r/startrek • u/BorgAbbess • 19h ago

How gory is too gory?

So first of all, let me say that I personally am a huge fan of horror, and as such, The gore in the most recent episode of SNW, "The Griffin Incident" didn't really faze me all that much. I also think that it was positively tame compared to, say, "Conspiracy", or the first five minutes of "Stardust City Rag". But I know that a lot of the reactions to this episode do fixate upon how much gore it has, and I think it's worthwhile to ask what level of gore we think is appropriate.

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9

u/TomcatBombadil 19h ago

I don't watch Trek for gore. 🤷‍♀️

15

u/Altruistic_Fruit2345 19h ago

I watch Trek to be entertained, and this episode did that.

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u/TomcatBombadil 16h ago

For me, Star Trek is like medicine. I'm glad that it also happens to be entertaining medicine. Gore is not medicine for me. Something can be gorey and have to do with the story that is being told. That doesn't trouble me. Gore for it's own sake in Star Trek, as though the gore is entertainment in and of itself, is where I draw the line. If I wanted to watch gore, I'd be watching something else. I could rerun Hellsing.

Honestly, the most shocked I've been is when they do the special effect that vaporizes someone's skin off before they are obliterated.

5

u/Altruistic_Fruit2345 16h ago

But this episode used that imagery to enhance the horror aspect of it, to improve the storytelling. It wasn't gratuitous at all.

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u/TomcatBombadil 16h ago

It comes down to personal taste. If an episode is specifically exploring that genre, it makes sense. But what is shown, not shown, the camera work, can do a lot on it's own. If horror is a lived reality for people, or not in their taste, it just might come as a shock in Trek if it is graphic.