STD Future Seasons Shorter?

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Discovery' started by ELURIA, Aug 29, 2016.

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How Many Episodes Should Future Seasons Of STD Have?

  1. 13 episodes like season one

    32 vote(s)
    38.6%
  2. 10 episodes like Bryan Fuller prefers

    18 vote(s)
    21.7%
  3. 26 episodes like in the good ole Rick Berman days

    16 vote(s)
    19.3%
  4. More than 13, less than 26

    15 vote(s)
    18.1%
  5. Give me Genes... uh, give me post-Nemesis!!

    2 vote(s)
    2.4%
  1. Kevin Wolff

    Kevin Wolff Captain Captain

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    I would love Trek to be on every day too, but it takes time to make good scifi, no matter the budget. This is why there are more than a handful of less than stellar Trek episodes over the years. The 20+ episode series model was always too constraining for genre television. The visual quality bar is ever higher these days now that Star Wars is proliferating again, and new shows like "The Expanse" are starting to push the envelope in terms of complex content. Trek has some catching up to do, and since the first season is also burdened with the world-building for seasons to come, I'm glad they are being careful.
     
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  2. Kevin Wolff

    Kevin Wolff Captain Captain

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    Aug 26, 2016
    They could do what B5 and BSG did with varying degrees of success, and make a couple one-off tv films to fill the void. Not every story needs 10-13 episodes to tell, and it would help ease our pain during hiatus.
     
  3. JediMindMeld

    JediMindMeld Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Jul 31, 2016
    Shorter is definitely better. I just spent two months rewatching DS9, and there are like 10 good episodes out of 104 in the first 4 seasons of the show. I can't believe the number of hours they wasted on absolute nonsense. If they had gotten to the Dominion wars in the first season I think it would have been a lot more popular. It would have been better television for sure.
     
  4. Kevin Wolff

    Kevin Wolff Captain Captain

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    Agreed. At one point in those early seasons, I felt like I was attending a bajoran monestary training to be a Vedek. It was painful.
     
  5. RandyS

    RandyS Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The traditionalist in me says it should be 26 like it used to be, but I wouldn't be against a shorter run. Maybe 20.
     
  6. Kevin Wolff

    Kevin Wolff Captain Captain

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    Aug 26, 2016
    The downside to short seasons is it's easier for a couple lesser episodes to spoil the tone of the season, especially when serialized. And storytelling beats need to keep moving and keep resonating. They can't slow things to a crawl like The Walking Dead. By episode 13 we need to feel like we've been through the wringer with the DSC crew, and can't wait to go through it again.
     
  7. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    The Old Mixer, Somewhere in Connecticut
    Skip G.
    Exhibit H. Hell on Wheels

    Happy to see Trek boldly go forward and enter the millennium. Quality over quantity.
     
  8. Ovation

    Ovation Admiral Admiral

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    As I tell my son--you get what you get and you don't get upset. ;)
     
  9. JayTheTrekkie

    JayTheTrekkie Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Nova Scotia, Canada
    Since season 1 of Discovery would start in 2255 (depending on what month it starts)....would 13 episodes cover most of that year?
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2016
  10. tomalak301

    tomalak301 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    10 episodes just go way too fast. My favorite series, Orphan Black, does 10 episode seasons and they almost feel over as soon as they begin. 13 is a solid number.
     
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  11. Kor

    Kor Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Heh, Luther has variable numbers of episodes per season/series. Series 1 had six episodes, series 2 and 3 had four episodes each, and series 4 only had two episodes. :wtf: It's a great show, but I sure hope STD won't be like that!

    I am OK with 10 to 13 episodes. That's a good amount to ensure less filler and better quality storytelling.

