This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
YKTTW Discussion leading up to rename
Would it be valuable to add another subtype of Story Arc called (oh, say...) Arc Lite? To describe Arcs that are identifiably arcs, but which are only occasionally referred to, perhaps receiving just one treatment per season, but otherwise completely ignored? A good example of this type of Arc would be how Enterprise dealt with the Suliban and the Temporal Cold War for the first two seasons.
Devil's Advocate : I don't know that that's really qualitatively different than any other arc. Another example is the "Klingon empire" arc in Star Trek The Next Generation, which was usually only visited in one or two episodes a season. But I don't think it's any less of an arc because of that.
CT: Aren't these are normally referred to as "sub-plots" or "recurring sub-plots"?
Rooks: Maybe the distinction is between an Arc and a "B Arc" (Barc) which is a less important arc. (PS: Hi!)
Lumper Vs Splitter, on this one. An entry recognizing the distinction would not cost much. -- Gus
Silent Hunter: According to Russell T Davies, British TV makers don't use this expression.
Caswin: Like I said before the crash, does The Prisoner really count? It had a beginning, and it had an end, but lots of shows have those, and I don't remember any "middle." The other 14 episodes can be watched in virtually any order. In fact, one website
I've read considers finding different orders to watch the episodes in to be part of the fun.
