If your editor thinks the gore or rape scenes "don't work" or disrupt narrative flow etc. then I would be be interested in reading her thoughts. But you know full well that isn't what I'm talking about, nor is OP.
Spoilers R rated content - what does it add?
- Thread starter Smoked Salmon
- Start date
"R" rated content adds nothing. In fact, it takes content away. I had to stop watching the show after the fifth episode because Discovery is just too danged gory. F-bombs I couldn't care less about, but gore and graphic violence are huge no-nos. I literally become violently ill at the sight of it. So, for me, the "R" rated content took away all new Star Trek, something I've loved for over 35 years.
Yes, yes, "other shows on cable do this now too." That's why I watch very few new television shows these days. It's like Jurassic Park. Just because you can do a thing, doesn't necessarily mean that you should do that thing.
Yes, yes, "other shows on cable do this now too." That's why I watch very few new television shows these days. It's like Jurassic Park. Just because you can do a thing, doesn't necessarily mean that you should do that thing.
Do the gore, swearing and boobs add anything important to the show? Not really.
But this is the Trek they want to tell, the Trek their focus groups have no doubt told them they'd get the most long-term subscribers with, and that's what they're doing. It doesn't bother me, but I can see why people who want to Trek with their little kids might be unhappy.
But this is the Trek they want to tell, the Trek their focus groups have no doubt told them they'd get the most long-term subscribers with, and that's what they're doing. It doesn't bother me, but I can see why people who want to Trek with their little kids might be unhappy.
Discovery is actually mild compared to many cable shows. There's only a few instances where they push it a little. A few F bombs and a few other gratuitous scenes, but not actually that much. While other streaming/cable shows are embracing the ability to show more and do more, Discovery is sticking more closely to broadcast norms--again with a few exceptions.
What's happening is that some people are comparing it to other Trek shows, and yes, it is a bit more extreme in that regard. But, compared to other streaming/cable shows--mild stuff.
What's happening is that some people are comparing it to other Trek shows, and yes, it is a bit more extreme in that regard. But, compared to other streaming/cable shows--mild stuff.
Especially since the showrunners had previously said that it would still be the kind of show people could share with their families.
Kor
Yeah, because you know, those are the standard check boxes that you just have to check to be cool, right? Of course, I'm being just a tad sarcastic because your list of check boxes seems pretty random.
"Previously"? They said that on October 11, a week after it was announced that episode 9 would be airing this Sunday, and that same night they tweeted production had completely wrapped on season 1. The episode with the mangled corpses had already aired, and this episode was definitely already in the bag. This is still a show that can be shared with families, with a few "risky" scenes occasionally, exactly as they described. If this show cannot be shared with families, then neither can TOS or TNG for their occasional horror and torture scenes, and their shits, damns, hells, and bollocks.
Yeah, right?
But concering the sex/rape scene: I think it was really unnecessary to show those whole 30sec or what it was. It was more of like "Oh, okay that's what a naked Klingon woman looks like" and then "Okay, that's really gross", but it wasn't, you know, shocking. I'm not saying you should make rape scenes more realistic (hell no!), quite the opposite.
I don't know if anyone has seen Downton Abbey, but in season four there is a rape scene, but really un-graphic. You see everything before and after and THAT was shocking. I was literally shaking and couldn't get myself together until two hours after. I really felt like this happened in real life, to a friend or so.
So what I'm trying to say is, that graphic scenes are often super unnecessary and don't add anything to a TV show. That's what @Smoked Salmon said as well and I agree.
So far for ST: D - nothing really. These writers really either don't know how to make such content effectively with the confines of established Star Trek, or really don't see the need (but of course marketing sees it as a 'selling point' to be promoted.)
One ridiculous F-Bomb that really added nothing to the story or situation it was spoken in. (Yes, Burnham said, "Shit! That worked!) once, but these days, that's still PG-13 at best.)
