Social Commentary in this new Star Trek show

[TwoJakes]

Soap operas are filled with social commentary.

I wonder if we are going to see a alien version of Donald Trump or something.

The Federation has patrols and space stations and monitors along the Klingon border and the Romulan neutral zone, sound like they already have a council filled with Donald Trumps ... for the better too.

The social commentary I'd like to see would present both sides of a given issue equally, then (if possible) see if the matter could be worked out. Instead of one side being presented as wrong and evil and the alternative being blindingly obvious and good.

 

[Spider]

They generally go hand in hand. Otherwise you end up with a soap opera.

Star Trek by it's very nature will have social commentary. To demand more of it, to concentrate on making social statements rather than entertainment is what I was talking about.

Star Trek's "social commentary" should come in the form of plot development without beating us over the head directly with messages from the actors. Hopefully that clears up my stance. Maybe. LOL

 

[uniderth]

I would like to see a collapse of an empire storyline. All empires fall eventually. That could be very relevant and probably quite prophetic.

 

[Spider]

I would like to see a collapse of an empire storyline. All empires fall eventually. That could be very relevant and probably quite prophetic.

Which empire? If I'm not mistaken, the series takes place between the TOS and TNG timelines, supposedly with the original timeline (pre-Abrams) intact. If, and I am stating IF here, that is the case, then all the important political entities that would make for good drama are still very much in business and aren't collapsing.

If you're talking the new series taking off into another alternate timeline I have no problem with that if it's done right.

 

[uniderth]

Which empire? If I'm not mistaken, the series takes place between the TOS and TNG timelines, supposedly with the original timeline (pre-Abrams) intact.

I thought that was a rumor based on a misquote. That they would like the show to be similar to the time between TUC and TNG. But I'm not up on the latest news.

 

[AviTrek]

Which empire? If I'm not mistaken, the series takes place between the TOS and TNG timelines, supposedly with the original timeline (pre-Abrams) intact. If, and I am stating IF here, that is the case, then all the important political entities that would make for good drama are still very much in business and aren't collapsing.

If you're talking the new series taking off into another alternate timeline I have no problem with that if it's done right.

There was one site making that claim that was picked up as "confirmation" by multiple sites. But there has been no official confirmation by anyone involved with the show or CBS. So it's all still speculation.

 

[TwoJakes]

They could create a previously unheard of Empire, for the sole purpose of having it collapse. Do it like the old soviet union, comes apart over the course of a few seasons, internal strife, economic reasons, external military pressure (Starfleet and others).

Have it split into factions and ethnic groups. Some are more of a problem than others.

 

[ancient]

I got an idea. How about we lose the social commentary and just concentrate on story telling?

Yes.

I don't need to be reminded about saving the whales again.

 

[TwoJakes]

Star Trek's "social commentary" should come in the form of plot development without beating us over the head directly with messages from the actors.

If that is the aim point, then a happy medium would have to be obtained. It's a fine like between delightfully subtle and confusingly vague.

Certainly Star Trek shouldn't lose depictions of social responsibility on the part of the shows heroes.

 

[Nerys Myk]

tar Trek's "social commentary" should come in the form of plot development without beating us over the head directly with messages from the actors. Hopefully that clears up my stance. Maybe. LOL

Uh, have you watched Star Trek?????

 

[Spot261]

We evolved beyond patriotism centuries ago

 

[STEPhon IT]

Which empire? If I'm not mistaken, the series takes place between the TOS and TNG timelines, supposedly with the original timeline (pre-Abrams) intact. If, and I am stating IF here, that is the case, then all the important political entities that would make for good drama are still very much in business and aren't collapsing.

If you're talking the new series taking off into another alternate timeline I have no problem with that if it's done right.

Does it have to be? It's not possible to have social commentary in the world of JJTrek?
Could the new series be bogged down by social commentary? I'm not sure if it requires it as long as the individual story has something to say?

 

[JD]

I'd like to see them find some new challenging issues that haven't been done to death on TV already.

 

[Tim Walker]

The craft of fiction.....

Social commentary is best when it is intertwined with, and grows out of, drama.

I don't like stories when the social commentary turns preachy.

 

[TheFlutteringHorde]

What kind of social commentary would you like to see in this new Star Trek show? I wonder if we are going to see a alien version of Donald Trump or something.

I don't know about Trump himself, but immigration issues that have helped fuel him are certainly well within Trek's wheelhouse. I'd personally prefer to see the social commentary tie more into the characters, than in the grand pronouncement style. Episodes that deal with where a character comes from, their own flaws, their own experiences, and their prejudices tend to be better. Episodes where the Enterprise shows up at a planet that has an obvious parallel to now tend to be weaker, in my opinion. The difference between episodes like "I Borg" and "Up The Long Ladder". A big thing I think they need to avoid though, is author tracts. They might have the best of intentions when they set out, but all too often they're filled with unfortunate implications, and prejudices that are obvious even for the time they were made.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I'd like to see them find some new challenging issues that haven't been done to death on TV already.

Sadly we've been dealing with the same issues since we gained sentience. All that's changed is the names. So there are no actual new issues.

 

[Mudd]

I want to see the riveting social commentary of "The Doomsday Machine," "The Enemy Within," and "The City On The Edge Of Forever."

 

[AviTrek]

For a series aired during the height of the nuclear arms race and MAD, I think the social commentary of "The Doomsday Machine" is fairly obvious.

 

[Spot261]

Or the way The City on the Edge of Forever shows a stark contrast between the lifestyles of our heroes and that of people living in poverty in the 20th century? The way it equates the morality and selflessness of our heroes with charity workers and volunteers needed to make society a safer more decent place?

The way it then puts the value of individual human life as a necessary price for a greater good but specifically has one character become emotionally attached to that individual to ask questions about the difference between objective and personal decisions.

 

[Spider]

Sometimes good drama is just good drama. Reading into every little thing is a distraction, to me at least. If I want to "learn" something, I'll read a book. TV shows are entertainment. As long as the characters are interesting, and the interesting characters are doing interesting things (drama, comedy, whatever), that's all I require from a TV show.