jgriff@spock.UUCP (John M. Griffin '87 ) (02/14/85)
Someone mentioned how amazingly great it would be to have Star Trek
back on the tube regularly. Bad idea.
If anyone looked closely at the 3 movies that have been released so far,
they might have realized that a running theme appeared in all three--age.
Kirk and company have aged about 20 years. The producer/director/writers
could not simply ignore this. In the first, all the crew have been promoted
to such high ranks, that it seems contrived to have them all on the ship
at once. Also, the "age" theme, applied mostly in ST2 can only supply a
minimum of episodes. The climax of the movie, in which Spock "dies" to save
the ship & crew, forces Kirk to come to terms with his new situation: he can
no longer play "Jimmy boy", and beat up Klingons when he gets bored.
(Incidentally, he DOES have a problem fighting Kruge in ST3.)
Kirk has "cheated his way out of death, and patted himself on the back
for his ingenuity." Not this time. This time, Kirk has met a "no-win"
situation (although Spock conveniently managed to leave his marbles with Bones)
"Galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young, doctor."
Kirk can never again command as the old Kirk, and I fear(which now
brings me to point #2) that no non-diehard fan would be interested in
seeing the crew groaning about arthritis.
But now the real problem: ratings.
If you would care to examine the recent science-fiction endeavors of the
big three, I think we'll all find a trend in the "wrong direction".
Such shows as Battlestar Galactica, which desperately tried to please everyone
failed rating-wise.
Buck Rogers, a sitcom/Magnum P.I. set in outer space did better with
its audience.
But now I would like to bring the current programming into light.
Otherworld, an interesting concept, is simply the Brady Bunch updated.
V, the most fictional science fiction offered, consists of a lot of
guns, moralization, and female lizards putting their hands on their hips and
staring each other down.
If Star Trek were to be made today, therefore, it would "need" to contain
humor, sexy actors, and a lot of general mindlessness, today replaced by
special effects.
So there you have it. It appears that no adult of today wants to see
anything beyond "Three's Company" and "Magnum P.I."
Try and make a series about an aging starship crew, without a plot consisting
of special effects and sex, I dare you. See if any network picks it up, and
see how well it does rating-wise.
I'm sure that most of you would object to my interperetation of the
American TV viewer, but I still don't think the American majority would
set their clocks by it's airtime.
Pessimistically,
Captain Rexuss T. Sslith