IN SUPPORT OF STAR TREK

The formula for most television is simple; introduce characters and setting, introduce a complication, then resolve the complication. Star Trek uses parts of this formula, but it takes things a step further, and manages to do so much more with its stories. 

The main cast is so large, and every one of them is interesting because they are so different – often as a result of literally being from different planets. This rich tapestry of characters, with a variety of backstories and experience makes for really excellent story telling opportunities – each member of the crew always has something original to contribute, because their perspectives are so unique.

Additionally, there is never just one complication in an episode. Early episodes of The Next Generation do not really feature an overarching plot (although there are recurring characters and races), but each episode features an engaging handful of complications. The following two episodes serve as good examples of this writing.

The Last Post

This episode begins within an exciting opportunity for the Enterprise – to make contact with a race Starfleet knows very little about, and try to negotiate with them to recover lost Starfleet property. The situation becomes complicated when the race – the Ferengi – seem to react hostilely to the Enterprise’s pursuit. Caught in an energy draining force field which is slowly reducing all of the Enterprise’s power – including life support systems – to zero, the crew begin a hard line of bargaining with the Ferengi, simultaneously conducting desperate searches to discover all they can about this little known race. 

This drama continues until about halfway through the episode, when Counselor Troi points out that the hostile barrier could in fact be coming from the planet both ships are orbiting – not the Ferengi ship. Clever writing indeed – to introduce a further, more interesting complication into an already captivating episode. The rest of the episode focuses on figuring out the mysteries of the planet - while attempting to continue negotiations with the Ferengi. 

Where No One Has Gone Before

This episode begins with Captain Picard and First Officer Riker arguing about the legitimacy of a man who wishes to board the Enterprise to conduct routine checks and upgrades to the ship’s engine. He appears to have direct orders from Starfleet command to carry out such checks, and Picard, with his rigid loyalty to Starfleet, sees no need to question his intentions. Riker, on the other hand, is deeply suspicious and hence decides to greet the unknown engineer – Kosinski – and his assistant and accompany them as they perform their duties. 

During the checks, Kosinski seems to perform some kind of semi-intentional experiment, pushing the Enterprise’s engine’s past its regular capacity and accidentally transporting the ship to the M33 Galaxy – over 2.7 million light years from the Milky Way – a distance normally impossible to travel in one lifetime.

The complication then becomes the quest to get home. Picard demands Kosinski to repeat his experiment and take them back – only it seems that he does not know how. In many other shows, this would be complication enough to fill an episode. But it is not so for the marvelous writers of Star Trek. 

During the attempt to warp home the Enterprise ends up in a totally undocumented area of space – possibly the edge –  where it seems the line between reality and thought is truly blurred. The crew’s nightmares and dreams become seemingly real illusions aboard the Enterprise, and chaos ensues. Again, a further, much more interesting complication arises to accompany the first, and both must be resolved to end the episode.