Would remaking TOS episodes make you upset?

[eschaton]

Hey guys,

With the increasing number of TOS characters who are now in SNW (Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Chapel, etc.) it seems inevitable if it goes on for long enough we are getting a full on TOS reprisal. The question then is what Paramount would do with it.

The more conservative option is to write all original episodes - new adventures for existing characters to engage in. Just presume that on odd weeks, they had the TOS adventures, and on even weeks, they had the adventures on the other show (or whatever).

The more interesting possibility, though, is to actually adapt TOS stories. Just straight up mine them, readapting for a more modern audience. Canon purists might balk at this, but I've always seen Trek episodes as more being "dramatic adaptations" of events which take place within the Trekverse than actual documentary footage, so I think there's tons of leeway here.

Some positives:

• Like it or not, some people really have issue with the dated VFX of TOS episodes, and cannot watch them in their entirety. There's lots of fantastic TOS episodes which would be absolute bangers with higher production values (The Doomsday Machine is one that sticks out to me).
• New adaptations could play around more with point of view. TOS seldom let us slip away from Kirk for very long, and more of an ensemble vibe would let us see how the rest of the cast was impacted by the crises of the week we enjoyed in the past.
• Lets us fix some bad aspects of TOS history (particularly off-comments regarding women) with different dialogue choices.

Negatives:

• Some people would argue that novel stories are better because we don't know how the stories would unfold. But re-adaptations are incredibly popular now in general, so there's clearly lots of people who think a "spoiled" story.
• Getting the rights to some of the old screenplays to adapt may be difficult.
• Canon purists may have a stroke.

I don't have strong feelings on this, despite presenting this as a possibility. But I wondered what others would think if they went down this route.

 

[Firebird]

Not upset, disappointed, because I expect more from the writers than that.

This franchise shouldn’t be eating its own tail. Think up new stories; its a big galaxy, anything can happen.

 

[HellRod]

There's over 1800 days over the course of a 5 year mission. If they ever chose to do an updated Original Series, there's plenty of room to "fill in the blanks" of a show that only had 79 episodes.

 

[UssGlenn]

The more conservative option is to write all original episodes - new adventures for existing characters to engage in. Just presume that on odd weeks, they had the TOS adventures, and on even weeks, they had the adventures on the other show (or whatever).

This is the safe course of action, and what I would prefer to happen. In addition to not deliberately antagonizing people, remember we also have like 10 episodes a season, so the really shouldn't waste any with remakes. You might be able to get away with remaking TAS episodes. Yesteryear in live action could be fun. I would like to see sequels to (select) TOS episodes.

 

[Tosk]

There's zero chance of SNW going long enough to bump up into TOS without a time jump.

And if they somehow did, I'd prefer new stories. Re-filming old stories would be a colossal waste of time and money.

 

[Drunk Superman]

The more conservative option is to write all original episodes - new adventures for existing characters to engage in. Just presume that on odd weeks, they had the TOS adventures, and on even weeks, they had the adventures on the other show (or whatever).

This, not that other thing.

 

[Commander Troi]

I'd rather see original/new stories, with perhaps occasional lines referencing existing TOS/TAS episodes.

 

[FredH]

Hey guys,

With the increasing number of TOS characters who are now in SNW (Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Chapel, etc.) it seems inevitable if it goes on for long enough we are getting a full on TOS reprisal. The question then is what Paramount would do with it.

The more conservative option is to write all original episodes - new adventures for existing characters to engage in. Just presume that on odd weeks, they had the TOS adventures, and on even weeks, they had the adventures on the other show (or whatever).

The more interesting possibility, though, is to actually adapt TOS stories. Just straight up mine them, readapting for a more modern audience. Canon purists might balk at this, but I've always seen Trek episodes as more being "dramatic adaptations" of events which take place within the Trekverse than actual documentary footage, so I think there's tons of leeway here.

Some positives:

• Like it or not, some people really have issue with the dated VFX of TOS episodes, and cannot watch them in their entirety. There's lots of fantastic TOS episodes which would be absolute bangers with higher production values (The Doomsday Machine is one that sticks out to me).
• New adaptations could play around more with point of view. TOS seldom let us slip away from Kirk for very long, and more of an ensemble vibe would let us see how the rest of the cast was impacted by the crises of the week we enjoyed in the past.
• Lets us fix some bad aspects of TOS history (particularly off-comments regarding women) with different dialogue choices.

