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Star Trek Animated Comedy Series Is In the Works (ew.com)

Zorro shares a report from Entertainment Weekly: The first-ever official Star Trek comedy series has been ordered. CBS All Access has greenlit an animated series from Emmy-winner Mike McMahan, a writer on Adult Swim's sensation Rick and Morty The half-hour series is titled Star Trek: Lower Decks and will tackle the Federation from a comedic perspective, focusing "on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships." Fans will recognize the Lower Decks title as referencing the name of one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

138 comments

  1. The Orville by bickerdyke · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The first-ever official Star Trek comedy series has been ordered.

    They should just allow The Orvile to use actual Trek artwork and names....

    Anyone else thinks that feels more Star Trek than Discovery*?

    *which is not bad and there shouldn't be a difference between classical technobabble explaining away everything or some magic mushroom stuff doing the same... but it feels more fantasy than Trek usually was.

    --
    bickerdyke
    1. Re: The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I worked on one of these shows. Itâ(TM)s much better than a live show because there are no sets and you can say hi to people like shatter in the hallway.

    2. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most episodes of the Orville, have people saying things that make no sense, or doing things that make no sense.

      Other shows aren't perfect, but it seems like people writing that series, believe that throwing away things like "plot structure", "how people would actually behave", and "common sense" is fine, if it fills a few minutes of air.

    3. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      They should just allow The Orvile to use actual Trek artwork and names....

      Anyone else thinks that feels more Star Trek than Discovery*?

      *which is not bad and there shouldn't be a difference between classical technobabble explaining away everything or some magic mushroom stuff doing the same... but it feels more fantasy than Trek usually was.

      Completely agree with you. And my main issue with Discovery is less its fantasy tilt and has more to do with everyone being a screw-up, antagonists and protagonists alike. There isn't a single respectable character in that show, a show which belongs to a series that is supposedly based on human excellence.

    4. Re: The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Orville seems to put a lot of effort in to creating a great experience for viewers. I guess itâ(TM)s not for everyone

    5. Re:The Orville by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The Orville was okay for a first season. There were a lot of very common sci-fi tropes in there, almost standard stories. For the second season they will need to be more original.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    6. Re:The Orville by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Discovery is set a decade before the Original Series, at time when people definitely were a lot less perfect and well adjusted than in the TNG era.

      I'm surprised that you would make that criticism while praising The Orville though. Much of the humour on that show is about how flawed the characters are, e.g. the captain and his ex-wife's marital problems or the domestic issues Bortas has in multiple episodes.

      In fact the whole thing is much more in-your-face about social issues than Discovery was. Discovery barely touched on them, while The Orville did entire episodes about male-only societies and forced gender reassignment, the role of religion in developing civilizations, lots of jokes about sexuality etc.

      Not that I didn't enjoy all that.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    7. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most jarring example of this for me in Discovery was the frat house party scene - just felt very very anti-trek.

    8. Re: The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Their special effects are great, and their battle scenes are mostly awesome as well.

      Yet in every episode, sometimes for much of the episode, people behave in a fashion, or saying things, which makes no sense at all. None. Nada.

      Other times there seems to be a very strong political message... yet, that message is conveyed with arguments, statements, and logic which makes no sense. Note that this isn't an isolated case, I walked away from *almost every* episode annoyed at the logic inanities presented to me.

      Are you actually paying attention to the plot, or just watching the explosions, listening to the gags, and such?

    9. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Discovery is set a decade before the Original Series, at time when people definitely were a lot less perfect and well adjusted than in the TNG era.

      You realize that Star Trek: Enterprise came before Star Trek: Discovery, right? Also, are you trying to argue that a decade before Star Trek: TOS people were just so radically differently that they'd readily support an obviously evil person from the mirror universe with a policy of getting stuff done, no matter the cost? Or that Spock would wholly ignore his adopted sister? Or that Klingon's who were so close to winning (with cloaking devices they shouldn't have according to the TOS) would just stop "because"? And then there's the whole fungus network which if the Federation found out about, the Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians would have found out about and *would* have exploited at some point.

      I'm surprised that you would make that criticism while praising The Orville though. Much of the humour on that show is about how flawed the characters are, e.g. the captain and his ex-wife's marital problems or the domestic issues Bortas has in multiple episodes.

      The Orville is its own standard. If the second season of Orville has the captain being a neo-nazi, no matter how funny and ridiculous it was played, would be unacceptable. Star Trek is supposed to be Star Trek and whenever it diverges there should be some reason why it makes sense in canon. I don't see how Discovery fits in.

    10. Re:The Orville by bickerdyke · · Score: 2

      Yes. They had those "wholesome" stories that wanted to make us think about where our society is headed and crime and punishment and live and death... just like Next Generation. ( http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/... being the worst of them!) ST:TNG often has been ridiculed for those type of plots and it was amazing that within a few episodes, The Orville picked up exactly those aspects of Star Trek. And dropped all those penis jokes instead.

      --
      bickerdyke
    11. Re: The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. While I dont like ST:D, The Orville is shitty. It's just not funny and I quit trying to make myself way it 1/2 through S1. I'm hoping it just up and gets canceled.

    12. Re: The Orville by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

      Their special effects are great, and their battle scenes are mostly awesome as well.