One ridiculous F-Bomb that really added nothing to the story or situation it was spoken in. (Yes, Burnham said, "Shit! That worked!) once, but these days, that's still PG-13 at best.)
Youngsters can absorb a lot as long as responsible adults explain stuff. Still, in retrospect, taking my 12 year old son to Borat was probably not a good idea--that should've been NC-17, for fuck's sake.
Or the Faceless Woman in "Charlie X," which freaked me out as a kid and still disturbs me more than anything I've seen on DISCOVERY. And let's note that being scary and disturbing is not a bad thing by definition. Kids (at least some kids) love scary stuff. We look back fondly on the movies and TV shows that scared the bejezus out of us when we were kids.
And Star Trek has never been G-rated Disney fare. Remember Khan slaughtering all those people on Regula One, albeit offstage.
"He cut their throats . . .. "
^ Indeed! Scary was a good chunk of conversations. And not 'Doctor Who' barely registering scary, but proper scary for a kid. I recall the mystique of Freddie Kruger when I was 8. The school was buzzing about it being banned, so we HAD to see it! T2? Nine year old me was fascinated by the almost human machine. And people getting stabbed in the face by liquid metal man (ended up getting ALL the toys!).
With Disco so far - the gore's really not that gory in comparison to a lot of media kids are exposed to (even in our reasonably strict household). Not that I'd say Discovery's a kids show, far from it, but there's only one scene that seems a step too far for the younger members of the household (Tyler/L'Rell flashbacks) - and I'm more than happy for the teenager to see it as it brings a visual reality to the nonsense kids (other kids) joke about in school these days.
A lot of the blood and broken bones has finally brought a reality to the often light touch of television in recent years. L'Rell's assault is also a great plot point in terms of showing how damaged Tyler is under the surface (something they've commented on before - especially with shroomed Stamets).
R Rated content can be done for many reasons. Discovery's is tied to the story.
With Disco so far - the gore's really not that gory in comparison to a lot of media kids are exposed to (even in our reasonably strict household). Not that I'd say Discovery's a kids show, far from it, but there's only one scene that seems a step too far for the younger members of the household (Tyler/L'Rell flashbacks) - and I'm more than happy for the teenager to see it as it brings a visual reality to the nonsense kids (other kids) joke about in school these days.
A lot of the blood and broken bones has finally brought a reality to the often light touch of television in recent years. L'Rell's assault is also a great plot point in terms of showing how damaged Tyler is under the surface (something they've commented on before - especially with shroomed Stamets).
R Rated content can be done for many reasons. Discovery's is tied to the story.
The novelization goes in much more detail about Khan's actions on Regula One. I read the novelization of the TWOK when I was 12 (the year it came out). I don't know how gruesome I'd think that scene in the book is now (haven't reread it since then), but as a kid that scene really disturbed me. From what I remember, there were details about how he cut their throats in such a way so they'd die slowly in order to get them to talk, but they didn't talk even knowing full well what was happening. Made a huge impression!
Star Trek is supposed to be about a future society, not the present. Unless your idea of a future utopia is people going around saying "fucking cool", then it doesn't belong. Despite how casual people have become about swearing today, I would hope people realize that this is a historic anomaly and if it persists it's a sign we're headed more towards Idiocracy than Star Trek.
Now can you find isolated cases of Trek being on the edge? Of course you can, because Trek has so many hours of programming. But these are outliers, not part of the mission-statement.
As far as the Orville, while yes, they push the envelope on network TV with dick jokes and things, at its heart it does what all memorable TV does--build a family-like ensemble. We've come to expect a Trek crew to genuinely care about each other's welfare. They stick together. They work as a team. They don't just bark orders dictatorially the way Lorca does. So The Orville is ultimately a comforting watch in a day and age when people in the real world tend to behave much like on Discovery, arguing and bickering and not working for the greater good.
Or in the future they realize "fuck" is just a word with no real intrinsic naughtiness, no different than "sex," "coitus," "making love," or "copulate." The only reason they are bad words is because we arbitrarily decided they are bad.
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