When did Star Trek jump the shark?

[Nightdiamond]

For Star Trek that would be just another season.

You're probably right.

In some ways, Star Trek pretty much started out jumping the shark

I remember watching TNG.

I knew sooner or later TNG was going to figure a way to turn the crew into kids (and back again)

And that DS9 was going to mess with the size of the crew.

But I think in the context of Happy Days, I think they mean something pretty damned absurd.

No one would had ever thought Fonzie in trunks, on water skies jumping over sharks, in front of a lot of people.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I just wanna know why he had on the leather jacket. Its not like he didnt take in off now and again. (Probably to hide the fact it was a stuntman)

 

[Admiral Shran]

For me the shark jumping moment has to a totally absurd event/stunt.... you have to scratch your head and say "What were they thinking?".

So, Star Trek XI then. Right?

 

[Bill Morris]

Does driving a Baja buggy off a cliff and bearly clearing the hatch opening of a shuttle in flight count? At least it's more far-fetched than what the Fonz did.

 

[Forbin]

^That's the moment!

 

[Warped9]

Jumping the shark:

"To reach the point in a TV series that denotes it is irretrievably past its best by introducing some ridiculous or otherwise unbelievable plot device or characterisation in order to boost ratings."

Okay, well, that's happened a number of times during the franchise.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Star Trek NEVER jumped the shark, it is one long continuing glorious tale.

 

[Capt_Pickirk]

Star Trek NEVER jumped the shark, it is one long continuing glorious tale.

Watch 'Threshold' and say that...

 

[Rom's Sehlat]

That wasn't jumping the shark-- it was getting eaten by that shark.

 

[BlobVanDam]

Star Trek NEVER jumped the shark, it is one long continuing glorious tale.

Watch 'Threshold' and say that...

A crap episode doesn't meaning jumping the shark.


No matter how terrible said episode may have been.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Or it could be that Trek has jumped the shark so many times over the past 45 years that poor Mr. Sharky has died of old age...

 

[lurok]

Perhaps should be re-phrased as 'when did each individual Trek series/movie series jump the shark?'.

TOS: Spock's Brain? Assignment Earth?
TNG: Can't say as felt lots of shark-jumping esp. in latter series...
DS9: Dominion fleet stopped by Prophets. Maybe less 'shark-jump' than blatant 'deus ex machina'
ENT: End season 3 was a true 'wtf' moment...but didn't spoil season 4/reset...
Movies: Star Trek III - Spock comes back to life...

 

[Nerys Myk]

Perhaps should be re-phrased as 'when did each individual Trek series/movie series jump the shark?'.

TOS: Spock's Brain? Assignment Earth?
TNG: Can't say as felt lots of shark-jumping esp. in latter series...
DS9: Dominion fleet stopped by Prophets. Maybe less 'shark-jump' than blatant 'deus ex machina'
ENT: End season 3 was a true 'wtf' moment...but didn't spoil season 4/reset...
Movies: Star Trek III - Spock comes back to life...

Spock's Brain is just bad episode, if that means Shark Jumping then Alternative Factor would be TOS's moment. Assigment Earth was a backdoor pilot. ( and kinda of fun) so its exempt.

 

[Nightdiamond]

Spock's brain -that was a big low for shark jumping on Trek.

I think the fact that trek is sci fi and sci fi can be pretty silly at times, is what saves some episodes from jumping the shark.

Another is bring a character back as a new character- but have that new character look and sound exactly like the old character.

Like Denise Crosby coming back as Tasha Yar's daughter Sela, who happens to look and sound exactly like Tasha Yar.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Star Trek NEVER jumped the shark, it is one long continuing glorious tale.

Watch 'Threshold' and say that...

Janeway, of Paris: "Can you wake him?"
The Doctor: "I don't see why not. WAKE UP LIEUTENANT!"

Paris in sickbay: "Here lies Thomas Eugene Paris, beloved mutant."

Chakotay: "I'm picking up traces of human DNA.. it's them. Although, I have to admit, I'm not sure which one is the captain."
Tuvok: "The female, obviously."

(Chak's densest moment ever?)

Chakotay: I don't know how I'm going to enter this in the log.
Tuvok: I look forward to reading it.

CHOCK FULL OF GOODNESS.

 

[Mysterion]

Star Trek III - The Search for Spock.

 

[Lord Garth]

If we consider "jumping the shark" to mean an irreversable decline in quality, then TOS* is the only series that jumped the shark.

* Yes, I know I said I didn't think TOS jumped the shark, and that I like the third season --- it's even where I got my username from -- but I'll defer to general consensus for the sake of argument.

TNG suffered in the seventh season because TPTW had the mentality of "DS9! Voyager! TNG movies! Wait... we still have to finish TNG as a series? Oh.", but there were some great episodes in the seventh season and "All Good Things" was a nice note to end the series on.

DS9 had a condensed Final Chapter arc (it could've gone longer than 10 episodes) and an effective seventh season overall. No shark jumping or decline in quality towards the end.

VOY had a consistent quality during most of its run. It was mixed but it was a consistent mix. The seventh season also explored the Paris/Torres relationship better, dealt with civil rights (even if they were holograms) and dealt with issues relevant to 2000 (and today) such as the penal system, and especially health care. It was actually one of the better seasons, along with the fourth.

And ENT's fourth season was interesting, especially the Vulcan triology and duology with the human isolationists, the titles of those episodes escape me. But this is the exact opposite of a shark jump.

 

[JoeD80]

But that's not what Jump the Shark means. You have redefined it. Happy Days did that as a ratings stunt, which failed and the audience and quality of the show declined and never recovered.

It hardly failed; Happy Days finished that season at #2 in the ratings only behind Laverne & Shirley.

 

[Admiral Shran]

And ENT's fourth season was interesting, especially the Vulcan triology and duology with the human isolationists, the titles of those episodes escape me. But this is the exact opposite of a shark jump.

The Vulcan Trilogy was The Forge, Awakening and Kir'Shara. The Human Isolationists Duology was Demons and Terra Prime.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

Hey, I like TNG's 7th season....