Are you joking? We've been picking Trek apart since the Sixties. One guy, Phil Farrand, made quite a career out of it.
Believability and consistency aren't the same thing in fiction. Gene's rule was never about the minutiae.
Here's what Gene actually said on the topic
CAN YOU FIND THE MAJOR STAR TREK FORMAT ERROR IN THE FOLLOWING "TEASER" FROM A STORY OUTLINE?
The scene is the Bridge of the U.S.S. (United States Spaceship) Enterprise. Captain Kirk is at his command
position, his lovely but highly efficient female Yeoman
at his side. Suddenly and without provocation, our Starship is attacked by an alien space vessel. We try
to warn the alien vessel off, but it igneres us and
begins loosening bolts of photon energy-plasma at us.
The alien vessel's attack begins to weaken our deflectors.
Mister Spock reports to Captain Kirk that the next
enemy bolt will probably break through and destroy the
Enterprise. At this moment we look up to see that final
energy-plasma bolt heading for us. There may be only
four or five seconds of life left. Kirk puts his arms
about his lovely Yeoman, comforting and embracing her
as they wait for what seems certain death. FADE OUT.
(END TEASER)
PLEASE CHECK ONE:
( ) Inaccurate terminology. The Enterprise is more
correctly an international vessel, the United Spaceship Enterprise.
( ) Scientifically incorrect. Energy-plasma bolts
could not be photon in nature.
( ) Unbelievable. The Captain would not hug pretty
Yeoman on the Bridge of his vessel.
( ) Concept weak. This whole story opening reeks
too much of "space pirate" or similar bad science
fiction.
2.
NO, WE'RE NOT JOKING. THE PRECEDING PAGE WAS A VERY REAL AND
IMPORTANT TEST OF YOUR APPROACH TO SCIENCE FICTION. HERE'S WHY.
( ) Inaccurate terminology. Wrong, if you checked
this one. Sure, the term "United States Space- ship" was incorrect, but it could have been
fixed with a pencil slash. Although we do
want directors, writer, actors and others to
use proper terminology, this error was certainly far from being the major STAR TREK
format error.
( ) Scientifically inaccurate. Wrong again; beware if you checked this one. Although we do want
to be scientifically accurate, we've found that
selection of this item usually indicates a
preoccupation with science and gadgetry over
people and story.
() Concept weak. Wrong again. It is, in fact,
much like the opening of one of our best episodes of last year. "Aliens", "enemy vessels", "sudden
attack and such things can range from "Buck Rogers" to classical literature, all depending
on how it is handled (witness H. G. Wells' novels,
Forrester's sea stories, and so on.)
UNDERSTANDING THE RIGHT ANSWER TO THIS IS BASIC TO UNDERSTANDING
THE STAR TREK FORMAT. THIS WAS THE CORRECT ANSWER:
(x) Unbelievable. Why the correct answer? Simply
because we've learned during a full season of
making visual science fiction that believability
of characters, their actions and reactions, is
our greatest need and is the most important angle
factor. Let's explore that briefly on the next
page.
NOW, TRY AGAIN. SAME BASIC STORY SITUATION, BUT AGAINST ANOTHER BACKGROUND.
The time is today. We're in Viet Nam waters
aboard the navy cruiser U.S.S. Detroit.
Suddenly an enemy gunboat heads for us, our
guns are unable to stop it, and we realize
it's. a suicide attack with an atomic warhead.
Total destruction of our vessel and of all
aboard appears probable. Would Captain E.
L. Henderson, presently commanding the U.S.S.
Detroit, turn and hug a comely female WAVE
who happened to be on the ship's bridge.
As simple as that. This is our standard test that has
led to STAR TREK believability. (It also suggests much
of what has been wrong in filmed sf of the past.) No, Captain Henderson wouldn't! Not if he's the kind of
Captain we hope is commanding any naval vessel of ours.
Nor would our Captain Kirk hug a female crewman in a
moment of danger, not if he's to remain believable. (Some might prefer Henderson were somewhere making
love rather than shelling Asiatic ports, but that's
a whole different story for a whole different network.
Probably BBC.)
AND SO, IN EVERY SCENE OF OUR STAR TREK STORY...
.. translate it into a real life situation. Or,
sometimes as useful, try it in your mind as a scene
in GUNSMOKE, NAKED CITY, or some similar show.
Would you believe the people and the scene if it
happened there?
IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE WHO ANSWERS: "THE CHARACTER
ACTS THAT WAY BECAUSE IT'S SCIENCE FICTION", DON'T
CALL US, WE'LL CALL YOU.
