Why are the “bottle episodes” of Star Trek are more important than you think

Before the passing of the streaming franchise in 2017, “Star Trek” respected by the traditional model of friendly episodic narration. Many studios of the 1990s and previously preferred that their programs respect this style of narration, as it has enabled them to sell a long -term series more easily to local television stations. With stories that wrapped at the end of the episode, viewers would be less intimidated and could connect to any episode without having to know what was before or after. Unless you make a daily daily soap opera, larger stories and years and a few -season arcs of a season have been discouraged. It would not be before the age of the DVDs of observation of the frenzy and the subsequent development of streaming technologies that the longer arcs would be considered more practical.

“Star Trek” followed the trend when “Star Trek: Discovery” made its debut on CBS All Access in 2017. This series, which finally lasted five seasons, used the concept of modern narration of one story per season, concluding each tale after a large, complex, 10-arc episode. In the “Elders” of “Star Trek”, there could have been an occasional episode in two parts, or even a three games, but “Discovery” was the first time that modern streaming stories have caught up with the science fiction utopia of Gene Roddenberry. It should also be noted that the new streaming era has generally crowned a season after 10 to 13 episodes. The “old days” required 26 episodes per year.

“Star Trek” followed the friendly narration with “Star Trek: Picard” also, which made its debut in 2020. This show lasted three seasons and boasted of three stories. However, it should be noted that the “discovery” and the “Picard” are largely bad shows according to the franchise standards. They were, by dint of their structure, filled with incidents and action, rarely slowing down to catch the breath. Each episode was a highlight, and the plots had to be “mysterious” and “important”.

Watching these shows brought a theory of narration “Star Trek” in a net relief: “Star Trek” requires episodes of bottles.

The term “bottle episode”, for those who are not familiar, is exactly what it looks like. It refers to a story that takes place in a small set of places – inside a bottle, so to speak – generally set to pre -existing sets. With the request of 26 episodes during a season, and working on a tight budget and a short schedule, the episodes of bottles were vital for the “Star Trek” of the era of the 90s. Limitations often forced writers to become more creative, trying to invent intoxication and creative science fiction stories without needing to shoot.

Example: the cause and the effect of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” “, one of the most intelligent episodes in the series, concerned the crew which lived a temporal loop. They never leave the ship and each scene takes place in a familiar place. And yet, it was mysterious and intriguing throughout.

It is also worth stopping to remember that “Star Trek” is, at the base, a work show. It can occur in the utopian future of technological marvels, but the characters are all defined by their roles as Starfleet Officers living aboard a ship in part of the naval ships and partly building of office. The main characters of the Starship company are generally seen when they are on the clock, hitting the pimples, taking orders and doing their job. There are managers, assistant directors, department heads and low -level grunts. We like to settle on “Star Trek” because these people are simply one of the most interesting jobs in the galaxy.

And if “Star Trek” is a work show, the bottle episodes will be even more vital. If a team of starships is still in panic mode, or if it is always dealing with a massive and long crisis (as on “Discovery” or “Picard”), viewers will never have an essential meaning of what the average working day of the characters looks like. With episodes of bottles, we do it. We see exciting days, but also banal bands. And if we know what a typical day of the company looks like, then we can appreciate it even more when the status quo is shaken by something dramatic.

The episodes of bottles also provide something that we might not achieve is missing in seasonal arcs. “Star Trek” is, in addition to being a very technical workplace franchise. Many stories “Star Trek” are devoted to the way USS Enterprise (or Deep Space Nine, or USS Voyager) work. The programs are all filled with complex technologies, and expert engineers and scientists still explain their means of performing strange technological miracles. The episodes of bottles often present these engineers and experts who are explained further and further over time. If we can live within the company’s status quo, we are starting to develop an increasingly strong sense of how the vessel really works.

Indeed, some Nerds will begin to take notes, possibly by developing the presumption that they, if they are transported there as if by magic, could operate the business. It is only in the episodes of bottles, during long seasons, that the true complexity of a ship like the USS Enterprise will prove. And if a ship is enormous and complex, it emerges as more real.

In addition, watching the actors walk in the same sets of bottles after the bottle will increase the feeling of spatial continuity of a spectator. If the showrunners do their job properly, viewers will soon have a good idea of ​​the geography of a vessel. Finally, we will know how long it takes to bypass a ship like the company and how far the characters are from each other when they communicate, say, the main engineering and the bridge. This vital geography will also make the company more real, but that some stories make more sense. Why can’t we go to Sickbay during the crisis of this episode? Because it’s too far. Now we have to be smart.

Bottle episodes are not the antithesis of an interesting narration “Star Trek”. Instead, these are the vital levels of the franchise. “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” knows and has become one of the best “Star Trek” shows as a result.