Before we entered the age of streaming, the standard format for television was episodic storytelling. Whether it was a sitcom or even a drama, most of the conflicts introduced in a given episode were resolved by the end and very little actually changed. This is because of syndication. Broadcasters could run syndicated shows in any order they wanted, and it would be confusing to their potential viewers if they actually had to pay attention to every story, since watching television was considered to be a passive activity at the time. For decades, heavily serialized stories werereserved for miniseriesoreven soap operas.
During the 1980s, shows started to introduce storylines that carried through the rest of the series and required viewers to have more than a passing familiarity with the premise and characters. This really picked up steam in the 1990s, however, when programs likeThe X-Fileswere famous for switching between stand-alone episodes and ones that fit into the larger mythology. Once the seriesLosthit big in the early-2000s, watching television became an active activity (viaE! News). Viewers faithfully tuned in for every episode so as not to miss a single important detail. Then came streaming, and you started hearing people describe TV shows as “long movies,” where each episode flows into the next and the story builds over time as the plot advances and characters learn from their actions and change.
EvenStar Trek, a franchise known for good or ill as telling huge, life-threatening stories that have almost no impact on the psyche of their characters, despite dabbling in serialization itself a few times, started telling longer narratives that took entire seasons to unfold. This resulted in a divided audience that wasn’t comfortable with the darker, less optimistic direction of their favorite franchise. We will discuss some reasons why that might be the case below, while also exploring the showsStar Trek: Lower DecksandStrange New Worlds, two very episodic shows, that seem to have largely repaired the ever-increasing rift between Trekkers (viaDaily Star Trek News), and what that means about television storytelling as a whole.
These Are The Voyages…
The originalStar Trekseries was revolutionary in a lot of ways: it told legitimate, thought-provoking science-fiction stories, tackled social issues of the day, and envisioned a world where everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or creed could live and work together for the betterment of mankind. However, when it came to story structure, it was just as rigid as all the westerns and cop shows of the time. Problems were introduced, there was conflict, and by the end of the episode, everything went back to normal. The justification being each episode is just one of many voyages for thecrew of the Enterprise, and there is always the promise of more adventure.
This continued withStar Trek: The Next GenerationandVoyager. While both shows have loving, devoted fans, there are those who criticize them for not allowing their characters to change.Star Trek: Enterprisespent most of its life with the same structure, but started delving into serialized arcs in its final two seasons with Earth’s growing conflict with a race known as the Xindi following a terrorist attack. Prior toStar Trek: Discoverythe only other series that had serialized stories baked into its DNA wasStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.
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They Don’t Go Anywhere
Deep Space Ninewas set on a space station. For a long time, fans said it wasn’t “realStar Trek” because the crew wasn’t exploring space. You can’t “trek” if you stay put. However, as time went on, viewers slowly realized that the show wasn’t about exploring the cosmos — it was far more concerned with exploring its characters. If you watch the pilot and immediately watch the series finale, you would recognize most of the cast on a superficial level, but they were so changed by their time on the station that you may not recognize their personalities. Not to mention, you would encountervarious new characterswho are every bit as interesting as the main cast.
The show achieved this by mixing serialized stories with episodic ones. In any given season, you see multiple episodes that tie into one another like one long narrative involving a growing conflict with The Dominion and others that largely stand on their own. This structure gave the audience the variety of stories they expect fromStar Trekwhile weaving them into a larger tapestry that encompasses the entire show. Even stand-alone episodes had elements that related to either the larger plot or a character’s own arc. In this way, although the characters weren’t visiting a new planet every week, you still take an epic journey.
The Streaming Frontier
Star Trek: Discoverywas the first new television series the franchise had sinceEnterpriseended in 2005. Unlike the trilogy of films that began withStar Trekin 2009, this series takes place in the same universe as the rest of the franchise. Set 10 years prior to the original series,Discoverymade a lot ofcosmetic and structural changesthat didn’t sit right with certain segments of the fans. Unlike most of the other shows, which were ensembles,Discoveryhad a clear protagonist, Michael Burnham (played by Sonequa Martin-Green), who experiences a fall from grace in the first two episodes that she spends the next two seasons crawling her way back from. The show isn’t so much about exploration as it is about self-discovery.
