OMG! New preview! And it's great!

[Jackson_Roykirk]

......AND, those promos told me nothing about the story!

No, the synopsis about Farpoint was part of the video press kit distributed to stations by Paramount around August of 1987. I had a copy of it.

Thanks. I remember not knowing much about the plot of episode until I actually saw the episode, so I must have missed the promo at the time.

In retrospect I remember the one with the voice-over saying something about "Humanity on trial", but my memory of it was that promo came later -- as in for syndication.

There were longer promos that did give a little synopsis of each character, such as "...Lt. Cmdr Data -- an android with amazing strength; Counselor Troi -- with incredible psychic powers..."
However, those were not really previews of the "Farpoint" episode (such as the kind we would see in the "next time on Star Trek"-type preview.)

Like I said, I must have not seen that one, because I specifically remember being totally in the dark about the Premiere episode's plot.

 

[Ensign Ogahd Ahmganadai]

For the same reason these were the promos for TNG and DS9 back in 1987 and 1993 respectively (prior to the shows first airings):

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^^^
Action and Explosions and Spectacle (read visual effects) supposedly make the general viewer go: "Ooooooooo...Ahhhhhhhh!" and they tune in.

Oh my. Those previews are ridiculous, and would have given me a totally different view of what both series were actually like. Especially the one for TNG, which is composed entirely of shots from the films and unrelated visual effects.

 

[Ensign Ogahd Ahmganadai]

There were longer promos that did give a little synopsis of each character, such as "...Lt. Cmdr Data, and android with amazing strength, Counselor Troi, with incredible psychic powers..."

Even that trailer contained shot from the films. And gave us a couple of odd descriptions of the characters. Data did have strength, but it was far from his defining feature. Troi was not psychic.

 

[Tuskin38]

Sure they did.

This response doesn’t make any sense to the content of my post.

Who is they, what did they do?

 

[Nerys Myk]

This response doesn’t make any sense to the content of my post.

Who is they, what did they do?

They is TOS and using world building is what they did.

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

Even that trailer contained shot from the films. And gave us a couple of odd descriptions of the characters. Data did have strength, but it was far from his defining feature. Troi was not psychic.

I think Troi was meant to be psychic (i.e., telepathic) as she was written in the Pilot episode, but they later changed her ability to just being able to sense emotions.

Remember in the pilot episode, she and Riker were speaking to each other telepathically. I'm not sure how Riker could do it, but I suppose the reason he could was that Troi was able to both send and receive telepathic thoughts.

I'm glad they did change it because:
a) Her telepathy as it was displayed in "Encounter at Farpoint" was cheesy, and
b) It made for better storytelling. If she was able to read minds as clearly as she displayed when she was "brain talking" to Riker, then that would be the solution to a lot of otherwise dramatic situations that they would encounter without a mind-reader on board.

 

[JD]

"I Love Lucy" is about a yearly rewatch. I own seasons to other >4 season shows like Hogan's Heros, MacGyver.

I've watched The Mentalist and own all the seasons. I've watched Falling Skies. But I haven't rewatched them.

I own and rewatch many other movies, and shorter TV shows. Firefly, Jericho, seaQuest DSV, etc.

But I would have to say that "I Love Lucy" is the only long running show that I both own and frequently rewatch. I'd probably rewatch M*A*S*H frequently if I owned all the seasons.

Ah, OK. I'm a huge TV adict, and watch a ton of shows repeatedly, so the thought of only watching one show regularly was shocking to me. I see I misunderstood you, I thought you meant it was the only show you watched on a regular basis altogether.

 

[Kor]

I think Troi was meant to be psychic (i.e., telepathic) as she was written in the Pilot episode, but they later changed her ability to just being able to sense emotions.

Remember in the pilot episode, she and Riker were speaking to each other telepathically. I'm not sure how Riker could do it, but I suppose the reason he could was that Troi was able to both send and receive telepathic thoughts.

I'm glad they did change it because:
a) Her telepathy as it was displayed in "Encounter at Farpoint" was cheesy, and
b) It made for better storytelling. If she was able to read minds as clearly as she displayed when she was "brain talking" to Riker, then that would be the solution to a lot of otherwise dramatic situations that they would encounter without a mind-reader on board.

Other times they showed Deanna and Lwaxana communicating telepathically.

Kor

 

[Jayson1]

Imagine if you judged all of Trek from the dark lighting in The Doomsday Machine.

If clips from that episode was all we had to judge what the series would look like it would make sense to think that might be the look of the show, overall. I got to admit the darkness doesn't bug me and I am someone who wanted the show to make the tech look and feel more like the 60's era. I liked the idea of taking that look and updating it to feel more modern and then give the show a modern atmosphere like we see in the clips. I would still think it would be gloomy looking but that isn't a bad thing. I would proably prefer something more in between like "FIrefly" but none of it would matter if the show is good.

Jason

 

[Tuskin38]

Other times they showed Deanna and Lwaxana communicating telepathically.

Kor

Troi and Riker have a link, I wouldn't be surprised if parent and child do too.

Besides Lwaxana is full Telepath, she could just read Deanna's mind and insert her thoughts into Deanna’s mind.

 

[Ridcully]

Ye gods...groans

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

Yep. Lwaxana went Full Telepath. Troi never went Full Telepath.

