MSTing

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MSTing ( /ˌɛmˌɛsˈtiːɪŋ/ ), MiSTing ( /ˈmɪstɪŋ/ ), or riffing is a method of mocking a show in the style of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) [1] and, in particular, is a form of fan fiction in which writers mock other works by inserting humorous comments, called "riffs", into the flow of dialogue and events. [2]

<i>Mystery Science Theater 3000</i> television series

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) is an American television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and currently produced by Alternaversal Productions, LLC. The show premiered on KTMA-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It later aired on The Comedy Channel/Comedy Central for seven seasons until its cancellation in 1996. Thereafter, it was picked up by The Sci-Fi Channel and aired for three seasons until another cancellation in August 1999. A 60-episode syndication package titled The Mystery Science Theater Hour was produced in 1995. In 2015, Hodgson led a crowdfunded revival of the series with 14 episodes in its eleventh season, first released on Netflix on April 14, 2017, with another six-episode season following on November 22, 2018. As of 2019, 217 episodes and a feature film have been produced.

Fan fiction or fanfiction is a fictional account of original work of fiction written by fans about characters or settings, created by fans of that work rather than by its creator. Fans may maintain the creator's characters and settings or add their own. It is a popular form of fan labor, particularly since the advent of the Internet.

Contents

Style

In MSTing, the author picks a badly written piece of text—usually a Usenet post, web page, or some other source such as a rant, spam or fan fiction—and inserts mocking comments from fictional readers of the text, essentially writing a script as if the MSTing were a movie. While "standard" MSTings attribute these comments to the three main characters of the MST3K cast, others might use characters - usually (though not always) from the universe of the story being mocked. [3] Often a prologue, epilogue, and intermissions are added in which the characters discuss a topic on the same theme as the original text, although intermission segments are usually dropped if the original work is short. Over time, the term MST has also been used[ who? ] to describe general fan fiction mockeries, without the use of the MST3K character-based joke format.

Usenet worldwide distributed Internet discussion system

Usenet is a worldwide distributed discussion system available on computers. It was developed from the general-purpose Unix-to-Unix Copy (UUCP) dial-up network architecture. Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979, and it was established in 1980. Users read and post messages to one or more categories, known as newsgroups. Usenet resembles a bulletin board system (BBS) in many respects and is the precursor to Internet forums that are widely used today. Discussions are threaded, as with web forums and BBSs, though posts are stored on the server sequentially. The name comes from the term "users network".

Web page single document that is directly viewable via the World Wide Web and web browsers

A web page is a document that is suitable to act as a web resource on the World Wide Web. When accessed by a web browser it may be displayed as a web page on a monitor or mobile device.

History

MSTing began in the early 1990s, as fans of the show, many of whom were involved in Usenet discussions in groups such as popular MST3K newsgroup rec.arts.tv.mst3k.misc , began adding amusing or critical remarks to others' posts, attributing them to the show's characters (typically, Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo, Joel Robinson, and later Mike Nelson).

Crow T. Robot robot character from Mystery Science Theater 3000

Crow T. Robot is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). Crow is a robot, who, along with others, ridicules poor-quality B movies.

Tom Servo a robot character from Mystery Science Theater 3000

Tom Servo is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). Tom is one of two wise-cracking, robotic main characters of the show, built by Joel Robinson to act as a companion and help stave off madness as he was forced to watch low-quality films. At least during the Comedy Central era, he was somewhat more mature than his theatre companion, Crow T. Robot. Tom, more often than the others, signals the need to exit the theater to perform host segments.

Joel Robinson television character

Joel Robinson is a fictional character featured in the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). He was portrayed by series creator Joel Hodgson.

The MSTing Mine credits Eric Alfred Burns as the writer of the first MSTings in February 1993, three short lambastings of Internet criticisms of MST3K itself. [4] The "canonical" MSTing style mostly derives from these first three postings, including Usenet-style quoting of the original work and script-style lines for the riffers and characters outside the theater. Other authors followed suit with MSTings of other works. By the end of the year, at least 29 original MSTings had been posted. [4]

As the phenomenon grew, it spread to other media and other forums. The newsgroup alt.tv.mst3k.mstings was established on Usenet for this fan writing. [5] A discussion category on Yahoo!, "Entertainment > Humor, Jokes, and Fun > Parody > Usenet Parodies > MiSTings" (no longer active in 2007), was created for discussions there. [6] MSTing for popular TV shows such as Star Trek: Voyager , [7] other genres such as anime, [8] Usenet postings, [9] and the MSTiers' own original works [10] were fodder for this written mockery. Recently, technologies not present when MSTing was started, such as Wikis and YouTube, have been used. [11]

<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i> 1995 American television series

Star Trek: Voyager is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor. It originally aired between January 16, 1995 and May 23, 2001 on UPN, lasting for 172 episodes over seven seasons. The fifth series in the Star Trek franchise, it served as the fourth sequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in the 24th century, when Earth is part of a United Federation of Planets, it follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, as it attempts to return home after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the far side of the Milky Way galaxy.

