Star Trek Discovery

Can I assume you didn't pay for your 2017 Prius C either? After all, the only reason there was a charge for it was that Toyota needs more money. MORE, MORE, MORE ...... never enough.

 

My assumption would be a bit different. I can't imagine what they could do that couldn't go on network TV, or at least on cable.

We all fast-forward through the adverts. The network TV companies are looking at the subscription model that is working for Netflix and others, and want to find a new way of paying for their programming.

It's pretty clear that Star Trek Discovery must have been very expensive. It needs to pay for itself, and advertising revenue in the current market isn't going to be enough.

It's also clearly a flagship meant to drag people into CBS All Access, which I assume has more to offer than just this. There was one programme - Stranger Things, I think it was - that finally inspired us to subscribe to Netflix Australia, and then we discovered that it was easy to use and had a great range of programmes (not as good as in the US, but still....), and only cost A$5 per month.

 

I can certainly see the attraction in doing it that way.

 

Do you mean the "cold open" - the bit where they're in that desert? Or the title sequence?

The title sequence reminded me a lot of Westworld. I suspect that was a deliberate attempt to suggest that the programme could be of a similar sort of quality.

Yes, I was surprised by a couple of plot points, especially the unfortunate event, which I didn't see coming at all. And I think the idea of introducing the characters gradually - we didn't even see two of the lead actors named in the title sequence in the first two episodes - works well, rather than just having a whole load of exposition and no story in the first episode (see Encounter at Farpoint).

In Australia, we only have one cable company, and I'm seriously thinking of dropping them, as their content really is abysmal. I'm basically using it for BBC World News and Air Crash Investigation. Our free-to-air TV is good, though.

 

Yes, and I think there's no easier way to say "quality SF drama" than, "Hey, look, this is a bit like Westworld".

It really was dire. But yes, it went on to be so brilliant. I think The Best Of Both Worlds was the peak of TNG for me, but it really was a brilliant series.

Yes. Our cable is now mainly crap pseudo-reality-with-pretend-fights, like Storage Wars and Hardcore Pawn and stuff. If that was what I wanted, I could just record one episode and watch it again and again, rather than pay monthly for more episodes that are exactly the same.

I haven't tried the new Battlestar Galactica. I should give it a try.

I would have thought commercial imperatives drove the Star Trek decision, but maybe they'll use that freedom to do more than they might otherwise do. And a subscription model means you don't have to worry about turning off advertisers, which does give you a lot more freedom.

 

You may then be missing the point of much of Star Trek, and indeed much science fiction.

 

Look, if you don't want something enough to pay for it, that's OK. That's why I don't subscribe to the sports channels on my cable package.

But it's not something to get angry with the companies for. You're not angry with Toyota for offering its subscription services, so why be angry with CBS? Star Trek is not a right. It is a product you can buy or not buy. It costs money to make, and the makers need to recoup their investment.

 

Because it would appear that you don't understand what science fiction - including Star Trek - is often trying to do.

 

I've really never been sold on Q. The trial of humanity was an interesting concept, but I just find him a bit annoying. Although he did introduce us to the Borg, so he can't be all bad.

Rascals was remarkably silly. And Night Terrors was among the dullest 45 minutes of television ever made.

For me, the holodeck episodes (especially the Data/Sherlock Holmes and Picard / 30s Detective ones) are pretty rubbish.

But the winner has to be Shades Of Grey - the one where Riker lies on a bed and has flashbacks from Seasons 1 and 2 - which was just abysmal. At least there's an excuse for that one: it was the Hollywood Writers' Strike, so there was no-one to do a story. (The Bond film A Quantum Of Solace is completely incomprehensible for the same reason.)

But the fact that these stand out as not being very good throws things into relief and makes you realise how great the rest of it was. For me, anything with the Borg is a highlight, but there's so much more.

 

Also I am looking forward to the new Borg film where they take on John McEnroe.