FIRST on "The Fosters" - Monday Nights on FreeForm 8e/5p Starting Tonight!

[Michael Corsetto]

Easy everyone, there's no way this storyline is based in reality, those polo's aren't even blue!

[frcguy]

Originally Posted by Michael Corsetto

Easy everyone, there's no way this storyline is based in reality, those polo's aren't even blue!

Yeah, their win streak was 4, not 9!

[Sperkowsky]

Seems pretty real to me. When was the last time you were at an event and did not seen a team do exactly what they did.

I am just laughing at the irony of them talking about Gracious Professionalism and then judging a team for having an engineer mentor.

[WinterPoet]

No matter how you feel about how the show reflects FIRST, you gotta admit, it's exciting to have a TV reference people can ask about that isn't flippin' Battle Bots!

[Liu346]

Just catching up on it but already love a quick steam stem note.

[Siri]

Originally Posted by FRANKlybored

Teasers are meant to be controversial plot points to grab the attention of audiences, condemning the programming on three lines of script seems harsh and counter-productive...

While this is certainly true and no doubt what they're doing, it's important to remember that TV-aired teasers reach a far, far large audience than episodes themselves. Assuming ABC Family (EDIT) Freeform is airing this or similar ads during any number of other shows, a teaser 'storyline' can easily get an order of magnitude more viewer eyeballs than the actual storyline. (Albeit with markedly less internalization.) I don't at all blame/condemn the producers for their choice there, but from a FIRST perspective it's absolutely legitimate to examine the picture that a teaser alone paints of us. Recruitment efforts could well benefit from the knowledge that there are many, many potential high school roboteers out there who're encountering just teaser perspective without whatever elaboration comes in the episode.

[tjf]

Though I don't find FIRST to be represented as purely as some of know it here, the saying "no press is bad press" comes to mind. As pointed out earlier, the character in question had previously existing habitual problems and her friends and classmates were helping with them.

Onto the representation of Mentor vs Student built, I think it's an important point, as petty as it may seem, to mention it in the show. The accusations of "Mentor Built" have been flying since before I was born, and it's as much a insult as it is an in-joke of the community.

Finally, the idea that FIRST has finally hit the mainstream media is very important. Honda also had FRC bots in one of their recent commercials (linked below) exhibiting their car. The Fosters characters, though begrudgingly, talk about Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition, treating them like buzzwords. Hopefully, in time, viewers of the TV show, as well as members of our own community, realize that GP & coopertition aren't buzzwords as much as they are a philosophy.

Besides, how else can we compete with VEX in the prime-time television slot? (I kid, but still. Messages must be spread.)
[1] - https://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/s...hreadid=149956

[Rangel(kf7fdb)]

Maybe the team the show focuses on will end up being on the same alliance as the team with a lot of engineers and realize they had the wrong idea of them?

[Chak]

Oh look, CD is mildly outraged again.

Now the question is: what, if anything, can CD do about this?

[tjf]

Originally Posted by Chak

Oh look, CD is mildly outraged again.

Now the question is: what, if anything, can CD do about this?

Literally nothing,whether we could agree or not. Episodes are filmed and sent All CD can do is as it always does, be that what you interpret.

[Siri]

Originally Posted by Chak

Oh look, CD is mildly outraged again.

Now the question is: what, if anything, can CD do about this?

Be prepared to proactively address it with interested students and other potential stakeholders. I don't think anyone envisions changing the content of a television show; it's just that understanding the view some potential recruits will get from the trailer/episode can be important in making any press actually good press. This is certainly a reasonable standard of action.

[Jon K.]

http://www.firstinspires.org/robotic...on-The-Fosters

FIRST did have substantial knowledge of the story for this episode as confirmed in this Frank's Blog. I honestly think it will be more of a non-issue than most here are trying to make it out to be, and is still representative of our community as a whole (as very well proven by the arguments made in this thread.) Frank even admits that this will cause discussion in the community, but clearly it could not have been damaging to FIRST in the end as people such as Blair will make an appearance in the episode.

[Gregor]

Originally Posted by Siri

While this is certainly true and no doubt what they're doing, it's important to remember that TV-aired teasers reach a far, far large audience than episodes themselves. Assuming ABC Family (EDIT) Freeform is airing this or similar ads during any number of other shows, a teaser 'storyline' can easily get an order of magnitude more viewer eyeballs than the actual storyline. (Albeit with markedly less internalization.) I don't at all blame/condemn the producers for their choice there, but from a FIRST perspective it's absolutely legitimate to examine the picture that a teaser alone paints of us. Recruitment efforts could well benefit from the knowledge that there are many, many potential high school roboteers out there who're encountering just teaser perspective without whatever elaboration comes in the episode.

I was going to reserve judgement of this until the actual episode, but you bring up a good point.

Very disappointed in the way FIRST is being portrayed.

[Koko Ed]

Why do people think a fictional representation of FIRST has to be perfect? People are not perfect and are prone to mistakes. Theyact on their instincts and not always on the golden rule. To assume that they are obligated to have people be complete saints in order to represent a group is arrogant to be honest.

[seg9585]

Although I was a little personally offended that they regarded having an aerospace engineer as a coach was a "bad" thing, I will hold my judgement until I see the full episode.

I was a bit more frustrated at the earlier episodes in which the students and teacher threw around the terms "Omni Wheels" and "Swerve Drive" when clearly referring to and demonstrating Mecanum Drive. Yes, I know the general public won't know the difference but there's an attention to detail in scriptwriting that's obviously missing here. If you're going to technobabble, at least be somewhat accurate!