Paradigm shifts and B5/Trek

[B5JMS Poster]

Subject: Paradigm shifts and B5/Trek
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 No. | DATE        |  FROM
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s  1: Nov 26, 1996: cortese at netcom.com (Janis Maria C. C. Cortese)
-  2: Nov 28, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com
+ 14: Nov 29, 1996: cdershem at netcom.com (Carl Dershem)
* 15: Nov 29, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com

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From: cortese at netcom.com (Janis Maria C. C. Cortese)
Lines: 60

Just read one of the jms post amalgams that get posted here every now
and again and in it, he discusses the paradigm shift that has taken
place for a lot of people viz. Trek and B5.  It's interesting to see it
happen, because I've been feeling the same thing happen to myself at
*precisely* the same time, and only became really strongly aware of
it after digging out a tape of "Night Terrors" to watch after throwing
"The Fall of Night" and "Parliament of Dreams" into the VCR.  (What can
I say -- I'm a dyed-in-the-wool fan of John Vickery.  Leave it to
the Trek franchise to have a pertinent scene with Troi and Worf, for
christ's sake, the two biggest wastes of airtime in the history of
American broadcasting, and leave AKTOR MAN[tm] comatose in the next
room. *patient sigh*)

Anyhow, it was *fascinating* to watch B5 so damned much and then back up
and watch TNG.  I had forgotten how *sterile* looking that show was --
the smooth and untextured walls, unornamented.  The Jack Webb/Dragnet
school of emoting wherein a character communicates the fact that they
are emotionally troubled by saying, "I am emotionally troubled."

The fact that they slapped their chests to talk to one another and not
their hands.

The transporters.

Turbolifts instead of transport tubes.  And why the hell don't the doors
rotate out of the way?  When you actively, consciously *catch* yourself
thinking, "Hey, he slapped his chest to talk to someone -- is that . . .
oh, that's right," it's a *damned* weird feeling.

Huge, one spaces and brightly lit everything.

The lack of humor.

Uniforms from the Colorforms School of textile design instead of those
nice dark blue Eisenhower jackets.

I felt as if I had been *deprogrammed,* and stopped thinking of the
future in terms of that one vision of it, and being a hard scientist,
that's a pretty embarrassing admission to make.  But it was stunning to
*feel* it happen to myself.  After a lifetime of watching Trek as the
*only* vision of the future that most people were aware of, it's amazing
to become fully aware of the depth of the belief suspension, until it
seems like the "real" future is the one with the Crayola uniforms and
the communicators on the chest.  It's really amazing, and irritating as
it may be, it's an absolutely *fascinating* thing to realize about
oneself, the depths to which you can learn to take things for granted
that are *entirely* constructed.  It's pretty sobering, actually.

Take care,
Janis
cortese at netcom.com                        http://www.io.com/~cortese/
Homepage includes Feminism, Lefthanders, and Handgun Education Links!
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                                              Emmet




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From: cdershem at netcom.com (Carl Dershem)
Lines: 86

Janis Maria C. C. Cortese (cortese at netcom.com) wrote:

: Anyhow, it was *fascinating* to watch B5 so damned much and then back up
: and watch TNG.  I had forgotten how *sterile* looking that show was --
: the smooth and untextured walls, unornamented.  The Jack Webb/Dragnet

That's more a design choice (partially inspired by the dreadfully low 
budget of the original series, and later accepted as "canon" - the way 
the ST universe is) that a flaw.  Different is not necessarily worse.

: school of emoting wherein a character communicates the fact that they
: are emotionally troubled by saying, "I am emotionally troubled."

Not every series gets good writers all the time.

: The fact that they slapped their chests to talk to one another and not
: their hands.

I don't see the problem here.  Are you saying that hands are a more valid 
place to put a communications port?  I personally find it easier to reach 
my chest with my right hand than the back of my right hand, and can think 
of several situations where this might be the only choice I have.  Once 
again, a difference in style, not in better/worse.

: The transporters.

Once again, a choice based mostly on the old series' budget.  Shuttles 
are damn expensive to film, and landing sequesnces money and time 
consuming, so the "went around".  Once established, it couldn't be done 
away with.  I still know a few scientists who think it may be possible 
someday - and it's a fun idea, even if not as feasible as landing craft.

: Turbolifts instead of transport tubes.  

Terminology.  The idea is the same -- elevators.

: And why the hell don't the doors rotate out of the way?

Because they don't feel the need to do it that way.
  
: When you actively, consciously *catch* yourself
: thinking, "Hey, he slapped his chest to talk to someone -- is that . . .
: oh, that's right," it's a *damned* weird feeling.

Sounds like instead of de-programming, you've suffered re-programming.  
There is *no* one way to do it right -- just some ways and choices that 
work better or worse for some.  Both STTOS and STTNG had some good 
episodes, which is above the TV average, especially for SF.

: Huge, one spaces and brightly lit everything.

Easy to see, ain't it?  Also easy to set up, which lowers costs.

: The lack of humor.

In some eps, but not in others.

: Uniforms from the Colorforms School of textile design instead of those
: nice dark blue Eisenhower jackets.

Again, a matter of *choice*, not of better/worse.  I'm not saying B5 
isn't better -- it is, by a long way.  But that doesn't automatically 
make all ST garbage.  Some's good, some's awful, most is in between, and 
it still has a better batting average than, for instance, Quantum Leap or 
Time Trax or V.

: the communicators on the chest.  It's really amazing, and irritating as
: it may be, it's an absolutely *fascinating* thing to realize about
: oneself, the depths to which you can learn to take things for granted
: that are *entirely* constructed.  It's pretty sobering, actually.

What's really scary to me is the amount of polarization present over the 
whole issue.  So many seem to be "this" or "this" about SF, while there 
is actually a broad spectrum to look into.  Star Trek is OK, for light 
entertainment (with occasional touches of brilliance or idiocy), Star 
Wars is fun light fantasy, B5 is a wonderfully deep and rich *concept* 
show that encourages thought, the X-Files is a wonderful "What if" 
scenario that allows you to play with ideas... but none of the are the 
alpha and omega of mass media SF.

: Take care,
: Janis
: cortese at netcom.com                        http://www.io.com/~cortese/

Carl


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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com
Lines: 21

"No one's claiming Trek doesn't have its failings.  The issue at hand is
the B5 folk who feel compelled to constantly ridicule Trek.  There's not
much point, and the attitude is suspiciously cult-like, even if they
aren't really a cult."

One fallacy in your thinking: while there are many ST fans who haven't
seen B5, there are insofar as I know *no* B5 fans who haven't seen ST, and
in most cases, began as ST fans.  These are the same complaints many of
them have had with ST for a time long before B5 ever came on the
map...only now in some cases they have a show which is doing what they
have been saying should be done for some time now.  

This is not a B5 problem...it's an internal ST problem.  



 jms




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