Some of the criticisms thrown at the show are that it’s too dark, violent, and different from the rest ofStar Trek.Why, ifStar Trekhas always dabbled in darker and violent storylines, doesDiscoverystrike so many as aggressively dark and violent? One word: serialization. As producer Aaron Herberts mentioned on an episode ofAfter Trekduring the first season, the original series would’ve felt much darker if Kirk were allowed to mourn Edith Keeler’s death following the events of the classic episodeCity on the Edge of Forever.
That, to a certain extent, is also whyDS9felt darker thanTNG. In fact, there was a time whenDS9was referred to as the “dark”Trekshow. When something bad happens to a character in serialized television, the topic isn’t filed away for later reference or a piece of trivia, the story lives with that emotion for a significant amount of time. Therefore, the overall effect can be upsetting if you’re not particularly interested in occupying that headspace for too long.
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To Boldly Go
AfterDiscoverycamePicard, a series that was, believe it or not, even more serialized than its predecessor. For fans hoping to see one of their favorite captains embarking on aTNG-style adventure that meditated on important themes and thought-provoking ideas, the series was a shock.Picardis a series that moves slowly, but manages to fill every scene with either theatrical drama, violence, or shocking imagery. Although the seasons are short, they only have enough story to sustain half the episode count, and it wastes a lot of time on underdeveloped ideas that go nowhere. This approach only further divided fans who wanted something else from theirStar Trek.
Then cameLower Decks. An animated comedy series from Mike McMahan (Rick and MortyandSolar Opposites) focusing on the lower-ranking officer of a less-than-prestigious Federation ship,Lower Decksis a fast-paced, adult-oriented homage to theTNGera. Although character arcs carry through, most of the episodes work on their own and offer a wider variety of stories, ensuring nobody ever gets bogged down in the misery and trauma of battle or transporter mishaps. While the humor may not be to everyone’s liking, this was the first series of this new era that a major portion of the fanbase can agree on.
Star Trek: Prodigywas the next animated series, and it has also struck a positive chord with fans. Set in the Gamma Quadrant, this kid-friendly series is telling some of the most engaging and moving stories of the current shows. It features refugees from a prison colony traversing the galaxy in an abandoned federation ship, learning to work together, and survive in the vastness of the cosmos. LikeLower Decks, it blends stand-alone stories with a serialized arc that keeps the show feeling fresh and exciting. It has also received overwhelming approval from fans.
Worlds Old and New
One element ofDiscoverythat was almost universally loved was the depiction ofCaptain Christopher Pike. He walked into a rather bleak and oppressive series like a beacon of light, inspiring fans to cry out for more. They got their wish withStrange New Worlds, an Enterprise-based series set during the gap betweenDiscoveryseason two and the first season of the originalStar Trek.Once again, the series contains serialized elements, with episodes that stand alone. For many fans, this series has brought them back to the franchise because it feels like the show they’ve always known and loved.
For decades, fans have viewedStar Trekas an optimistic show that promises a future where mankind puts its differences aside and works together to venture out among the stars. Perhaps that is why episodic stories suit the franchise so well.
New stories challenge the characters in interesting ways, revealing sides to them, we don’t get to otherwise see. That’s what makes episodic storytelling so rewarding: they tell the audience that challenges can be overcome. No matter how dark things feel at the moment, the sunwillrise and chase away the shadows. If the crew of the Enterprise can survive an attack from a vastly superior enemy and live to have a brand-new adventure the following week, you can stand up to your boss, inspire change in the world, and heal old wounds, because therewillbe a tomorrow and, with it, the possibility of new adventures.
