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Is there a term for this kind of Star Trek Episode?
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 8:18 am
by MithrandirOlorin
Once I watched a handful of episodes of the Original Star Trek with my Dad, and we observed how most of this set of episodes happened to follow a similar pattern where Kirk is unable to get a quick response from Starfleet so has to make a decision to act in a way that could prove controversial, but then after things are resolved they finally get a response from Starfleet giving him permission to do what he already did.
Re: Is there a term for this kind of Star Trek Episode?
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 6:52 pm
by Nealithi
Looking up Balance of Terror on TV Tropes I got both Irony and Subspace Ansible. Here is the link to the second entry.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ ... aceAnsible
Re: Is there a term for this kind of Star Trek Episode?
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:16 pm
by hammerofglass
I think it's called "we didn't want to spend the next three episodes doing hearings".
Re: Is there a term for this kind of Star Trek Episode?
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:25 pm
by TGLS
hammerofglass wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:16 pm
I think it's called "we didn't want to spend the next three episodes doing hearings".
I think that also goes by "the magic reset button" in some circles.
Re: Is there a term for this kind of Star Trek Episode?
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 10:22 pm
by Frustration
I suspect drumming up drama by implying a serious danger, than revealing that it was never more than a paper tiger, is so common that there isn't a need for a term for it.
Perhaps just 'Paper Tiger', in which a danger exists only notionally? It's not as specific as what you're describing, where delays in communication make the characters believe there's a threat where there technically isn't, but... it's closer than the alternatives I can think of.
Re: Is there a term for this kind of Star Trek Episode?
Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 7:08 am
by Madner Kami
Frustration wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 10:22 pm
I suspect drumming up drama by implying a serious danger, than revealing that it was never more than a paper tiger, is so common that there isn't a need for a term for it.
Isn't that exactly what a trope is?
Re: Is there a term for this kind of Star Trek Episode?
Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2023 9:14 pm
by BridgeConsoleMasher
Madner Kami wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 7:08 am
Frustration wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 10:22 pm
I suspect drumming up drama by implying a serious danger, than revealing that it was never more than a paper tiger, is so common that there isn't a need for a term for it.
Isn't that exactly what a trope is?
I mainly took a trope for something that happens in the story as a part of the narrative that doesn’t follow with what practically happens in real life.