Spoilers Star Wars: The Acolyte [Spoilers]

[Paul Farquhar]

See, I prefer long-form storytelling primarily for worldbuilding purposes. You learn so much more about the setting when a story has room to breathe.

I grew up on old Doctor Who, which did a new setting every four 23.5 minute episodes, and Star Trek TOS, with a new setting for every 45 minute episode. So world building is not something I'm looking for. Also, lots of real world (ish) adventure shows like The Avengers and Mission Impossible, so again, world building not really a thing.

 

[Belen]

Stories do not need to be long to be good. Say what you have to say then get out is the best way to write. Check out how sparing the prose is in The Chronicles of Amber.

I wouldn't. Andor has a few good moments and interminable hours of people walking along concrete walkways and sunbathing on Skegness beach. Ahsoka is just about watchable at double speed.

This particular story would not benefit from padding out the length of the episodes, it would just kill the pace.

I disagree. The show is pathetically short and lacks the time to develop the characters or connective tissue for the plot. They have maybe a 2 hour movie that they are stretching as far as possible to 8 tiny episodes that are unsatisfying and frustrating.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I grew up on old Doctor Who, which did a new setting every four 23.5 minute episodes, and Star Trek TOS, with a new setting for every 45 minute episode. So world building is not something I'm looking for. Also, lots of real world (ish) adventure shows like The Avengers and Mission Impossible, so again, world building not really a thing.

I get feeling the other way about it. I do have to disagree with your assessment of both Who and TOS though. Worldbuilding is the whole setting, not just the one world or time period depicted in a single episode. Every episode of both shows expanded the setting, so for me more time with that is better.

Then again, I'm the guy who proudly owns the multi-volume Star Trek Encyclopedia and was super-excited to get a compiled version of the History of the Marvel Universe series. That stuff is irresistible to me.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I get feeling the other way about it. I do have to disagree with your assessment of both Who and TOS though. Worldbuilding is the whole setting, not just the one world or time period depicted in a single episode. Every episode of both shows expanded the setting, so for me more time with that is better.

Not something the consciously did. TOS just had the Enterprise and the crew and now the first episode. They didn't explain anything, not the technology, not the characters, not the politics. Occasionally a character would get some backstory if the story demanded, but that would be forgotten by the next episode. Doctor Who was much the same. Here is a blue box that travels randomly through time and space and some people travel in it. It's been going for six years before "time lords" are mentioned, and any lore that is created is regularly rewritten.

Then again, I'm the guy who proudly owns the multi-volume Star Trek Encyclopedia and was super-excited to get a compiled version of the History of the Marvel Universe series. That stuff is irresistible to me.

All written afterwards.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Not something the consciously did. TOS just had the Enterprise and the crew and now the first episode. They didn't explain anything, not the technology, not the characters, not the politics. Occasionally a character would get some backstory if the story demanded, but that would be forgotten by the next episode. Doctor Who was much the same. Here is a blue box that travels randomly through time and space and some people travel in it. It's been going for six years before "time lords" are mentioned, and any lore that is created is regularly rewritten.

All written afterwards.

But from existing materials. I don't see that it matters whether or not the creators were thinking about worldbuilding at the time. I'm just talking about what I value.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

But from existing materials. I don't see that it matters whether or not the creators were thinking about worldbuilding at the time. I'm just talking about what I value.

But that stuff you don't expect to see in the show. It's something you might read about afterwards. And most of the stuff in the Star Trek Encyclopaedia is original content created after the show was cancelled. Very little of it appeared in the show, and they didn't use a show "bible" like later series did.

I suppose they could add multimedia pop up contents, so if you, for example, wanted to know the make and model of Sol's ship, you could pause and look up the tech specs, but that would require some upgrading of the Disney+ app.

 

[Reynard]

The most valuable part of long form storytelling like television or comics is that it allows characters to grow and change. Turning a 2 hour movie into 6 half hour episodes doesn't really accomplish that. You need seasons.

 

[Micah Sweet]

But that stuff you don't expect to see in the show. It's something you might read about afterwards. And most of the stuff in the Star Trek Encyclopaedia is original content created after the show was cancelled. Very little of it appeared in the show, and they didn't use a show "bible" like later series did.

I suppose they could add multimedia pop up contents, so if you, for example, wanted to know the make and model of Sol's ship, you could pause and look up the tech specs, but that would require some upgrading of the Disney+ app.

What are you talking about? I'm looking at my two-volume Trek Encyclopedia right now, it has encyclopedia entries from every series at the time of printing, and none of it is stuff that didn't appear in the episodes, except the occasional afterword in an entry set off by italics.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The most valuable part of long form storytelling like television or comics is that it allows characters to grow and change. Turning a 2 hour movie into 6 half hour episodes doesn't really accomplish that. You need seasons.

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[Micah Sweet]

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I think @Reynard is assuming padding.