      Or rather good special effects became affordable compared to The Enterprise-B's maiden voyage....

      Don't forget that DS9 used an Amiga on steroids for their special effects and that was a step up from TNG....

      --
      bickerdyke
    13. Re:The Orville by Mandrel · · Score: 1

      Agreed (though so far I've only watched the first half of the first season).

      Hopefully the first season, of which 8 out of 12 were written by Seth MacFarlane, was just him setting up the characters and the tone, and top SF writers will be brought in to improve the plots in later series. This would mirror TNG, but be the reverse of TOS, where early use of top SF writers saw it peak early.

      Seth was obviously a frustrated trek captain and writer, who got enough clout to "make it so".

      Its comedy element sometimes works as a way of humanizing the characters, but it does sometimes interfere with the suspension of disbelief. Sort of like the humour in the Trek movies.

    14. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone else thinks that feels more Star Trek than Discovery*?

      Absolutely

    15. Re:The Orville by Zontar_Thing_From_Ve · · Score: 1

      Anyone else thinks that feels more Star Trek than Discovery*?

      Sure. Lots of people do. Had discussions about this on Facebook with people I know. But there are a lot of Trek haters here on Slashdot or people who hate all Trek after The Next Gen so I wouldn't recommend using Slashdot as a sounding board on this.

    16. Re:The Orville by gweihir · · Score: 1

      I dislike Discovery to the point I have stopped watching. The Orville is great though. Looks like CBS is just a tad envious of the success of The Orville.

      --
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    17. Re:The Orville by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      It's got potential if it could be a bit more serious. Looking forward to season 2.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    18. Re:The Orville by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      The Star Trek universe is based on ideals over 50 year old. As they use the universe more, more and more stuff gets Retcon into it, often rather sloppily.
      It is more then just technology and special effect. In "2001 A Space Odyssey" The characters were cool and rational much like Vulcan's in Star Trek. Because we more or less assumed that we would adapt to be rational to work better with technology vs. Having technology designed better to deal with our crazy human nonsense. The humans in Star Trek while not as extreme as Vulcan, still used a lot of this reasoning that we have became smarten and more rational with the use of computers. With a third grader kid in TNG complaining that he doesn't want to take Calculus, now I think the point they were making was STTNG was set so far in the future so like how Calculus 300 years ago was only for Math PHD's and today it is taught in High School, that in the next 300 years we can tech this to 3rd graders is kinda silly. But this fits on the vision we will adapt to the changes as fast as the changes expand.

      The Orville dumped this universe. While they are smart people, they are also people who are street smart, or just kinda off dull. They may be good at their job, but that is about it.

      --
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    19. Re:The Orville by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 1

      Sure, but in The Orville, they're 'flawed' as in 'they're people,' not as in 'they're war criminals.'

      That said, I liked Discovery too, and I think it suffered from it's tumultuous pre-production woes. I'm hoping it finds it's footing and improves.

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
    20. Re:The Orville by magusxxx · · Score: 1

      "...people were just so radically differently that they'd readily support an obviously evil person from the mirror universe with a policy of getting stuff done, no matter the cost?"

      *raising finger*
      *thinks*
      *turns around and walks away*

      Nope, not going there.

      --
      Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
    21. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The canon of Discovery season 1 was that discovering the fungus network and exploiting it was largely a fluke. "Tardigrades" are rare, and the Captain of the Discovery wasn't even the one that captured it. There is no reason to believe he could acquire another Tardigrade.

      If you want to fan-canon it into the movies, the Enterprise-B's "Transwarp Drive" in III could be a more advanced warp drive, or it could have been a fungus drive...

    22. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly. There's zero chance CBS anything would want a comedic Star Trek if the Orville hadn't been successful to the point of most everyone who watched it saying it was a better Trek than any current Trek had been in a long time even with the dick and fart jokes. Get over it CBS. You've lost the thread.

    23. Re:The Orville by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

      The Star Trek universe is based on ideals over 50 year old. As they use the universe more, more and more stuff gets Retcon into it, often rather sloppily.
      It is more then just technology and special effect. In "2001 A Space Odyssey" The characters were cool and rational much like Vulcan's in Star Trek. Because we more or less assumed that we would adapt to be rational to work better with technology vs. Having technology designed better to deal with our crazy human nonsense. The humans in Star Trek while not as extreme as Vulcan, still used a lot of this reasoning that we have became smarten and more rational with the use of computers.

      Taking a look around... Seems like we hoped the future would be like Star Trek and feared it would be like 1984, turns out that "Idiocracy" was right....

      With a third grader kid in TNG complaining that he doesn't want to take Calculus, now I think the point they were making was STTNG was set so far in the future so like how Calculus 300 years ago was only for Math PHD's and today it is taught in High School, that in the next 300 years we can tech this to 3rd graders is kinda silly. But this fits on the vision we will adapt to the changes as fast as the changes expand.

      The Orville dumped this universe. While they are smart people, they are also people who are street smart, or just kinda off dull. They may be good at their job, but that is about it.

      Yeaaaahhhhkindof... The Enterprise was the flagship filled with the smartest of the smarties and the bravest and best and everything. The question of how normal people would behave in the same universe would still have room for the Orville.

