In the early era of Science Fiction movies (1930s) Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon were serialized multi-episode movies that told a more or less ongoing story. A chapter of one of the stories might have 6 or 7 eisodes, but the stories had beginnings, middles and ends to them. When television became a primary staple for sci fi in the late 60s, it reflected TV philosophy of the times, get the audience to love your characters, tell 40 minute stories that are more or less self contained and keep people coming back to what is familiar. Multiple writers wrote the Trek shows of the time and true continuity was not highly important. There was the somewhat vague 5 year mission, but that was as much of a destination as the show had.
When Star Trek, the next generation came out in the late 80s, the old Trek formula was followed pretty closely. Individual characters had some progression, but the overall story was still just a framework for us to get involved with the characters and keep tuning in.
When J. Michael Straczynski conceived the 5 year story arc of Babylon 5 in the late 80s, he was either starting (or participating in depending on how you sketch out history) the big change in televsion science fiction, a TV scif fi show where characters, go through huge transformations. Some die. Some lose their souls. Others find theirs. And the story advances toward something you can anticipate.
Then in rapid fire order, serial TV sci fi came back.
DS-9 was a hybrid of old and new, starting out (1993) with an unfamiliar Trek situation, but with no particular direction, still focused on characters and their progressions as ends in themselves.
In the meantimes, Babylon 5's first movie prequel (The Gathering) was released (1993) and a year later, began the 5 year story arc with most of the writing being done by one person, JMS himself.
In 1995, Trek: Voyager began with the most structured Trek yet, a story with a unified direction and plot structure: getting home.
Then in 1997, DS9 began its Dominion war story arc, which many claim to be the best three years of TV Science Fiction ever.
In that same year, Stargate SG-1 began its run with an immediately defined direction (defeating the Goa'uld) and a story that continued to advance toward that end for 8 seasons..... And unlike those old days of 40 minutes of familiarity, characters have died, moved on and the story has progressed.
So here's to ADVANCING THE STORY... and to the writers who can see the end before they begin......
When Star Trek, the next generation came out in the late 80s, the old Trek formula was followed pretty closely. Individual characters had some progression, but the overall story was still just a framework for us to get involved with the characters and keep tuning in.
When J. Michael Straczynski conceived the 5 year story arc of Babylon 5 in the late 80s, he was either starting (or participating in depending on how you sketch out history) the big change in televsion science fiction, a TV scif fi show where characters, go through huge transformations. Some die. Some lose their souls. Others find theirs. And the story advances toward something you can anticipate.
Then in rapid fire order, serial TV sci fi came back.
DS-9 was a hybrid of old and new, starting out (1993) with an unfamiliar Trek situation, but with no particular direction, still focused on characters and their progressions as ends in themselves.
In the meantimes, Babylon 5's first movie prequel (The Gathering) was released (1993) and a year later, began the 5 year story arc with most of the writing being done by one person, JMS himself.
In 1995, Trek: Voyager began with the most structured Trek yet, a story with a unified direction and plot structure: getting home.
Then in 1997, DS9 began its Dominion war story arc, which many claim to be the best three years of TV Science Fiction ever.
In that same year, Stargate SG-1 began its run with an immediately defined direction (defeating the Goa'uld) and a story that continued to advance toward that end for 8 seasons..... And unlike those old days of 40 minutes of familiarity, characters have died, moved on and the story has progressed.
So here's to ADVANCING THE STORY... and to the writers who can see the end before they begin......
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