Why do ya'll call it a "story arc?"

[Snowman37]

I was explaining some ongoing stories in Star Trek: Voyager to my mom, and I referred to them as story arcs. She asked me why I called them story arcs? I couldn't think of a reasonable answer to this question, so... fill me in. By the way, an arc is a curved line, so how does that relate to an ongoing story spanning a series of stories?

[DigiFluid]

The curved line is the right approach; it's about visualizing the development of a story. Character goes from beginning (A) to crisis (B) to action (C) to resolution (D).

In terms of the first Star Wars movie, for Luke Skywalker A is being a farmboy, B is hunted by stormtroopers, C running around the Death Star and helping the princess, and D is him becoming the hero of the Rebels by destroying the Death Star. You can visualize this as an upward 'arc', from humble beginnings to great and grand endings.

But it applies to any direction, up or down, to anything that develops from point A to B to C and so on.

[Akamaimom]

As for the arc shape--it has to do with the building tension/excitement inherent in such a plot line. Things start out feeling normal, then start building until they reach their apex, and then gently slide down into the denouement, or resolution.

[daxmaryrussel]

Both good explanations! Thanks. I never really thought about it more than it's a story developing over several episodes so great to hear these logical explanations

[Snowman37]

Thanks for the clarification, folks.