      --
      bickerdyke
    24. Re: The Orville by Sloppy · · Score: 1

      Huh. So you're saying The Orville is just like ST:TNG (as well as quite a few ST:TOS episodes)? Maybe I should give it another chance.

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    25. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fluke or not the technology/network exists and certainly there are groups (the Borg) perfectly willing to do every manner of unethical, exploitative thing for their own end and have the resources to find, acquire, and isolate those aspects of the Tardigrades to their own ends. That knowledge of the network would not have been assimilated at some point from either Star Fleet captains or from other Alpha Quadrant species. The fungus drive would have been substantially better than the transwarp technology used.

      Regardless, that's not even my main complaint. The behavior of the Klingons is quite insane. They basically beat the Federation, and they stopped because why? L'Rell suddenly decides to not just remove the detonator after they leave and continue the fight? Even without the advantage of the cloaking device (which again, they shouldn't have), they were clearly already so far implanted to make it nonsensical to back off even if Qo'noS was destroyed. Meanwhile, Voq who so (rightly) feared the assimilation of the Klingons into the Federation would not turn himself into a human; even if none of the other houses believed his cause, they would see the threat the Federation presents and would have destroyed or enslaved it precisely because of the potential risk. Besides that, just enslaving people into the Empire would be worthwhile for each house as it'd grant them substantial more power, even if it meant losing their home planet*.

      Then there's the whole bit about Harry Mudd. He goes around planning to kill Lorca and sell the ship to the Klingons but by TOS, he's at best known for trivial offenses? Beyond that, it makes so little sense that he'd use a time loop device like that when (1) he couldn't trust the Klingons to actually pay him and (2) there's almost certainly much more substantial things he could do with it to make money. Why was he so intent on killing Lorca if he's so willing to deal with the Klingons if that has some reason to do with why he so wants to kill Lorca?

      Then there's the whole magical naturally occurring crystal that can transmit subspace beacons?

      * It's also some pretty absurd technobabble that they'd be able to destroy a planet with a "hydro-bomb". That sort of plot critical, canon changing aspect shouldn't be done unless you're entirely incompetent. Beyond that, I imagine Georgiou would have went through with it given she's not only is it her personality but she's been clearly given free reign to engage in genocide to win the war. Seriously, the whole Star Trek: Discovery well before the war was even much going on was one of Cornwell okaying extreme measures for results. To be at the brink of the destruction of the Federation and to just back it off because "that's not what we stand for"? Seriously, that's the complaint about THE WHOLE SERIES! What next? The decide to blow up the planet bu they refuse to jaywalk?

    26. Re:The Orville by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

      Much of the humour on that show is about how flawed the characters are ...

      One can be personally flawed yet still be (or act) professional and honorable. I think The Orville manages to pull that off better than ST:D. In addition, exploring personal flaws, weaknesses and strengths is often more interesting, especially as they usually drive other behaviors, personal and professional.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    27. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm surprised that you would make that criticism while praising The Orville though.

      As a generalization, Star Trek is about human excellence and some sort of pseudo-utopian future, while The Orville is about a group of screw ups in space. STD falls flat where it makes everyone on the Discovery a screw up when they were supposed to be capable people, which is neither engaging nor funny as everyone is super serious, while The Orville turns their flaws into slapstick comedy. As for The Orville feeling more like Star Trek, I think it's an "uncanny valley" type thing where I enjoy the conflict resolution and exploration aspects of it as that level of depth was unexpected from what's mainly a comedy, while Discovery goes for that full tilt and fails, without any other redeeming qualities. Basically, from Discovery I expect X and it fails to deliver, while in The Orville I expect Y, get it, and sometimes get some X as well.

      In fact the whole thing is much more in-your-face about social issues than Discovery was.

      It's all about presentation and delivery. They start with the premise of an alien species that only has males and how that would work, and the resolution of the gender reassignment conflict in the end is about letting people make their choices for themselves even if you disagree with them, without a clear indication of what is right and what is wrong, and being able to live, work with and even be friends with those people despite your differences. It presents both sides of the debate and leaves you with food for thought, something which I find very lacking in modern discourse between "nazis" and "SJWs".

    28. Re: The Orville by fazig · · Score: 2

      I get it that your response is sarcastic, but I'll try to be honest and blunt here.
      It's essentially Seth MacFarlane's fanfiction scripts for TNG, where he gets to play the captain.
      This means that it also contains a lot of his humour and moral values, so beware. If you don't like 'get a room' elements, like some of the users above. In one of the episodes for example there's an Andorian looking alien, who gets everyone super horny he comes in contact with. Which happens to be Seth MacFarlane's character among others. If this kind of mental and visual imagery causes you Clockwork Orangesque reactions, maybe avoid watching it.

      Where the original Treks often take themselves far too serious, with the notable exception of DS9, Orville's humour makes the often silly plots appear a bit less silly.
      I thought it was alright.

    29. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Space Quest 5 and 6 were more Star Trek than The Orville is, though. Gatekeepers are all around us.

    30. Re: The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      > Don't forget that DS9 used an Amiga on steroids for their special effects and that was a step up from TNG....

      DS9 didn't use any CGI until season 3, and that was for the Bajoran Lightship - rendered by ILM (who did NOT use Amigas).

      http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/CGI
      http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Bajoran_lightship

      Maybe you're thinking of Babylon 5?