Negatives:

• Some people would argue that novel stories are better because we don't know how the stories would unfold. But re-adaptations are incredibly popular now in general, so there's clearly lots of people who think a "spoiled" story.
• Getting the rights to some of the old screenplays to adapt may be difficult.
• Canon purists may have a stroke.

I don't have strong feelings on this, despite presenting this as a possibility. But I wondered what others would think if they went down this route.

It would be absolutely pointless to remake existing stories. Even if someone did an actual full reboot Star Trek, the only elements I would want retold would be those crucial to understanding the characters; no full episode is, not even “crucial” episodes like “Journey to Babel”. So I could see a (NuNu?)Trek having Kirk’s best friend Gary Mitchell die or Spock fall out with his father, but any actual complete story? No thanks.

 

[fireproof78]

don't have strong feelings on this, despite presenting this as a possibility. But I wondered what othe

I'd welcome it. I don't see the rational of getting upset over remakes. If the writers or actors feel like giving their own spin then I welcome it.

Remakes do no harm.

 

[Headless_Hysteria]

I don't know why TOS episodes would be remade. Especially when we are in an era where TAS could be remastered into 3D animation and live action.

TOS should not be altered just because it does not fit in with modern sensibilities. That's part of the charm of TOS. Something will be lost if it's modernized, and i don't mean the "offensive" aspects either.

If they are interested in revisiting those episodes from TOS with the new actors on SNW with a modern take, then episodes like "A Quality of Mercy" are the way to go.

 

[Daedalus of the Dead]

"A Quality of Mercy" storylines would be my preferred way of doing it, if it had to be the SNW crew.

Now, do it in the Kelvin timeline and you have my full attention.

Otherwise, c'mon, new stuff is better. Do stuff in the early 2270s if the TOS era still needs mining, or on another ship in the late 2260s.

 

[Paul755]

Remaking TOS wouldn’t make me upset but I would wonder what the point was. Just to give Kirk shorter sideburns and put Uhura and Rand in longer skirts? To make it match the glossy and expensive Disco/SNW era look (when those two should have looked like TOS) or just to add more alien crew members in the background?

Pass. You want updated fx…you have TOS-R.

If you remake something there needs to be something that sets it apart or puts a twist on it. 1:1 remake just with new effects or maybe larger roles for Sulu, Uhura and Chekov feels lazy.

The way to go if they want to do something with the TOS crew is to do a series set in between TMP and WOK.

 

[LtChange]

For me I would kinda love it. Like stick with a 13 episode seasonal format where 10 are original episodes and 3 are remakes, given the timeline changes introduced. Show that every time travel episode had some effect on the present, with the idea that major events do happen (like Balance of Terror, updated Arena, The Enterprise Incident etc.). Although I would prefer a parallel show with TOS where characters would show up from TOS and like when Balance of Terror happens, they find out, they have a run in with the Romualns later on and so on ...

 

[No Grave Marked]

Remaking them to me would be a big waste of time, and not worth watching.

Doing new/different stories and episodes with the same characters in the same TOS time period would be great (IMO).

I don't need/want a rehash of something I've already seen performed by different actors all because some folks feel the need to have everything be viaually consistent.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

As someone who feels that SNW is a reboot, not a prequel, I wouldn't mind revisiting some TOS episode premises if SNW turns into a Kirk-in-command show. As was pointed out up thread, you couldn't possibly do all of TOS even if you wanted to, it would take six or seven years of modern TV to get through them. And SNW is much more of an ensemble show than TOS ever was, with much more of a through-line for the entire season. So a lot of the storytelling would have to be newly written.

But revisiting or reimagining some key episodes, especially ones that have relevance to SNW's stories, would be very interesting. If SNW lasts into Kirk-in-command, then we will have to have stories dealing with events covered by "Amok Time" and "Arena" and even "The Menagerie" - or we will have to say "no, those things don't happen in this story" which is still a way of touching on those episodes. So at that point, the only question is: do we follow the precedent set in TOS, at least in broad outline, or do we do something totally different?

