn is more famous than anyone else on all of the shows (except perhaps for the cast of Picard).

How about that section 31 show they were talking about?

 

[StarMan]

How about that section 31 show they were talking about?

Hopefully that remains down the cul-de-sac of bad ideas and dies. I think S31 - like The MU - is a concept that works best in small doses. Efforts to expand the idea post-DS9 have all been pretty damn underwhelming, in any event. As for Georgiou - while I appreciate the snazzy boots and sharp-tongued quips, I still struggle to get past the "murdered billions" achievement on her resume.

As for Discovery - five.

I'd much rather know whether Paramount are letting Kurtzman keep the keys to the franchise after his deal expires.

 

[Reyman]

At some point, maybe after 7 seasons, I'd quite like a sentient Discovery/sphere data to end up abandoned somewhere and then find itself a new crew. Or maybe it ends up finding its way to Prime Lorca.

 

[Danja]

I personally think five, mainly because a lot of shows these days voluntarily pull the plug after their fifth season.

Netflix has been cutting off shows after four seasons (Sabrina and Lost in Space both saw the axe after four seasons. Orange Is The New Black currently holds the streaming record with seven seasons).

(I've left Picard off the list because I'm guessing, as many are guessing, that it will end with three seasons or so under its belt due to Sir Patrick's advanced age.)

PIC only one more year (Stewart is too old to keep going)

Don't count Sir Patrick out (He wants to work ... he has a physiological NEED to work).

Why else do you think Kurtzman is bringing in heavy hitters like Seven, Guinan, and Q? They can ease the burden on Sir Patrick.

It's no longer exclusively HIS show (if it ever was).

OK, the man can't do the stuff he did back in the 80's. That said, he can still deliver one hell of a performance (his scene with Seven of Nine in Stardust City Rag knocked it out of the park):

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He's hardly frail.

 

[JRoss]

How about that section 31 show they were talking about?

Hopefully that remains down the cul-de-sac of bad ideas and dies. I think S31 - like The MU - is a concept that works best in small doses. Efforts to expand the idea post-DS9 have all been pretty damn underwhelming, in any event. As for Georgiou - while I appreciate the snazzy boots and sharp-tongued quips, I still struggle to get past the "murdered billions" achievement on her resume.

As for Discovery - five.

I'd much rather know whether Paramount are letting Kurtzman keep the keys to the franchise after his deal expires.

Yeah, I'm not excited for the S31 show, and it looks as if it's died on the vine. That's a good thing. They're already spreading themselves thin. Plus, wasn't it supposed to have Georgiu, Tyler and L'Rell? You know, I don't see that situation working out very well.

 

[JRoss]

Don't count Sir Patrick out (He wants to work ... he has a physiological NEED to work).

Why else do you think Kurtzman is bringing in heavy hitters like Seven, Guinan, and Q? They can ease the burden on Sir Patrick.

It's no longer exclusively HIS show (if it ever was).

That's a good thing. They could transition it to another character.

 

[dupersuper]

That's a good thing. They could transition it to another character.

If he and Beverly have a kid like in the novels, they could follow them and keep the same name. Or maybe his sister-in-law.

 

[fireproof78]

How about that section 31 show they were talking about?

Fingers crossed it will happen.

 

[Swedish Borg]

Fingers crossed it will happen.

I always say: The more star trek we get the better.

 

[dupersuper]

I always say: The more star trek we get the better.

Wellll.....

 

[Lord Garth]

Well, it looks like three live-action series is what they're going to stick with. So the only way we'll get anything else is if one of the existing series ends. It's probably going to be a while.

And I think Picard will have a long run. I don't think it'll run seven seasons, but I think it won't be just two or three. Patrick Stewart might be 81, but William Shatner is 90 and he's still around. I think Patrick Stewart will be able to go the distance, however long that is. Hopefully. If not, then they'll just continue what would've been Picard under a different name. Unless they decide to rename La Sirena to "Picard", so they can justify keeping the same series title.

 

[Jayson1]

I'm going with zero and 5. If Sam Beckett doesn't screw up he will prevent this version from ever happening and helping Fuller get his show. All in the guise of fixing what once went wrong. Then he leaps into someone else so he can talk Gena Carano into not sending that tweet.