    31. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seems like we hoped the future would be like Star Trek and feared it would be like 1984, turns out that "Idiocracy" was right....

      I'm more of the opinion we're heading towards The Matrix, except instead of there being a war with the machines forcing us in, we humans willingly plug ourselves in.

      People already willingly give up a lot of our information and freedom so to join whatever social media platform of choice. People love the curated and simulated environments these platforms provide, where you can join or create whatever echo chamber or safe space that suits one's fancy.

      As more and more labor can be done without human labor, it may just become more economical and efficient to plug displaced people into the Matrix than insisting that they must find new work that the ideologues insist will always exist

    32. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We can't have them showing people who are excellent or even above average... it makes everyone else feelz badly for being losers.

      I'd like to see the Klingons giving out participation trophies at bat'leth tournaments...

    33. Re:The Orville by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 2

      Discovery is set a decade before the Original Series

      Yes, but unfortunately the characters seem to be drawn from the 1960s given their belief in magic mushrooms.

    34. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also lets not forget that the original Star Trek was very silly.

      I mean the Enterorice once had to alter coarse to avoid colliding with Abraham Lincoln.

    35. Re: The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought it was Babylon 5 that used Amigas?

    36. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and from my perspective the problem I had with Discovery is it was so Grimdark that it made DS9 look optimistic

    37. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought the ship in III with the "transwarp drive" was the Excelsior. the Enterprise-b didn't come along until "Generations" which was #7 IIRC

    38. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      An understandable error - they used the Excelsior miniature for the Enterprise-B in Generations!

    39. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Orville is about a group of screw ups in space.

      Bortus isn't a screwup. Isaac isn't a screwup. Dr. Finn isn't a screwup. Alara isn't a screwup (she's young and still learning, but not a goofball). John isn't a screwup (other than the statue-humping incident). Ed isn't a screwup.

      The only screwup (or screwball) on the show is Gordon.

    40. Re: The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. While I dont like ST:D, The Orville is shitty.

      Says you.

      I'm hoping it just up and gets canceled.

      I think it's an excellent show. If you don't like it, don't watch it.

    41. Re:The Orville by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      Why wouldn't people want to live in a virtual world? If robots can care for your brain, knock yourself out doing what you want, with entire virtual galaxies you can call your own.

      Indeed there's no reason to even make half-assed physics similar to the real world. No need for speed of light, for example. Or gravity. Or pain.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    42. Re:The Orville by drnb · · Score: 1

      Its comedy, not drama. Much of what you criticize is intentional, lovingly mocking star trek and its characters by exaggerating to the extreme.

    43. Re: The Orville by Scarletdown · · Score: 1

      I'm still hoping Bortus will compare some current situation to something he and Clyden did back in the day. This would be followed by a bit of an uncomfortable pause as if everyone is waiting for a cut scene; then everyone shakes it off when Bortus asks if he said something bad.

      They also need Seth Green to guest, so they can rip on Robot Chicken, which the crew could be watching on the main screen at the start of an episode.

      --
      This space unintentionally left blank.
    44. Re:The Orville by Scarletdown · · Score: 1

      Plus, the B is Excelsior Class.

      --
      This space unintentionally left blank.
    45. Re: The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If it were a bit more serious, it would be a Star Trek knock off. The point of the show is that it's a parody, otherwise they could never get away with ripping off actual plots from actual episodes of the original series.

    46. Re: The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's unlikely that human children will ever be expected to do calculus that early. Children aren't developmentally ready for that sort of abstract form focused thinking until high school.

      And there's going to need to be more than 300 years to make that so. Perhaps in a millennium, but not the centuries.

    47. Re: The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Children aren't developmentally ready for that sort of abstract form focused thinking until high school.

      It's certainly not impossible:

      https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/world/german-teen-solves-300-year-old-mathematical-riddle-posed-by-sir-isaac-newton.amp

      I think TNG meant to imply that what is exceptional today may be commonplace by the 24th century.

    48. Re:The Orville by fwarren · · Score: 1

      Please note I am putting no value-judgement on any of what is to follow:

      I am so sorry I have to bring you the bad news. The behind the scenes news for season two of Discovery is just as tumultuous as season one was.

      The first 5 episodes of season two were finished and shown to test audiences. 80% hated it. So the spent 5 weeks re-shooting things to retool those episodes. This used up the majority of season two budget. The show runners were fired and new show runners have been brought in and have to produce 5 more episodes with the budget to only film 2 of them the same way the first 5 were filmed.

      If test audiences hate the 2nd half of the season, there is no budget left for reshoots.

      That qualifies as tumultuous.

      --
      vi + /etc over regedit any day of the week.
    49. Re:The Orville by wisnoskij · · Score: 1

      The Orvile is better than STD, but it is still not nearly good enough to be watchable. And I don't see how using Trek copyrighted material would improve anything but the lever of disappointment it generates.

      --
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    50. Re:The Orville by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Plus, the B is Excelsior Class.

      “I believe I just said that. Well...implied it, anyway.”
        – Mirror Spock

    51. Re:The Orville by Mandrel · · Score: 1

      It's got potential if it could be a bit more serious.

