From: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu (Michael Rawdon)
Subject: Re: Whining
Keywords: [quality], [writing]
Reply-To: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Dept., Madison, WI
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 05:59:10 GMT

In <Bxz8Fz.Jy0@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu> dkgardin@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu (Dan Gardiner) writes:
>     Okay, what this post is about is all the whining that goes on in these
>newsgroups.  I agree that everybody should have their own opinions on the
>quality of the shows and I realize that not everybody will enjoy the same
>episodes, but I don't see the point of endlessly repeating your laments.

Probably much the same point as those who endlessly repeat their praise of the
series. :-)

>(No, I don't like the whining, and I DO use the kill file).  Not to say there
>aren't some good points made, just that the articles often have too high a
>nasal pitch for my tastes.

Well, a big part of this, I think, is due to the high volume of the newsgroups
(which has grown even higher since the split last year).  There are only so
many points likely to be made about the show, and when you have several dozen
or hundred people contributing, many points are likely to be made many, many
times, simply because there are so many people.

Plus, many new people arrive each month, and have something to say which
*they* think is new, not knowing that it's old hat on these newsgroups.  And,
really, the r.a.s FAQs are WAY too long for anyone to bother reading unless
they're really dedicated to getting every iota of information that they can
out of these groups.

>     Now then, I too believe that the writing quality of recent episodes has
>not been first-rate, and definitely not as good as previous years.  I also
>believe that if this is what we have to look forward to in DS9 then we're in
>for a big disappointment.  However, I have a suggestion about what we can do
>to get the quality back into the show.  Why not start a letter-writing
>campaign to Paramount?  It may sound a bit hokey, but this same ploy saved
>ST:TOS from cancellation TWICE when it first aired.  And I believe that we
>can do it now.

Except that TNG isn't threatened with cancellation.  In fact, it's highly
rated.  Also, one of the letter-writing campaigns back in the "golden age" of
Classic Star Trek resulted in the less-than-classic third season (which was
about on par with your average TNG season).  Not too successful, that.

>		(You get a few million letters coming to you with the same
>complaint, see if it doesn't affect your future decisions).

But Paramount has no reason to change; people watch the show in the millions,
and r.a.s is only a very, very small fraction of that population.  Never mind
that there's no way we can get millions of letters fired off to Paramount,
with the ratings as they are, Paramount can regard the show as nothing but a
success.  Remember, they don't care about "art".

>     Also important, write more than one letter.  Write many letters, but
>make them different in some way.  Don't make 50 photocopies of one and then
>mail them all.  (It's also important to mail them all separately.  Hey, if
>it's really bothering your enjoyment of the show, isn't it worth the money?).

Not really.  If I have to say to watch any but the best Star Trek episodes,
then I don't really care to watch.  And I honestly don't believe that a "we'd
like some better stories, please" letter-writing campaign is going to make any
difference.

Maybe I should send Paramount copies of my reviews? :-)

-- 
Michael Rawdon				 rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Department, Madison, WI

"Go?  Where are we going?"
"Where they went."
"Suppose they went nowhere?"
"Then, this will be your big chance to get away from it all."
			- McCoy and Kirk; Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan