"Most people think of the plot as the most important facet of a story. In my opinion, character is usually the key to its success or failure. This holds true even for popular commercial writing, or even for a TV show. I have found that I can predict the commercial failure or success of a new TV series simply by evaluating the effectiveness of the characters. . . . The successful TV shows--think of "I Love Lucy," "MASH," "Star Trek," "The Cosby Show"--manage to portray characters who seem unique, likeable, and engaging. . . . The success of these programs is not because of their plots, which are often minimal or predictable....

The networks often miss this point. After they canceled "Star Trek," they decided to do an even bigger science fiction series. They gave the show a much bigger budget and the latest technology in special effects. The result? "Battlestar Galactica." The special effects were much better than "Star Trek's," the conception much more grandiose--and yet the characters simply did not work. ... The secret of "Star Trek" was not its special effects nor its science-fiction premise but the chemistry between the characters (the ultra-rational Spock, the folksy Dr. McCoy, and the shrewd pragmatist Captain Kirk), aided by some imaginatively written scripts.

Special effects, car chases, explosions, murders, and suspense can never salvage a story when nobody cares about the characters."

--Gene Veith, Reading Between the Lines