      Yes, or at least less uncomfortable mixing of drama and comedy. A good number of substantially comedic episodes would be fine, as long as they're actually funny.

    52. Re:The Orville by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 1

      Yes, yes it does. That's unfortunate.

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
  2. OK, but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OK.. sure, this could be a good series... as long as it isn't constantly about how "the man" is keeping them down (eg, "Pfft, the bridge crew fucked up again, and we've got to clean it up! Poor us!").

    So if it isn't about that, what's it about? A bunch of people taking out the trash, but it just happens to be in space?

    I smell another tired series of "The boss game me more work!".

    1. Re: OK, but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      TO has some pretty complex plots that are not rehashes of well known stories.

    2. Re:OK, but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So if it isn't about that, what's it about? A bunch of people taking out the trash, but it just happens to be in space?

      There once was a show about people picking up trash in space...

    3. Re:OK, but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There was also an anime on that subject, but it wasn't a comedy.

  3. don't support CBS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I canceled my CBS ALL access after they sent a cease and desist letter to a fan made enterprise exploration game called Stage 9.

    1. Re: don't support CBS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well phooey on them. Make an Orville production. They will just smile and say thanks for the props

    2. Re:don't support CBS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stage 9 is/was awesome. I regret not having downloaded their VR builds.
      It amazes me the quality and care people put in their work because they just love it. I hope one day this is what drives Economy.

    3. Re: don't support CBS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It does. People make things out to be all sorts of things to match how they want to think when the reality is more fundamental

  4. Re:Star Trek comedy? lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Erect light sabers as far as the eye can see salute you all. We call them the "Poofs."

  5. Re:Star Trek comedy? lol by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

    Star Trek is for fags and fuckin losers.

    Is that why you clicked on it?

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  6. Re:Star Trek comedy? lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hi! I'm Clippy!

    It looks like you're trying to start a Star Trek vs Star Wars nerd flame war. Would you like help with that?

  7. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    There's too many transgenders!! There's too many Muslims!! There's too many FUCKING BROWN PEOPLE!!! *sniff* *sniff* An' they're all comin' a'git me in my sleep!!

    Straw man much?

    I don't give a crap about the races of the characters, but I do care when every character that doesn't belong to some minority group is either evil, a fuck-up, or both. Benjamin Sisko was an awesome protagonist, but apparently somewhere along the way the writers forgot how to write engaging characters and now only make a checklist of diversity requirements without actually making the characters interesting. Diversity is fine, but when that's all that a character has that character becomes a one-dimensional uninteresting caricature.

    And fucking hell, was it really necessary to make the Klingons sound so retarded by having them speak with a pause between each word? And don't get me started of space mushrooms.

  8. Sugoi Trek. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just watch Planetes instead:

    https://myanimelist.net/anime/329/Planetes

  9. "Access" by markdavis · · Score: 4, Funny

    >"CBS All Access has greenlit"...

    and thus almost nobody will see it.

    1. Re:"Access" by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      For once the rest of the world has better access than the US, via Netflix. It will be you guys headed to the Pirate Bay instead of us.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:"Access" by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      I never even finished STD when I had CBS All Access for Big Brother.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  10. Re:You dropped your pacifier by bickerdyke · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There's too many transgenders!! There's too many Muslims!! There's too many FUCKING BROWN PEOPLE!!! *sniff* *sniff* An' they're all comin' a'git me in my sleep!!

    Straw man much?

    I don't give a crap about the races of the characters, but I do care when every character that doesn't belong to some minority group is either evil,

    I hope that IS a minority....

    I don't want to see a gay couple making out in an SF series, but I don't want to see ANYONE who should rather get a room there either. Even the decontamination gel fan service in the Enterprise pilot was unnecessary and misplaces. as are the space mushrooms.

    Benjamin Sisko was an awesome protagonist, but apparently somewhere along the way the writers forgot how to write engaging characters and now only make a checklist of diversity requirements without actually making the characters interesting. Diversity is fine, but when that's all that a character has that character becomes a one-dimensional uninteresting caricature.

    Yes, but no ST series got that right in a first season. Worf was nothing but aggressive, Q nothing but annoying, Data was the oblig Spock copy. They all started with exactly one character trait Deana Troy even with just one single line: ("Captain! I can sense something here") And in all series they got more complex and interesting. (DS9 mastered this, VOY not so...) so there is still hope for Discovery. What's interesting that they are already bringing their 2nd line of characters into position. Lt. Owesoku and that red haired girl with the metal face implant are ready to replace whoever they killed of in the first season trying to get the G.R.R. Martin Memorial Award

    --
    bickerdyke
  11. I hope it has lots of lens flares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "You cant have star trek without lens flares, lots and lots of lens flares... thats what makes Star Trek Star Trek." -- Gene Roddenberry

    1. Re:I hope it has lots of lens flares by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

      +1 insightful

      --
      bickerdyke
    2. Re:I hope it has lots of lens flares by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      If you are going to be a traditionalist there just needs to lights shined in the captains eyes. I think they need at least 5 spotlights shined on them.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re:I hope it has lots of lens flares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      There are FOUR LIGHTS!!!

    4. Re:I hope it has lots of lens flares by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Wow it took over 20 minutes for that setup! I was expecting only 1 minute.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    5. Re:I hope it has lots of lens flares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It took that long because I bet 200 quatloos it would! 200 and not a quatloo more!

