When Star Trek 'JUMPED THE SHARK'
- Thread starter Captain Tracy
- Start date
Well, I don't think I can nail it with anything approaching eloquence, but among its problems are that it underscores that Planet of Hats is now routine. Compared with Bread and Circuses and A Piece of the Action, which came before, this just ups the ante even more on hat episodes, in terms of production, with the costumes and props. This one also purports to be even edgier by being about something controversial. All this adds up to telegraphing to the viewer that we can look forward to more of the same. Being able to identify the point of decline in a show is one of the hallmarks of jumping the shark, so the telegraphing of this supports the idea that jumping the shark is right here.
In addition, the guest characters are flat one-dimensional archetypes. It therefore seems to lean on dressing up in Nazi costumes to provide us with entertainment a lot more than it should. Moreover, it's embarrassing the way the inappropriate dressing of Star Trek characters in Nazi costumes is played with a straight face, given how out of place it is.
Finally, we already had all the Nazi episode we needed with The City on the Edge of Forever, which was infinitely better.
I have never understood this planet of hats argument. An alien culture is of course stereotypical as its point is to emphasize particular human traits. If it were as diverse as humankind it would be indistinguishable from it.
The Vulcans in "Amok Time" are horribly stereotypical and yet it is a great story. It took plenty of Vulcan stories until we met a Sybok and it took even more Klingon stories until we met an Orak or Antaak.
The Vulcans in "Amok Time" are horribly stereotypical and yet it is a great story. It took plenty of Vulcan stories until we met a Sybok and it took even more Klingon stories until we met an Orak or Antaak.
I don't see it this way at all.
TOS' jumping the shark moment was with Spock's Brain, there's no arguing it, that is the equivalent to the Happy Days episode for TOS. However, that isn't to say there were no good episodes later, because there were. Season 3 as a whole though, is just not as good as the first two for obvious reasons.
As for the entire series, that's pretty debatable. I see it as after DS9/season 2-3 of Voyager and after TUC. But season 4 of ENT was pretty good, and there was Seven of Nine in later Voyager so there are exceptions there too.
As for the entire series, that's pretty debatable. I see it as after DS9/season 2-3 of Voyager and after TUC. But season 4 of ENT was pretty good, and there was Seven of Nine in later Voyager so there are exceptions there too.
Keep in mind, though, that Roddenberry was involved with the season 3 scripts (writing critiques of them, etc.) as early as the spring of 1968, before he made good on his threat to leave the show in the well-known dispute with NBC concerning the fall '68 time slot. I've seen some of these memos at the archives held by the USC library; this was in summer 1985 but I presume the material is still there. (The memos I saw were related to early versions of "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" and "The Empath"; I was researching George Duning's scores at the time.)
Star Trek jumped the shark in season 3. Whether or not you want to say the show was already doomed. Maybe the sinking show was the reason why it jumped the shark but there is a clear dip in quality in the stories, characterization etc and it wasn't just 'Spock's Brain'. Even the most exciting conceptually such as 'The Enterprise incident' were embarrassing to watch.
Anyone have any opinions regarding the relative 'sharkiness' of Spock's IDIC Pendant scene in 'Truth"?
TOS never became a caricature of itself consisting of little but catchphrases. Many S3 stories/premises are better or more interesting than S2, and FF got rid of the comedy eps. Bravo, Fred.
I don't think the franchise did, either. Compare early happy days to late. They are worlds apart. S1 TOS and S3 TOS are a couple rows apart in the very same ballpark. TOS AND ENT are a section apart, but still in the same vicinity.
My take on it, anyway.
I love the IDIC ad, by the way. We are all typographers now, to paraphrase Tricky Dick, but it's nice to see typewriter and handwriting. Soon we'll have brain to brain transmission, or just all be in the great link. A fun remembrance of things past.
I don't think the franchise did, either. Compare early happy days to late. They are worlds apart. S1 TOS and S3 TOS are a couple rows apart in the very same ballpark. TOS AND ENT are a section apart, but still in the same vicinity.
My take on it, anyway.
I love the IDIC ad, by the way. We are all typographers now, to paraphrase Tricky Dick, but it's nice to see typewriter and handwriting. Soon we'll have brain to brain transmission, or just all be in the great link. A fun remembrance of things past.
The series didn't jump, but it did deteriorate. However, the movies DID jump. Star Trek IV was the shark jumper and from that point on, broad humor, no matter how forced, was part of the Star Trek Secret Formula. Even TUC couldn't shake off the mandated gags. Until TVH, Trek movies were serious stories with moments of tension breaking character humor. Now Trek had comedy episodes, but the series always went back to normal the next week. The movies didn't.
Remember, the actual jumping doesn't have to be bad. Actually, those momets of the jump are usually entertaing and good, with a response that makes producers or whomever sustain the momnentum. What makes it a turning point are the reprecussions. If there aren't any, great. No jump. But if there are, you'll know it soon enough.
Remember, the actual jumping doesn't have to be bad. Actually, those momets of the jump are usually entertaing and good, with a response that makes producers or whomever sustain the momnentum. What makes it a turning point are the reprecussions. If there aren't any, great. No jump. But if there are, you'll know it soon enough.
Shatner had an argument, IIRC, with the director of "Turnabout Intruder", who wanted Shatner to leave a particular room towards a direction where there had never been a door. They rang upstairs to Fred Freiberger, who told the actors to go with the director's decision.
Of course, the fans wrote in to ask how Kirk could leave a room that way.
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Anyone have any opinions regarding the relative 'sharkiness' of Spock's IDIC Pendant scene in 'Truth"?
Yes, I have an opinion...or actually a question: Where did you get the IDIC ad?
Catalogue from Lincoln Enterprises, Majel's mail-order company.
They supposedly had fans writing asking for Star Trek-inspired jewellery that wasn't an Enterprise insgnia or model starship (which they already sold).
Thanks, but let me rephrase the question: Where did Captain Tracy get this scan of this ad?
2009
Are you referring to Joan Winston's account in Star Trek Lives! of the filming of Turnabout Intruder? Herb Wallerstein wanted Janice (in Kirk's body) to walk out of the breifing room but not through the door. Shatner ultimately relented because the director had the final say.
Yep. There was a different argument in "Whom Gods Destroy".