Wild Wacky Idea: How About A Slow, Thoughtful Trek For Us Old People?

[slappy]

What a concept huh? Hopefully I don't crash the servers with this one. Thankfully, the idea is rather low budget and low risk. How about...stay with me here....a Trek miniseries that isn't about running around, shooting phasers, ejecting warp cores, space battles and the fate of the entire universe hanging in the balance? How about a small crew trying to get out of a sci-fi situation using their brains?

So far, they're pumping out these new shows and none of them are particularly risky or challenging. Strange New Worlds seems as though it'll be the closest to what I'm talking about, but I guarantee someone will still catch a transporter beam mid-free fall by the end of the first season.

 

[fireproof78]

Yeah, Strange New Worlds is going to be the closest.

 

[Vger23]

(not trying to be a dink....but....)

There are 7 seasons of such a show already. It's called Star Trek: The Next Generation

In all seriousness....it's unbelievable watching TNG now just how slow and ponderous many of the episodes are compared to modern sci-fi entertainment.

 

[fireproof78]

In all seriousness....it's unbelievable watching TNG now just how slow and ponderous many of the episodes are compared to modern sci-fi entertainment.

I have attempted to get back to TNG and try it again and it's hard. It's slow but not in a thoughtful way. It feels slow in a padding type way that we can't get to the solution too quick and I find it incredibly distracting.

 

[Vger23]

I have attempted to get back to TNG and try it again and it's hard. It's slow but not in a thoughtful way. It feels slow in a padding type way that we can't get to the solution too quick and I find it incredibly distracting.

I can't get through it either. I've tried to finish S6 as part of my extremely protracted re-watch...and I just can't.

 

[The Wormhole]

It pains me to say it since TNG is what got me into Star Trek to begin with, but as the years go by it's the series with the least re-watch appeal. Sure, there are episodes here and there that I can put on if I'm looking to kill an hour or so, but trying to do a complete whole series. or even a whole season rewatch is difficult.

Besides, TNG aside all the Trek shows prior to CBSAA were meant to be action shows, first and foremost. Even with TNG, it's the action episodes that tend to top the favorite episode lists. Hell, typically Yesterday's Enterprise and TBOBW usually top the lists for TNG, action storylines where the fate of the Federation was in balance.

 

[fireproof78]

Hell, typically Yesterday's Enterprise and TBOBW usually top the lists for TNG, action storylines where the fate of the Federation was in balance.

Yes, that's what fans' continually rate as the best of Trek and then complain when studios try to capture that feel.

 

[Daddy Todd]

Because there aren’t enough of us old folks around to make even the cheapest slow, boring Trek show economically viable. And, there are fewer of us with each passing day...

 

[StarCruiser]

This is why I still find "Star Trek" to be the best series of all. It's pretty much infinitely rewatchable. There are bad episodes, and a few that I feel like skipping if I've seen then too recently but otherwise, it's got a good balance of action/adventure with things that make you go 'hmmmm'...

 

[fireproof78]

But, if we already have that show why are we trying to remake it? Isn't one enough?

 

[Nerys Myk]

I'm old and like the current output.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

TNG had its time, it was the right show at the right time, but that time has passed - and I’m saying this as someone who adores the show and knows Jean-Luc’s lines by heart.

It wouldn’t fly in today’s fast-paced TV landscape. But then this has always been the case - older fans complaining about the new shows, I mean, in one way or another. TOS fans complained that TNG wasn’t like TOS. TNG fans complained that DS9 wasn’t like TNG. And so on. In a decade or so will have fans complaining about new shows not being like Discovery et al. Fandom history repeats itself, the only thing that varies is what is being complained about - sometimes it’s “it’s so fast-paced, too much action!”, sometimes it’s “this is boring, a space station? They’re not exploring!”... and so on. And nope, the complaints won’t really be listened to, the franchise will continue on the path it has taken, with or without the older fans. Been there, done that, will be there, will be doing again.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Dude, have you heard of Fan Films?

Give Star Trek Continues a try.

 

[Paul Weaver]

Yes, that's what fans' continually rate as the best of Trek and then complain when studios try to capture that feel.

The "filler" episodes that build the universe build to the great episodes. Without slow "filler" episodes we don't get the insight into the characters, so we don't care as much about them

Admittedly DS9 did far better with world building than TNG or Voyager, but a significant reason people like seeing old characters such as Riker, Seven, Troi, Janeway, Worf, Hugh, Barclay, Guinan is because of the effort put into character building in those "slow" episodes. It also led to anger about how the TNG era dealt with characters like Scotty and Kirk.