  12. Enough with the Star Trek by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The current owners of the brand have repeatedly demonstrated that they don't "get" what Star Trek is or was. Just put it away.

    As for an animated comedy series, to quote Voltaire: "It's such a bad idea you'd swear that Lucas was involved!"

    1. Re:Enough with the Star Trek by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wish they'd just go ahead & sell it to Disney.... we all know thats what theyre going to do eventually anyway, go ahead & sell it to Disney already & be done with it.

  13. Re:You dropped your pacifier by jellomizer · · Score: 2

    I actually think the bulk of the problems with Discovery isn't due race. It is just a story that doesn't fit into the Star Trek Universe. It seems more of a plot for its own sci-fi show, but they realized it sucked to much to make any money on it, so they just put the Star Trek logo on it, and changed the names of the alians around to match the names of Star Trek aliens, And made sure all the good guys space ships had a saucer section and nacells.

    For the most part diversity in shows has been getting much better. They are actually playing real people with issues that doesn't always center around their race or gender, or sexual preference.
    Now if only they can make the computer geek seem like a real person, and not the basement cheetos eating sub human.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  14. Sounds like a shit idea by sproketboy · · Score: 1

    --

  15. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The first episode will be called Lathe of Heaven.

    Everyone will be gray.

    Everyone will think, feel, and act just alike.

    They will work together to destroy the Great Bad Orange Man Threat.

    At the end, we will discover that the Borg actually won long ago.

  16. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There are too many gays. I would expect that in the 23rd century that can be cured. Just as there are no people with glasses in Star Trek (except one in The Cage).

  17. one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Ge by gx5000 · · Score: 1

    Really?
    TOS peeps seem to think it showed how much lower ranks were looked down upon.
    A whole episode about how the bridge crew's shit didn't stink...
    No thanks you.
    Stop it, you've killed the franchise, this won't help.
    Thank god for The Orville.

    --
    End of Line.
  18. The best way it could work... by magusxxx · · Score: 1

    ...would be to make it like Sealab 2021

    --
    Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
  19. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    TNG is the worst Trek and one of the worst TV shows. It's one of several contributors to my ceasing television for about 15 years. I've only recently started looking at any of it again. I can still see and hear the damage it has done. It may be the source of the current political correctness bullshit we've all been weathering.

  20. PLEASE!!!!! by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    I hope they dock at Deep Space 9 once in a while and for the love of The Founders please get Armin Shimerman again to voice Quark and Max Grodénchik to voice Rom. If you want to see how good Star Trek comedy can be, watch The Magnificent Ferengi.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
    1. Re:PLEASE!!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hell, forget this "Lower Decks" idea and make the series around the various races in classic (non-Discovery) Star Trek: Ferengis, (real) Klingons, Cardassians, Romulans, etc. Show us their point of view and have the Federation in the background of stories, pretty much like the few ST:DS9 episodes that were like that.

    2. Re:PLEASE!!!!! by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

      As long as they stop going back in time.

      Just address the rebooted Movies and everything after voyager as an alternate universe or some dream sequence.

      I want to see what happens in the quadrants after DS9 and Voyager, I don't want to see a rehash of every character I already know.

      Get Worf to be some pencil pusher at HQ and explore outside of the 4 known quadrants.

    3. Re:PLEASE!!!!! by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      (real) Klingons

      About two years ago this happened:

      "Their mouth appliances are so bulky it sounds like they're talking with a mouthful of cotton."

      "That could work!"

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      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  21. Re:You dropped your pacifier by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    Just as there are no people with glasses in Star Trek (except one in The Cage).

    Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge would like to have a word with you.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  22. Scalzi's Redshirts by Matt_Bennett · · Score: 1

    This sounds a lot like John Scalzi's "Redshirts" - a great novel with characters transitioning in and out of "The Narrative"- Highly recommended.

    1. Re:Scalzi's Redshirts by Matt_Bennett · · Score: 1

      Well CARP- I totally missed this- Red Shirts *was* a live action series on FX for 2 seasons!

  23. ST:TAS by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 1

    What is old is new again...

    --
    I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
  24. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry, he didn't have bad eyesight, he had no eyesight. Very different. He was also unique. The implication is still that the population didn't need/have glasses.

  25. This is a terrible idea by WCMI92 · · Score: 1

    That only seems good when made by the idiots who inhabit Hollywood.

    --
    Corporatism != Free Market
  26. Re:You dropped your pacifier by umghhh · · Score: 1

    cured ? If the current hysteria is not going to ease up and go they will be no curing anything but heteros will be required to engage in promoted activities to get enough points to get to academy and then on board.

  27. Re:I wonder by umghhh · · Score: 1

    What happened to the evil orange man? Will he have extra powers (before his demise of course)?

  28. Re:You dropped your pacifier by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    The implication is still that the population didn't need/have glasses.

    Doesn't Kirk have glasses in The Voyage Home?

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  29. They just need to animate it Archer Style by mandark1967 · · Score: 1

    Don't leave that there, Lana!
    Do you want Tribbles, Lana?!
    Because this is how you get Tribbles.