Wiki type of website that visitors can edit

A wiki is a website on which users collaboratively modify content and structure directly from the web browser. In a typical wiki, text is written using a simplified markup language and often edited with the help of a rich-text editor.

YouTube video-sharing service owned by Google

YouTube is an American video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California. Three former PayPal employees—Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim—created the service in February 2005. Google bought the site in November 2006 for US$1.65 billion; YouTube now operates as one of Google's subsidiaries.

Issues and ethics

Generally for copyright and ethical reasons, "MSTers" attempt to gain the permission of the original story's writer before writing an MST treatment of the work in question. While it is not clear that this is legally or ethically necessary—the Fair Use doctrine technically permits reproduction for the purpose of parody—such permission is usually sought out of courtesy. As with the television version, some authors of works that have been made into "MSTings" have been rather negative about the treatment of their works and have requested the "MSTing" to be removed (which is generally done when requested), while others appreciate the humor and light criticism the collective result brings. Works of some of these latter authors (notably Stephen Ratliff for his Star Trek: The Next Generation fanfiction, in which teenage character Marissa Picard became an ensign in Starfleet shortly after her 14th birthday) became works that many "MSTers" seek to use as a basis for a "MSTing".

<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i> US-American science fiction television series from 1987–1994

Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry. It originally aired from September 28, 1987 to May 23, 1994 on syndication, spanning 178 episodes over the course of seven seasons. The third series in the Star Trek franchise, it is the second sequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in the 24th century, when Earth is part of a United Federation of Planets, it follows the adventures of a Starfleet starship, the USS Enterprise-D, in its exploration of the Milky Way galaxy.

Starfleet fictional space flight organization

Starfleet is a fictional organization in the Star Trek media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a service maintained by the United Federation of Planets as the principal means for conducting deep-space exploration, research, defense, peacekeeping, and diplomacy. While the majority of Starfleet's members are human and it is headquartered on Earth, hundreds of other species are also represented. The majority of the franchise's protagonists are Starfleet officers.

Additionally, some fiction sites such as FanFiction.Net have banned the posting of MSTs, either because they do not allow "script format" works (i.e. formats that are not standard for short stories, novellas, or novels, including those in teleplay or screenplay format, or those meant to imitate chat room conversations), or because they contain copyrighted material not written or owned by the MST's creator, or because the sites in question simply do not want to deal with upset authors getting angry about MSTings of their work.

Related Research Articles

An FAQ is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers on a particular topic. The format is often used in articles, websites, email lists, and online forums where common questions tend to recur, for example through posts or queries by new users related to common knowledge gaps. The purpose of an FAQ is generally to provide information on frequent questions or concerns; however, the format is a useful means of organizing information, and text consisting of questions and their answers may thus be called an FAQ regardless of whether the questions are actually frequently asked.

alt.binaries.slack is a Usenet newsgroup created for the purpose of posting pictures, sounds, and utilities related to the Church of the SubGenius, making them available for everyone to see and hear. Because the Church of the SubGenius is well known for encouraging sick and twisted humor, the newsgroup is also home to artists who post humorous artwork of all sorts. A fair amount of the pictures on alt.binaries.slack are adult-oriented, and may be considered offensive by some viewers. The denizens of the newsgroup state that they enjoy deliberately offending those who are too easily offended.

Michael J. Nelson American comedian and writer

Michael John Nelson is an American comedian and writer, most known for his work on the cult television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's original eleven-year run, and spent half of that time as the on-air host, also named Mike Nelson. In addition to writing books, Nelson is currently part of the online movie riffing sites RiffTrax and The Film Crew with fellow MST3K alumni, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy. He has written articles for Cracked.com.

Joel Hodgson American writer, comedian and television actor

Joel Gordon Hodgson is an American writer, comedian and television actor. He is best known for creating Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) and starring in it as the character Joel Robinson. In 2007, MST3K was listed as "one of the top 100 television shows of all time" by Time.com. Between 2007–2013, Hodgson was part of the "movie riffing" project Cinematic Titanic with several of his fellow MST3K alumni, performing live and producing content for DVDs and direct download. He has also served as Creative Lead for Media at Pennyslvania technology firm Cannae, though it is unclear if he still holds this title due to a website redesign which removed the names of their staff.

<i>Space Mutiny</i> 1988 South African science-fiction action film about a mutiny aboard the spaceship directed by David Winters

Space Mutiny is a 1988 South African space opera action film about a mutiny aboard the generation ship known as the Southern Sun. The film has since developed a cult following after being featured in a popular episode of the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000.

<i>Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie</i> 1996 film by Jim Mallon

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie is a 1996 American science fiction comedy film and a film adaptation of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, produced and set between seasons 6 and 7 of the show. It was distributed by Universal Pictures and Gramercy Pictures and produced by Best Brains.

