It said no such thing.
The relevant phrase was "introduce new characters."
Folks need to just read the words and letters and not the blank spaces between.
Trek Returning to TV in 2017!
- Thread starter Squiggy
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It said no such thing.
The relevant phrase was "introduce new characters."
Folks need to just read the words and letters and not the blank spaces between.
After they dropped all that utopian anti-drama in the for the third season, yeah....numbers took off.
And if even the show's own writers were chafing against the "utopian" business, maybe, just maybe they knew what they were talking about?
And The Wrath of Khan has its "dark and gritty" moments and it's still the best Trek movie ever. IMHO.
Well, if you want to go there, and call the relative merits of various writers and fans and producers opinions into question, and appeal to their experience/reputation, this will devolve quickly. But lets just say, not everyone equally likes the direction staff like Ronald D Moore tended to take, in either Trek or BSG. It's certainly one interesting style or option for fiction, but not good in every situation. And I wouldn't be surprised if he was one of the writers who felt that way about having Trek too stifled. Likewise, you have some actors who loved Roddenbury's ideas, like LeVar Burton defending it in an interview I once red, and others who argue he stifled things even in the 1960s (some might call his problems with season three "sticking to your guns") - its a philosophical difference, it isn't shared by all - its subjective. I feel, contrary to the seemingly prevalent opinion at the moment, that his vision was part of what made Trek interesting - and I don't think TNG was hampered by it, so much as given purpose - it was educational, not just entertaining.
A little darkness and some dystopian elements can make a dramatic series set in the future memorable and effective. You don't have to show 23rd or 24th century Earth as a paradise or the galaxy surrounding the Federation as a wilderness of carnivorous beasts ready to gobble up and destroy civilization the moment they see the chance, but depicting a measure of mystery, darkness and danger in the void of deep space is something that would add suspense to a series and something I wish Enterprise - set during a period of history that was more primitive, rugged and dangerous from the viewpoint of human exploration - had shown more of.
It's all about balance. If you're a good and a smart writer you can find that balance.
It's all about balance. If you're a good and a smart writer you can find that balance.
And as I've pointed out before, TOS, especially in the beginning, was often a lot darker than people remember: Vina was left behind on Talos IV, Kirk had to kill his best friend, McCoy had to kill the last living Salt Vampire (who just happened to look like his old flame), Charlie X was condemned to a joyless purgatory cut off from humanity, a fugitive war criminal is racked by guilt and his daughter is driven insane, and, of course, Joan Collins gets hit by bus in what is largely regarded as one of the best episodes ever.
TOS, at least in the beginning, managed to strike a nice balance between optimism and tragedy. Happy endings were by no means guaranteed.
The new show could do worse than keep that mind.
To my mind, it's not a philosophical issue; it's an aesthetic one. What makes for the most compelling drama?
TOS, at least in the beginning, managed to strike a nice balance between optimism and tragedy. Happy endings were by no means guaranteed.
The new show could do worse than keep that mind.
To my mind, it's not a philosophical issue; it's an aesthetic one. What makes for the most compelling drama?
A mix of hope and danger. That's what I'd like to see portrayed in the new series. Characters who realize they have a great if imperfect system that's worth believing in and defending, but they must face down some of the darkest and most dangerous elements in the cosmos - and within their own society - to do so.
That's one thing I liked about DS9. Characters would often refer to Earth as a near-paradise free of disease, hunger and crime but every now and then one would admit that there are still problems and lots of interpersonal conflicts between humans. Utopia is implausible. But reaching an apex of human development with the healthiest and most stable civilization in the history of our species can still allow for some people to be assholes and display disruptive and distasteful behavior that's frowned upon in the future but that still exists. Because, you know, human nature. The Starfleet officers willing to launch a military coup and overthrow the Federation President in response to the threat from the Founders and the Dominion showed that.
And just three or four hundred years isn't going to breed that out of our species.
That's one thing I liked about DS9. Characters would often refer to Earth as a near-paradise free of disease, hunger and crime but every now and then one would admit that there are still problems and lots of interpersonal conflicts between humans. Utopia is implausible. But reaching an apex of human development with the healthiest and most stable civilization in the history of our species can still allow for some people to be assholes and display disruptive and distasteful behavior that's frowned upon in the future but that still exists. Because, you know, human nature. The Starfleet officers willing to launch a military coup and overthrow the Federation President in response to the threat from the Founders and the Dominion showed that.
And just three or four hundred years isn't going to breed that out of our species.
Life is hope.
Yeah, that's a cliche.
Nonetheless, a hopeful story can be set in an environment which seems terrible, and a discouraging or dark story can be set in as easily in Trek's happy shiny future as anywhere else (see Greg's examples).
I still think that the cry "don't make Trek's future dark" often translates as "don't challenge or make me uncomfortable."
In retrospect I think that the dilemmas and solutions in most of ST:TNG's stories were so pat as to be trivial.
Yeah, that's a cliche.
Nonetheless, a hopeful story can be set in an environment which seems terrible, and a discouraging or dark story can be set in as easily in Trek's happy shiny future as anywhere else (see Greg's examples).
I still think that the cry "don't make Trek's future dark" often translates as "don't challenge or make me uncomfortable."
In retrospect I think that the dilemmas and solutions in most of ST:TNG's stories were so pat as to be trivial.
I was one of the fans who hoped Enterprise would depict some of the nuclear ruins left over from the Third World War and go more in-depth about the societal carnage of that conflict as well as how there were still lingering problems from that era of history affecting the people of the mid-22nd century. Alas, save for a few random pieces of dialogue referring to the war and the chaos it caused we got little in the way of depictions or descriptions of what was the worst and most blood-soaked period in human history.
Yeah, we get it. It's Trek, and Berman Trek shown at 8:00 on a broadcast network wasn't going to get that dark, but it would have added depth, texture and more drama to the world of the 22nd century. It would have made the series, well, more of a prequel.
Yeah, we get it. It's Trek, and Berman Trek shown at 8:00 on a broadcast network wasn't going to get that dark, but it would have added depth, texture and more drama to the world of the 22nd century. It would have made the series, well, more of a prequel.
In TNG's defense, they had some very good, dramatic episodes: "The Wounded," "Measure of a Man," "Family," the one where Picard was tortured by David Warner (whose title escapes me at the moment), pretty much Ensign Ro's entire character arc, a lot of the Klingon political intrigue, etc.
Strong, powerful stuff.
^
"Chain of Command, Parts I and II."
"Chain of Command, Parts I and II."
That's the one! Thanks.
There are great episodes of the show. Given about 170, though, I think most were trivial. The percentage worth remembering is certainly far, far lower than the original series IMO.
Say that a sombrero will feature prominently in the series and be worn by a lead character.
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