    --
    Sig Follows: "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself." -- Mark Twain
    1. Re:They just need to animate it Archer Style by freeze128 · · Score: 2

      "Ensign. Ensign. Ensign. Ensign. Ensign. Ensign! Ensign! ENSIGN!!!!"

      "WHAT?!?!"

      "Danger Zone."

    2. Re:They just need to animate it Archer Style by decep · · Score: 1

      Eat a dick, Klingons.

  30. Robot Chicken? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone think this might bear a resemblance to Robot Chicken? They did a few Star Wars skits a few years ago.

  31. The Orville was already a Star Trek pardody by sbrown123 · · Score: 1

    But ended up being a better Star Trek than we have had in a long time.

  32. Wasn't this done already? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships."

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_(TV_series)

    Maybe they were always just fans?
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_(Star_Trek)

  33. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't want to see a gay couple making out in an SF series, but I don't want to see ANYONE who should rather get a room there either. Even the decontamination gel fan service in the Enterprise pilot was unnecessary and misplaces. as are the space mushrooms.

    Agreed. When I watch Star Trek, that's not the itch that I want scratched.

    They all started with exactly one character trait Deana Troy even with just one single line: ("Captain! I can sense something here") And in all series they got more complex and interesting.

    True, but in the case of STD, the character traits are: arrogant ass chief engineer, sniveling coward first officer, no self-esteem roommate, and the know-it-all that can do no wrong protagonist. At least the captain seems perfectly competent and a capable leader... oh wait no, they turned him into a psychopath. In TNG Q was annoying but at least he wasn't present in every episode. Here most of the main characters are annoying because their main personality traits make you dislike them from the get go. It's quite a sad showing if this is the best that the Federation has to offer... particularly if the ship's engineer is willing to risk injury and death to both himself and the ship just to save a giant space tardigrade and make his pro-animal rights boyfriend happy. It's so on the nose ridiculous that it takes you out of the story you were immersed in.

  34. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He'll still be grabbing pussy, but on a galactic scale.

  35. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

    I hope that IS a minority....

    I don't want to see a gay couple making out in an SF series, but I don't want to see ANYONE who should rather get a room there either. Even the decontamination gel fan service in the Enterprise pilot was unnecessary and misplaces. as are the space mushrooms.

    I've been watching Star Trek Voyager on Netflix lately - For some reason I never watched it during it's run.

    What is interesting is how a series with the first ST Woman Captain, and many different women in the command structure, such as B'lanna the engineer, managed to make the female leads credible, likeable and relatable. I have been incredibly impressed on how Mulgrew's character Janeway, managed to be both a credible commander, and yet still unmistakably feminine. She deserves any and all the accolades she may have received.

    Contrast today's version of leader women, who are ersatz men but with an attitude belling insecurity. And the addition of gratuitous non-standard gender characters

    And remember Kes, (Jennifer Lien) the adorable tiny alien lady? I'll just leave this here: https://www.cbs17.com/news/sta... I mean, what the hell happened to her?

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  36. By Grapthar's hammer, that's a dumb idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It CBS was smart, they'd have Dreamworks produce an animated version of Galaxy Quest. A Star Trek-like comedy that wouldn't be tethered to the Star Trek canon (whatever that is nowdays). You'd have a known comedic property that's beloved by the same Star Trek fanbase. Trying to make Star Trek into "Rick and Morty" type edgy comedy will be a disaster I think for the franchise.

  37. Re:You dropped your pacifier by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

    Kes *shudder*

    The most boring character ever. And the only idea the producers had to make her a bit less boring were long blonde hair....

    And I don't want to argue over Janeways feminity.... I'd rather remember Kiry Nerys in a dress on the piano in Vic Fontaine's bar....

    --
    bickerdyke
  38. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There will be no homosexuality and transgenderism in the future because both of those pathologies will cured by medical science. Humans with dark pigmented skin will also be rarer since, in the future, what color a person is can be chosen through gene editing. So if a person has olive skin, it's because its their choice, not because they were born with it.

  39. Won't ever watch this, either. by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    CBS can bite me. They've shit all over enough good stuff that happened to not directly serve their corporate interests, but that served long-time Trek fan interests, and that's left a bad taste in my mouth that isn't going away.

    As someone else was saying, I'd rather watch The Orville. Much more possibilities there, judging by what I've seen so far, and it doesn't shit all over anything or anyone.

  40. Re:You dropped your pacifier by kellymcdonald78 · · Score: 1

    TNG was 30 years ago (premiered in 1987)

  41. Redshirts by jsepeta · · Score: 1

    They stole my comedy script from 1990! lol

    --
    Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.
    1. Re:Redshirts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Scalzi, is that you?

  42. Space, eh, it's a living... by Mad-Bassist · · Score: 1

    Anyone remember Haultrek? It was a webcomic that sounds a little like what they're planning here--only the authors decided to back away from the Star Trek angle and re-brand it as "Freighter Tails." www.mzzkiti.com

    While it kinda died over the years, it had potential.
    "But somebody has to haul the stinky stuff too."

    --
    "The only legitimate use of a computer is to play games." - Eugene Jarvis
  43. Re:You dropped your pacifier by danbert8 · · Score: 2

    Which he sold as an antique... The point was that he valued the classic idea of having reading glasses, not that they were required.

