World of Orenda

Author notes

“Ab origine”

oachambers

on June 7, 2007

Last time I wrote about how much I enjoy seeing characters, and relationships, develop in D&D. In fiction I’m inspired by the same sort of development. I’m not, however, much of a movie person. Movies are excellent at setting tone or mood, at showing a character dealing with a crisis, or experiencing a transition. But the need for movies to stay around 2-3 hours in length limits the sort of development that can take place. It’s difficult to watch a relationship evolve without either rushing it or cutting out a lot of the middle ground. This is one area in which television surpasses movies, in my opinion. With 18-20 hours per season, a series that runs for multiple seasons has a lot of room for relationships that start one place and end up somewhere completely different, without the evolution ever feeling forced.

Joss Whedon’s series are the obvious examples, as well as any number of science fiction series. Sadly, there have been few, if any, decent TV series set in medieval-esque times. Okay, there was Xena, and possibly Hercules, but the constant winking at the camera grew tiresome after a couple seasons. You could hear the writers muttering to themselves, “So what sort of homoerotic scene should we write for Gabrielle and Xena this week?”
I recently watched, over the span of a couple weeks, the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. DS9 was, by far, the best of the Star Trek series, particularly because it showed the growth of relationships. The movement from hatred to (platonic) love between Miles and Julian. The movement from hatred and animosity to grudging respect between Quark and Odo. And particularly the evolution of the relationship between Ben and Jake Sisko, which I think is one of the best father-son relationships depicted in any medium. Watching the final season, shortly after watching the first season, it’s hard to believe that these are the same characters, and yet the changes were gradual and believable over 7 years. That, to me, is what makes great TV.
-Allan