Trek two parters

[Pauln6]

Television back in the day was much better than we get today in my opinion! Story lines which are dragged out more in the line of a serial than a series annoy the hell out of me! In Trek we got a complete story each and every week which was well written, paced and executed so that it didn't really need a second episode!
JB

I think there is a sweet spot. Babylon 5 was great fun but weakened because they had to squeeze too much ongoing plot into season 4 so that too little was left in season 5.

That said, I rather liked the way Buffy did it, with a villain of the year, and a mixture of stand alone and ongoing story episodes.

The thing I loathe most about stand alone stories is the allegorical monocultured alien of the week when I wanted to see more Andorians, Orions, or Zaranites.

TOS could have had a few more ongoing elements if certain guest stars had been available to reappear, or if they had given Rand a proper story arc.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Very few episodes of the original series would work as two parters without feeling padded. However, those I can think of which would make good double episodes:

Space Seed: Khan takes over too quickly and McGivers is barely fleshed out. Seeing this grow slowly to the point that Khan's takeover caps the first part would have been thrilling. The second part could have been a crew vs Khan's followers - Kirk/Khan battle of wills - McGivers turns the tide sort of thing.

City on the Edge of Forever: this one is epic and the expanded length would have been beneficial in fleshing out Kirk and Edith's relationship

Ummmm.... That's probably it. Those are the only two episodes I think which kinda suffer by being squeezed into 49 minutes (51:30 without opening and closing credits and next week's preview).

 

[FormerLurker]

Harlan Ellison is pissed off enough as it is that they didn't use his first draft script unaltered. I shudder to think the wrath he would have unleashed for his story to be spread out to two parts.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Babylon 5 was great fun but weakened because they had to squeeze too much ongoing plot into season 4 so that too little was left in season 5.

Because when JMS was wrapping up S4, he was assuming that he wouldn't be getting a S5, and accelerated the main storyline accordingly. If he'd known sooner that he was getting a 5th season, he would've expanded the Earthwar arc to fill the first part of the 5th season. As it was, he had to stretch the planned plots for 8-10 episodes into a full season.

 

[Pauln6]

Because when JMS was wrapping up S4, he was assuming that he wouldn't be getting a S5, and accelerated the main storyline accordingly. If he'd known sooner that he was getting a 5th season, he would've expanded the Earthwar arc to fill the first part of the 5th season. As it was, he had to stretch the planned plots for 8-10 episodes into a full season.

In some ways, with the loss of Claudia Christian, it potentially worked out better, one of the reasons season 5 is weaker is because the triumvirate was shattered. Imagine season 3 of Star Trek with no Spock...

That said, season 5 picked up more momentum in its second half as the ongoing elements began to build up.

The same process could potentially have worked in TOS. Perhaps with a few more Klingon episodes building towards all out war, make the alliance with the Romulans a story element, perhaps featuring the Romulan Commander and Kor, follow up the Enterprise Incident with a couple of stories where they have to use the cloaking device before it goes kaput - maybe an episode rescuing Yeoman Rand from internment like Na'toth! Finish up with a couple of episodes culminating in the Organian peace treaty.

I agree that most episodes of TOS would not work with just padding. That's why I wondered what ongoing elements might have been used to expand them. For example, make Khaless a full character and give the characters an opportunity to examine Klingon strategy in action, albeit false, since he is formed from their knowledge and preconceptions.

 

[johnnybear]

I think there is a sweet spot. Babylon 5 was great fun but weakened because they had to squeeze too much ongoing plot into season 4 so that too little was left in season 5.



TOS could have had a few more ongoing elements if certain guest stars had been available to reappear, or if they had given Rand a proper story arc.

I loved season 5 of Babylon 5 and I found The Drakh to be very eerie baddies along with The Keepers which were also great!
I think we all wish there were more episodes with Yeoman Rand, t could have kept her on until the end of the season at least!
JB

 

[Pauln6]

I loved season 5 of Babylon 5 and I found The Drakh to be very eerie baddies along with The Keepers which were also great!
I think we all wish there were more episodes with Yeoman Rand, t could have kept her on until the end of the season at least!
JB

Rand could have been given an arc like Neela Darrin in TNG which involved her leaving the show or even being crushed as a polystyrene dodecahedron.

I would have preferred her being moved to support roles in Diplomacy episodes or captain acting weird / in peril episodes.

If you look at all the episodes she was due to appear in, they mostly were going to give her one or two pointless lines, while the cracking action heroine parts were gifted to other characters. The writers display a great disservice to their female crewmen in general.

 

[johnnybear]

It would have been nice to see her from time to time as the show went on. The only way to do that now is to watch her episodes in varying orders I guess! Try the BBC transmission order...She turns up further on into the series due to the bizarre order!
JB

 

[Pauln6]

It would have been nice to see her from time to time as the show went on. The only way to do that now is to watch her episodes in varying orders I guess! Try the BBC transmission order...She turns up further on into the series due to the bizarre order!
JB

And Chekov shows up before Space Seed if you use stardate order!

I'm just waiting for digital technology to improve to the point where I can edit Rand back into seasons 2 and 3, even if only for silent cameos in corridors or on the bridge!