 

[Mudd]

Being made years ago doesn't make it inferior and need to be pushed aside.

It does mean that there's no reason to make new TV shows to match it, because studios are not in the business of deliberately setting tens of millions of dollars on fire in their parking lots just to watch it burn.

Hard to believe sometimes, but they're not.

Let fans build TOS-compatible sets and make their fifteen minute movies under the CBS guidelines. Don't expect people in the business of making professional entertainment to spend a dime doing that.

 

[zar]

Wait, what?

Did I understand something right a few posts up? People don't wanna watch the show because they use the word 'warpcore'? A show set in a fictional future, with fictional tech and fictional terminology, and you get upset about it?

To be fair, it wasn't the word itself. They saw it as evidence that the writers had no respect for the TOS time period (and therefore the show would be unworthy overall), based on the premise that warp cores (and bussards) didn't exist at that time and anyone who's watched TOS would know that. The problem is that premise is based on faulty logic and/or headcanon.

Look at Picard then look at these people.

Yeah was I just looking at Picard's promos. Seems like all he has to say is "Go to yellow alert, arm aft photon torpedoes" while he stomps across the bridge. And he's apparently got a Klingon working for him. Warmongering maniac if you ask me.

 

[jamestyler]

To be fair, it wasn't the word itself. They saw it as evidence that the writers had no respect for the TOS time period (and therefore the show would be unworthy overall), based on the premise that warp cores (and bussards) didn't exist at that time and anyone who's watched TOS would know that. The problem is that premise is based on faulty logic and/or headcanon.

Indeed.

There's a disturbing amount of 'dedicated life fans' who seem happy to gloss over the fact that everything they know to be 'true' Trek was created well after the original series. The Roddenberry vision included.

 

[BillJ]

Let fans build TOS-compatible sets and make their fifteen minute movies under the CBS guidelines. Don't expect people in the business of making professional entertainment to spend a dime doing that.

But that really wasn't what I wanted. I wanted something that felt visually connected to TOS, but there was no need for a carbon copy. Outside of some of the props, the look of Discovery is a miss by a country mile for me.

 

[zar]

Indeed.

There's a disturbing amount of 'dedicated life fans' who seem happy to gloss over the fact that everything they know to be 'true' Trek was created well after the original series. The Roddenberry vision included.

But TOS was the only show that did world-building. Every other show was only "indoctrination".

 

[Ensign Ogahd Ahmganadai]

But that really wasn't what I wanted. I wanted something that felt visually connected to TOS, but there was no need for a carbon copy. Outside of some of the props, the look of Discovery is a miss by a country mile for me.

This seems to be a hang-up for some. The thing is, I'm not sure what they could have done that would have been acceptable to everybody. Even some have mentioned the props (which you are okay with) are too advanced. Anything that even looks like modern 2017 technology would be too advanced.

 

[Noname Given]

But that really wasn't what I wanted. I wanted something that felt visually connected to TOS, but there was no need for a carbon copy. Outside of some of the props, the look of Discovery is a miss by a country mile for me.

Yeah, I'll echo this. I understand and wouldn't want a carbon copy as Discovery is a new unseen 23rd century ship, and it's ridiculous to assume there's only one bridge design for all of Star Fleet.

I also understand why the split the Helm and Navigation stations -- on a 16X9 aspect ratio screen you can still see them and it allows the Captain/First Officer to dramatically stand in the center (of the stage) or walk up from his/her chair and be center screen dramatically responding to a hail or barking Commands <-- and that works very well dramatically so it's good.

I do like a lot of the props (Communicator, Tricorder, Phaser) and I actually like a lot of the display screen layout (I think the full standing screen displays are a bit advanced for this era of Star Trek - but again, not a big deal for me.

Overall, I've found I am disappointed in the uniforms as since this show is occurring just two years after TOS - "The Cage"; while there is a bit of a call back to the female 'Cage' style tunic (the front collar 'flap') - it would have been nice to not have such an abrupt difference to the rest of it. Hell even the JJVerse of the 2230ies (IE the ST2009 opening scene of thwe U.S.S. Kelvin) still had multi-colored tunic tops (and yeah, I don't really like the way they are doing it here with the Silver/Gold inlay and piping) - but again, not a big deal or deal breaker.

I'll also be curious if they at least throw some dialog 'Easter Eggs' and at least once have some officer yell out the order: "Deflectors! Full intensity!" at least once during the run of the series; and I would love to see an Engineer talk about their "Matter/Anti-Matter reactor" before they go to the 24th century dialog of "Warp Core". (I also hope we never hear to term "Warp Core is about to breach" either, as that's another 24th century Star Trek trope best left discarded - but we'll see.

Overall, I'm still in anticipation of the series, the story; and I like there new weekly Star trek available again. I just hope it's not 24th century Trek in regards to the characters, etc. - but just stuck inside some 23rd century trappings. The 23rd century was not really shown or described as a 'Utopia' - and it STILL used forms of currency (Federation Credits and a few other forms); unlike how Jean Luc Picard described the 24th century <-- so I hope that aspect remains as well in this updated 23rd century.

 

[zar]

^ And of course, by 24th century, you mean 21st, 22nd, and 24th.