A DS9 with the same budget but just 13 episodes a season in an arc, no bottle shows, no alien of a week would have missed out on entire characters and plots, Rom, Garak, Nog, not much Dukat, torturing of OBrien, very little Bajoran background. Imagine OBrien without episodes like The Wounded, The Storyteller, Captive Persuit, Cardassians. The Bashir/Garak relationship, in both major parts of episodes (The Wire, Our Man Bashir) and as minor parts of episodes (Past Prologue, Prophet Motive, and sure we knew it was a simulation, but the death in The Search 2)

 

[Lord Garth]

Getting to know where X character went to school in third grade doesn't make for compelling television. And it doesn't make it more thoughtful. Exploring different ideas is what makes something more thoughtful.

Can you do it through characters? Sure. But you don't have to. You can also do it through story.

The seasons they have now are shorter. Fact.
SNW will be episodic, but DSC and PIC will have serialization. Fact.

Without going into spoilers, every time DSC Season 3 had an episode that people didn't think pushed the plot along, i.e. "filler", they complained that they were wasting time. Someone literally told me on Zoom, "Who cares about this character?" You don't get to have your cake and eat it too. If you want the slow character-building episodes, don't suddenly pull a "Why are they wasting time on this?" Because that's talking out of both sides of your mouth.

Let's look at character-building during the third season:

Spoiler

DSC Season 3 had mostly episodic approach, with an overall arc in the background.
The first episode focused on Burnham/Book.
The second focused on the Discovery crew except for Burnham.
The third episode was story-driven not character-driven.
The fourth episode was focused on a new character, Adira.
The fifth focused on Nhan.
The sixth episode was story-driven.
The seventh episode focused on Burnham.
The eighth episode focused on Book.
The ninth and tenth episodes focused on Georgiou.
The eleventh through thirteenth episodes were mostly story-driven. But Saru and especially Stamets were put through a lot, emotionally.
Throughout the first half of the season, Detmer had her own character-driven story in the background.
Saru and Tilly both had several moments in episodes where they were getting used to their new positions.
We got to see Stamets/Culber and Adira grow into an unofficial family unit.

By my count, half the season's episodes were focused on exploring a specific character. And before some "STD Hater" says something, only two of those were Burnham. The rest delved into other characters. And I listed three other character-focused storylines that weren't a main focus but were there throughout large amounts of the season. See the spoiler space if you don't mind spoilers.

 

[fireproof78]

The "filler" episodes that build the universe build to the great episodes. Without slow "filler" episodes we don't get the insight into the characters, so we don't care as much about them

I mean, I guess, but personally no. Give me one episode and I can care if done well. Balance of Terror has me crying over the death of Tomlinson.

A DS9 with the same budget but just 13 episodes a season in an arc, no bottle shows, no alien of a week would have missed out on entire characters and plots, Rom, Garak, Nog, not much Dukat, torturing of OBrien, very little Bajoran background. Imagine OBrien without episodes like The Wounded, The Storyteller, Captive Persuit, Cardassians. The Bashir/Garak relationship, in both major parts of episodes (The Wire, Our Man Bashir) and as minor parts of episodes (Past Prologue, Prophet Motive, and sure we knew it was a simulation, but the death in The Search 2)

I mean, OK. But this isn't DS9 and I don't want DS9 recreated.

 

[Paul Weaver]

By my count, half the season's episodes were focused on exploring a specific character

I for one have felt that season 3 is the best yet

 

[The Wormhole]

Imagine OBrien without episodes like The Wounded, The Storyteller, Captive Persuit, Cardassians.

I sure wish we could ditch The Storyteller.

 

[Tim Thomason]

What a concept huh? Hopefully I don't crash the servers with this one. Thankfully, the idea is rather low budget and low risk. How about...stay with me here....a Trek miniseries that isn't about running around, shooting phasers, ejecting warp cores, space battles and the fate of the entire universe hanging in the balance? How about a small crew trying to get out of a sci-fi situation using their brains?

Star Trek: Picard had a slow-paced story, was intended to be a miniseries, and while it ends on a space battle and the fate of the universe at play (and begins with some phaser-fighting), it is mostly a thriller filled with intrigue and not all-out action most of the time. The crew is the smallest in Star Trek history and its main character is literally a nonagenarian (played by an octogenarian).

I can't think of any Star Trek more fitting for us old people than Star Trek: Picard.

So far, they're pumping out these new shows and none of them are particularly risky or challenging. Strange New Worlds seems as though it'll be the closest to what I'm talking about, but I guarantee someone will still catch a transporter beam mid-free fall by the end of the first season.

Strange New Worlds is the least risky or challenging of all the new Star Trek shows. Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea, but it's literally taking Star Trek in a paint-by-numbers routine: "A Captain of a starship goes on adventures in space." This describes almost all of the six original shows (DS9 after the Defiant came into play), but none of the modern Star Trek shows. All these new shows they are pumping out are experimental, groundbreaking ideas, placed into Star Trek form.

 

[dupersuper]

Balance of Terror has me crying over the death of Tomlinson.

The boy who was getting married this morning. *sob*