 

[johnnybear]

He does indeed turn up before Space Seed in star date order but the first we see of him in BBC transmission order is Bread And Circuses! At least in the 1979 order of episodes!
JB

 

[Pauln6]

He does indeed turn up before Space Seed in star date order but the first we see of him in BBC transmission order is Bread And Circuses! At least in the 1979 order of episodes!
JB

I remember watching them in the seventies but I certainly don't remember noticing that Rand disappeared, only that she was in some episodes and not others but I was very young! I never knew that Batgirl appeared consistently throughout season 3, I just thought she was in some episodes and not others.

The BBCs casual disregard for continuity made me the man I am today! Disorganised.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

In some ways, with the loss of Claudia Christian, it potentially worked out better, one of the reasons season 5 is weaker is because the triumvirate was shattered. Imagine season 3 of Star Trek with no Spock...

Yeah, losing Christian was a blow the show never really recovered from, IMO. And it didn't help that between her & Marcus, B5 lost two of the funniest characters on the show in the last season. (Garibaldi had taken a much more dramatic turn in the arc by that point.) The show just became a slog without them around to lighten things up.

 

[Pauln6]

Yeah, losing Christian was a blow the show never really recovered from, IMO. And it didn't help that between her & Marcus, B5 lost two of the funniest characters on the show in the last season. (Garibaldi had taken a much more dramatic turn in the arc by that point.) The show just became a slog without them around to lighten things up.

I did like seeing more of Lyta even if the way she was treated was silly. But Lochley was part time, Shepherd and Garibaldi were off on a tangent, and it felt like the core of the show had been dismantled.

Makes you wonder how Phase Ii would have fared if Shatner had gone part time as the Admiral after season one.

 

[johnnybear]

I remember watching them in the seventies but I certainly don't remember noticing that Rand disappeared, only that she was in some episodes and not others but I was very young! I never knew that Batgirl appeared consistently throughout season 3, I just thought she was in some episodes and not others.

The BBCs casual disregard for continuity made me the man I am today! Disorganised.

Strangely the BBC kept to that order of Trek episodes throughout the seventies only changing it slightly when an important media sensation happened and then they would cancel the episode, to be screened at a later date. The Beeb at least started the series with Where No Man Has gone Before and followed with Naked Time, City On The Edge of Forever, A Taste of Armageddon, Mudd's women, Tomorrow is Yesterday, The Menagerie ETC...I had to help a guy who was writing on a blog on BBC Trek a few years ago that Savage Curtain randomly appeared on a Saturday morning in May 1982. I think the 1970 order of Trek on BBC is still available to read on Memory Alpha, Paul!
JB

 

[Pauln6]

Strangely the BBC kept to that order of Trek episodes throughout the seventies only changing it slightly when an important media sensation happened and then they would cancel the episode, to be screened at a later date. The Beeb at least started the series with Where No Man Has gone Before and followed with Naked Time, City On The Edge of Forever, A Taste of Armageddon, Mudd's women, Tomorrow is Yesterday, The Menagerie ETC...I had to help a guy who was writing on a blog on BBC Trek a few years ago that Savage Curtain randomly appeared on a Saturday morning in May 1982. I think the 1970 order of Trek on BBC is still available to read on Memory Alpha, Paul!
JB

At least this way you don't become increasingly disheartened as the series rolls on!

 

[Poltargyst]

I think there is a sweet spot. Babylon 5 was great fun but weakened because they had to squeeze too much ongoing plot into season 4 so that too little was left in season 5.

That said, I rather liked the way Buffy did it, with a villain of the year, and a mixture of stand alone and ongoing story episodes.

The thing I loathe most about stand alone stories is the allegorical monocultured alien of the week when I wanted to see more Andorians, Orions, or Zaranites.

TOS could have had a few more ongoing elements if certain guest stars had been available to reappear, or if they had given Rand a proper story arc.

I really agree with what you're saying here. I've thought that if I was in charge of ENT, I would have modeled it more after B5 For me, it would have been all about the founding of the Federation. We could have had ambassadors of the founding races coming together to argue and debate. And sure, we could have alien of the week stories, but a lot of time could have been spent learning more about the founding races and seeing all of the political intrigue and back stabbing going on. In some ways I think Trek shows could be well served by cutting back on aliens of the week and showing us more recurring aliens.

 

[johnnybear]

ENT seemed to be another stab at trying to erase TOS from the canon at first I've always thought! Berman and Braga weren't able to get their dull thoughts onto the original show for obvious reasons and probably found it's look and technology to be a little outdated! Captain Sulu is a show that had been touted at the time and George Takei was ready for it but as usual he got the refusal!
JB

 

[Pauln6]

ENT seemed to be another stab at trying to erase TOS from the canon at first I've always thought! Berman and Braga weren't able to get their dull thoughts onto the original show for obvious reasons and probably found it's look and technology to be a little outdated! Captain Sulu is a show that had been touted at the time and George Takei was ready for it but as usual he got the refusal!
JB

I thought by season 4 they had started to realise they had a gold mine in the existing races beyond the Vulcans but it had lost a lot of traction by then. I hope Discovery brings in something soon. Saru is lanky enough to be a Rhaandarite. Could have just layered new information onto them.

 

[Maurice]

There was never going to be a Captain Sulu show. No one at Paramount cared about it. Just some fans. And George wasn't the kind of actor who could carry a show. Hell, in a memo about (I think) Star Trek III, [Edit: Nick Meyer] asked something like, "Do you think you can get George to act?"

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Hell, in a memo about (I think) Star Trek III, he asked something like, "Do you think you can get George to act?"

Who is the "he" in that sentence?