In my opinion, the writing in SNW is really good. So I'd love to see a few classic episodes get reimagined: "Amok Time," "Balance of Terror," and "The Naked Time" would be high on my personal wish list.

(I avoid the work "remake" because it's clear some of the folks in this thread are interpreting that to be a shot-for-shot recreation of the 1960s episode, just with new sets and actors, and I definitely don't want that! Nor do I think that's what the OP had in mind.)

 

[Paul755]

reimagine or remake…whatever you want to call it…what’s the point? What are you gonna do differently that is gonna make it stand out from (or surpass) the original…other than update the visuals.

Like every remake it will just invite endless comparisons instead of letting a new Kirk-era show stand on its own.

 

[fireproof78]

The point is just like all the various comic character iterations, tellings of Shakespeare and other remakes: for artists to play with that material.

As artistic expression goes that's all that matters to me. Not ridiculous comparisons. Not attempting to make the greatest ever. Just telling, or retelling a story you're passionate about.

Fuck the comparison game and its stupidity.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

reimagine or remake…whatever you want to call it…what’s the point? What are you gonna do differently that is gonna make it stand out from (or surpass) the original…other than update the visuals.

Like every remake it will just invite endless comparisons instead of letting a new Kirk-era show stand on its own.

If they make a Kirk-era show that carries on from SNW, those comparisons will happen anyway. Spock and T'Pring's romance is already creating complaints and comparisons with "Amok Time." A Kirk-era show will presumably have Spock aboard the Enterprise, at which point the show has three choices: resolve the romance in a way that echoes and references "Amok Time," which I would call a "reimagining;" resolve the romance in a way that negates or contradicts "Amok Time;" or ignore the romance completely and leave it unresolved - which is arguably negating "Amok Time" but leaves the producers room to say "we haven't gotten there yet."

All three choices will generate complaints and comparisons. A good reimagining will tell a similar story, but with notes an tropes suited to an early 21st century audience rather than a mid 20th century one. And I have confidence in the SNW writing team to tell a good story, so my hope is that the do revisit some TOS stories when they get there.

 

[Daedalus of the Dead]

As someone who feels that SNW is a reboot, not a prequel, I wouldn't mind revisiting some TOS episode premises if SNW turns into a Kirk-in-command show. As was pointed out up thread, you couldn't possibly do all of TOS even if you wanted to, it would take six or seven years of modern TV to get through them. And SNW is much more of an ensemble show than TOS ever was, with much more of a through-line for the entire season. So a lot of the storytelling would have to be newly written.

But revisiting or reimagining some key episodes, especially ones that have relevance to SNW's stories, would be very interesting. If SNW lasts into Kirk-in-command, then we will have to have stories dealing with events covered by "Amok Time" and "Arena" and even "The Menagerie" - or we will have to say "no, those things don't happen in this story" which is still a way of touching on those episodes. So at that point, the only question is: do we follow the precedent set in TOS, at least in broad outline, or do we do something totally different?

In my opinion, the writing in SNW is really good. So I'd love to see a few classic episodes get reimagined: "Amok Time," "Balance of Terror," and "The Naked Time" would be high on my personal wish list.

(I avoid the work "remake" because it's clear some of the folks in this thread are interpreting that to be a shot-for-shot recreation of the 1960s episode, just with new sets and actors, and I definitely don't want that! Nor do I think that's what the OP had in mind.)

In that case, it's not such a problem.

If they do decide to...revisit...episodes of TOS it's only fair they acknowledge the reboot status of the show and any spin-offs that come from it.

Some people are adamant that SNW doesn't contradict the continuity of what follows, but to double down by remaking episodes for modern audiences will eliminate the possibility entirely.

I think I'm part of a minority that would prefer SNW to closer resemble TOS as seasons progress, but if remakes are the inevitable conclusion to the run, then I'll happily live with that.

 

[Firebird]

My core question when it comes to the issue of remaking old episodes is - what story are you trying to tell?

If you're able to find something new to say with the original story, then it's not so bad. If you can also do that without being slavish to the original version's story beats, then even better.

If you're just remaking the same story to arrive at the same conclusion and to get there following the same path... what's the point? We have the original version that is renowned enough to be remembered in the first place. Why waste millions of dollars and the time and effort of so many crew and cast members to crib off someone else's homework?