Berman speaks in 'Simmilitude'

[BouncyCaitian]

http://www.trektoday.com/news/201103_01.shtml

must....not...laugh...

he promised, "We're not killing Anthony Montgomery again."

Can we make him the Kenny of the Show?

[Phantom]

Oh, #%&@! Another time travel ep! Christ why do they always fall back on that dead horse?

[BouncyCaitian]

What's sad is that time travel wasn't that common in TOS. I'm trying to figure out the allure they have for it in trek.

[C5]

What is it in time travel episodes that upsets people that much ? I find them generally good and some of the most successful episodes and movies were based around time travel, so why does everyone complain everytime a time travel episode is announced ?

Then again, maybe it's just me.

[Sho-sa Kurita]

Originally posted by Phantom
Oh, #%&@! Another time travel ep! Christ why do they always fall back on that dead horse?

Given that the series is based on a time-war, it's hardly 'falling back.' on it. It's part and parcel of the series. Of course, you still don't have to like it.

[Phantom]

What is wrong with it? They time travel in the franchise just about every season now. It is a tired and lazy plot device.

[C5]

Well this could be said for a lot of things in Trek. After all, if the stories themselves are different, I see no trouble with time travelling - after all, they always travel to a new planet and discover new lifeforms.
Of course, if every story uses a similar plotline (like the "holodeck-go-wrong-and-the-safeties-are-off" stories in TNG), then it can be boring alright, but this problem can happen with other plot devices than time travel. Just because an idea is often used doesn't mean it's bad IMHO.

[Balok]

Examples of time travel in TOS:

The Naked Time (cold restart of engines produced a time-warp -- no real time travel effect, but definitely time travel).
Tomorrow Is Yesterday
The City On The Edge Of Forever
Assignment: Earth
All Our Yesterdays (partial credit -- not Earth based)

These real examples account for a little over 5% of the episodes.


In addition, there are a number of time travel like episodes, in which elements from Earth's past, or close analogues, deal with the crew:

Miri
Shore Leave
The Squire Of Gothos
Space Seed
Who Mourns for Adonais
Catspaw
Metamorphosis
Wolf In The Fold
A Piece Of The Action
Patterns Of Force
Bread And Circuses
The Paradise Syndrome
Spectre Of The Gun
Plato's Stepchildren
Requiem for Methuselah
The Savage Curtain

This is around 20% of the episodes.

So, I'd say the original Trek writers went to that well a time or two themselves

[Snake_Plissken]

It is a tired and lazy plot device.

I'm in total agreement with Phantom here


eerie ...

[BouncyCaitian]

Time travel has gotten long in the tooth in Trek. I half expect to see a blue police call box pop up in the show now and again.

[Phantom]

Originally posted by C5
Of course, if every story uses a similar plotline (like the "holodeck-go-wrong-and-the-safeties-are-off" stories in TNG), then it can be boring alright, but this problem can happen with other plot devices than time travel. Just because an idea is often used doesn't mean it's bad IMHO.

The holodeck eps were getting tiresome as well.

[TookyG]

Hmm...and what about the constant break down of the transporters in TOS.

Time travel is a staple in science fiction, I don't see any problem with them having time travel episodes. Take time travel out, might as well take out phasers because those are a crutch for getting out of battles.