集结了金牌制片、强力编导和明星卡司的《西部世界》接档《权力的游戏》，播出四集收获无数好评，让剧迷们从苍凉血腥的冰与火之歌中穿越到复古野蛮的西部世界。或许《西部世界》真的有望成为HBO的又一招牌神剧。

HBO has long stood as a bastion for some of the best shows television has to offer. Its lengthy¹ history is occupied by a handful of truly great series, all culminating in the impressive run it's currently experiencing with Game of Thrones. The adaptation of George R.R. Martin's popular novels has become one of TV's most-watched weekly events every spring. Like all good things though, Game of Thrones eventually will come to an end, with just two shortened seasons left before it goes off the air for good (at least in its current form). This imminent² departure leads us to one question: What's next for HBO?

HBO长期以来一直是一些品质绝佳的电视剧的阵地。在HBO悠久的历史上出现了几部伟大剧作，它们都和《权力的游戏》一样达到了收视巅峰。该剧改编自乔治•R•R•马丁的人气小说，是每年春季收视最高的周播节目之一。和所有的佳作一样，《权力的游戏》终将结束，距该剧永远停播仅剩下两短季（至少从目前来看）。《权力的游戏》的即将完结给我们带来一个问题：HBO的下一步是什么？

With Game of Thrones set to exit stage left, the network is going to need an heir apparent. Lucky for them, they've been preparing one for years now with Westworld. The artificial intelligence-centric sci-fi epic³ will seek to ease the pain of leaving Westeros, and from the look of early trailers, we see no reason why it won't. Here's why.

由于《权力的游戏》即将下线，HBO电视台需要确定一部接档剧。幸运的是，他们筹备多年如今制作出了《西部世界》。这部围绕着人工智能的科幻史诗剧将缓解我们告别《权力的游戏》的痛苦。从早期的预告片来看，我们没有理由认为不是这样。原因如下：

1. Westworld already has a five year plan in place

西部世界》已有五年规划

The long-term success of any show is rooted in the ability of its writers to plan out its story on a large scale. Game of Thrones' own roadmap was already in place before its first episode ever aired, helped by George R.R. Martin's series of novels. In terms of the years-long production process, Westworld lead actor James Marsden provides us with some insight, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.

任何电视剧的长期成功都源自其编剧对剧情的总体策划能力。得益于乔治·R·R·马丁的系列小说，《权力的游戏》的故事发展线在第一集开播前就已经写好。据《娱乐周刊》报道，《西部世界》的主演詹姆斯•麦斯登透露了该剧历经数年之久的制作过程。

It wasn't about getting the first 10 (episodes) done, it was about mapping out what the next five or six years are going to be. We wanted everything in line so that when the very last episode airs and we have our show finale, five or seven years down the line, we knew how it was going to end the first season.

这不是说搞定前10集，而是规划出接下来5、6年的剧情会是什么样的。我们让所有剧情都按照故事线来走，这样我们早在第一季就知道五至七年后，最后一集大结局会是什么样的。

Compare that to the decidedly more "fly by the seat of their pants" approach of sci-fi contemporaries like Lost and Battlestar Galactica, and we see a far more meticulously⁴ crafted narrative⁵ for Westworld. This only serves to strengthen the long-term potential of the fledgling series, helped by an already fully-formed story arc.

迷失》、《太空堡垒卡拉狄加》等同类科幻作品显然更多是凭感觉，与这种方式相比，我们看到《西部世界》的叙事精细得多。借助完全成形的故事线，这只会提升该部新剧的长期潜力。

2. The A-list cast

一流的演员阵容

Game of Thrones is famous for bringing in the most talented actors in the business, from Peter Dinklage's lengthy run as Tyrion Lannister, to Ian McShane's tragically⁶ short-lived appearance last season. Westworld will be pulling out all the stops for its own cast, bringing on Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Harris, James Marsden, and Jeffrey Wright.

从彼特•丁拉基长期扮演的提利昂•兰尼斯特，到伊恩•麦柯肖恩上一季短暂的悲剧亮相，《权力的游戏》以邀请业内最具天赋的演员出演而著称。《西部世界》将使出浑身解数打造其演员阵容，请安东尼•霍普金斯，埃文•蕾切尔•伍德，埃德•哈里斯，詹姆斯•马斯登和杰弗里•赖特参与演出。

This isn't just a TV-worthy⁷ collection of actors either; it's a cast that would be coveted⁸ for even the most high-profile of summer blockbusters. Whether or not the show up ends up being a thematic success remains⁹ to be seen, but even if it flopped¹⁰ story-wise, it wouldn't be for lack of talent attached to the project.

同样，他们也不是一群小银幕演员，就连最受关注的暑期大片都会觊觎这个演员阵容。最终能否成功获得主流观众的认可还要走着瞧，但即使剧情不受欢迎，那也绝不是因为演员阵容不够强大。

3. A strong original story from Michael Crichton

迈克尔•克莱顿强大的原著

Michael Crichton is most known as the mastermind behind the original Jurassic Park novel. That said, his body of work expands far beyond just that, having written and directed the 1973 film HBO's own iteration of Westworld is based on.

迈克尔•克莱顿最为人熟知的身份是小说《侏罗纪公园》的作者。当然，他的作品远远不止这些，HBO翻拍的《西部世界》基于1973年迈克尔•克莱顿创作并执导的同名电影。

4. The showrunners

西部世界》制作人

A show is only as good as the people in charge of its creative direction. In the case of Westworld, the team of writers and producers is a veritable who's who of sci-fi luminaries¹¹. Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight) and Lisa Joy (Pushing Daisies) are attached as the showrunners, while J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk (Star Wars: The Force Awakens¹², Fringe) will serve as executive producers. There are a whole lot of talented cooks in the kitchen, and combined, they make up an A-team worthy of Westworld's bold premise¹³.

一部剧的质量取决于其负责创意指导的人。在《西部世界》中，编剧和制片人团队都是名副其实的科幻作品大师。乔纳森•诺兰（《蝙蝠侠前传2：黑暗骑士》）和丽萨•乔伊（《灵指神探》）担任制作人，而J•J•艾布拉姆斯和布莱恩•伯克（《星球大战：原力觉醒》）将担任执行制片人。该剧中有许多专业人才，他们一起组成了一支能驾驭《西部世界》大胆假设的一流队伍。

5. There's nothing like Westworld on TV today

西部世界》在当今电视上绝无仅有

Part of what's made Game of Thrones so impactful in the landscape of modern TV has been the way it's blazed brand new territory for fantasy epics¹⁴. You'd be hard-pressed to find another show that's managed to accomplish what GoT has, despite the better efforts of pale imitations (looking at you, Marco Polo).

权力的游戏》在当代电视圈有如此影响力的部分原因是，它为奇幻史诗剧点亮了全新的领域。尽管相形见绌的仿制剧已经发挥得更好（说你呢，《马可•波罗》），但是你还是很难找到一部剧可以取得《权力的游戏》所取得的成就。

Westworld's own creative ambitions are similarly unique. If it ends up catching¹⁵ on, it has the potential to launch the artificial intelligence sci-fi concept into the television mainstream¹⁶. Of course it could also fly too close to the sun and burn up in a blaze of glory, but at least for now, we remain cautiously optimistic based on the initial buzz.

与之类似，《西部世界》也有野心开创一块新领域。如果最终能流行起来，该剧便可能将人工智能科幻剧引入主流电视节目。当然，《西部世界》也可能玩火自焚，但是至少目前来看，基于前几集的口碑，我们对该剧还是可以持有审慎乐观的态度。