    Kor
     
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  12. Lord Garth

    Lord Garth Admiral Admiral

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    It's possible that it wouldn't, but it could. Here's the breakdown of Mad Men:

    Season 1 (2007) --> March - December 1960
    Season 2 (2008) --> February - November 1962
    Season 3 (2009) --> April - December 1963
    Season 4 (2010) --> November 1964 - October 1965
    Season 5 (2012) --> May 1966 - March 1967
    Season 6 (2013) --> December 1967 - November 1968
    Season 7A (2014) --> January - July 1969
    Season 7B (2015) --> April - October 1970

    Each season was 13 episodes, except for the seventh, which was broken in two halves with seven episodes each. They all cover a normal seasons' worth of time, if you count S7 as really being two seasons.
     
  13. kirk55555

    kirk55555 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Washington State, USA
    I'd prefer 26 episodes, but no less then 13.
     
  14. Mark_Nguyen

    Mark_Nguyen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Calgary, Alberta
    Star Trek has plenty of great standalone episodes that aren't filler in any sense, as they are good, solid stories. If they can manage to have 10 episodes of arc and three standalones that are GOOD episodes and not there just to pad out the budget or just for the sake of filling out a season episode order.

    Hell, I'd have a ten-episode arc, and three extra episodes besides, aired every few months between seasons to keep the audience engaged. Like Doctor Who kinda-sorta did.

    Mark
     
  15. tomalak301

    tomalak301 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I don't like the notion that filler episodes are bad episodes. That's where the character development can happen, where you can be short on plot but the characters are allowed to grow. That's another reason I'm not a fan of the 10 episode season. It's just so short that there feels like there is no room to breath.
     
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  16. Kevin Wolff

    Kevin Wolff Captain Captain

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    I try not to think about it because the 26 episode season is gone for any show utilizing extensive VFX, and yes, gone with it are those "filler" episodes where we got to know the characters better. They're mostly what I watch these days after getting tired of the great episodes.
    Also, serialization is tricky for Trek. BSG used it at first to great advantage and then eventually hanged itself with it. A typical Trek season would evolve as it goes and character focus would shift to include fan favorites (O'Brien, Rom, Martok, etc). Cliffhangers would be written with no ending planned (well maybe it's best they can't do that anymore).
    In a serialized format, most of the story needs to be finalized before starting, so in-season tweaking isn't as feasible.

    It's going to be a very different Star Trek. If it were anyone else but Fuller I'd be concerned that it might be too far removed from what we love, kind of like the jjverse. I do think the look is going to shock us and am excited for that.
     
  17. trekfan_1

    trekfan_1 Commander Red Shirt

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    Jul 12, 2011
    I'm ok with 13 episodes. To me the run time is more important. Based on the latest news it looks like it would around 48 minutes. Although the actual quote I'm hearing is 12 minutes of ads per hour. I'm hoping that means if Fuller and company want to extend the run time beyond 48 minutes to say close to 60 minutes without the ads, that would be ok if they tacked on a proportional amount of ads to compensate for the extra run time.
     
  18. trekfan_1

    trekfan_1 Commander Red Shirt

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    Jul 12, 2011
    I also don't agree with the line of thought that 13 episodes or even 10 episodes is not enough time for character development. Sherlock only has 3 episodes a season and they have not suffered in that department at all. But again the difference is that the episodes are 90 minutes long. As long as they take their time to tell the story properly , Discovery will be fine at 10-13 episodes.

    Looking back at some older trek shows, I reminded on how many disconnected subplots they often did just for filler purposes. Trimming those out in an episode to episode basis would also go a long way to maximizing storytelling and developing characters.. .
     
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  19. Anna Yolei

    Anna Yolei Vice Admiral Admiral

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    In a sane world maybe, but Paramount has been blatant about bending this fandom over and charging stupid ridiculous pricing for the various TV shows. Even Enterprise was hovering in the 100 dollar range.

    I'll believe it when I see it.
     
  20. Anna Yolei

    Anna Yolei Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Jan 15, 2003
    As for the topic of this thread, while I'd personally prefer 13 episodes, I most what this:
    Less episodes means less filler.