According to this, it was a dust-up between her and a writer.
[quote]
Gates McFadden fired at end of first season because head writer Maurice Hurley “he had a real bone to pick” with Gates and din’t like her acting, Berman brought Gates back for 3rd season after Hurley left[/quote]
And that is the final nail in the coffin as far as I am concerned. The only reason to take a “mid-season break” on a show that is being distributed through a digital subscription model is to force people to subscribe for at least two months instead of one.
It’s basically CBS saying “Oh sure, we knew you planned to subscribe at the end of December and simply binge watch all 15 episodes, so now we’re going to make you subscribe at the end of October to binge watch 8 episodes, and then just hope that you let the subscription continue until the end of February to catch the other 7 as they air in Jan/Feb.”.
It’s a decision that seems to make smart business sense on the face of it, but only with a show like Game of Thrones that has an existing dedicated and proven following. To do this with your fledgling network’s flagship show (if you can consider a network of two shows to have a flagship show) is suicidal.
All it does on my end is suggest that I not subscribe till February. I cannot fathom this will be such must-see TV that I’ll lose track of the nerdy zeitgeist by not catching up sooner :)
You go girl!
Me and my friend who watched the whole show again in the early 2000s when they all came out again on DVD (Star Trek: TNG and Star Trek: DS9) were really perplexed by why people disliked Pulaski. We really enjoyed her character in Season 2. And we both agreed she was a much better actress than Gates McFadden.
I, too, recently rewatched the entire run of TNG on Netflix. Pulaski was refreshing at first, but she’s so obviously being written as trying to be Bones.
So no you just want to make assumptions about everyone else’s views. I like the CW slant on this, but since i am sure you are reading everything carefully you already know the CW link wasn’t mine. I am borrowing it from someone else above.
It was terrible. That’s all I know. I certainly did not leave Enterprise thinking wow, if only they had more infighting, that would have made it perfect!
waves Hi Jason!
Interpersonal drama can be a great thing, it has been the core of many shows. Sometimes the interactions between characters are the reason to watch a show. But that’s largely not been what has been best about Star Trek. Sure there have been great characters, but there is something else that is at the heart of what makes Trek. At its best it uses those characters to bring out something else that is about this core feature. Going the route of the crew infighting strikes me as them missing what Trek was about, at its best.
(Nesrie this wasn’t directed at you, more Jason than anything)
[quote]
In addition, we asked the producers which Trek series or film has the biggest influence on the new series.
“There’s a hint of all of them, but in the writers’ room people are so in love with The Original Series and Next Generation, and they talk about the family aspect of those cast members,” Berg said.
Added Harberts: “I think Nicholas Myers’ film are a touchstone, and not just because he’s been on staff with us. His storytelling is complex and intellectual and yet there’s a lot of room for character voices and character work, he’s done such an incredible job with the franchise. In terms of scope and scale, there’s something about Star Trek: The Motion Picture that really speaks to us as well. CBS has allowed us to find a cinematic language that’s wider in scope — our aspect ratio is 2:1 — and it just lends itself to a very lyrical way of telling the story. And just visually speaking, there’s also a little hint in terms of what J.J. Abrams did, a little bit, in terms of some of the visuals.”[/quote]
I’m still going to give it a chance, as long as there is a good explanation for those stupid-looking Klingons.
They missed the boat not having MY captain – she can kick ass, act great, look good, and --well, kick ass. And look good.
I had no idea Star Trek shows had some writers restraint on crew inter personal conflict. They violated that rule all the time though! Bones used to lay it on thick and call Spock “green-blooded” in some vaguely racist way all the time.
Forget the new Trek show, lets talk about this! This is Bickergate!
There was the time a crazy Commodore took over the Enterprise to lead it on a suicide mission. Bicker bicker bicker
The restriction was that the main cast (the crew) could not actively work against one another. Bickering or disagreeing was fine and dramatic. Outright “fuck that guy, I’m gonna get mine” was not. And that has held true for much of TV show Trek throughout the decades. Spock and Bones could spar. Picard could argue with Riker. Odo and Bashir could banter. What you never saw was one of the main cast actively at cross-purposes with another main character. There was no jockeying for promotion, betrayal, or back-stabbings.
Even Deep Space Nine, which is generally considered richer for having a looser take on this rule, never really violates it. Quark and Sisko came into conflict multiple times over the course of the show, but they don’t screw each other over in any permanent way. When Garak kills a dude, Sisko acts like it’s the worst thing ever initially, but just sort of grimaces and accepts it, until it’s never mentioned again.
TV drama has changed though. Episodic stories have given way to multiple storylines told over full seasons, especially with “prestige TV.” The Star Trek rule worked with episodic TV because external conflict can come in single threats and installments. Romulans one show, then Klingons the next. Crew conflict has to be ongoing or it doesn’t make any sense.
Or when that crazy lady judge tried to take Picard down.
I think they mean conflict though within the main bridge crew not the temporary visitors. Lt. Roe I guess is an exception… sort of.
What do you mean forget the new Trek show? This is the new Trek show. CBS presents: Star Trek: Bickering Its catch phrase will be “We be bitchin!” The theme song will be rap and the soundtrack will be hip hop with just a touch of techno to tie it all together. And just to be extra edgy, no one on the crew will be gay, except for a sexually confused Horta who has a thing for replicators.
Come on, you know if you had a replicator right now it would be the sexiest thing in your house, mine too!
I watched a documentary on Netflix the other day about the early days of TNG. Several of the writers were interviewed, and one of their biggest complaints was the specific rule against interpersonal conflict among the crew. They felt hamstrung. While some may argue that working within a box often breeds exceptional creativity, I don’t necessarily think lifting this rule will result in a show that’s “less” than prior STs. Different, perhaps, but as Telefrog says, television (especially prestige TV, which this seems trying to ape) has evolved.
[quote=“Guap, post:581, topic:77660, full:true”]Forget the new Trek show, lets talk about this! This is Bickergate!
[/quote]
Indeed.