    --
    Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
  44. Re:You dropped your pacifier by myth24601 · · Score: 1

    I thought Kirk got reading glasses because he was allergic to the drug that cured the nearsightedness that comes with age.

    --
    No matter where you go, there you are.
  45. Re:Star Trek comedy? lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thank you for your unexpected assitance, Clippy. We go where the wind blows.

  46. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Darinbob · · Score: 1

    I only watched one episode after a friend convinced me to watch it after we had lunch. It was just dumb and nothing was working. The first obvious thing was that it was too hi-def so that it had too much contrast; it seriously reminded me of daytime soaps shot on video instead of film. The CGI was obvious and had the feeling of a video game. I know I didn't understand the backstory, but none of the plot made sense, the motivations were silly, the dialogue was awful. And just like Enterprise and Voyager it decided to completely toss out all canon and set the story in a completely different dimension/universe/galaxy so that the writers could make up whatever shit they wanted.

  47. Babylon 5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is a copy of a really funny Babylon 5 episode from season 5.

    The irony is that Deep Space Nine was also a copy of Babylon 5, and Babylon 5 was heavily influenced by Star Trek and Star Wars. Nothing is original.

  48. Its the plot from dark matter by Layth · · Score: 1

    It was a rather shameless rip off of the plot from dark matter on sci-fi.
    Right down to the asian being a war leader in an alternate universe. So shameless it was funny.

  49. Oh look at that by philmarcracken · · Score: 1

    America makes something animated and its a sitcom wow never saw that coming

  50. Re:You dropped your pacifier by dj245 · · Score: 1

    What is interesting is how a series with the first ST Woman Captain, and many different women in the command structure, such as B'lanna the engineer, managed to make the female leads credible, likeable and relatable. I have been incredibly impressed on how Mulgrew's character Janeway, managed to be both a credible commander, and yet still unmistakably feminine. She deserves any and all the accolades she may have received.

    I hadn't thought of that aspect of the show. What is striking is how it wasn't a terribly big deal and didn't disrupt the story. Nowadays when they womanize a series it is thrown in your face.

    --
    Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  51. There you are! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I knew I'd find ya! There's always one of you B5 nerds popping in to every damned Star Trek thread being all annoying with your muppets n shit. You posted that message from your Amiga while driving your classic British Mini Cooper, didn't ya?

  52. Starship Regulars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There was already an animated starfleet parody series during the dot com boom that was picked up by Showtime.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Regulars

  53. Copy rather than license by drnb · · Score: 1

    They should just allow The Orvile to use actual Trek artwork and names....

    Well they would also want Orville to appear on CBS and that would cost money for that switch to be made.

    As would licensing Scalzi's "Red Shirts" which they seem to be, uhhh, ..., inspired by.

  54. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "We were looking for a way / to make the ratings soar / so we orchestrated an encounter with the Borg..."

    "Normally you'd think that would get us into shit / but this one's got a smashing ass, and a lovely set of tits!"

  55. Re: You dropped your pacifier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck you n1ggers.
    Just make three star treks, one for us, normals, one for n1ggers, and one for other shit and brown junk.

  56. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Scarletdown · · Score: 1

    Yes. He was allergic to Retinox-5, or whatever it was called.

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    This space unintentionally left blank.
  57. Re:You dropped your pacifier by elrous0 · · Score: 1

    but I do care when every character that doesn't belong to some minority group is either evil, a fuck-up, or both.

    Oh bullshit, STD has a ton of straight white male characters who aren't portrayed as evil or incompetent. Let's see, there's....ummm....ummm....uh....ORANGE MAN BAD!

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  58. Re:You dropped your pacifier by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

    What is interesting is how a series with the first ST Woman Captain, and many different women in the command structure, such as B'lanna the engineer, managed to make the female leads chttps://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=12813097&cid=57542709#redible, likeable and relatable. I have been incredibly impressed on how Mulgrew's character Janeway, managed to be both a credible commander, and yet still unmistakably feminine. She deserves any and all the accolades she may have received.

    I hadn't thought of that aspect of the show. What is striking is how it wasn't a terribly big deal and didn't disrupt the story. Nowadays when they womanize a series it is thrown in your face.

    Exactly. And they did it in a very convincing fashion. There were some references to sexism, especially by the Kazon humanoids, but they were handled well and matter of factly. All of it worked together. And it couldn't be made today.. Today's version would be the woman dominating the men, with an attitude of superiority, yet if a male disagreed with them, they would have to visit the ships psych doctor because of severe mental anguish. there would be episodes where it was found out that a male crew member was found ot have winked at a woman without her express permission when they were in grade school, and they had to kill him as an example and to keep the other males in line.

    It would be called Star Trek - Social Justice Universe. And yes everyone, that is satire on my part.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  59. "Official" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > The first-ever official Star Trek comedy series has been ordered ...as opposed to the first non-official Trek comedy series. That would be The Orville.

    It's no secret MacFarlane is a fan, and his show is just Star Trek without the name and with dick jokes. When *that* show takes itself a little more seriously, it's actually a lot more recognizable as Star Trek than Discovery could ever hope to be.

    Oh, and as for *this* idea? The first animated series didn't turn out all that great, so I'm not getting any warm and fuzzy for *this* idea. And lets face it, the fact it's animated is just a cost-cutting measure.