Why Does Star Trek Try To Be Funny?

[Herkimer Jitty]

Really, why?

I mean, in TOS a lot of the humor felt pretty natural, but ever since TNG, the writers have been trying to force the characters into funny situations and - they're just too stiff for it. It's really uncomfortable to watch. That, and most of the jokes really aren't that funny.

A lot of the episodes I can't stand to watch are tripe like "Outrageous Okona" and "Profit and Lace".

Why do they keep trying to be funny?

 

[Jaespol]

Trek can be funny. DS9 had hilarious episodes. Voyager on the other hand was never even that funny when it tried and I don't remember ever laughing at Enterprise.
But seriously I've nearly had heart attacks from laughing some DS9 episodes in particular "The Magnificent Ferengi" is just classic.

 

[Tomalak]

Often when they set out to do a "funny episode", things can fall flat, but there's plenty of good character-based humour in TNG and DS9 at least. Though humour is probably more subjective than drama, so you can never please everyone.

 

[KimMH]

DS9 did have great funny moments - probably because of the contrast - it was darker so the humor seemed lighter. Am I making any sense?

 

[Jaespol]

DS9 did have great funny moments - probably because of the contrast - it was darker so the humor seemed lighter. Am I making any sense?

No, it was just good comedy writing, that was it.

 

[Cyke101]

TOS had quite a bit of wit going on for it, too. Had this exchange happened today:


"Captain Kirk, I consider your security measures a disgrace! In my opinion, you have taken this entire very important project far too lightly."

"On the contrary, sir, I think of this project as very important... it is you I take lightly."

It would easily be followed by an "Oh, snap." It still holds up today.

 

[Myasishchev]

Favorite TNG joke: "That's something you don't see every day, a blind man teaching an android to paint."

And Profit and Lace was kinda funny. Sometimes I think the underlying but unexplored implications of open and routine sex-changes bother some, but that may be my PC paranoia.

DS9, unlike TNG, has a pretty good average for episodes where they went out to try to be funny, especially in the later seasons. In the Cards maintains a deft balancing act on the edge of hilarity and stupidity, and succeeds despite all expectations. Only a soulless minion of orthodoxy would claim that Trek can't be funny.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

DS9 did humor pretty well, especially when it was just funny lines integrated into the story rather than a comedy episode (the Ferengi were painful).

 

[Thor Damar]

I think that Garak had some amusing moments and Weyoun 5 had some great lines as well

"'Wha..."
"Oh My... that is quite toxic, isn't it?"
"Are you... insane?"
"Oh, Vorta are immune to most forms of poison; it comes in handy when you are a diplomat."


The pretend innocence of the man always made me chuckle

 

[Too Much Fun]

I think the answer is pretty simple...given how serious a lot of the storylines are in Star Trek (especially TNG and DS9), they needed comedy to minimize the risk of alienating the audience. It makes the show more accessible to the audience and relieves all the tension of the more dire developments.

I always think of "Batman Begins" as an example of how important it is to inject a little comedy into a story when the story is inherently dark. I don't think that movie would have been as successful as it was without Alfred's occasional glib zingers or nice visual gags like the newspaper headline at the end.

If it had been all serious from start to finish, people would have gotten bored with being beaten over the head with how hard it tries to convince you that everything is so "important". It would just look like it takes itself too seriously. Star Trek avoids the trap of seeming too ponderous and self-important with stuff like the banter between Spock and McCoy, Data's babbling and misunderstandings about human customs, and the antics of Quark and his family.

 

[Praetorian]

Some of the humor is great, other times not really.

But c'mon, it's the same thing with drama in Star Trek. Sometimes it's good, other times it isn't...

People also haven't mentioned Voyager, but really, who didn't laugh while wacthing "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy" or "Author Author". Plus plenty of character based humor, usually from The Doctor and Tuvok, was funny...

"I mean, in TOS a lot of the drama felt pretty natural, but ever since TNG, the writers have been trying to force the characters into dramatic situations and - they're just too bland for it. It's really uncomfortable to watch. That, and most of the drama really isn't that dramatic.

Why do they keep trying to be dramatic?"

=P

 

[Praetor]

I kind of agree with the OP here - when Trek tries too hard at anything, it generally fails. Comedy is not exception - in fact, comedy is perhaps the greatest single example. When the comedy is natural and relevant to an otherwise interesting plot, and relatively inobtrusive, it usually works. When it's 'let's have a funny episode' it normally doesn't.

'Profit and Lace' comes to mind.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The Ferengi episodes of DS9 were the most watchable ones.

 

[SFRabid]

Why not? Variety is nice and it is not usually overdone. I much prefer comedy spots on ST than a half hour comedy that suddenly decides to do a serious "issues" episode.

 

[Ziz]

Humor is relative. The same joke is never going to appeal to everyone.

Laughter is one of the great beacons in life because we don't difract it by gunning it through our intellectual prism. What makes us laugh is a mystery, and it's always been that way. If I could explain to you why Jerry Lewis makes me howl when he's trying to be serious, and why he bores me to tears when he's trying to be funny, I'd have the answer. But I don't. But damn it, I'm telling you the key lies somewhere in Lewis! Yeah, Jerry is the "Stargate" on this. And I'm pretty sure, the comedic Rosetta Stone lies somewhere in his "catching the cigarette in the mouth" bit.

- Dennis Miller

 

[Jaespol]

WHY DON'T PEOPLE LIKE THE FERENGI EPISODES!???

I hate all these DS9 "fans" who just bitch about everything in the show unless it involves the Dominion war 8-|

 

[Praetor]

I like most of the Ferengi episodes. 'Profit and Lace' sucked royally, though.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

Seconded. It's not the concept that I hate (Though I feel it was out of place anyways). But the execution was dreadful. Simply terrible. Cross-dressing isn't inherently funny, you can't just slap some tits on Quark and expect everyone to lol. It is perhaps the worst Star Trek episode I've ever seen (Being tied of course with DS9: "Let He Who Is In A Crappy Risa Episode" and ENT: "A.N.I.S." (Apt acronym when spoken out loud.)

 

[Praetor]

Well said, Jitty. I may be in the minority on this, but 'Emperor's New Cloak,' which I'd say was played for laughs, was also a clunker.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I like most of the Ferengi episodes. 'Profit and Lace' sucked royally, though.

Is that the one where Quark does the sex change? Yeah, that one was not-so-good.

Big fan of "Marauder Mo," though.