I just finished re-reading Star Trek: The True Story, by Herb Solow and Bob Justman, and there was nobody telling Herb, Bob, and Gene to “make things spicier.” They were always arguing with Desilu, Paramount, and/or NBC, who always wanted things cheaper and tamer, especially when Roddenberry – who would jump anything that had boobies – went wild with the green dancing girls and near-naked alien babes.
But in that vein, if you want to tap into the original spirit of Star Trek, IMO your best bet is to get Herb Solow, Bob Justman, and Majel Barrett together, pick their brains, and mine the best ideas. With Roddenberry dead, this is the closest thing we have left.
I generally don’t like every episode is part of the SLOP (tho I do like 24), I don’t like every episode has a reset button either.
I kinda like a mix of story arc and stand-alone episodes. Actually, when there is both an A & B story in an episode, maybe one week they do 30 min story arc and 10 min stand alone, and the next week do 10 min stand alone and 30 min story arc.
In TNG, the Klingon issue was a good example. Not every episode dealt with it.
But the episodes that had something to do with it , it advanced the story and things that happened before were remembered.
Whats realy cool is when when there is something that appears to be stand alone and then later you find out that it IS tied to the arc (tho that is hard to write)
In regards to Trek, SLOP vs. non-SLOP is the crux of the difference between DS9 vs. Voyager. And I have to vote whole-heartedly in favor of SLOP. Deep Space Nine is without a doubt the best Trek series, and Voyager the worst.
The same things that made DS9 a little inaccessible to new viewers (i.e. deep, complex characters, relationships, plots etc.) is what made it great overall. And this is what SLOP gives you.
The opposite was true for Voyager (shallow characters, one-off aliens, resolution in the last 2 minutes etc.). Voyager was strictly an ‘adventure of the week’ while DS9 was an adult action-drama.
Making Enterprise more SLOP-like with the whole Xindi arc has, IMO, made the show a lot better (and hopefully saved it from cancellation).
Regarding Law & Order, its not only the compartmentalized nature of the show, but its pared-down, ‘just the facts’ attitude that makes it great. It’s a true crime drama, not a corny soap opera. There’s nothing about cops’ wives, drinking problems, office romances etc. Its just:
First half - cops investigate.
Second half - DA prosecutes.
The End
Compare that to the once considered great Hill Street Blues. Bleeech! Its just Dallas with dirty, poor cops instead of glamourous, rich people…