The Pod People is a 1983 French-Spanish science fiction film directed by Juan Piquer Simón. The film's original draft was meant to be a straightforward horror film about an evil alien on a murderous rampage, but the producers demanded script alterations in order to cash in on the success of Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by featuring a child and a cute, lovable alien. Director Simón was dissatisfied with the final result. The film was largely forgotten until 1991, when it was lampooned by B movie-mocking cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Mary Joseph Pehl is an American writer, actress and comedian. She is best known for her various roles on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000.

alt.fan.warlord is a Usenet newsgroup dedicated to the dissection and flaming of signature files (sigs) used in other Usenet groups. The newsgroup was best-known during the early and mid-1990s, and can no longer be considered active. In its time, it was a notable "underground" Internet phenomenon.

Bill Corbett actor, Puppeteer

William D. "Bill" Corbett is an American writer and performer for television, film and theatre. He was a writer and performer on the cult television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), for which he voiced the robot Crow T. Robot during the show's later seasons on the Sci Fi Channel and played the character Observer and other minor roles. In 2001, Corbett co-wrote the Sci Fi Channel miniseries The Adventures of Edward the Less with several other former MST3K writers. Corbett also co-wrote the 2008 film Meet Dave starring Eddie Murphy.

The Film Crew

The Film Crew was a comedic team similar to Mystery Science Theater 3000, comprising former MST3K cast members Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy. They hosted Legend Films' colorized Three Stooges DVD release, packing in the four Stooge shorts that have fallen into the public domain: Disorder in the Court (1936), Malice in the Palace (1949), Sing a Song of Six Pants, and Brideless Groom.

rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated is a moderated Usenet newsgroup that focuses on the science fiction television series Babylon 5 and the works of writer J. Michael Straczynski. It was spun off from its un-moderated version, rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5, in 1996. The newsgroup counts Straczynski as a frequent contributor, and was among the first internet-based fora where fans interacted directly with a 'showrunner'.

RiffTrax American company which produces scripted humorous audio commentary tracks for films and television programs

RiffTrax is an American company that produces scripted humorous audio commentary tracks intended to be played in unison with particular television programs and films, featuring comedians Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett and others. The three comedians' improvised commentating style originated from their earlier television series, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), in which they would similarly mock films aloud while watching them. RiffTrax products are sold online and delivered by app, streaming video, and DRM-free download. It is also featured on Pluto TV and Twitch.tv

A Usenet personality was a particular kind of Internet celebrity, being an individual who gained a certain level of notoriety from posting on Usenet, a global network of computer users with a vast array of topics for discussion. Since its inception, Usenet newsgroups have attracted a wide variety of people posting all manner of fact, fiction, theories, opinions, and beliefs. Some Usenet posters achieved a certain amount of fame and celebrity within Usenet circles because of their unusual, non-mainstream ideas, or because their writings and responses are considered especially humorous or bizarre.

<i>Incognito Cinema Warriors XP</i>

Incognito Cinema Warriors XP is a post-apocalyptic zombie comedy DVD and web series created by Rikk Wolf and produced by Agonywolf Media. The show premiered on Myspace and was meant to be a one-time homage to Mystery Science Theater 3000, but after Wolf was contacted by the producers of RiffTrax to participate in the launch of their new site iRiffs, he decided to produce more episodes. The first season of the show follows the same "host segment-movie segment" format that MST3K established, while featuring completely original characters and plot. The second season is more plot-driven and riffs short films as opposed to full-length movies.

Jonah Heston

Jonah Heston is a fictional character featured in the renewal of the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). He is portrayed by actor/comedian Jonah Ray.

References

  1. ↑ "Sequential Tart's Guide to Anime, Manga, and Miscellaneous Japanese Terms: A Glossary". Sequential Tart - A Comics Industry Web Zine. Retrieved 2007-01-30.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ "A.R.Yngve parodierar sin egen roman". Mitrania. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
  3. ↑ "Ms. Nitpicker's Fanfic Glossary" . Retrieved 2007-01-30.
  4. 1 2 "Index of old MSTings". The MSTing Mine. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  5. ↑ "MST3K FAQs: MSTie Cyberspace". The Satellite News. Best Brains . Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  6. ↑ "Web Site Spotlight: March, 1998". The Satellite News. Best Brains. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  7. ↑ Spencer, S. (16 September 2005). "Zorak's Voyager MSTing Archive". Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  8. ↑ McLees, Tim. "Shuuichi's Vault of Anime Mistings". Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2007.
  9. ↑ Mamer, Karl (6 October 1996). "The Net: A Magnet For Bad Fiction". Toronto Sun. p. C15.
  10. ↑ "It Came from English 101!". River City Random. 13 November 2004. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 2007-01-27.CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
  11. ↑ "WikiMsting". 25 January 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-30.

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